Chapter 614: Fusion of Heavenly Mechanism

The next day, Mo Hua woke up with a pounding headache.

He sank his spiritual sense into his mind sea, only to discover that his spiritual sense was now crisscrossed with fine cracks, each movement bringing a faint sting.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then froze in shock.

"Is this… the side effect of using Heavenly Mechanism Deception and Heavenly Mechanism Derivation together?"

Heavenly Mechanism Derivation reveals essence, focusing on depth of core principles.

Heavenly Mechanism Deception splits into deceptive shadows, focusing on breadth and variety.

When both supreme spiritual sense algorithms are used simultaneously, they impose immense strain on the mind sea, causing spiritual sense to tear and collapse…

The cracks in his spiritual sense now are the warning signs…

Mo Hua frowned.

His spiritual sense had already undergone a qualitative transformation, making it deeper and more resilient than that of ordinary cultivators; moreover, he rarely used Derivation and Deception together, so though painful, the damage wasn't severe yet.

But if he kept using them like this…

Unless his spiritual sense, like the "skull" upheld by the Ram, fully transformed from illusory to solid, utterly unbreakable, he would never withstand the immense burden of using Derivation and Deception together.

Otherwise, sooner or later, his spiritual sense would be severed by the two algorithms, shattering completely…

Mo Hua sucked in a sharp breath.

"Damn it, I can't use them together…"

No wonder Master learned one, and Master's elder brother learned the other…

Even with Master's talent and Master's elder brother's insight, neither could master both.

My talent doesn't match Master's, my insight falls short of Master's elder brother's—just learning both already feels like a massive stroke of luck…

Now wanting to use them together? That's truly delusional…

Thinking of this, Mo Hua's mood eased slightly.

Contentment brings joy; know when to stop.

When you hit a wall, turn back—that too is "wisdom."

Mo Hua nodded.

With his spiritual sense still aching, he couldn't continue studying.

After resting for several days—no array diagrams drawn, no array texts read, minimal use of spiritual sense—he waited until his spiritual sense recovered and no longer stung when activated, then resumed his study of the Beacon Magnetic Array.

As he had previously derived.

The most vital and core element of the Beacon Magnetic Array is the faint, magnetically charged lightning current generated between the fixed and unfixed magnetic array patterns.

These lightning currents are extremely subtle, nearly impossible to perceive.

They are neither pure spiritual energy nor pure array patterns, but a delicate "secondary lightning current" existing between the two.

To "cheat" and break the Magnetic Array, one must master these "secondary lightning currents," or rather, "secondary lightning patterns."

These true secondary lightning patterns are the "agreement"—the rule itself, the bridge between fixed and unfixed patterns.

Mo Hua simulated the Magnetic Array again, then extended his spiritual sense to sense it.

But without Deception and Derivation's enhancement, his spiritual perception alone could not detect the secondary lightning patterns at all…

He strained with all his might, his spiritual sense numbed from overuse, yet still not a single trace appeared.

If he couldn't perceive them, he couldn't learn them…

Mo Hua frowned again.

Contentment brings joy—this doesn't seem to work anymore.

Contentment brings joy—but it means no progress…

The objective situation forces me to become "greedy."

I must use both Derivation and Deception—and I must use them together.

Otherwise, how can I glimpse the "secondary lightning current"? How can I unravel the secrets of the Beacon Magnetic Array and break the secrets of the Message Seal?

But using them together will tear my spiritual sense…

Simultaneously activating Deception and Derivation imposes too heavy a burden.

Occasional use is fine, but prolonged use will surely shatter my mind sea.

Mo Hua lay on his bed, propping his head on his arm, frowning, staring blankly at the plain, ancient ceiling, blinking slowly.

Meanwhile, his mind raced, weighing every possible method he had—until suddenly he froze, a revelation striking him:

The Dao Stele!

The Dao Stele can reverse spiritual sense!

The spiritual sense I expend drawing arrays on the Dao Stele can be reversed.

What if, on the Dao Stele, I used Heavenly Mechanism Deception and Heavenly Mechanism Derivation to deduce the secondary lightning currents within the Magnetic Array…

Even if my mind sea ached and my spiritual sense tore—wouldn't the erasure of the deduced array patterns mean…

My spiritual sense could still be reversed, restored to perfect condition?!

Mo Hua's heart trembled; he immediately sat up.

He thought this idea was absurd, cheating too blatantly—but also felt it was strangely logical.

The Dao Stele appeared empty, yet seemed to contain everything.

Transform spiritual sense into array patterns; invert array patterns back into spiritual sense.

Spiritual sense moves from being to non-being, then from non-being back to being—being and non-being give birth to and transform into each other…

Mo Hua's eyes lit up; he carefully weighed the plan, then, at midnight, impatiently entered his mind sea.

At the center of his mind sea.

The ancient, mysterious Dao Stele stood silent—empty, yet seemingly holding countless laws.

Mo Hua first drew a complete Fenghuo Yuan Ci array on the Dao Stele, containing both fixed and variable array patterns.

Then he activated the array, causing the fixed and variable magnetic patterns to resonate with each other.

Mo Hua's gaze darkened slightly as he simultaneously activated Heavenly Mechanism Deception and Heavenly Mechanism Derivation.

His eyes were half pitch-black, half crystal-clear.

Upon his spiritual projection, he wore an ink-wash Dao robe, but white cracks began to appear upon the purely black robe, as if two kinds of algorithms intertwined in contradiction, endlessly entangling and tearing apart…

His consciousness trembled, agonizing with pain.

Mo Hua endured the stabbing pain, ignoring it entirely, visualizing the hidden secondary lightning flows within the Yuan Ci array.

This time, in his spiritual perception, the faint blue secondary lightning flows, generated by magnetic resonance, finally reappeared.

These lightning flows were weak yet profound.

Like the most feeble, most primordial state of thunder spiritual energy.

As if thunder itself lay within a cradle.

It was a flow of spiritual energy, yet clearly visible were minute, intricate traces resembling array patterns, as if imbued with a hint of the rhythm of array evolution…

Mo Hua immediately copied the form, simplifying one "secondary lightning flow" into a "secondary lightning pattern" and drawing it upon the Dao Stele.

The process intensified the pain.

Mo Hua could only grit his teeth and force himself to memorize this secondary lightning pattern.

Once the lightning pattern was memorized, the Derivation and Deception algorithms ceased abruptly.

His spiritual energy was utterly depleted; his consciousness sea bore the burden of the dual Heavenly Mechanism algorithms, faint signs of cracking emerging.

Mo Hua's heart leapt in alarm—he immediately erased every array and array pattern from the Dao Stele.

The moment he erased them, nothingness and existence reversed.

As if nothing had ever happened, his spiritual energy surged back, the cracks in his consciousness sea vanished, and the tearing sensation disappeared without a trace.

Mo Hua froze in surprise, then joy surged within him uncontrollably.

His guess was right!

The Dao Stele really could cheat!

His master and senior brother were my lords, cultivated for centuries—so they could choose only one: Derivation or Deception.

But he was still young, of low seniority—he could have both!

Mo Hua smiled broadly, unable to resist touching the Dao Stele, praising inwardly: "The Dao Stele is amazing!"

His spiritual energy had been rewound, but his experience and understanding remained.

Thus, he could use the Dao Stele to "cheat" by activating Heavenly Mechanism Derivation and Deception simultaneously, deducing the Yuan Ci array, perceiving secondary lightning flows, and recording secondary lightning patterns.

Conversely, using the dual Yuan Ci arrays to deduce secondary lightning patterns was, in essence, continuously practicing the fusion of Heavenly Mechanism Derivation and Deception!

Two benefits in one!

He had both comprehended the array and fused the algorithms!

Mo Hua's gaze burned with excitement.

Though spiritual tearing brought pain, the result made this agony bearable.

Without delay, Mo Hua began drawing the Yuan Ci array over and over, merging Deception and Derivation algorithms, deducing secondary lightning flows, and contemplating the secondary lightning patterns…

His spiritual energy tore apart again and again, yet each time restored itself perfectly.

What Mo Hua did not know…

His spiritual energy, in this process, was being rewound repeatedly, growing steadily tougher.

Step by step, advancing toward the realm of a thousand hammerings, unbreakable and immortal.

Within the void Dao Stele, the Dao essence of nothingness giving rise to existence seeped slowly, clearly, and profoundly into his spiritual projection…

This process occurred subtly, silently, and meticulously…

But Mo Hua cared only for the array.

…

Three days later.

Mo Hua remained utterly focused, studying the Yuan Ci array and secondary lightning patterns.

Yet after days of derivation, he discovered another problem:

By amplifying Derivation with Deception to deduce Yuan Ci array patterns, he could perceive secondary lightning flows and comprehend the "secondary lightning patterns" embodying the Yuan Ci array's fundamental laws…

But the secondary lightning patterns could not be learned at all…

Over these days, Mo Hua had memorized many "secondary lightning patterns," yet none were identical—they all differed utterly, with no commonality whatsoever.

Too many variations, too subtle, too complex.

No pattern, no rule, impossible to memorize, apply, or categorize…

This meant such "secondary lightning patterns" were not truly "array patterns" at all—they resembled concrete "lightning" itself.

Mo Hua sighed.

No wonder ordinary cultivation sects' array transmissions only used fixed and variable array patterns to simulate secondary lightning flows via magnetic resonance, merely for communication and character manifestation.

No one ever truly studied "secondary lightning patterns"…

Precisely because secondary lightning flows were exceedingly obscure; ordinary cultivators, without algorithmic aid, could not perceive them at all.

Even if perceived, the secondary lightning patterns themselves were too complex, too minute, impossible to unify into a single category of "array pattern."

Some secondary lightning patterns looked identical, yet merely a minuscule difference in the tail-end lightning traces rendered them two entirely distinct "secondary lightning patterns," nearly impossible to distinguish.

And such "identical yet different" secondary lightning patterns were countless within the Yuan Ci array.

It was simply impossible to learn.

Mo Hua felt a deep sense of defeat.

After much effort, he glimpsed the core of the Magnetic Array, only to find it even more profound, more complex, and utterly impossible to master...

Mo Hua sank into despair for a moment, but then thought again:

If this thing were easy, it would be everywhere by now—how could it possibly demonstrate the "power" of my array techniques?

Precisely because it is extremely difficult, it is worth studying!

Precisely because it is hard, it proves the extraordinary depth of my array cultivation!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and his determination surged instantly.

"Just a Secondary Thunder Pattern..."

I've already mastered Grand Arrays and Ultimate Arrays—how could I possibly fail to learn a simple array pattern?

At most, the pattern forms are more complex, the differences more subtle, and the quantity far greater.

With enough effort, even an iron pestle can be ground into a needle.

Draw the array a hundred times, its meaning will reveal itself.

Mo Hua took out a large jade slip, naming it the "Secondary Thunder Pattern" jade slip.

He decided to record every single one of the countless, subtly varied "Secondary Thunder Patterns" he had deduced, one by one, into this jade slip.

Using his profound spiritual sense, keen perception, and powerful memory—he would memorize them by brute force!

If there are a thousand, record a thousand; if ten thousand, record ten thousand...

Mo Hua's expression was resolute.

He refused to believe it!

Once I've deduced the Magnetic Array patterns thousands upon thousands of times, and memorized tens of thousands of Secondary Thunder Patterns, I must surely uncover some principles, grasp some secrets...

Since there's no shortcut, I'll use the most brute-force method!

From then on, Mo Hua spent his time recording the Secondary Thunder Patterns one by one, reviewing them whenever he had free moments...

It was a rather lengthy process.

Fortunately, during this process, Mo Hua was also continuously practicing arrays, strengthening his spiritual sense, and integrating algorithms, so he didn't find it exhausting—in fact, he felt profoundly fulfilled...

After a month, the Grand Void Gate's annual break began.

The annual break was a scheduled holiday, held twice a year by sect regulations, roughly half a month each time.

It was meant to allow disciples—especially those from aristocratic clans—to return home for ancestral worship, academic reporting, paying respects, or handling personal matters.

It was said some even returned to arrange marriages...

Mo Hua couldn't go home.

Tongxiancheng was too far away—he couldn't return even if he wanted to, so he wrote a letter and entrusted it to the Qingzhou postal station to send back to Tongxiancheng.

In the letter, he described his recent situation, saying everything was fine...

He hadn't made it into Qiandao Sect due to its high entry threshold, but by chance, he had entered Tai Xu Gate, one of the Eight Great Gates of Qingzhou.

He had met a kind and beautiful aunt from the Shangguan Clan, named Xu Wanyi, who had greatly assisted him in joining the sect...

Master Xun, who taught arrays in the sect, held him in high regard, and Mo Hua had learned array theory thoroughly.

Fellow disciples were harmonious and friendly.

Several senior brothers and sisters treated him well.

He never lacked spiritual stones—the sect offered plenty of wool to shear...

Mo Hua wrote at length, then paused and summed up at the end:

"Everything is fine—don't worry."

"When I reach Jin Dan, I'll come home!"

"... Father, Mother, you must cultivate diligently, don't slack off, and don't be stingy with spiritual stones—when I return, you must both reach Foundation Establishment!"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and felt "Foundation Establishment" was too low—he raised the bar slightly:

Mid-Foundation Establishment!

After writing it, Mo Hua spent some spiritual stones and mailed the letter.

The distance to Lingzhou was vast, mountains and rivers endless—he didn't know when, or even if, the letter would arrive.

Mo Hua felt a brief pang of melancholy, then went to the Gu family in Qingzhou City.

Shangguan Xu had told him Yu'er was having trouble sleeping again.

Mo Hua licked his lips and hitched a ride on the Shangguan family's carriage to the Gu family in Qingzhou City.

Xu Wanyi saw Mo Hua as if he were a primordial treasure capable of warding off evil—both delighted and relieved.

After asking after his well-being, Xu Wanyi frowned and sighed:

"Yu'er isn't as severe as before..."

"She no longer trembles, her body no longer turns icy cold, nor does she cower in terror, unable to sleep..."

"But she still frowns, feels headaches and tension, and has nightmares..."

"Still, Yu'er says the demons and monsters in her dreams have decreased significantly..."

Mo Hua nodded and said: "Auntie Xu, rest assured—they'll decrease even more soon..."

Xu Wanyi looked surprised.

That night, Yu'er still slept in bed.

With Mo Hua beside her, she slept peacefully and calmly.

Mo Hua sat beside her in meditation, flipping through array texts.

His spiritual sense was already strong—but still far from enough.

First, integrate the Celestial Mechanism algorithm to deduce the Yuan Magnet Array and record the secondary lightning patterns.

The Beacon Yuan Magnet Array is a second-rank, sixteen-pattern formation.

Using sixteen-pattern spiritual awareness to deduce the Yuan Magnet Array, though Mo Hua's spiritual awareness had undergone a qualitative transformation and was incredibly resilient, the dual algorithms were too complex and profound, leaving him greatly strained.

The stronger the spiritual awareness, the more ease one gains.

Moreover, as Huang Shanjun said, one must crystallize the spiritual awareness into a Golden Core and reach the twenty-pattern realm to cultivate the "Grand Void Spiritual Mind Transformed Sword True Scripture," which can sever both tangible objects and intangible spirits.

Therefore, the stronger the spiritual awareness, the better.

But the means to enhance spiritual awareness are extremely limited.

Aside from diligent study of formations and honing his spiritual awareness, Mo Hua could only hope for some "side income" to satisfy his hunger.

Mo Hua was reading a book, but his mind was entirely elsewhere.

Night deepened; the side room stood empty.

Suddenly, a chilling wind swept through, bringing a bone-deep cold.

Mo Hua froze, then smiled faintly, looking up—sure enough, chains formed from karmic patterns stretched forth from the void.

Bloodstained filth and evil decay spread outward.

This odor could not be "smelled"—only spiritual awareness could "perceive" it.

Thick black water dripped down.

Deformed demons, soaked in black water like amniotic fluid, hatched forth, hanging upside-down from the ceiling and walls, crawling slowly along the karmic chains.

Just as before…

Some had human bodies with horse heads, others donkey heads with demonic bodies, still others dog bodies with human faces…

They ignored Mo Hua, crawling toward Yu'er with all four limbs.

Yu'er frowned, waving his tiny hands and feet, murmuring softly.

Mo Hua stepped in front of Yu'er.

The horde of demons and monsters paused, then, seeing Mo Hua was merely a small ghost, their eyes turned crimson and their expressions twisted into ferocity.

They did not know Mo Hua's "true face."

For any demon that knew Mo Hua's "true face" could never escape his "slaughterhouse"-like spiritual sea.

And their fate had been sealed the moment they appeared before Mo Hua.

They roared, transforming into gusts of dark wind, surging into Mo Hua's spiritual sea.

On their deformed faces, grotesque grins still lingered.

Then they saw it—a vast formation, roaring with flames like a volcano erupting molten lava.

A bunch of "rotten fish and spoiled shrimp."

Mo Hua was too lazy to play this time—he simply waited by the stump, manifesting the second-rank Li Mountain Fire Burial Array in advance within his spiritual sea.

The demons' arrogance was fierce, but the moment they entered the spiritual sea, they fell into a "hot pot."

Mo Hua activated the Li Mountain Fire Burial Array.

Jagged rocks formed a prison; flames surged like a fiery hell.

The demons' eyes grew dazed, still unaware of what had happened, when they vanished in an instant—"boiled whole" by Mo Hua.

Thin wisps of smoke rose from the Li Mountain Fire Burial Array.

Mo Hua swallowed it all, smacked his lips, still unsatisfied.

Not quite full…

His spiritual awareness had strengthened slightly, but not enough—nowhere near enough to bridge the chasm of the seventeen-pattern bottleneck.

Most regrettable was that this time, there seemed to be no "Ram-Headed Enforcers" in the black water.

Missing out on that pale golden "bone marrow" was a great pity…

But this was always an unexpected windfall; as long as there was "side income," Mo Hua wasn't greedy.

At least his spiritual awareness had genuinely strengthened again.

After Mo Hua "ate" the demons and awoke, the demonic aura in the side room had completely dissipated.

Night was quiet, the moonlight serene.

Yu'er lay in bed, his frown relaxed, his face peaceful, sleeping soundly.

Mo Hua smiled faintly, then frowned again, thinking:

Yu'er was shrouded in a great conspiracy, and so these demons and monsters would keep manifesting as nightmares to erode Yu'er's mind.

It may seem quiet now, but where karmic ties exist, they will never abandon the chance.

Worse still, they might encounter Ram-Headed Enforcers with pale golden divine marrow.

Even higher-ranked spiritual entities than the Ram-Headed Enforcers…

Ultimately, perhaps even a demonic god?!

Mo Hua thought about it, and decided a demonic god was unlikely.

A demonic god was too powerful—if it truly descended, Yu'er's flesh and spiritual sea could never withstand it…

Then perhaps it was…

The embryonic form of a demonic god?

Would a demonic god's embryo be weaker…

Maybe…

Mo Hua's eyes lit up; he couldn't help licking his lips, his expression eager, muttering to himself:

"I wonder what a real demonic god tastes like…"

Thank you to readers ag_uy, Jiucai Wangshi, Yiqi Xiuxian, Xiang Lao Dai, pyhuang for your support!