Chapter 476: Another Sudden Enlightenment

The main tower of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion is located on a high mountain near the southeast of the Eastern Border.

Unlike the branch towers of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion, which mostly stand in bustling market towns and cultivation cities, the area outside the main tower's garrison has almost no buildings; within a hundred‑li radius only that lofty tower on the mountain remains, together with a few much lower dwellings nearby.

It is obvious that this vicinity will become the territory of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion.

Compared to sects whose members possess mid‑Nascent Soul cultivation, the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion's territory can be said to be far too small.

Mist and clouds intertwine, spiritual energy hangs thick, immortal cranes cry long, and phoenix‑like birds flutter gracefully.

"Is this the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion?"

Having put away the carriage, under Ji Li Yun's guidance Yunhe and Han Yin Jiao flew into the clouds' depths and gazed at that tall tower, which reaches several hundred zhang in height and covers at least several dozen zhang square—undoubtedly the largest building Yunhe has ever seen.

Ji Li Yun smiled and said, "Exactly."

He lifted his gaze to the tower's top floor and continued, "Yunhe, the eldest senior brother is already waiting for us."

Yunhe's eyes flashed, he also looked up and said, "If so, then I shall meet this renowned Hundred Knowledge Master."

The old man's smile widened as he slightly nodded to Ji Li Yun, saying, "Li Yun, first take this fellow cultivator downstairs to look at the classics and examine those demon tribe secrets."

The old man chuckled, extended his hand, and said, "Please."

Yunhe showed a hint of sudden understanding.

Moreover, the shelves also held various magical treasures, elixirs, and other precious items.

At the same time.

Yunhe patted her on the back of the head and softly said, "Go."

If one stares closely, faintly sparkling points of light can be seen within the black clouds, like stars or fireflies.

Although he also possesses mid‑Nascent Soul cultivation, he feels that this person is far stronger than Zhang Ding Tian, Gan Bing Lan, Guang Cheng Zi, and the like!

More importantly,

"What's interesting about the classics?"

"Alright."

After the two left, the old man apologetically explained to Yunhe, "Sorry, entering this top level may not be a good thing for that little creature."

With Yunhe's spiritual sense and cultivation base, this compass can still produce such an inexplicable illusion, which shows how profound it is.

And among those stars, seven are the brightest, and they are also the only ones that have not changed in position or form.

"I have met Fellow Cultivator Yun."

It is precisely because of this that he feels quite astonished.

Half of the room's space is filled with seemingly ordinary wooden shelves, on which various jade slips are sparsely displayed; many of those slips exude an extremely ancient aura, clearly not of the present age.

He was not surprised to see Yunhe, even though no spiritual sense had swept over him; he seemed to have already known that Yunhe's party would arrive, so he opened the door as soon as they landed.

Yunhe has always tended to trust his intuition.

Undoubtedly what caught Yunhe's attention most was the huge stone compass at the exact center of the room, resembling a sundial, its surface covered with dense, intricate carvings that exude a mysterious air.

You should know that although his spiritual sense may not be unrivaled in the Eastern Border cultivation world, he is confident it is far stronger than that of late‑Nascent Soul great cultivators, yet it cannot even lock onto its position.

But a little observation reveals at least some clues.

After a breath, Yunhe and his two companions had already arrived inside the top‑level railing.

Han Yin Jiao immediately looked at Yunhe, his eyes and expression making it clear he did not want to go.

Although Yunhe was startled inside, he kept a warm exterior and returned the salute with a smile.

Just as they arrived, the wooden door before them slowly opened, and an elderly old man wearing a Seven Star Dao Robe stood inside, smiling broadly.

The old man laughed, clasped his hands in a salute, and offered his greetings.

Han Yin Jiao muttered a complaint, then reluctantly followed Ji Li Yun down to the lower floors.

Besides the compass, Yunhe also noticed that the roof of this vast house could not even be called a roof.

He immediately replied, "Understood, senior brother."

As the words fell, a surge of spiritual power rose from his body, instantly sweeping up the transformed Han Yin Jiao and flying toward the top level.

The other half of the space is practically empty, aside from a few futons and a bronze brazier, only a few wisps of rising smoke lend it any vitality.

Although the old man stood right before him, he gave the sensation of being shrouded in a hazy mist, and Yunhe even intuitively felt that scanning him with his spiritual sense might not precisely pinpoint his location.

Yunhe followed the old man into the room.

Hearing this, Ji Li Yun blinked briefly, then quickly realized that the senior brother wanted to speak with Yunhe alone.

Ji Li Yun said nothing, simply trailing close behind.

Because there is no roof structure above, no beams or pillars—just a dense expanse like black velvet, as if woven from copious black mist and clouds.

Merely upon first seeing the old man, Yunhe did not rashly probe him with his spiritual sense, yet his intuition told him that the old man was no ordinary person.

"Oh?" Yunhe narrowed his eyes without changing expression, then smiled and said, "No problem—that little creature just broke through not long ago, its heart is too restless; it too should calm down."

The room lacked any imagined carved beams and painted pillars, nor any ethereal pavilions or towers; it seemed merely a rather ordinary room, aside from being exceptionally large, with nothing particularly special about it.

"Fellow cultivator, you're too polite."

Moreover, it is quite marvelous that the patterns on the compass clearly appear distinct, yet after each blink they seem to shift; upon reflection one realizes that one has actually forgotten what was earlier engraved on the compass.

He discovered that the hazy aura formed by those seven stars resembled the old man's earlier ethereal feeling, leading him to conclude that the reason his spiritual sense could not lock onto the old man was precisely because of those seven "stars."

"A formation?"

Yunhe murmured softly.

"That's right." The old man walked to Yunhe's side; his Seven Star Dao Robe faintly echoed the seven stars above, as if they were reflecting each other.

He had long known that Yunhe not only possessed strength comparable to late‑Nascent Soul great cultivators, but also that Yunhe was an outstanding formation master, so it was no surprise that he could see at a glance that this place housed a formation.

"This is the 'Seven Star Heaven‑Filling Formation,' left by the first Hundred Knowledge Master of our Hundred Knowledge Pavilion; its protective range is not great, covering only this tower itself."

"But as long as this formation remains, even if late‑Nascent Soul great cultivators attack, our Hundred Knowledge Pavilion will stand unmoved."

Yunhe glanced at the still‑smiling old man and did not doubt his seemingly arrogant words.

Because this formation differs from the mountain-protector grand formation he has seen before; it is not entirely based on spirit veins but also links to the heavenly stars, so even ordinary methods of severing spirit veins cannot break it.

Unless a true grand formation master lays down a heaven-covering, earth-severing grand formation, otherwise only brute force can break the formation.

Brute force; a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator is still somewhat inadequate.

This is the foundation of the Hundred Knowledge Tower, which has more than once given rise to the power of a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator.

However.

"Stars?"

Yunhe glanced again at the twinkling seven stars, his heart stirred slightly.

But he soon turned his gaze to that huge compass.

This compass is over three zhang in diameter, absolutely the largest compass he has ever seen.

Moreover, it is not only engraved with many patterns, but also has seven helical grooves, each seemingly independent, rotating according to different rules and trajectories; the combination formed by the seven compass patterns changes every breath and every instant.

Furthermore, the patterns on the compass itself are constantly changing.

It is no exaggeration to say that no one can predict in advance the combination it presents each breath.

Yunhe walked slowly up to the compass; the densely packed, extremely intricate patterns flowed before his eyes, as if constituting a vast, mysterious starry expanse.

"This is the Hundred Knowledge Tower's Heavenly Derivation Compass."

"Yes and no." The old man's smile gradually faded, he let out a soft sigh and said: "It can only be considered an imitation."

The true Heavenly Derivation Compass was long ago taken by the previous generation's Master of Hundred Knowledge, or what is called Sheng Banzi.

But precisely because of this, Yunhe's sense of amazement is thus so great.

This is merely an imitation, yet it already makes him feel the compass's profundity such that he cannot comprehend it in a short time; it is hard to imagine how profound the true Heavenly Derivation Compass would be.

Yunhe looked at the old man, his eyes showing a tentative expression.

The old man smiled slightly and nodded.

Hum—

A powerful divine sense swept out from Yunhe's body, immediately enveloping the entire compass.

The old man beside him showed a deep look of surprise, gazing at Yunhe in astonishment.

"Such divine sense."

Although he had long known that Yunhe's divine sense was not inferior, in the battle at the Listening Fragrance Tower his divine sense even suppressed the Abyssal Clan cultivator famed for strong divine sense, yet he never expected Yunhe's divine sense to be this strong.

"With such divine sense, I fear even late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators would not be much inferior; if not for my own divine sense being somewhat special, and the formation inside the tower assisting, I probably could not truly perceive your divine sense, Daoist Yunhe."

Yunhe is the cultivator with the strongest divine sense he has ever seen!

Even he dares not imagine how strong Yunhe's divine sense would become if he broke through to late-stage Yuan Ying and even to Yuan Ying perfection.

As for that, Yunhe said nothing; he merely stared at the compass, his divine sense covering it completely, while his eyes saw various complex patterns appear, which gradually shrank down to grain-sized points almost identical yet seemingly with different lights.

And those densely packed points arranged themselves in a way that seemed chaotic but hid an underlying pattern.

"Heavenly stars, celestial stars," Yunhe murmured again.

"Huh?!"

Upon hearing Yunhe's words, the old man's body almost involuntarily shuddered; he looked at Yunhe with even greater shock than before, his eyes' astonishment utterly unable to be concealed.

It was not surprising to him that Yunhe could see the tower's formation; Yunhe's formidable divine sense surprised him somewhat, but when Yunhe declared that the true core of the Heavenly Derivation Compass is the heavenly stars and celestial stars, he was truly astonished.

Exactly!

The very core of this Heavenly Derivation Compass is the evolution of the heavenly stars!

But this should not be something that an outsider like Yunhe could discern.

In fact, throughout the history of the Hundred Knowledge Tower's founding and development, only each generation's Master of Hundred Knowledge has the right to know the secret of the Heavenly Derivation Compass.

Among those past Masters of Hundred Knowledge, there are not lacking late-stage Yuan Ying and perfected great cultivators, even Spirit Transformation True Venerables!

Yet none of those past Masters of Hundred Knowledge could, without being told the secret of the Heavenly Derivation Compass, perceive that it derives from the heavenly stars, because no one could, without controlling the compass, memorize its extremely intricate patterns and their combinations, making it impossible to see its relation to the heavenly stars.

"You"

The old man's voice trembled slightly; he drew two breaths before forcibly suppressing the rising thoughts in his heart and asked:

"Daoist Yunhe, how did you figure it out?"

However.

But he did not get to wait for the answer.

Because after he just asked the question, he discovered that Yunhe seemed to have entered a state of profound mystery.

Enlightenment!

The old man's expression froze, then he revealed a hint of a bitter smile.

Well then.

Sometimes people can really anger others by comparing themselves.

He still remembers that when he first saw the Heavenly Derivation Compass, his master—namely the previous generation's Master of Hundred Knowledge, that is Sheng Banzi—warned him not to stare at the compass too long.

Back then he did not believe it; the result was that after staring at the compass for less than an hour, he felt dizzy, blurred vision, and ringing in his ears, and needed a full seven days of rest to barely recover.

Know that at least those who can reach this level are Yuan Ying cultivators, and at that time he had already reached early-stage Yuan Ying.

Although early-stage and mid-stage Yuan Ying differ greatly, he merely used his eyes to look at the compass for an hour and felt the world spin; Yunhe, however, used his divine sense to "look"—a more direct method—so the discomfort he suffered ought to be even greater than his back then.

But the fact is, Yunhe not only probed with his divine sense, he also spoke out the compass's core, and directly entered the state of enlightenment!

The superiority is instantly decided!

Moreover, the gap is so great it cannot be described.

But soon the old man set aside his helplessness and turned to joy.

He cannot help but acknowledge that the stronger Yunhe's strength and ability, the greater the benefits to the entire Hundred Knowledge Tower far outweigh the drawbacks.

Yunhe being able to enter a marvelous state of enlightenment at first sight of the Heavenly Derivation Compass only shows that he has an affinity with it.

Having figured this out, the old man gave a faint smile at the corner of his mouth and flicked his robe.

Hum—

The seal of the entire Hall of a Hundred Dawns opened, and those cultivators who had originally been searching for materials and flipping through scriptures on each floor below were all directly "thrown" out of this building.

This also included Ji Liuyun, Han Yinjiao, and them.

"The seal fully opened, this"

Ji Liuyun felt a bit dazed, looking at the faintly glowing seal barrier; he had also never encountered such a situation before.

(End of chapter)