Chapter 411: Divination

Zhu Xuanji slowly put down the tea cup and sighed: "Lin Sect Master's operation of the Myriad Medicine Sect is so arduous, painstaking, and truly not easy."

"Past events, let them pass with the wind, everything moves forward, today's situation, brother should be open-minded."

"Within the four seas, all are kings, the territory of the world, is not the country's land. Since the Sect Master can understand the general situation, the country's thick reward, naturally goes without saying."

Seeing this, Ning Zhuo stood up, went forward and kowtowed, and said solemnly: "Lin Sect Master's high righteousness is truly admirable."

"In the past, the Ning family was in trouble, fortunately, the Myriad Medicine Sect helped with all its strength, saving us from danger, the Ning family will never forget it for generations. The junior feels the grace, but failed to repay, today I have the fate to see the Sect Master, and have been taken care of by Senior Sister Shanshan many times, I have nothing to repay, only deep shame, no face to see myself."

"Today, the incident started suddenly, the situation was urgent, it was truly an accidental excavation, accidentally touching the heavy treasure, it was a coincidence, I didn't intend to set off a huge wave, making the Sect Master open the town mountain array, killing intent everywhere, the junior was afraid that it would be difficult to survive, not my wish, truly helpless."

Lin Shanshan's expression changed.

She looked at Ning Zhuo, her expression complex, and her resentment overflowing.

Although she was not deeply involved in the world, she was also carefully cultivated by Lin Bufan, and lived by Lin Bufan's side, influenced by what she saw and heard.

Therefore, Ning Zhuo's words seemed to be an apology, but as soon as they were spoken, Lin Shanshan knew that Ning Zhuo was stabbing a sharp sword directly at her father.

Lin Bufan smiled on the surface, but sneered in his heart: "Stinky brat, tongue is sharp, disguising himself!"

"Purely accidental, how could Zhu Xuanji be so coincidentally here?" 【

On the surface, Lin Bufan laughed and spoke some polite words, claiming that it was only because Lin Shanshan had gone missing that he had taken such an aggressive stance.

This was also twisting the truth.

The truth was that Lin Bufan had first captured Ning Jiufan and activated the Mountain-Suppressing Formation, which was what led Ning Zhuo to kidnap Lin Shanshan.

Ning Zhuo naturally would not let Lin Bufan smear the facts like this and immediately argued back, though on the surface, it still sounded like a junior offering an apology.

The two engaged in a war of words, which the crowd initially found quite interesting.

Gradually, the verbal exchange between the two sides seemed as if it would be endless and continuous.

Zhu Xuanji grew impatient and had to reach out: "Stop, you two, stop!"

He stated that arguing was useless and that they should go see the Linlang Reflection Wall first.

Lin Bufan stroked his beard and smiled. While agreeing, he looked at Ning Zhuo "gently," inwardly sneering: "Little fox!"

Ning Zhuo wore a look of shame, indicating that Brother Zhu Xuanji's instruction was correct, while glancing at Lin Bufan from the corner of his eye, thinking: "Old fox!"

Looking back, he saw Lin Shanshan staring at him.

Ning Zhuo smiled brightly: "Miss Lin..."

Lin Shanshan turned her head: "Young Master Ning Zhuo, do not speak to me."

Lin Bufan felt a warmth in his heart and revealed some facts: The Linlang Reflection Wall was a spirit treasure of extremely high grade. Even he had probed it repeatedly but had never seen the wall itself. The few layers of formations outside the wall alone had stumped him.

"These formations do not belong to the Reflection Wall itself; they were set up jointly by the projections of several predecessors of the formation path."

"When I moved the sect here, I had the original Mountain God infiltrate for over a hundred years, and we only managed to penetrate the two outermost layers of the formation, creating a secret passage connecting the underground karst cave to the mansion."

Lin Bufan tactfully and subtly advised everyone not to have too high expectations for this trip, as he had never been able to control this spirit treasure. If the operation went poorly, it was not because he, Lin Bufan, was unwilling to cooperate.

Ning Jiufan stroked his beard with a solemn expression: "If what Sect Master Lin says is true, the fact that the Reflection Wall contains the methods of countless predecessors is truly formidable. If we provoke the spirit treasure to counterattack during this trip, I fear we will all be in mortal danger."

Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly upon hearing this; this was also a concern in his own heart.

Therefore, he turned to look at Shen Lingshu beside him: "I must ask Senior Shen to take action and perform a divination before we set out!"

Shen Lingshu nodded: "This is precisely why I was ordered to come here, to assist you."

Ning Zhuo immediately looked at Shen Lingshu with curiosity, thinking: "Divination?"

Divination was one of the hundred arts of cultivation. He had long yearned for this skill, and seeing a practitioner today made him feel quite curious.

"This Senior Shen not only has Nascent Soul level cultivation, but since he was dispatched by the Nandou royal family, he must be quite skilled at divination."

"When I get the chance later, I must get close to him!"

Shen Lingshu's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he felt a sense of unease.

His expression grew more serious, and he thought to himself: "I had a premonition before the operation; could it be that this trip will be quite unfavorable?"

He had originally intended to use only eighty percent of his strength, but now, disturbed by this premonition, he immediately made up his mind to perform the divination with all his might.

He immediately took out his signature magic treasure from his storage belt—a set of Nascent Soul level counting rods.

Ning Zhuo's eyes were bright; this was the first time he had seen a great cultivator of the Nascent Soul level perform calculations in front of him.

Shen Lingshu's gaze was profound as he gently stroked the counting rods in his hand and said: "Everyone's fortune is uneven, and the omens are mixed. Let me calculate them one by one, and then aggregate them to determine the heavenly secrets of this trip."

No one had any objections.

Shen Lingshu concentrated for a moment, first looking at Ning Jiufan, reaching out to grasp the air, capturing the aura on Ning Jiufan, and casting it into the counting rods.

He threw the counting rods.

The counting rods emitted a mysterious light, flew into mid-air, and finally hovered there.

Shen Lingshu calculated the result and said to Ning Jiufan: "You have the support of noble people, and your fate contains blessings. However, your fortune changed some time ago; it was a change of fate triggered by external forces, with romantic entanglements mixed in."

Ning Jiufan's face flushed slightly, and he asked: "I have heard that rashly changing one's fate can lead to backlash; is it..."

Shen Lingshu shook his head and comforted him: "You did not initiate this change of fate yourself; someone has already performed the technique to share the burden for you, so there is no need to worry." He turned to Ning Zhuo and continued the calculation.

Before long, his eyes were as cold as ice, and he said directly: "Little Friend Ning Zhuo, your fortune is stable and unremarkable, yet within that stability, there is also hidden opportunity."

After finishing, he measured Lin Shanshan: "Little Friend Lin Shanshan, your fate contains the aura of home; it is not suitable for you to travel far in the near future. There is wind, frost, cold, and dew outside, but there is lingering warmth to protect you within. Only by staying in the hall can you nourish your energy and strengthen your essence."

Lin Shanshan's expression changed slightly.

Shen Lingshu then calculated for Lin Bufan, his expression slightly solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Sect Master Lin, your fate is full of wealth and honor, yet you are restless in stillness, and movement will turn things auspicious. Yin and Yang flow between heaven and earth; after long stillness, movement must appear. If you do not move now, disaster will be hard to avoid; success and failure all lie in a single thought. Moving to seek auspiciousness and protecting the foundation of the Myriad Medicine Sect is the only way to conform to the heavenly mandate."

The implication was that disaster comes from the sky while one sits at home.

These words immediately touched Lin Bufan, who cast his gaze toward Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo:...

Finally, Shen Lingshu looked at Zhu Xuanji, threw the counting rods, and had the answer: "Fellow Daoist Zhu, you have a life of toil and are a gifted talent, but only through hardship can you achieve great success. You will have merit for your labor, and your great cause will flourish in the future, but this trip requires much patience; success and failure hinge on the smallest details. Behind your fame, you must have a heart of extreme endurance to avoid violating the heavenly Dao."

After calculating everyone, Shen Lingshu silently recited mysterious incantations, built up his momentum for a long time, and only then threw the counting rods again.

The counting rods combined with each other in mid-air, forming various patterns that left the others feeling dazzled.

Ning Zhuo stared intently for a while and felt dizzy.

Finally, Shen Lingshu withdrew the counting rods, looked around, and said in a low voice: "According to everyone's fate, this trip is auspicious with a hint of mediocrity; there will be no surprises or dangers, the waves will be calm, and there will be support. However, the heavenly Dao is ever-changing, and the harvest may not meet expectations; only by broadening your state of mind can you obtain the right time and place."

Everyone held their breath and listened.

Ning Zhuo was full of respect and complimented: "Senior Shen's divination technique is truly profound and brilliant; witnessing it, I am filled with admiration!"

Who would have thought that Shen Lingshu would say coldly: "Little Friend Ning Zhuo, you must know that fate is fixed and heavenly secrets must not be spoken of lightly; do not come near me in the future."

Ning Zhuo:???

Since the divination was complete and they had such results, everyone began their action.

Lin Bufan had wanted to leave Lin Shanshan on the original mountain, but the latter insisted on going, saying she wanted to personally rescue her senior brother, Linghu Jiu, so Lin Bufan let her be.

Lin Bufan opened the secret mountain path.

This was the very path Ning Zhuo had taken from the underground karst cave to enter the original mountain.

He could be considered to be returning along the original route.

The group entered the formation-within-a-formation directly; a patch of mist, white and vast, covered the surroundings and filled their eyes.

Lin Bufan used his methods, waving his long sleeves, and saw the white mist rolling and churning, quickly fading.

Just as the group saw a portal faintly appearing, a thin figure pierced through the mist, holding a long sword, and walked up to them.

It was Linghu Jiu.

"Master, and honored guests, please pause for a moment." Linghu Jiu smiled freely and suddenly pointed his sword at Ning Zhuo, "Allow me to challenge someone to a duel first!"

"Ning Zhuo, how about you come and spar with this foolish brother?"

"Brother Linghu, why do you say this?" Ning Zhuo's expression changed slightly, feeling puzzled, "The misunderstanding between me and your sect has already been resolved."

Linghu Jiu, however, smiled and shook his head.

Lin Bufan stroked his beard and suddenly said: "No, you are not Jiu'er; you are just a projection of him."

"Linghu Jiu" nodded and admitted frankly: "My main body has already been guided to go deeper. I was left behind specifically for one thing."

As he spoke, he cast his gaze toward Ning Zhuo, his fighting spirit extremely intense.

Ning Zhuo was still puzzled, stating that this was definitely not Linghu Jiu's order, and that he would never treat him this way.

Shen Lingshu suddenly said: "So that's how it is; this is the guidance."

Ning Zhuo let out an "ah," feeling that Shen Lingshu, this great cultivator of divination, was somewhat targeting him.

Zhu Xuanji urged: "Then hurry up, Ning Zhuo, fight him."

Lin Shanshan pursed her lips and smiled: "Suddenly, being able to see Senior Brother and Young Master Ning Zhuo fight, even if it's not Senior Brother himself, is really something to look forward to."

She was very annoyed by Ning Zhuo's behavior and inwardly hoped that "Linghu Jiu" would teach the big-headed boy a good lesson.

With Lin Shanshan having such an attitude, Lin Bufan's was naturally even more so.

Ning Jiufan stroked his beard: "Little Zhuo, then go and fight! Let everyone see the demeanor of my Northern men, the Ning family!"

Ning Zhuo gave a wry smile; Ning Jiufan had great confidence in him, but he knew deeply that Linghu Jiu was not simple, and that even his "Human Life Hanging by a Thread" divine ability could be detected by Linghu Jiu; the man must be hiding many things!

"War is a dangerous business..." Ning Zhuo still held onto a fluke, not wanting to start a fight casually.

At this moment, the voice of the Five Elements Divine Lord reached everyone's ears: "Little Ning Zhuo, hurry up and fight Linghu Jiu!"

"I made a bet with Brother Loneliness."

"If you lose, don't come in!"

Ning Zhuo:?!