Chapter 82: A Glimmer of Hope

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As the celestial fire closed in, now scarcely three yards away, Liang Yan’s mind raced desperately, yet he could find no way to break free. “Is this where I meet my end today? Ha, so it is: an ant climbing to heaven is no easy feat. I boasted I would build my foundation, swore to reach the next stage—now it seems mere arrogance and empty words.” He had only reached the fifth layer of Qi training; no matter his abilities, he was powerless against the might of the heavenly flames.

Standing atop the treetop, resigned to his fate, suddenly his storage pouch at his waist began to tremble. “Hm?” Before he could react, the pouch loosened slightly and, to his astonishment, an object flew out of its own accord. Liang Yan fixed his gaze: it was the Purple-Gold Glass Lamp, one of the four great treasures used to suppress the Blood Frenzy.

This treasure was of such high grade that it was far beyond his current cultivation to control. Yet now, it flew forth on its own, rising slowly into the air, emanating rings of golden ripples—solemn and majestic, filling one’s heart with awe and reverence.

“Could there be a turning point?” Liang Yan’s heart stirred. He was not one who would surrender easily; before, death had seemed inevitable, but now, with this change, his fierce desire to live rekindled.

As the circles of golden light rippled outward, the encircling celestial fire suddenly halted its advance. Then, from the four directions—east, south, west, and north—long, slender fire dragons emerged, all rushing toward the Purple-Gold Glass Lamp at the center.

The lamp did not dodge, allowing the four fire dragons to strike it. The dragons came with ferocity, but as soon as they touched the lamp, they vanished without a trace, as if dissolved into the sea.

With the continuous influx, the lamp’s wick, which had been extinguished long ago, now ignited a tiny flame.

“Is the lamp using the celestial fire to rekindle its own wick?”

At this thought, Liang Yan was overjoyed. At this moment, the heavenly fire and the Purple-Gold Glass Lamp were locked in stalemate, and would not attack him for the time being.

“But in the end, I’m still trapped here. Who knows if the lamp has limits to how much it can absorb? If its wick is fully lit while the celestial fire still lingers, won’t I still be doomed?”

Granted a moment to breathe, Liang Yan’s mind spun rapidly. “All things are born and destroyed by one another. Although this heavenly fire fears not the Water Formation, it is innately opposed to the ‘Restriction’ hexagram. If I can invoke the Marsh Restriction, perhaps I might seize a sliver of hope!”

At that, he sat cross-legged atop the treetop, took out his eight-sided compass, and began his calculations anew.

The Hexagram Array was already difficult to decipher, and now, with heaven and earth inverted and the hexagrams shifted, the complexity was truly unimaginable.

Some crumble under immense pressure, while others grow ever calmer. Liang Yan was the latter; seeing hope in the midst of desperation, his mind gradually cleared.

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After about half a stick of incense’s time, Liang Yan put away his compass, climbed to the treetop’s peak, and leaped upward with all his strength.

He had already noticed the suppressive force in the array’s midair. Outside, he could easily leap three yards; within the array, at most three feet. Yet three feet was enough for him. He pressed his right fingers together like a sword and pointed toward the small stream winding through the village.

Boom!

A blue bolt, as thick as a fist, shot from his fingertip straight to the stream—the result of his Lightning Training technique, now at minor mastery.

A pebble at the stream’s bottom was struck by the lightning and shattered instantly. The stream rippled, but continued to flow quietly, showing no sign of change.

Liang Yan landed from midair, not frustrated, but silently contemplated atop the treetop, then leaped again, launching another Lightning Training strike at the other end of the stream.

Another pebble exploded to dust, the stream rippled once more—still nothing unusual.

“According to my calculations, there are thirteen possible locations for the array’s implements. With my current spiritual power, I can only unleash nine Lightning Training strikes. Whether I succeed or not, it’s up to fate now!”

Thinking thus, he gritted his teeth, leapt high from the treetop again, gathered lightning at his fingertip, and struck another stone in the stream.

This time, the pebble jumped high, tumbled in midair, and somehow did not shatter. It traced an arc and finally landed on the bank, rolling a bit before coming to rest.

“It worked!” Liang Yan rejoiced.

Almost simultaneously with the pebble’s displacement, the stream’s bottom erupted in violent tremors. Seven jets of water shot skyward, exuding a terrifying force.

These water spouts were not clear like the stream, but black as ink. At their appearance, the celestial fire beside Liang Yan shuddered, as if sensing its old nemesis, and seemed strangely excited.

Next, the seven black water spouts roared, merged in midair, and transformed into a mighty black tide surging toward the celestial fire.

The heavenly flames, too, grew excited, splitting off a portion to burn against the black water.

The two forces entwined instantly, locked in fierce combat. Sometimes, the celestial fire was extinguished by the black water, but new flames would rise to join the fray; sometimes, the black water was evaporated, yet the stream kept supplying more, and the two were at a stalemate.

As the battle intensified, the fire walls around Liang Yan began to thin. He glanced at the Glass Lamp in midair; the flame at its wick now burned brighter, nearly saturated.

“The celestial fire started strong, but the Marsh Restriction hexagram is no easy opponent. Now, with water and fire in conflict, it matches the sixty-third hexagram, ‘Completion.’”

“When water and fire reach completion, their peak is the start of decline—a cycle of heaven’s law. The moment the celestial fire’s strength wanes is my chance to escape!”

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Liang Yan’s mind raced again, patiently waiting for another half stick of incense’s time. Suddenly, he spotted a violent surge in the southeastern corner of the fire wall, slowly tearing open a crack.

Clearly, the heavenly fire, fighting both the Glass Lamp and the black water, was stretched thin and exposed a flaw.

The opportunity would vanish in an instant. Liang Yan was ready; without hesitation, he tapped the treetop with his toes and leaped southeast. As he fell, he cast a spell toward the Glass Lamp in midair.

The lamp, now fully lit, responded to his incantation, swaying drunkenly in the air like an old man, then flashed gold and spun back, returning to his storage pouch.

Liang Yan secured the lamp and, in the next moment, slipped through the gap in the fire wall, turned, and sped southwest toward the village.

Almost as he broke free, the celestial fire seemed enraged, abandoning the black water, merging all its flames into a single massive fire dragon that lunged at Liang Yan. At the same time, a ring of fire rose at the village’s perimeter, enclosing it completely—no escape possible.

Yet Liang Yan paid no heed, pushing his spiritual power to its limit and sprinting for the southwest. Within a few breaths, the fire dragon was at his back.

Without looking back, Liang Yan vaulted into the courtyard of a large household. Within, he saw an old dried well. In a single bound, he reached the well, peered inside, and—head down, feet up—leapt in.

Boom!

The fire dragon nearly brushed his heels as he disappeared, then all was silent.

...............

Of the sixty-four hexagrams, each holds its own marvel. The thirty-third is the ‘Retreat’ hexagram.

Lower Mountain, Upper Heaven: thus is Heavenly Mountain Retreat. But with the array’s inversion, heaven above and mountain below, Liang Yan’s head-down dive fit the hexagram’s words.

He plunged into the well, darkness enveloping him, and the world spun. In the next moment, he landed on his backside, tumbling backward.

Rising to his feet, Liang Yan brushed the dust from his robes, turned—and saw the village behind him peaceful and serene, untouched by water or fire, with no sign of danger.

Only he knew how unpredictable and powerful this array was. If not for seizing that sliver of hope, he would never have slipped away; any ordinary disciple would have lost nine lives here.

“I never imagined the Star Pavilion’s array examination would be so harsh. Perhaps I’ve underestimated the heirs of the Star Pavilion’s array lineage,” Liang Yan murmured in puzzlement, silently wondering to himself.