Chapter 61: The Field of Qi

"To request a private meeting with the leader of Quanyxing, and even insist that I come alone, Brother Zhao, what exactly are you plotting?"

"I want to go to a place, but this place is somewhat special." Zhao Zhen said calmly.

"Oh? Now you've piqued my interest. A place that compelled you, Zhao Zhen, to seek out someone you'd least want to see just to visit it—it must have some extraordinary qualities, right?"

Zhao Zhen shrugged, turned around, and began walking toward the south.

"Whether it's extraordinary or not, won't you know once you get there?"

"Hehe, this isn't a Trap at Hongmen, is it?" Wugensheng laughed quizzically.

"And what if it really is a banquet at Hongmen? What, is the dignified leader of Quanyxing afraid?"

"The leader of Quanyxing isn't afraid, but Wugensheng is, especially when the one setting the Hongmen banquet for me is you, Zhao Zhen."

Wugensheng put away the smile on his face and spoke with complete seriousness.

"Don't worry. Although the old man in my family has severed ties with Quanyxing, he was once a member of your Quanyxing after all. Besides, I am not affiliated with any righteous orthodox sects either, so as long as you don't provoke me, I have no interest in your head."

"With those words, I can rest easy. Lead on."

...

An hour later, deep within the Qinling Mountains.

"We're still heading deeper into the Qinling Mountains?"

Wugensheng, walking ahead, suddenly turned and asked.

"Mn." Zhao Zhen nodded.

Just at that moment, however, Wugensheng suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Felt it?" Zhao Zhen raised an eyebrow, stopping as well.

Wugensheng didn't reply. Frowning, he first took a few steps to the left, then stepped back to his original position, and finally took a step to the right.

A moment later, a smile crept onto the corners of Wugensheng's mouth, and his furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"Hahaha, interesting, very interesting! So that's how it is!"

Seeing Wugensheng laughing heartily in place, a matching smile appeared at the corners of Zhao Zhen's mouth.

As expected, bringing him along was the right choice.

"Brother Zhao, I really have to hand it to you for managing to find a place like this!"

"Discovered it?"

"This place is a Qi Bureau, isn't it?"

"Mn." Zhao Zhen nodded.

A so-called Qi Bureau is defined by practitioners of sorcery as a special pattern formed within a certain period and space, where inanimate objects fix its shape, and living beings generate and circulate Innate Qi within that form. Viewed from a perspective transcending time, it is a unique formation born in a specific location during a specific timeframe.

It can be naturally formed, such as mountain ranges and rivers, or artificially constructed like arrays and buildings.

At its core, a Qi Bureau is an energetic field that can influence the flow of Qi and even the trajectory of fate for anyone who enters it.

To put it more plainly, the principle of a Qi Bureau is somewhat akin to Feng Shui, except that Feng Shui is merely a minor application based on the principles of a Qi Bureau.

Just as Feng Shui encompasses both auspicious and ominous grounds, a Qi Bureau holds no concept of fortune or misfortune—it only obeys rules.

If one traverses the Qi Bureau strictly according to its rules, one will remain safe and sound, and may even reap unexpected benefits.

Once you break the rules of the Qi Bureau and wander blindly, however, what awaits you is an end orchestrated by fate, striking you down before you even realize how you died.

The reason it is described this way is because sorcerers do not judge a person merely by the present moment, but by the sum of their present, past, and future.

The human body itself is an intricate miniature Qi Bureau, sustaining life through the circulation of Qi.

After stepping into a Qi Bureau and disregarding its rules, you might not feel any anomalies in the present, but the "Qi currents" generated by the bureau will incessantly impact your past.

When the Qi Bureau grows powerful enough, your past self will even be torn to shreds by these "Qi currents"!

And once a person loses their past, they naturally have no future.

This is why violating the rules of a Qi Bureau is said to carry the risk of dying without knowing why: the timeline of your destiny has been forcefully erased by the Qi Bureau!

"I finally understand why you specifically invited me to explore this place with you. Given the layout here, I suppose only I, possessing the Divine Nature Spirit, could carve out a path to the heavens?"

"Heh..."

Zhao Zhen remained silent, effectively granting tacit approval to Wugensheng's arrogant remark.

A Qi Bureau is, when all is said and done, a form of Qi, and Wugensheng's Divine Nature Spirit happens to be capable of stripping all Qi-based techniques back to their most primitive states.

Thus, from Wugensheng's perspective, he could perceive that faint "current of Qi" generated by the Qi Bureau.

This was the exact reason why Zhao Zhen, no matter how reluctant he felt inwardly, had to invite Wugensheng along.

"You'd better stick close to me for the path ahead. Since you know the peculiarities of the Qi Bureau here, surely you also understand the consequences of taking a wrong step?"

"Mn."

Zhao Zhen nodded.

And so, over the next few hours, the two men began to slowly and cautiously make their way deeper into the Qinling Mountains, step by step.

Although progress was agonizingly slow, this was their first time traversing the area. Even Wugensheng, armed with the Divine Nature Spirit, had to test the waters through trial and error until he found the correct path untouched by the corrosive "Qi currents"—that being the "rule" of this place.

Two hours later, having practically scoured the entirety of the Qinling Mountains, Wugensheng finally let out a long sigh of relief and stopped before a mountain valley.

"Alright, we're out. You can walk around freely now."

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thanking you for not leaving me stranded back there and coming here by yourself." Zhao Zhen answered with utter candor.

In truth, he knew very well that perilous though the Qi Bureau was, it had zero effect on Wugensheng, who possessed the Divine Nature Spirit.

In other words, had Wugensheng wished to, he could easily have abandoned Zhao Zhen where he stood, or, with malicious intent, led him deliberately down a fatal path.

Yet he did not do so. Instead, he painstakingly tested the path step by step, ultimately spending several hours figuring out a safe route for Zhao Zhen.

No matter what kind of person he encountered, he could treat them with absolute sincerity—at least for now, Wugensheng still possessed that kind of captivating charm.

Perhaps this was precisely why the "Thirty-Six Thieves" from various sects and schools had willingly sworn brotherhood with him in this very place.

"You're the one who brought me here. If I'd left you behind, heaven knows what other traps might be lying ahead!"

Wugensheng laughed heartily, then added, "Besides, don't you have that Golden Escape Flowing Light technique? If you wanted to leave, you could have slipped out of here anytime, couldn't you?"

Zhao Zhen shook his head, choosing not to debate the point with Wugensheng, and continued walking inward.

"This place is called the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Tongtian Valley."

"Tongtian Valley? Quite an ambitious name."