Chapter Thirteen: The Thirty-Six River Map of Heavenly Secrets

Yang Nan’s calls did not make Yuan Na pause. This saint of a past life, once a close friend, simply vanished into the vast expanse of sea and sky. Yang Nan bowed his head, reflecting on Yuan Na’s past, and only then did he understand: since the Turtle Saint Yuan Jia had shed his mortal coil a millennium ago, this was clearly not Yuan Na’s first reincarnation. Yet, this time, upon arriving at Bodhi Temple, his master had performed the "Crown-Opening" divine technique upon him.

Once the crown was opened, all memories of past and present lives flooded back.

This gaze had been his final look of longing for his former life.

"That old monk is the Round-Light Arhat of Bodhi Temple! His divine powers and mastery of the Dharma are truly formidable—I fear they are no less than those of the Fairy Buxu!" Chi Yang was well-versed in the world's experts and naturally recognized the origin of this great Buddhist master.

Long Yao said despondently, "The Yuan Saint was one of my aquatic kin, and the leader of our clan. One hundred thousand turtle folk were enslaved by the Lion Saint. The turtle clan once lived free and unfettered, yet they have met such a fate. To cultivate the Dharma, the Yuan Saint disregarded the suffering of his own people!" Remembering this renowned Great Saint of the sea clan, who had finally severed the causal ties of his past life, Long Yao could not help but feel a deep, sorrowful ache.

Yang Nan lifted his head and said calmly, "This matter shall fall upon me. Yuan Na and I were friends in our youth; since he has entrusted it to me, I will fulfill it for him. Since Yuan Na is single-mindedly seeking the Buddha, let him go and pursue his Great Way."

Based solely on their childhood friendship, Yang Nan was determined to fulfill Yuan Na's wish, not to mention that Yuan Na had gifted his own cave dwelling to him. Their two meetings on Kunlun Mountain, and now this final, lingering farewell—Yuan Na had undoubtedly entrusted all the matters of the mortal world to him.

How could Yang Nan fail such a trust?

Yuan Na had entered the Buddhist fold, dedicating his life to the salvation of all sentient beings. Yang Nan already had enough trouble fulfilling the wishes of the Venerable; what did one more turtle clan matter?

"A scholar will die for one who truly knows him!"

Once Yang Nan had given his word, the fate of the turtle clan would henceforth rest upon his shoulders.

Seeing the depth of their friendship, the others could not help but sigh with emotion.

Upon returning to Long Yao’s palace, Long Yao placed the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron into her secret chamber before emerging, her face filled with joy, to thank Yang Nan, Ni Cai, Dapeng, and the others for their efforts in helping her reclaim it.

Long Yao offered all the treasures belonging to the Dragon Palace for Yang Nan to take, a generosity that made the demons in the palace secretly marvel: was the Princess hosting a guest, or recruiting a consort?

Seeing that her wish had been granted, Yang Nan felt a weight lifted from his own heart. Only Ni Cai remained dissatisfied, having failed to obtain the Nine-Origin Turtle Shell Array. As he sat in the Dragon Palace feeling dejected, Yang Nan noticed his mood, waved a hand in front of him, and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Ni, look, what is this?"

As soon as Ni Cai saw the object in Yang Nan’s hand, he stood up in excitement. "Fellow Daoist Yang, where did you get this divine object?" The item in Yang Nan’s hand was a soil-colored turtle shell, marked with complex, mysterious symbols and ancient characters that read: "Original Diagram of the Nine-Origin Turtle Shell Array."

Yang Nan laughed. "I grabbed a handful when I was retreating, and I didn't expect it to contain the original diagram of the Nine-Origin Turtle Shell Array you wanted. Since I don’t understand arrays, I shall gift this to you."

Ni Cai was overjoyed. Obsessed with arrays, he treated such a divine object as his life’s blood. He said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Yang, such a generous gift—I truly do not know how to repay you."

Yang Nan shook his head. "We have faced adversity together; this is a gift between friends. How could you speak of repayment?"

***

Ni Cai took the original diagram and sat down, immediately immersing himself in contemplation, as if the world around him ceased to exist. His obsession drew secret amusement from the others. In giving Ni Cai this rare diagram, Yang Nan did not purely act out of friendship; the Nine-Origin Turtle Shell Array was incredibly powerful. If this array were inscribed onto a magical artifact and supported by rare treasures, one could rest easy even against a powerful enemy.

Ni Cai hailed from a sect of array masters and desired nothing in life but the study of arrays. He was a master of setting and breaking formations. How could Yang Nan let such talent slip away? Upon learning that Ni Cai was currently alone and wandering the four seas, Yang Nan became determined to find a way to keep him.

However, the Nine-Origin Turtle Shell Array alone was not enough. Among the treasures Yang Nan had obtained from the Yuan Jia cave, beyond the Nine-Origin Turtle Shell diagram and the Thirty-Six He-Luo Heavenly Mechanism Diagrams, there was also a divine stele that the Yuan Jia split-soul had discarded!

This stele of unknown origin bore obscure, difficult-to-understand characters, yet it faintly contained the essence of arrays and divine powers. Though Yang Nan did not understand it, he was certain Ni Cai would be interested. With such a treasure to lure him, it was bound to be effective.

Even if the Venerable Blue Star were to escape the Yuan Jia cave, she would not dare to run wild in the West Sea. These waters were the domain of the Dragon clan, filled with countless experts. How could one Venerable stand against dozens of elder dragons of Venerable-level and a Dragon King of Demon Saint-level?

Yang Nan released the women, including Fang Qingyan, from his Jiangshan Ring. When Long Yao recounted the events, the women turned pale; their cultivation was lower, and they would likely be obliterated by the Venerable Blue Star in an instant, so Yang Nan had kept them inside for safety.

The four women chatted endlessly. Yang Nan paid no mind to their affairs with Long Yao; he had gained much from the Yuan Jia cave and needed to organize his spoils.

In the Jiangshan Ring remained Kui Han, who had been placed under a restriction. Yang Nan did not yet know what to do with him. After taking the Dragon-Slaying Stake from him, he threw him back into the ring. He could not release Kui Han, and killing him would only enrage the Lion Saint. For now, Yang Nan could only keep him bound in the Jiangshan Ring; he might need him one day for a trip to the Lion Saint Valley.

The Celestial Rainbow Boat had not yet been fully forged. With the array master Ni Cai on board, such minor matters were no longer a concern. When Ni Cai saw the strange divine stele in Yang Nan’s hand—possessing both an ancient, primordial aura and enigmatic symbols, a treasure of infinite mystery—his curiosity was piqued. Seeing Yang Nan’s intention to recruit him, and being a wandering rogue in any case, he agreed immediately.

The stele was placed at the center of the Celestial Rainbow Boat. In his spare time, Ni Cai began to study its peculiar arrays and symbols. Yang Nan brought out all his magical artifacts. Though he had many, true peerless items were rare: the two Xuan-Ming Yin-Sha flags, the Sarira, the Blue-Blood Sword, and several Universe Rings obtained from the Demon Master—he laid them all out.

The Celestial Rainbow Boat was but a shell, lacking a skeleton, a driving array, and even an outer defensive array. It looked magnificent, but it was essentially useless.

Once Ni Cai took over the forging, he summoned numerous demon soldiers to refine the bones of the giant sea-swallowing fish from the Dragon Palace into pillars. The bones of these fish were hard and perfect for a frame. Ni Cai set up arrays around the bones, while Huang Shan focused on forging various parts. With the cooperation of two thousand demon soldiers, the Celestial Rainbow Boat gradually began to take shape.

Only someone as wealthy as Yang Nan, after his "raids," could afford such indulgence. Ordinary cultivators could not even afford the material for the bow of the boat, let alone forge a Celestial Rainbow Boat.

Yang Nan left them to their work and began to contemplate the Thirty-Six He-Luo Heavenly Mechanism Diagrams. These thirty-six diagrams of varying forms were made of thirty-six jade slips, each covered in strange, convoluted patterns.

With a sweep of his spiritual eyes, Yang Nan realized these patterns were indeed cultivation techniques, but not for humans—they were demon cultivation methods!

Each slip was a technique. However, they were not the legendary peerless arts; how could there be thirty-six of those? After contemplating for several days, Yang Nan finally understood the mystery of the Thirty-Six He-Luo Heavenly Mechanism Diagrams!

The demon tribes of heaven and earth were divided into five: flowers, birds, insects, fish, and beasts. However, there was another peculiar group known as the Ancient Clan. Their bloodlines were vastly different from the five tribes, and their strength far exceeded that of ordinary demons. These thirty-six techniques consisted of six manuals for each of the six groups, covering all demon kinds. Any race could study one of them.

Separated, the He-Luo diagrams were thirty-six different cultivation methods, but combined, they formed a massive manual called the "He-Luo Heaven-Ascension Divine Art"! This was a peerless technique that could lead one to become an Immortal or a Saint!

Outside of the Ten Great Demon Saints, what demon could possibly possess such a peerless art?

***

After realizing this, Yang Nan was secretly terrified. No wonder the blue-clad woman, even as a Venerable, had come to seize the treasures of the Yuan Jia cave. Though this peerless art was extremely complex, with the example of Yuan Jia becoming a Saint before him, there could be no mistake.

Having obtained this art, the Venerable Blue Star would certainly never let him go...

Yang Nan sought out Chi Yang to discuss the matter. Chi Yang also frowned. While this peerless art was useless to the human race, it could not be abandoned. Yang Nan had countless demon soldiers; this art could be used to teach the various demon commanders! As long as they were loyal, he could teach them the He-Luo Heaven-Ascension Divine Art. It would provide him with powerful allies and allow him to firmly control them!

But was the Phoenix Valley a place to be trifled with? The Venerable Blue Star would surely hunt them to the ends of the earth.

Every situation had its pros and cons. Yang Nan managed a bitter smile at his own luck; he had not known that his casual grab would net him this peerless art.

But the meat was already in the wolf’s mouth; he would not spit it out. Even if he had to take this art back to Kunlun Mountain to trade for a few first-rate techniques, it would be worth it!

"Brother Chi Yang, I have my own plans. Let us pack up in these next few days and return to Green Underworld Mountain." With the Celestial Rainbow Boat, he could simply fly away. Could the Venerable Blue Star pursue them for ten thousand miles?

Seeing Yang Nan’s resolve, Chi Yang said no more and went into the Jiangshan Ring to cultivate.

Since becoming a Grandmaster, Yang Nan had refined the Xuan-Yi Azure Water Art to the twelfth layer. Grandmaster was the limit for this water-element art; advancing further was extremely difficult. The Luo-Sha Yin-Soldier True Interpretation was only at the sixth layer; to reach the twelfth, he would likely need to become a Venerable.

The West Sea Dragon Palace was magnificent and elegant. Fang Qingyan and Long Yao found they were kindred spirits, regretting that they hadn't met sooner. The splendor of the palace dazzled the other women, Die-Yi and Bai-Yi, who were so enchanted they did not urge Yang Nan to depart.

Every time Yang Nan prepared to leave, Long Yao would find an excuse to delay him. Fang Qingyan, wishing to spend more time with Long Yao, would also persuade him to stay. Yang Nan had no choice but to cultivate beneath the Dragon Palace. Fortunately, the spiritual energy under the sea was no weaker than in the mountains, and his progress was significant.

Every day, Yang Nan sat in the hall, circulating the Luo-Sha Yin-Soldier True Interpretation to absorb the sea’s energy, then using his magical soldiers to devour it and transform it into Yin-Sha energy to fill his meridians. The Luo-Sha Yin-Soldier True Interpretation was the fastest and most potent cultivation method in the Kunlun sect. With the endless spiritual energy of the ocean at his disposal, his power grew day by day.

Though Yong’er had failed to absorb the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron, he had condensed his true form. He could now absorb the sea’s energy to refine the divine light, albeit much slower. Yong’er was born unique; the small copper coin seemed capable of absorbing all the energy in the world. When Yang Nan practiced, Yong’er would emerge to circulate the Seven-Colored Divine Light. The world within the copper coin was a realm unto itself, and its wonders were so profound that even Yang Nan, as its master, did not fully understand them. He assumed his cultivation was still too low to drive this innate spiritual treasure, causing his explorations to fail time and again.

The Golden-Crowned Dapeng had already reached the peak of the Grandmaster level. Although his Wind-Thunder Bead was damaged and had yet to recover, he possessed the strength of an eighth-stage Grandmaster. However, Patriarch Qingya had only taught him demon-clan manuals up to the Grandmaster level, so for two thousand years, he had been unable to transcend and become a Saint.

The control the Spirit Beast Ring exerted over him was growing weaker. Yang Nan took out a wind-element technique from the He-Luo Heavenly Mechanism Diagrams and gave it to him. This was a supreme secret art that could lead one to become a Venerable or a Saint. The Dapeng King, already subdued, was now even more fiercely loyal!