Maiden Galaxy

The Heaven Earth Dark Yellow Skills that Star Generals wielded were Star World's strongest martial arts. Legend said that each technique contained the origin of Star World's powers, passed down through the generations. Even a stronger cultivator would need to fear them. Uttaraputra was only Fate Realization Realm, and while he knew fate, he was unable to defy destiny.

Chen Mo's surprise "Ice Breaker Snow Slicer" landed squarely on the old man's chest, cutting down his arrogance. Chen Mo's next slash immediately followed, still channeling powerful Star Energy. Uttaraputra was already powerless to resist. He could only pray that his Spirit Beast Vast Profundity would come to defend him, but the Vast Profundity Beast nearby had an ice-cold gaze; it actually was ignoring him.

Up until his death, Uttaraputra did not understand how he had died at the hands of a Flower Warrior. He was a cultivator who once had the audacity to steal Zhangsun Sheng's precious beast, however, everything was already meaningless now.

After he killed Uttaraputra, Chen Mo took a deep breath. He himself was exhausted.

For the sake of being able to kill the old man in a single strike, Chen Mo exhausted all of his techniques and spiritual power. Even his Star Energy was practically depleted. After killing Uttaraputra, he could not help but sit down and meditate to recover. During this time period, he was even more vulnerable than a baby.

The ice valley was naturally devoid of people. Otherwise, any warrior who came right now absolutely could take his life.

The Vast Profundity Beast stood guard at Chen Mo's side. This seemingly feline and majestically king-like beast used its strange eyes to look Chen Mo up and down. In its memories, it perhaps felt that Chen Mo was possibly a Star General. But Chen Mo's gender really was causing it confusion.

Why isn't he a woman.

The ice valley's blizzard gradually intensified. Chen Mo felt chilled to the bone, and his lips turned purple. The Vast Profundity Beast spread its wings to cover his body, and Chen Mo immediately felt warmth, his body stabilizing tremendously.

Early morning, the weather cleared up.

The Vast Profundity spread its four wings and flew deeper into the ice valley. Chen Mo sat atop its back, inspecting the Astral Bag that Uttaraputra left behind. As a cultivator who was in asylum from the Inner Star Field, and as Uttaraputra had hid himself in the Northern Grounds' ice valley in recent years, the treasures he possessed were innumerable. However, a majority of them were not terribly useful for Chen Mo. But those Spirit Stones and Spirit Sands were very good.

Chen Mo then found more than a thousand Astral Dollars, several thousand Astral Coins, and even an Astral Stone that was like a piece of blue crystal. Compared to an ordinary Astral Dollar, this crystalline Astral Stone was like a condensed galaxy. It was dazzling, so beautiful it was impossible for one to turn their eyes away. The Star Energy it contained was powerful beyond imagination.

"Could this be an Astral Crystal?" Chen Mo looked it over for awhile. Astral Crystals were also considered a type of currency in the Inner Star Fields, more valuable than Astral Coins and even more precious. However, Zhongli Mo once said that Astral Crystal were very rarely used for transactions. Star Generals would all keep one on themselves to cast into things like accessories that they could replenish Star Energy with at any time.

"Just where did this Uttaraputra come from, why does he have so many things." Chen Mo clicked his tongue in amazement. Just looking at the more than thousand Astral Dollars alone, it seemed that even Auntie did not have this much money. How could he have known that Uttaraputra was naturally greedy and liked to hoard treasure. These Astral Coins were accumulated over his lifetime using every kind of method. Originally, Uttaraputra planned to save up to a certain amount, then go to the Central Star Field to exchange for Astral Treasures and cultivation methods. However, he offended Zhangsun Sheng along the way, forcing him to flee to the Outer Star Fields.

What the old man did not expect was that his lifetime of frugality and greed would end up benefitting Chen Mo in the end instead.

Chen Mo held some Astral Coins in his hand to restore his Star Energy. Rummaging through the Astral Bag once again, he found an Astral Stone.

Astral Stones and Astral Bags both had empty storage spaces that could contain all manners of items. This Astral Stone, though, had an additional forbiddance. Chen Mo, who had recovered his Star Energy, very easily broke the forbiddance, and then he sent his Divine Intent into the Astral Stone.

The difference between an Astral Stone and an Astral Bag was that the Astral Stone's interior was automatically formatted into a miniature world; it was able to raise Demon Beasts and Demon Bugs. This Astral Stone was a type that seemed to be of ice valleys and tundras.

When Chen Mo sent his Divine Intent into the Astral Stone, it was like he himself had entered the space. As far as the eye could see, there was a sheet of pure white and a deathly stillness. He did not spot anything.

All of a sudden, Chen Mo noticed in the distance ten snow-white pinpricks of light high up in the sky.

These snow-white twinkles were like ten white suns, very blinding. Only when Chen Mo got closer did he notice that these ten lights floating in this world of ice and snow were not suns but ten bottles instead.

These ten sparkling jade bottles were all constructed from Ice Soul Snow Crystals,¹ completely pure and limpid, glistening like a frozen lake. Each bottle was engraved with a vivid Holy Beast depiction. There was a dragon, a phoenix, a qilin, and the first jade bottle among them flashed with a white light. Its cold air was oppressive. Contained inside the bottle was a soul, making the jade bottle appear alive.

Behind the ten Ice Soul Bottles, Chen Mo saw a treasure map and a jade strip.

As it turned out, the treasure that Uttaraputra actually cared about was in this Astral Stone.

Chen Mo's Divine Intent moved, and everything appeared in front of him. The ten Ice Soul Bottles seemed to be treasures to be used for capturing the souls of Demon Beasts and for imbuing spirits. Furthermore, the souls collected seemed to all be related to the Cold-type of the Water Element. Although the bottles were exquisitely perfect and crafted with the finest workmanship, they did not make Chen Mo feel that very impressed. These bottles were apparently just bottles.

However, when he saw that treasure map, he suddenly gasped.

Vast Desolation Spirit Treasure???

This map was unexpectedly a Vast Desolation Spirit Treasure.

"Uttara Map"²

A Vast Desolation Grade Spirit Treasure. When this map emerged, it could transform a Star Field's environment, converting it into an Ice Star Field. Every kind of Ice-type Demon Beast would be released from the inside. If he fought against an enemy, then he practically could not lose, even against a Star General. The Uttara Map was an enormous advantage. It was a Spirit Treasure almost already approaching Universe Eternity Level.

If he had this Uttara Map, he could cross the Inner Star Field unhindered.

However, seeing the requirements to craft the Uttara Map, Chen Mo's completely excited mood was immediately beaten down by the ice and frost.

Fuck, it's toying with me.

Crafting the Uttara Map required the souls of ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine kinds of Ice-type Demon Beasts, and it needed to use the "Essence of Yin" over ninety-nine years in order to be successfully crafted. The ten Ice Soul Bottles from before were precisely to be used in collecting the souls of Demon Beasts. In addition, Uttaraputra had wasted years to only fill just one Ice Soul Bottle.

Let alone that there were still nine other bottles, and a particular ninety-nine year Essence of Yin refinement…

Chen Mo could not imagine this.

"Vast Desolation Grade Spirit Treasures really are very abnormal." Chen Mo pursed his lips. He thought that this was regrettable. Given his current strength, it was basically impossible to craft the Uttara Map. Even if he utilized all of the resources in the Tail Fire Star Field, it could not be completed. Even if in the future he had the power to craft the Uttara Map, whether or not he could use it was a problem. In conclusion, while this Uttara Map was very abnormal, it was merely the moon reflected in the lake, unrealistic. However, Star World had few cultivators able to refine a Vast Desolation Spirit Treasure. If they could forge such a treasure, the cultivator would inevitably be known throughout all ages.

Despite those thoughts, Chen Mo shook his head. He put down the Uttara Map, his gaze once again landing on the jade strip.

This jade strip was unremarkable and plain. However, since it was placed together with the Vast Desolation Spirit Treasure Uttara Map, it perhaps was not something simple. Maybe it was some first-rate cultivation method or ability. Chen Mo did not dare be careless. Carefully, he sent his Divine Intent into the jade strip.

All of a sudden, a powerful suction pulled Chen Mo's Divine Intent, and his mind was immediately removed from his body.

A cultivator's mind mind was the cultivator themselves. Legend said that as long as the mind was not destroyed, then the cultivator's life essence would not be destroyed either. However, only Human Sovereign and above had the method to cultivate this, and there were few cultivators in the Outer Star Fields who were capable. If the mind of a cultivator, even an average one, was destroyed, there truly was no way to recover from this disaster. This was why people often said that if both the mind and body were destroyed, even a god could not save them.

Chen Mo did not expect that he would actually have his mind extracted just from sending his Divine Intent into the jade strip. This startled him, and he activated the Bodhi Soul Technique, very quickly secured his mind. Fortunately, this jade strip did not have a very strong array. It merely pulled away his mind, not harmed it.

Chen Mo looked closely. He seemed to be standing in the middle of boundless mystery. His legs were not rooted to the ground, and the surroundings were an empty space like primordial chaos. At the same time, a giant array under his feet extended in the eight directions, forming what seemed to be eight channels.

Chen Mo immediately understood this was the forbiddance array of the jade strip.

And it was a very powerful one.

A single misstep could completely destroy his mind and body.

"Just what kind of cultivation method is this jade strip, to have such a formidable forbiddance." Chen Mo took a step back. Judging from the intact forbiddance, Uttaraputra apparently was powerless against it, never daring to tread this lightly. If even a Fate Realization Realm cultivator was afraid, then he had no reason to charge in head-on.

Just as he was prepared to leave this place, Chen Mo suddenly noticed that the array below his feet was somewhat familiar.

"Hm?"

Chen Mo activated the Deva Eyes, and all the contours of this seemingly boundless void world appeared clearly in front of him. Upon closer inspection, Chen Mo saw through what this array was.

It turned out to be an ancient divination Earlier Heaven Bagua Array!

The Bagua that Auntie taught him was already comprehensively developed and perfected. That was why this array felt familiar when he saw it. After he realized what this array was, Chen Mo calmed down and no longer worried about leaving. As far as the Bagua was concerned, he was quite self-confident.

If it was anyone else, perhaps they would be unable to find a solution to this Bagua forbiddance. Chen Mo had his previous life's experience, with some depth in his understanding of the Bagua, but he also had even more thorough understanding of the Bagua from Auntie's personal teachings. These advantages were things the average cultivator could never have. Besides, Chen Mo also had the Bodhi Treasure Karma. Even if he was unable to dispel the Bagua, the Bodhi Treasure Karma was sufficient to set him free.

As he considered this, Chen Mo had an idea on how to dispel the forbiddance.

First, he recalled in his mind information from his previous life pertaining to the Earlier Heaven Bagua. Perhaps it was because of cultivation, but Chen Mo's memories of his previous life were becoming clearer and clearer. Memories he did not care for before were now very easily recalled.

The Earlier Heaven Bagua was also known as Fu Xi's Bagua. This type of arrangement was recorded in the "Book of Supreme World Ordering Principles."³ Usually depicted together in the diagram, there was the immemorial Yin Yang symbol and primordial chaos. It was for this reason that some people called the Earlier Heaven Bagua the "Primordial Bagua." In the "Explanation of the Trigrams,"⁴ Heaven and Earth were fixed in place, the mountains and lakes interchanged their influences, thunder and wind excited one another, water and fire did not harm each other; there was mutual communication amongst the Bagua, numbering the past was natural, knowledge of the coming was unnatural, therefore, in change we have both natural and unnatural.⁵

The Earlier Heaven Bagua paired (read as "used to represent") Qian with Heaven, Kan with Earth, Dui with Lake, Li with Fire, Xun with Wind, Kan with Water, Gen with Mountain; a principle rotating from the left in accordance with Yang, rotating from the right in accordance with Yin. The most honorable and the most dishonorable, Heaven resided at the top top and in the southern direction. The four trigrams grouped with Yang were on the left side. Going counterclockwise, Qian to Dui, from Dui to Li, and from Li to Zhen. 

Kun resided at the bottom, with Yin in the northern direction formed from four trigrams of Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun. In the clockwise direction, Qian went to Xun, Xun to Kan, Kan to Gen, and Gen to Kun. This gave rise to the Earlier Heaven Bagua Diagram.

This was a method that combined Fengshui to determine the Bagua and Yin Yang that went a step further to determine the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches.

From this arose the Bagua's secondary formation, namely the Earlier Heaven Bagua's Nine Palace Numbers. Qian was nine, Dui was four, Li was three, Zhen was eight, Xun was two, Kan was seven, Gen was six, and Kun was one. The "Yellow Emperor's Hidden Talisman Classic"⁶ described "Bagua and the sexagenery cycle, divine intention and ghostly concealment." Which meant to say the marvelous aspect of divination was hidden in the Bagua and their cycles. The jade strip surprisingly concealed this kind of ancient forbiddance. Presumably, the thing that the jade strip hid away was of particular importance, so much so that it could even shock the Central Star Field.

Chen Mo used the Deva Eyes to scan the Earlier Heaven Bagua Array, finally determining that he could dispel this using the Nine Palace Numbers method.

When Chen Mo took the first step to Qian Nine, that moment when his figure was not in the space of the Bagua's array, the True Spirit of a girl in hanfu slowly appeared in the empty space behind him. Her gaze was like ice as she stared at his back.

1. So that's where they all went. ↩
2. 北俱圖 ↩
3. 皇經世 ↩
4. 說卦傳, a commentary of the Book of Changes. ↩
5. 天地定位，山澤通氣，雷風相薄，水火不相射，八卦相錯，數往者順，知來者逆，是故易逆數也 adapted from https://ctext.org/book-of-changes/shuo-gua ↩
6. 黃帝陰符經 ↩

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