285: Chapter 220: The Core Hall, Locked by the Primordial Eight Trigrams

The Giant Stele Square served as a temporary base for two days of rest and reorganization (time within the Grotto-Heaven, estimated based on the recovery of everyone's status). During this period, with startling efficiency, Li Mo utilized the newly acquired [Bronze Soldier Figurine Manufacturing Method (Purple)] blueprints along with some Materials he carried. With the assistance of several Tiangong Dwarves, he successfully repaired and simply modified four relatively intact Bronze Soldier Figurines.

[Repaired · Modified Bronze Guard (Temporary)]

Rank: LV38 (Strength decreased due to repair material limitations and incomplete recovery of the energy core)

Traits: Retains basic physical protection and collaborative combat capabilities. Features a built-in simplified 'Non-Aggression Defense' command. Primarily used for scouting, absorbing defensive pressure, and transporting supplies. Can accept direct commands from Li Mo or Lin Zhou.

Quantity: 4 units.

The addition of these four Bronze Guards—whose steps were slightly heavy and whose red eye-lights were dim but still reliable—increased the overall strength and margin for error of the exploration team.

On the morning of the third day (judged roughly by the subtle changes in ambient light), Lin Zhou's team, having restored their status to near peak, left the Giant Stele Square. They headed deeper into the gray mist toward the 'Shattered Palace Complex' they had caught a glimpse of during the space-time turbulence.

The path forward was far more difficult than crossing the square. The concentration of gray mist increased significantly, and visibility dropped further to less than a hundred meters. The ground was no longer flat, as massive cracks, bottomless ravines, and floating rock fragments of various sizes began to appear. The pervasive aura of 'sorrow' and 'desolation' in the air grew thicker, even beginning to carry an indescribable 'whispering'—the faint echoes of shattered rules and lingering thoughts within the river of civilization. Though unclear, they were omnipresent, testing the mental stability of everyone.

Li Mo constantly adjusted the parameters of the environmental detector, his expression grave. "The spatial structure is extremely unstable. I've detected large-scale 'Rule Folds' and 'Space-Time Displacement Points' three kilometers ahead. Directly crossing them is high-risk. I suggest a detour... but the detour route passes through an area with abnormally active energy reactions, suspected to be a gathering of residual 'Battlefield Resentment' or 'Rule Contaminants'."

"Take the detour," Lin Zhou said without hesitation. Charging directly into Rule Folds held too much uncertainty; they could be instantly teleported to an unknown danger zone or even into a space-time fragment. In comparison, tangible enemies—even if they were aggregations of resentment—were easier to deal with.

The detour route was fraught with peril. They encountered several waves of bizarre energy beings—some like twisted humanoid shadows that let out silent wails to strike the Soul; others were pure manifestations of rule turbulence, turning into elemental storms of various attributes. Once, a seemingly calm patch of ground suddenly 'activated,' extending countless tentacles condensed from sand, stone, and hatred.

However, under the tight coordination of the team, these dangers were neutralized one by one. Qin Qing's [Adjudication of Legal Principle] was remarkably effective against resentment-type energy beings; Zhao Hao and Wang Meng were responsible for clearing physical threats and blocking energy impacts; Li Mo's mechanisms and the four Bronze Guards handled most of the scouting and drew enemy fire; Lin Zhou used the river of civilization to stabilize the rules around the team and used the Fire of Civilization to purify particularly troublesome Rule Contaminants.

The combat consumption was not small, but the harvest was quite considerable. Besides the steadily growing civilization points (contributed by both contacting ruins and purifying pollution), they also found some damaged but extraordinarily crafted weapon and armor fragments from several relatively complete battlefield remains, as well as several crystals containing faint but pure ancient energy (suspected to be the energy currency or casting Materials used by that civilization). Li Mo treated them like treasures, carefully putting them all away for future research.

After nearly ten hours (within the Grotto-Heaven) of arduous trekking and several battles, they finally crossed that dangerous buffer zone, and the scene before them suddenly changed.

The gray mist thinned significantly here, as if repelled by some invisible force. A vaster, more shocking expanse of ruins presented itself before them.

It was indeed a palace complex, but its scale was grander than anything they had imagined from their glimpse in the passage. Collapsed pillars exceeded a hundred meters in diameter, broken beams looked like fallen mountain ranges, and shattered rubble was piled as high as hills. The architectural style was ancient, heavy, and magnificent, filled with the aesthetic of symmetry and Order. Even as ruins, one could still feel the supreme majesty of its peak period. The building material was neither metal nor stone, but a type of green giant stone with a faint jade-like luster. Despite the calamities and the passage of time, it remained incredibly hard, with only deep scars and weathering marks left on its surface.

In the center of this endless expanse of ruins, a relatively well-preserved hall stood proudly, like a heart still beating within the remains of a giant beast.

It was not entirely undamaged; its outer walls were also covered in cracks and pits from impacts, and nearly half of the dome had collapsed. However, its main structure remained stable. The hundred-zhang-tall gates, though tightly closed, had not fallen. The gates were cast from two thick slabs of an unknown dark-gold metal, their surfaces covered in profound and complex reliefs and patterns. In the center was a massive, slowly rotating Taiji Eight Trigrams Diagram!

The Eight Trigrams diagram was not flat but slightly convex. Each trigram position (Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui) corresponded to a fist-sized recessed hole deeply embedded in the gate. The interiors of the holes were deep, leading to unknown depths. At the positions of the Taiji diagram's Yin and Yang fish eyes were two larger, special structures resembling keyholes. The entire Eight Trigrams diagram emitted a profound, mysterious aura that stirred the rules, forming a sharp contrast with the deathly silence of the surrounding ruins.

Even more eye-catching was a tattered guide stele made of the same green giant stone standing before the hall gates. The script on the stele was the same ancient language, but smaller and clearer than that on the Giant Stele.

Lin Zhou stepped forward and gazed at it intently. The Temple of Civilization synchronized the translation:

"[Hall of Dao Enlightenment]... Not to be opened by force, not to be entered by guile... The Eight Trigrams rotate, the gate of life and death... Follow Heaven and accord with Man to find the path... Reverse Yin and Yang, and Chaos shall execute all..."

The meaning of the text was clear: this core building, named the 'Hall of Dao Enlightenment,' could not be opened with brute force or ordinary skills. The Innate Eight Trigrams Formation on the gate was the key. One had to trigger the trigrams in the correct Order and manner; otherwise, it would trigger the consequence of 'Chaos executing all.'

"Another test..." Zhao Hao stared at the slowly rotating, dizzying Eight Trigrams diagram and smacked his lips. "Old Lin, are you familiar with this thing? Among your Hundred Schools, is there one that specializes in studying this?"

"This is the Innate Eight Trigrams, one of the Foundations of Daoist thought," Lin Zhou said deeply, his gaze locked onto the eight trigram holes. "The inscription suggests 'Follow Heaven and accord with Man to find the path,' yet warns 'Reverse Yin and Yang, and Chaos shall execute all.' This isn't just about understanding the Eight Trigrams themselves; I'm afraid it must be interpreted alongside the background of 'the Heavenly Dao has changed' here, as well as... that civilization's final spirit of resistance where 'Man's Will Triumphs Over Heaven.'"

In his mind, he rapidly recalled the discourses from Daoist classics regarding the positions, attributes, and symbolic meanings of the Eight Trigrams, as well as the 'Eight Gates' (Open, Rest, Life, Injury, Limit, View, Death, Fear) in Qimen Dunjia. Simultaneously, the records on the Giant Stele about 'the Hundred Schools contend, each manifesting their Dao,' especially the Daoist description of 'channeling nature to resist tampering,' gave him inspiration.

"The ordinary Order for opening the Eight Trigrams might no longer apply," Lin Zhou muttered to himself. His Divine Thought connected with the Temple of Civilization as he began high-speed deductions. "'The Heavenly Dao has changed' means the old rules of 'Following Heaven' might have been contaminated or twisted. And that civilization ultimately 'fought the Heavenly Dao with the Way of Man'... Therefore, 'Follow Heaven and accord with Man' here might not mean following the altered 'Heavenly Dao,' but rather according with the 'Way of Man' (the laws of civilization's development) and echoing the 'Heart of Man' (the will for civilization's survival)..."

"Among the Eight Gates, Open, Rest, and Life are auspicious; Injury, Limit, and View are neutral; Death and Fear are inauspicious. But here, auspiciousness and inauspiciousness might not be fixed... If 'Man's Will Triumphs Over Heaven,' the key might lie in the vitality and hope represented by the 'Life' gate, and the initiation and progress represented by the 'Open' gate... yet one must consider the crisis and warning represented by 'Death' and 'Fear'..."

Countless possibilities, trigram combinations, and rule simulations flashed by with the assistance of the Sanctuary. Combining the stele's warning, Daoist principles, and his understanding of that civilization's spirit, Lin Zhou gradually locked his gaze onto a specific sequence.

"I might... need to try a sequence," Lin Zhou turned and spoke to his tense teammates. "Following the Order of 'Open, Rest, Life, Injury, Limit, View, Death, Fear,' I will sequentially inject specific Divine Power containing the corresponding 'Gate Intent' and 'principles of civilization' into the matching trigram holes."

“Open (straightforward, enterprising), Rest (temporary respite, gathering strength), Life (nurturing vitality, hope), Injury (experiencing trauma, warning), Closing (obstruction and hardship, trial), Scenery (displaying atmosphere, results), Death (facing the end, courage), Shock (alertness to sudden change, sobriety)... This Order secretly matches the process of a civilization from its inception to encountering setbacks, struggling for survival, showing results, and finally facing destruction while maintaining a sober warning... Perhaps, this is the 'path' that civilization wanted to tell its successors.”

“Are you sure?” Qin Qing asked. She could feel the majestic and dangerous power of the rules contained within that Bagua diagram.

“I'm not a hundred percent certain,” Lin Zhou admitted candidly. “But this is the most likely possibility inferred so far that fits the background and spirit of this civilization. We must try. Li Mo, is there any way to detect the consequences of a failed trigger?”

Li Mo had already controlled a miniature mechanism to try and approach the Bagua diagram, but it was bounced back by an invisible force field at a distance of about three meters. “The force field strength is very high, making direct detection impossible. However, based on the energy fluctuation model, if a mistake is triggered... the most likely countermeasure is to activate a rule-based attack containing the Concepts of ‘Chaos’ and ‘Annihilation,’ which is very likely... a type of Sword Qi.”

He paused and added, “And it would be Sword Qi of an extremely high energy level. My rough estimate... the power of each strike might be equivalent to the full-force blow of a True God (Faint Divinity standard). Furthermore, it's likely to be a multiple trigger.”

Chaos Sword Qi equivalent to the full-force blow of a True God! And multiple strikes! This warning made everyone's heart sink. Even for them, if they were hit by several or even a dozen such Sword Qi simultaneously, they would definitely be killed or crippled!

“Prepare for defense.” Lin Zhou did not shrink back; instead, his gaze became even more determined. “Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, Qin Qing, while I attempt this, protect Li Mo and the Bronze Guards with all your strength, and be ready to support me. Li Mo, prepare your strongest defensive and interference methods. In case I trigger an error, try to interfere with the Sword Qi's locking or weaken its power.”

“President, let me do it!” Zhao Hao said urgently. “I'm tough-skinned and thick-fleshed; I can take a few hits!”

“No, it must be me.” Lin Zhou shook his head. “Cracking this requires a profound understanding of the Bagua and the principles of civilization, as well as the ability to integrate a specific Concept into Divine Power. You might be able to tank it, but you cannot complete the ‘injection’ step. Don't worry, I have the Fire of Civilization and the Sanctuary protecting me; there might still be a chance of survival.”

He spoke no more and walked slowly to the massive hall doors, looking up at the slowly rotating Innate Bagua diagram. He reached out, and the first wisp of Divine Power began to condense at his fingertip, infused with the intent of ‘opening,’ ‘enterprising,’ and ‘breaking shackles,’ aimed directly at the trigram position representing the ‘Open’ gate—the Qian Trigram (Heaven, vigorous action, creation).

Taking a deep breath, Lin Zhou flicked his finger.

Whoosh!

A condensed beam of pale golden Divine Power shot precisely into the recessed hole corresponding to the Qian Trigram.

Buzz...

The rotation of the Bagua diagram paused slightly, and the symbol of the Qian Trigram lit up with a faint golden light, lasting for a few seconds before slowly fading. No abnormality occurred.

The first step seemed correct.

Lin Zhou’s mind settled slightly as he continued. The second wisp of Divine Power, containing the intent of ‘recuperation,’ ‘accumulating strength,’ and ‘gentleness,’ shot toward the Kan Trigram (Water, danger/pitfall, also representing hidden rest) representing the ‘Rest’ gate. The Kan Trigram lit up with water-blue light and then faded.

The third wisp of Divine Power, containing the intent of ‘vitality,’ ‘hope,’ and ‘growth,’ shot toward the Gen Trigram (Mountain, stillness, also representing the beginning of all growth) representing the ‘Life’ gate. The Gen Trigram lit up with an earthy yellow light.

...

The ‘Injury’ gate—Zhen Trigram (Thunder, turbulence, warning of trauma), lit up with purple lightning.

The ‘Closing’ gate—Xun Trigram (Wind, entry, also representing obstruction), lit up with a pale green light.

The ‘Scenery’ gate—Li Trigram (Fire, elegance, display), lit up with a crimson light.

Six steps in a row, all safe and sound. The light of the Bagua diagram flowed as if it had been injected with vitality; its rotation speed seemed to quicken slightly, and the profound aura it emitted became even stronger.

Only the last two steps remained—the ‘Death’ gate and the ‘Shock’ gate.

These were also the two most dangerous steps that tested one's Heart-Nature the most. They required the injection of ‘courage to face the end’ and ‘sobriety to be alert to sudden changes.’

Lin Zhou composed himself. The seventh wisp of Divine Power, condensing the tragedy and determination felt in the stele inscriptions when that civilization faced extinction, as well as the belief that the Fire of Civilization would never be extinguished, shot toward the Kun Trigram (Earth, submissive acceptance, also representing the end and return to storage) representing the ‘Death’ gate.

The Kun Trigram lit up with a heavy Mysterious Yellow light.

However, the moment the light lit up, a sudden change occurred!

The entire Bagua diagram shook violently! That Mysterious Yellow light did not fade gently like before; instead, it suddenly became piercing and violent! A terrifying Concept that made one's heart palpitate—as if all things were ending and everything was returning to dead silence—surged back from the Kun Trigram hole! Simultaneously, the other six trigram positions that had already been lit also shook in unison, their lights flashing chaotically!

“Oh no! Did we trigger an error?!” Li Mo cried out in alarm.

Boom!!!

Giving no time to react, the Taiji Yin-Yang fish-eye at the center of the Bagua diagram burst forth with Chaos-colored light! Immediately following, eight (corresponding to the eight trigram positions?) formless and substanceless Chaos Sword Qi, emitting a terrifying aura that could sever and annihilate everything, shot out from various positions on the Bagua diagram, instantly locking onto Lin Zhou in front of the hall doors and the entire team area behind him!

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, space emitted a mournful wail as it was torn apart, and even the thin gray mist was completely evaporated and annihilated!

The pressure of each Sword Qi truly reached the level of a True God's strike! Moreover, with eight firing at once, they sealed off all space for evasion!

“President!” Zhao Hao’s eyes nearly burst as he prepared to lung forward.

“Full defense!” Qin Qing shouted sternly, pushing the Order Barrier to its limit. The light of legal principle formed thick, multi-layered shields, while the brilliance of the Adjudication of Legal Principle attempted to lock onto and weaken those Sword Qi, but the effect was minimal—these Sword Qi were not existences that ‘violated legal principles’; they were themselves a part of the ‘rules’ of this place!

Wang Meng roared as he blocked the front, his Behemoth Phantom expanding to its limit. Li Mo scrambled to activate all defensive mechanisms and disposable shields.

Lin Zhou bore the brunt of it, facing the lock-on of at least three Sword Qi! The aura of death enveloped him in an instant!

At the critical moment, the Fire of Civilization burned wildly in Lin Zhou's eyes! He did not choose to resist or evade (he couldn't evade anyway); instead, in a stroke of inspiration, he condensed the Divine Power required for the final step—the ‘Shock’ gate (alertness, sobriety, adaptation)—along with his own Epiphany of ‘flexibility,’ ‘evolution,’ and ‘seeking new life within death’ in the face of the ‘Way of Civilization’'s desperate straits. He did not shoot it at the last trigram position, but rather at the exploding core of the Bagua diagram representing error and destruction—the violently shaking Kun Trigram position!

At the same time, he let out a low shout infused with the principles of civilization, not in confrontation, but in... inclusion and guidance:

“Survive in death, awaken in shock! This is not the end, but another bend in the river of civilization!”

The ‘corrective’ Divine Power injected into the Kun Trigram did not conflict with the exploding intent of the end; instead, it was like a drop of special water falling into boiling oil, triggering a bizarre reaction! That violent Mysterious Yellow light and the surging back intent of the end were temporarily neutralized and disrupted by this new power containing ‘seeking life within death’ and ‘staying sober amidst sudden change’!

And the Divine Power shot toward the core, containing the true meaning of the ‘Shock Gate’ and the principles of civilization's adaptation, acted like a subtle ‘trigger.’ In the moment the Bagua diagram's rules became disordered due to the error and were partially neutralized, it triggered some deeper... remedial mechanism or secondary verification perhaps left by the designer?

Buzz—!!!

The eight Chaos Sword Qi that had already been fired and were about to strike down froze in unison less than three meters in front of Lin Zhou! Then, as if pulled by an invisible force, they suddenly turned around. They did not dissipate but instead flowed back into the Bagua diagram!

Immediately after, the entire Bagua diagram burst with light! But it was not the Chaos-colored light of destruction; it was a soft, perpetually flowing seven-colored radiance! The eight trigram positions lit up in sequence, finally converging at the Yin-Yang fish-eyes.

“Click...”

A clear sound, as if a lock that had been sealed for ages was being opened, came from inside the heavy dark-gold hall doors.

Then, under the unbelievable gazes of everyone, those two hall doors—hundreds of feet high and heavy as mountains—emitted a low and long rumble as they slowly opened inward, revealing a gap.

A gentle aura, many times denser and purer than the outside world, mixed with the fragrance of ancient books, the scent of Medicinal Pills, and a certain supreme Dao Rhyme, flowed out from the gap, instantly dispersing the surrounding gray mist and deathly silence.

The Innate Eight Trigrams Formation had been successfully cracked!

Lin Zhou staggered a step, his face pale as paper. The response during that life-and-death moment just now had consumed a massive amount of his mental effort and Divine Power, and his back was soaked with cold sweat. But looking at the open gap in the doors, his eyes were filled with excitement and lingering fear.

That was close! If he hadn't had an Epiphany at the last moment that the true meaning of the ‘Death’ and ‘Shock’ gates was not simple avoidance but integration and guidance, triggering the hidden mechanism, they would likely have been annihilated under those eight True God level Chaos Sword Qi by now!

The protection of this ‘Hall of Dao Enlightenment’ was indeed unpredictably dangerous, yet it also hid profound secrets.

“Let's go... we're going in,” Lin Zhou said to his teammates, who were similarly shaken with lingering fear, after steadying his breath.

Behind the doors lay the core Legacy site of that lost civilization. The crisis might have only just begun.