38: Chapter 38 The True Monarch's Game

"Wild Goose Formation True Monarch has ten Disciples."

"The All Beings Spirit Refining Grand Array has ten key Formation cores."

According to the information obtained from Xu Mingxuan, the ten Formation cores are spread across the east, south, west, north, and center of Langya Province.

The Human-Faced Fruit Tree that Jiang Zhiqiu saw back then was a mature Formation core.

That ten-thousand-zhang Human-Faced Fruit Tree was rooted in the earth, its roots spreading deep into the ley lines, with Formation patterns covering the entire land.

Wild Goose Formation True Monarch intends to use these ten Formation cores to refine the entire Langya Province.

However, the Formation core in Dongshan City was ruined, so he plans to use the entire Kongsang Prefecture as a superior replacement.

Shen Moyan circulated the Scripture of Severing All Manifestations, forcing himself to calm down.

As a mere Mortal Transformation Realm cultivator who only wanted to cultivate peacefully, he had inadvertently stumbled onto this stage and glimpsed the most hideous secret behind the curtain.

Wild Goose Formation True Monarch is playing a game of chess with someone.

As for his opponent, the answer was self-evident.

"The Governor of Kongsang Prefecture, Gao Sheng."

Connecting this to his past life, Shen Moyan recalled that Gao Sheng and Zheng Quan had fought, eventually ending up in the Great Qǐ Minor Plane where he originally resided.

When Jiang Zhiqiu accidentally saw that Human-Faced Fruit Tree back then, he reported it to the Governor of Kongsang Prefecture, Gao Sheng.

Perhaps coveting the results of Wild Goose Formation True Monarch's Spirit Refining array, Gao Sheng did not stop him and instead suppressed the news.

To gain leverage over his opponent, Gao Sheng decided to take control of the Formation core set up by Zheng Quan.

Ni Gaoyuan intended to transport Demon Seeds to kill Wild Goose Formation True Monarch's Disciples and then flee with the rewards, unaware that he was also a hidden pawn of Gao Sheng.

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Gao Sheng saw potential in Ni Gaoyuan, so he anonymously issued a commission through the chamber of commerce to give him a hand. Cen Gewu took an interest in the commission but didn't go himself, instead sending the Cen Zhihong father-son duo on the trade mission.

To ensure his schemes weren't exposed, Gao Sheng hurriedly dispatched Jiang Zhiqiu to destroy the Formation core in Dongshan City, but in reality, he was sending him to his death to silence him.

At that time, Jiang Zhiqiu was visiting Zhou Zhanpeng at the Academy, which was why he was still dressed as a scholar when he arrived in Dongshan City.

Gao Sheng would not give Jiang Zhiqiu any chance to spread the word.

He then warned Zhou Zhanpeng to keep his mouth shut, or face the consequences.

Next, City Lord Chu Sheng was corrupted by demonic energy and was about to turn into a Demon Slave, but Gao Sheng hadn't expected Zheng Quan to have left a measure on him—he would rather die than be enslaved. This caused Gao Sheng's plan to fail.

Gao Sheng then changed his strategy, spreading the news of Jiang Zhiqiu's miserable death through the Nine Songs Net, attempting to pressure Zheng Quan and draw everyone's attention to the location of his Formation core.

Wild Goose Formation True Monarch mobilized his old connections in the Formation Strategy Hall and went to the Guardians of Orthodoxy to cover up the matter, defining the images of Jiang Zhiqiu's death as an illusion.

Since then, four years ago, the Formation core in Dongshan City was completely scrapped. In a fit of rage, Wild Goose Formation True Monarch chose Kongsang Prefecture, where Gao Sheng was located, as the new Formation core.

In the state of absolute rationality from Leaving All Forms, Shen Moyan completed his conjecture and analysis of the entire situation based on the available intelligence.

In this state, Shen Moyan strung together these fragmented clues, forming a chilling 'truth'.

"What roles do the Biyang Sword Sect and the Yao Race play in this game?"

Shen Moyan slowly opened his eyes and exited the Leaving All Forms state.

His deduction had flaws; there weren't enough puzzle pieces to fill the gaps in the truth.

Holding the formation dao atlas in his hand, Shen Moyan's heart suddenly trembled.

"Who put this formation dao atlas in here?"

He suddenly noticed that the book's cover was very new and that very few people had borrowed it.

Shen Moyan quickly asked the person in charge of the library and learned that this formation dao atlas was study material brought into the Academy from the Construction and Maintenance Department about a month ago.

"About a month ago? Right when I first entered Kongsang Prefecture?"

Shen Moyan felt a chill down his spine as a mischievous smile appeared in his mind.

"Xu Mingxuan!"

Shen Moyan had once told Xu Mingxuan that he would come to the Academy to do missions.

Then Xu Mingxuan asked Shen Moyan to help him get a position in the Construction and Maintenance Department, which meant Shen Moyan would definitely learn about matters related to the Kongsang Prefecture grand array.

Then, adapting to the circumstances, he would come to the Academy to study Formations and gather more intelligence.

"What a brilliant divination technique."

Shen Moyan chuckled softly.

From the moment he entered Kongsang Prefecture, he had been thoroughly manipulated by Xu Mingxuan.

Perhaps even his realization that he had fallen into the trap was within Xu Mingxuan's expectations.

"What does he want from me? And what does he want me to do?"

Shen Moyan circulated the Scripture of Severing All Manifestations, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Besides making me take the fall for the Construction and Maintenance Department's messy accounts, once Xu Mingxuan confirmed that I knew about this chess game, I would only have one choice."

"He wants to use me to establish a connection with Jiang Qingshui. To avoid being arrested by the Directorate of Justice Office, I would definitely inform her about the secrets of the All Beings Spirit Refining Grand Array to trade for my life."

"But doing so would only make the situation in Kongsang Prefecture even more chaotic. What benefit does that bring to Xu Mingxuan?"

"What Opportunity is worth him going undercover in Kongsang Prefecture for forty years, waiting so patiently?"

Judging others by his own standards, Shen Moyan knew that Xu Mingxuan was definitely not someone to be trifled with, nor was he the kind of fool who would recklessly barge into a True Monarch's chess game.

"Heh, I won't do as you wish."

Shen Moyan abandoned the idea of establishing a connection with Jiang Qingshui.

He was only a paper figure Clone in the Construction and Maintenance Department; if it was lost, it was lost—no great loss.

And so what if he died in this turmoil?

"I can restart!"

Now that Shen Moyan has reached the Mortal Transformation Realm, he can retain his cultivation after restarting with the Final Stroke.

At worst, he could just lay low in Great Qǐ for a few decades and return to the Shanhai Realm once this storm had passed.

Shen Moyan returned to his Immortal Cave with peace of mind, adopting the posture of watching the fire from across the river.

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

If Wild Goose Formation True Monarch's All Beings Spirit Refining Grand Array truly activates, it won't matter where one runs within the province unless they leave Langya Province entirely.

On the contrary, Kongsang Prefecture, as the Formation core, is relatively safer.

"Is this finding life within death?"

Having learned the truth, Shen Moyan was now walking a tightrope on the True Monarch's chessboard.

Life and death were separated by a thin line.

"Haha! Since it can't be avoided, then let this Shen witness what a True Monarch's Divine Ability is truly like!"

As the storm clouds gathered, Shen Moyan became increasingly expectant, completely setting aside matters of life and death.

With a wave of his sleeve, a large number of Six Senses Fireflies flew out, scattering to every corner of Kongsang Prefecture to allow Shen Moyan to enjoy this grand play from all angles... Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous small boat on the waterways of Kongsang Prefecture.

Xu Mingxuan was no longer as composed as before.

"Has that fellow Jiang Qingshui still not found the right place?"

"Why is there still no movement from that guy He Liang?"

Xu Mingxuan's face twitched as he continuously rubbed the tortoise shell in his hand.

A detailed Formation map of Kongsang Prefecture was spread out before him, and his other hand's fingertips moved rapidly across it as he muttered under his breath.

"No matter, I still have a backup plan. The water essence in the prefecture needs to be a bit denser; it just needs one final catalyst."

"Old man Zheng Quan, I'll be taking that old immortal dao cultivation you so desperately seek."

Inside the small boat, the dim light swayed with the vessel's jolting, casting flickering shadows across Xu Mingxuan's face.