The Seismograph was capable of directly monitoring the Earth Qi fluctuations across Great Yi's territory. Any shift—no matter how small—would show clear signs on the instrument. As such, it was a priceless geomantic treasure. Even within the Astrological Bureau, it could keep track of any changes and allow them to respond swiftly to natural disasters. Since being merged into Xuanhuang City and made part of the Eternal Unit, its power had become even more mystical and profound.
Its monitoring capability had significantly improved.
"The Seismograph has shown an anomaly?" Yi Tianxing frowned slightly and said,"In recent years, Great Yi's fortune and national destiny have both been soaring. Even if disasters do occur, they should be suppressed by the Empire's rising destiny.Moreover, every Immortal City of Great Yi is arranged according to the Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map, forming a grand geomantic formation.The cities gather Earth Qi and smooth out the world's spiritual orifices.Any disaster that stems from Earth Qi should've been neutralized already.How could a natural calamity still descend?"
The Mountains and Rivers Sheji Map had proved its power beyond doubt. Wherever Great Yi's cities landed, even the most barren of lands would transform completely. In Yi Prefecture, spiritual farmlands were now flourishing around each city, and their scale grew every year. Spiritual veins now formed beneath the cities—something that, in ancient times, only sacred lands could claim.
Great Yi had achieved the impossible, all thanks to this geomantic formation.
With the world refined in this way, natural disasters had virtually vanished. Peace and stability had taken root.
Logically, no calamity should be occurring.
Within the Hanhai domain, weather patterns were stabilizing, civilization was blossoming, and the aura of culture and prosperity was pushing back the wilderness. Everything was beginning to take on the hallmarks of a golden age.
So how could a heavenly disaster suddenly strike?
"That's what baffles us as well," Jiang Ni said grimly."According to our previous celestial observations, Great Yi shouldn't be experiencing any disasters.By all signs, we're in a period of rising fortune.Logically, no such anomaly should occur—unless external forces are interfering."
"And whoever can pull this off," Jiang added heavily,"Is far from ordinary."
"We had our most gifted Fateweavers try to deduce the root of this calamity.But even working together, they couldn't locate its origin.All they could sense was a shroud of dark mist enveloping Great Yi.The heavens were silent.The hidden hand behind this… must be one of the greatest powers alive."
"Unfortunately, all we have is the Seismograph.If only we had the Celestial Fate Compass, we might be able to glimpse the cause."
Jiang Ni's tone was laced with regret.
The Seismograph could only track earthbound changes, while the Celestial Fate Compass could probe fate itself. Combined, the Astrological Bureau's ability to predict the future would be vastly enhanced.
But the Celestial Fate Compass was an extremely rare treasure, likely tied to the very essence of cosmic fate. Even after two expeditions into the Divine-Demon Battlefield, they'd come up empty-handed. Zhen Chengxin hadn't had one either.
Its scarcity surpassed even the Seismograph's.
And its importance was far greater.
If obtained, it could reveal the very threads of destiny—a near-unmatched advantage.
Great Yi had long been searching for the Compass. Anyone who brought news of it or delivered the treasure would receive unimaginable rewards. The Bounty Hunter Hall had it listed at the very top of its highest reward tier.
But so far, no one had claimed it.
"Did you learn anything at all?What kind of disaster?Where will it strike?Is there any way to prepare?" Yi Tianxing asked, inhaling slowly.
"We don't yet know the exact form of the disaster," Jiang Ni said."Only that it will descend from the heavens… and the earth will begin to wither."
The scene glimpsed in their fate calculations was still just a vision, but its likelihood was frighteningly high.
"Whatever it is," Yi Tianxing said firmly,"Great Yi has never feared it.We survived worse back then—we'll endure again.Disasters may come, but they won't break us.They'll only make our people stronger.In Great Yi, everyone is a dragon. We rise in adversity, we thrive through hardship."
Though he said this with conviction, Yi Tianxing still began preparations.
He quietly ordered:
Stockpiling of essential resources,
Increased monitoring of weather patterns and signs of change across the territory.
The Sun and Moon Divine Eyes began rotating shifts, continuously scanning the skies and the land, keeping watch over all developments.
Yi Tianxing returned to his palace.
Looking into the sky, a solemn glint flickered in his eyes.
"A heavenly calamity shouldn't strike Great Yi now…Not so suddenly.It reeks of interference from behind the scenes."
"Only one group comes to mind: The Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns."
In his heart, the suspicion had already formed.
Recently, the only ones who would dare to move against Great Yi were those supreme powers. The Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns had both the motivation and the means.
He didn't say it aloud—voicing it would only bring more trouble.There was no point in burdening others with it.
Ultimately, they'd have to face it directly.
"So, the Nine Heavens Dao Sovereigns still haven't given up on their ambitions toward Great Yi," he murmured.
But some things… could never be surrendered.
No matter how powerful they were, Great Yi could not—and would not—give in.
"Soldiers to block blades, water to cover floods.Let's see what tricks you have in store.But first… I must break through."
His mind cleared, his gaze sharp.
"My True Spirit Realm cultivation has reached its peak.The next step… is the Dao Platform Realm."
The Dao Platform Realm was universally acknowledged as a realm for great powerhouses.
But breaking through was incredibly difficult. Many were trapped at the True Spirit peak for eternities.
To break through, one had to form a Dao Platform, and that began with a single, decisive step:
Opening the Ancestral Orifice.
This orifice was not the Sea of Consciousness or any conventional life aperture.It was a hidden divine cavern within the body.
Many Daoist texts had described it in metaphorical terms.
"The Mysterious Gate," one scripture read,"Is not in the Dantian, nor in the Sea of Qi, nor in the brow, the crown, the heart, the kidneys, or any of the hundred acupoints.It is neither external nor tangible.It lies hidden within heaven and earth, connected to all points of the body."
"The Ancestral Orifice," said another,"Is the Gate of the Mysterious Womb spoken of by Laozi.All alchemy, all creation, all transformation—begins and ends here.It is not the mouth, not the nose, not the heart or kidneys or navel or perineum…Then where is it?"
These ancient records illustrated one thing:The Ancestral Orifice was profoundly elusive, existing nowhere and everywhere in the body.
Finding it was akin to finding the Dao itself.
Hence, the greatest challenge in advancing to the Dao Platform Realm was:
To locate and open this orifice, birthing a divine palace within the body—the Innate Violet Palace.
This process was immensely difficult, with no fixed method.Only through repeated moments of Dao comprehension could one hope to sense and awaken it.
With insufficient fate and fortune, one could meditate for ten thousand lifetimes and still fail.
But with great luck, a single epiphany was enough.
At this stage, fortune mattered more than anything.
That was why cultivators in this realm often went to great lengths to boost their luck.
And as the ruler of a fortune-bound Empire, Yi Tianxing had a unique advantage—he could call upon the nation's destiny to aid him.
With it, he could potentially locate and open the Ancestral Orifice in one smooth effort.
Once opened, it would contain his accumulated Innate Violet Qi, built up since birth and throughout his cultivation journey. Every increase in strength added a trace more.
Only then could one forge the Dao Platform.
The Violet Qi inside would be the foundation of the Platform—a sacred altar bearing the cultivator's entire Dao.
But even then, the ordeal had just begun.
As the platform was constructed, heaven would test it with tribulation.Fail, and the altar would collapse, the Ancestral Orifice would shatter, and all future paths would be severed.
Not even death would be the worst outcome—stagnation was worse.
There was only one chance.
Then came the True Spirit's descent into the altar, followed by the process of establishing one's Dao.
Each step was perilous.One misstep, and all was lost.
"Where will my Ancestral Orifice lie…?"Yi Tianxing whispered."Will I be able to find it in one go?I guess it all depends this time."
Originally, he had planned to wait, letting his realm and the Empire's fate rise even higher, so his breakthrough would happen naturally.
But now, with a calamity approaching, fate would surely suffer.
And so… he could wait no longer.