From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Obvious.

Jiang Liu guessed correctly!

In the ancient times of Guixu, the Hentian clan had two clans: the "Fish" clan and the "Bird" clan. The former defeated the latter, cutting off and hanging up the heads of the latter's bronze statues. They even tried to decipher the patterns on the sea-penetrating array patterns on Gu Qian and others. The clan that worshipped the "Bird" clan was also exterminated, and the patriarch of the "Bird" clan was suppressed under a giant pillar.

After disembarking, the old captain and the old security captain towed the two lifeboats into the hall. They then walked through the hall with Jiang Liu and his group, and through a passageway, they arrived at a wet open space.

Undoubtedly, this place was originally filled with seawater, and now that the tide has receded, this square has been revealed.

The square is paved with blue bricks, and a huge stone pillar stands in the center, about thirty to fifty meters high, but extremely wide. Even if hundreds of people hold hands, they might not be able to encircle it.

Looking up, surrounded by mountains on all sides, this place is like a deep well of ruins, or a "rocket launch site"?

"what is this?"

Jonathan stepped forward, raised his hand to touch the stone pillar. It looked rough, but it felt extremely smooth to the touch.

"Jianmu".

Gu Qian and the others also went up and touched the giant pillar that corresponded to the position of their spines, and spoke up.

"Is this the Jianmu tree?"

Duanmu Ying was surprised, "It looks like just a big black pillar, is it really the legendary Jianmu that can communicate with heaven, earth and gods?"

That's a bit too shabby!

"Whether it has the ability to communicate with heaven and earth is unknown for now, but it is probably somewhat miraculous." Jiang Liu noticed that the Jianmu tree was surrounded by bronze statues, each dragging a chain, the other end of which was bound to the holes and pores on the Jianmu tree.

Judging from the direction these bronze figures wearing fish-tail crowns are facing, they must be pulling this Jianmu tree around.

"Why do this?" Lu Jin wanted to use his mental power to scan, but remembered Jiang Liu's previous instructions, so he held back and asked for the reason.

"I heard from Gu Qian and the others that they were tied to a paper boat by the merfolk and used as a sacrifice... and the Merfolk wanted to ride the Jianmu tree to the moon."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ying was filled with questions, but before she could ask, Jiang Liu stomped his foot, and a slight buzzing sound came from the vibration feedback of his Qi. He then said, "There are huge mechanisms and gear structures underneath. These bronze figures are dragging the Jianmu tree and rotating it. Perhaps they are gathering power?"

"You mean, this piece of wood will be launched?"

Duanmu Ying looked up in disbelief and saw a huge, circular white light emanating from the dome above the Jianmu tree, rippling with the inverted seawater. "That is—"

"exit."

Jiang Liu understood immediately, “This space created by the Guixu Qi formation is like a giant whale swimming in the ocean.”

I've heard that whales can spout water from their breathing holes on their backs. I suppose if we want to get out, we'll have to activate this wooden structure, hide inside it, and use its upward force to surface.

Otherwise, the pressure of the ocean—

You can't handle it.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ying raised an eyebrow and asked, "You think you can handle it?"

"nature."

Before entering the Mary Senu, Jiang Liu could not withstand the pressure of the deep sea. However, after leaving the Mary Senu, he used the Dharma Image Seal to construct a Returning Void Qi Formation Seal, which resembled both a fish and a bird. This allowed Jiang Liu to merge with the Qi Formation of the sea and was no longer affected.

"boast!"

Duanmu Ying did not believe it.

Jiang Liu ignored him and called Gu Qian over to examine the sea-penetrating array patterns on its back once more. He then compared them with the Jianmu tree in front of him and pondered, "Do you know how to activate this Jianmu tree?"

"I don't know."

Gu Qian shook his head, seemingly genuinely unaware, as if he wasn't faking it.

Seeing this, Jiang Liu recalled the names of these eight people, each corresponding to one of the Eight Trigrams. Perhaps activating the Jianmu tree would also require relying on the principles of the Eight Trigrams, so he asked, "Do you have any understanding of the Eight Trigrams?"

“Our ancestors passed down the Zhen hexagram, which consists of one yang and two yin lines.” Gu Qian pondered for a moment and recalled the Zhen hexagram, which consists of one yang and two yin lines.

The Eight Trigrams of the Earlier Heaven?

Jiang Liu suddenly realized that the ancient Hentian clan was very likely from the Yellow River basin, but unfortunately, their inheritance was incomplete, leaving only some fragmentary folk songs and the sea-penetrating array patterns on their bodies.

"Thunder above, thunder below, shocking for miles, is it the Zhen hexagram?" Jiang Liu looked around but found no hexagram plate to manipulate, so he realized that the mechanism must be under the Jianmu tree.

However, there is no entrance here, so it seems that we would have to go into the water to check it out if we wanted to get down.

Upon hearing that they were going into the water, Jonathan immediately objected: "I'm not going! There are sharks in the water! I don't want to lose my life!"

Jiang Liu didn't pay any attention to this guy, and just said to the old captain, "The Alexander is damaged and can no longer sail. If you want to get out, you can only rely on this Jianmu."

Captain, you should go back and inform the people on board, and bring them back one by one.

As for the danger—"

“I’ll go with you.” Lu Jin pulled out the nine-foot nail from his waist. “If sharks attack, I’ll use this thing to pierce their heads!”

To ensure safety, Jiang Liu also asked Gu Qian and others to escort him.

The six men, Gu Qianming, Gu Dui, Gu Li, Gu Zhen, Gu Xun, Gu Kan, and Gu Gen, followed the old captain and the security captain, while Gu Kun and I stayed behind, preparing to go out to sea with Jiang Liu later.

"You really want to go into business?"

After the old captain and the others returned the way they came, Jonathan saw that Jiang Liu was really going to walk into the sea. He realized that being alone in the bronze hall would cause him to feel a sense of fear due to loneliness, so he couldn't help but ask, "I touched that big pillar with my own hands. Is it really possible to fly to the sea surface as you say?"

I feel like it's a fossil of an ancient tree!

Do you know about dinosaurs? Archaeologists in Western Europe have unearthed dinosaur fossils. During the dinosaurs' era, trees were towering and extremely large!

He felt scared to be alone in the bronze palace, but he was even more afraid of going into the water, so he hoped that Jiang Liu could think of another way to get out.

But Jiang Liu wasn't going to tolerate him.

"Perhaps it is a fossil formed from a tree that died a very long time ago, but it is the only thing we can rely on to get out of here right now."

After saying that, Jiang Liu took out the Heavenly Golden Rhinoceros Horn from his storage ring and asked Duanmu Ying, "Want to come along?"

"nature."

Although Duanmu Ying said Jiang Liu was bragging, she believed in his abilities and was unwilling to miss the chance to go underwater to take a look.

And so, to Jonathan's astonishment, the seawater parted in an arc, and Jiang Liu, Duanmu Ying, Gu Qian, and Gu Kun walked straight down into the sea.

"So that's what rhinoceros horn is used for!" Jonathan suddenly realized that the gold watch he had found on the Mary Senno had been lost by Jiang Liu—

No injustice!

If I were to obtain that treasure first, and then see someone else trying to steal it, I would certainly teach them a lesson.

If only I could have that thing! I could just go deep-sea pearl diving and become a billionaire!

Thinking of this, Jonathan remembered the many large seashells along the edge of the plaza where the Jianmu tree was located. A thought struck him, and he hurried back, picked up a brick, and prepared to forcefully open the clams to see if he could get some more pearls…

# Chapter 488 The River Chart and the Luo River Book (Part 1)

Using the power of the Heavenly Golden Rhinoceros Horn to divide and avoid water, Jiang Liu and Duanmu Ying safely landed on the seabed, followed closely by Gu Kun and Gu Qian.

Centered on the river, the seawater within a five-meter radius is completely separated.

Although the area could be expanded to a hundred meters, there might be merfolk underwater, and making too much noise might alert them, so it's better to keep it within a small area.

After landing, the sand beneath my feet was a bit muddy, but as a terrestrial creature, I felt more at ease with my feet firmly on the ground.

I looked up and gazed around.

Beneath the mountains are layers of coral reefs, resembling rolled-up nets, layer upon layer, supporting the entire island and palace.

Strangely, there wasn't a single fish in this area; even sharks only roamed the outer reaches and dared not venture inside.

"Gu Qian, were you bound and confined to a paper boat by the merfolk in this Ruins of Return?" Jiang Liu asked.

No, that's not true.

According to Gu Qian's description, when a storm came, they used "Return to Origin" to contact the large turtle under the paper boat, control it to dive to the seabed, and closed all the hatches to prevent water from flooding into the cabin, preparing to surface again after the storm passed.

This can be seen.

That paper boat also had functions similar to a submarine.

However, things didn't go as planned. Not long after they submerged, they encountered merfolk who emerged from the mirage of the Eye of the Void. They bound them and imprisoned them in a paper boat, intending to sacrifice them... Of course, Gu Qian also understood from Jiang Liu that the Mermaid might simply want to use the paper boat, the giant turtle, and them to lure the Dragon King of the Sea, lest its plan to ascend to the moon on the Jianmu tree fail.

The reason he was so certain that the Mermaid's plan was to ascend to the moon was because one of the stories left behind by the Dragon Otter People contained this tale:

The sea monster, a mermaid, has been around for thousands of years and has developed intelligence. She accidentally obtained the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, understood the principles of ascension, and realized the location of the Heavenly Palace. With the help of the Hentian clan, she found the Jianmu tree and built a ladder to heaven, allowing her to soar to the sky.

Of course—

A pair of dragon households and otter families accidentally learned that the Mermaid was openly plotting and secretly deceiving them. They then informed their compatriots that they would no longer circle around the Jianmu tree and instead plan to go to sea.

When the Mermaid Mother learned of this, she was furious and sent her mermaids to attack. Those who failed to escape the Dragon Otters were all devoured. The remaining Dragon Otters, having left the Ruins of Return, found a giant tortoise, built a paper boat, and lived on it for generations…

"The Hetu and Luoshu?"

Duanmu Ying wondered how the Dragon Otter knew about this thing.

The South China Sea is not close to the mainland.

“My grandfather told me that long ago, our ancestors also lived on the mainland, by a great river. Later, they were ordered by the ruler of the time to explore the sea along the Yellow River. After traveling to many seas, they found Guixu and sent people back to deliver a message, while the rest of them stayed in Guixu.”

Gu Qian then recounted a past event: "The Hetu and Luoshu were carried with us and could be used to observe celestial phenomena, topography, and determine time and climate."

Before the innate and acquired Bagua were deduced, ancient people relied on the Hetu and Luoshu to observe celestial bodies and terrain.

The Book of Changes, Appendix I, states: "The Yellow River produced a map, the Luo River produced a book, and the sages modeled themselves on them."

The Hetu and Luoshu are generally believed to have originated from the Yellow River, fallen into the water, carried by dragon-horses or dragon-turtles, and obtained by Fuxi, who then created the Primordial Eight Trigrams.

However, in truth, the Hetu and Luoshu could not have appeared out of thin air. They must have been a framework system of innate Dao summarized by ancient sages from a much more distant era before Fuxi, who did not even leave their names, based on their observation of the movement of celestial bodies and their examination of topography. This system, like the innate talismans, directly points to the universe, stars, and the natural operation of all things.

original.

Yet it encompasses everything.

What later generations did was to continuously develop new methods based on this set of Hetu and Luoshu. That is, Fuxi created the Pre-Heaven Bagua. Compared with the form of Hetu and Luoshu, the Pre-Heaven Bagua is obviously easier for later generations to understand and practice. Later, in order to make it easier for later generations to understand, or to make up for some abilities that the Pre-Heaven Bagua could not achieve, it was created again, thus forming the Post-Heaven Bagua.

This is the essence of the saying "to make up for one's innate constitution with acquired constitution."

Looking back at the myth of "Nuwa patching up the sky", it is highly likely that it was not a simple hole that was broken, but rather that the world was inherently incomplete and beyond human power, but ultimately needed to be patched up by human efforts!

However, in order to complete the laws of heaven and earth, one must understand heaven and earth.

The ancestors of Gu Qian and others clearly understood the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, and could use them to observe the movement of celestial bodies and the topography, thereby judging the weather, climate, and even determining good or bad fortune.