In a daze, I woke up. Everything from my dream was crystal clear. I began to carefully recall everything Mona Ouyang told me in the dream. He said I couldn't bring my consciousness into other dreams, because the powerful Sealing Array at the Golden Temple prevented it, and I was too far away from him.
But in the dream, Mona Ouyang had already explained to me in detail how to break this Sanskrit Ritual Array. It was actually quite simple—as long as I followed the steps one by one. Mona Ouyang's explanation had been very thorough.
"Woman, did you dream of something good? You seem much calmer after waking up, not as agitated as before."
I ignored Logan and continued to quietly recall.
"I'm asking you a question. Why aren't you answering me? Did sleep make you stupid?"
"You're the one who's stupid from sleep. Stop bothering me—I need to figure out how to break the array and get out of here."
Logan hesitated for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Impossible. You can't even read Sanskrit—how could you possibly break the array?"
I couldn't be bothered to answer Logan.
"Hmph, soon I'll stand right in front of you and see what kind of Living Buddha you really are."
Mona Ouyang never explained the meaning of the Sanskrit or the nature of the array in her dream. She only told me the principle: if I could find the weak spot in the array and use my own blood, I could break it.
This array that traps me in the room instantly devours any power I try to use. The reason is that it uses six interwoven Yin-Yang patterns, completely disrupting the normal flow of energy in my body. Whether I draw on my own strength or Lan Ruoxi’s Yin-side power, as soon as the energy arises, the Yin-Yang pattern shatters it, making it impossible to wield. If I keep forcing it, I’ll collapse from exhaustion.
My father once told me that the foundation of all arrays is always Yin and Yang. No matter how complex an array is, it never strays from these roots. From Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, Ten Heavenly Stems, and Twelve Earthly Branches are derived. Every array, no matter how it changes, is built on these concepts.
First, I needed to find the Yin-Yang segments and understand their interwoven changes. Using the faint light from the oil lamp outside the cell, I felt along the stone wall with my hands. The Sanskrit written here couldn’t be wiped away, nor could the ones on my body. I suspected these Sanskrit characters, which formed the array, were written in vital blood—making the formation far more controllable and powerful.
I kept tracing with my fingertips, searching for traces of Yin-Yang energy. Even if it was just a faint bit, my instinct for coexistence made me sensitive to it. Once I found a spot, I smeared some barley porridge from my untouched bowl onto the bed. Luckily, I wasn't hungry—I'd had plenty of meat at lunch yesterday, so I was fine.
Gradually, I used dried, elongated barley grains to represent Yin, and rounded ones for Yang, arranging them clockwise from the door, right to left. I began laying out the Yin-Yang pattern.
Sure enough, even though I couldn’t read the Sanskrit, it was just like Mona Ouyang said in her dream—the sixfold Yin-Yang rhythm, each sequence written in Sanskrit along with some symbols. Soon, I filled the bed with barley grains, forming an array with neat, square edges. Each Sanskrit character represented either Yin or Yang. I don’t know exactly how the Tantric array works, but it’s slightly different from the Buddhist arrays I’ve seen before.
Most Buddhist arrays draw on Yang to block and weaken a ghost’s power, using Yin to contain the ghost’s aura. Once connected to earth energy, the array keeps draining the ghost’s Yin force, wearing it down. If a ghost is trapped, the only way out is to break through with overwhelming ghost energy.
As for the weak spot in the array, I really couldn’t find one. The sixfold Yin-Yang rhythm was perfectly interlocked, with no gaps, each part supporting the others. This array was so refined, it must have taken generations to develop.
In the Hades Circle, we also have many profound and complex arrays, the result of generations of effort and refinement. Even now, I can’t fully command the Fourfold Beast Array; just thinking about its complexity gives me a headache.
Yin-Yang can be arranged in 108 different patterns, and the Five Elements revolve in sync with these changes, constantly interacting—sometimes generating, sometimes overcoming each other to create or defend power. The Eight Trigrams then add another layer, shifting the array’s configuration in endless ways. With the cooperation of the Twelve Earthly Branches and Ten Heavenly Stems, the Grand Zodiac Fourfold Array becomes nearly unstoppable. If four people fully versed in its changes and the powers of the Four Sacred Beasts—like the Ten Soul Collectors of the Hades Circle—activated it, even most high-level Blue Wraiths, Ghost Lords, or the underworld’s Judges and Commanders would be sealed away, unable to escape.
Unfortunately, in a thousand years, no one from the Hades Circle has ever used the full Grand Zodiac Fourfold Array. My father could use the Minor Zodiac Fourfold Array, and he once used it against Yin Qiu Jian with great results. He told me before, but the minor array lacks the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and only has six trigrams—after all, it’s too hard for one person to cast the complete array.
Arrays are the greatest weapon humans have against ghosts—especially when they’re complete. Defeating a high-level Blue Wraith is almost effortless. Take this unknown array here: Logan is a high-level Blue Wraith, but he’s been trapped for fifty years and still can’t get out.
(Irrelevant passage—skipped for record-keeping.)
Even the Brahma Tower at Universal Temple was formidable, but Master Mingde deliberately removed some elements, which weakened the array. Thinking of him, I realize his spirit truly transcends the ordinary.
Everything my father made me study over the years suddenly flooded my mind. My head was clear, but I still couldn’t pinpoint the array’s weak spot. Suddenly, I remembered something and quickly stripped off my clothes—Sanskrit was written all over my neck, cheeks, forehead, and hands. I started matching them one by one.
Sure enough, I soon found a weak spot on my body that was connected to the array in the room—a part of the overall formation. Since I’m a woman, they didn’t dare undress me, so they wrote Sanskrit on some sensitive areas. Blushing, I glared and gritted my teeth. When I get out, they’ll pay for this—I could feel my temper flaring.
I bit my finger until it bled, found a weak spot on my left hand, and smeared my blood on it. Instantly, I felt a strange shift—sure enough, disturbing one part affected the whole. The Sanskrit on the wall began to flow downward like water. I bit my left hand again, then found another weak spot on my right hand and stained it with my blood.
Now I finally understood—my blood must contain some unknown power. Suddenly, I remembered that on that island, Yin Qiu Jian had forcibly placed a power inside me. As the array began to collapse, the Sanskrit seemed to melt into blood. I turned around, and a purple flame burst from my fist as I punched the door.
With a loud bang, the iron door was sent flying. I put on my clothes and strode out in one step.
"How did you get out?"
Logan looked utterly shocked. I snorted and strolled over to the cell on the left, gazing at Logan inside.
"So that's what you really look like. You do have the air of a Living Buddha."
I laughed. Logan, dressed in red lama robes, had a round face, big ears, a bare chest, and a protruding belly—he looked just like a dumpling.
"Young lady, help me out. If you let me go, I swear I'll..."
"Didn't you just say I was fierce and make comments about who I'd marry?"
Logan immediately gave a sheepish smile, rubbing his hands together as he approached.
"No, I didn't mean it. I've just been stuck here too long. Please, young lady—be merciful."
I pressed a hand to my lips, glancing around.
"Should I let you out, or just leave? Maybe I should just go—you seem pretty comfortable here anyway."
Logan immediately began pleading, showering me with compliments that made my skin crawl.
"Enough. The key is whether you understand arrays. If you do, I can let you out—using my blood."
Logan stared at me seriously. Just then, a corpse stumbled over from the distance. I sighed, and Logan immediately spoke.
"Get back in the cell. Young lady, you can't handle those monks upstairs."
I nodded, quickly lifted the not-so-heavy door panel, set it back, and returned to the cell. The monk walked over, left water and food, then departed.
After watching the monk leave, I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, ready to question Logan.
"Do you know arrays?"
"Huh? Arrays? I've never studied them—I don't know how."
I was speechless.