The greatest fallacy of the “cause and effect technique” lies in the word “technique” itself.

I relied too much on “technique.”

And I took it for granted that by learning the “cause and effect technique,” I could use my spiritual consciousness and computational power, along with the “cause and effect methods,” to discern reality and deduce all the secrets and causal connections I wanted to know.

But this understanding is wrong.

And profoundly so.

Mo Hua’s pupils trembled, and he focused intently, reflecting on his divinations since entering the Great Wilderness. Gradually, understanding dawned on him.

The cause and effect technique is a grand dao method that consumes spiritual念 to deduce the causes and effects of things.

In cultivation, this falls into the category of “the void.”

And “the void” must be built upon the grand dao category of “the real.”

Without the real, there is no void.

In other words, one must know the objective, specific current state of all things in the world to deduce their future, fortune, and misfortune based on the “cause and effect technique.”

Without understanding the phenomena of heaven and earth, without knowing the specific current situation, it is impossible to obtain correct causal connections by solely relying on the “cause and effect technique” for deduction.

“Technique” is important.

But “technique” is merely a bridge, a tool for moving from the real to the void, and ultimately achieving the unity of void and reality.

To blindly believe in “technique” is worse than having no technique at all.

To excessively superstize “technique,” to attempt to rely on cause and effect methods for illusory deductions to discern all things, is merely a delusion that will ultimately lead to unwarranted presumption.

Mo Hua reflected for a moment and quickly realized that he had fallen into this trap when calculating the “Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man.”

He sat alone in his stone chamber, never leaving.

He presumptuously believed that with his superior spiritual consciousness and profound cause and effect technique, he could directly deduce the timing, terrain, and morale for the Bi Fang tribe’s attack.

This was essentially no different from “talking about war on paper.”

It was also a form of “arrogance” born from blindly trusting in technique.

Mo Hua took this as a warning and continued to ponder.

Following this line of thought, the true “Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man” might not be something derived from the cause and effect technique, calculated in isolation behind closed doors.

Instead, it requires going into reality, observing firsthand, then constantly thinking and summarizing, using “reality” as a medium, supplemented by spiritual consciousness and computational power, and finally deducing it step by step.

This is the true cause and effect deduction, moving from real to void, and achieving the unity of real and void.

Not simply relying on “divination techniques” to make assumptions.

“From real to void, with ‘real’ as the medium, and ‘void’ as the method…”

“Observe the timing of heaven, discern the lay of the land, understand the hearts of people, deduce cause and effect…”

Mo Hua murmured, feeling all his doubts suddenly lift. The deeper his insight into cause and effect, the brighter his eyes became.

Then Mo Hua looked up at the sky, then at the surrounding terrain, and then, to himself, picked a path and walked forward.

He wanted to verify his understanding of cause and effect according to his own ideas.

Chi Feng saw Mo Hua suddenly stand still, lost in thought, muttering to himself, then looking self-reproachful, then seemingly enlightened, his eyes shining. Chi Feng was a little surprised.

“Are all Wu Zhu adults so eccentric?”

Chi Feng frowned, then followed after him.

Mo Hua walked through the valley of the Shu Gu tribe, sometimes looking up at the sky, experiencing the flow of time, observing the shifting clouds, and the spreading miasma. Other times, he observed the mountains and rivers, every blade of grass, every tree, every clod of earth, every stone. He meticulously etched all of this into his mind.

After walking for most of the day, the timing of heaven and the lay of the land became clear in his mind.

But the timing of heaven and the lay of the land alone were not enough. Mo Hua looked back at Chi Feng and asked:

“What is the military system of the Bi Fang tribe? What kind of Man Jia do they use? What are the temperaments, combat habits, and killing methods of their barbarian soldiers? And…”

“Previously, when, where, and by what means did they launch their attacks? What was the specific process? And where did they retreat from in the end?”

The barbarian general Chi Feng didn’t understand, but he answered Mo Hua’s questions one by one, fully and truthfully.

Afterwards, fearing Mo Hua might not understand, he stood on a cliff, overlooking the area, and pointed out all the locations where the Bi Fang tribe had launched their night raids some time ago.

From where the Bi Fang tribe attacked after launching the night raid, to where they turned when met with resistance, and finally to where they retreated.

Mo Hua followed Chi Feng’s指, taking it all in and committing it to memory.

Thus, the three elements of heaven, earth, and man were all present.

Mo Hua’s gaze was solemn. He turned to Chi Feng and said, “General Chi Feng, please guard me.”

Chi Feng was startled, then nodded, “Alright.”

Mo Hua sat cross-legged on the ground and slowly closed his eyes.

In his mind, powerful spiritual consciousness began to operate.

Strands of spiritual念 transformed into mountains, stones, and trees, constructing the topography of the entire Shu Gu Valley in Mo Hua’s sea of consciousness, based on the knowledge he had just observed.

After the topography was constructed, the spiritual念 became ethereal and transformed into the sky.

In the sky, there were sun and moon, dividing day and night, stars arrayed, and clouds surging.

Mo Hua used his spiritual念 to mimic reality, completely “replicating” the heaven and earth before him.

And in this spiritual念-replicated heaven and earth, the events that had once occurred were also recreated by Mo Hua one by one.

Bi Jie led the Bi Fang tribe’s barbarian soldiers to attack the Dan Que tribe.

Dan Zhu and Chi Feng intercepted them.

Strong practitioners clashed, and barbarian soldiers fought in the mountains.

As time flowed, the terrain changed, and people also changed; some were constantly injured, some died.

All of these were materialized by “spiritual念” and, in Mo Hua’s mind, were self-deduced and re-enacted based on powerful spiritual consciousness “computational power.”

It was like a real “shadow play.”

This was a “re-enactment” of the past.

As time passed, this re-enactment of the “past” gradually reached its end.

Because the flow of time coincided with the present.

What had happened in the past had already been revealed.

What would happen next, however, was still unknown.

The world formed by spiritual念 solidified.

But Mo Hua did not stop his deductions.

His spiritual consciousness was still operating at its utmost.

Vast dao-transformed spiritual念, like a golden river, surged into his fictitious spiritual念 world, pushing cause and effect to continue to operate forward.

Mo Hua’s body at once emanated an obscure, profound, and terrifying divine aura.

Chi Feng’s face changed, and he felt a hint of suffocation in his chest.

Time continued to pass, and Mo Hua’s aura became increasingly ethereal and mysterious.

Chi Feng was shocked and silent, while the vast spiritual念 was still being rapidly consumed by the deduction of heavenly secrets.

Finally, with a “rumbling” sound, the “supply” of spiritual consciousness computational power broke through a certain critical point.

In the heaven and earth simulated by Mo Hua’s spiritual念, cause and effect finally ceased to solidify, and time began to flow forward.

The clouds flowed in the sky, and the grass and trees swayed on the ground.

The figures in heaven and earth also crossed the time limit of “now” and continued to make new movements.

This was a simulation, a deduction, and even a more advanced calculation.

The “people” in the spiritual念 world, based on current causality, proceeded to do what would happen next.

Mo Hua finally saw the “future.”

He saw the sun setting and the moon rising, the craggy mountains, and the people of the Bi Fang tribe appearing in unfamiliar places they had never seen before, then stealthily attacking the Dan Que tribe.

He saw Dan Zhu and Bi Jie fighting to the death.

He saw Dan Zhu covered in wounds, and Bi Jie’s arrogant smile.

He saw one Dan Que tribesman after another die in the Bi Fang tribe’s sneak attack.

He saw a poison fiercer than the Blood Fang poison devouring the lives of the Dan Que tribe’s barbarian soldiers.

He saw Chi Feng also poisoned by a potent toxin, being held back and worn down by another middle-stage Golden Core Bi Fang tribesman, his face filled with rage…

In the bloody light, barbarian slaves died like ants, one after another…

Then all the images stopped abruptly.

The heaven and earth formed by spiritual念 began to collapse.

The threads of cause and effect broke.

Mo Hua suddenly opened his eyes, clutching his head, which throbbed as if thousands of knives were slicing through his sea of consciousness.

His spiritual consciousness was depleted.

His computational power was overdrawn.

He had undertaken a method of heavenly secret deduction far beyond his capabilities.

Even his forehead began to glow with black light, and wisps of deathly black sha qi floated around him.

Chi Feng’s pupils contracted, “Wu Xian Sheng!”

Mo Hua looked up at Chi Feng.

His eyes were black, cold, and cruel.

This glance made Chi Feng, a middle-stage Golden Core cultivator, feel a chill in his internal organs and dared not make any movement.

But Mo Hua quickly realized something was wrong. He immediately closed his eyes, held his breath, and focused his mind, using the meditation his master had taught him to calm his sea of consciousness. He also used Tai Shang Zhan Qing to dispel杂念.

And in his mind, he thought of his parents, his master, his junior brother, his senior sister, and the elders and relatives he had met since childhood, to stabilize his humanity and preserve his memories.

This spiritual process sounded complex.

But Mo Hua had done it many times, so it took only a few breaths to gradually take effect.

And the momentary depletion of spiritual consciousness and overdrawn computational power, which triggered the ming sha, did not have the severe after-effects of killing qi.

It had not yet reached the point where the sha qi truly became “uncontrollable.”

In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mo Hua calmed his mind.

His spiritual consciousness recovered slightly, his sea of consciousness gradually stabilized, the sha qi around him dissipated, and the blackness in his eyes receded.

Mo Hua slowly opened his eyes.

Chi Feng then looked at Mo Hua with a solemn expression and asked in a deep voice, “Wu Xian Sheng, are you alright?”

Mo Hua shook his head, “I’m fine.”

Chi Feng’s gaze was wary, “You just now…”

Mo Hua was slightly startled, knowing that Chi Feng had seen him in a state of ming sha. He quickly turned his head and said with a profound expression:

“I just now prayed to the Divine Lord for an oracle. I hoped the Divine Lord would tell us what to do.”

“But halfway through, I encountered evil heretics who obstructed me, and I fought them in a bloody battle, almost losing my sanity.”

“Fortunately, the Divine Lord protected me, and I ultimately defeated the evil, not betraying the Divine Lord’s trust.”

Mo Hua spoke earnestly, making perfect sense.

He described his “episode” as battling “evil.”

Chi Feng frowned and thought for a moment, and actually found… no fault in it.

As a Wu Zhu, a believer in the divine, it was natural to encounter disturbances from evil heretics.

Such disturbances would naturally cause one to lose sanity and exhibit various strange phenomena.

But now, Wu Xian Sheng’s eyes were clear, and his expression was normal, indicating he had clearly overcome the evil and preserved his true self.

Thinking this way, Chi Feng’s heart filled with reverence, and he sighed:

“The path of faith is fraught with dangers. A slight misstep can lead to eternal damnation. Wu Xian Sheng’s will is firm; no wonder he can become a Wu Zhu adult.”

Mo Hua nodded, deeply agreeing.

Chi Feng then asked, “Does the Divine Lord… have any instructions?”

“Yes,” Mo Hua sighed with relief and nodded, “The Divine Lord has given me instructions.”

Chi Feng’s eyes lit up, “Please, Wu Zhu adult, speak clearly.”

Mo Hua extended his fair palm and pointed to a steep cliff to the left, stating with absolute certainty:

“Tomorrow at dawn, at the end of the Yinshi, the Bi Fang tribe will launch a sneak attack from here. A group of forty, led by an early-stage Golden Core cultivator. This will be the vanguard.”

Then he pointed to another dense forest on the right:

“Half an hour later, the Bi Fang tribe will feint to the east and attack from this location. Bi Jie will lead them, with a total of eighty people.”

“There will be a hundred barbarian slaves on each flank, sent to their deaths.”

“This sneak attack is no small matter. All members of the Bi Fang tribe will be wearing Man Jia, wielding sharp blades, fighting to the death.”

“They will also use a more potent poison. This poison is colorless and odorless. Flesh that touches it will rot, and those who inhale it will become dazed.”

“There won’t just be second-grade poison; there will also be third-grade poison, specifically aimed at dealing with you and Dan Zhu…”

Mo Hua meticulously recounted all the causal connections he had learned by constructing heaven and earth with his spiritual consciousness and deducing human actions.

Initially, Chi Feng didn’t pay much attention, but as he listened, his face changed, and he became completely shocked.

Could he actually know such things?

So detailed… In warfare, this wasn’t just “instruction,” it was an “open-book exam.”

Chi Feng looked at the fair-faced and sacred Mo Hua, his expression unable to conceal his shock.

The next day, during the choushi, before dawn.

Outside the Shu Gu tribe, in the dark mountain forest.

The Dan Que tribesmen were ambushed in the mountains, preparing to carry out the agreed-upon plan to preemptively attack the Bi Fang tribe before their sneak attack.

They split into two groups: Dan Zhu and Ba Chuan in one team, Chi Feng and Ba Shan in another.

At this time, Chi Feng and Ba Shan, with a team of people, were guarding a critical point in the mountain valley.

They were all wearing Man Jia, tightly covering their skin and flesh. Underneath the armor, they wore tough leather armor, and their skin was coated with herbs to slow down the corrosion and paralysis of poison.

On the Man Jia, Mo Hua had also temporarily drawn wood-elemental array formations for absorbing toxins.

Their ambush location was also carefully considered.

How to ambush, the entire process was meticulously planned.

This was an “open-book exam,” and the questions had all been leaked in advance by Mo Hua, down to the last detail.

There was no reason for a seasoned barbarian general like Chi Feng not to be fully prepared.

Of course, Chi Feng still had doubts in his heart.

Not just Chi Feng; everyone in the Dan Que tribe was confused and perplexed.

“Can a battle really be fought like this?”

Elder Ba Shan, a big man, hid in the mountain forest. Seeing the dark night and strong winds, he couldn’t help but ask Chi Feng:

“General Chi Feng, is what Wu Xian Sheng said true? Can he really foretell the future? Although the Wu Zhu of the royal court can indeed divine some fortune and misfortune, it can’t be this detailed, can it? This is like stripping the Bi Fang tribe naked and clearly seeing their balls…”

Chi Feng looked at Ba Shan sternly.

Ba Shan immediately fell silent.

The surroundings were quiet. The night wind rustled. After a moment, Chi Feng shook his head and said, “I don’t know… if what Wu Xian Sheng said is true or false.”

He had been leading troops for so many years, and he had encountered strange people, reclusive shamans, and even orthodox royal court Wu Zhu.

Some highly skilled individuals indeed had the ability to “divine fortune and misfortune.”

But “fortune and misfortune” was just a vague concept.

This kind of divination of fortune and misfortune was simply incomparable to Wu Xian Sheng’s “divine oracle.”

To foresee the enemy’s attack route, timing, location, numbers, methods, movements… everything in meticulous detail, all revealed.

This kind of “divine oracle” was truly too preposterous.

Chi Feng really found it hard to believe.

But facts proved that Wu Xian Sheng never lied. Most of what he said came true. What he did was also beyond what ordinary people could do.

Therefore, even if there was a one-in-a-million chance, it was worth ambushing tonight…

Chi Feng said in a deep voice, “Don’t be distracted. Stay alert.”

“Yes.” Ba Shan nodded, not daring to be careless.

The mountain wind was desolate, and time passed bit by bit.

Finally, at the end of the yinshi, the time predicted by Mo Hua’s “divine oracle,” a faint human breath came from the distant darkness.

After a while, the mountain forest rustled, and a group of ghost-like barbarian soldiers emerged from the trees.

These barbarian soldiers were all lightly equipped, carrying sharp blades, well-trained, and their aura was very faint as they walked in the darkness.

“They’re here!”

Chi Feng’s pupils constricted. He scrutinized them and found that this group of barbarian soldiers was exactly as described by “Wu Xian Sheng.”

Their marching time and route were also spot on.

This battle, which hadn’t even started yet, suddenly gave Chi Feng a sense of “familiarity,” as if he had already fought it once.

Ba Shan was also astonished.

“What Wu Xian Sheng said was actually true? He can really foresee things like a god?”

“This young-looking Wu Xian Sheng is truly ‘powerful’ to a wicked extent…”

Chi Feng and Ba Shan exchanged glances, their eyes gradually turning cold.

The anger from being ambushed and besieged by the Bi Fang tribe in recent days surged in their hearts.

The chance for revenge had finally arrived.

Killing intent, like a fierce beast, suddenly emerged.

The fiery red great saber tore through the darkness, and the spiritual power of the Golden Core was like the infernal karma fire, instantly decapitating several Bi Fang barbarian soldiers.

Then the trap formation exploded.

Many Bi Fang barbarian soldiers were trapped by the formation, stuck in mud or stone prisons, unable to move for a moment.

The Dan Que barbarian soldiers rushed forward and hacked them to death.

“Kill! Kill!”

With a surge of bloodlust, the Dan Que tribe instantly turned red with rage.

This was a completely unexpected ambush, and the Bi Fang tribe was thrown into chaos for a time.

Meanwhile, battles in other locations also began.

Dan Zhu’s Vermillion Bird Profound Fire Feather Robe also lit up the night sky.

In the dark mountain forest, the light of various formations, spiritual power, and bloodlust rose and fell.

Killing intent shook the mountain forest, and the night wind was already tinged with the smell of blood.

The two sides fighting remained the same, but the situation had changed; offense and defense, killing and fleeing, had also shifted.

Mo Hua sat on the beam of the stone hall, calmly gazing into the distance, watching the fire from afar.

He observed the battle, and at the same time, he was initially verifying his understanding of the “Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man” and his deeper understanding of the cause and effect technique.

Cause and effect is not “metaphysics,” but a divine path that combines the void and the real, built on the foundation of “reality.”

Cause and effect cannot be separated from the current world, cannot be calculated in isolation, and cannot be learned in isolation.

Cause and effect has its techniques, but “technique” is indeed just a “medium,” a “bridge.”

One can use “technique,” but one cannot rely on “technique.”

“Technique” is like a “raft,” a medium that helps people cross the sea of cause and effect to reach the other shore and seek the “Grand Dao.”

The purpose of technique is for the “dao.”

Mo Hua was startled, vaguely remembering that when his master taught him array formations, he had said something similar.

The array patterns, array cores, and array eyes of formations are merely “forms,” superficial aspects, “mediums” for comprehending the dao.

One must diligently study and practice, comprehending array formations.

But the ultimate goal is not to be fixated on array formations, but to use array formations to comprehend the dao of array formations, and even to seek the ultimate “Grand Dao of Longevity.”

Cause and effect and array formations are the same; the relationship between technique and dao is also the same.

The Grand Dao is myriad, but all paths lead to the same destination.

Techniques are diverse, but one can draw inferences about other cases from one instance.

Mo Hua’s eyes trembled, and his mind gradually became clear.

He seemed to feel that everything he had learned, heard, felt, and thought over the past two or three decades—those diverse array formations and methods—were gradually converging, forming a nascent path before him.

A path rooted in spiritual consciousness, capable of encompassing myriad methods—his own dao.