Chapter 29: Raising One's Head to Bear the Burden of a Map

Wang Liang was somewhat surprised by the request made by Old Man Bei. He could not understand why everyone kept coming to him to buy items, acting as if they were afraid he wouldn't sell.

The idea previously proposed by Old Man Long was quite reasonable, and it was normal for Wang Liang to agree. However, regarding Old Man Bei, Wang Liang truly couldn't figure out what he wanted to do with a black rod.

"What do you want this for?" Wang Liang asked with some curiosity.

"Don't I have seven grandsons? My eldest grandson is quite large and lacks a suitable weapon in his hands. I see that this rod is just right for him, so I want to buy it as a gift for my eldest grandson. Rest assured, I will bring out something good enough in exchange."

Wang Liang had no particular objection to Old Man Bei's statement. He didn't care much for this black rod anyway, as his combat style was different. If Old Man Bei could produce something good, perhaps he could make the trade.

At this moment, Old Man Long had also retreated inside, frowning as he looked at the array outside.

"That's all we can do. We need to hide here for about ten days, and if nothing happens, we'll leave then."

"Can your array withstand the search of supreme beings with great divine powers?" Wang Liang asked curiously.

"I don't know," Old Man Long shook his head. "My array can make this small courtyard look like sand and gravel in the earth. Ordinary supreme beings with great divine powers won't pay attention to a few grains of sand and gravel, but if someone investigates seriously, my array truly cannot block too much."

Seeing Old Man Long looking somewhat worried, Old Man Bei stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and said, "It's fine. As long as Jiang Wu isn't discovered, the rest of us won't be targeted."

"That's true." Only then did Old Man Long react. He turned his head to look at Wang Liang, "By the way, Mister Duocai, I haven't helped you check the attributes of those items yet."

Wang Liang placed the three items on the ground, and Old Man Long stepped forward to examine them.

Naturally, he looked first at the stomach pouch he desired most. Finding it was indeed what he wanted, Old Man Long said,

"This item is what I want. I know the price might not be quite right, but this is all I have on hand. Mister Duocai, see if you like this."

With that, he took out a scroll and unfolded it before Wang Liang.

The scroll depicted a map of ocean islands, featuring a total of five islands of varying sizes and styles. The scenery on the islands was painted quite beautifully, with fairy maidens, Taoist immortals, spiritual birds, and exotic beasts haunting the isles.

Beneath each island were three giant tortoises of different styles. Some were feeding, some were looking down, and others were fast asleep.

Everything was painted so vividly and lifelike that it gave one the illusion of standing right before fairy mountains and divine islands.

"Are these Daiyu, Yuanjiao, Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou?"

Wang Liang was a well-read man; naturally, he knew the stories from the *Liezi*. He raised his head and asked Old Man Long.

"Indeed. This is the *Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden*. It uses the five fairy mountains as its foundation, fifteen giant tortoises as its roots, the ocean as its source, fairy maidens and Taoist immortals as its function, and spiritual birds and exotic beasts as its manifestation. It can transform into eighteen major arrays, thirty-six medium arrays, and seventy-two minor arrays.

Most of my arrays were learned from this *Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden*. Now, I offer it to you, Sir, in exchange for the stomach pouch."

Old Man Long said affirmatively, presenting the scroll to Wang Liang.

Wang Liang took a look and found that the attributes of the scroll were quite decent.

[Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden (Array Map)]
[Quality: Purple]
[Attribute 1: Versatile Array Map. Can deploy 18 large-scale arrays (3/18), 36 medium-scale arrays (9/36), and 72 small-scale arrays (9/72). Switching between arrays of the same type requires no time, while switching between different types requires 30 seconds.]
[Attribute 2: Foundation of Arrays. Can store 1 oceanic magical treasure (0/1), 5 earth-type magical treasures (0/5), 15 turtle-type spiritual entities (0/15), 3,000 fairy maidens and Taoist immortals (0/3,000), 9,000 spiritual birds and exotic beasts (0/9,000), and 15,000 trees, vines, and floral plants (0/15,000) to enhance the array's effects.]
[Attribute 3: Clouds Rising over the Sea. Uses the array's power to generate massive clouds and mist, drawing all nearby enemies into the array map for processing (Note: The strength of the drawn enemies cannot exceed the player's level by more than 10, and the number of targets cannot exceed 10).]
[Description: This is an array map designed for fishing for giant tortoises. Although the path ultimately taken differed from the original plan, this array map can be upgraded if rainbows can be gathered for strings and the bright moon for a hook.]

Looking at the description before him, Wang Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew his magical treasure was secure now, with yet another purple item in hand.

He hurriedly pushed the stomach pouch toward Old Man Long and then placed the *Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden* into the array slot of his magical treasure interface.

As the scroll was placed inside, Old Man Bei and Old Man Long witnessed something entirely different. They saw the *Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden* begin to transform in Wang Liang's hands, turning into countless fine threads.

These fine threads entangled the ribs of Wang Liang's umbrella, beginning to weave a blue umbrella canopy.

Painted upon the blue canopy was precisely the *Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden*, except that the entire image was obscured by clouds and mist, allowing observers to glimpse only faint outlines without being able to examine it closely.

"So that's how it is."

At the sight, Old Man Bei slapped his thigh. "I know what to trade him for that rod now."

Old Man Long nodded alongside him. "Indeed. I originally thought the umbrella ribs he held were useless, but it turns out my judgment was flawed. He is using a magical treasure to nourish his own magical treasure; that umbrella is his natal artifact."

"Quite right. That makes things simple. I happen to have just the thing. Brother Duocai, take a look at this."

Before Old Man Bei even finished speaking, he let out a soft exclamation because he saw the clouds and mist on the umbrella canopy dissipate, and the five islands on the *Map of Raising the Head and Bearing the Burden* condensed and solidified significantly. At the same time, the islands were shrouded in purple qi and immortal aura, as if five genuine fairy islands had truly been housed within the umbrella canopy.

Old Man Long couldn't help taking a step forward. "This is the ancestral vein of the Ten Continents and the origin dragon-vein of the Three Islands. This is a primordial substance! No wonder—this is Heaven's will."

Wang Liang could actually feel it at this moment as well. He never expected that the Spiritual Stone Monkey Pith, previously used as the foundation for the magical treasure, would produce such an effect. In an instant, the entire magical treasure came to life.

By this time, Old Man Bei had quietly retracted the good item he had initially taken out and replaced it with another.

"Brother Duocai, I see you want to upgrade this magical treasure of yours. I have a good item right here. Take a look and see if it can be traded for that large black wooden rod in your hand."

With that, Old Man Bei produced a jade ruyi. Embedded upon the ruyi were three gems in red, blue, and purple, and carved along the handle of the ruyi was a snake accompanied by a line of tiny characters.

"Ruyi, ruyi, follow my will, transform!"