Within the Tenfold Dao of the Demonic Sect, the followers of the Dao of Measure were considered the most harmless and neutral, usually serving only as support in battle.
However, as the faction possessing the broken, "bug-tier" attribute of "space," the Dao of Measure was far from weak.
In the later great wars, the grand dynamic formation Between the Weft and Warp, created by the Dao Lord of Measure, General Qianmo, played a crucial role.
Between the Weft and Warp referred to the intermediate underworld, the liminal space between the threads of heaven and earth, said in folk tales to be where the souls of the dead wandered before reincarnation. Through General Qianmo's mastery of the Dao of Measure, a traversable passage was opened within that space.
Anyone marked with a Measure Seal would be drawn into this teleportation network and become part of the formation itself.
Every follower of the Dao of Measure was a component of the network. Once they were positioned, they could spontaneously form an array, affecting the entire region covered.
Folding, concealment, inversion, nesting, looping, displacement, all were facets of the Dao of Measure, and all incredibly practical in actual combat.
The hidden sanctums of the Demonic Sect were also supported by formations maintained by the followers of Measure.
The Sixth Division Star Lord's Latitude and Longitude Fate Technique likewise relied on this massive formation to repeatedly transfer his six split karmic threads, thereby achieving extensive spatial coverage.
Of course, the Demonic Sect was still the Demonic Sect, and this formation's sinister nature lay in its cruel cost: once established, every follower serving as part of the array became a "human pillar," nailed within that intermediate underworld, maintaining the array's operation.
Only when General Qianmo himself dismantled the formation could those human pillars return to normal.
Yet, under ordinary circumstances, even if the array were dissolved, the human pillars had already lost their sanity, effectively destroyed.
And if the formation was broken by external force, when the power of Measure collapsed, the human pillars would be crushed into pulp by the pressure of the underworld void.
Similarly, outsiders couldn't enter Between the Weft and Warp either. If they did, the same fate awaited them.
Even if someone somehow squeezed in, they'd still be an "outsider.jpg."
Therefore, Gu Fangchen needed a Measure Mark.
Simply put, he knew the underlying framework of the Between the Weft and Warp formation, but without a key, he couldn't even access the editing interface.
At his current Divine Path cultivation, he couldn't replicate the secret key bestowed by someone of General Qianmo's level.
So Gu Fangchen found a loophole.
Because General Qianmo had absolute confidence in his own formation, the Measure Mark didn't distinguish between friend and foe.
Ordinarily, no one could crack Between the Weft and Warp anyway.
Unfortunately for him...
General Qianmo had been the greatest master of formation arts in the Great Wei Empire, a man obsessed with arraycraft to the point of madness, a true "formation maniac."
And Gu Fangchen, seeking to complete an achievement requiring the collection of all formations, had maxed out General Qianmo's favorability during the Demonic Sect route of the "Descent of All Demons" path.
In that route, Gu Fangchen was the Demonic Sect's most loyal and famous subject. During the final confrontation against Xu Fu, when many disciples of the Demonic Sect succumbed to despair and betrayal, only Gu Fangchen remained absolutely faithful.
Even the Dao Lord of Emotion sighed upon seeing him, exclaiming, "The Demonic Sect has its loyal one!"
Under those circumstances, Gu Fangchen naturally became General Qianmo's dearest friend through shared passion for formation arts.
Then he saved a file, deliberately let the Demonic Sect be destroyed, and in the final moment betrayed General Qianmo, leading to the latter's being besieged by the righteous sects and grievously wounded.
As he lay dying, General Qianmo entrusted his grand formation Between the Weft and Warp to the friend he cherished most, Gu Fangchen.
Thus, at present, only two people in the world could control Between the Weft and Warp.
One of them was the player Gu Fangchen himself.
Gu Fangchen extended the hand that had earlier caught a sword. In his palm, a white cross-shaped mark appeared.
This was the Measure Mark.
His eyes glimmered as he looked toward the curtain concealing Emperor Yong'an.
"Toothsmith, I can find him. And in this world, only he can craft a counterfeit Lotus Concealed in the Womb."
"It's just... the price will be a little steep."
Emperor Yong'an mused aloud, "A tooth rare and precious enough to match its value?"
Naturally, he knew of the Toothsmith, one of the founding patriarchs of the Dao of Craft, the progenitor of artisans, mysterious and elusive.
That man's obsession was collecting every kind of tooth imaginable.
And a tooth equivalent in value to the Lotus Concealed in the Womb...
Emperor Yong'an gazed calmly at the solemn-faced youth before him, silently wondering whether the boy was secretly eyeing his own teeth.
In truth, Gu Fangchen had indeed thought that for an instant. After all, the emperor's teeth, imbued with the nation's fortune, were among the rarest and most valuable in existence.
Of course, that plan only worked if one didn't know the emperor's true identity.
Now, better not court death.
Gu Fangchen cupped his hands solemnly. "I request Your Majesty's permission to extract one 'Tooth of Rule.'"
Since Emperor Yong'an hadn't ordered him to kneel, he simply took advantage of that and stayed standing.
This "Rule" was not a concept, but the name of a turtle-shaped spirit beast kept within Huangtian City.
It dwelled right before the Purple Extremity Hall.
It spent most of its time sleeping beneath a stone stele, often mistaken for a statue.
This spirit beast was as old as the Great Wei itself, left behind when the founding emperor and the Confucian Sage forged their covenant. The Sage had left it as a guardian beast to protect the capital.
Named "Rule," it not only symbolized the order established by Great Wei but also possessed the divine ability of Heart Inquiry.
Anyone who broke the rules would find their heart's deceit laid bare before this beast.
Hence it was raised before the Purple Extremity Hall to awe civil and military officials alike, deterring corruption and greed.
However, under Emperor Yong'an's "benevolent" rule and the "upright" government, it hadn't been used in many years.
A single tooth from that spirit beast was as difficult to obtain, and as valuable, as the holy relic of the Tara Sect.
Emperor Yong'an paused, raised a brow as he understood the youth's intent, and said coldly, "Do you know that 'Rule' was left by the Confucian Sage himself?"
"Even I cannot break that rule, let alone let you take one of its teeth."
Gu Fangchen straightened, righteous and firm. "Of course I know!"
Then he blinked mischievously. "That's why, Your Majesty, you can simply pretend you don't know. I'll go by myself."
Emperor Yong'an: "..."
A fine example of "I'll go on my own," indeed.
He said solemnly, "You mean to pit yourself against the Confucian Sage."
Gu Fangchen cupped his hands indifferently. "I'm just an ignorant wastrel raised under Huangtian City's feet. I know only His Majesty, not any Confucian Sage!"
He was well practiced at playing the role of the loyal fool.
Emperor Yong'an suddenly laughed, a deep, amused sound. "Very well. I permit it."
He pointed toward the distance. "The 'Rule' is there. If you want its tooth, take it yourself."
...
Northern Garrison Prince's Residence, main courtyard.
"Revered Teacher, I, your dull-witted disciple, have been deceived by villains, thus clouding my Dao heart and obstructing my cultivation path."
Gu Yuandao calmed his spirit as he wrote upon the floating scroll before him.
"I implore Teacher to act, to use Rule's Heart Inquiry to reveal the evildoer."