Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Number]
Chapter Title: Backlash of the Shared Fate Ledger
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Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, within Sacred Fire Cliff.
In an extremely concealed palace shrouded by layers of formations that masked heavenly secrets and karma, a figure lit a candle and sat upright at the desk before him.
The man's face was chiseled as if by knife and axe, exuding an air of righteousness at first glance. More importantly, his divine abilities had reached perfection, manifesting one after another and rampaging wildly through the hall. If unleashed outside, in the overseas lands, it would be a trivial matter to shatter an entire continent.
A great perfected being at the peak of Foundation Establishment—Hong Ju!
At this moment, Hong Ju sat solemnly, a book and a brush placed before him on the desk. His eyes were slightly closed, as if deep in contemplation.
Rustle—!
A gust of wind blew past, flipping the pages.
The book was not thick, merely a few thin sheets. On the cover was a line of talismanic script outlined in tadpole-like seal characters.
【Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture】
The treasure embodying the fruition position of Covered Lamp Fire—the only one of its kind under the heavens. Since its emergence, it had always been sealed here and never left.
To inscribe words upon this register scripture required merit as the brush and qi fortune as the ink. The consumption was immense; even a great perfected being at the peak of Foundation Establishment could scarcely afford it. And even if one could, each use demanded utmost caution, lest a single misstep trigger backlash and result in more loss than gain.
Thus, Hong Ju had not touched this secret treasure in a very long time.
Yet just moments ago, he had written a single line on the page: 【Wu Cang kills Lu Yang】. Once the words took form, heavenly killing intent would naturally arise in response.
Crack!
In the next instant, Hong Ju's movements abruptly froze. Before his eyes, the freshly inscribed words on the 【Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture】 glowed scarlet.
This is bad!
Before Hong Ju could react, a bolt of lightning flashed into being within the hall, striking his dharma body squarely without deviation or chance to dodge!
For this was no ordinary thunderbolt.
This was heavenly punishment!
The lightning persisted for a full quarter-hour before fading, revealing Hong Ju's slightly charred figure. In the blink of an eye, he circulated his divine ability and restored his original appearance.
But the restoration was mere surface; in truth, a full tenth of his merit and qi fortune had been severed by the heavenly punishment. While it would not impair his strength, for a perfected great being like him, such a diminishment of merit and qi fortune was far graver!
"How can this be?"
Hong Ju's expression turned grim. He immediately performed a divination. Only after a long while did he mutter,
"Mid-stage? Yuan Tu broke through to mid Foundation Establishment?"
Impossible!
"No prior divination revealed this at all. Could it be some remnant blessing from the Witch Ghost Dao? Were they ever that prosperous back then?"
Countless threads of karma flashed through Hong Ju's eyes. His fingers rubbed until they nearly sparked, yet he gained nothing. He could only speculate inwardly,
"Witch Ghost Dao commanded the Skull Mountain leyline, deriving wutu earth qi from it... Not entirely impossible, but far too coincidental. Could the fruition position be aiding him?"
Similar cases were not unheard of.
Take Chongguang Zhenren: how could a mere latecomer junior vie with Hongyun—a reincarnated True Lord—for a fruition position and even suppress him outright?
Favor from the fruition position!
As the sole True Person whose Dao foundation directly targeted 【City Head Earth】, it was only natural for Lu Yang to receive the fruition position's favor and be blessed with exceptional qi fortune.
In fact, this was the only explanation.
Yet Lu Yang's sudden breakthrough and slaying of Wu Cang had brought Hong Ju immense trouble. The mandate he had inscribed earlier was now utterly shattered.
Mandates were not omnipotent; all things held a thread of vitality.
Cultivation itself defied the heavens, akin to a species teetering on extinction—it might perish entirely or undergo a radical evolution.
With the mandate broken, backlash had followed.
After all, the heavenly killing intent aimed at Lu Yang had been catalyzed by the 【Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture】, when Lu Yang was merely at early Foundation Establishment.
Lu Yang's advance to mid-stage introduced variables, shattering the mandate. To put it plainly, it was as if Hong Ju had commissioned the heavens for a project with his funds, only for the heavens to discover falsified intelligence and nonexistent returns after investing—the losses were total. How could heavenly punishment not follow?
Still, there was room for remedy.
Hong Ju pondered, then erased the words from the 【Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture】. Merit and qi fortune poured forth like a breached floodgate. In moments, he inscribed a new line:
【Lu Yang dies overseas】
Boom!
As the words formed, a hint of decay appeared on Hong Ju's face. But to eliminate Lu Yang silently, this was the only way.
"Seal the cave abode. From this day, I enter seclusion."
Hong Ju shook his head, stowed the 【Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture】, and spoke softly to the formation spirit beyond the hall. With his qi fortune damaged, he could not venture out.
He could only meditate quietly in the cave abode, grinding away the tribulation qi until his mind cleared before emerging once more.
Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would plunge deep into the tribulations. If fortunate, reincarnation might grant a new life; if not, even that chance would be lost.
"Yuan Tu..."
In the dim great hall, Hong Ju slowly savored the name. His voice echoed faintly through the chamber before gradually fading into utter silence.
Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, Heaven Mending Peak.
Even now, silence reigned around them. 【Mountain-Embracing】 towered into the heavens, a long streak of blood trailing down its cliff face like a waterfall.
Wu Cang's blood.
The scene had been chaotic. A crowd of Saint Sect True Persons lurked outside Heaven Mending Peak, planning to ambush Wu Cang with a sucker punch once he obtained the True Lord's handwritten decree.
Who could have foreseen that, in a blink, Wu Cang himself would flee in panic.
As the crowd remained stunned by Lu Yang's breakthrough to mid Foundation Establishment, they watched Wu Cang suddenly charge headlong into the 【Mountain-Embracing】 straight ahead.
At first glance, it truly seemed like suicide.
But these were Saint Sect True Persons, each more adept at foul play than the last. Thus, most still harbored doubts, casting odd glances at Lu Yang.
"What's this? You gentlemen don't believe me?"
Lu Yang's expression remained unchanged. He produced the myriad spirits banner.
"If I truly meant to kill, why would I use this 【Spirit-Protecting Banner】 to save Senior Wu Cang's soul?"
"That's a Spirit-Protecting Banner? Doesn't seem right."
"Why's it still leaking black qi?"
Lu Yang offered no explanation. He shook out Wu Cang—now reduced to the banner's spirit—and let him spin a tale of his momentary lapse in judgment.
Witness and evidence were both present.
Under such circumstances, even the skeptical True Persons could say nothing more. And in the Saint Sect, truth mattered little anyway.
What mattered was that Lu Yang lived, while Wu Cang was dead.
At that moment, a voice abruptly transmitted:
"Yuan Tu, come to Sacred Fire Cliff and see me."
It was Chongguang Zhenren. His tone was urgent, laced with irrepressible delight—an unseemly lapse for a perfected great being.
Lu Yang had anticipated as much.
‘I've broken through to mid Foundation Establishment, placing me on par with Perfected Being Yin Shan. I've barely met his conditions now. Just wonder what he wants from me.’
But he quickly composed himself.
After all, Chongguang Zhenren needing his aid was to his advantage—especially now. Chongguang would not ignore his demands.
Thus, Lu Yang had resolved:
‘I’ll rat out Hongyun!’
‘Overseas is far too perilous. Better than me tackling that Dao deviant in Biyang Cultivation World alone—tell Chongguang Zhenren and let him handle it!’
‘Great Vehicle first-grade true qi. I refuse to believe Chongguang won't be tempted!’
As for the spoils, so long as Chongguang still required his services and he held sufficient value, surely a share would be forthcoming.