Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Karma's Bitter Fruit
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Zhao Xuhe's words plunged Lu Yang into an icy abyss.
He hadn't even been to Coiling Dragon Island in this life; he had memorized the cultivation method from his previous two lives. And yet, Coiling Dragon Island had simply vanished?
Because of so-called causality?
Because he had cultivated the Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art ahead of time, intercepting the karmic link between it and Zhao Xuhe, Coiling Dragon Island had disappeared as a result?
The causality of techniques, opportunities long predestined.
So this was Zhao Xuhe's fated opportunity, one he couldn't take or practice, lest someone immediately deduce the karmic threads and follow them right to his door?
Upon realizing this, Lu Yang was so furious he began to laugh.
This world... it's so damn disgusting!
Powerful Perfected Beings predetermine opportunities for their own disciples, and if anything goes wrong, they can calculate the cause and force the deviated karma back on track.
In a world like this, how could any ordinary person ever get ahead?
All they can do is bow their heads and serve as beasts of burden!
Just like now. On the surface, only Zhao Xuhe had appeared, but the one truly making a move was likely that so-called "master" behind him!
Lu Yang was one hundred percent certain it had to be a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being!
Lifting his head, Lu Yang once again thought of the Daoist of Great Fortune from his last life, as if seeing a pair of eyes looking down upon him from the vast heavens above.
"...Why are you forcing my hand?"
At this thought, anger surged from his heart and malice took root. He looked at Zhao Xuhe, a mocking curve playing on his lips.
Almost simultaneously, a person beside Zhao Xuhe suddenly stepped forward.
"Junior Brother, be careful!"
*Swish!*
A flash of sword light. Zhao Xuhe's vision blurred, and by the time he could see clearly again, the rage that had filled his heart was instantly extinguished by a wave of cold.
The man who had just stepped forward was a disciple under the same "master," having joined three years earlier than him. He had cultivated the Dragon-Tiger Intercourse Yin-Yang Grand Pleasure Ode to the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm, the peak of the middle stage. His True Qi was polished to the limit of the fifth grade, and in terms of strength, he was far superior to Zhao Xuhe.
But now, that Senior Brother was gone.
His flesh, bones, and blood had been devoured clean by a crimson divine light. In the blink of an eye, all that remained where he had stood was an empty human skin, slowly drifting down.
The next moment, a spiritual light flew out from the skin.
"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for liberating me."
Within the spiritual light, a phantom figure appeared. He showed no anger at being slain by Lu Yang's sword; instead, there was a hint of joyful release in his expression.
Then, he turned to Zhao Xuhe.
"Junior Brother, before we came, Master remarked that my foundation was shallow and my merits insufficient. Reaching the peak of Qi Refining in this life would be difficult, and Foundation Establishment was utterly hopeless."
"I begged Master for guidance, and so he ordered me to accompany you and save your life at a critical moment. You have accumulated merit for three lifetimes and have a thirty percent chance of achieving Foundation Establishment in the future. Now that I have saved your life, the karmic bond is set. If you achieve Foundation Establishment one day, you must help my reincarnated self attain the Dao."
As his voice faded, the spiritual light leaped into the sky and vanished.
Below, Lu Yang's gaze grew even colder as he watched.
"...Using my hand to forge a karmic bond for his disciple, to be reincarnated and start anew? He's certain I can't make any waves, and he wants to squeeze out every last drop of my value?"
Lu Yang's gaze shifted, only to see disciples of the Primal Saint Sect stepping out from beside Zhao Xuhe, one after another. All of them were at the sixth level of Qi Refining, the peak of the middle stage.
At the same time, Zhao Xuhe finally came to his senses. His face lit up with excitement as he shouted, "Senior Brothers, if you help me capture this fiend and reclaim my opportunity today, I will do everything in my power to repay you when I reach Foundation Establishment! I will help you all reincarnate and achieve perfection in Qi Refining!"
Hearing this, the others all nodded.
"Rest assured, Junior Brother."
"Opportunities belong to the fated. This fiend stole your opportunity for no reason; his crime is unforgivable. With Master watching over us, we will certainly help you apprehend him!"
Lu Yang laughed loudly at their words. "After all is said and done, aren't you just trying to rob me by force?"
"Stubbornly unrepentant."
The leading disciple of the Primal Saint Sect shook his head and sneered. "My name is Lu Yuanchun. Since you refuse to surrender, don't blame me for being ruthless."
As his voice fell, the man named Lu Yuanchun formed a hand seal. His aura flared to that of the seventh level of Qi Refining, the late stage. He then summoned a golden treasure mirror that hung high in the air, replacing the sun. In an instant, it cast down thousands of golden rays, sharper than any blade, engulfing Lu Yang like a torrential downpour.
Seeing this, Lu Yang's brow furrowed, and his figure vanished in an instant.
Immediately after, a sword light soared into the sky, splitting into thousands of copies. It darted left and right but could not escape the area covered by the golden rays, forced to withstand them directly.
"Master had already calculated that this fiend was skilled in swordsmanship; how could he not bestow a counter."
Lu Yuanchun smirked triumphantly, then looked at Zhao Xuhe. "Junior Brother Zhao, I have trapped this fiend, making it impossible for him to use his sword arts to escape."
"Please activate your treasure seal and capture his flying sword. Once that is done, victory will be ours!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Zhao Xuhe cupped his hands, then wasted no time. He immediately took out a brilliant golden seal and sent it flying into the air, causing it to descend upon Lu Yang's sword light.
"This thing again..."
Lu Yang's eyes flickered. He recognized it as the Primordial Magnetism Gold Seal that Zhao Xuhe had used in his second life, a magic treasure designed to suppress flying swords.
Having learned his lesson from a past life, Lu Yang would not let Zhao Xuhe use it freely. With a thought, his Blood Sun Sword Pellet moved as he willed, not making contact with the Primordial Magnetism Gold Seal but dodging it. Then, with a turn of the sword light, it transformed into a sky full of Blood-Transforming Divine Light that swept down towards Zhao Xuhe.
Zhao Xuhe was instantly alarmed. He retreated in a panic, crying out, "Senior Brother!"
"Don't panic. It's merely the struggle of a cornered beast."
Lu Yuanchun, on the other hand, remained calm. He announced loudly, "Junior Brothers, please make your move."
As soon as he finished speaking, several more disciples from the Primal Saint Sect stepped out. With strange smiles on their faces, they all committed suicide before the divine light could even reach them.
Instantly, rays of bloody light burst forth from their corpses.
The light formed chains that temporarily trapped Lu Yang's Blood-Transforming Divine Light within them, making it difficult to recall. He felt a sluggishness in his mental commands.
Zhao Xuhe and Lu Yuanchun had clearly come prepared.
Lu Yuanchun, in particular, had received secret instructions from his master before coming and knew many of Lu Yang's secrets, allowing him to prepare numerous countermeasures.
Therefore, he had set a strategy before the fight: first, restrict Lu Yang's speed to ensure he couldn't escape; second, have Zhao Xuhe suppress the sword pellet; and finally, have the other junior brothers work together to suppress the Blood-Transforming Divine Light. No matter how profound Lu Yang's divine abilities were, he would be like a lamb to the slaughter.
"You've reached the end of your rope! The outcome is decided!"
Lu Yuanchun sneered, feeling his chances of victory had greatly increased. He immediately shook the golden treasure mirror, and thousands of golden rays descended, preparing to refine Lu Yang to death.
Seeing this, Lu Yang could only sigh.
"So this is the advantage of having a powerful backer..."
With his current strength, even against multiple opponents, the likes of Lu Yuanchun and Zhao Xuhe were no match for him. However, their preparations were simply too thorough.
Every move struck at his weak points.
And all of this was because of Zhao Xuhe's mysterious "master," who had deduced the karmic threads and calculated his fate, allowing for such a targeted plan.
Normally, at this point, he would have been powerless to turn the tide.
"Fortunately... I have a cheat!"
The Blood Sun Sword Pellet was brought from his past life by the Book of a Hundred Lives. It existed outside of causality and was therefore immune to any calculations.
Even if Zhao Xuhe's mysterious "master" could calculate his expertise in swordsmanship and foresee the Blood-Transforming Divine Light, he could never have calculated the true nature of the Blood Sun Sword Pellet!
The next second, Lu Yang's will surged, and he pushed his True Qi once more.
Clang—!
The Blood Sun Sword Pellet let out a long cry. The array patterns on its surface abruptly erupted, locking down heaven and earth, sealing the universe, and instantly enveloping everyone within!
In less than the blink of an eye, Lu Yang had deployed the grand array he had spent twenty years of his past life researching and perfecting