Karma Breeds Trouble

Zhao Xuhe's words made Lu Yang feel as though he had fallen into an ice pit.

He had not even set foot on Coiling Dragon Island in this life, and the Cultivation Method had been memorized during his previous two lives. Yet Coiling Dragon Island had disappeared on its own?

Because of this so-called Karma?

Because he had cultivated the Nine Transformations Dragon Art ahead of time and intercepted the Karma between it and Zhao Xuhe, Coiling Dragon Island had vanished along with it?

The Karma of Cultivation Methods; fortuitous encounters fixed long ago.

So this had been Zhao Xuhe's destined opportunity. He could neither seize it nor cultivate it, or someone would immediately deduce the Karma, follow the vine to the melon, and come knocking?

Having understood this, Lu Yang was so furious that he laughed instead.

This world was fucking disgusting!

True Person experts calculated opportunities in advance to profit their own disciples. If anything went wrong, they could even determine who had caused it and wrench the deviated Karma back onto its proper track.

Under such circumstances, how could ordinary people ever have a day to rise?

They could only bow their heads and serve as oxen and horses!

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 Zhao Xuhe!

Lu Yang was absolutely certain that person was a Foundation Establishment True Person!

Raising his head, Lu Yang thought once more of Daoist Hongyun from his previous life. It was as if, above the boundless Vault Sky overhead, he could see a pair of eyes gazing down upon him.

"...Why are you forcing me?"

At that thought, rage surged from Lu Yang's heart and evil sprang from his courage. He turned toward Zhao Xuhe, his lips curling into a mocking arc.

Almost at the same instant, someone beside Zhao Xuhe suddenly stepped forward.

"Junior Brother, be careful!"

Swish!

Sword Light flashed. Zhao Xuhe's vision blurred, and when he finally saw clearly, the fury filling his chest was instantly doused by an icy chill.

The man who had just stepped forward was a fellow disciple under their "master," one who had entered the sect three years before him. He had cultivated the Dragon-Tiger Yin-Yang Joy Scripture to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, the peak of the middle stage, and his True Qi had been tempered to the limit of Fifth Grade. In terms of strength, he far surpassed Zhao Xuhe.

Yet now, that senior brother had vanished.

His skin, flesh, bones, and blood had all been devoured clean by a streak of scarlet divine light. In the blink of Zhao Xuhe's eye, only an empty human skin remained, slowly drifting down.

The next moment, a glimmer of spirit light flew out from the human skin.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for freeing me."

Within the spirit light, an illusory figure emerged. Not only did he show no anger at being slain by Lu Yang's sword, he even wore an expression of liberation and delight.

Then he looked toward Zhao Xuhe.

"Junior Brother, before coming here, Master once judged that my foundation was shallow and my Merit insufficient. Qi Refining Completion would be difficult to attain in this life, while Foundation Establishment was utterly beyond hope."

"I begged Master for guidance, and only then did Master order me to come with you, to save your life at the crucial moment. You have accumulated Merit across three lives, and you should have a thirty percent chance of achieving Foundation Establishment in the future. Now that I have saved your life, the Karma has been set. If you achieve Foundation Establishment someday, you must help my reincarnated body cultivate and attain the Dao."

As his voice fell, the spirit light leaped into the Vault Sky.

Below, Lu Yang's gaze grew ever colder.

"...Using my hand to establish Karma for your own disciple, so he can reincarnate and start over? You're certain I can't stir up any great waves, so you want to squeeze out every last scrap of my value?"

Lu Yang's gaze shifted. Around Zhao Xuhe, Sacred Sect Disciples strolled forward one after another. Every one of them possessed the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, the peak of the middle stage.

At the same time, Zhao Xuhe finally came back to his senses. Excitement appeared on his face as he called out, "Senior Brothers, if you help me capture this thief today and reclaim my opportunity, then should I achieve Foundation Establishment in the future, I will certainly repay you with all my strength. I will help you, Senior Brothers, return through reincarnation and obtain the fruition of Qi Refining Completion!"

At these words, the others finally nodded one after another.

"Rest easy, Junior Brother."

"Opportunities belong to those fated for them. This thief stole your opportunity without cause; his crime is unforgivable. With Master watching above, we will surely help you seize this thief!"

Lu Yang immediately burst into laughter. "After saying a thousand words and ten thousand words, aren't you still just trying to rob me by force?"

"Stubborn beyond redemption."

The leading Sacred Sect Disciple shook his head and sneered. "My name is Lu Yuanchun. Since you refuse to surrender without a fight, do not blame me for showing no mercy."

As his words fell, the man named Lu Yuanchun formed a hand seal. His Aura was astonishingly at the Qi Refining Seven Layers, the late stage. He then raised a Golden Light Treasure Mirror high into the air, replacing the sun in the sky. In an instant, countless streams of golden radiance poured down, sharper than blades and weapons, swallowing Lu Yang like a torrential downpour.

Lu Yang's brows knitted, and his figure vanished in an instant.

Immediately afterward, Sword Light rose into the air and split into countless streaks. It charged left and right, yet could never escape the area covered by the golden radiance, and could only withstand it head-on.

"Master had long calculated that this thief excels at swordsmanship. How could he fail to bestow a solution?"

Lu Yuanchun smiled smugly, then looked toward Zhao Xuhe. "Junior Brother Zhao, I have already trapped this thief and made it difficult for him to display the wonders of Void-Escaping through swordsmanship."

"Please activate the treasure seal and seize this thief's Flying Sword. Then the great matter will be settled!"

"Many thanks, Senior Brother!"

Zhao Xuhe cupped his hands, not daring to delay. He immediately took out a treasure seal gleaming with Golden Light, raised it into the air, and sent it crashing down toward Lu Yang's Sword Light.

"This thing again..."

Lu Yang's gaze flickered. He recognized it as the Primordial Magnetic Golden Seal that Zhao Xuhe had used in his second life, a magical treasure made specifically to restrain Flying Swords.

Having learned his lesson in his previous life, Lu Yang naturally would not allow Zhao Xuhe to use it freely. With a thought, the Blood Sun Sword Pellet moved as he willed. Rather than collide with the Primordial Magnetic Golden Seal, it veered aside. Then Sword Light turned and transformed into Blood-Transforming Divine Light that filled the sky, sweeping down toward Zhao Xuhe.

Zhao Xuhe was instantly horrified. He staggered backward and cried out, "Senior Brother!"

"Do not panic. It is merely the struggle of a trapped beast."

On the other side, Lu Yuanchun remained calm. He called out, "Junior Brothers, please make your move."

The moment his words fell, several more Sacred Sect Disciples strolled forth, sinister smiles on their faces. Before the divine light could descend, they all committed suicide of their own accord.

In an instant, streaks of Blood Light blossomed from their corpses.

The Blood Light resembled chains, temporarily trapping Lu Yang's Blood-Transforming Divine Light within them. He found it difficult to withdraw it, and even the movement of his thoughts became sluggish.

Zhao Xuhe and Lu Yuanchun had clearly come prepared.

Lu Yuanchun in particular had received secret instruction from Master before coming. He knew much of Lu Yang's background and had therefore prepared many methods to counter him.

Thus, before the battle even began, he had formulated a strategy. First, restrict Lu Yang's speed and ensure he could not escape. Then Zhao Xuhe would suppress the Sword Pellet, and finally, the Junior Brothers who had come with them would join forces to suppress the Blood-Transforming Divine Light. No matter how formidable Lu Yang's divine abilities were, he would be like a lamb waiting for slaughter.

"The donkey has exhausted its tricks. The overall situation is decided!"

Lu Yuanchun sneered, feeling his chances of victory soar. He immediately shook the Golden Light Treasure Mirror, sending countless streams of golden radiance surging one after another, intending to refine Lu Yang to death alive.

Seeing this, Lu Yang could only sigh.

"This is the advantage of having backing."

With his current strength, even if he fought many opponents alone, people like Lu Yuanchun and Zhao Xuhe would not be his match. Yet their preparations had been far too thorough.

Every move struck directly at his weak points.

And all of this was because Zhao Xuhe's mysterious "master" had deduced Karma and calculated Destiny, allowing for such targeted arrangements.

Ordinarily, at this point, he truly would have been powerless to turn the tide.

"Fortunately... I have a cheat!"

The Blood Sun Sword Pellet had been brought from his previous life by the Hundred Lives Book. It lay outside Karma and naturally feared no deduction.

Even if Zhao Xuhe's mysterious "master" could calculate that he was skilled in swordsmanship and could calculate the Blood-Transforming Divine Light, he could never possibly calculate the true nature of the Blood Sun Sword Pellet!

The next second, Lu Yang stirred his thoughts and urged his True Qi again.

Clang! Clang!

The Blood Sun Sword Pellet let out a long cry in response. Then the formation patterns upon it abruptly exploded, sealing Heaven and Earth, closing off the cosmos, and instantly enveloping everyone within!

In no more than the blink of an eye, Lu Yang had laid out the great formation he had researched and forged over twenty years in his previous life!