Seeing the gravity on Meng Qi's face,
Chong He seemed to understand what he was worried about. He then said with unusual solemnity,
"This old Daoist has long observed that your fortune is abnormal. You must be entangled in the karma of some great power. In this matter, this old Daoist can be said to empathize. Only after enduring many hardships, and through a fortunate coincidence, did I finally sever part of it."
Back then, Chong He had assumed the identity of Lingbao Heavenly Venerate, so he had naturally become entangled in Lingbao's karma as well.
However, Chong He had also completed Lingbao Heavenly Venerate's Chain Missions, much like the True Martial Chain Quest.
With the cooperation of the Six Paths, he discovered the truth that Lingbao Heavenly Venerate had already "disappeared."
Yet Lingbao's current state was beyond Chong He's understanding, so he had also severed much of the karma clinging to him.
This filled in more pieces of the puzzle in Meng Qi's heart while pointing out several viable paths for him.
"When this old Daoist and the others first founded Immortal Traces, offering different cultivation arts and titles to choose from, we hoped to find companions in the reincarnation cycle who could watch over and aid one another. Together, we would work hard, escape reincarnation, and attain true freedom. Who could have known that those fellow Daoists who chose certain titles and cultivation arts would instead shoulder karma, contrary to this old Daoist's original intentions? We could only make the best of a bad situation, exchanging knowledge and exploring together to escape such shadows."
After their exchange, Chong He sighed over Immortal Traces' current circumstances.
One after another, they bore the names of ancient great powers. The karma of great powers who had not truly died was not