"You bear the innate origin of the five elements. In terms of talent and foundation, you're no worse than those Innate Divine Beings.
"By all rights, you should have reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm when you first took form. Yet now you're trapped at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, unable to break through. The key lies in your roots."
"My roots?" Kong Xuan asked, puzzled.
"You carry Yuanfeng's bloodline. The Phoenix Clan was one of the Innate Three Clans during the Dragon-Han Calamity, and they once wrought boundless slaughter." Donghua's tone was calm, yet his words exploded in Kong Xuan's heart like a thunderclap.
"This karmic burden affects not only the fortune of the entire Phoenix Clan; it is also deeply imprinted on the cultivation path of every Phoenix Clan bloodline. Though you didn't grow up among the Phoenix Clan, your identity as Yuanfeng's son means you are destined to bear this karma."
Donghua raised his hand. Clear light swirled at his fingertips, tracing profound patterns in the air.
Countless fine red threads appeared within the light, binding a five-colored peacock that seemed poised to spread its wings and soar, like a net cast from heaven:
"Those burdened by karma find the Heaven and Earth Laws shrouded in mist when they try to comprehend them. When they attempt to advance, it feels as though invisible shackles hold them back."
Kong Xuan's expression changed dramatically. These words struck straight at the cultivation troubles that had plagued him for millennia.
The questions that had baffled him as he pondered beneath the moon deep into the night, the bottlenecks that had always seemed within reach yet remained unbroken—at last, he understood their source.
He drew a deep breath and bowed solemnly, his voice more earnest than ever:
"Senior, your insight is keen, and every word you speak is a pearl of wisdom. This foolish Kong Xuan has spent millennia unable to find a way in. Only after hearing your words today do I understand the root of the problem. I beg you to share your wisdom and show me the way!"
Just then, a vast pressure from a Great Luo swept in from the horizon.
A shadowy figure burst through the clouds. The newcomer wore a dark battle robe, demonic aura billowing around him, and bellowed:
"Kong Xuan, you've twice refused my Yao Alliance's offer to recruit you. This time, whether you agree is not up to you!"
Before his voice had faded, a figure landed in their midst. But when he saw the figure standing beside Kong Xuan, his expression changed drastically.
"East King Duke?"
Ghost Chariot's pupils contracted. The demonic aura surging around him instantly subsided. His gaze flicked between Donghua and Kong Xuan, and he immediately cupped his hands.
"I didn't know you were here, fellow Daoist East King Duke. I've disturbed you! This man is of great importance to the Yao Alliance. I wonder if you would—"
Hearing Jiu Ying's words, Kong Xuan's face turned livid, shame and fury blazing in his eyes.
He clenched his fists. The Five-Colored Divine Light around him surged violently, showing that Ghost Chariot's arrogant words had enraged him completely.
"And if I don't agree, what do you intend to do, fellow Daoist?"
Donghua phrased it as a question, but his words carried an unquestionable authority.
Jiu Ying's face stiffened. Then he forced a smile.
"My apologies for the disturbance. Farewell!"
With that, he wasted no time transforming into a gust of demonic wind and fleeing into the distance without looking back, as if afraid to lose even a moment.
Donghua stood motionless, watching the demonic wind vanish beyond the horizon, his robes stirring lightly in the breeze.
His deep gaze turned to Kong Xuan, who seemed to have grasped something. His voice was as calm as an ancient, still well, yet every word held the truth of the Great Dao:
"Those who disrupt the order of Heaven and Earth and slaughter all living beings will inevitably incur karmic retribution." Donghua's voice was calm, yet it held the truth of the Great Dao.
"All things create and overcome one another. This is a Principle of Heaven and Earth. Since karma can accumulate, Heaven and Earth must naturally leave a glimmer of hope."
As Donghua lifted his hand, a strand of Merit Golden Light flowed around his fingertips, standing in stark contrast to the karma coiled around Kong Xuan.
"Merit is the supreme method for dispelling karma."
"Do good and accumulate virtue, benefiting Heaven and Earth, and you will naturally receive the blessing of merit. Use it to dissolve karma, like washing away filth with clear spring water."
Kong Xuan watched the Merit Golden Light around Donghua, a glimmer of understanding in his eyes.
"So that's how it is..." Kong Xuan murmured. "Use merit to dispel karma. Is this the path I must take?"
Donghua gave a slight nod. "Remember, cultivation is not just about increasing your power. You must also understand cause and effect. Otherwise, no matter how great your cultivation, you won't escape the backlash of karma—just like those three fools."
Donghua had barely finished speaking when a furious shout rang out from the horizon, shaking the surrounding lands:
"East King Duke! Hand over Kong Xuan! Since we're fellow Daoists from the Purplecloud Palace, I'll spare your life!"
Ghost Chariot, who had just left, had returned, and two terrifying figures now stood beside him.
On the left stood a figure shaped like a giant ox, a hundred million zhang tall, its body black as iron and its curved horns as sharp as blades. With every step of its hooves through the air, space shattered. On the right stood a monstrous serpent with nine heads, its body large enough to blot out the sky. Cold light gleamed in its eighteen vertical pupils, and poisonous mist billowed from its breath, staining half the sky dark green.
The three stood shoulder to shoulder, demonic aura surging skyward and churning the clouds for ten thousand miles. Ghost Chariot sneered and pointed at Kong Xuan.
"This man bears Yuanfeng's bloodline, and he's crucial to the Yao Alliance's grand cause. East King Duke, would you really make an enemy of the Myriad Races of the Yao Alliance over someone who means nothing to you?"
The ox-headed beast let out a heaven-shaking roar, its shockwaves crumbling the mountains. The nine-headed demon serpent hissed as one, and a tide of poisonous mist surged toward Donghua.
Donghua's expression did not change. He simply raised his right hand. The Primordial Sky Measuring Ruler was already in his grasp, purple qi coiling around its length and keeping the demonic aura filling the sky at bay.
Jiu Ying roared with all nine heads, his voice like overlapping thunder. "Ghost Chariot! Why waste words on East King Duke? Ci Tie, let's join forces and crush him. We'll take his head back as proof!"
In an instant, Heaven and Earth changed color! All three Great Luo attacked at once, and the void filled with murderous intent.
Ci Tie struck first. He threw back his head and roared, his muscles bulging as his demonic body suddenly shrank.
Gripping his spiked club in both hands, he brought it down on Donghua with the force to shatter mountains and split the earth. Space shattered wherever the attack passed. His sheer power reached its peak, making the mountains within a thousand miles tremble.
At almost the same moment, all nine of Jiu Ying's heads roared as the powers of water and fire surged forth.
The four heads on his left spat out Mysterious Nether True Water. Its extreme cold froze the void, leaving behind a web of icy cracks. The four heads on his right spewed Southern Bright Departing Fire. Its searing heat began to melt the Gengjin mountains below.
Water and fire intertwined into a torrent of destruction, sealing off every escape route.
Most sinister of all was Ghost Chariot. His figure flickered, and all nine of his hideous heads tilted back and shrieked in unison.
The cry was strange and deadly. It did not harm the body, but pierced straight into the Violet Palace. It was a vicious Supernatural Ability designed to attack the very source of the Nascent Soul!
Nine visible gray sound waves warped the void. Wherever they passed, the plants remained lush, but the life within them was completely shaken away.
This demonic sound pierced the brain, bypassing physical defenses to attack the three souls and seven spirits of cultivators.
The three worked in perfect unison: Ci Tie attacked head-on, Jiu Ying suppressed him with spells, and Ghost Chariot launched a sneak attack from the shadows.
Their three attacks sealed off the sky and earth, cutting off every one of Donghua's escape routes!
The violent energy fluctuations left Kong Xuan, who was in the midst of a breakthrough in the distance, gasping for breath. He barely managed to open his eyes, just in time to witness this despairing scene.
Before you continue