Three Karmic Ties

Three masses of black mist gathered and dispersed unpredictably, churning without rest.

"These three masses of black mist represent the three great karmic ties entangled with this body of flesh. If I wish to possess this body and truly become Qiu Yan, I must bear its karma. Whether fortune or calamity, it will henceforth become part of my own Fortune."

Qiu Yan's true spirit had returned to the clay statue. Having dwelled here for decades, he knew nothing of the world beyond the mountain, but with nothing better to do, he could only study himself. Thus, he had uncovered quite a bit of information; the way of Karma was one of them, though he understood only a little.

"Gratitude and enmity, ambitions, blood ties."

Through the karmic connections, Qiu Yan quickly understood what each of the three masses of black mist involved. He could not help shaking his head. "This boy's heart was higher than the heavens. Though trapped in a village, his aspirations were anything but small."

He murmured aloud, but his thoughts turned swiftly within.

The Three Divine Hairs had a mysterious origin. They had come with him from his previous life. After decades of study and deduction, he had understood some of their effects: each could create an incarnation, but it required another person's body as a foundation. They could not bring something into being from nothing.

After a while, Qiu Yan smiled.

"If I want to take another's body, how can I fear karmic entanglements? Wanting the advantage while refusing to bear the consequences—there is no such logic in any world. I waited decades for this person. Had he not been on the verge of death, his soul leaving his body, I could never have contacted him, much less made him willingly offer himself. Even if I waited another fifty years, I might not encounter such an opportunity again. Besides, I promised him I would avenge him..."

With that thought, he turned to look beside him.

The bird-headed man whose skull had been crushed by the clay deity statue was gone. Only a pile of clothing remained, within which lay a headless bird.

"I accept this Karma!"

As his words fell, the three masses of black mist pounced upon Qiu Yan. In the blink of an eye, they spread over his whole body and seeped into him through his pores.

Outside the temple, the thunder dissipated. Qiu Yan immediately felt his body grow a little heavier.

"That matter is settled. Next..."

He lowered his head and looked at the headless bird on the ground. Its body was entirely black; it was clearly a Crow.

"Hm? These Three Divine Hairs are anything but simple. They do more than merely construct incarnations. This newly possessed body has only mortal eyes, yet it cannot see the changes in the soul. I still need to use my true body."

As Qiu Yan's thought settled here, the clay statue slowly turned. From beneath the dust, two beams of white light suddenly shot from its eyes.

This statue was also Qiu Yan—his true body. White Divine Power streamed from the clay statue's eyes, enveloping the headless bird's corpse.

The next instant, a dim, transparent Crow phantom emerged within his vision.

The phantom was wound around by strands of white silk. No matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

Qiu Yan was somewhat surprised. "A monster's soul truly is extraordinary. It is not confused at all, and can actually control its soul body!"

Noticing the white light shining upon it, the Crow soul ceased struggling. It turned its bird head, its beak opening and closing as it spoke clearly. "You wild deity, you do not know your own limits. You destroyed my physical body and committed a grave error, yet now you dare try to imprison my soul. That is adding error upon error. If you know what is good for you, release me at once. Then you may suffer less in the future."

Qiu Yan listened without comment. His flesh-and-blood incarnation stared at the headless Crow corpse for a long while, then said, "How curious. Your original form is so small and thin. How did you transform into a burly human man?"

"What is so strange about that? Life Cultivation refines flesh and blood. Once one enters the Soul-Refining Realm and condenses the Power Soul and Essence Soul, swelling flesh and changing one's physique is as easy as turning one's hand... Hm?"

The Crow soul answered instinctively, but stopped halfway through. Then it abruptly changed its tone. "You actually do not know the mysteries of Life Cultivation?"

"Life Cultivation? Refining flesh and blood?" Qiu Yan paused at those words. "If one merely refines flesh and blood, why can the self-aware consciousness still control the soul after the physical body is destroyed?"

"Ha ha ha!"

Qiu Yan's words actually made the Crow soul burst into laughter. "You know neither Life Cultivation nor Nature Cultivation. You do not understand the changes of the Seven Souls, nor Aperture Opening and Soul Condensation, yet you are the Earth Deity of a region. In that case, you must be..."

"A Heaven-Born Deity!"

The Crow soul began to tremble slightly.

"Deities and divine spirits hold seals and command laws, but all must receive an edict. You know nothing of these matters, so you cannot have seized another's seal and usurped a Divine Rank. Your temple lies in this desolate wilderness, so you cannot have been enfeoffed by the court or the Heavenly Court. That means you could only have been born from the Principle of Heaven and Earth, or from the People's Wishes—an Heaven-Born Deity!"

The Crow soul trembled more and more violently.

"If His Majesty learns of this, the merit will be immense! Then..."

"Unfortunately, you will have no chance to report it!"

A heavy voice came from the clay deity statue. White radiance flashed, and threads of Divine Power surged from the statue's eyes. In an instant, they completely wrapped the Crow's soul, then contracted inward!

"Ah! You still dare attack? Within Yuanning Prefecture, my lord's word is law. Nothing can escape his control! You..."

Pop!

With a soft sound, both the white light and the Crow soul vanished like bursting bubbles.

Pop!

The wolf-headed man and his group had already left the village and were heading toward another when his expression suddenly changed. He halted and took a jade token the size of a fingertip from his robe.

The jade token was covered in cracks.

"The Crow's soul was destroyed! Was he not pursuing that old scholar's son? Why was his soul destroyed?"

The wolf-headed man's expression shifted uncertainly. With a wave of his hand, he summoned two men. "Pass down the order. Have all the little monsters of the Wolf Aberrant Army head to Mingyuan Mountain immediately and search the entire mountain! Anything connected to the Crow—flesh, bone, traces, even scent—must not be overlooked. Whoever dared touch our people cannot be shown mercy. We must kill the chicken to frighten the monkeys."

As he spoke, he handed the shattered jade token to the two men.

"This jade token contains the Crow's aura. Though his soul has been destroyed, his corpse should still remain. Divide the aura among the monsters. The moment anyone finds something, report to me at once!"

One of them accepted the token and asked, "General, should this matter be reported to His Majesty?"

Wolf General shook his head. "The Crow was merely a minor monster; there is no need to disturb His Majesty. Besides, he served under me. If disaster suddenly struck him, should I not handle it myself and push it onto His Majesty? There is no such logic. Enough, go!"

"Yes!"

The two accepted their orders. Their forms changed, one becoming a horse and the other a sparrow, and they swiftly departed.

"Enough. The rest of you, follow me to the village ahead." Seeing the two leave, Wolf General continued onward with his group.

Within the Mountain God Temple, Qiu Yan stared at the headless bird corpse before him, deep in thought.

"Should I extract it or not? Those few actions just now consumed quite a bit of Divine Power. Suppressing this monster, using the Mystic Hair to forge an incarnation, sending that scholar into Samsara, then healing this body's wounds, and finally destroying the Monster Soul—after decades of accumulation, I had condensed only ten stars of Divine Power. Now only five remain."

As he pondered, the clay deity statue suddenly trembled slightly, causing Qiu Yan's expression to change.

"So soon? I cannot hesitate any longer. This body is far too weak. Though it is slightly stronger than my body in my previous life, it is still insufficient for surviving in this wilderness. Divine Power can heal wounds, but strengthening sinews, bones, and flesh is beyond its reach."

With that thought, the statue shook, and white light shone down from its eyes again, enveloping the headless bird corpse and peeling it apart layer by layer.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Feathers scattered everywhere. Before long, a point of red light flew out from within.

It was a blood droplet half the size of a fingernail. Within the droplet, two phantoms flickered in and out.

"Blood Essence!"

PS: Thanks to Heng Chuan and "Customer, You Can't Do That" for the tips! There will be another chapter tonight.