Longzang

Chapter 461 There is a successor (Thanks to Silver Alliance for ignoring the alt account 2)

As Yan Shi Zhenjun listened, he frowned more and more. Then he got up, picked up a jade bowl, poured water into it, and then added a drop of ink, quietly observing the trajectory of the ink spreading.

Suddenly, with a cracking sound, the jade bowl shattered!
The drop of ink dissolved in the air, like a black lotus slowly blooming!

Yan Shi Zhenjun snorted, grabbed the black lotus, and crushed it before it was fully formed.

Lord Yanshi then took another white cloth and slowly wiped the ink stains from his hands. The black stains struggled and tried to break free of their confinement on the white cloth, but to no avail. Lord Yanshi folded the white cloth and placed it under the incense burner on the altar next to him, then lit three sticks of incense.

Wei Yuan was greatly shocked; this was the first time he had seen True Monarch Yan Shi suffer a loss in matters of fortune-telling. Wei Yuan had already grasped the basics of feng shui formations and could see that adding three sticks of incense to the incense burner was an extremely powerful method of suppression. The ink stain actually intended to be suppressed using this method?
That drop of ink was originally used by True Lord Yanshi to divine this matter, but after being tainted by a bit of karma, it actually developed its own sentience and became extremely ferocious. If it weren't for True Lord Yanshi presiding over this formation, an ordinary Dharma body would probably have died at the hands of this drop of ink, and no one would even know how it died.

After suppressing the spiritualized ink stains, True Monarch Yan Shi sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. His hand trembled slightly. Only after swallowing the spiritual tea did his breathing begin to slowly return to normal.

After a moment's thought, Yan Shifang said, "The karma you've incurred this time is unlike that of an Arhat; even the Buddha might be no more than this. If he were indeed only an Arhat, it would be even more troublesome, as this is no ordinary karma. But you can't be blamed for this. You probably didn't know it at the time; you only agreed with some of the Arhat's ideas in the secret realm, and thus were recognized by the True Blood as the inheritor, thus assuming the karma. Did you take anything from the secret realm?"

Wei Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and then he manifested the Red Lotus Bodhi and said, "This tree was bestowed upon me by an Arhat."

Yan Shi Zhenjun circled the Red Lotus Bodhi three times and praised, "It is Bodhi yet not Bodhi; it possesses great compassion and also great destruction. It can purify reincarnation and cleanse karmic forces. It is truly a divine object!"

Yan Shi Zhenjun gestured for Wei Yuan to put the tree away, and then said, "Indeed, it is a cause-and-effect inheritance. You have taken this tree, and you have become bound by cause and effect. You must maintain the Arhat inheritance."

Wei Yuan smiled wryly and said, "If we hadn't entered the Arhat Secret Realm that day, none of this would have happened, right?"

True Lord Yan Shi shook his head: "With the schemes of immortals and Buddhas, how can you escape? This Arhat's methods are far more powerful than Palace Master Pei's luck-fishing. Even if you don't enter the Arhat's Secret Realm today, you will one day accidentally enter it because of some event."

This is a matter of luck and destiny; you can think of it as a particularly powerful form of luck-based fishing. Those destined to be caught will come from afar, and the more you avoid it, the easier it is to take the bait. Once the bait is taken, the rest is up to you to decide how to respond.

Simply put, you will inevitably meet the Arhat and have the opportunity to receive the karmic inheritance. However, if you do not agree with his teachings and doctrines, then this Red Lotus Bodhi will not come into your hands; you will merely have made a wasted trip in the secret realm. It is likely that many people have entered the Arhat's secret realm over the countless years, but all have been destined to be without success. Until you met him.

Wei Yuan suddenly felt a headache coming on. He had only taken a tree, yet he had gotten himself into so much trouble. He asked, "And who was that boy just now?"

Yan Shi shook his head: "I have no clue either. It's just that their actions seem to differ from those of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land. Well, it should be that their basic doctrines are different. They pay more attention to cause and effect and have a sense of great destruction, which is obviously different from the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land. They should not be of the same kind."

They possess great supernatural powers in the realm of cause and effect, able to trace and manifest supernatural abilities along causal connections. However, their actions seem to be subject to numerous restrictions; while appearing mysterious and terrifying, the power they can actually wield is quite limited.

"What should I do now? Is there any possibility of reconciliation?" Wei Yuan is currently preoccupied with many matters and does not want to get entangled in this cause and effect for no reason.

Moreover, the Taichu Palace had already taught that if you encounter a scheme by immortals or Buddhas, you should stay as far away as possible and try not to get involved, otherwise you won't even know how you died.

After a moment of contemplation, True Lord Yanshi slowly said, "The cause and effect have already occurred, and the destiny arranged by the immortals and Buddhas has been fulfilled. Now, everything is uncertain. In my view, since you have borne the karma of this Arhat, you have gone against the arrangement of the immortals and Buddhas, and there is no possibility of reconciliation unless you can personally sever the inheritance and karma and return it to the other party. Hmm, you must have other karma in the secret realm, probably more than just one Red Lotus Bodhi. But since you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask."

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment before saying, "I can't do it."

The Red Lotus Bodhi is only a small part of the karmic cause and effect; the true karmic connection lies with the Little Chu King and Consort Yuan. Wei Yuan clearly understands the way to resolve this karmic conflict: he must personally kill the Little Chu King and Consort Yuan. Indeed, the Little Chu King alone is not enough; Consort Yuan must also be killed to truly end the matter, and this task cannot be delegated to anyone else.

Alternatively, handing over Consort Yuan and Prince Xiao Chu would be acceptable, but based on his intuition and what he had seen and heard in the secret realm that day, Wei Yuan had a vague feeling that handing them over would make their lives worse than death, so it would be better to just kill them directly.

Therefore, it is too late to end this karmic connection at this point.

Regardless of how Wei Yuan and Yuan Fei started, they have come this far. Should they just sit by and watch them die simply because they went against the arrangements of the gods and Buddhas?
Even if this is a tragic fate, even if Wei Yuan wouldn't give his life for Consort Yuan or the young Prince Chu, he would still do his best to protect them within his power. What's the use of cultivating great power if he can't even protect those closest to him?
Just then, True Lord Yanshi's expression suddenly changed, and he grabbed Wei Yuan, disappearing from the hall in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, the two found themselves in a secluded cave. The furnishings were exceptionally simple; aside from a spirit-grade futon, there was nothing else. This was Ji Liuli's secluded cultivation place, but she was currently lying on the ground, her face contorted in pain, her breath barely a whisper!

Yan Shi Zhenjun immediately protected her primordial spirit, took out a medicine bottle, and fed her three pills in succession. After taking three soul-stabilizing and life-sustaining elixirs, Ji Liuli's aura finally stabilized, and her soul, which was about to dissipate, solidified again.

Wei Yuan suddenly turned his head and saw the boy reappear, his twisted little face full of pleasure, gritting his teeth and saying, "You still dare to burn me! This woman is a warning to you!"

Wei Yuan suddenly raised his hand, and the Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword slashed across the boy's neck!
The boy was stunned. His body, cut in two, vanished into nothingness without leaving a trace.

Lord Yan Shi turned around: "What are you doing?"

“I just saw him again, the same boy from before. He said it was just a warning.”

Yan Shi Zhenjun frowned and said, "I was completely unaware of it. It seems to be the work of immortals and Buddhas."

"How is Senior Sister?"

"Let's talk outside." Yan Shi Zhenjun waved his sleeve lightly, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them were in a quiet courtyard. Ji Liuli was lying on the bed, still unconscious.

Yan Shi Zhenjun instructed a maid to take good care of Ji Liuli, and then went to the main hall with Wei Yuan. He sighed and said, "She originally had a flaw in her Dao heart, but my lineage follows the principle of Heavenly Evolution of 49 and Human Escape of 1, so this flaw is not a big deal. If the Dao heart is flawless, it is not beautiful. So I didn't pay attention to it at the time, and just used the Qi Luck Technique to cover up this flaw, so that she could choose an opportunity to achieve the Dharma Form. I didn't expect that her opponent would take advantage of the loophole."

Thinking of the boy's unpredictable and mysterious methods, which even Yan Shi Zhenjun could deceive, Wei Yuan felt a deep headache and asked, "Is Senior Sister alright? Are the methods of immortals and Buddhas truly unsolvable?"

Yan Shi Zhenjun snorted and said, "My Tai Chu Palace also has immortals. There are three immortal lords who have passed away here at the Northern Mountain Gate. Although they have the means of immortals and Buddhas and are difficult to guard against, the power they can transmit from a distance is extremely limited and cannot cause any trouble. Liu Li's karma has now been cleared, and those people can no longer harm her. However, a flaw in her Dao heart has now been magnified. If it is not completely resolved, I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to achieve the Dharma Form."

Wei Yuan said, "This matter arose because of me. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do my best."

Yan Shi nodded slowly, then paced back and forth in the room, walking dozens of laps in one go. It should be noted that he was only one step away from achieving the Unity of Heaven and Earth, and his mental cultivation was naturally exceptional. His constant pacing showed just how agitated he was.

Suddenly, Lord Yanshi picked up a teacup, extended two fingers to lift the lid, gently shook the water, and prepared to spin it. This was his world-renowned method of changing one's fortune, capable of causing someone to die silently.

However, the methods of cultivating one's destiny have many limitations, and the opponent's cultivation in the path of cause and effect is exceptionally high. Yan Shi's two-finger rotation will likely come at a great cost. But Yan Shi, appearing as a young Daoist, has a resolute expression and has gradually made up his mind!

Before turning the lid of the bowl, the young Taoist said to Wei Yuan, "This situation is truly unbearable. If we don't do something, they'll really think our Taichu Palace is easy to bully! What do you plan to do?"

Yan Shi Zhenjun's intention in asking this question was merely to test him, not to expect a real answer. Unexpectedly, Wei Yuan calmly replied, "Since we do not know their true strength, I do not have a good way to deal with them. I can only take it one step at a time. My current plan is to take this true blood back and sell it to the Witch Clan."

Even the well-informed Yan Shi Zhenjun was taken aback upon hearing this: "Sell it to the Wu Clan? Why sell it to the Wu Clan?"

Wei Yuan said, "The Witch Clan has been sacrificing humans for hundreds of thousands of years, and they know best how to utilize the flesh and blood of high-level human cultivators. This true blood contains a fragment of that child's soul, and even if we use fire to refine it and water to erode it, we cannot harm its essence. Just now, when I used my immortal sword to sever it, that fragment of his soul was still able to return to its original body and was not annihilated."

But if this true blood falls into the hands of the Witch Clan, not only will not a single wisp of soul be able to escape, but the Witch Clan will most likely follow the trail and extract a large chunk from the original body. He is so arrogant, daring to harbor a fragment of his soul within true blood to scheme against us; he will surely suffer a severe loss and won't recover for several centuries.

Wei Yuan added, "These true bloods are not cheap; I can make another profit."

Yan Shi Zhenjun was also dumbfounded. In the end, he could only sigh that the old scoundrel from the Spring and Autumn Period had a successor who not only surpassed his master but was even more outstanding.

(End of this chapter)