All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 330 Xie Wu and the Secret of the Golden Crow (Part 2)

Ji Ran did not resist the old man's invitation.

Da da da!
Stepping on the grass, amidst the roar of the ocean waves, Ji Ran walked over.

At this moment, he had already guessed who the old man was.

The technique of "Crossing Life and Death" was taught to Hongfeng by Zhige. The person who can use it in the real world and has terrifying strength is naturally obvious—Marshal of the Special Operations Department, [Zhige].

Bang!
Ji Ran sat in the back seat, closed the car door, and then the old man stepped on the gas.

hum!
The sea breeze poured into the car without hindrance, carrying a salty, damp scent and the unique coolness of dusk. It made Ji Ran squint slightly.

The falcon was perched on the rearview mirror. As the car sped up, the raging sea breeze only made its feathers flutter slightly, and its silhouette was imprinted on the rearview mirror like a sculpture.

"Motion sickness?"

The old man's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a sense of weight.

"Fortunately."

hum-

The next moment, Ji Ran was thrown backward, a strong push pulling him back! The taxi's speed increased abnormally, roaring like a wild beast on the empty, closed highway!

"How do you think we should interact with the world as we live?"

The old man's voice pierced through the sea breeze and echoed clearly in Ji Ran's ears.

"No interference between us."

Ji Ran gave an answer almost without hesitation.

"Oh?"

The old man's voice carried a hint of surprise, as if he was surprised by Ji Ran's answer and his attitude.

Ji Ran continued, "For ordinary people, the heavens are not a paradise."

At this moment, I want to go home, and at this time, I am thinking of my family.

To be honest, Ji Ran didn't want his family to enter the Heavens. Such power came at the cost of life and death.

Similarly, Ji Ran never believed that in a world where everyone could become a wanderer of the heavens, society could be better than it is now, given the generalization of power.

Taking Yingzhou Immortal Island as an example, the fate of ordinary people who walk there is either to be killed or to be torn into pieces and sold at the Yin-Yang Meat Shop.

Hokkaido, Japan, is a prime example, with its "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" and the near-total slaughter of a large city with millions of inhabitants.

In a world where individual power is significant, the vast majority of those at the bottom will not be happy.

"good."

The old man smiled and said, "But some people don't think so."

now!

Ji Ran stared intently out the car window—the scenery outside had changed without her noticing.

The shimmering light on the beach began to distort, reflecting the clamor of voices and the shadows of the streets.

The next moment, he found himself in a bustling city, and the taxi naturally blended into the traffic.

Along the streets, the old tenement buildings are bathed in the warm ochre color of the setting sun, and the mottled marks appear soft and story-telling under the slanting sunlight.

Downstairs, there are dense neon signs. Although it's not completely dark yet, the signs of some long-established restaurants have already started to flash.

The owner, shirtless, tossed the wok in front of the stove, the rising steam turning into wisps of white smoke in the beams of the setting sun, mingling with the aroma of claypot rice and filling the air.

At the far end of the line of sight, there was a temple.

What Ji Ran could see was an illusory figure of incense smoke, sitting on the magnificent temple, looking like a gray fairy.

At this moment, the illusory figure's karma soared to the sky, but it refused to follow the flow of other karmas. Instead, it stubbornly went upward, wanting to break through the sky.

However, its cause and effect are also stained with a faint golden spot.

They should have a strength level of five or six.

Ji Ran silently sensed the aura of the incense god and made a guess in his mind.

"Use your understanding of cause and effect to experience it."

"Ok?"

Ji Ran was taken aback. He looked at the old man in the rearview mirror, and after a moment, he used his Dao of Cause and Effect.

next moment--

Ji Ran felt as if the cause and effect before her eyes had suddenly expanded, and the taxi seemed to be driving on a golden avenue!
At this moment, Ji Ran's consciousness became increasingly clear, as if he were being lifted up and standing on the bridge of cause and effect in the world! The cause and effect of the incense god pierced through the void, drawing in rich spiritual energy and mysterious Daoist charm from the spirit world.

The present world, the spirit world, all the heavens...

The incense god seemed to sit atop the three heavens, and the karma of countless ordinary people swayed toward the spirit world along with his karma.

Ji Ran had a sudden realization.

These causes and effects are like individual paths that can "transport" the spiritual energy and Daoist principles of the spirit realm and even the heavens into the mortal world. Similarly, once many paths extend beyond the heavens, they converge into a main road, which can carry the "great causes and effects" from the outside world into the mortal world.

The Demon Realm was established through the schemes of the Hidden Gods Society and in cooperation with the Japanese White Party, using cause and effect to guide the Demon Realm.

At that moment, the old man in the driver's seat raised his hand and gently tapped his temple.

Da da!

A slight knocking sound was heard, and Ji Ran's eyes narrowed!
He saw an inexplicable force, following the old man's causal path, climb up to the causal path of the incense god.

click!
Instantly!

The swaying ribbons of the incense god suddenly stopped, and then its entire head exploded! Silently, the headless incense god began to disintegrate, the causal threads broke, and merged into the turbulent current.

The karma of ordinary people, too, seemed to have lost its support and began to fall.

Ji Ran understood what the old man was doing.

The concept of "crossing birth and death" connects cause and effect. The two blows he just struck himself were not simple; they were fierce attacks! They were insignificant to the old man, but when they struck the incense god, they were fatal!
Moreover, at the moment the old man struck, he could feel his strength being restored, but it was suppressed again in an instant.

He severed all other causal ties, connected only with the incense god, destroyed it through the act of saving lives, and then immediately connected with the others.

too fast.

This ability to connect cause and effect is something I cannot comprehend.

This was definitely not some kind of "manipulation," because Ji Ran saw that the old man's cause and effect flowed out in all directions along a horizontal path—meaning that his previous guess was correct. All travelers entering the mortal world, like himself, had their levels and items suppressed by Zhi Ge alone!

Ji Ran thought of the information he obtained from Yingzhou Immortal Island—the cause and effect path of Zhige is [connection].

This is his Daoist philosophy.

As the cause and effect dissipated, Ji Ran saw the flow of cause and effect in the original position of the incense god becoming more natural.

It turned out to be the case.

Ji Ran understood that these vertical causes and effects, in the torrent of cause and effect in the world, were like dams cutting off rivers. If the cause and effect of stopping war were to encounter each other, the flow would be cut off.

Previously, when the gods walked and acted in the mortal world, it was as if they had cut off the cause and effect of the mortal world into pieces. Even if Zhige wanted to transcend birth and death, it could only do so on a small scale.

However, if there were no vertical cause and effect in the present world, he would be able to transcend birth and death along the bridge of cause and effect, covering the entire world.

At this moment, if he seals himself, everyone affected will also be sealed, unless their strength surpasses his.

Moreover, once the horizontal causal relationship is stable, even if someone is stronger than him, it is difficult for them not to be affected.

"Feel it deeply, observe cause and effect, and contemplate your own path of cause and effect."

slam-la-

With the sound of stopping the gun, the car windows were completely blocked by rain, the wipers swung wildly from side to side, and thick water vapor rushed into the car, wetting Ji Ran's face.

At this moment, his location has changed again.

The sun had already set, leaving only a sliver of red on the horizon. In the distance, the river had transformed into a churning, roaring, tawny dragon. Muddy waves, carrying broken branches and foam, slammed violently against the muddy banks, producing a dull, thunderous roar!
The river swelled, almost overflowing the roadbed below.

Welcome to the Three Gorges!

The blue road sign flashed by.

"Moo!"

A dense black shadow stretched across the hundred-foot-deep river, letting out a terrified roar! The thick causal energy pierced the sky, but at this moment it softened.

"late."

The old man's voice was faint in reality, but on the level of cause and effect, in the long river of cause and effect, it was like thunder.

Ji Ran stared intently, her eyes swirling with a myriad of emotions.

At this moment, he felt as if he were standing on the very foundation of cause and effect, overlooking the entire long river of cause and effect. Countless exquisite applications and details, the minuteness and grandeur of cause and effect, were clearly displayed before his eyes.

If I previously viewed the causal relationship in a blurry image, and the Yingzhou World appeared in 480P, now, under the influence of Zhige, I see a 4K image, which can be zoomed in and out.

Flawless.

"Chirp!"

At that moment, Ji Ran suddenly turned his head and looked out the window.

The snow-white eagle soared over the turbid waves of the river, braving the howling rain, right above that hundred-foot-tall black shadow!
Zhi Ge made no move, but Ji Ran suddenly felt his strength being sealed even more tightly.

But the white eagle's aura surged at that moment!

It suddenly plunged into the river!

The next moment, the sea churned! A giant wave, tens of feet high, surged up, obscuring the view like a curtain from the sky! The mountain gorge was smashed by the giant tail of the turbid wave, causing rocks to tumble down and creating circles of rough ripples!

The entire river surface resounded with explosions like muffled thunder! Ji Ran's throat bobbed; he sensed the aura of a third-tier expert underwater!

"Chirp—"

suddenly!

As the eagle leaped out of the water, a vast expanse of heat suddenly spread across the river surface in the afterglow of the setting sun! The scarlet color spread across the entire river surface almost instantly!
The vertical cause and effect in the sky suddenly collapsed.

Ji Ran had a sudden realization.

The reason I can't understand the third order is that the ability of the third order is not simply an attack in the real physical world, but an attack in a higher dimension, on certain rules.

At this moment, Ji Ran was already immersed in the cause and effect.

He thought of the Heavenly Dao Technique he had used, and looking at the vertical cause and effect, a sudden inspiration struck him!
What would happen if I used my powerful causal authority to sever the causal links of others?

The cause and effect of stopping the fighting was severed not because others were stronger than him, but because, in terms of "position," the cause and effect of the essence is higher than that of transcending birth and death.

Therefore, Zhige needed to come over. The first time, he used his own karma to clash with Huixian's karma, killing him.

This time, he used the karma of life and death to suppress the karma of his opponent's cultivation. Then, the eagle struck and killed his opponent.

As for myself, once I enter the path of cause and effect, I will have no problem using the cause and effect of [Crossing Life and Death] to sever the cause and effect of some of my opponent's techniques or abilities.

At the same time, one can use some insignificant cause and effect to sever the cause and effect of the opponent.

In short, it means that one can use seemingly insignificant skills to disrupt another's important spells through cause and effect.

In a daze, Ji Ran grasped a sliver of the true Dao of Cause and Effect that belonged to him.

"how?"

The old man's voice was gentle. Ji Ran opened his eyes and saw that he had arrived at the parking lot. The large characters flashing in front of him were [Qingshi International Airport].

"Thank you, senior."

Ji Ran answered solemnly, his tone filled with gratitude. These two observations of the Dao allowed him to view the evolutionary details of the Dao of Cause and Effect from a higher perspective.

Even if I had grasped the basics of the Dao of Cause and Effect, I wouldn't have been able to make such a significant breakthrough in such a short time. Now, I have a rudimentary understanding of my own path in Daoist practice.

"It seems that you already have a considerable understanding of the Dao of Cause and Effect in Yingzhou."

"not bad."

The old man chuckled and said, "I presume you already know who I am."

"You can call me Xie Wu, or you can call me Zhutian ID [Zhi Ge]."

"marshal."

Ji Ran sat up straight, intending to reveal the matter of the Immortal Scripture. He sensed goodwill in Zhi Ge; such an act of observing the Dao was certainly not easy. At least, E Qiansu couldn't do it—she was a level 9 King Spirit Official!

"I'm here to tell you something."

Xie Wu said calmly, "Your becoming a traveler was actually an accident. An accident that I witnessed firsthand."

Ji Ran was stunned.

"Originally, it should have been the wandering spirit official of the Hidden God Society who was afflicted by the Golden Crow's innate curse."

"As a result, on that day, you were caught up in the karma and even killed him."

Xie Wu continued, "Therefore, the one who was destined to be tainted by the natal curse and bring forth the Golden Crow became you."

"Of course, according to the plan, today, the Nightmare Master from District 8 will bring back an item that can reverse your innate curse. Even if you are infected, it can be reversed."

"The Lord did not know about this, because the more he knew, the more likely the cause and effect would change."

In the rearview mirror, Xie Wu looked at Ji Ran and said, "In the last world, didn't you fail to get a train ticket?"

Ji Ran's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Yes."

"Because that world was opened using the identity of the Golden Crow, which you naturally don't have. The reason is that there are no Thousand-Year Feathers in that world, and someone wants you to be tainted with your natal curse as soon as possible."

Ji Ran's expression changed slightly, but he remained silent. However, he understood what Zhi Ge meant—someone wanted the Golden Crow.

The person who originally brought out the Golden Crow should have been the wandering spirit official, but he mistakenly entered the Journey to the West and even killed him.

Therefore, the person chosen to bring out the Golden Crow became himself.

"I just didn't expect your profession to be a brothel pimp."

"I never expected that you could decipher the immortal scripture."

Xie Wu smiled and said, "Starting today, no one will look for you, and no one will try to manipulate your myriad realms."

"The Golden Crow belongs to you."

Ji Ran felt a slight sense of relief and said, "That immortal scripture..."

"Did Mr. E instruct you to give this to me?"

"Uh."

Ji Ran was stunned.

Xie Wu waved his hand dismissively and said, "She just wanted you to ask me to be your backer."

"Because she knows you were bait thrown in. She's afraid you'll be in danger if you come out."

Xie Wu smiled and said, "It seems you two get along well."

"But I don't need the Immortal Scripture, you keep it."

"To advance to the third level, one needs a talisman. If one can deduce the immortal scriptures to a certain extent, one can condense a talisman."

"You can teach others some of the 'techniques,' but the 'scriptures' must be known only to you, otherwise someone will surely try to take them away."

"Of course, no one in the real world will interfere with you."

Xie Wu's voice was calm, yet carried an unparalleled domineering air: "You are a member of the Special Operations Department. I, and indeed all the generals, are your backers."

“Your karma was altered before, and I couldn’t do anything about it. But you yourself broke the altered fate with the karma of your original body.”

"very good."

"From this day forward, I will be watching your karma, and no one can touch it."

Xie Wu turned his head and said, "The Golden Crow can be bound to your natal spirit beast."

"Take a good rest for a while. I will approve a squad quota for you, to be affiliated with Xie Yan's squad, and you can enjoy the same benefits as a regular squad."

"Yes."

"Go."

boom!
Ji Ran got out of the car and watched the yellow taxi disappear into the night.

His brow furrowed slightly. Had he been... framed all along because of the Golden Crow?

Who can distort cause and effect?
Ji Ran understood that today's observation of the Dao was Marshal Zhige's compensation to him. It was compensation on behalf of the person who had plotted against him.

However, based on the words of Marshal Zhige and E Qiansu, he could confirm that the Golden Crow and the Immortal Scripture were both that person's targets.

Even Marshal Zhige was used as "bait" to visit the fairy island of Yingzhou twenty years ago.

So many carefully planned schemes, and now they've all been given to themselves?
Ji Ran's eyes suddenly narrowed!
Won't……

Is this the marshal's revenge?
He intercepted the Golden Crow and the Immortal Scripture for himself, leaving the other man empty-handed. This was to avenge the grudge from twenty years ago for letting him enter Yingzhou.

From what E Qiansu said, one could tell that Marshal Zhige had also narrowly escaped death during his time inside, only managing to do so by taking a clever trick.

Honestly, would I forgive that person?

Certainly not. Given the chance, once I know who it is, I'll definitely have to give them a piece of my mind. How could a fellow traveler like myself, the Marshal, tolerate this?
Judging from the marshal's explanation of his actions, it was clear that the person behind it was one of their own. At the very least, someone from their own camp, and quite powerful.

Distorting cause and effect?

If the Marshal's causal principle is characterized by "connection," then what I have just realized is "severance."

The person behind that is most likely also a celestial being!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have sought the Golden Crow. And his path of cause and effect is one of alteration.

Ji Ran glanced at his own karma.

The Way of Cause and Effect

Status: Beginner (33%)

Effect: Allows for insight into cause and effect.

Taoist arts: Crossing the cycle of life and death
Causal points: 94
【Special - False Register Holder Position】

1. You manipulated cause and effect, causing lower-level beings to overthrow higher-level ones, thus affecting four Rank True Persons. In each world, you will be able to influence the cause and effect of four beings above your level. (Maximum: Level 6)
2. Your causal consumption will result in a double increase in Daoist energy.

3. You can silently influence cause and effect at a level one level below your own.

……

Once you grasp the principles of cause and effect, you can try to comprehend the concept of "cutting off" on your own.

As things stand, I can't level up. Leveling up requires consuming karma points.

but……

Jade Pillow!
I have reversed cause and effect before. By using the [Jade Pillow] to enter a dream, I can consume cause and effect points to reverse cause and effect, thereby leveling up and reaching the entry level of the Dao of Cause and Effect!

"call--"

Ji Ran let out a long breath and headed towards the airport.

Take advantage of the vacation given by the boss to improve my skills, absorb the gains from this trip, and then find Su Su to enter the path of cause and effect with the help of the [Jade Pillow]!
(End of this chapter)