I flew on a sword at the magic academy

Chapter 60 Nine Blood Lotus, Reversing Cause and Effect

"Pop"

With another soft sound, another blood lotus appeared between the old Taoist's brows and slowly disappeared into Shi Daohan's body.

"Legend has it that the essence blood of a quasi-saint can sever karmic ties; this old codger seems to be really going all out!"

"He's willing to give up his entire life's cultivation and even his life to help Shi Daohan defy fate. This old codger really has some guts."

Many reclusive ancient scholars from the various schools of thought in the East have emerged from seclusion, their deep eyes gazing towards the West.

They were people born in the same era as the old Taoist priest. In their impression, the old Taoist priest was unruly and cowardly when he was young, and he cherished his life the most.

Even when his confidante was in trouble, he did not offer any help, choosing instead to protect himself.

Now, for the sake of a junior, he is willing to give up his life's cultivation and even his life to fight against the heavens.

"Fifteenth brother, you've been playing the submissive role your whole life, but today you've actually shown some backbone, daring to directly challenge the Heavenly Dao."

On Mount Wuyang, an old man, frail and weathered, emerged from a secret realm, gazing westward and muttering to himself.

……

"Grandmaster!"

At Horagaka Academy, above the peak of Saint Daga, the people of Shushan wept bitterly, trying to stop it all, but none of them could break into the old Taoist's innate phenomenon.

"Grandmaster, my life is worthless. If I die, I die. I only hope that after I die, Mount Shu can take care of my family and clan, so that they don't have to risk their lives like this!"

Shi Daohan shouted. Although he didn't know what his grandmaster was doing, he could see that the other party's condition was very wrong and his life force was rapidly decreasing.

Petals fell from the sky, shimmering with a crystalline luster, like tears of blood falling, creating a poignant scene. The old Taoist priest played the zither, and strands of his already sparse white hair fell out before his eyes.

This is an eternal image; no matter how many years pass, people will never forget it, and it will be forever imprinted in their hearts.

The world was quiet, with only the melodious sound of a zither lingering in the air.

The elders of Mount Shu were all shouting, and the sect leader Qingxu and the two patriarchs cried out in grief.

It is said that Heaven cherishes life and there is always a way out. But why does Heaven always push people to the brink of death?

Why won't you give Shi Daohan a way out?

What crime has she committed? Why does Heaven wish to punish her?

Six crystal-clear and poignant blood lotuses bloomed, flying out one after another from the old Taoist's brow and landing on Shi Daohan.

Shi Daohan was completely paralyzed and unable to stop it all.

The spiritual essence of a quasi-saint can purify all laws and erase karmic causes and effects. However, even a supreme being like the old Taoist, who stands atop the mountain, possesses only a small amount of it. With the appearance of the six blood lotuses, he has almost reached his limit.

The six blood lotuses entered his body, nourishing both his physical body and soul.

"Grandmaster, please stop!"

Shi Daohan shouted, not wanting to see the ancestor die because of him.

"The Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine. This one, which has been omitted, represents the hope, vitality, and miracles that the Great Dao left for countless beings in all the heavens and myriad realms!"

"Today, I, this old Taoist priest, will fight for your life and clearly tell Heaven that the person I want to protect cannot be killed!"

The old Taoist gritted his teeth, and the seventh blood lotus bloomed. He wanted to use his own spiritual essence to cleanse Shi Daohan of the karmic consequences on his body and defy fate.

This is a self-sacrificing act; once the vital essence of his spirit is exhausted, he will most likely cease to exist.

"Look, the character 'Heavenly Punishment' has dimmed!"

The Heavenly Dao character [诛], flowing like blood, gradually dimmed and was about to return to nothingness.

Shi Daohan was finally able to move. She stumbled and rushed over, trying to get to the old Taoist priest. But no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't get close to the person who was right in front of her. It was as if there was a world between them.

"Senior, my life is worthless, you really don't have to do this," Shi Daohan cried out.

"No, you're worth it. Your life is more valuable than anyone else's! With you here, our Shu Mountain will surely prosper in the future!"

"I have lived a muddled life without any achievements to speak of. I have failed the school that nurtured me and... failed the person I promised my life to."

"My life is pretty much over, but you are different. Your talent and aptitude surpass many of the sages and worthies of the past. With a young man like you, how can Mount Shu not prosper?"

"I should have died long ago. To be able to stand up for myself before I die, to confront the supreme Heavenly Dao once, is a glorious end, isn't it? I dare not hope to be remembered in the ancient history of the human race, but my name, Jin Yangjun, will surely be recorded in the history books of Shu Mountain. This deal was worth it!"

After saying this, the seventh and eighth blood lotuses bloomed, and the old Taoist was surrounded by an aura of death, his life force extremely weak, and he was about to reach the end of his life.

"Pop"

The ninth blood lotus bloomed, and the Heavenly Dao [Execution] character was separated from the old Taoist's innate phenomenon, hanging in mid-air. Part of its cause and effect was severed, but unfortunately, it could not be completely erased in the end.

The old Taoist priest had exhausted his spiritual essence and blood, and after a lifetime of arduous cultivation, he had only managed to produce nine blood lotuses.

"boom"

This peaceful and serene place suddenly trembled, the old Taoist's hand froze in mid-air, and finally fell limply onto the guqin, producing a jumble of sounds.

He hung his head, motionless, his whole body lifeless, without a trace of life.

"Grandmaster!"

The people of Shushan cried out in grief, unable to accept such an outcome.

The old Taoist's innate extraordinary signs were fading, and the noise and clamor of the outside world were entering, making this pure land no longer peaceful and tranquil.

"Has the fifteenth prince passed away?"

"After playing the subservient fool his whole life, he finally showed some backbone before he died..."

……

No one could remain unmoved, especially those ancient people who lived in the same era as the old Taoist priest and are still alive today; they all sighed silently.

"Notify everyone in the sect to chant sutras for the fifteenth elder for three months. Anyone who fails to do so will be expelled from the sect!"

At Wuyang Mountain, the newly emerged Supreme Ancestor solemnly instructed the current sect leader.

"Ancestor, we're not from Mount Shu..."

The current leader of Wuyang Mountain spoke, but was interrupted by the patriarch as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Although this ancestor looked frail and old, as if a strong gust of wind could blow him over, he possessed an irresistible majesty.

The sect leader of Wuyang Mountain shuddered and quickly bowed, saying, "This disciple wouldn't dare!"

……

"Grandmaster!"

Shi Daohan cried out and finally lunged at the old Taoist priest, tears streaming down his face.

The old Taoist's eyes were dull and lifeless, and his voice was very weak as he said, "In the end, I failed to defy fate; I was just one step short..."

"Grandmaster, please don't say anything more. I will take responsibility for my own affairs. How am I supposed to return those blood lotuses that you just branded into my body?" Shi Daohan asked anxiously.

The old Taoist shook his head slightly, not answering her question, and murmured, "I'm just one step away from success, but my spiritual essence is exhausted. Anyway, I still have a breath left, so I might as well transfer some of your karmic debt to me."

After saying that, the old Taoist slowly raised a finger, and Shi Daohan was once again frozen in place, unable to move.

"Clang!"

The old Taoist priest struggled to stand up straight and ran his hands across the strings of the ancient jade zither.

This time, the music was no longer melodious like flowing water, but rather intense like the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, resounding throughout the heavens and earth, drowning out all other sounds.

Everyone was astonished. The old Taoist had exhausted his spiritual essence and should have passed away peacefully. Why did he still have such cultivation?

The music was intense and rapid, transforming into tangible blades that pierced through Shi Daohan's body, as if severing something from her.

At the same time, the old Taoist priest was also bound with faintly visible chains.

That's a manifestation of being entangled in karmic causes and effects.

As you can see, the Heavenly Dao character [诛], which had been expelled from the innate phenomenon by the old Taoist and was gradually becoming dim and blurred in the sky, has once again become bright and blood red, and has re-entered this pure land despite the spatial barrier.

However, this time, the killing intent of Heaven was not aimed at Shi Daohan, but at the old Taoist.

The old Taoist priest ignored him and continued playing his zither. All the sounds from the outside world fell silent, and people even forgot to breathe.

There are only two opposing forces of killing and destruction in the world.

The quasi-saint's killing zither music clashed with the killing intent of the Heavenly Dao.

"This is... the Asura's Formation-Breaking Melody?!"

Some people discerned the hidden meaning, realizing what kind of music the old Taoist was playing, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"The Asura Breaking Formation Melody has three parts, each brimming with killing intent. Few have been able to play it throughout history. Given his condition, how can he still play it?"

"You're wrong. The Asura Breaking Formation Melody has no direct relation to cultivation level, but rather to a person's state of mind."

"Indeed, whether one can play the Asura Breaking Formation Melody depends mainly on one's state of mind. However, this fifteenth brother, who has been a coward all his life, actually has the state of mind to play the Asura Breaking Formation Melody. This is quite surprising to me."

Many older people are talking about it, and no one can help but be surprised.

The Asura Breaking Formation Melody is said to have been created by a woman. It is the most murderous piece of music in history. To have the mindset to play this piece, one must have the blood of at least a million lives on one's hands to generate that "I am an Asura" mentality.

How could the old Taoist priest, who had lived a life of humiliation, have such a state of mind?

This is something that everyone is curious about and surprised about.

"Perhaps we have all misjudged the fifteenth prince. He has pretended to be a grandson his whole life, but that doesn't mean he really is a grandson. If he didn't have ruthless methods, how could he stand at the Quasi-Saint realm?" said an ancestor-level figure.

"He kept his true abilities hidden his whole life, only revealing them at the very last moment of his life."

People thought of the old Taoist's life. In order to ascend to the holy position, he acted timidly and hesitantly throughout his life. Wherever he went, he never fought back or talked back.

When his sect faced a great calamity, he hid himself away; when his beloved was in danger, he wisely chose to remain aloof and stand by.

He spent his entire life pretending to be a grandson, enduring all kinds of belittling and ridicule from the world. Although he successfully ascended to the position of quasi-saint, he also left behind too many regrets.

"He has exhausted his spiritual essence and blood, and now he is only holding on by his will. I don't know if he can play the Asura Breaking Formation Melody completely and completely defy fate."

People knew that no matter what the outcome of that night, the old Taoist priest could not live much longer.

However, being able to bring a perfect end to a life full of regrets before death is also a kind of relief.

"Grandmaster..." The people of Shu Mountain wept bitterly.

In the East, many cultivators from various schools of thought were also affected, feeling a slight soreness in their noses and a stinging sensation in their eyes.

Jin Yangjun lived a life of humiliation and resentment, but finally stood up for himself at the very last moment before his life came to an end.

Openly and honestly defying the will of Heaven, he played the Shura Breaking Formation Melody on his zither, unleashing a boundless killing intent that soared to the heavens.

The Asura Breaking Formation Song truly deserves to be called the number one killing song throughout history. The Heavenly Dao [Execution] character slowly dimmed, and it seemed that there was indeed a possibility of being driven away and erased!

Petals, stained with blood, fell one by one. The Shura Breaking Formation Melody was intense and fierce, as if pulling people into an endless Shura purgatory. The killing aura was terrifying and made people tremble with fear. The old Taoist's life force was also getting weaker and weaker, like a withered lamp that could be extinguished at any moment.

Shi Daohan cried out, but his body was firmly fixed to the ground by an invisible force, unable to move at all. Tears welled up in his eyes. This was an unbearable debt of gratitude, which he could never repay in his lifetime!

"Grandmaster, I don't want this!"

Shi Daohan screamed desperately, wanting someone else to die in her place. This was even more painful than being killed outright, and she didn't want such a thing to happen.

But how could she possibly shake the power of a quasi-saint? She could only watch helplessly, unable to change anything.

The will of Heaven to kill was descended, which was almost an unsolvable situation, but the Grandmaster risked his life to change her fate against all odds.

The blood lotus formed from the essence of nine spirits severed the connection between the Heavenly Dao [Execution] character and her, and the Asura Breaking Formation Melody transferred part of the karmic cause and effect, allowing her to die in her place.

"Pop"

In the Pure Land, one after another, the flowers and plants withered. This once vibrant and peaceful Pure Land, like the old Taoist priest, was gradually heading towards the end of its life.

The old Taoist priest was no longer able to support the operation of the innate phenomena, and this pure land was about to collapse and disappear, ceasing to exist.

"call"

A gentle breeze blew, and withered leaves flew wildly across the pristine land, causing all the flowers to wither and lose their vitality in an instant.

Looking around, all was desolate. The spiritual springs and streams had all dried up, creating a scene of lifelessness. All that could be seen was endless desolation and decay.

At this moment, the only light in the Pure Land was the old Taoist's withered body, with yellow leaves falling in front of him, creating a desolate autumn atmosphere.

The Asura Breaking Formation Melody was still playing, seemingly resounding throughout the heavens and myriad realms, causing the Great Dao to roar.

The bloody character "诛" (zhū, meaning "to kill") grew dimmer and dimmer, gradually fading into nothingness. However, it was not completely erased and still locked onto the dying old Taoist priest, slowly sinking downwards, with no external force able to stop it.

(End of this chapter)