Chapter 3754: The Power Of Karma

Yuan Qi was overcome by a cold chill. He was absolutely certain that he had never known the truth about Yuan Tu. But then, who was the Yuan Qi that he had seen in the karmic cycle who had?

That thought caused the man to instinctively turn and look at Lu Yin. The young man might know the answer.

Lu Yin noticed Yuan Qi’s stare, and he looked back to meet the man’s gaze.

Suppressing his anxiety and confusion, Yuan Qi offered a slight bow. “Lord Lu, may I have a word in private?”

Lu Yin did not refuse. After all, everyone else had already dispersed. “What is it?”

Yuan Qi stared intently at Lu Yin. “Regarding the matter with Yuan Tu... I knew nothing about it at all.”

Lu Yin arched a brow. “And yet... you were the one who ordered your clan to eliminate Yuan Tu.”

Yuan Qi nodded. “I saw that, but I was never aware of it.”

Where had he seen the truth? During his time in the Champions’ Stage Purgatory, of course. The power of karma did not discriminate based on a person’s awareness. What had already happened would always remain part of that person’s karmic cycle. Even if another person had taken control of Yuan Qi at that time, he would still be able to see the events quite clearly in the karmic cycles.

Regardless of whether another entity lived within him, the incident had left a deep impression on Yuan Qi. If not, it would not have appeared.

Then again, anyone would be caught off guard by such an event, even if it had not occurred to them personally.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Lord Lu, do you know something?”

Lu Yin shook his head. “I don’t know the details. You’ll have to search for a real answer yourself. But...”

He paused for a moment to think and then said, “The way you were selected to go to the Tianyuan Megaverse was odd.”

Yuan Qi’s eyes flickered as he thought back. “Given the existence of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, the idea that Heavenspire is actually the Lesser Spirit Megaverse clearly isn’t a secret. Rather, the truth should be that Heavenspire has always belonged to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. What I believed to be leverage on the High Seraph was never leverage at all.”

Only at this moment was the truth dawning on the man, and he stared at Lu Yin in disbelief. “The High Seraph deliberately used my ‘discovery’ of the Lesser Spirit Megaverse as leverage against him so that he could exile me to the Tianyuan Megaverse, while also leaving me to believe that I had something on him. All the while...”

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. “I genuinely have no idea what was going through Mo Shang’s mind at that time, but you’re right that Heavenspire isn’t a piece of leverage against him. The only reason why you were forced to stay in the Tianyuan Megaverse for so many years is because you believed that you had to. You were afraid that Mo Shang would silence you if you returned. However, from his perspective, all he needed to do was ensure that you never returned to the Spirit Nidus.

“You’re only a Seraph, so why would he go to such lengths to banish you?”

Yuan Qi showed a bitter smile. It was true that he was just one of the Seven Seraphs. Before learning of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s existence, the Seven Seraphs had stood beneath only the invincible being and the High Seraph, enjoying an exalted and nearly untouchable status. After learning so much more, it appeared that not even the Seven Seraphs were qualified to know about the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. In that case, what about Yuan Qi had prompted the High Seraph to go to such lengths?

Lu Yin carefully observed Yuan Qi. “I would also like to know the answer. Do you want to go back into the Champions’ Stage Purgatory and revisit the past?”

Yuan Qi blanched. “There’s no need for that. I’ll review all of my memories. If I find any holes, we’ll talk.”

Lu Yin did not press the matter. Even if there were gaps in Yuan Qi’s memory, what of it? The mastermind behind all that had happened was the High Seraph.

Lu Yin had lost most of his interest in Yuan Qi’s past. The truth would eventually be revealed. Given that Lu Yin could already ignore the High Seraph, why should he worry about why the man had schemed against Yuan Qi?

Lu Yin’s eyes blazed with excitement. He... no longer needed to fear the High Seraph.

The High Seraph was truly powerful, but so was Lu Yin.

The massive boost that his Karmic Dao had received had granted him unimaginable power: the ability to create karma.

Karma was a matter of cause leading to an effect. The connection could be seen, understood, and even severed. However, no one had ever heard of someone creating karma.

Say that a man picked up a stone, threw it, and killed an ant; this entire sequence of events was karma. The man might believe that he had created the karma, as the events were a product of his will, but that was wrong. The moment that the man formed the intention to pick up a stone, karma had already existed. The man was not the creator of karma, but merely its executor.

All things existed in a state of mutual generation and restraint. That was how life was born, as well as all of life’s experiences with karma.

Lu Yin had no idea if the omniverse’s karma had been written long ago, but he did know that his Karmic Dao allowed him to weave karma.

That was the power that his Investiture of the Gods had gained.

When he had first felt this new power, Lu Yin had been stunned stiff for a long time. He had needed a while to regain his bearings.

According to his understanding of things, if it was possible to weave karma, then such power must only belong to Immortals. It should be far out of reach for a mere Progenitor like Lu Yin, who had not even comprehended sequence particles yet.

Even if his power of karma matched the strength of a peak Dukkhan, such an ability should still be impossible.

Since Lu Yin was capable of weaving karma, did that mean that Greater Sancte Green Lotus was capable of doing much more?

He did not dwell on that question. Since he was capable of weaving karma, he needed to test it out.

Lu Yin released his Karmic Dao, and in an instant, all of

Boundless

was enveloped.

The people aboard the ship were struck by a sudden chill, but when they looked up at the sky, they saw nothing at all.

Only those at Lu Tianyi’s level understood that Lu Yin had released his power of karma.

Lu Yin looked across

Boundless

and then focused on Cai Keqing.

The woman had stayed on

Boundless

for a very long time, and she had never once asked to leave. She had remained there, quiet and composed.

As Lu Yin looked at her, the Wordless Heavenly Book in his inner universe started to release a soft glow. The light shone across the inner universe and connected to the Investiture of the Gods. As that happened, images started to appear on the Investiture of the Gods. They were scenes from throughout Cai Keqing’s entire life. As those images appeared, the Karmic Dao started to shrink. Lu Yin’s expression changed, and he quickly looked away.

In a corner of

Boundless

, Cai Keqing frowned and glanced around in bewilderment. She could feel that someone had been watching her. The sensation of being seen through was unmistakable.

As his Karmic Dao dispersed, Lu Yin let out a breath. He was quite pleased but also resigned.

It was indeed possible for him to weave karma. Cai Keqing’s entire life had appeared on the Investiture of the Gods. When that happened, Lu Yin had been able to add a thread of karma to her life experiences. The consequences of that thread depended on how much of his Karmic Dao’s energy was used, as well as Lu Yin’s own strength.

He had just attempted to create a thread of karma that would result in him being seen as Cai Keqing’s benefactor, thereby altering her perception of him.

Success would have caused Cai Keqing to develop an unshakable belief that Lu Yin was her savior and therefore feel boundless gratitude towards him. However, the woman was a sequence powerhouse, which meant that her cultivation level surpassed Lu Yin’s. Because of that discrepancy, the karmic cost of such an alteration was enormous, to the point where Lu Yin had been forced to stop. Even simply viewing the woman’s life on the Investiture of the Gods had consumed a massive amount of karma.

He had only been testing things, so there was no need to expend so much energy.

Lu Yin looked down at his hands. He really could weave karma. The feeling of being omnipotent was intoxicating.

Was this what it felt like to control everything? If the day came when his Karmic Dao covered the entire omniverse, would he be able to determine the fates of all creatures within it?

He could alter another’s perception of him, just like that. Such power was terrifying. He looked up at the stars. If he could weave others’ karma, then... had someone else rewritten his own?

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

If the omniverse’s karma had truly been written long ago, then what kind of being could have done that?

The more he thought about the matter, the deeper into space his gaze pierced.

In the past, he had feared his enemies. As time passed, he feared the sky above him and reality itself.

...

Within the Willbound Expanse, Yue Ya’s voice rang out. “Chao Yi, you weren’t sent here by the Grand Master of Deathmound, were you?”

Chao Yi calmly answered, “I’m here at the Grand Master’s order.”

“If the Grand Master sent you, then why has Greater Sancte Green Lotus arrived?” Yanbo Haomiao demanded. Fear flickered in his eyes. He actually hoped that Chao Yi was telling the truth. After all, there was a chance of surviving Chao Yi, but if Greater Sancte Green Lotus had arrived... then not even Yue Ya would survive, let alone Yanbo Haomiao.

Yue Ya was also completely focused on Chao Yi.

The man merely glanced at Yanbo Haomiao. “That has nothing to do with me.”

Yanbo Haomiao clenched his teeth.

This bastard! I should have killed him myself back then. That fool Yanbo Shu’s failure has forced my Ruler Garden to endure mounting pressure over the years, until we had no choice but to make one last, desperate gamble on Yue Ya.

“What is your grudge against my Ruler Garden?” Yanbo Hongli demanded. Her eyes remained locked on Chao Yi, her bloodlust overflowing.

Chao Yi coldly replied, “The most common of hatreds that can spark vengeance in the world of cultivators.”

“Then why did you drag my parents into it?” Yanbo Hongli screamed in rage.

Chao Yi looked at her. “Lawbreakers are to be executed without mercy.”

“

We

broke the law! My parents never left the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.”

“Ruler Garden is to be executed without mercy.”

“I’ll kill you,” Yanbo Hongli growled through clenched teeth.

Chao Yi remained completely unfazed. Ruler Garden was already done for, and the Yanbo clan would vanish forever. With that, so would his hatred.

He would have his vengeance, but what about the others in Deathmound?

Most who joined Deathmound carried deep and bitter grudges, just the same as Chao Yi. The lucky ones were able to settle their grudges, while the unlucky... could only wait.

Deathmound’s Grand Master had sent Chao Yi to destroy Ruler Garden precisely because they were the targets of his hatred.

This was the rare privilege that Deathmound gave to its members. However, if Ruler Garden had not broken the law, then no one would have been allowed to act against them, and Chao Yi would have had no choice but to simply wait.

...

On

Boundless

, Lu Yin stood in front of Meng Sang.

For Lu Yin, it had been decades since the Spirit Nidus had invaded the Tianyuan Megaverse. Of those invaders, he had killed Bao Qi, Palace Master Yao had become his maid, and both Yi Shang and Meng Sang had been captured.

Who could have imagined that the future would turn out so differently?

Lu Yin could still remember the determination to march to his death that he had felt upon stepping onto

Boundless

to leave for the Spirit Nidus.

Everything had changed since that day.

“I’m curious,” Lu Yin spoke slowly. “What happened while you were with Yong Heng?”

Meng Sang answered in a low voice, “Nothing special. I merely helped him reach the Spirit Nidus and then protected him until he recovered his strength.”

“During that time, you should have been able to overpower him, no?”

“His methods far exceed what you can imagine.”

Lu Yin nodded in agreement. “Such as...?”

Meng Sang met Lu Yin’s eyes. “I can’t describe it.”

“Then I’ll just take a look for myself.” Lu Yin prepared to use his Karmic Dao, but then he suddenly froze. He remembered the karmic backlash that he had suffered when he had tried to investigate Yong Heng last time due to the strange hand that had appeared above his head. He was struck by a sudden chill that forced him to stop.

Meng Sang was not Yong Heng, so Lu Yin should have been fine observing his karma, but the two men’s karmic threads were clearly connected.

Lu Yin hesitated another moment, and then a spiral of karma spun around his fingertip as he pointed it forward. The karma swirled about before piercing into Meng Sang.

Lu Yin’s Karmic Dao could bring about unfathomable results, but Lu Yin had merely used a spiral of karma. Even if there was backlash, he was not targeting Yong Heng, and it should not be severe.

Lu Yin believed that he could endure that much karmic backlash.

But there was no backlash at all as Lu Yin started to see fragments of Meng Sang’s past.

He released more karma and observed one scene after another. Suddenly, Lu Yin froze. He stared intently at the image that had emerged from Meng Sang’s karma.

No way... her?

From the Karmic Lines that had appeared from Meng Sang, Lu Yin had managed to witness all manner of astonishing scenes. Arrow God, who was believed to have perished at the Immemorial Citadel, somehow still lived. Feng Bo, whom Lu Yin had also assumed dead, was also still alive.