Wei Yuan stood atop the peak, facing the Heavenly Eye directly.
He quietly calculated the foundation strength of his Dao Foundation, feeling that he might have a sliver of hope to survive the first wave of the strike.
A Karma Great Curse was equivalent to a Heavenly Shaman striking across space, but not just once. However, Wei Yuan dared not take any chances; using his concealment arts, he had already quietly planted the White Lotus of the Defiled Earth in Zhang Sheng's courtyard. When the crucial moment came, it should be able to save Zhang Sheng's life once more. Zhang Sheng already had the Yin-Yang Reversal Pendant upon him, which could avert one calamity. If he could be granted two surrogate deaths, he might be able to survive this catastrophe.
This was all Wei Yuan could do. It was just that back then, the white lotus had been obtained through everyone's collective efforts, and the agreement had been to distribute it after it matured. Now that Wei Yuan had taken it upon himself to give it to Zhang Sheng, he felt somewhat ashamed.
Yet Wei Yuan had thick skin. He reasoned that once he was dead and gone, the others probably wouldn't fuss over such a small matter. Even if they did, he wouldn't know anyway. By now, the Heavenly Eye had opened, beginning to scrutinize the karma of past, present, and future; the final moment had arrived.
Wei Yuan's mind grew tranquil. For some inexplicable reason, he began to recall the regrets of his life. He had never expected that before death, these were the things he would actually think about.
The firmament began to ripple with surging waves, like an overturned sea of blood. From the raging swell, drops of thick blood dripped down. With every drop that fell, several hundred or even a thousand people in the domain died mysteriously!
Deep within Wei Yuan's pupils, yin and yang manifested. His vision shifted, revealing countless threads of karma. Countless people in the domain were entangled in karma with him, and those with the heaviest entanglements were the ones who had contributed karmic luck to him. The first to die were all ordinary mortals; their karma was heavy, and they were fragile by nature.
The crimson curse power spread along thread after thread of karma, extinguishing blossom after blossom of the fire of life.
Wei Yuan's vitality was like a water bottle whose lid had been opened, draining away rapidly, annihilated by the curse power. At once, he felt entirely powerless, his consciousness dazed and heavy.
The Heavenly Eye finally turned its gaze upon Wei Yuan. Within the pupil representing the past, Maiden Yin-Yang appeared; the present showed the Wei Yuan of this very moment; while the future was complete nothingness! Suddenly, the Wei Yuan in the pupil of the present began to burn. Pale flames instantly engulfed his entire body, and at the same time, began to blaze outward along the countless threads of karma.
At the borders of Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, pale flames ignited, and vast swathes of land were rapidly reduced to flying ash.
Wei Yuan looked down at his own hands. Pale fire had already ignited on his fingers as well, the tips turning to white calamity ash, drifting away bit by bit.
With a long cry, Wei Yuan flew into the sky. Pointing toward the enormous Heavenly Eye aloft, countless immortal swords and flames burst forth, surging toward the eye like a torrent. The stream of light was endless, the immortal swords numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands!
By now, countless gazes had crossed millions of li to focus upon this place.
Above Hanyang Pass, several Xu family dharma idol elders looked toward this direction from afar, their faces completely changing. The might of that torrent, gathered from countless trash Dao Foundations, was actually this terrifying! They estimated that if they stood in its path, they likely wouldn't last even a moment. Without anyone realizing it, had Wei Yuan already grown to such a stage?
Fortunately, a Heavenly Shaman of the Shamans had launched an unexpected assault. No one could escape under the Karma Great Curse. The moment the torrent surged forth, pale fire caught onto it, and halfway to its target, it was burned to utter cinders.
In the blink of an eye, the torrent was consumed. Flawless Transmigration appeared in Wei Yuan's hands. A speck of twilight yellow lit up the tip of the spear, and carrying all of Qingming with it, he thrust upward toward the sky! The twilight yellow on the spearhead also caught pale fire, only this time, it burned somewhat slower.
The Karma Great Curse was driven by a Heavenly Shaman, while Wei Yuan's Dusk of the Immortal Path gathered the strength of all living beings. In this clash, heaven and earth still held the upper hand. Seeing this scene, countless high-level cultivators all around sighed in their hearts. The higher one cultivated, the more one understood the ruthlessness and impermanence of heaven and earth.
Like a retrograde meteor, Wei Yuan charged toward the Heavenly Eye at full speed. The twilight yellow on the spear tip rapidly dimmed, ultimately vanishing. Qingming's accumulation was simply insufficient; human effort was bound by limits.
Yet with the last wisp of Dao power remaining to him, Wei Yuan pushed forward. A burst of flame suddenly erupted from the muzzle, and a bullet shot out, flying toward the Heavenly Eye in the sky! The bullet itself carried no Dao power, no miraculous properties. Although it too ignited with pale fire, it touched the Heavenly Eye right before burning away completely!
Though Wei Yuan was merely at Dao Foundation, though he was utterly insignificant, he had still defied the heavens and struck the Heavenly Eye once. Even if this strike dealt only an imperceptible sliver of damage, it had still landed.
Wei Yuan would never sit idly by and wait for death.
After that single shot, his whole body ablaze with fire, Wei Yuan plummeted from the sky like a burning meteor—a life brief yet brilliant.
In the medicine garden, Old Daoist Chuhe patted out the pale fire on his body. Patting his chest, he said with the relief of a survivor, "Good thing this old Daoist is blessed with great fortune and my entanglements weren't deep..."
However, glancing at the burning, falling Wei Yuan, he tapped the empty air before him, plucking a speck of pale fire from nothingness. The spark quickly spread over his entire body. The old Daoist's face twitched, clearly in immense agony.
A cat and a snake, which had already fled far away, suddenly appeared, coiling before the old Daoist to endure the agony of the pale fire burning their bodies alongside him.
In the Western Jin royal capital, the King of Jin suddenly rushed out of his study, gazing at the dark red sky with shock and fury. He could clearly sense the Western Jin's state fortune rapidly dissipating. Only after a long while did he squeeze two words from his mouth: "The Shamans!"
The King of Jin summoned Zhao Tong and swiftly issued a string of imperial edicts, ordering all Imperial Guards to cancel their leaves and return to camp on high alert. Every key military redoubt was placed on full alert; not a single soldier was permitted to leave their camp, on pain of being treated as insubordinate.
Cold sweat poured down Zhao Tong's forehead as his brush flew across the paper. Once the King of Jin affixed his seal, he took the edicts and flew off at top speed.
The King of Jin's expression shifted unpredictably. With the state fortune abruptly plunging to such a degree, those who harbored treacherous ambitions might make their move. The urgent priority was to ensure the capital remained secure. Pondering for a moment, he suddenly commanded, "Prepare the carriage. We go to Chunhua Hall."
Inside Chunhua Hall, Consort Yuan's face was deathly pale. Clutching her lower abdomen, she was too weak to stand. Only through immense willpower did she hold back from crying out. Her two handmaidens were panicked; though they possessed cultivation, they were powerless at this moment.
Struggling, Consort Yuan smashed a vase and retrieved a pill red as blood from within. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to swallow it. But just as the pill reached her lips, a hand snatched it away.
Consort Yuan looked up to see a green-eyed woman with a shaven head. Placing her hand on Consort Yuan's lower abdomen, the woman drew out a small pale flame. With the pale fire extracted, Consort Yuan's aura swiftly stabilized. Her own cultivation was profound; circulating her magic power, she drew back her sweat and dispelled all abnormalities on her body.
The green-eyed woman was already walking outward. The two handmaidens instinctively stepped back, not daring to stop her. Toward her retreating back, Consort Yuan called out, "Why are you helping me?"
The green-eyed woman said, "Just placing a casual chess piece, forming a good karmic tie."
She stepped out of the hall and vanished. Right then, a supervising eunuch outside called out loudly, "His Majesty arrives!"
Just as the eunuch's voice rose, the King of Jin stepped into the hall, only to see shattered porcelain scattered across the floor. Consort Yuan was holding the cat, making a show of scolding it. Seeing her looking normal, full of vibrant vitality, the King of Jin felt an inexplicable sense of delight. "What is this about?"
Pouting, Consort Yuan said angrily, "This naughty cat broke my favorite vase! If I don't teach it a lesson, who knows how many more treasures will suffer!"
The King of Jin laughed heartily. "Just a vase! In a bit, I'll have the one from my study brought over for you!"
After chatting for a few moments, the King of Jin left Chunhua Hall and returned to his imperial study.
Upon returning to the study, the King of Jin said to Liu Quangong, who stood in attendance, "Everyone claims Wei Yuan is part of the consort clan, but seeing this today, I realize he has nothing to do with the consort kin at all."
Liu Quangong replied, "A solitary minister who forms no factions—how rare!"
The King of Jin sighed, speaking slowly, "Still, none of that matters now. There won't be a Wei Yuan in the future."
"Shall we simply let the state fortune be consumed like this?" Liu Quangong asked.
Self-deprecatingly, the King of Jin said, "What else can I do? Among those immortals, with which one do I have any sway?"
***
In Ganzhou.
Beside a small lake of exquisite scenery, a youth was fishing. He suddenly turned his head, gazing westward. At that moment, an elder with entirely grey hair and beard hurried over, bowing in greeting. "The family head asks whether we should intervene."
The youth raised an eyebrow. Killing intent surged, yet slowly receded. "If that old ghost Xu can hold back without acting, we won't move either."
***
Palace of Grand Beginning, Sky Azure Hall.
True Monarch Xuanyue's eyes snapped open. Reaching into the void before him, he slowly dragged out a blossom of pale fire. Though the flame was only a tiny cluster, True Monarch Xuanyue appeared under immense strain, his beard and brows trembling.
Folding his fingers closed one by one, he clenched the pale fire in his hand. Inside the hall, myriad worlds and shifting seas and lands manifested in rapid succession. The karmic luck accumulated in the entire Sky Azure Hall over a thousand years poured into True Monarch Xuanyue's hand like a torrential flood.
Finally, that spark of pale fire was crushed to extinction in True Monarch Xuanyue's grip—yet the Sky Azure Hall collapsed with a thunderous roar!
Disheveled and covered in dust, True Monarch Xuanyue crawled out from the pile of rubble. Fortunately, not a single disciple had been inside the hall at the time; otherwise, there might well have been casualties.
Between heaven and earth, a voice suddenly resonated: "Acting with such insolence—I, Feng, cannot simply look on!"
Immediately, a sword-light rose from the Sword Palace, sweeping from east to west and crossing millions of li in an instant, slashing toward the Heavenly Eye in the sky!
From the firmament, another gigantic claw reached down, grasping the sword-light in its grip before annihilating together with it. Immediately following, a hoarse, bizarre voice rang out: "If you cannot bear to watch, you may come west to seek me."
Above the firmament, beyond the human domain, several terrifying auras slowly awakened, gazing toward the skies of the human domain's Great Tang. Aside from that single sword-light, there was no further movement.
***
At the Xiao family ancestral manor, Xiaoyu severed the pale fire that had inexplicably ignited upon him with a single sword slash. Within this ancestral ground, he enjoyed the gaze of the immortal ancestor; the might of his single sword was enough to suppress a dharma idol. Quickly swallowing a pill, Xiaoyu rushed out of his room, about to fly westward, only to find Xiao Nian standing before him, blocking his path.
"I..."
Before Xiaoyu could finish, Xiao Nian said, "It is already too late."
Xiaoyu stood frozen in place, the immortal sword slipping from his hand.
***
Bao family, secret grounds.
Inside a hall spanning a hundred zhang, twelve seats were set atop elevated platforms on either side. Most were occupied, with wondrous phenomena appearing intermittently around each figure. Their auras intertwined as they looked down from above at the person kneeling in the center of the hall, which was permeated by a terrifying, oppressive presence.
The central high seat appeared empty, yet a profound, lofty aura lingered there.
Bao Yun lay prostrate in the center of the hall, pleading, "I beg the immortal ancestor to step in and offer some protection! I am willing to obey the family's arrangements henceforth!"
For a long time, no sound came from the throne.
Suddenly, someone on a nearby platform spoke: "The ancient Buddha of the Pure Land says that if you are willing to bear the Akshobhya dharma idol, he can bear this karma on your behalf."
"This..." Bao Yun's body trembled faintly.
Spoken at this moment, these words held deep implications. If she agreed, it would be equivalent to abandoning the Palace of Grand Beginning, abandoning the Bao family, and abandoning her parents and brothers. How could she make such a choice?
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
The hall was deathly silent.
From the central throne came a sigh. "It is already too late."
Too late? Bao Yun looked up blankly.
The voice said, "In truth, even before you walked in, it was already too late."
The numerous True Monarchs on both flanks seemed to have known the outcome all along; they showed neither surprise nor emotion. Wei Yuan's rise had been swift, and his fall just as swift.
Since today had come, he was merely one of the many geniuses who fell before their time. There were far, far too many such people, and they would soon be forgotten.
***
In Qingming, Cui Yu collapsed limply to the ground, pale fire continuously erupting from his body. Fortunately, the newly acquired bestowal of heaven and earth endowed his body with vigorous vitality, relentlessly contending against the pale fire and keeping him from dying immediately.
At that moment, falling from the sky, Wei Yuan suddenly landed in someone's embrace. The sensation was strikingly familiar.
Straining to turn his head, he saw Zhang Sheng's face. Wei Yuan's consciousness was gradually dimming, yet his heart relaxed. His master was still alive even now; that meant his preparations had not been in vain.
To be able to die in his master's arms—this end seemed not bad at all.
Wei Yuan slowly closed his eyes. In an ordinary storybook, things would conclude here.
Yet in the next moment, Wei Yuan saw Zhang Sheng take out a jade pendant and place it upon his chest.
With a crisp snap, the pendant shattered. Wei Yuan's body, which had already begun to fade and dissipate, re-manifested, while most of the pale fire covering him transferred onto Zhang Sheng!
Zhang Sheng set Wei Yuan onto the ground. Seemingly oblivious to the pale fire covering his body, he said placidly, "Even if heaven's will is set, your master refuses to submit. I must have another round with it."
Cloaked in pale fire, Zhang Sheng soared into the sky. Then, he swept out a sword-light connecting heaven and earth, stunning the entire world.
Chapter 354