True Monarch Xuanyue said, "Release your Yin-Yang Dao Foundation and let me have a look."
With a shift of Wei Yuan's intent, Maiden Yin-Yang appeared. After examining her closely, True Monarch Xuanyue nodded, and Wei Yuan put her away once more.
True Monarch Xuanyue mused, "This puppet has already approached the Dao. Truly, she is a supreme stroke of fortune in this world. Were it not for someone blessed with your karmic luck, no ordinary person could ever bear her weight. Even if this old Daoist had acquired her, I would most likely have met a violent death.
"Fortunately, after the Karma Great Curse, your karmic ties with the Shamans regarding her have been wiped clean. You need not fear the Shamans coming to seek revenge because of her in the future. Moreover, she feeds on karmic luck to act. Though the consumption is vast, it also carries benefits: unless facing an Immortal in person, others can hardly discern her origins. With her by your side, you will have an extra measure of protection as you walk the world.
"However, the condition of the person you wounded is rather strange. Within this blood lies a severed soul of his—seemingly independent, yet not entirely so. This situation resembles a bamboo grove: each stalk appears to be a solitary bamboo, but beneath the earth, they all share a single root. When it comes to matters of souls and karmic luck, I cannot explain them clearly either. It would be best for you to show it to Yanshi."
Wei Yuan had brought the true blood back to the mountain gate specifically to investigate the assassin's background. If his perception back in the Arhat Secret Realm had not deceived him, then the power and backing behind these people was profound in the extreme—perhaps rivaling that of immortal sects.
Since even True Monarch Xuanyue could not determine their origins, Wei Yuan headed straight for True Monarch Yanshi's current residence.
When Wei Yuan entered the room, he saw True Monarch Yanshi with his left arm bared, winding bandages around it layer by layer.
Shimmering with multicolored light, the bandage was remarkably woven from the silk spun by five-colored dark silkworms. Just this length of bandage alone was worth more than True Monarch Xuanyue's entire outfit.
True Monarch Yanshi had long sensed Wei Yuan's arrival. As he meticulously wrapped the bandage, he said, "Sit. There is tea on the side table that can elevate the spirituality of your dharma idol. Pour yourself a cup."
Wei Yuan complied and took a seat. He poured a cup of tea and downed it in one gulp. Instantly, a misty spiritual rain began to fall within his dharma idol. All the spiritual flora rejoiced, and the crops tended by mortals visibly surged upward by a large stride. The spirituality of every mortal also saw an increase.
Wei Yuan felt a touch of regret. Had Cui Yu and the others also been within Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, they surely would have benefited immensely.
After finishing one cup, though three or four cups' worth remained in the pot, Wei Yuan set down the teacup.
True Monarch Yanshi finally finished bandaging his wound and said, "I took a bite from the Northern Liao Lesser State Preceptor's dog. A bit troublesome, really. What brings you to see me this time?"
Although the Lesser State Preceptor of Northern Liao ranked lowest among the several State Preceptors in cultivation, he was nonetheless an Immortal Monarch of the Unity realm. Moreover, he was remarkably young and possessed spells of immense power. For True Monarch Yanshi to fight him and sustain only this slight injury was truly terrifying in its own right. Still, fighting Unity with Scenery Command could not be a permanent solution.
Wei Yuan could not help asking, "Are the Palace Master's injuries truly that severe?"
Yanshi replied, "Until one ascends the immortal peak, one remains an ant. Even I, for the most part, contend on the mortal plane. But when Immortals clash, they vie over destiny and reincarnation; at an even higher level, they contest across past, present, and future. So what state the Palace Master's injuries are in, none of us know unless the venerable elder speaks of it."
This matter was far too distant for Wei Yuan, and it was also the foremost secret of the Palace of Grand Beginning. That Yanshi was willing to reveal this much was only because he held Wei Yuan in very high regard.
Wei Yuan retrieved the small pouch of true blood and offered it across. After briefly explaining where it came from, he said, "The Patriarch felt there was something wrong with this true blood, but could not determine what the issue was. Thus, he wished for you to take a look."
True Monarch Yanshi opened the pouch, took out a bead of true blood, and examined it closely before applying force with his fingers, crushing it to powder. From the fragments rose a thread of dark shadow, emanating an exceptionally pure aura of rage.
This aura suddenly swelled and transformed into a young boy with jade-fair skin and ruby lips over pearly white teeth. He appeared only five or six years old, with a chubby, adorable face. Yet his eyes were frigid and emotionless, and the gaze he cast around him bore an unmistakable, lofty arrogance.
The boy suddenly turned to Wei Yuan and barked, "Vile creature! Having committed such an egregious crime, how dare you appear before me? Return to the mountain with me at once to endure the torment of flaying and soul-refining, and you may yet be spared a sliver of your soul!"
With that, he reached out a little hand, clutching downward straight at the crown of Wei Yuan's head. That small hand grew upon catching the wind, swelling in an instant into a giant hand over a zhang across.
True Monarch Yanshi lightly flicked a finger, arresting the boy's hand in midair. But savagery flared in the child's eyes, and he shrieked, "Allowing you to return to the mountain to atone for your crimes was already an act of exceptional grace! How dare you resist?!
"Good, good, good! I will surely report this to the Grand Patriarch! Every single person you care about will suffer sudden disaster and meet a gruesome death! That woman named Ji was only the first—"
True Monarch Yanshi gently pressed his hand forward, and the boy froze in place, like an image paused in time.
True Monarch Yanshi let out a chuckle and said slowly, "Another move upon the board by some immortal or buddha! This is nothing more than a watchdog belonging to some high-and-mighty figure in the heavens. It's just that the faces of certain dogs are truly repulsive."
Wei Yuan felt deep resonance and agreed, "Borrowing another's power to throw their weight around—given a sliver of petty authority, they spend every waking moment plotting how to make life difficult for others. I truly cannot fathom why those immortals and buddhas would employ such creatures."
True Monarch Yanshi said blandly, "Some immortals and buddhas are hardly any better themselves."
"Just now he mentioned a woman named Ji. Could he have meant Eldest Senior Sister?"
A flash of murderous intent crossed True Monarch Yanshi's face. "He meant Liuli. I wondered why Liuli's dao heart would suddenly develop problems; so this was the root of it."
True Monarch Yanshi suddenly flicked out a blossom of flame, instantly igniting the boy formed of black qi! The boy shrieked in agony, his chubby face contorting. He screamed, attempting to spew some venomous curse, but before he could finish speaking, he was incinerated into flying ash.
Wei Yuan had not expected True Monarch Yanshi to act without the slightest hesitation, showing zero mercy by refining away a wisp of the other party's severed soul. This was a permanent injury that would demand an exorbitant price to restore.
True Monarch Yanshi waved away the airborne ashes and said indifferently, "Daring to lay a hand on my disciple—naturally, this seat will make him pay the price! I have traded blows even with a State Preceptor of the Liao Clan; would I fear a watchdog of some immortal or buddha? It is a pity only that I learned of this a bit late. Otherwise, I would surely have captured him and refined him into a primer for a karmic luck formation, letting him learn what it means when misfortune traces back to a previous life!"
Wei Yuan was instantly overcome with boundless admiration. True Monarch Yanshi was truly particular about revenge; not only did he avenge slights in this life, he settled debts from previous lives as well!
Still, if the two sides already had enmity in a past life, that was one thing, but what if they had none?
Just as Wei Yuan was pondering this question, True Monarch Yanshi took out an array disc, laid out a formation, and silently performed deductions for a moment. Then he said to Wei Yuan, "The other party manifested by drawing upon the power of karma to speak with you. This is an exceedingly profound application of karma, one that even I cannot match. How did you come to be tainted with this karma? Tell me all about it."
Facing True Monarch Yanshi, Wei Yuan held little back. He recounted the events of his trip to the Arhat True Blood Secret Realm in detail, omitting only the part in the darkness where he and Consort Yuan went from stillness back to vigorous motion, leaving him drained dry like spent medicinal dregs.
Chapter 458