Karmic Backlash

"Heaven-Shaking Six Forms!" "Brushstroke to Stun the Gods!" "Pill Fire Conflagration!" "Thunder-Listening Talisman!" Vast magical energy surged and coiled high in the sky. The disciples who had rushed over to watch the battle stopped in their tracks and raised their heads. Beholding the four elders displaying their respective divine abilities and unleashing splendid magical techniques, they were filled with awe. "The elders have made their move!" "So these are the elders' moves! Incredible!" "There's still such a huge gap. Even if I can occasionally boost myself to peak Body Integration, I still couldn't unleash a spell of this caliber!" a senior brother at the Void Refining stage marveled. Tao Yao watched without blinking, trying to etch every technique into her memory. These were all prime materials that could be used directly in the Dream Bubble. *No, when using them in the Dream Bubble, I'll need to make some adjustments. I can't go exposing the elders' trump cards to outsiders!* Tao Yao grew vigilant. Boom—! The four spells condensed into a single mass and crashed straight down upon Qiu Jin'an and Old Ba. Qiu Jin'an shattered his Five-Colored Light Wheel, freeing the Five-Colored Divine Light from the constraints of the wheel's form so it shrouded his head, withstanding the wild barrage. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you aiming at Qiu Jin'an or what?!" Old Ba was blasted until he was covered in soot and grime, looking like someone who had just survived a lightning tribulation. "Apologies, Second Senior Brother! Attacks don't have eyes!" Seventh Elder called out with a hint of remorse in his voice. Old Ba flared up in fury. "Bullshit! You're practically giggling out loud!" Seventh Elder turned a deaf ear and continued raining down spells. Seeing the situation turning south, Qiu Jin'an detonated his Five-Colored Divine Light in midair and fled amid the chaos. Seeing Qiu Jin'an successfully flee the battlefield and run in his direction, the river spirit sighed with lingering excitement, then retreated into the river. "That kid from the Five Elements Sect is good in every way; he just lacks a bit of desperate grit." Seeing Qiu Jin'an take to his heels, Third Elder put his hands on his hips and shouted after him, "Old Qiu, next time you won't get off so—" His threat cut off halfway through, his mouth moving silently without making a sound. He turned his head to look, and sure enough, it was Sixth Elder. "Junior Sister, could you not show up while I'm talking next time?" Sixth Elder was breathtakingly gorgeous. The moment she appeared, no one dared to utter a word. Seeing her face cold as frost, Third Elder was scared into instant silence. She had been awakened by Third Elder's roar and was currently in a thoroughly foul mood. Sixth Elder sent a transmission to her senior and junior martial brothers, her tone unkind: "Are you done making a racket? If you're done, I'm going back to sleep." She felt that not a single day went by peacefully with her martial brothers around. Couldn't they learn from the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace and be quiet for once? ... Qiu Jin'an rushed back toward the Five Elements Sect as fast as he could. He had escaped the Dao Seeking Sect, but the backlash from the Bachelor Curse Fist remained unresolved. He needed to find someone to help. *Once I resolve my backlash, I'll help that Meng kid resolve his.* Qiu Jin'an parted the clouds and mist. A mountain range severing the north and south stretched out before his eyes. This was the Five Elements Spirit Vein, the very foundation of the Five Elements Sect. Lands of five different colors surrounded the mountain range like stars clustering around a moon. Upon closer inspection, one would find that it wasn't the Five-Colored Earth that encircled the mountain range; rather, the Five-Colored Earth had pressed against each other, and the upthrust section had formed the Five Elements Spirit Vein. According to the records, the Five-Colored Earth originated from five different ancient planets. The Ancient Nameless One had refined the stars, and five planets of different elemental attributes had transformed into continents and collided together. ... "Lu Yang, are you there? Help me out!" After the battle ended, Meng Jingzhou rushed up Tianmen Peak in the dead of night to seek Lu Yang's help. "I'm right here." Lu Yang's voice sounded from behind Meng Jingzhou. He was holding a dozen or so grilled skewers, eating happily, having just returned to Tianmen Peak. "What happened just now? Why did Sect Master Qiu attack?" Lu Yang kindly shared half of his skewers with Meng Jingzhou. After all, it was from his own business anyway. Meng Jingzhou let out a resentful sigh. "Just now, Sect Master Qiu secretly tracked me down in the middle of the night and asked if I knew the Bachelor Curse Fist. I said yes, so he took control of my body and tried to throw two punches at Old Ba." Lu Yang recalled Old Ba's twilight romance. A few days ago, when he went to the Herb Garden to eat dirt, Old Ba had asked him what girls liked best. The Immortal Fairy had said girls liked being praised for being smart and beautiful, and he had relayed her exact words. "Did Sect Master Qiu succeed?" Meng Jingzhou made a face like he was constipated. "No. It backfired." "...My condolences." Lu Yang remembered the late-arriving Sixth Elder. Sixth Elder and Sect Master Qiu hadn't crossed paths—that was probably the backlash at work. Lu Yang patted Meng Jingzhou on the shoulder, hoping he would mourn and accept reality. Wasn't it just severing karmic ties with women and never being able to see a woman again? You have a Bachelor Spiritual Root anyway—what are you afraid of? Meng Jingzhou fumed, "Condolences my ass! What's wrong with having a Bachelor Spiritual Root? Even a eunuch can go to a brothel! Right now, I don't even have the right to step into a brothel!" "Didn't they say the backlash will disappear after some time?" Lu Yang asked out of curiosity. "The problem is that nobody knows how long 'some time' actually is! Is Eldest Senior Sister around? I can only ask her for help." "Oh, Eldest Senior Sister had some business to attend to and left a few days ago." "Where did she go?" "Do I look like someone who dares to ask about Eldest Senior Sister's itinerary?" "Fair point." "Wait, could me not being able to see Eldest Senior Sister also be part of the backlash?" Lu Yang thought about it and realized it was entirely possible. He asked the Immortal Fairy if this was part of the backlash, since karma was ethereal and unpredictable. The Immortal Fairy looked at Lu Yang as if he were an idiot. "This Immortal is standing right in front of the Meng kid. Do you see me being affected by any backlash? The level of karmic backlash on the Meng kid isn't low, but trying to affect this Immortal is nothing but a pipe dream." "Then Fairy, do you have a way to help Old Meng break the karmic backlash?" The Immortal Fairy pondered seriously for a moment and came up with a solution: "This Immortal has never been familiar with karma, but there is still a way." "Please enlighten us, Fairy." "The Meng kid can unleash the Bachelor Curse Fist and punch himself! The prerequisite for the fist technique to work is that he must be able to suppress his opponent. Now, the opponent is himself! In this way, the effects of the Bachelor Curse Fist will become total chaos, thereby potentially breaking through the karmic backlash!" Lu Yang: "..." "Fairy, are you sure Old Meng won't punch himself and end up truly single for the rest of his life?" "Oh, come on, what method in this world is completely without risk? Everything carries risk." Lu Yang felt there was no need to mention the Fairy's method and add to Old Meng's misery. "Since Eldest Senior Sister isn't here, why don't we consult the elders?" Lu Yang mentally counted the Dao Seeking Sect's members. With Eldest Senior Sister away and the Fairy unreliable, the most dependable people in the sect were the elders. They were all wisened old masters at the Body Integration stage; they should have a solution. "That works too." Meng Jingzhou couldn't think of any other way for the moment. Lu Yang told Meng Jingzhou to wait on Tianmen Peak while he went to invite the elders over. Once the elders had all arrived, Meng Jingzhou suffered a cultivation mishap. Howling in agony, he rolled around until he plunged headfirst into a mountain ravine, completely disappearing from sight. "That shouldn't be. I told him to wait right here. Where did Old Meng go?" Lu Yang scratched his head, perplexed. The elders kindly helped search for Meng Jingzhou, but none of them could find him. Suddenly, realization struck Lu Yang, and he turned his gaze toward Sixth Elder. "Sixth Elder, could I trouble you to head back?" Sixth Elder also realized the reason. With an odd expression, she nodded and returned. As soon as Sixth Elder left, Meng Jingzhou's pain vanished. He scrambled up from the ravine, twigs tangled in his hair, looking thoroughly disheveled, and only then was he found by everyone. Lu Yang secretly sighed. From the look of things, this karmic backlash was severe indeed. Old Meng wouldn't be seeing any women anytime soon.