Chapter 73: Karma, Dragon Slaying Gambit
The qingmu spirit pearl hung above the Nine Heavens, and within it, the illusory image of the Jianmu Tree pierced through the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth. Lu Qingyang stood on fragments of the broken Heaven Refining Furnace, his Azure Emperor Sword Art in his palm drawing forth the essence of plants and trees from a hundred thousand mountains. Where his sword pointed, the Taiyi Pavilion's sect-protecting formation, the 'Zhou Tian Star Dou Diagram,' began to show fine cracks. Ye Wuchen's hair was disheveled and blood-stained, and the bronze compass he clutched disintegrated inch by inch, revealing the 'Dragon Slaying Edict' engraved within—the very proof of the Taiyi Pavilion Ancestral Master's crime of suppressing the Eastern Desolate Dragon Vein a thousand years ago.
"Does Daoist Lu truly intend to sever my pavilion's ten-thousand-year Foundation?" The purple-robed Elder's sleeve sent out twelve Xuan Yin Soul Gathering Banners. The resentful souls on the banners coalesced into the form of the ancient Vicious Beast, Taotie. "Do you know that with the Eastern Desolate Dragon Vein's revival, the Immortal-Devil Battlefield beneath the Nether Abyss..."
A sword's hum cut off his words. Azure-gold blood tears streamed from Lu Qingyang's left eye. The Jianmu Tree's roots plunged deep into the earth's pulse, and the sleeping Dragon Soul surged forth along the Spiritual Vein, transforming into a ten-thousand-zhang Azure Dragon coiling in the clouds. He ran his fingers along the sword's spine, shaking off three ancient talismans glowing with blood-red light—these were the 'Heaven Severing Three Talismans' obtained from the Burial Dragon Abyss at the cost of fifty years of his Lifespan.
"Three steps at Kan position, five steps at Xun position?" The young man sneered, crushing the first talisman. The star positions beneath the feet of the Taiyi Pavilion Cultivators suddenly inverted. "That old scoundrel's Zhou Tian array principles are even more chaotic than Su Li's connections!"
Heaven and earth inverted.
The Taotie formed by the Xuan Yin Banners bit its own tail, and the purple-robed Elder stumbled into the array's core. Lu Qingyang seized the opportunity to hurl the fragments of the Heaven Refining Furnace. The Chaos Fire spewing from the furnace enveloped the twelve Soul Banners, and countless resentful souls turned into green smoke in the purifying flames. Ye Wuchen suddenly erupted, thrusting his Dragon Slaying Sword towards the Jianmu Tree's roots, but he was shattered his right arm by the Lifebound Dragon Pearl spat out by the Dragon Soul.
"Senior Brother Ye's sword is still as dull as ever." Lu Qingyang, stepping on a Dragon horn, swooped down. The seventh form of the Azure Emperor Sword Art, 'Sympathy of Plants and Trees,' drew forth the Qi of flourishing and decay from a hundred-li radius. The Magical Artifacts in the hands of the Taiyi Pavilion Disciples rapidly decayed, and Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Stage instantly aged thirty years. Several elderly Cultivators whose Lifespan was nearly exhausted directly turned into white bones.
The purple-robed Elder's eyes were about to split, and his Nascent Soul escaped from the top of his head. The three-inch-tall figure held his Lifebound Treasure, the 'measuring heaven ruler,' its body inscribed with incantations for secretly stealing the Dragon Vein's Luck. Lu Qingyang sneered, crushing the second ancient talisman. The Jianmu Tree's roots suddenly pierced into a crack of the Nether Abyss—the monstrous Devilish Qi from the Immortal-Devil Battlefield surged back along the Spiritual Vein, staining the Taiyi Pavilion's mountain gate black.
"You want the Dragon Vein? Here it is!" The young man flung out the last half-bottle of dragon blood grass juice.
The moment the measuring heaven ruler touched the demonized Dragon Vein, the purple-robed Elder's Nascent Soul felt as if it had fallen into a pot of oil. The illusory image of the Jianmu Tree seized the chance to plunge into his Purple Mansion, meticulously pulling out the Divine Soul entangled with Karma lines. Lu Qingyang squinted at the blackened Karma lines: annihilating Medicine King Valley seven hundred years ago to seize the qingmu spirit pearl, luring and killing twelve Elders of the Loose Cultivator Alliance three hundred years ago...
"So the Su family's massacre also had a part." He flicked his finger, shattering the third ancient talisman. The demonized Dragon Vein transformed into shackles, binding the Nascent Soul. "This Dragon Slaying Karma, Mr. Lu will claim it for all living beings of the Eastern Desolate!"
The measuring heaven ruler exploded with a roar, and the purple-robed Elder's Divine Soul was torn to shreds by the Devil Dragon. Ye Wuchen seized the opportunity to crush a Heaven Escaping Talisman, but a Jianmu Tree branch pierced through his Dantian. Lu Qingyang lifted the collar of this former Prodigy, casually taking the Storage Pouch from his waist: "Senior Brother's private stash is quite substantial; no wonder he was so unyielding when he used to withhold Medicinal Pills from the Outer Sect Disciples."
Suddenly, a zither's melody pierced the clouds.
Su Li arrived, riding a Nine Phoenix carriage, her skirt embroidered with the 'Life and Death Reversal Pattern,' a secret Legacy of the Immortal Doctor Valley. She plucked three zither strings, and the sound waves transformed into golden needles, sealing Lu Qingyang's major acupoints: "Fellow Daoist Qingyang, would you consider preserving the Taiyi Pavilion's Legacy? Immortal Doctor Valley is willing to exchange three drops of Phoenix essence blood."
The young man broke free from the sound wave golden needles, and seventy-two small qingmu swords flew out from his sleeve: "Is Fairy Su trying to save this hypocrite's life?" The sword array trapped the Nine Phoenix carriage. He shook Ye Wuchen's limp body. "Add two thousand-year-old Soul Nurturing Woods, or I'll feed this fellow's Nascent Soul to the Treasure Seeking Rat as a snack."
The ground suddenly cracked open into a hundred-zhang chasm.
The remaining Taiyi Pavilion Disciples formed the 'Big Dipper Immortal Slaying Array,' and seven Golden Core Elders burned their essence blood to activate a forbidden art. Lu Qingyang flipped his palm, summoning the Heaven Refining Furnace. The Chaos Fire spewing from the furnace mouth enveloped the array's core but suddenly extinguished upon touching the core array patterns—at the array's core was precisely the Old Drunkard's wine gourd from when he was alive.
"You dare to use Master's relic as an array core?" The young man's eyes turned bloodshot, and the qingmu spirit pearl suddenly shrank to the size of a mustard seed. The Jianmu Tree's roots pierced through the Void Realm, nailing the Divine Souls of the seven Elders onto the Karma lines. "Just in time to use your Nascent Souls to complete the damaged Dao patterns of the Heaven Refining Furnace!"
Amidst their shrill screams, the seven Nascent Souls were refined by the Chaos Fire into glazed Dao pattern patches. Lu Qingyang caressed the Heaven Refining Furnace, which was three-tenths repaired, then suddenly flung thirty-six sword talismans towards the northwest: "Fellow Daoists watching the show, aren't you going to show yourselves? If you hide any longer, Mr. Lu might just charge a spectator fee."
Ripples appeared in the Void Realm, and three Soul Transformation Cultivators wearing bronze masks revealed themselves. The one in the middle, whose sleeve was embroidered with the Tianji Pavilion's Bagua emblem, raised his hand and threw out a Jade Slip: "Since Young Friend Lu has severed the Taiyi Pavilion's Karma, are you willing to take on the position of Eastern Desolate Inspector?"
"How many Spirit Stones for monthly offerings?" The young man weighed the Jade Slip, and Jianmu Tree branches quietly entangled the ankles of the three. "Let's be clear, Mr. Lu doesn't take losing deals."
The Tianji Pavilion Cultivator chuckled and formed a hand seal, projecting a map of the Eastern Desolate's earth pulse from the Jade Slip. The map marked thirteen forbidden zones flashing red light, among which the position of the Nether Abyss was slowly shifting: "The Inspector can enjoy thirty percent of the Eastern Desolate's Spiritual Vein income, but must suppress these ancient Forbidden Lands..."
Before he finished speaking, Lu Qingyang had already crushed the Jade Slip. The illusory image of the Jianmu Tree rolled up monstrous Devilish Qi, completely pushing the Taiyi Pavilion's mountain gate into the Nether Abyss crack: "Mr. Lu hates those who make empty promises the most!" He flicked his sleeve, snatching away the last few Scripture Pavilions, and, stepping on the Dragon's head, disappeared into the sky. "Tell those old monsters in Central Continent that from now on, the Eastern Desolate—"
"Belongs to Lu!"
A thousand li away, on a desolate mountain, the Treasure Seeking Rat, transformed into Pang Daoshi, was gnawing on a roasted wolf leg. Seeing Lu Qingyang arrive on the Dragon, his greasy paws reached for his master's Storage Pouch: "Daoist smells the scent of Seven-Luster Lotus, quickly take two to taste!"
"How dare a rat covet this Lord's Spirit Medicine!" The young man laughed, scolding and kicking Pang Daoshi away, but from his sleeve, he flicked out a thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng. "Go set up an illusion array outside the Nether Abyss. Three days later..." He narrowed his eyes, looking towards Central Continent. "It's time to meet the Immortal Doctor Valley behind that Fairy Su."
The moment the qingmu spirit pearl entered his Dantian, the hourglass within the pearl suddenly stopped. Lu Qingyang's Divine Sense swept over the partially repaired core of the Jianmu Tree, vaguely seeing a white-robed figure bound by chains—its face bore a nine-tenths resemblance to Su Li.