Chapter 398: The Backlash of Karma

Chapter 398: The Backlash of Karma

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

"Heaven Shaking Six Forms!"

"Falling Stroke, Astonishing the Gods!"

(TL Note: This move is a reference to the poem "笔落惊风雨,诗成泣鬼神" by the poet Du Fu. It translates to "When the brush touches the paper, wind and rain tremble. When the poem is completed, ghosts and deities weep")

"Alchemy Fire Scorching the Plains!"

"Thunder Summoning Talisman!"

Massive waves of magical energy swirled in the sky, and the disciples who had rushed to watch the battle all stopped in their tracks, gazing upwards. They saw the four elders, each displaying their divine abilities with awe-inspiring attacks, leaving the onlookers in amazement.

"The elders are taking action!"

"Look at those techniques! Incredible!"

"There's still such a huge gap... Even though I can sometimes reach the Unity Stage, I could never cast spells of this level!" sighed a senior disciple in the Void Refinement Stage.

Peach Blossom Leaf watched intently, trying to imprint these techniques into her memory.

These spells could serve as perfect material for her Dreamlike Bubble Illusion.

"Wait, I need to modify them before using them in Dreamlike Bubble Illusion. I can't reveal the elders' trump cards to outsiders," Peach Blossom Leaf reminded herself, becoming more cautious.

Boom!

The four spells converged into a single mass and descended upon Qiu Jin'an and Grandpa Ba.

Qiu Jin'an shattered his Five-Colored Wheel, allowing the five-colored divine light to break free from the wheel's structure and form a protective shield above him, enduring the bombardment.

"Hey, hey! Are you aiming at Qiu Jin'an or me?" Grandpa Ba was left in tatters, looking as if he had just survived a lightning tribulation.

"Second Brother, apologies! The spells don't have eyes!" Seventh Elder apologized with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Grandpa Ba flew into a rage. "You're lying! I can hear the laughter in your voice!"

Seventh Elder ignored him and continued launching spells.

Sensing the danger, Qiu Jin'an detonated the five-colored divine light and used the ensuing chaos to flee.

The river spirit, seeing Qiu Jin'an successfully escaping and running in its direction, sighed with regret and retreated back into the river.

"This kid from Five Elements Sect is good at everything, except he's lacking the drive to fight to the end."

Seeing Qiu Jin'an flee, Third Elder placed his hands on his hips and shouted after him, "Old Qiu! Next time, you won't be so lucky—"

He abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his mouth moving without producing sound.

Turning his head, he saw exactly what he expected: Sixth Elder.

"Junior Sister, could you not show up just as I'm delivering a line?" Third Elder asked, clearly annoyed.

Sixth Elder was breathtakingly beautiful, and her presence alone silenced everyone.

The Third Elder quickly shut his mouth as he saw the icy expression on Sixth Elder's face, realizing she had just been rudely awakened.

With irritation, Sixth Elder sent a message to her brothers, her tone sharp, "Are you done yet? I'd like to get back to sleep."

She was thoroughly fed up with her fellow elders. It seemed like there was never a peaceful day in Dao Seeking Sect. Couldn't they learn from the quiet and tranquil Moon Laurel Immortal Palace?

...

Qiu Jin'an sped toward the Five Elements Sect, having successfully escaped Dao Seeking Sect. However, the backlash from the Single Curse Fist had yet to be resolved, and he needed help.

"I'll solve my backlash first, and then help that Meng family kid afterward."

Parting the clouds, he saw the vast mountain range stretching across the north and south—the Five Elements Spirit Vein, the very foundation of the Five Elements Sect.

Five colors swirled around the mountain range, like stars guarding a moon.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the five-colored earth was not surrounding the mountains but rather pressing against each other, creating the Five Elements Spirit Vein from the pressure.

According to legend, the five-colored earth came from five different ancient planets, refined by an ancient unnamed being. The five planets, with their respective elements, collided and merged to form the continent.

...

"Lu Yang, are you here? I need help!" After the battle ended, Meng Jingzhou hurriedly climbed Heaven's Gate Peak to seek out Lu Yang.

"I'm right here."

Lu Yang's voice sounded from behind Meng Jingzhou. Lu Yang held a dozen skewers of grilled meat, happily eating as he returned to Heaven's Gate Peak.

"What just happened? Why was Sect Master Qiu attacking?" Lu Yang kindly offered half of his skewers to Meng Jingzhou.

After all, these were from their own sect's enterprises.

Meng Jingzhou sighed, his tone filled with frustration. "Qiu Jin'an snuck up on me in the middle of the night, asking if I knew the Single Curse Fist. When I said I did, he took control of my body to punch Grandpa Ba."

Lu Yang suddenly recalled Grandpa Ba's recent "autumn love affair." A few days ago, while visiting the medicinal garden, Grandpa Ba had even asked him what girls liked the most. Everlasting Fairy had responded that girls loved being praised for their intelligence and beauty, and Lu Yang had relayed those words to Grandpa Ba.

"Did Sect Master Qiu succeed?"

Meng Jingzhou's expression was as if he was suffering from constipation. "No, he was hit by the backlash."

"...My condolences."

Lu Yang recalled the late arrival of Sixth Elder. Since she and Sect Master Qiu didn't cross paths, it must have been due to the effects of the backlash.

Patting Meng Jingzhou on the shoulder, Lu Yang tried to console him, hoping he would accept the reality of the situation. "So what if you're cut off from women? With your Single Bachelor's Spirit Root, it's not like this should bother you much."

Meng Jingzhou fumed, "Condolences? What do you mean! So what if I have a Single Bachelor's Spirit Root? Even eunuchs can visit brothels, but now I don't even have the qualification for that!"

"Didn't they say the backlash would wear off after a while?" Lu Yang asked, curious.

"The problem is that no one knows how long 'a while' actually is! I was hoping Eldest Senior Sister could help, but now..."

"Oh, Eldest Senior Sister has been out on a mission for several days," Lu Yang replied.

"Where did she go?"

Lu Yang spread his hands. "Do I look like someone who dares ask Eldest Senior Sister about her plans?"

"Good point."

"Wait a minute... Could the fact that I can't meet Eldest Senior Sister also be part of the backlash?"

Lu Yang considered the possibility and decided to ask Everlasting Fairy if this could indeed be part of the backlash, given how obscure and unpredictable karmic ties could be.

Everlasting Fairy looked at Lu Yang as if he were an idiot. "I'm right here in front of Meng Jingzhou. Have you seen me affected by any backlash? That Meng family kid's karmic backlash may be strong, but thinking it could influence me is a fool's dream."

Lu Yang asked, "Then do you have a way to help Old Meng break free from the backlash?"

Everlasting Fairy thought seriously for a moment before coming up with a solution. "While I'm not very familiar with karma, I do have a method."

"Please share, Fairy."

"That Meng brat can punch himself with the Single Curse Fist. Since the technique only works if the user can overpower their opponent, and here the opponent is himself, the effect would likely create enough confusion to disrupt the karmic backlash."

Lu Yang: "..."

"Fairy, are you sure this won't just result in Old Meng condemning himself to be single for life?"

"Well, there's no such thing as a risk-free solution. Everything comes with risks," Everlasting Fairy said nonchalantly.

Lu Yang decided that maybe it was best not to tell Meng Jingzhou about this particular method—no need to add to his troubles.

"Since Eldest Senior Sister isn't around, how about consulting the elders?" Lu Yang suggested, counting the available members of Dao Seeking Sect. With Eldest Senior Sister away and Everlasting Fairy being unreliable, the elders seemed like the most dependable option.

"They're all experienced Unity Stage cultivators, so they should have a solution."

"That works," Meng Jingzhou agreed, having no better ideas.

Lu Yang asked Meng Jingzhou to wait at Heaven's Gate Peak while he went to gather the elders.

Once the elders had gathered, Meng Jingzhou tried circulating his spiritual energy, but something went wrong, causing him immense pain. Rolling on the ground in agony, he tumbled into a ravine, vanishing from sight.

"This doesn't make sense! I told him to wait right here. Where did Old Meng go?" Lu Yang was baffled. The elders kindly joined in the search, but they couldn't find him.

Suddenly, Lu Yang had an idea and turned to look at Sixth Elder.

"Sixth Elder, could I trouble you to leave for a moment?"

Sixth Elder, understanding the situation, gave a strange look before nodding and heading off.

As soon as Sixth Elder left, Meng Jingzhou climbed out of the ravine, covered in dirt and leaves, looking utterly disheveled. It was only then that they were able to find him.

Lu Yang sighed quietly. It seemed that the karmic backlash was quite severe. For the foreseeable future, Old Meng wouldn't be able to meet any women at all.

(End of the chapter)