Chapter 399: Elders' Consultation

Chapter 399: Elders' Consultation

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

At Heaven's Gate Peak, the elders convened for a consultation.

Five elders gathered around Meng Jingzhou, clicking their tongues in astonishment.

"This curse on Nephew Meng is quite fascinating."

"Indeed, in over two thousand years, it's the first time I've encountered such a peculiar curse. Even when I traveled through the Desolate Lands, I didn't come across anything like this."

"This curse doesn't seem to affect Nephew Meng much, considering he has the Single Bachelor's Spirit Root. And anyway, the curse will wear off on its own after some time."

"Little Meng, don't worry! Qiu Jin'an did you wrong, and I'll make sure he pays for it!"

"My dear disciple, how are you feeling now?"

"The Desolate Lands is known for its witchcraft and curses. Fourth Brother, you're the only one who's been there and studied curses. What's your opinion on this?"

The four elders, Meng Jingzhou, and Lu Yang all turned their heads to look at the fan-wielding Fourth Elder.

Lu Yang recalled information about the Desolate Lands.

It was located on the western side of the Central Continent, bordering Liangzhou and the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions. The region was steeped in witchcraft, corpse-driving techniques, and its people were known for their bold and unrefined character. It was also the homeland of Barbarian Bone.

Fourth Elder looked troubled. "When I was cursed, I did study curse techniques for a while. For instance, I can tell that Nephew Meng can only break the karmic backlash by shattering his Golden Core and advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage. Even then, it's just a possibility. If the backlash isn't resolved by then, he'll have to wait until he reaches the Spirit Transformation Stage, at which point the curse will certainly be broken."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jingzhou's face turned pale.

Reaching the Nascent Soul Stage might still be manageable, but if he had to wait until the Spirit Transformation Stage, how many years of cultivation would that take?

"I can easily break simple curses that affect the surface level, like the ones you lot deal with daily—I've been removing them for you for years. But Nephew Meng's curse is far deeper, beyond my cultivation level to lift."

"If I could reach the Tribulation Crossing Stage, then I'd have confidence in breaking it."

Grandpa Ba rolled his eyes. "You? Reaching the Tribulation Crossing Stage? Get in line. Do you really think your cultivation can advance faster than Eldest Brother or Old Nine?"

Fourth Elder shrugged. "Well, I don't have any other ideas then. Wait, we could ask our master for help!"

Seventh Elder shook his head. "Although our master is a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator, he doesn't know anything about curse techniques. Besides, he's busy guarding the Prison Peak and can't afford any distractions."

"Disciple, how about you punch Ba Lao'er with the Single Curse Fist again? Maybe the backlash will cancel itself out!"

Meng Jingzhou hurriedly shook his head. That wouldn't result in "canceling" the backlash—it would be doubling it!

"Actually, Nephew Meng, there's no need to worry too much. Your curse isn't as bad as it seems," Fourth Elder said reassuringly.

"Could you explain further, Fourth Elder?"

"The karmic backlash is shared between you and Qiu Jin'an, meaning it's been split in half. You only bear half of the karmic backlash, while Qiu Jin'an carries the other half. Half the backlash is much easier to resolve than the full one."

Meng Jingzhou's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you have a solution?"

"Not exactly."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

"I heard Nephew Li has a technique for regrowing limbs, swapping out body parts to avoid karmic entanglements. Could we use that method for Nephew Meng? Seventh Elder, could you refine a pill that allows for limb regrowth and give it to my disciple?"

Third Elder was referring to Li Haoran's Rebirth Golden Core.

"The medicine for limb regeneration is easy to make, we could just ask the Little Medicine Kings for a few root hairs, but will this method really work?"

Fourth Elder dismissed the idea. "Li Haoran's Rebirth Golden Core can indeed help bypass karma, but Meng Jingzhou's karmic backlash is too severe. This won't work."

Grandpa Ba proposed another idea, "The Heaven's Mysteries Sect is adept at handling karma. Even our Dao Seeking Sect's location was calculated by their experts, blessing us for twelve thousand years. If they can manage something like that, surely they can deal with karmic backlash. Why not ask them for help?"

Eighth Elder shook his head. "I recall that Heaven's Mysteries Sect descends from the ancient Shi Emperor Clan. They are indeed masters of karma and divination, but they believe karma cannot be eliminated—only transformed from one kind into another. That's why they rarely interfere in worldly matters. Too much involvement brings karma onto themselves, making them lose their ability to divine the future."

"I've heard that as well. In ancient times, the Shi Emperor Clan had a terrible reputation. They often used their divination abilities to amass wealth, harm others, and disrupt the world order, all while seeking breakthroughs for themselves."

"Eventually, they angered a mysterious powerful figure who severely crippled the Shi Emperor Clan. Ever since, the clan fell into decline. When they tried to seek revenge, that very figure ascended to immortality, and fearing his attention, the Shi Emperor Clan ordered their family to close off from the world. They forbade any involvement with worldly matters, as they feared drawing catastrophic consequences."

"The Heaven's Mysteries Sect inherited the remnants of the Shi Emperor Clan, becoming a reclusive sect."

"If we ask them for help, Disciple Meng might end up going from being unable to meet women to being unable to meet men!"

"How about placing another curse on Disciple Meng, one that gives him a 'peach blossom disaster' every day? Maybe the two curses would cancel each other out?"

"That might work. But who knows how to cast such a curse? Fourth Elder, can you do it?"

Fourth Elder rolled his eyes, feeling like his brothers were overestimating his abilities. "No, I learned how to break curses, not how to cast them. If I knew how to give someone a peach blossom disaster, I would've cast it on myself first."

"Why would a Confucian cultivator like you need a peach blossom disaster?"

"To emulate the ancient sages who stayed calm even in the face of temptation, to cultivate the heart of a true gentleman."

"The so-called 'gentlemen' in brothels all use that same excuse."

"They copied me."

(TL Note: Peach blossoms are often associated with love, romance, and relationships in Chinese culture. The peach blossom is a symbol of attraction and romantic encounters. It's different from the Peach Blossom in Peach Blossom Leaf. In peach blossom disaster, the peach blossom is 桃花 which refer to the flowers of the peach tree. In Peach Blossom Leaf, the peach blossom is 桃夭 which refer to a peach tree in its early blossoming stage.)

"Does anyone have experience with voodoo from the East Sea, similar to curse techniques? Maybe that could solve this."

"Old Eight, didn't you visit the East Sea? Did you learn it?"

"No, I was too busy being chased by the sea tribes to study voodoo."

While the elders continued their lively discussion about how to break Meng Jingzhou's curse, Lu Yang, meanwhile, retreated into his spiritual space to seek help from the ancient immortal.

After all, he had an ancient immortal as his golden finger, and not just any immortal—the strongest one. No matter the problem, there should be a solution, right?

"Fairy, do you have any other ideas?" Lu Yang asked.

"Yes, I do."

"What is it?"

"As the saying goes, 'when one dies, the karma disappears.' All you need to do is die once, and the karma will vanish!" Everlasting Fairy cheerfully offered what she called her second carefully thought-out solution.

Lu Yang couldn't help but think that, given Meng Jingzhou's intelligence, he was highly unlikely to accept such a method.

Everlasting Fairy was displeased with Lu Yang's skepticism. After all, she often used this method to avoid karmic entanglements, and it always worked.

As Meng Jingzhou listened to the elders' increasingly absurd ideas, he realized that relying on them might not be the best course of action. "Maybe I should go to the Desolate Lands. I might find a solution there."

"That's actually a viable idea," the elders agreed.

(End of the chapter)