Chapter 1286: Borrowing the Path of Cause and Effect

Chapter 1286: Borrowing the Path of Karma

The new era had already begun the moment Lord Jiuan stepped down from his throne.

The meteoric rise of Lord Miming, amplified by the tides of fortune, had swept across the entirety of the Fifth Star Ring.

Having succeeded his father, Jiguang Yishi, he now ruled the Fifth Star Ring as its sovereign lord, commanding all living beings beneath heaven and earth—his status exalted beyond measure.

And now… his performance on the battlefield of the Fourth Star Ring had been nothing short of spectacular: slaying two True Gods and assuming full command of the war effort!

This feat sent shockwaves through the realm, stirring the currents of destiny and filling countless cultivators of the Fifth Star Ring with exhilaration. Cheers echoed across every supply star.

At the same time, Xu Qing’s standing had subtly yet profoundly risen once more.

As the master of Jiguang Tianwaitian, his karmic bond with Lord Miming ran deep. Not only had he aided Miming in transcending from godhood to immortality, but he had also received a surge of potent fortune in the very first decree issued by the newly enthroned Immortal Lord.

All this ensured that every soul within the Fifth Star Ring knew of him—and rumors even claimed that Lord Miming regarded Xu Qing as a younger brother.

Thus, in the coming epoch, this True Lord Xu would hold a position of unparalleled reverence within the Fifth Star Ring.

Such status, such prestige, such overflowing fortune… caused unease among many factions who had previously clashed—directly or indirectly—with Xu Qing.

Among them, none trembled more inwardly than Li Mengtu’s master—the Poison Sovereign!

At this very moment, he too was within the Fourth Star Ring, having just emerged from a life-or-death battle in the void, where he had slain a True God. Now seated cross-legged upon a gray asteroid, he remained silent.

Around him stood his subordinates—those who had accompanied him into battle.

Had Xu Qing been present, he would have instantly recognized them: they were the very same squad that had once sought trouble with him.

Yet compared to those days, their numbers had dwindled drastically. Those who remained bore grievous wounds and exhaustion etched deep into their spirits.

They, too, sat in silence.

Only occasionally did their eyes flick toward the Poison Sovereign seated at the front—lips parting as if to speak, yet words never came.

The Poison Sovereign did not turn back, but at his cultivation level, he perceived everything behind him with perfect clarity.

Bitterness churned within his heart, mingled with turbulent emotion.

He hadn’t needed to come to this battlefield at all.

But several days ago, an imperial decree issued from the Fourth Star Ring left him no choice.

Though it did not originate directly from Lord Miming, it had come from the War Command Spire.

Someone had specifically named him and his disciples for deployment into the Fourth Star Ring, assigning them a mission.

As for who that someone might be—the Poison Sovereign had his suspicions. And yet, he also understood that the identity hardly mattered. For there would always be those eager to curry favor with a certain figure by wielding the power of war to discipline him.

“To curry favor with Xu Qing…”

The Poison Sovereign murmured, bitterness thickening like bile.

If it were merely about joining the war, his cultivation would have sufficed. But the task assigned to him was cruel beyond measure:

He had to slay nine True Gods of his own realm!

In these past few days, he had managed to kill only one.

“The matter between Xu Qing and me is known to many… Is this karma?”

“Back then, I sought to borrow his Dao to elevate myself. Though I failed, the seed of karma was already sown.”

“And now… it begins to recoil.”

Memories surged through him, laced with resentment and a profound sense of fate.

He had watched, almost helplessly, as Xu Qing ascended step by step—until now, when the man need do nothing at all, and others would move on his behalf merely to gain his favor.

At this thought, the Poison Sovereign let out a soft sigh.

“My dispatched avatar… judging by the time, should have arrived by now. I pray it may resolve this karmic debt.”

He turned his gaze toward the direction of the Fifth Star Ring.

Meanwhile, before the ochre-hued supply star in the Fifth Star Ring where Xu Qing resided, a disheveled figure emerged from the void.

An old man, wreathed in emerald-green toxic miasma—his face and aura identical to the Poison Sovereign himself.

It was indeed the avatar he had sent.

Clearly, he had encountered formidable foes en route; though he had reached his destination, his injuries were severe.

Within the swirling poison clouds, his body appeared withered, riddled with wounds. Even his personal Heavenly Mandate radiated decay. His left arm had been severed cleanly at the shoulder, the stump crawling with writhing flesh-buds.

Now gazing at the supply star, the avatar hesitated—then clenched his jaw and shot straight toward the planet.

After passing through layers of scrutiny and guided by an old acquaintance, he finally arrived, hours later, before an observatory tower situated in the southeastern quadrant of the star.

Built from a fallen meteorite, the tower stood atop a lofty mountain, surrounded by dense currents of immortal qi.

This was Xu Qing’s temporary residence.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, his guide—a local garrison commander—paused respectfully.

“Poison Sovereign,” he said gravely, “may you fare well.”

Inwardly, the man sighed.

He had heard the rumors surrounding the Poison Sovereign and Xu Qing. Had it not been for a great debt of gratitude owed to the former, he would never have brought him here at such a time.

The avatar gave a slight nod, then fixed his eyes on the distant observatory atop the peak. In a flash, he soared upward.

Soon he drew near, halting a hundred paces from the tower. Without hesitation, he bowed deeply toward it, his voice hoarse yet resonant:

“An old friend has come. I beg an audience with the True Lord.”

His words rippled through heaven and earth—but the tower offered no reply.

After a long silence, the avatar sighed softly. Raising his right hand, he produced a bronze puppet no larger than a palm. It materialized before him in midair, then settled onto the ground.

The puppet bore his exact likeness—even its chest held a beating emerald-green heart.

Staring at it, the avatar’s eyes hardened with resolve. He lifted a finger and slashed it across his own throat. Blood dripped down, corroding the void into fissures that converged upon the puppet, infusing it with vitality.

As the puppet stirred to life, the avatar himself began to dissipate. He bowed once more toward the tower.

“My true body remains in the Fourth Star Ring, burdened with the task of slaying nine True Gods of equal realm. Thus, I cannot come in person. I now offer this Bronze Karmic Substitute.”

“Once activated, it shall instantly summon my true form to fight for you.”

“Life or death—I care not. Only thus may I settle the karma born of my earlier attempt to forcibly borrow your path.”

His voice faded as his form dissolved entirely.

Still, the tower remained silent.

Far away, the garrison commander who had escorted him let out a quiet sigh, clasped his fists in salute, and turned to leave.

Long after… the bronze puppet lying on the ground suddenly blurred—and vanished from sight.

It reappeared inside the tower, resting in Xu Qing’s hand.

Xu Qing gazed at the puppet, expressionless. After a long while, he spoke, voice calm and indifferent:

“If I use it, the karma ends. If I do not, the karma remains. All depends on your fate.”

At those words, the true body of Lord Poison—far away on the battlefield of the Fourth Stellar Ring—let out a stifled grunt. The karmic thread binding his heart to Xu Qing snapped in half right then and there.

Sensing this, Lord Poison sighed once more. Already resembling an old farmer, he now appeared even more withered and aged.

“I never should have stuck my foot in,” he murmured, “greedy for his Dao…”