Chapter 431: Method to Resolve Karmic Backlash

Perfect Lord Mengtian had never anticipated losing so swiftly. In his own eyes, he possessed a vast repertoire of secret techniques, and while the Ten Suns Patrolling the Sky was the most destructive among them, it was far from his only resort.

Before he could even brandish these other arts, his three miniature suns were swept away by Qiu Jin'an’s Five-Colored Divine Light and vanished entirely, leaving the canyon to plunge back into its crisp, eerie chill.

Qiu Jin'an wasted no words. He extended a massive hand toward the Perfect Lord's head, intending to perform a soul-search directly to unearth their true motives.

Sensing imminent disaster, Perfect Lord Mengtian disregarded the heavy toll on his own body and ground his teeth to invoke a life-saving esoteric art.

Thump, thump, thump—

His heart began to beat with a violent, robust vigor, completely defying his defeated state.

The temperature at his chest skyrocketed, melting through his ritual robes—which were strong enough to withstand a portion of attacks from the Body Integration Stage—and exposing his torso.

Only then did Qiu Jin'an discover that what lay within the man's chest was not a human heart, but a dead Golden Crow!

The Golden Crow bore a piercing arrow wound, the definitive lethal blow, and Qiu Jin'an suspected this was the very same beast shot down by the divine archer of ancient lore.

No wonder Perfect Lord Mengtian had been able to comprehend the Ten Suns Patrolling the Sky.

He must have unearthed the carcass of the Golden Crow from some forgotten corner and used it to replace his own heart.

Suddenly, the Golden Crow snapped its eyes open, and feathers spread like wildfire, enveloping Perfect Lord Mengtian’s entire body.

"Not good, he is trying to flee!"

Qiu Jin'an slammed his foot down with immense force, intending to pin the Perfect Lord dead to the spot, yet when his strength connected, he found the man's body had transformed completely into Golden Crow feathers, offering no resistance.

Bang—

Perfect Lord Mengtian detonated, sending the Golden Crow feathers scattering in all directions. Qiu Jin'an silently chanted an incantation, conjuring a whirlwind to disperse the plumage, but by then, both Perfect Lord Mengtian and Huang Ming had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a broken branch of the Fusang Tree.

"They got away!"

The escape technique the Perfect Lord had deployed was entirely foreign to Qiu Jin'an, causing his reactions to lag by a fraction of a heartbeat.

Pant, pant—

The severely wounded Perfect Lord Mengtian and Huang Ming disguised themselves as ordinary mortals, concealing themselves within the bustling crowds of Hanshui City.

"Dammit, how could that Qiu Jin'an be so monstrously strong?!"

Perfect Lord Mengtian felt the chilling relief of a survivor; a moment later and his soul would have been plundered, leaving him dead at Qiu Jin'an's hands.

Though he had lost the branch of the Fusang Tree—meaning he could never again manifest the Ten Suns Patrolling the Sky—and his very foundation was shaken, requiring a Tribulation Transcendence sacred relic to mend.

Compared to staying alive, however, none of that mattered.

"That was the main trunk of the Fusang Tree! Once this matter is settled, you will compensate me!" Perfect Lord Mengtian glared venomously at Huang Ming.

If the boy hadn't possessed knowledge of the underlying treasury locations, he would never have bothered to save him.

"I will reveal two more treasury locations to you, which should be more than enough to cover your losses!" Huang Ming said, forcing himself to speak. He possessed a total of four treasuries, intended to fuel his own rapid ascent in the future. Promising one before hadn't been a major blow, but promising three now meant his future cultivation would require arduous detours to hunt for spiritual treasures.

Think of how much time that would waste!

Yet he had no choice but to yield. He was merely in the Golden Core Stage; even a grievously injured Perfect Lord Mengtian was far beyond his ability to contend with.

"What do we do now? Where to?" Huang Ming asked with a dark, displeased expression.

"In our current states, we cannot participate in the subsequent plans within Hanshui City. Do you see that manor not far off? The owner worships a wooden carving for blessings, which is actually a sacrificial ghost I planted there long ago. The ghost has completely subjugated that family, and no one will ever notice. We will hide there first."

"Fine."

The two suppressed the urge to bolt toward the nearby manor, controlling their strides and striving not to betray a single flaw.

"Leaving so soon, gentlemen?"

An abrupt voice sent a collective jolt of panic through them both.

Looking up, they beheld a man wearing a white paper hat standing right before them. People hustled and bustled all around, yet no one seemed to notice the man in the paper hat.

"Who are you!"

The man in the white paper hat let out two cold, blood-curdling chuckles.

"You Great Yu cultivators capture ghosts everywhere and dump them into Hanshui City, shifting the blame onto our Nine Underworlds Sect. Even the Heavenly Court Sect suspects us now, driving a wedge into the friendship between our two sects, and yet you ask who I am?"

"The Nine Underworlds Sect! Run!"

"Do you truly think you can flee?"

Three more men in white paper hats materialized, completely surrounding the duo.

For the Four Great Demonic Sects to survive for so many years, their escape and capture arts were unparalleled in the world.

"You Great Yu cultivators even disrupted our shop openings. Vice Sect Master Shi is quite displeased about this. Let us settle the old debts and the new ones together."

The men in the white paper hats seized the two of them and vanished into thin air.

"What a pity, to let those two slip away," Qiu Jin'an sighed. If he could have captured even one of them, he would have gathered a wealth of useful intelligence.

"Sect Master Qiu, what brings you here?" Lu Yang asked with utmost deference.

"Well, if it isn't the Acting Sect Master. Long time no see," Qiu Jin'an greeted Lu Yang with a stiff, artificial smile.

"Is Acting Sect Master Lu still serving as the temporary leader of the Wendao Sect?"

Back when the Five Elements Sect visited the Wendao Sect for a friendly exchange, they had suffered a crushing defeat. That visit had coincided with the Immortal Fairy's three-day stint as the Acting Sect Master.

At that time, while discussing the terms of the match, Qiu Jin'an had assumed Yun Zhi was the Acting Sect Master. Thus, he had arrogantly proposed that his own eldest disciple should fight the strongest among the Wendao Sect's disciples.

Then Yun Zhi had stepped forward, stating she was not the Acting Sect Master at the moment.

In Qiu Jin'an’s eyes, it was Lu Yang who held the title of Acting Sect Master.

Zhao Po was inwardly shocked. Sect Master Qiu's words revealed astonishing intelligence. Brother Lu had actually served as the Acting Sect Master of the Wendao Sect?

If that were the case, Brother Lu was not only the supreme combatant of the younger generation, but also the one occupying the loftiest status!

They were all of the same age, yet the disparity between them was vast.

"I abdicated to someone more worthy, passing it back to Senior Sister," Lu Yang replied with genuine simplicity, leaving Qiu Jin'an momentarily speechless.

"Enough, I won't banter with you. I came here to tell the Meng family lad that I have found a solution to the curse." Qiu Jin'an brought with him a seed of hope.

Meng Jingzhou’s eyes lit up instantly. "Truly?"

"Could I possibly lie about this? I have verified it through multiple sources; it is highly reliable."

"Have you boys ever heard of the Power of National Destiny?" Qiu Jin'an inquired mysteriously.

Meng Jingzhou blurted out instinctively, "The Power of National Destiny associated with immortal methods?"

Qiu Jin'an froze. He had intended to lecture at length, flaunting his profound knowledge before the youngsters—knowing they would forget it afterward anyway. He had not expected Meng Jingzhou to already know of it.

In truth, he shouldn't have remembered the Power of National Destiny either. However, as the master of an immortal sect, he frequently discussed national destiny during councils. Consequently, the imperial court had bestowed a treasure upon every immortal sect master, allowing them to retain their memories regarding the existence of the Power of National Destiny.

"Yes, that very Power of National Destiny. Do you know that every provincial governor and prefect of the Great Xia is protected by it, rendering them immune to harm from anyone? Do you understand what that implies?"

Lu Yang reacted with lightning speed, following Qiu Jin'an's train of thought. "It implies that National Destiny can cleanse the backlash of cause and effect!"

"Precisely! It can cleanse causal backlash. It is an immortal method; a simple washing with the Power of National Destiny, and all will be well!"

Meng Jingzhou was overjoyed. This method was far more reliable than waiting for the Master of the Corpse Driving Sect to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage before intervening.