Chapter 22: Cause and Effect, A Merit Warning

"It's just that the lifespan consumed in other realms — how fast does the Chang Sheng Tian Gui restore it?"

"Or is my guess wrong, and it's some other reason?"

After a moment, Chen Daoxuan gathered his thoughts and once more comprehended the Five Elements Great Dao of the Tianling Great Realm, making subtle adjustments to align it with himself.

……

The next day, Chen hour.

The sealed doors of Qing Lei Dian swung open of their own accord.

The Core Formation Cultivators of the Green Thunder Sect, who had been arriving one after another over the past three days to wait outside Qing Lei Dian, exchanged no words and filed in with solemn expressions.

The moment they stepped inside the hall.

Including Qian Qianyun, the Qinglei Sect Leader, the fifteen Core Formation Cultivators immediately sensed that extraordinary phenomenon — a heaven-piercing green bamboo flashing with thunder-light.

They all knew this was a phenomenon that appeared only after cultivating the Green Thunder Scripture to the Great Completion stage.

The instant they circulated their arts a little, they sensed within themselves, dimly and inexorably, a yearning, a worship toward that heaven-piercing green bamboo phenomenon flashing with thunder-light.

Seeing this, the solemnity on their faces instantly eased.

With the Green Thunder Ring held by the Sect Leader, and this phenomenon of the Green Thunder Scripture cultivated to the Great Completion realm, it proved that this unknown senior truly shared a profound bond with their Green Thunder Sect.

He was unlikely to be some enemy from another lineage or dharma-tradition.

After all, everything else could be faked, but a lineage or dharma-tradition could not.

Even if one's primary cultivation was of another lineage's arts, one must at least have practiced the Green Thunder Scripture alongside it.

To be able to cultivate the Green Thunder Scripture to Great Completion meant he was a person of their lineage.

In that case, the chance of Nascent Soul he had spoken of was very likely not an illusion.

And thinking of this, among these Core Formation Cultivators of the Green Thunder Sect, nearly half showed excitement on their faces, while the wariness in the hearts of the other half mostly dissolved.

But the fifteen Core Formation Cultivators, as if by unspoken accord, each formed a peculiar hand seal — the Green Thunder Merit Seal — and bowed to Chen Daoxuan.

"Greetings, Ancestor!"

"May the Ancestor enjoy boundless Immeasurable fortune!"

……

As the fifteen Core Formation Cultivators, including Qian Qianyun, shifted in mood and offered this salute with the Merit Seal.

Chen Daoxuan sensed the golden Merit Lotus Seed he had condensed the day before stir faintly.

Without needing to activate the Green Thunder Observation Art, Chen Daoxuan saw wisps and strands of merit energy converging toward him.

Nurturing and transforming the Merit Lotus Seed, and even altering the illusory Merit Lotus Pond.

At the same moment, Chen Daoxuan abruptly sensed that, ten thousand zhang above the Green Thunder Sect, a mysterious Merit Dharma Realm had formed a thread of connection with him.

He dimly perceived within that Merit Dharma Realm a stretch of withered, decaying merit bamboo forest.

……

To this, Chen Daoxuan gladly accepted.

Taking control of that golden Merit Lotus Seed, he absorbed the merit energy, and more actively resonated and merged with that Merit Bamboo Forest Dharma Realm.

Although accepting the converging merit energy and the connection with that Merit Bamboo Forest Dharma Realm meant he would now be truly tightly bound to the Green Thunder Sect.

For Chen Daoxuan, this was exactly what he wanted.

This had been the very outcome he had planned after soul-searching Qian Qianyun three days ago.

Because after that soul-search, Chen Daoxuan knew that although the cultivators of the Tianling Great Realm practiced the Merit Path and the Fortune Path, they were also extraordinarily proficient in the Causality Great Dao — a path rarely cultivated in the Great Universe, nearly legendary.

Because whether one cultivated the Merit Path or the Fortune Path, one had to settle the Cause and Effect between oneself and all beings of heaven and earth.

Only thus could one, while gaining more merit and fortune, reduce hidden dangers and reduce backlash.

Yet before this, his Cause and Effect within the Tianling Great Realm, and indeed the entire realm, was nearly a blank slate.

And not the least bit concealed.

In terms of Cause and Effect, he was incomparably cleaner and utterly unlike those ascenders who had flown up from the Mortal Realm.

Any cultivator who had comprehended the Causality Great Dao could sense that something was off about him.

……

But after he became the Green Thunder Sect Ancestor acknowledged by the Core Formation Cultivators, and became tightly bound to the Green Thunder Sect.

Not only would there be Cause and Effect entanglements, there would also be the Cause and Effect concealment of the Green Thunder Sect.

Once some time passed and his karmic ties with the Green Thunder Sect were thoroughly secured.

Even a Combined Body Heavenly Lord who had attained Heavenly Dao Harmony in Cause and Effect would be unable to sense anything amiss about him, unable to detect that he did not belong to this realm.

At most, they would assume he had ascended from the Mortal Realm.

……

The very instant Chen Daoxuan formed a connection with the Green Thunder Sect's Merit Bamboo Forest Dharma Realm and merged with it.

Over ten thousand li away from the Green Thunder Sect.

In Iron Sword County, neighboring Qing Lei Jun, at the Iron Sword Sect — a Nascent Soul sect.

Above Tiejian Shan, that ten-thousand-zhang peak at the heart of the Mountain Gate.

Two Nascent Soul cultivators — one old, one young — whose bodies radiated sharp, keen Aura, suddenly sensed that within the sect's Merit Dharma Realm, the Merit Iron Swords were emitting sword-chimes.

Pointing toward the direction of the Green Thunder Sect.

At this, both Nascent Soul cultivators' expressions shifted.

"Mm, wasn't the Green Thunder Sect of Qing Lei Jun on its last legs, waiting only for it to wither and perish on its own?

"How could it suddenly trigger a merit warning?"

"Qiuming, you hold down the sect. I'll make a trip to the Green Thunder Sect."

The old Nascent Soul cultivator, his entire body shrouded in the air of decline, radiated the pressure of Nascent Soul Mid-Stage, and spoke with indifference threaded with killing intent:

"I'd like to see whether this Green Thunder Sect's karmic warning means a Nascent Soul has been born, or a prodigy has emerged."

Having spoken, this Nascent Soul cultivator, reeking of twilight, mounted the sect-protecting Numinous Treasure—the Divine Iron Sword Bead—and executed Sword Flight, transforming into a streak of sword-light that raced toward Green Thunder Sect at extreme speed.

Seeing this, the other Nascent Soul cultivator, Jian Qiuming, whose vitality brimmed and lifespan was abundant, suddenly felt a faint trace of unease stir in his heart.

"Hmm, could Green Thunder Sect still have some hidden foundation capable of harming the Old Ancestor?"

As for the possibility of the Old Ancestor's fall, it merely flashed through his mind once and vanished without a trace.

……

"Very well!"

Within Qing Lei Dian.

After sitting in stillness for several breaths and completing the convergence and resonance with that Merit Bamboo Forest Dharma Realm, Chen Daoxuan likewise formed the Green Thunder Karmic Seal with his hands to respond.

As Chen Daoxuan formed the Green Thunder Karmic Seal to respond, Qian Qianyun and the other fourteen Core Formation Cultivators felt the resonance of the spiritual power within their bodies.

During those several breaths, their once again unsettled hearts finally settled.

Yet for a moment, no one spoke.

After several breaths, in the silence, Qian Qianyun suddenly spoke and asked:

"May I dare ask the Old Ancestor's honored title?"

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan paused slightly and said:

"The past is like smoke. This Seat sees that Green Thunder Sect takes the Green Thunder Bamboo as its sect-protecting spiritual root, so you may simply call This Seat Green Bamboo!"

Listening to Chen Daoxuan's words, beside Qian Qianyun, the Green Thunder Sect's Grand Elder Yuan Xundao, whose Aura was that of a Core Formation cultivator at the peak, and who had the appearance of a middle-aged man—

—at this moment stepped forward half a pace, cupped his hands in a bow to Chen Daoxuan, and asked with a trace of trepidation:

"Green Ancestor, may I dare ask about the Nascent Soul opportunity you mentioned…"

In an instant, every Core Formation cultivator, including Qian Qianyun, looked at Chen Daoxuan with eyes full of anticipation.