Chapter 1294: Borrowing the Path of Cause and Effect

The new era had actually arrived the moment the Nine Shores Immortal Sovereign abdicated.

The mighty rise of the Seeking Clarity Immortal Sovereign, under the feedback of fortune, had already spread throughout the Fifth Star Ring.

He inherited his father's Radiant Legacy, took command of the Fifth Star Ring, became its present ruler, governed all beings and things, and his status was already supreme.

And now… his performance on the Fourth Star Ring battlefield was again stunningly brilliant, slaying two true gods and taking full responsibility for directing the war!

The commotion of this matter stirred the tides of fortune, causing countless cultivators of the Fifth Star Ring to be endlessly exhilarated, and cheers echoed on one supply star after another.

At the same time, Xu Qing's identity also rose invisibly once more.

He is the Lord of Radiant Heaven Beyond Heaven, and he shares deep karmic affinity with Seeking Clarity; not only did he assist Seeking Clarity in transforming divinity into immortality, but in Seeking Clarity's first edict as Immortal Sovereign, he received the support of dense fortune.

All this made all beings of the Fifth Star Ring know…… and there were even rumors that this Seeking Clarity Immortal Sovereign regarded Xu Qing as a younger brother.

Therefore, this Xu Zhenjun, in the coming eon, within the Fifth Star Ring, his status would become supremely exalted.

Such identity, such status, such fortune…… caused many factions within the Fifth Star Ring that had previously had direct or indirect conflicts with Xu Qing to tremble with anxiety.

Among them, especially agitated and with thoughts violently churning, was Li Mengtu's master, the Poison Lord!

At this moment, he was likewise within the Fourth Star Ring, having just experienced a life-and-death battle in the starry sky, having slain a true god, and was now sitting cross-legged on a gray meteorite, silent and speechless.

Around him were his subordinates who had accompanied him on this journey.

If Xu Qing were here, he would certainly recognize at a glance that those cultivators were precisely the small team that had once sought him out for trouble.

Only, compared to back then, few remained now, and each one was severely injured and appeared utterly exhausted in spirit.

Each was likewise silent and speechless.

Only occasionally would they glance toward the Poison Lord sitting at the front, wanting to speak but hesitating.

The Poison Lord did not turn back, but with his realm, he naturally perceived everything behind him with perfect clarity.

Amid his inner bitterness, there were also ripples.

Originally, he had no need to come to the battlefield.

But a few days prior, an edict transmitted from within the Fourth Star Ring forced him to come.

Though not an order from the Seeking Clarity Immortal Sovereign, it was also issued by the War Command Tower.

Someone had designated him and his subordinates to enter the Fourth Star Ring to participate in the war, and had given them a task.

As for who this person was, the Poison Lord had some suspicion in his heart, and he also knew it actually didn't matter who it was, because someone would always seek to curry favor with a certain existence by borrowing the power of war to strike at oneself.

"Curry favor with Xu Qing?"

The Poison Lord murmured, his bitterness growing stronger.

For if it were merely to participate in the war, given his cultivation, it would pose no obstacle, but the task assigned to him was extremely cruel.

He must slay nine true gods of the same realm as himself!

In these past few days, he had only slain one!

"The matter between me and that Xu Qing is known to many…… is this karma?"

"I initially sought to borrow his Dao to fulfill myself, though I did not succeed, yet karma was already sown."

"Now…… it begins to backlash."

The Poison Lord recalled past events, his heart also filled with unwillingness, quite feeling a sense of fate.

He had almost watched Xu Qing step by step rise higher and higher until now, when the other needed do nothing, as someone would come to curry favor and strike at him.

Thinking of this, the Poison Lord let out a soft sigh.

"The avatar I sent out, calculating the time, should have arrived by now; I hope it can resolve this karma."

The Poison Lord turned his head, gazing into the distance toward the direction of the Fifth Star Ring.

At the same time, before the yellowish supply star where Xu Qing resided in the Fifth Star Ring, a disheveled figure emerged from the void.

This figure was an old man, his body entwined with dark green poisonous clouds, and within the clouds, his appearance was exactly the same as the Poison Lord's, and his aura was likewise identical.

It was precisely the avatar the Poison Lord had arranged to come here.

Only, it was clearly encountered a powerful enemy on the way; though it successfully arrived here, its injuries were severe.

One could see within the dark green poisonous clouds that his body was withered, bearing multiple wounds, and even his own laws emitted a sense of decay; more so, his left arm was severed at the root, and the wound crawled with writhing flesh buds.

At this moment, gazing at the supply star, the Poison Lord's avatar hesitated slightly, then gritted his teeth fiercely and rushed straight toward the star.

After passing through layers of inspection, and under the guidance of a familiar contact made in advance, several hours later, he finally arrived before an observatory tower located to the southeast of this star.

It was a tower built from meteorites, standing tall on a high mountain, with eight directions permeated by a rich immortal spirit aura.

This was Xu Qing's temporary residence.

Upon arriving here, his familiar cultivator companion, finding it inconvenient to continue, chose to retreat somewhat and spoke in a low voice.

"Poison Lord, do as you see fit."

Between the words, this person sighed inwardly.

He was one of the garrison commanders stationed here, and had also heard of the matters between the Poison Lord and Xu Qing; if not for having once owed the Poison Lord a great favor, he would not have brought someone here at this time.

Upon hearing this, the Poison Lord's avatar nodded slightly, then gazed at the observatory tower on the distant high mountain, his body trembled, and he rushed straight toward the high tower.

Soon approaching, he paused at a distance of a hundred zhang from the high tower, without any hesitation, bowed deeply toward the high tower, and a voice of vicissitude came from his mouth.

"An old friend has come here; I beg the True Lord to grant an audience."

The voice echoed, rippling heaven and earth, yet the observatory tower a hundred zhang away gave no response whatsoever.

After a long while, the Poison Lord's avatar let out a soft sigh, raised his right hand and waved, and a bronze figurine the size of a palm was taken out, appeared in the void ahead, and finally landed on the ground.

The appearance of this bronze figurine was consistent with the Poison Lord's, and even within its chest cavity beat a dark green heart.

Gazing at this figurine, the Poison Lord's eyes showed determination; he raised his fingertips and actually drew them directly across his own neck, blood dripping down, corroding into paths of void fissures, which finally gathered upon that figurine.

Thus, the figurine became spirited.

Meanwhile, the Poison Lord himself began to dissipate, while simultaneously bowing once more toward the high tower.

"My true body is in the Fourth Star Ring, undertaking the task of slaying nine true gods of the same realm, so I cannot come in person; now I send this substitute tribulation bronze figurine."

"Once this puppet is deployed, it can instantly transmit my true form to appear and fight for you."

"Regardless of life or death, to settle the prior forced borrowing of cause and effect."

The voice echoed, and his body gradually dissipated.

Gao Ta remained silent.

In the distance, the leader who brought the Poison Lord here sighed inwardly, clasped his fists, then turned and departed.

After a long while... the bronze puppet lying on the ground suddenly blurred and vanished in place.

Upon appearing, it was suddenly within Gao Ta, in Xu Qing's hand.

Gazing at this bronze puppet, Xu Qing remained expressionless, and after a long while, spoke lightly.

"If I use it, cause and effect are settled; if I do not, cause and effect remain, and everything depends on your fate."

Upon these words, the Poison Lord's true form, far away on the Fourth Star Ring battlefield, let out a muffled grunt, and the karmic thread between him and Xu Qing snapped by fifty percent.

Sensing this, the Poison Lord sighed again; his original appearance, like that of an old farmer, now looked even more aged.

"I should not have extended that leg back then, greedy for his Dao..."