Chapter 131: Is There Still Karmic Connection?

Jiangxi, Deep Joy Pure Land.

A land of ultimate Zen, temples stand tall like a forest; among them is a temple not vast in size, yet its Buddha light shines brilliantly, its bell sound resounding grandly. A plaque before the temple bears three large characters:

【Luo Han Fu Long Temple】

Pushing open the temple doors and entering the main hall, one can see a towering Luo Han Golden Body standing there. Beneath the Golden Body lies a cushion, and upon it sits a handsome youth with red lips and white teeth. Surrounding him are disciples, some chanting scriptures, others holding instruments, performing a certain sacrificial ritual.

Yet just at this moment, a sudden explosion rang out within the temple.

"Hmm?"

The youth with red lips and white teeth opened his eyes, a hint of confusion appearing in them: "Guanghai and Guanghui are both dead!? Only Guangming remains alive."

His three most capable disciples had, this time, been sent out at the Bodhisattva's request to participate in the Struggle for the Dao. Among them, Guanghai possessed the highest cultivation, Guanghui the second, and Guangming the third. Yet who would have thought that now, with the Struggle for the Dao concluded, it was Guangming, the one with the most mediocre talent, who survived.

However, soon the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han's expression changed.

"Is this... the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique? No, it is the 【Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Controlling Dao Foundation】! Someone has actually successfully established their foundation without my sensing it!?"

Thinking of this, the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han's expression immediately turned extremely gloomy.

Although the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique was created by him, the 【Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Controlling Dao Foundation】 was not; it was specially bestowed upon him by a great figure of the Pure Land.

The so-called 【Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Controlling】 controls the 【True Dragon Qi】.

Ordinary cultivators who cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique to achieve the Third Grade True Qi ultimately only make a wedding dress for him, refined by him into the Guardian Vajras of the temple.

Precisely because of this, what he feared most was someone breaking through the limitations of the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique, forging the 【Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Controlling Dao Foundation】 just like him, thereby no longer being under his control, and even competing with him for the Dao path, effectively turning from a mere talent into a lifelong Dao enemy!

"Whoever it is... must be killed!"

With this thought, the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han's figure suddenly dimmed; he had cast a "Buddhist Mind Seal," transmitting mind to mind, and directly fled toward the target's location.

However, the very next second, his expression changed abruptly.

For he discovered that in the direction he had fled, three colossal Dharma bodies, reaching the sky and filling the earth, indescribably immense, stood there, now all looking at him together!

"Where did this unseeing rogue cultivator come from?"

A light rebuke, like rolling heavenly thunder striking, caused the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han to tremble instantly, watching helplessly as his own Dao Foundation was about to immediately collapse and scatter.

"Good, good."

Buddhist sounds came softly, and in the blink of an eye, they calmed the Great Void, stabilizing the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han's Dao Foundation, which was on the verge of destruction, pulling him back from the brink of life and death.

"Benefactor Qingcheng Feixue, you are perhaps too hasty."

"The Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han and this Benefactor Lu of your sect share a deep karmic connection. Rather than fighting and killing at the slightest disagreement, why not let the two meet first?"

Only then did the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han come to his senses, seeing that in the middle of the three True Lords, above a strange spectacle, stood a handsome youth. The aura on his body was exactly the same as what he had sensed: the 【Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon-Controlling Dao Foundation】, and the gaze he directed at him was filled with vigilance.

"... Bitter!"

The Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han understood the situation almost at a glance; this was a True Person of the Initial Saint Sect! In that case, killing him was impossible!

Yet this also concerned his own Dao path...

What made the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han even more terrified was that the opponent's Dao Foundation was perfect and without flaw, utterly undamaged; having broken through, he stood at the peak of the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment!

"Perfect Foundation Establishment?" the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han murmured softly.

With a Dao Foundation perfect from birth, forging one's innate divine ability would save countless efforts; within at most thirty years, he could attempt to contain the first Heavenly Gang or Earthly Fiend, and assault the Mid Stage!

Truly a Dao enemy!

Thinking of this, the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han immediately clenched his Buddha teeth tightly, then looked at Lu Yang, saying in a deep voice: "This person and I, the poor monk, indeed share a certain karmic connection..."

"Oh? Really?"

Upon hearing this, the Pure and Clear Qingcheng Feixue True Lord immediately smiled. With a wave of her jade hand, the strange spectacle 【Ten Thousand Insects Cave】, formed from the Boundary Heaven, fell into her palm, spinning round and round.

"Two Dao friends, tell me, should I drop this spectacle over Jiangdong or Jiangxi?"

"I think Jiangxi is quite good."

"Amitabha!"

Before the Pure and Clear Qingcheng Feixue True Lord could finish speaking, the True Lord of the Pure Land recited a Buddhist title: "Since the Struggle for the Dao has already ended, I, the poor nun, should return."

"Why such haste?" the Pure and Clear Qingcheng Feixue True Lord chuckled lightly: "Is there not still karmic connection?"

"No more, no more."

The Buddhist True Lord, swallowing his own spit, smiled and replied, then looked at the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han: "Let us return for now."

Upon hearing this, the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han wore a face full of unwillingness, yet had no choice but to cast a deep glance at Lu Yang in the distance, then stood behind the Pure Land True Lord.

The next second, the Buddha light dimmed.

The Pure Land True Lord, the Luo Han Fu Long Luo Han, and even Guangming, who had luckily survived this battle, along with more than ten other fortunate Buddhist cultivators, thus returned to the Jiangxi Pure Land.

"... Hmph!"

At the same time, the True Lord from the Dao Court wore a face of iron-green anger; while Guangming and others from the Pure Land had survived, his side had truly been completely annihilated.

Fortunately, the situation of the Dao Court was somewhat special; people were not important, what mattered was the 【Official Position】. As long as the 【Official Position】 was not lost, not broken or damaged, even if the person died, one could simply select the best from the Jinshi of past imperial examinations to grant the office. What truly made the Dao Court True Lord angry was that 【Ten Thousand Insects Cave】.

Boom-boom-boom!

Only then did the Pure and Clear Qingcheng Feixue True Lord raise her jade hand, causing that strange spectacle formed from the Boundary Heaven to immediately plummet from the sky, smashing heavily into the border commandery region of the Jiangdong Dao Court.

Almost simultaneously, the Dao Court True Lord also let out a muffled groan.

Below, Jiangdong.

At the place where the 【Ten Thousand Insects Cave】 fell, all cultivators felt a resonance in their hearts. They raised their heads to gaze at the sky, yet only felt that the difficulty of cultivation had suddenly changed.

In the early morning, morning dew condensed into mist.

The Qi had not yet flowed freely; it moved from within the earth, connecting north and south, facing off against Kan and Li. Any cultivator practicing Metal or Water techniques suddenly felt a sense of ease.

This is the struggle for the Fruit Position!

The Fruit Position that originally covered this area was pushed aside, while the Fruit Position of the Pure and Clear Qingcheng Feixue True Lord gained the upper hand, directly affecting all cultivators below.

Even Foundation Establishment True Persons were not exempt!

Lu Yang looked out and could even see several cultivators who were breaking through to Foundation Establishment; due to the change in Fruit Position, their chances of success, which had been several tenths, dropped directly to zero.

And several cultivators whose hopes had originally been slim gained an extra ten percent chance of victory because of it.

"Many thanks, Daoist friend!"

True Monarch Clear Clarity Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue burst out laughing at the sight, while True Monarch of the Dao Court said not a word, his face dark as he reversed his Dharma-body and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

Jiangxi, the Pure Land of Deep Joy.

After returning to the Pure Land, Luo Han Subduing Dragon did not leave at once, but looked toward the True Monarch of the Pure Land presiding over all matters, whose honorific title was 【Bodhisattva Treasure Vase Water Moon】:

"Bodhisattva, what exactly happened in this Battle of Dao-Snatching?"

"We lost, that's all."

Bodhisattva Treasure Vase Water Moon's tone was very calm—after all, although they had lost, the Pure Land's losses were not actually that great; the Dao Court had eaten all the losses.

Publicly speaking, the Dao Court was annihilated, while the Pure Land's side had at least a handful of survivors. Privately speaking, she had used the matter of Luo Han Subduing Dragon to make a fuss, getting True Monarch Clear Clarity Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue to place the location of 【Ten Thousand Gu Cave】 in Jiangdong, thereby sparing herself losses; at this moment she naturally spoke with ease and flair.

"That Guangming, not bad at all."

"If he hadn't betrayed the Dao Court in time, the Buddhist masses who took part in this battle would likely have been just like the Dao Court—not a single one surviving. He's a sharp sprout."

"Of course, betraying an ally doesn't sound good when spoken aloud, and can't be encouraged."

"So after we return, don't reward him openly on the surface, but behind the scenes let him cultivate well within your 【Subduing Dragon Temple】; he may still be of use in the future."

"This little monk accepts the Dharma decree."

Luo Han Subduing Dragon bowed in salute, and in his heart also regarded Guangming with new respect—after all, everyone else had died, yet he still lived; there must be something extraordinary about him.

"But Bodhisattva, that newly-advanced Foundation Establishment True Person—"

As Luo Han Subduing Dragon's words fell, he saw Bodhisattva Treasure Vase Water Moon count on her fingers a moment, then immediately shake her head: "The karmic tie has already been severed; it all depends on your own ability now."

"If you have the ability to make him take refuge, or to kill him, the Pure Land will naturally support you with all its might."

"If not—the Pure Land does not keep useless people either."

Once these words were spoken, how would Luo Han Subduing Dragon dare say more? He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, verbally assenting, and in this manner squirmed backward out of the main hall of the Pure Land.

(End of this chapter)