Chapter 150: Calamity

After watching Peak Master Senior Butian depart, the smile on Lu Yang's face gradually faded, replaced by a look of genuine confusion in his eyes.

"Something isn't right."

Did he really believe it so easily?

To be honest, Lu Yang had never initially expected Peak Master Senior Butian to trust him; after all, such a seasoned old demon should never easily trust outsiders.

However, the situation differed from his expectations; from start to finish, Peak Master Senior Butian seemed to harbor no suspicion toward him, accepting Arhat Fu Long's Golden Body Sarira with great satisfaction before departing without delay, seemingly eager to deliver it to Chen Chen Xinan to aid his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

This clearly did not align with the conduct of a True Person of the Holy Sect.

"Profit blinds wisdom."

Lu Yang calculated with his fingers, feeling somewhat astonished; Peak Master Senior Butian's current abnormal state seemed bizarre, yet in reality, it could be explained in a single sentence.

—A severe deficit of merit, entangled by calamity qi.

Under the heavenly punishment at Skeleton Mountain, Zhao Xuhe died on the spot, Arhat Fu Long was reduced to ten lifetimes of pigs and dogs, and the two True Persons of the Divine Martial Sect became sacrifices to the Avici Sword.

Only Peak Master Senior Butian survived.

Yet surviving did not mean Heaven and Earth had spared him; after having most of his fortune and merit stripped away, Peak Master Senior Butian was now clouded by calamity.

"When clouded by calamity, the spiritual platform gathers dust; matters that would normally be understood with a single thought are no longer scrutinized, and abnormalities that should be obvious go unnoticed; one acts rashly, becomes irritable and short-tempered; unless aided by a high expert, even if one enjoys momentary glory, the end will inevitably be a tragic downfall."

Upon this realization, Lu Yang was struck with sudden dread.

"This eight-hundred-li earth vein is practically a merit nuclear bomb; besides the direct force of the explosion, there are damn aftereffects; it seems a bit too fierce."

The crucial point is that these aftereffects cannot be detected by others.

To the extent that Peak Master Senior Butian, who should have been cunning and treacherous, was reduced to this state; thinking of this, a difficult thought slowly emerged in Lu Yang's mind:

'... hat about me?'

The next second, Lu Yang suddenly formed a hand seal, and a bright radiance bloomed from his Dao foundation, like a clear spring washing over his entire body, sweeping away impurities.

【Distinguish Same from Different】!

As the divine ability continued to operate, Lu Yang's eyes gradually cleared, and he abruptly recalled an obvious problem he had previously overlooked:

"Did I just give away the item too easily?"

According to the style of the Holy Sect, his best course of action would have been to extort Peak Master Senior Butian heavily; only then would it be unlikely for the other to grow suspicious of him.

Yet what was the result?

He hadn't bargained at all, directly handing over Arhat Fu Long's Golden Body Sarira; if he were Peak Master Senior Butian, he would have already grown suspicious!

"【Distinguish Same from Different】 failed to completely sever the karmic ties!?"

"No... it's just that my cultivation base is insufficient, leaving broken lotus roots with lingering fibers, so some influence remains."

Lu Yang immediately sucked in a cold breath, his face turning deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down; only after a long while did he slowly regain his composure, his heart filled with gravity.

"Looking on the bright side, as the mastermind behind the destruction of the eight-hundred-li Skeleton Mountain earth vein, the influence I suffered is actually less than that on Peak Master Senior Butian; this is already thanks to 【Distinguish Same from Different】, and coupled with my consumption of the Divine Martial Sect's fortune and merit, I still retain a sliver of clarity."

Those who truly sink, like Peak Master Senior Butian, will likely never wake up again.

Could the majesty of Heaven and Earth reach such an extent!?

In an instant, Lu Yang, who had felt slightly swollen with pride after previously manipulating karma and waiting out Arhat Fu Long until death, suddenly shrank back, feeling a bone-chilling cold.

The karma of Heaven and Earth is not so easily fooled.

Although his innate divine ability holds unique advantages in this regard, those good at swimming drown, those good at riding fall; playing with fire will one day lead to self-immolation!

"What a wretched place."

All along, Lu Yang had held immense awe for Golden Core True Persons; after all, the sight of them seizing the sun and moon and plucking the stars during the Dao Seizing Battle remained vivid in his memory.

Yet at this moment, he changed his mind.

Golden Core True Persons are indeed terrifying, but even a True Person, when exterminating the entire Witch-Ghost Sect in the past, chose not to directly destroy the Skeleton Mountain earth vein!

This shows that even for a Golden Core True Person, the influence of karma and even fortune and merit likely exerts some binding force; perhaps not much, but it certainly exists; comparing this to the earth-shaking power of a Golden Core True Person reveals just how deep the waters of this world truly are.

"Fortunately, the Peak Master Senior Butian I face is in an even worse state than I am..."

This is also the wonder of fortune.

If it had been any other True Person of the Holy Sect, the flaws Lu Yang exposed would have been fatal; yet it happened to be Peak Master Senior Butian, which allowed him to wake up directly.

At first glance, this seems like mere coincidence.

However, inferring from the perspective of fortune, it is because he consumed the Divine Martial Sect's fortune and merit, so his fate was not to end, while Peak Master Senior Butian's fortune had already been exhausted.

"... ntangled by calamity qi; his retribution likely still lies ahead."

Connecting to the sea of clouds, Senior Butian Peak.

As soon as Peak Master Senior Butian returned, he felt the world spinning, finding himself transported into a hall, where a maid in splendid attire approached respectfully:

"Master, the Lady wishes to see you."

"... he wishes to see me?"

Hearing this, Peak Master Senior Butian frowned; though inclined to refuse, seeing that the other party had directly teleported him here made it clear that refusal was not an option.

Thinking thus, he followed the maid into the hall.

Before long, a quiet chamber came into view; inside, eighteen beautiful maids stood waiting on both sides, each in a different pose, motionless like statues.

Surrounded by them in the center was a graceful back view.

Three thousand black tresses were coiled at the back of her head, pierced by a snake-headed hairpin, the dangling ornaments on the pin swaying gently; she wore a crimson long skirt, through which snow-white skin faintly showed.

Beneath the skirt's hem, a gentle breeze lifted the fabric to reveal fair thighs; a pair of bare feet, unshod and unsocked, lightly trod upon the clouds and mist, warm and smooth as jade, white with a hint of red; around her ankles hung a pair of bright silver foot bracelets, emitting a chiming sound with every step, captivating the heart.

In an instant, the scent of sandalwood wafted forth.

Yet upon seeing this, Peak Master Senior Butian felt not the slightest stir of desire, instead displaying an expression of impatience: "Is it still about that matter? If so, there is no need to speak of it again."

A moment later, the graceful figure slowly turned around.

Accompanied by the chiming of the silver bracelets on her feet, a face of flower-like beauty yet dignified bearing was revealed, dignified yet hiding an alluring charm.

"... ust you really let Shuqian undergo the calamity in your stead?"

Her words seemed like a plea, like a whisper, compelling one involuntarily to feel pity, to be bewitched in soul and spirit, and to agree to all her requests.

Yet Peak Master Senior Butian dismissed this with contempt.

"Do not use such tactics on me... Moreover, I am using Qian'er to undergo the calamity in my stead, but aren't you also wanting Qian'er to help you break the mystery of the womb after your reincarnation?"

"... mph!"

The next second, like spring wind melting ice and snow, the woman's voice suddenly turned sinister: "Chen Taihe, since you know this, you still intend to ruin my reincarnation?"

"Unnecessary worry."

Peak Master Senior Butian said indifferently: "If I break through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment and achieve the rank of Great True Person, I will naturally be able to calculate your reincarnated body and go to guide you back."

"But what if you fail?"

The woman said in a heavy voice: "If you fail and Shuqian dies, with my days numbered, I won't have time to cultivate a second one; how then can I break the mystery of the womb?"

Speaking thus, the woman stared straight at Peak Master Senior Butian, hoping he would provide an answer that satisfied both sides.

Yet in the end, she heard only an unequivocal answer:

"I will not fail!"

Upon these words, disappointment suddenly flashed in the woman's beautiful eyes, yet she instantly regained her composure, saying coldly: "Chen Taihe, you will regret this."

In response, Peak Master Senior Butian merely sneered:

"Ruoxiang, do not forget, I am the Peak Master Senior Butian of this generation!"

(End of Chapter)