Chapter 840

After the Meng family incident in Zhedi, Xiao Jiu had second thoughts.

She really wondered whether the things she had done on Yinjingshan were superfluous.

But tonight Liu Junyan's words inexplicably made her feel a lingering fear.

"In the process of clearing the earth veins in the north, I rarely suffered a concerted attack of earthfiend qi; mostly I was dredging blocked veins, twisting and connecting the sideways-growing vein branches, and so on—it got smoother and smoother. Moreover, my true form was nourished by a springlike surge of earth vein spiritual qi, and my cultivation rose like a boat in rising water; everything went smoothly."

"But during the transition from north to south, I discovered that my cultivation began to be limited, especially when passing through Suedi, where I suffered a heavy blow from earthfiend qi; the dormant tortoise-shell pattern on my back frenziedly absorbed earthfiend qi, almost crushing me."

Xiao Jiu also went to Suedi that time.

But she never expected that Liu Junyan at that time had encountered so many changes.

"Based on my calculations, after passing through Zhedi you should have returned to Jiangcheng, but I repeatedly went to the Linghai Dragon Clan to inquire about your news and got nothing; then I realized you might have been constrained by the Old Turtle's karma and gone to Suedi."

"Yes, everything stems from the Old Turtle's karma."

Liu Junyan said slowly: "This is a situation I never anticipated, and perhaps the Old Turtle never imagined that forcing his inner elixir into me would cause me such trouble."

Xiao Jiu likewise couldn't understand: "I can see that you did all this because of the Old Turtle, but I truly don't get why you would use the birth of Little Old Three as a price to settle this karma, Āyàn—it makes me furious, makes me feel you're scheming against me, playing with my reproductive rights! I can't afford to joke like that."

It was precisely for this reason that Xiao Jiu slapped Liu Junyan's face.

"Sorry, Xiao Jiu, this was my fault." Liu Junyan's attitude sank to the dust, "But if you calm down and think carefully, if Little Old Three's birth was never meant to be in our fate, then no matter how hard I tried, you wouldn't be able to conceive, right?"

Xiao Jiu stared blankly.

Yes.

In this world, for every couple, whether they have children, how many sons and daughters, when they are born, and whether they can keep them after birth—all of this is imprinted in their fate from the very beginning.

Liu Junyan had wanted Little Old Three for a long time, but Xiao Jiu consistently refused.

Nothing unexpected happened.

Yet a few years later, when Liu Junyan came and went unpredictably, Little Old Three arrived silently.

How is this not a matter of predestined fate?

Xiao Jiu stubbornly retorted: "Sophistry!"

Liu Junyan smiled lightly, not dwelling further on the issue.

After all, the mistake has been acknowledged, the slap has been delivered, and the fact that Xiao Jiu can now take the initiative to talk to him shows this matter is already past.

What needs to be clarified still has to be explained thoroughly in one go.

"When you asked me earlier whether I was using Little Old Three's birth to repay the Old Turtle's kindness, I answered yes—because all this stems from the Old Turtle; I was forced to accept his inner elixir, and thus I must settle the karma that should have been his to repay."

The Old Turtle cultivated for a thousand years; Xu Chun was not his final tribulation, so after Xu Chun's death he could not immediately attain ascension.

Xiao Jiu exclaimed in surprise: "Xu Chun isn't his final tribulation? Then the Old Turtle's final tribulation is… a Corpse Python?!"

Just thinking about that possibility made Xiao Jiu a little unsettled.

But she soon calmed down: "No, that's not right—if the Corpse Python were the final tribulation, then after its death the karma should have been settled; yet in fact, the Corpse Python's death not only failed to settle the karma, it actually intensified things……"

Saying this, Xiao Jiu's eyes widened and she almost blurted: "Earthfiend qi! Exactly, how did I overlook that? My first direct encounter with such strong earthfiend qi was when I began fighting the Corpse Python!"

"Yes, earthfiend qi." Liu Junyan fully unveiled the mystery: "That Corpse Python cultivated in that body of water in Suedi, drawing on earthfiend qi—but why could the earthfiend qi in that stretch of water in Suedi nurture such a great demon as the Corpse Python?"

"This question was overlooked by everyone from the start, until later, after I was invested as the Earth Vein Dragon God, I entered the north-south border region and gradually sensed the presence of earthfiend qi; especially when I advanced from the south toward Jiangcheng, my true form felt the influence and restraint of earthfiend qi growing stronger, and only then did I realize it wasn't that the north lacked earthfiend qi, but that the earthfiend qi in that region, following the earth vein line, had been pushed forward into Suedi by me."

"Under that body of water in Suedi lies a sealed ancient demon beast whose true form is a dragon turtle resembling Baxia; it draws earthfiend qi through yin-evil great demons such as the Corpse Python, constantly cultivating; if not for our intervention, it would one day break the seal and wreak havoc on the region."

Xiao Jiu suddenly realized: "So the Old Turtle's final tribulation is that ancient demon beast; the Old Turtle could withstand it and would take its place, but given his cultivation at the time, he might not even be able to defeat that Corpse Python……"

"Perhaps everything is predestined." Liu Junyan sighed deeply and said: "Unintentionally, I pushed all the earthfiend qi hidden in the northern earth vein line southward; in that process, that ancient demon beast exerted itself to absorb that portion of earthfiend qi, thereby continuously sustaining itself."

"If I had remained in the ascended state without worldly memories or emotions, this karma would not have fallen back on me; but as soon as I entered Suedi, I suddenly recalled everything, and even met you face to face—though only a brief glimpse—yet all the past karma of this world surged forth and enveloped me deeply."

"I set out from Suedi, heading south, then moving from the periphery inward; the tortoise‑shell markings absorbed ever more earthfiend qi, and by the stop before Zhedi I could barely endure it—so although I had sensed the Thunder‑strike Wood Formation upon entering Yinjingshan, I still lagged half a beat, and the last thunder‑strike wood at the tail of the mountain's spine pierced my body."

It turned out the true situation was like this.

At that time Xiao Jiu only thought it was Liu Junyan's probe.

But she didn't expect that at that moment he was already deeply shackled by earthfiend qi.

Liu Junyan sighed: "On the spine of Yinjingshan, the thunder‑strike wood formation's power is greatest at head and tail; the force of the three poles at the head is several times that of the tail. I could withstand the tail's single pole and dodge several on the spine, but when I charged the first three poles I would likely be exhausted."

After all, the Thunder-Struck Wood Formation Array is merely the first line of defense they set up, in the mountains there is also that giant snake, and that corpse beast bearing the imperial appearance, and on the opposite bank there is also a White Tiger spirit beast serving as bait, all of this, everything, as long as I fail to smoothly pass any one link, it could possibly trap me in the Seal Army Mountain, turning me into a cornered beast.