Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 441: Chapter 441: The Doctrine of Karma

Nine Cyan Dragons weaved through the clouds, every scale shimmering with cyan lightning.

The Cyan Dragon in the very center suddenly poked its head out from the thunderclouds, blinding lightning flaring between its scales and claws.

Before Xu Yunfan could react, the Cyan Dragon had already plunged down with thunderous force.

In an instant, a bolt of cyan thunderbolt as thick as a water bucket tore through the clouds, striking down at him with a deafening CRACK!

Xu Yunfan instinctively tried to dodge, only to find his meridians were suppressed as if by a colossal mountain, rendering him unable to even twitch a fingertip.

The moment the cyan thunderbolt struck the crown of his head, a crackling sound like popping soybeans erupted from his bones, and tiny blood beads burst forth from all seven of his orifices.

Excruciating pain washed over his entire body like a tidal wave, yet deep within the agony stirred a strange, numbing tingle.

The Thunder Power scoured his Divine Sense with unstoppable force. With every flash of lightning, his Sea of Consciousness grew a little clearer and brighter with Spiritual Light.

This was repeated nine times. When the final bolt of thunder dissipated, Xu Yunfan found his Divine Sense returning to his body.

The Thunder Bead in his palm had shrunk by a circle, but the phantom of the Cyan Dragon had grown more solid and was now swimming along his meridians into his Dantian.

Xu Yunfan’s eyes snapped open. A feeling that was both painful and pleasant welled up within him.

This Profound Vault Thunder Bead contained a Thunder Pool, collected and refined by True Monarch Qing Yuan. When one’s Heart and Spirit entered it, they would naturally be assaulted by countless thunderbolts. This was the True Monarch’s method: forcibly transforming the Thunder Pool into thunder dragons to temper the Divine Sense.

No wonder even Daoist Master Hundred Peaks, a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, had shown undisguised envy upon seeing it.

For the next seven days, Xu Yunfan entered a profound state.

Whenever his spirit was full, he would immerse his Heart and Spirit into the Profound Vault Thunder Bead. Each time his Heart and Spirit was cleansed by the thunder, he could feel his Divine Sense grow a little stronger. His Divine Thought, which could originally scan a radius of ten li, had already doubled in range over the seven days.

After each refinement, the Cyan Dragon phantom from the Profound Vault Thunder Bead would be brought into his body by his Divine Sense. It would then coil in his Dantian, continuously spewing lightning to aid his cultivation of the Green Dragon Thunder Pearl Locking Tribulation and Calming Fortune Technique. The excess energy could even be used to temper his wisp of Lifebound Sword Qi.

’Your Green Dragon Thunder Pearl Locking Tribulation and Calming Fortune Technique has reached the Entry level.’

Xu Yunfan stared at the notification that had appeared on his Attribute Panel, the tension in his shoulders and neck finally easing.

After all, the feeling of being watched by a True Monarch was not a pleasant one.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ’I have no idea how that Golden Core True Monarch, the so-called "Nine Abyss Profound Evil Cave Ming True Monarch," even targeted me. I’ve never even met him, yet I’m suffering this unwarranted disaster. It’s truly infuriating.’

He slowly exhaled a breath of Dirt Qi, which actually condensed in the Quiet Chamber into a wisp of cyan smoke wreathed in faint sparks of lightning.

The profundity of the Green Dragon Thunder Pearl Locking Tribulation and Calming Fortune Technique far exceeded his expectations.

This technique used thunderbolt as the needle and Dragon Breath as the thread to reweave one’s own web of cause and effect.

Whenever the phantom thunder dragon roamed his Dantian, he could clearly perceive the Cause and Effect Lines extending from him being scorched and faded by the lightning.

Immortal Dao Cultivators often secluded themselves from the world, staying far from mortal affairs, precisely to avoid karmic entanglements.

Because the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator already possesses the ability to reflect, they can vaguely perceive and manipulate the karmic networks of others.

However, the cycle of the Celestial Dao is inescapable, and retribution is certain.

If one frequently interferes with the fate and karma of cultivators of the same level, one’s own path of destiny will also become increasingly tangled, like a spider’s web.

Every Cause and Effect Line that is forcibly twisted will ultimately backlash against the user, adding tribulations to their path of cultivation.

What was astonishing, however, was that this cultivation technique did not simply sever karma. Instead, through its characteristic of "impermanence," it kept the user’s destiny in a chaotic state of "seemingly severed, yet not."

Just like now, Xu Yunfan could simultaneously sense three completely different karmic paths.

One showed that he would eventually die at the hands of Nine Abyss, another predicted that he would turn the tables and kill the True Monarch to achieve his own Dao, and the third was a vision of chaos that completely broke away from his original destiny.

This was just the entry level. If he cultivated it to Great Success, or even the Realm of Perfection, it would naturally produce endless variations.

This was the essence of the "walking the path of impermanent change" mentioned in the Locking Tribulation and Calming Fate technique, ensuring that those who performed Celestial Secret Calculation could never capture a definite trajectory.

But...

’This entry-level method seems a bit suicidal!’

’If the True Monarch divined these three karmic paths of mine, he would probably stop at nothing to utterly annihilate me.’

An alarm bell rang in Xu Yunfan’s mind, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Although the Green Dragon Thunder Pearl Locking Tribulation and Calming Fortune Technique could obscure Celestial Secrets, the three karmic trajectories it was displaying right now were far too conspicuous. It was like lighting three torches in the dead of night, making it easier to expose his position. Moreover, it was a blatant provocation to the True Monarch.

If a being like Nine Abyss True Monarch, who was an expert in the Inference Skill, were to detect this, it would likely lead to a relentless, life-or-death pursuit.

He immediately formed a hand seal to retract the lightning, twisting the three Cause and Effect Lines back into a state of chaos. He secretly swore that unless it was a matter of life and death, he would never use this technique carelessly again.

’I must not use it unless absolutely necessary!’

’Not unless I reach Great Success and can manifest thousands of impermanent changes. Only then can I use it. For now, I’ll have to get by with the Turtle Breath Concealing God Technique from the True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture.’

His True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture had already reached Great Success, so circulating the Turtle Breath Concealing God Technique would naturally allow him to easily conceal his presence. As long as he didn’t flaunt himself in front of others and didn’t deliberately leave any traces while using it, there was a high probability he would be overlooked.

’Unfortunately, the other party is a True Monarch...’

’It would be great if I had a Celestial Secret Treasure.’

Still not satisfied, Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but sigh.

’Well, it’s only natural for people to want everything.’

Meanwhile, the wisp of faint cyan Sword Qi in his Dantian, which had been condensed by cultivating the Wansheng Sword Transformation technique, was gradually transforming under the tempering of the lightning. Fine thunderbolt patterns began to appear on the body of the sword qi, like ancient runes carved by Celestial Thunder.

As the Profound Vault Thunder Bead continued to release Dragon Breath and lightning, the Sword Qi finally condensed into a small, three-inch cyan thunder sword. A lifelike Cyan Dragon pattern coiled around its spine.

Whenever lightning flowed across it, the dragon pattern would move as if it were alive, and blinding sparks of electricity would occasionally flare from its eyes.

At the same time, his cultivation of the True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture also saw a breakthrough.

The Thunder Power broke through the last three acupoints, and the True Essence in his body completely transformed into a mercury-like state.

Xu Yunfan’s bones cracked and popped throughout his body, which was once again strengthened and enhanced. Now, it was no exaggeration to say he possessed jade-like skin and immortal bones!

On the morning of the tenth day, a clear sword hum suddenly echoed within the grotto-mansion.

The moment Xu Yunfan opened his eyes, a flash of lightning streaked through each of them.

He opened his mouth and spat out a streak of cyan light. The Lifebound Thunder Sword carved a profound trajectory through the air, leaving behind fine sparks of electricity in its wake.

"It’s done!"

Xu Yunfan couldn’t hide his joy.

The Wansheng Sword Transformation technique was initially mastered, and the Lifebound Thunder Sword had taken its nascent form.

The Green Dragon Thunder Pearl Locking Tribulation and Calming Fortune Technique had also completed its first step, "Thunder Bead Enters the Body." He had completely refined the Profound Vault Thunder Bead and integrated it into his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Even the Skill Level for his long-stagnant True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture had increased significantly.

’Finally, I have a little bit of security.’

Xu Yunfan came back to his senses. A single session of closed-door cultivation had actually taken nearly half a year.

He sighed with emotion.

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