Chapter 1328 - Forcefully Establishing Positive Karma
Within the Tailor’s dark, secluded world, an elderly servant said solemnly, “My lord, Butterfly Girl is dead. The core members of the Shadows we had stationed in the Divine Capital Star Realm have all passed.”
The Tailor liked to drink tea. He’d never been one for alcohol.
But when he heard that, he took out a jug of wine and silently took a sip.
Undisguised grief appeared on his aged face.
He’d raised Butterfly Girl; she’d been like a daughter to him. He’d already gathered enough cultivation resources to carry her all the way to the Path of Transcendence.
But now...
She was no longer here to use them!
A long time passed before the Tailor took a deep breath. His eyes shone with cold, terrifying light. “A life for a life. Illuminating Emptiness, from this day forth, I owe you nothing!”
“My condolences, my lord,” said the elderly servant.
The Tailor’s gaze was once more as tranquil as the waters of an ancient well. “Everyone dies. I’ve long since accepted that. I won’t let Butterfly Girl’s passing affect my rationality.”
He paused, then said, “Pass on my orders. From this day forth, all of our forces are to lie low and wait. We’ll let the Temple Master keep this act up a while longer!”
“Three months from now, I’ll lay his coffin to rest and place his tombstone with my own two hands!”
......
Beneath the fiery light of dusk, Su Yi walked alone through a lively, bustling city.
The streets were so jam-packed that the pedestrians' shoulders touched. This lively, bustling scene left Su Yi a bit dazed. It had been a long time since he’d last been on his own with nothing to do like this.
He went to a teahouse, where someone was waxing eloquent about a strange tale of demons and gods. His tale won shouts of approval from the other guests.
But Su Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, as the story’s main character was actually the Temple Master!
He stood outside the teashop, listening with great enjoyment for a while before turning and leaving. This time, he found a quiet, remote restaurant, where he sampled the local delicacies.
He thought of nothing and did nothing. He just strolled through the city, enjoying the leisure and solitude.
“I’ve seized half a day’s leisure, forgetting myself and others amidst the red dust of mortality. Sometimes, I ought to let myself relax completely, slow down, and steady my heart. In doing so, I can comb through and examine my own path.”
As Su Yi left the restaurant, he put his hands behind his back and wandered the streets aimlessly.
He bought some wine and sold off some of the treasures he didn’t need. When he encountered interesting trinkets, he snapped them up. When he saw products and delicacies from faraway places, he sampled them. It was as leisurely as could be.
It was only when the dusk gave way to the night that Su Yi left the city and proceeded toward the Smoke Province.
The Smoke Province was the home of the greatest workshop in the Divine Capital Star Realm, the Divine Forge.
Su Yi was headed to the Divine Forge to borrow its two Divine Chaos Treasures, the Thousand Wonders Furnace and the Nine Purities Dao Flame. With them, he could fuse the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine into the Sword of the Human Realm.
Sword cultivators naturally attached great importance to their weapons.
Both the Sword of the Human Realm and the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine were rare Divine Chaos Treasures, the type that could only be happened upon by chance.
But to Su Yi, one sword was enough.
The night was dark and deep, and its darkness was adorned by flickering stars.
Su Yi rode the wind through the landscape, blue robes fluttering around him. He looked as if he were out for a casual stroll, but in truth, even a single step carried him over ten thousand feet.
He wasn’t rushing, either. Su Yi was in no hurry. His heart was free of complicated thoughts. He simply traveled with the moon and stars for company.
Suddenly, the strumming of a zither rang out, like the rustling of the pines or the burbling of a spring. The sound resounded throughout the inky darkness.
Su Yi silently came to a halt.
A peak stood in the distance, shrouded in ethereal starlight.
A man in long, wide-sleeved red robes sat on the ground, a zither on his lap. He was leisurely playing his instrument.
The music was clear, with a note of delight.
Throughout the surrounding area, the trees and grasses swayed, and all of creation flourished. A flock of spirit sparrows beat their wings and danced to the music, lively and spirited.
Su Yi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Are you that happy to see me?”
He could hear the joy within the zither music.
The man in long red robes smiled and placed his hand on the zither’s strings. The sound instantly dissipated.
“A friend visits from afar. Is that not delightful?”
The red-robed man took out a zither case and put away his instrument before rising to his feet.
He then gazed at the distant layers of cloud, where Su Yi now stood, and smiled. “What beautiful scenery. You and I were fated to meet in this boundless wilderness. Fellow Daoist Su, if you’re not against it, how about we share a drink?”
The man was tall and thin, with handsome features and extraordinary, unaffected natural elegance. He seemed like an immortal uncontaminated by mortal dust.
Su Yi swept his gaze across their surroundings. “In my eyes, this place is laden with hidden dangers and murderous intent. Every tree and blade of grass is like a miniature purgatory.”
With that, he drew his sword and slashed.
Boom!
Heaven and earth overturned as the landscape popped like a soap bubble.
The surrounding area was now a devastated, barren landscape completely devoid of life. Not even an inch of grass grew.
The red-robed man now stood atop a barren mountain. His long hair hung loose, and he now carried an umbrella.
The umbrella was as black as ink and perfectly round. Its bones were carved with mysterious Dao Markings, and wisps of strange, inscrutable dark light flowed across its surface.
The man’s robes were as red as blood. He stood beneath the dome of heaven, holding his black umbrella. This lent an additional strange, mysterious quality to his extraordinary bearing.
“Extraordinary. In all my time wandering this world, you’re the first who wasn’t affected by my Heaven Shadow Illusion Formation,” exclaimed the man in red.
Su Yi brushed his finger against the Sword of the Human Realm and said casually, “It’s the middle of the night, and there’s neither rain nor wind. Why carry an umbrella?”
The man in red smiled. “Fellow Daoist, I see you’ve realized that this umbrella is special. Allow me to brag. Its name is Obscuring Heavens, and it’s a true immortal treasure. When opened, it lets me obscure the Laws of an entire stretch of heaven and earth.”
The Obscuring Heavens Umbrella!
An immortal treasure!
Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Does that mean that if I break your umbrella, you’ll die?”
The red-robed man’s eyes narrowed, but a moment later, he laughed. “That is indeed the case, but I rather hope you won’t do that, Fellow Daoist Su.”
With that, he took out a green-skinned gourd. Silver immortal light emanated from it. “This is a true immortal brew made by immortals. Care to taste it?”
Su Yi rubbed his forehead. “I don’t like wasting words with strangers. Cut the chatter. Just tell me your name and why you’re here.”
The red-robed man raised the gourd and took a sip. “My name is Fu Dongli, and I’m from the Immortal Realm. The people of the present day would call me a descendant of immortals.
“I came to the Human Realm in ancient times to escape catastrophe. I would never have guessed that I’d meet with another catastrophe instead, the End of the Dharma. Just like that, I became a revenant."
Here, he let out a deep sigh. “It was just a few years ago that I awakened from dormancy and saw the world once more. It’s truly changed, and most of the people I remember are gone.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but be surprised.
The moment he laid eyes on the man in red, he sensed something strange about his aura. It was unfathomably deep.
After learning some of the mysteries of his Obscuring Heavens Umbrella, Su Yi instantly guessed that this was a revenant with strength far beyond the Nascent Divinity level!
But he wouldn’t have guessed that he was a descendant of immortals just like Daoist Master Red Cloud!
“Are you looking for me on account of the mysteries of reincarnation too?” asked Su Yi.
The red-robed man, Fu Dongli, shook his head. “Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?” asked Su Yi.
Fu Dongli’s eyes shone with gentle light, and he said openly, “I heard a bit about you, so I’m here for one reason and one reason only. I hope to establish positive karma with you.”
“Positive karma?”
“That’s right,” Fu Dongli said with a solemn nod. “I’m from the Immortal Realm, and a peak faction of the Immortal Dao stands behind me. So long as you’re willing to part with the secrets of reincarnation, I can guarantee that when I return to the Immortal Realm, I’ll take you with me!
Here, he smiled. “You’d be achieving immortality in a single bound. Even in ancient times, this would be a rare, unparalleled opportunity, the type that can only be happened upon by chance. I trust that you understand how great an expression of sincerity this is, Fellow Daoist.”
Achieving immortality in a single bound!
That really was something the cultivators of the present day could only dream of.
But Su Yi was entirely unmoved, and his gaze was calm. “An opportunity to enter the Immortal Realm means nothing to me. I seek far greater heights.”
Fu Dongli looked stunned; he obviously hadn’t expected this. He thought for a moment, then said, “I have nine types of Transcendent legacies, each a supreme Daoist canon. It might be shameless to boast like this, but they’re first-rate even by the standards of the Immortal Realm.”
He paused, then said, “Aside from those legacies, if there are any treasures you need, I have immortal treasures. If you need pills, I have immortal medicines.... In short, I want to establish positive karma with you. I’ll naturally make sure you can feel my sincerity, Fellow Daoist.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but be surprised. Is he a second-generation immortal with enough wealth to rival entire nations? If not, how could he throw his riches around like this?
“What do you think, Fellow Daoist?” Fu Dongli asked with a smile.
He gripped a black umbrella. His red robes floated around him, and he had an extraordinary bearing.
Had they been offered such “immortal fortune,” anyone else would have been long since stunned out of their wits.
But Su Yi didn’t even stop to think. He just shook his head. “I’m not interested.”
Fu Dongli was stunned. He said warmly, “Was my sincerity insufficient? In that case, please feel free to ask for whatever you’d like. So long as it’s within my power, I absolutely won’t refuse.”
Su Yi said with complete seriousness, “If you’re really that sincere, you’d best leave right now.”
Fu Dongli rubbed his nose and sighed. “Did I come across as too agreeable, leading you to think that I’m... begging you for help?”
He looked at Su Yi, but his gaze had already frosted over, and he had a new formless, imposing presence about him.
He was obviously out of patience, or rather, enraged. There was no trace of his earlier mellow, elegant bearing.
“What is positive karma? It’s good intentions, followed by a connection,” laughed Su Yi. “But I can tell you’ve come with ill intentions, so why speak of karmic bonds?”
“You really won’t give me face?” Fu Dongli’s expression was increasingly cold.
Back in ancient times, with his status, he’d never have needed to go to all this trouble. All he had to do was issue orders, and others would kill and seize whatever he wanted!
He knew that the present was not like the past and that he’d become a revenant. Thus, he didn’t want to use force, and he planned to use sincerity to get what he wanted instead.
Who’d have thought that Su Yi wouldn’t give him any face at all?
Su Yi said flatly, “Even if you knelt and begged, I wouldn’t help you.”
After a moment’s silence, Fu Dongli let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I bared my heart to the moon, only for it to illuminate a ditch instead. In the end, my good intentions have gone to waste!”
Cold, murderous intent had already entered his voice.
Heaven and earth were suddenly stifled, and the stars dimmed.
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