Chapter 2911 - Negative Karma Destiny Demons and Ancestors of the Dao
Xiao Jian had a lot to say about the Ceaseless Abyss of Destiny on the second page of the Book of Destiny. The abyss could do more than just confine and refine Destiny Souls. It wasn’t nearly that simple.
It contained the second part of the Spirit Platform Chapter, which included a secret method for refining Destiny Souls.
The Destiny Soul was the home of the heart. Giving rise to a Natal Heart Lamp required first tempering the Destiny Soul, a process of quenching one’s own life force to boost the secret power of the heart.
It might have seemed simple, but in truth, all cultivation involved the heart and life force.
Destiny was, after all, inextricably connected to life and fortune.[1]
Tempering the Destiny Soul was thus all about tempering one’s very life itself. In the process, cultivators gained a deeper understanding of destiny’s fundamental nature. Only then could they gradually glean deeper insight into the Laws of Destiny.
After explaining all this, Xiao Jian revealed something Su Yi had been wondering about. The old-timers trapped in the Book of Destiny were actually bodiless Destiny Souls confined to the Ceaseless Abyss of Destiny on the second page. They could neither fully live nor fully die.
Su Yi couldn’t help but ask follow-up questions, like “Where did they come from?” and “Why are they trapped in the Book of Destiny?”
Xiao Jian just said, “He who bears the Book of Destiny will inevitably face enemies like them. They’re called the Negative Karma Destiny Demons.
“They’re much like Outsider Celestial Demons, who come from the Void beyond. The main difference is that Negative Karma Destiny Demons come from the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but take this seriously. He’d naturally heard of the Void. That was where Innocence, a highly extraordinary Celestial Demon, was from.
What really surprised him was that the so-called “Negative Karma Destiny Demons” were from the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain.
Everyone knew that the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain in the depths of the River of Destiny was a true forbidden zone to all living beings. Anyone who went there would perish, their life force withered and annihilated.
Even River Ancestors would die without so much as leaving an intact corpse behind!
Earlier, Su Yi learned from River Ancestor Shen Xiao that although there were numerous forbidden zones throughout the River of Destiny, none were as terrifying as the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain.
It was, as the name suggested, the biggest, most terrifying forbidden zone in the entire River of Destiny. There wasn’t even a close second.
Throughout the ages, all rumors of the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain were shrouded in mystery. No one knew just what lay in its depths. Most assumed it was a place devoid of all living beings.
The only thing everyone knew for sure was that when one descended deep enough into the River of Destiny to see Whirling Netherworld Blossoms, the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain was close at hand.
Yet now, Xiao Jian was telling him that the old-timers in the Book of Destiny were Negative Karma Destiny Demons from the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain.
How could Su Yi not have been surprised?
After all, this meant that the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain wasn’t devoid of all life, after all. There were creatures living there!
Su Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Just what kind of creatures are the Negative Karma Destiny Demons?”
“You can think of them as naturally formed demons born of the negative karma of destiny,” explained Xiao Jian. “They control the power of negative karma, and when they appear, they’re sure to commit acts of wickedness. They seek to slaughter, devour, and refine other living beings. That is their Grand Dao, as well as the root of their life force.
“They’re much like the Outsider Celestial Demons of the Void, who target cultivators’ hearts, devouring their heart power to nourish themselves and cultivate. Negative Karma Destiny Demons operate in much the same way.”
Now, Su Yi finally understood. The little girl, Innocence, most excelled at attacking the heart, and she loved nothing more than devouring heart devils.
Negative Karma Destiny Demons lived to bring disaster to the world. They sought to slaughter and commit acts of wickedness, as that was how they cultivated and grew stronger.
Xiao Jian said suddenly, “If you trace all of the Demonist legacies on the River of Destiny to their source, you’ll find connections to the Negative Karma Destiny Demons.
“Similarly, all of the River of Destiny’s legacies related to tempering the heart can be traced back to the Outsider Celestial Demons of the Void.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but sink into thought.
All legacies of the Grand Dao had to come from somewhere. It was just that a lot of time had passed, and the legacies had continually evolved, branching, splitting, and developing in new directions to form new orthodoxies.
Demonism, for instance, had countless legacies and schools of thought.
How could anyone have guessed that its origins involved the Negative Karma Destiny Demons?
And who could have imagined that all techniques for tempering the heart were connected to the Outsider Celestial Demons of the Void?
“Those on the Path of Eternity seek to shatter the fetters of destiny and reach its Far Shore, and those who’ve reached the Far Shore seek to return to their origins and become Ancestors of the Dao!
“They seek the origins of the Grand Dao and comprehend the origins of life itself. That is the path of the Ancestor!
“Of course, the path of Demonism’s origins is merely connected to the Negative Karma Destiny Demons, and there’s more to it than that,” said Xiao Jian.
Here, he stopped to offer an example. “When we cultivate, we perceive heaven, earth, and everything therein. Every tree and blade of grass contains vestiges of the Grand Dao that point to the mysteries of the Grand Dao of the Five Elements.
“Similarly, the legacies of Demonism glean insight into the mysteries of cultivation from the Negative Karma Destiny Demons. This is what they mean when they say that another mountain’s stones can still polish our jade.”
Here, Xiao Jian shook his head. “You’ll naturally understand all this later, once you’ve broken the shackles of destiny. The road lies before you, and you have the experience of your forebears to guide you. There’s no need for me to say more.”
Su Yi silently committed all this to memory.
This was his first time learning that upon breaking the shackles of destiny and reaching its Far Shore, he had to trace everything back to its source and become an Ancestor of the Dao.
Xiao Jian then went on to introduce the specific Negative Karma Destiny Demons imprisoned in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny.
There were seven of them in total. The strongest was Mo Hanyi.
Prior to being imprisoned in the Book of Destiny, Mo Hanyi escaped the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain and created a storm of bloodshed on the River of Destiny. He slaughtered every living being within three million miles of water, devouring and refining their Destiny Souls. The entire area had been shrouded in baleful, terrifying death qi ever since. Nothing lived there anymore.
Most terrifying of all, Mo Hanyi refined several River Ancestors’ Destiny Souls, then fought his way to the Far Shore of Destiny to fight Destiny’s Chosen, Xiao Jian.
But in the end, he lost, and he found himself brutally suppressed, his body in tatters and his Destiny Soul imprisoned in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny. He was now just a pitiful worm, unable to live, yet without the freedom to truly die.
According to Xiao Jian, even though countless years of confinement had severely weakened Mo Hanyi, so long as he escaped, he could use his innate abilities to rapidly restore his strength through wanton massacres.
The other six imprisoned Negative Karma Destiny Demons were similar to Mo Hanyi, just weaker. Even so, at their peak, they’d been comparable to River Ancestors like Lu Shu and Shen Xiao!
“Why not just refine their Destiny Souls?” asked Su Yi.
He now knew that all of those old-timers were Negative Karma Destiny Demons, and all of them were fundamentally malicious, with hands stained red with blood.
Su Yi had little interest in learning more about them.
“The Negative Karma Destiny Demons are the fated enemies of Destiny’s Chosen. I imprisoned their Destiny Souls in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny because I wanted to see and learn about their vital sources and bloodline abilities,” said Xiao Jian. “I also wanted to see if I could figure out a way to redeem them and help them to mend their ways.”
Su Yi didn’t know what to say. He suddenly recalled the Buddhist monk who’d taken it upon themselves to save the masses. Some even insisted that they wouldn’t become Buddhas until hell was empty.
But Xiao Jian’s notions of finding a way to redeem the Negative Karma Destiny Demons were outside of Su Yi’s expectations.
“If I could find a way, the Negative Karma Destiny Demons in the depths of the River of Destiny would no longer present such an enormous latent threat.” Xiao Jian sighed. “Unfortunately, I never succeeded.”
But then, something occurred to him. “I couldn’t do it, but you might well be able to.”
Su Yi blinked. “Why do you say that?”
“You possess the Book of Destiny and the power of reincarnation. You might well manage to find a way to resolve the threat of the Negative Karma Destiny Demons one day.”
Su Yi didn’t understand. “Why do you attach such importance to them?”
According to Xiao Jian, the Negative Karma Destiny Demons inhabited the deepest depths of the River of Destiny, the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, and they were fundamentally malevolent. While there was always the odd exception, such creatures had little hope of ever escaping the river’s depths.
Yet now, Xiao Jian was saying that they were the greatest latent threat to the River of Destiny!
Xiao Jian explained, “The Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain is the source of all negative karma in the River of Destiny. One day, it’s sure to erupt, and when it does, there’s no telling how many Negative Karma Destiny Demons will escape. The consequences of that will be far too dire.”
He paused, then said, “He who carries the Book of Destiny is known as Destiny’s Chosen. As Destiny’s Chosen, you’ll one day preside over the natural order of the River of Destiny, reigning over all of its waters. As it stands, the Negative Karma Destiny Demons are your mortal foes, and they won’t rest until one of you is dead.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but be stunned. The Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain will one day erupt, releasing countless Negative Karma Destiny Demons into the outside world? That’s simply too shocking. Even if word got out, I’m afraid no one would dare to believe it.
“So, being Destiny’s Chosen isn’t all fun and games.” Su Yi sighed.
Xiao Jian chuckled. “Those who wish to become Destiny’s Chosen must bear the corresponding responsibilities. How could you possibly reap the benefits without giving something in return?”
Su Yi suddenly recalled their first incarnation’s heart devil and his Dao of balance and diametric opposition.
There was no doubt about it. Owning the Book of Destiny brought numerous blessings, but it came with many dangers, too. This, too, was a kind of balance.
“But you needn’t worry. Changes in the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain tend to accompany a change in eras,” said Xiao Jian. “That means it’s too early to discuss all this.”
Su Yi’s brow furrowed as he recalled something.
Several years prior, Old Lord Gouchen told him that the Far Shore of Destiny had changed. Something had happened in the mysterious All-Wonder Dominion.
The changes had even destroyed his first incarnation’s Eternal Pact!
He could already foresee that massive changes were in store for the River of Destiny in the years to come.
No, the changes had already begun. A series of experts of the Far Shore of Destiny had already entered the God Domain. Wasn’t that an unprecedented change in its own right?
1. This is a reference to the structure of the word "Destiny." In Chinese, 命运 consists of the characters “命," or "life," and "运," or "fortune/luck." ☜
