Chapter 463: Cause and Effect Evil Spirit, Blue and White Porcelain Magic

As Zhao Xing, Yang Baihe, and Ji Si decided to intervene and save the people, Tang Menghe suddenly regained consciousness. His unconsciousness was partly due to the backlash from his divination, and partly an attempt to escape a socially embarrassing situation. Continuously causing Prince Liang Rui to lose money was effectively ruining his reputation as a Fatesmith; it was better to feign unconsciousness from the backlash. However, when Ren Qiujun's Karmic Curse skill activated, Tang Menghe could no longer pretend to be dead. If he continued to pretend, he would truly die!

"Mr. Tang, are you alright?" Prince Liang Rui asked with concern. Tang Menghe was both a mentor and a friend to him, and until then, Tang Menghe's divinations had always been accurate. The Transcendent Realm Tower was different from other places; there were many masters stronger than Tang Menghe in the world. So, Liang Rui didn't blame Tang Menghe internally. He merely sighed at his bad luck, having arrived in this timeline only to encounter two powerful teams.

"What a venomous woman—" Tang Menghe's eyelids trembled; he seemed to see his own fate. "Your Highness, someone wants to kill us."

"Who wants to kill us?" Liang Rui's expression grew serious.

"It's Lord Ren Qiu!"

"What? Can we ask the Medicine King Realm for help?" Liang Rui understood that Tang Menghe was no match for that woman. He immediately considered seeking aid from the Medicine King Realm.

"It's difficult. Karmic battles are very subtle. Moreover, we are 'descenders,' and any battles or interactions between us don't historically exist in this timeline. They won't attract any attention or concern, so we must save ourselves!" Tang Menghe quickly pulled out a handful of pills and swallowed them, simultaneously sitting on a revolving black and white cushion. The cushion emitted arcs of light that intricately wove together, quickly forming a karmic isolation barrier.

"Your Highness, please all come inside and occupy a trigram position as I instruct." Tang Menghe's voice was urgent; there wasn't even time to use a realm jade to teleport back.

"Mr. Tang, this isn't another karmic trap or maze, is it?" a martial artist asked, sounding somewhat skeptical. After several consecutive errors, Tang Menghe's credibility had significantly decreased.

"No more talk, quickly do as Mr. Tang says!" Liang Rui chose to trust Tang Menghe once again.

Nine people swiftly surrounded Tang Menghe, standing around the cushion. Bursts of light illuminated the trigram positions, and the spiritual energy and vitality of the eight individuals surged, rapidly strengthening the karmic barrier. Just as the divination needle began to turn and the barrier was established, the milky-white karmic barrier instantly turned blood-red. Even those who weren't Fatesmiths sensed an intense feeling of dread; it was a lethal spell from the Grand Dao of Karma. It felt as if death could strike at any moment. The barrier instantly became precarious, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Wailing sounds, like the wails of ghosts, suddenly echoed in everyone's minds. Among Liang Rui's team, besides the Fatesmith and the Chronicler, there were two martial artists, one artificer, one dancer, one musician, and one physician. At that moment, the artificer and the physician suddenly collapsed, their bodies beginning to emit flames. The dancer, meanwhile, began convulsing wildly, attacking another teammate. Liang Rui's eyes widened in shock because, in that instant, three of his guards were affected by the Karmic Curse, falling into a state of qi deviation.

Karmic curses were inherently difficult to defend against, and Ren Qiujun was a master among masters. Against Tang Menghe, she had the initiative, disabling three of his combatants in a single encounter. Liang Rui and the accompanying musician sat in a horse stance, and a musical instrument named *Wokong* appeared on his knees. The *Wokong* had seven strings, with string-dampeners depicting birds, beasts, jade artifacts, suns, and moons on both ends. This was a powerful Samsara Dao Weapon; ordinary *Wokong* had only six strings, but this one possessed a seventh, the Karmic String. However, it required the combined efforts of two powerful musicians to play.

*Zheng!* The strings vibrated, yet the sound emanated from outside the barrier. Miraculously, the internal fires of the three previously afflicted individuals simultaneously dissipated, and the dancer was no longer deranged. However, all three suffered severe injuries; though their lives were saved for the moment, they had lost their combat capabilities.

"Recall!" Liang Rui immediately opened his world ring and put away his guards. As for the two martial artists, they were much more resilient; even when hit by the karmic curse, though they showed signs of qi deviation and uncontrolled internal fires, they wouldn't die from it quickly. The Chronicler and Tang Menghe together maintained the barrier, preventing a second appearance of blood-red within the karmic barrier, finally stabilizing against the first wave of attacks.

*Zheng!* The sound of the *Wokong* also reached Ren Qiujun's mind. She was slightly surprised. "The sound beyond the strings disrupts karma. What an excellent musical instrument." A high-grade Samsara Dao Weapon was precisely the limit that a Lord-level cultivator could fully utilize. Top-grade Samsara Dao Weapons typically required an Emperor-level cultivator to unleash their full power.

Among all spell attacks, karmic attacks were the most difficult to defend against, their methods being incredibly arcane. The Fatesmith's unique professional trait gave them an inherent offensive advantage against any other profession. Most defenses against karmic attacks relied on Dao Weapons, but forging them was also extremely difficult. Musical instrument Dao Weapons were even harder to forge, and those capable of blocking karmic attacks were exceedingly rare. Ren Qiujun had only encountered them four times in this life.

"The item is good, but its wielder is weak. Since it's delivered to my doorstep, I won't be polite." Ren Qiujun licked her lips. One significant reason she insisted on killing Tang Menghe's team was that any treasures obtained from them could be taken back without consuming her 'exchange quota.' This was because the treasures were originally brought from the Desolate Realm, Era 2, and inherently belonged to that timeline.

"Ren Qiujun, do you need help?" As a Celestial Chronicler, Lord Feng Yang could sense the details of Ren Qiujun's battle. He also noticed that the instrument on Liang Rui was a treasure and wanted a share.

"No, I don't," Ren Qiujun shook her head.

"Ren Qiujun, resolve this quickly," Lord Sang Yu reminded her. Both Ren Qiujun and Lord Feng Yang were masters he had hired from the Shadow Sanctuary, so he wasn't worried about any mishaps. The Shadow Sanctuary was a massive entity that feared no super-power, but it remained hidden, its true scale unknown to anyone.

"Don't worry, it will be quick," Ren Qiujun nodded indifferently.

The void trembled as Ji Si's dharma robe emitted a cloud of mist, enveloping her in a barrier. Sitting by the fountain plaza, the three of them looked no different from any other stallholders. Karmic battles were very concealed; unless an Emperor-level Fatesmith meticulously observed, it was difficult to perceive a karmic battle between Lord-level Fatesmiths from a third-person perspective immediately. The Medicine King Realm was also too lazy to interfere with such covert conflicts, as long as they didn't escalate into open warfare. After all, with so many powerful cultivators gathered, friction was inevitable.

"Tracing the cause and severing the karmic lines, this Lord Ren Qiu's karmic curse is truly vicious." Yang Baihe summoned a Transcendent Realm avatar wearing a tall hat and holding a compass. He had summoned a historical Fatesmith expert and quickly sensed more information. Numerous karmic threads emerged from Ji Si's and Yang Baihe's earthly souls. These dense threads rapidly interwoven and expanded, following the flow of the Grand Dao of Karma until they reached Tang Menghe and Liang Rui's location. Both swiftly entered the karmic battlefield.

*Whoosh* Like a descending waterfall, Ji Si and Yang Baihe channeled pure karmic energy, washing away the red glow on the karmic barrier just before it shattered. The karmic barrier immediately reverted to its milky-white color. Tang Menghe, Liang Rui, and the others, whose lives hung by a thread, were immediately out of danger.

Although Zhao Xing did not join the battle, he could still see it. This was because his Azureflower spiritual energy also encompassed the Grand Dao of Karma. With his insights into the Dao, even if he didn't know karmic spells, he could use his Azureflower spiritual energy to cast Soul Celestial Vision and observe the situation as a bystander.

"Karma, spacetime—? Liang Rui and Tang Menghe's nine-person team were almost dead, but now they can live." Zhao Xing mused inwardly. In his perception, three of Liang Rui's nine team members had temporarily dropped to 'Derivation Two' in their luck level! Their pillars of luck were as black as ink. This was the effect of the Karmic Curse; it didn't merely destroy enemies in a material form. It could reduce fate or diminish luck. For Lord-level and Veteran-level Samsara cultivators, having only 'Derivation Two' luck was an extremely terrifying prospect.

"All beings in the universe have their own destiny. The Grand Dao bestows each life with a fate and luck, which should correspond to their cultivation level," Zhao Xing thought. "If a person is at the Samsara Realm but has luck below 'Derivation Ten,' they will experience bad luck every day, and the probability of falling into qi deviation will be a terrifying seventy percent. Not to mention 'Derivation Two.' This is because it goes against the natural operation of the Grand Dao of the Universe; the Grand Dao of Destiny affects the Grand Dao of Life. When strength and luck don't match, in common terms, it means one's virtue isn't worthy of their position. If virtue doesn't match position, disaster is inevitable."

After cultivating the spiritual energy chapter of his Divine-level dharma, especially through 'Grand Dao of Life' meditation, Zhao Xing gained a deeper understanding of the Grand Dao of Destiny and karmic spells by observing this karmic battle. "Ji Si and Yang Baihe's intervention corrected this, causing Liang Rui's and Tang Menghe's luck to immediately rise and return to normal levels. The qi deviation that had suddenly manifested also vanished."

"Hmm?" Tang Menghe, who had fallen into despair, suddenly looked up sharply. "Ji Si? It's you!" Although Ji Si wasn't physically present, he instantly understood that it was Ji Si who had intervened to save them.

"Mr. Tang, are you saying Ji Si also came to attack us?" Liang Rui was somewhat alarmed.

"No, he came to save us."

"What?" Liang Rui was stunned, completely confused by the situation.

"Ji Si!" An angry female voice rang out from outside the barrier. Simultaneously, dark-red karmic threads coalesced into Ren Qiujun's figure. Ji Si and Yang Baihe also quickly formed their karmic dharma bodies.

"Ren Qiujun, it's best to leave a way out in dealings; we might meet again someday," Ji Si said. "Dao Brother Tang isn't your opponent and poses no threat to you, so why insist on annihilating him?"

"Heh heh heh, you're here to play the good guy, aren't you? Didn't you also cause a Celestial Mystery Labyrinth?" Ren Qiujun sneered. "Well, that's typical of the Celestial Master's Mansion — hypocritical, disgusting, and nauseating."

"Our paths diverge," Ji Si said calmly. "Since you don't understand reason, I'll put it another way. I guarantee the safety of Tang Menghe and Liang Rui's group. If you're bold enough, come at me."

Yang Baihe glanced sideways, because Ji Si had spoken a "declaration." Quite confident! Yet his actions were meticulous. By declaring first, he seized the initiative. As long as Ji Si's declaration remained unbroken in the subsequent battle, the Grand Dao of Karma would favor his side.

"I guarantee it.""Guarantee it~"

The declaration was like a huge stone falling into the karmic river, drifting towards the future. Tang Menghe was both grateful and deeply admired Ji Si. In battles between Fatesmiths, rarely would anyone dare to utter harsh words first, for fear of being exploited. Yet Ji Si, merely a Life-and-Death Dao Domain realm cultivator, dared to use a "declaration" in front of a Lord. Tang Menghe felt as if Ji Si was radiating light. However, to Ren Qiujun, these words sounded utterly arrogant.

"Hahahaha, then take this!" Ren Qiujun multitasked. One finger formed a curse, and a small red figure appeared at its tip, plunging into the karmic river to track Ji Si's declaration. Her other finger remained pointed at Tang Menghe's karmic barrier. A Fatesmith's duel was not as straightforward as a martial artist's. To kill Ji Si, who possessed considerable abilities, a direct attack wouldn't necessarily be immediately effective. But with that declaration, Tang Menghe became Ji Si's weakness.

"Indirect karmic attack," Zhao Xing thought. "Destroying the declaration within the karmic battlefield would have the same effect as killing Tang Menghe: it would break Ji Si's karmic dharma and subsequently harm Ji Si himself."

"Is Ji Si being a bit overconfident?" His true form, seated on the flower-adorned chair, moved his right hand closer to the hem of Ji Si's robe, ready to assist at any moment by providing Azureflower spiritual energy to Ji Si. A Life-and-Death Dao Domain realm cultivator facing the Lord-level Ren Qiujun—even if Ren Qiujun had just reached the Lord level, the gap was too vast. Adding Yang Baihe, whose Transcendent Realm avatar was only at veteran-level combat strength, did little to close it. Zhao Xing didn't know what trump cards Ji Si had or how many artifacts he carried, but based on the observed data, Ji Si and Yang Baihe seemed to have almost no chance of winning.

When Ren Qiujun attacked again, many red spots reappeared on the milky-white barrier. Protecting others was always more difficult. Ji Si and Yang Baihe missed some attacks, and a large number of red spots, like drops of water, splattered onto the karmic barrier. Zhao Xing inspected closely and found them to be squirming, worm-like characters. They writhed and twisted, transforming into tiny human figures—each one unmistakably a miniature Ren Qiujun. They clawed and wailed as they clung to the barrier.

"Karmic Fiends?" Zhao Xing checked the spell's name and obtained some descriptions of it. "Where did this Ren Qiujun come from, to possess such a malevolent Fatesmith spell?" Fatesmiths' karmic arts were divided into Cause-based arts and Effect-based arts. Within these two types, there were further distinctions: 'good causes,' 'bad causes,' 'good effects,' and 'bad effects.' Mainstream Fatesmiths cultivated good causes and good effects. For example, Ji Si's Celestial Master's Mansion adhered to the philosophy of creating good causes to reap good effects. With such karmic arts, even if one accidentally failed, the cost of the backlash was relatively small.

However, there was another category of Fatesmiths who specialized in 'bad causes' and 'bad effects.' Ren Qiujun's "Karmic Fiends" actively collected bad causes and bad effects. To cultivate this art, she even resorted to killing and tormenting other beings. Once enough bad causes accumulated, she would extract the cultivator's earthly soul (karmic soul) to be absorbed by her own karmic soul. "While others avoided bearing karma, this type of Fatesmith actively embraced it as a method of cultivation. The backlash is heavier, their lifespan shorter, but their power is also greater. If the Karmic Fiends break through the karmic barrier, they will infect Tang Menghe, thereby indirectly striking at Ji Si."

A wisp of Azureflower stamen had already appeared at Zhao Xing's fingertip, but just then, he paused. Then, the Heavenly Fate Eye on Ji Si's forehead opened, its gaze reflecting onto the barrier. Countless blood-fiends of bad causes that were tearing at the barrier suddenly plunged downwards, all falling into Ji Si's eyes.

*Buzz* Ji Si's mind suddenly shifted, looking at Ren Qiujun's karmic dharma body. The next moment, fine red spots appeared on Ren Qiujun's karmic dharma body, like a plump person covered in a rash.

"'Reversed Karma, Fixed Turn to Cleave Kun,' is that the Celestial Master's Mansion's ultimate skill? It doesn't quite feel like it," Zhao Xing stared intently. Even if it was an ultimate skill, its effectiveness depended on the strength of Ji Si's spiritual energy. "The fluctuation of the Grand Dao of Karma—" Zhao Xing carefully sensed it. Initially, it was just at the ordinary Samsara Realm level, but then it quickly reached the veteran level. Finally, it crossed the threshold of the Lord level!

"What?" Zhao Xing blinked. Ji Si's attack had actually reached the Lord level? At this point, all of Ren Qiujun's Karmic Fiends seemed to have rebelled, turning to tear and bite at Ren Qiujun herself. Ren Qiujun's expression finally changed as she sensed the power of this wave of backlash.

"Hm?" Lord Feng Yang suddenly looked at Ren Qiujun. He saw her corpulent body suddenly undergo a drastic change; in the blink of an eye, she had visibly thinned down significantly. She even became more attractive as a result.

"This is bad! Lord Sang Yu, something's happened to her." Lord Feng Yang immediately clutched his Realm Cultivation Pen, his expression grave.

"What's going on?" Lord Sang Yu also watched the motionless, gradually thinning Ren Qiujun.

"The reason Ren Qiujun's dharma body is so large is mainly due to her cultivation technique," Lord Feng Yang quickly explained. "Her physical body and blood weren't extra layers for nothing; she learned from Qi Sect martial artists, combining a portion of her physical body with parts of her earthly soul and life soul. This achieved the effect of a 'false golden body.' The only purpose of a 'false golden body' is to counteract the backlash of karmic spells! The fatter she is, the safer she is. The thinner she gets, the more dangerous she becomes!"

Even as they spoke, Lord Sang Yu was surprised to see that Ren Qiujun had transformed from a stout, round figure into a slender beauty. Her skin was no longer rough, exhibiting a morbid beauty. Her eyes were tightly shut, and large amounts of qi and blood surged forth. Veins bulged beneath her skin, occasionally twitching, as if something was moving inside. Lord Sang Yu, a soul master, could feel Ren Qiujun's soul withering at an alarming rate. This was a situation where both life and body were weakening simultaneously.

"How could this happen?"

"I don't know, but we cannot move her now," Lord Feng Yang said gravely. "My Lord, I will join the battle, and I won't be able to act directly. The only way to save her now is for you, my Lord, to follow my guidance, find the Fatesmith who attacked Ren Qiujun, and either kill him or interrupt his spell."

Without a word, Lord Sang Yu immediately vanished from his spot, heading in Ji Si's direction.

And just after Sang Yu left, a time-letter floated in the karmic river, gradually drifting towards Ren Qiujun, but it was unable to reach her hand.

"Grand Minister, Elder Yang, someone is coming," Ji Si's voice echoed.

"Lord Feng Yang is mine," Yang Baihe's figure flickered. He recalled his Fatesmith Chronicle avatar and focused on confronting Lord Feng Yang.

"Ji Si, what do you want me to do?" Zhao Xing asked.

"I don't know," Ji Si shook his head. "A karmic battle involving an extraordinary powerhouse occurred on the Grand Minister earlier. Ji Si couldn't calculate what you could do. He only knew you were indispensable in this battle. This is why I dared to make that declaration before the battle."

Zhao Xing, however, understood instantly and placed his hand on Ji Si's shoulder. A glow bloomed into an Azureflower on the back of his hand, sinking into Ji Si's body. Ji Si's body trembled, and he looked down at Zhao Xing on the flower-adorned chair with disbelief. Zhao Xing subtly shook his head, signaling Ji Si not to be surprised yet and to focus on dealing with the enemy first. With the Azureflower spiritual energy, Ji Si's combat power soared, as if he had taken a potent elixir.

*Boom!* Tang Menghe's karmic dharma body outside the barrier shattered first. Next, Ren Qiujun, who was pursuing the declaration in the karmic river, suddenly realized she had lost its trace.

"How is this possible! How could his declaration move so fast?!" Ren Qiujun immediately sensed something was terribly wrong. Originally, she had a strong grasp of how to negate Ji Si's declaration and alter it to cause him backlash, especially since her comprehension of the Grand Dao of Spacetime was superior to Ji Si's. But suddenly, Ji Si's realm surged! It was as if two Fatesmiths were racing on the Grand Dao of Spacetime; just as she was about to catch up, Ji Si stomped the gas, launching himself into the air and reaching the designated moment, allowing his declaration to take effect. How could Ren Qiujun not be surprised?

At the same time, in her true body's reality, the time-letter broke through the spacetime barrier and landed in her hand. Fate reduced!

*Crack, crack, crack, crack!* Ren Qiujun swiftly transformed from a svelte beauty into a skeletal old woman. Her hair turned white and quickly fell out. Ren Qiujun looked at the letter in her hand, which carried a hint of azure energy, utterly bewildered. She desperately tried to grab her falling hair, while half of her consciousness reached out frantically in the karmic river to seize Ji Si's declaration. As if she wanted to grasp her own fate. But her hands rapidly disintegrated, her skin shredded, and even her bones turned to ash.

"I never thought I would die at the hands of a mere Dao Domain realm cultivator." Ren Qiujun understood her fate and ceased struggling. With all her remaining strength, she let out a final sigh that lingered in the air. "The heavens' secrets are hard to fathom, and fate is truly unpredictable—"

"Ren Qiujun!" Lord Feng Yang sensed his teammate's death, no longer lingered in battle, and immediately ended his conflict with Yang Baihe, arriving at Ren Qiujun's previous position. However, he only found a pile of ash.

"Ren Qiujun is dead." Lord Feng Yang fell silent. He and Ren Qiujun had grown up and trained together in the Shadow Sanctuary. Out of countless geniuses selected by the Shadow Sanctuary, only he, the Celestial Chronicler, and Ren Qiujun, the Fatesmith, remained; all others had perished during training. Although he had long known that their path walked the line between life and death, Lord Feng Yang still felt a pang of sadness. "To die from karmic arts in the Transcendent Realm Tower, with no chance of resurrection." After a brief moment of sorrow, profound fear set in. Lord Feng Yang unhesitatingly crushed the realm jade in his embrace, ending his mission.

*Whoosh* The next moment, space-time coalesced, and his figure vanished from that timeline, returning to Desolate Realm, Era 2.

"The mission failed." Lord Feng Yang emerged from the sixth floor of the Transcendent Realm Tower, still somewhat bewildered. "Abandoning the employer and fleeing will result in punishment from the Shadow Sanctuary, but at least I'm alive." As for avenging Ren Qiujun? He had no such intention. Even if he wanted to, it would remain just a thought.

"Ji Si, a disciple of the Empire's Celestial Master's Mansion, a Life-and-Death Dao Domain realm cultivator, actually managed to kill Ren Qiujun, who had already reached the Lord level. This is utterly inconceivable. Such a heaven-defying genius must surely have been taken as a personal disciple by that Celestial Master." Revenge? It would be very difficult for him to get revenge. How could he find a Fatesmith who could divine such a thing? "However, I can report this news to the Sanctuary; perhaps it can offset some of the punishment." Taking a deep breath, Lord Feng Yang left the Transcendent Realm Tower without looking back.

"Damn it, both of them!!" Lord Sang Yu let out a furious roar above Haodong City, drawing glances from those around him. The moment Lord Feng Yang departed, he immediately lost his guidance. He instantly understood that the man had abandoned him and fled. At the same time, he also felt his soul contract with Ren Qiujun vanish, proving that Ren Qiujun was already dead. One dead, one fled. He couldn't believe it had come to this. Just moments ago, he had acquired a World Heart, and the situation looked incredibly promising, yet in the blink of an eye, everything had taken a sharp turn for the worse. He had been promised an exceptionally smooth mission!

"Trash from the Shadow Sanctuary!!!" Lord Sang Yu's face was livid as he flew away from the bustling downtown area.

"Grand Minister, you—" After the battle ended, Ji Si couldn't help but look at Zhao Xing, who was still filled with shock. When Ji Si uttered his declaration, he hadn't expected to be able to kill Ren Qiujun. Even if the opponent had just stepped into the Lord level, Ji Si had no confidence at all. The reason he believed he could succeed was primarily because he thought he could resist Ren Qiujun. A Life-and-Death Dao Domain realm cultivator being able to contend with a Lord-level cultivator, and one being able to kill a Lord-level cultivator, were entirely different concepts. Yet, the final outcome was that he successfully killed Ren Qiujun, which was something Ji Si hadn't even imagined! When he foresaw the future of this battle, he had only seen a blurry possibility: that he would successfully save Tang Menghe and Liang Rui, while others might die, and Ren Qiujun would choose to disengage and retreat to avoid creating a historical void event. This outcome was something he, Yang Baihe, and Zhao Xing had created together. However, the change in the future occurred the moment Zhao Xing transmitted his spiritual energy to him. When the spiritual energy arrived, everything changed.

Zhao Xing didn't respond, as he couldn't reveal his Heart Sealing Art. So, he simply smiled and said, "Congratulations, Elder Ji. You've set a Fatesmith record! A Life-and-Death Dao Domain realm cultivator killing a Lord-level cultivator—the Empire hasn't seen something like this in a very long time."

At this moment, Yang Baihe also recovered from his shock, his face full of amazement. "What kind of monstrous talent are you?"

Ji Si was speechless, only managing to say, "It was merely luck. The Grand Minister also killed a Lord-level cultivator when he was at the Origin Realm."

"How can that be the same?" Yang Baihe shook his head. "Starfire's investigation afterwards made it clear that it was a combined effort of many people, relying on the eruption of realm-destroying fire. Moreover, those old turtles weren't dead at the time. Nevertheless, that merit was still attributed to Zhao Xing's fifty-man team. You, on the other hand, genuinely and directly killed a Lord-level Fatesmith. The Empire hasn't seen such a record in many years."

If Yang Baihe had previously considered Ji Si a top-tier genius, now he saw him as a monstrous talent. How could a small Great Zhou actually produce two such figures? "I really need to go to Great Zhou and have a child."

Zhao Xing chuckled softly. In fact, this outcome was due to Ji Si's combat power as a Fatesmith already being very close to the Lord level, even before the infusion. With the addition of the Azureflower spiritual energy, his strength surged even further. In a Fatesmith's duel, one didn't need to be overwhelmingly stronger; being just slightly superior was enough to secure a kill. This was unlike Qi Sect martial artists, where a significant power disparity might be required to kill another tough, resilient Qi Sect martial artist.

"By the way, where did that Ren Qiujun come from? A Fatesmith cultivating Karmic Fiends isn't common," Zhao Xing changed the subject. "She's a Lord-level cultivator, after all. How come I've never heard of her?"

"Starfire doesn't have any intel on her either," Yang Baihe mused. "Cultivating 'Karmic Fiends' isn't accepted by the mainstream cultivation world, so there's only one possibility."

"What possibility?"

"Trained by the Shadow Sanctuary," Yang Baihe said. "The Shadow Sanctuary is also a super-power. They are very mysterious; even Starfire can't trace them. Of course, they rarely come to the Scarlet Star Empire to carry out missions. Information about the Shadow Sanctuary is also scarce. All that is known is that it's a super-power that has existed for a very long time. As long as the price is right, they basically accept any mission."

"It seems they have a Divine Realm powerhouse backing them," Ji Si remarked.

"Indeed," Yang Baihe nodded. One cannot expect all cultivators to be orderly, even those in the Divine Realm.

"Alright, no need to dwell on this," Yang Baihe said. "Assassins from the Shadow Sanctuary generally don't seek revenge based on personal feelings. A mission is a mission, unless there's an employer. Even if we encountered them this time, there's no need to worry. I just went to deal with Lord Feng Yang and found he had already fled. Also, regarding Tang Menghe and Liang Rui's side, how are they? What about their injuries?"

Just as Ji Si was about to speak, he suddenly looked up towards the edge of the fountain plaza. "They're here."

"The grace of saving lives incurs heavy karma," Yang Baihe chuckled. "It seems they've come to settle the karma. I wonder what treasures the Prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Tianyou possesses."

"The Seventh Prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Tianyou?" Zhao Xing's heart stirred. "Captain, are you saying Liang Rui was also the Seventh Prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Tianyou in Desolate Realm, Era 2?"

"Yes, Liang Rui, the seventh son of the Tianyou monarch, a master at the veteran-level peak," Yang Baihe said. "He is beloved by the monarch above and admired by his subjects below. He has great hopes of succeeding as the next monarch."

"Zhao Xing, you handle this karmic matter for him."

"Captain, you also lent a hand," Zhao Xing said. "How can I be the only one to decide?"

"Didn't I say? I'm on vacation," Yang Baihe chuckled. "When I go to Great Zhou to have a child, you, as Grand Minister, just need to look after things."