Chapter 65: Cause and Effect

Beneath the blood mist, a barrier that went from soft to firm stopped his finger, preventing it from penetrating further.

Li Weiyi peeled back the layers of blood mist with his hand, vaguely seeing what lay beyond. He saw the tall, majestic Fusang Divine Tree and the boundless Tanggu Sea flash before his eyes for a moment, only to be replaced by a desolate, reddish-brown wasteland.

Just now... he must have been imagining things!

He tried other directions but was similarly unable to pass, blocked by the blood mist within a small, confined space, only a few square zhang in size.

The Spirit Tablet elder didn't know the exact reason, analyzing, "It's likely that your psychic power isn't strong enough yet. To go further and fully control the mysterious power of Shaoyang Star, you'll need more spiritual light and a higher realm."

Li Weiyi asked, "Three masters, how did you ascend to Shaoyang Star back then? Why did you gather here, and what was the thousand-year-old war about?"

A long silence followed.

It was still the Stone Coffin elder who spoke first: "Knowing too much at this stage isn't necessarily good for you. Just focus on your cultivation diligently."

Master Jar was more direct: "Actually, we don't know much either."

The Spirit Tablet elder said, "That's right. Although the three of us know some things, our understanding is only partial, and telling you might mislead you. Whether you consider it a planet or a Buddha's relic, you'll need to advance further along the Spirit God path to uncover its secrets."

"This is your path; you must explore it yourself."

The Stone Coffin elder, remembering something, added, "There are two points I can tell you. The first is that all participants of that battle can return to Shaoyang Star to recuperate their injuries or nurture their souls. The prerequisite is that you must personally guide them."

"Exactly!"

Master Jar, as excited as before, exclaimed, "If you bury my ashes in this blood-soaked mud to nourish them, and then mold them into a human form, I might, in the future, grow bones and flesh, achieving a different kind of rebirth! Though the chance is slim!"

The Spirit Tablet elder said, "I can't do that! My physical body was reduced to ashes, leaving only a tiny wisp of my soul."

The Stone Coffin elder replied, "You're already on the Spirit God path, cultivating psychic power, so the physical body isn't as crucial. A remnant soul can also be nourished and strengthened on Shaoyang Star, following the path of the deceased spirits. For the past thousand years, if the bronze spaceship hadn't malfunctioned and isolated us from the outside world, we might not be in such a miserable state now."

Listening to their conversation, Li Weiyi was stunned, increasingly unable to comprehend what kind of existence this planet—or rather, the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish—actually was. The karmic implications behind it felt beyond imagination.

Li Weiyi asked, "How many people on the bronze spaceship aren't completely dead? Why not bury them all on Shaoyang Star? Wouldn't they all have a chance for an alternative rebirth?"

Master Jar sighed, "Those who aren't completely dead are just the three of us, plus Chan Hai Guan Wu and Yu Tuonan. Otherwise, why would the owner of the bronze spaceship send the three of us to be your guides? Because we also need your help, even if the chance is very small."

"A thousand years ago, we should have been buried on Shaoyang Star, but the bronze spaceship had issues. Its owner also seemed to be in a bad state," the Stone Coffin elder said.

The Spirit Tablet elder explained, "The war a thousand years ago had countless participants. The bronze spaceship carried only one percent, or even one-tenth of a percent, of them. There were many survivors, and many like us who barely clung to life... All the participants are part of your karma. You certainly can't understand it now, but you will know in the future. Perhaps some survivors from that time will even seek you out... Good fortune or ill fate is hard to predict."

The Stone Coffin elder continued, "The second point I know about Shaoyang Star is its extraordinary spatial properties."

"The light particles you absorbed in a very short time, comparable to what a top genius on the Spirit God path absorbs in seven days, and the breakthrough of your glabella spirit realm, are largely due to the spatial power of Shaoyang Star."

"It's this spatial power that violently draws light particles from the surrounding space towards you."

The Spirit Tablet elder added, "Simply put, by leveraging Shaoyang Star's spatial power, your psychic cultivation speed will be more than ten times that of so-called geniuses. Of course, once you reach the level of a Psychic Master, your speed will definitely slow down, and it won't be as simple as just absorbing light particles anymore."

"More than tenfold... wouldn't that mean catching up to someone's ten years of hard cultivation in one year? And a hundred years of cultivation in ten years? A long and arduous journey indeed!"

Li Weiyi couldn't see his three masters gnashing their teeth—because he truly couldn't see them. He secretly speculated that his Fusang Divine Tree meditation method must also provide a boost, and his heart was filled with a mix of joy, surprise, and worry.

The worry stemmed from his rationality, which prevented him from getting carried away. While spatial power could make the Spirit God path easier, absorbing a large number of light particles would undoubtedly cause drastic environmental changes. For instance, the surrounding area would become dim. This would make him too easy to target! Unless he continuously cultivated in remote, uninhabited areas.

"Oh, by the way, three elders, if Shaoyang Star is a planet, why does it hang around my neck without any weight? Also... how do I get back... to..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Weiyi felt an intense sensation of weightlessness, and his vision grew dim. It was as if he had been instantly pulled into outer space or to the Earth's core.

***

In the dense forest.

Xue Zheng had already caught Li Weiyi's scent. Wielding his long saber, he circulated his magic power to make his body as light as possible, proceeding cautiously.

Looking from afar, he couldn't help but be startled. At the end of the scent trail, there was no Li Weiyi. There was only a pale red, bead-like object floating three feet above the ground. Countless tiny light particles enveloped it.

"What is this?" Xue Zheng was extremely curious. Could this be what had caused the light in this area to dim earlier?

Gradually, the light particles around the bead grew fewer and fewer...

"Whoosh—"

Ripples appeared in the space within a few zhang. Li Weiyi's body materialized out of thin air and, with a thump, he fell to the ground. He immediately checked the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish and found that the Buddha's relic had returned to the bronze fish's eye. Could he truly have been on this tiny relic just now?

Before Li Weiyi could ponder further, he sensed danger. He looked up to see Xue Zheng leaping forward, saber slashing down. The saber light was bright, and his magic power was formidable.

Picking up the Yellow Dragon Sword from the ground, Li Weiyi swung his sword to meet the attack. He knew Xue Zheng's strength was even more terrifying than that of Yao Zhengsheng, who possessed natural divine power. Therefore, he didn't confront him head-on but instead used the sword technique's agile, entangling force, engaging briefly, then rolling away to escape.

"How did he catch up so quickly?" As Li Weiyi fled forward, he glanced up. Only then did he realize it wasn't morning; it was past noon, already afternoon. At the same time, he noticed that in just half a day, his injuries had recovered by fifty to sixty percent. Especially his internal injuries; the burning, tearing pain in his internal organs was gone. Clearly, the small spiritual flame in his glabella spirit realm alone didn't possess such healing capabilities.

Xue Zheng pursued Li Weiyi closely, his gaze sharp. He naturally realized that the young man in front of him possessed an extraordinary spatial treasure. Such a spatial treasure was definitely not a mere storage artifact; it was more like a legendary rare treasure, capable of assisting martial cultivators in opening their Qi Sea and helping psychic masters expand their glabella spirit realm during breakthroughs. What kind of value would this hold? Not to mention Yang Qingxi, even Yao Qian, the leader of the Sui Sect, would probably go mad for it. Such an opportunity was known only to him now.

"Thwang!"

A bowstring twanged deep within the dense forest. A two-meter-long four-feathered arrow flew out faster than sound, piercing through ancient trees, its airflow making the fallen leaves swirl upwards. By the time Li Weiyi sensed the danger, the hidden arrow was already upon him. He could only roll sideways, narrowly dodging it in a desperate scramble. His shoulder was grazed.

"Boom!"

A large tree, as thick as a water barrel, was hit by the arrow, its trunk snapping with a crash. Murong Xiao's archery was superb, further enhanced by her powerful artifact bow. Hidden in the shadows, she was even more dangerous than when she was airborne.

The Spirit Tablet elder's voice resounded from within the Buddha's relic: "Try using your psychic power. Use the spiritual flame in your glabella spirit realm to perceive what's behind you and the outside world. From now on, your physical body doesn't exist."

Li Weiyi's talent was exceptionally high; even in this perilous situation, he could quickly put the Spirit Tablet elder's theories into practice. After clashing with Xue Zheng for over a dozen moves, Li Weiyi's perception became much clearer. His brow felt like a lit lamp, his skull became transparent, and his eyes had no blind spots; he could see in all directions. More precisely, it wasn't seen by his eyes, but by his psychic power.

Murong Xiao's second arrow, traveling dozens of zhang, ambushed him from behind. Li Weiyi didn't even turn around; he merely flickered to the side and dodged it. This was the advantage of cultivating both martial arts and psychic power. For a pure martial cultivator or a pure psychic master, dodging this arrow would not have been easy.

"Your spiritual flame is very weak and sparse right now; this state won't last long, so end the battle quickly. If you can't deal with them, lead them to King Cang's Tomb, and I will guide you from there. However, my psychic power is limited, so I can't continuously perceive the outside. I will guide you once every two hours. Head south first!" the Spirit Tablet elder instructed.

"Then let's end this fight!" After pushing Xue Zheng back once more, Li Weiyi, without hesitation, pulled out the black iron seal. He furiously poured his magic power into it and struck the seal with his sword hilt. Li Weiyi had long wanted to hit Xue Zheng hard, thinking his metallic-looking silver semi-immortal body should be an excellent lightning conductor. He hadn't used it during the Sui River pursuit because the black iron seal's power was immense, clearly not a low-grade artifact, and would certainly have drawn Yang Qingxi's personal intervention.

"Boom!"

A clap of thunder roared. A bright bolt of lightning, as thick as a wrist, shot forth.

"How does he have another artifact..." Xue Zheng gnashed his teeth in anger, unsure how to describe his feelings. Terrified, he immediately dodged, but the lightning bolt, seemingly drawn to him, curved and pursued him. Even though he managed to block it with his saber in time, he was still sent flying, crashing heavily into the fallen leaves. His clothes turned to ash, and his silver-colored arms became charred black.