Chapter 425: Karmic Backlash Disappears

"Use the power of national destiny?" Governor Lu was momentarily stunned upon hearing this news.

"Is that not allowed?"

"No, no, no, of course it is."

The Five Immortal Sects and the imperial court shared an alliance as righteous factions, with no inherent hierarchical relationship. One hundred thousand years ago, Patriarch Guiyuan Tianzun of the Wen Dao Sect, along with four others, established the Five Immortal Sects. They then forged an alliance with the Great Xia Dynasty, which included provisions for law enforcement, oversight, tax exemptions, and stipulated that the leaders of the Immortal Sects could utilize the power of national destiny.

Knowing the contents of the alliance agreement, Qiu Jin'an made this request. Governor Lu was unaware of the alliance agreement's specifics, but before he assumed his post as Governor of Desolate Province, Emperor Xia personally conducted an emergency training session, during which he informed Governor Lu that Immortal Sect leaders were authorized to use the power of national destiny. When it came to understanding the power of national destiny, Qiu Jin'an was, in fact, more knowledgeable.

"Given Sect Master Qiu's unparalleled cultivation, I wonder what could have happened? Have you been cursed?" Governor Lu asked, curious.

Qiu Jin'an sighed and spoke with conviction: "It's a long story, and quite a coincidence. That day, I happened to encounter this young man from the Meng family. Circumstances compelled us to delve deep into a demonic lair, intending to eradicate evil and restore peace and prosperity to the world. However, the demonic lair was a stronghold of the demonic path, teeming with experts. Even I found myself at a disadvantage during the fight. Not to mention that two fists are no match for four hands; my individual strength was limited, and the demonic path was powerful. During the battle, they placed curses on both me and the young man from the Meng family!"

"So that's what happened! Demonic cultivators are truly despicable!" Governor Lu suddenly understood and expressed his indignation on Qiu Jin'an's behalf.

"Which of the three major demonic cults did Sect Master Qiu visit?"

Qiu Jin'an shook his head, unwilling to elaborate. Governor Lu, understanding the hint, did not press further. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged strange glances but said nothing.

"Sect Master Qiu is incredible, venturing into a demonic cult all by himself!" Man Gu clenched his fist. The thought of Sect Master Qiu single-handedly eradicating a demonic lair sounded incredibly cool! When Qiu Jin'an infiltrated the Wen Dao Sect, Man Gu was still undergoing his coming-of-age ceremony in the wilderness and was unaware of the situation at the time.

"Using the power of national destiny is fine, but I've only just begun to interact with it, so I'm not very familiar with its use."

"No problem, it doesn't require a complicated process. Just use the power of national destiny to cleanse both of us."

"Alright then." Governor Lu readily agreed.

The power of national destiny was a major secret. Governor Lu only allowed Qiu Jin'an and Meng Jingzhou, the two "unlucky ones," to accompany him, while Lu Yang, Man Gu, and Zhao Po waited where they were. After a series of events, all three were somewhat tired. They had initially only gone to help deal with a drowned ghost, but subsequent developments spiraled increasingly out of control, involving cultivation dispersal and re-cultivation, the intervention of Great Yu's integration technique, and Qiu Jin'an's timely rescue.

"I never would have thought Senior Brother Huang Ming was an ancient Integration Stage cultivator who re-cultivated!" Zhao Po smiled wryly. He had always wanted to exchange cultivation insights with Huang Ming, but Huang Ming had always been indifferent to him. He hadn't understood why before, but now it was finally clear: they were simply not on the same path.

"Judging by Huang Ming's methods, he was already very skilled in corpse-manipulation techniques before he dispersed his cultivation for re-cultivation," Lu Yang analyzed. This might also be why Huang Ming chose the Corpse Manipulation Sect. This was not surprising; the history of corpse-manipulation techniques could be traced back to ancient times, so it was normal for Great Yu cultivators to be proficient in them.

"We just don't know how many ancient cultivators dispersed their cultivation for re-cultivation. Huang Ming re-cultivated to the Golden Core stage, but that doesn't mean other ancient cultivators have also reached the Golden Core stage!" Lu Yang said seriously. This was different from the demonic cults, which had low- and mid-level cultivators as potential weak points. Ancient cultivators, however, started at the Integration Stage, with an unknown upper limit, making them much harder to deal with.

"Just dispersing cultivation and re-cultivating, and not a single one has become an immortal. How disgraceful." As an immortal, the Immortal Fairy Youyou held these re-cultivating individuals in great disdain.

"Hmm, what are you looking at, Fairy?" Lu Yang noticed the Immortal Fairy Youyou lying on the bed, staring intently at the content on the bedside light.

The figures on the light screen were very familiar: none other than Governor Lu, Qiu Jin'an, and Meng Jingzhou, who had just left.

"I've never seen how the power of national destiny is used. I'll take a look."

"Move over, I want to see too." Lu Yang was also curious, so he asked the Immortal Fairy Youyou to make some space and lay down next to her to watch.

The place where the power of national destiny was controlled had layers of seals, and the power of national destiny itself also possessed anti-scrying capabilities; even Transcending Tribulation cultivators couldn't break through them. However, these seals were insignificant in front of the Immortal Fairy Youyou, the foremost of the Five Ancient Immortals. If an immortal from the imperial court personally controlled the power of national destiny, it might be a different story. Otherwise, no one could prevent the Immortal Fairy Youyou from peeking at it.

On the light screen, Governor Lu led the two into a stone secret chamber. The chamber was completely sealed, without a single gap. It didn't look like it was built from stacked stones, but rather hollowed out from a single massive rock. Inside the chamber was a small, empty pool with nothing in it, except for a square indentation in the very center. Governor Lu held the Grand Seal of Desolate Province and pressed it into the indentation. A substance, resembling both light and water, suddenly appeared, forming strands and patches that filled the indentation.

"So that's it. This thing is the power of national destiny."

Seeing Lu Yang still somewhat confused, the Immortal Fairy Youyou explained: "The power of national destiny exists throughout every inch of Great Xia's land, from beginning to end, in an invisible and imperceptible way. The Grand Seal of Desolate Province is the key that can transform the power of national destiny from an imperceptible state to a perceptible one. The Grand Seal of Desolate Province is a supreme treasure that recognizes its master; only Governor Lu can use it. As for the power of national destiny, it's likely not very strong because it's only one province's national destiny. If the national destinies of all seventeen provinces were gathered together, then its power would be quite considerable. It seems the immortals of the Great Xia imperial court possess some capability. Of course, it's merely 'some capability,' not enough to reach my level."

Meanwhile, Meng Jingzhou, seeing the power of national destiny up close for the first time, felt that the hope of resolving the karmic backlash was imminent.

"Should we just jump in?"

Qiu Jin'an stopped Meng Jingzhou's suicidal impulse: "If you were at the Transcending Tribulation stage, there'd be a chance of survival if you jumped in."

Meng Jingzhou, acknowledging that while he was a Golden Core Grand Cultivator, he was still some distance from the Transcending Tribulation stage, decided not to jump in for now.

A stream of national destiny power, as thick as an arm, flew out, being manipulated by Governor Lu. Governor Lu awkwardly controlled the power of national destiny, repeatedly weakening its inherent corrosiveness. He pointed two fingers at Qiu Jin'an and the other man, uttering "Go," and the stream of national destiny power washed over them both.

"So comfortable!" Meng Jingzhou exclaimed in surprise. It felt even better than his first experience with spiritual energy.

A pink mist drifted out, quickly absorbed, melted, and vanished into nothingness by the power of national destiny. The curse that had weighed on his mind for many days disappeared, and Qiu Jin'an also felt incredibly refreshed.

"Phew—that feels great!"

"The curse is finally gone! Let's go celebrate at a brothel. Brother Lu, where's the best brothel in your Hanshui City?"

Governor Lu: "..."

"Is that question really appropriate to ask me?"

"There used to be a 'Zoo,' which was the best brothel, but it's currently closed for renovation."

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.