Chapter 298: Birthing Karma, Cutting Karma

After Kong Ye had left, Han Xuhan finally had time to check his gift—the stack of papers on which a special Mystic Art has been written down.

"The Serene Garden of Heavenly Dao, eh?" Tun Shi Tian said, popping out from behind. Both minions had discarded the unwashed cups and trays in the kitchen, curious to get a look at what new twist their master was about to experience in his cultivation journey.

"I could bet a fortune that the way he is going to cultivate this technique will be anything but serene," Zhanxian remarked.

"...You don’t have a fortune to bet on anything," Han Xuhan said irritably. "Everything comes out of my pocket."

"You always bring that up as if you’re a selfless father paying for his son’s education." Tun Shi Tian sneered. "Have some shame!"

"Yeah, since you need our service, it’s only right for you to pay for the service," Zhanxian said enthusiastically.

"Wow, you made it sound so dirty!" Han Xuhan replied shamelessly, leaving the two minions stunned.

In a debate that could be won through shamelessness, who could defeat a politician? Hmph!

Han Xuhan spent the rest of the morning studying the basics of the new Mystic Art.

The first surprise he received while going through its pages was the fact that it belonged to a very rare subtype of cultivation techniques.

This Mystic Art had no visible effects on one’s physique, soul, or, on a broad spectrum, a cultivator’s spiritual abilities.

Typically, these areas were the major focus of development for every cultivator. If a technique couldn’t enhance their abilities in these aspects, how much use could it truly have?

A whole lot, Han Xuhan discovered, as he turned the pages, slack-jawed.

"Is this for real? It’s..." Zhanxian whispered from his side.

"Unbelievable?" Tun Shi Tian completed what he wanted to say. And Han Xuhan couldn’t help but agree to the sentiment!

The Serene Garden of HeavenlyDao was a Mystic Art with one simple goal: to enhance the stability and quality of one’s spiritual tower until it could rival the authority of celestials!

For comparison, the most sophisticated techniques Han Xuhan had found in the archives of the Crimson Snow Sect didn’t boast of abilities beyond the Soul Reformation Realm. Now, a random technique handwritten by Kong Ye claimed it could let its practitioner rival celestials?!

Does that make any sense?

Not even the introduction to the Skeleton Monarch Mystic Art had been this boastful! And that introduction was already beyond Han Xuhan’s reach in terms of shamelessness...

However, the stack of papers Elder Kong Ye had handed to him held only the instructions for the entire Physique Transformation realm. So there was no way for him to verify the claim except to ask the Elder directly.

But then again, whether the technique had such potential didn’t have anything to do with him. It’d be a miracle already if he could cultivate it till the peak of the Physique Transformation realm.

Thinking this, Han Xuhan decided not to waste time and test the effects of the Mystic Art himself. He’d know how much of its claims were true directly that way, wouldn’t he?

☆ ☆ ☆

Crimson Heaven Court, Earth Layer.

Inside a vast, dazzlingly colorful courtyard, an old woman sat at the edge of a pond, absent-mindedly gazing at the calm water that had a strange red hue.

In her lap sat a long strip of red cloth, on which patterns of various colors had been sewn through intricate needlework. Some patterns resembled roaring dragons, some looked like tigers baring their fangs, and some seemed to portray humans wielding weapons.

At this moment, one fine needle, connected to a half-finished pattern, suddenly caught on fire. Startled by the heat in her lap, the old woman threw the cloth strip off her, and the wind in the courtyard carried it into the pond.

Looking somewhat stunned, she watched the cloth strip spread out over the surface of the water, like a grand painting unfurling itself.

Water seeped into the patterns, and they seemed to come alive immediately, moving across the cloth strip with great momentum. Dragons attacked dragons, tigers fought tigers, and humans engaged in their own battle.

But at the edge of the strip, an unfinished pattern was still on fire. It continued to burn in defiance of the water of the pond soaking its medium. In fact...

It was spreading!

The old woman’s pupils shrank as she realized that the fire wouldn’t die down, it’d only grow. She knelt at the edge of the pond and scooped up some water in her palms, throwing it all at the distant fire. But the splash only slowed its growth for a moment.

Aghast, she could only watch it spread across the cloth strip. Inch by inch, the burning fabrics turned into fine gray ash. The battlefield of the colorful patterns grew smaller, yet they remained completely unaware, too busy tearing at each others’ threads, until...

The cloth strip absorbed enough water to get weighed down under the surface of the pond. It sank abruptly, unnaturally, as if something had pulled it down to hide the fate of the patterns. Whether the fire consumed the whole battlefield, or the water managed to defeat it in the end, remained unknown.

At that moment, a distant knocking sound roused the old woman from stupor. She turned around to see a messenger standing outside the courtyard entrance.

In a flash, she appeared in front of her, startling the young messenger.

"M-my lord?!"

"Is there any news from the Karma Field?"

The messenger nodded, wide-eyed, but not surprised that the old lady would know this in advance. She knew what to expect more often than not.

"Elder Huai asked me to deliver this box to you. He didn’t say anything else, but he looked... a little tense."

"I understand. Go out and tell him I’ve already taken notice of the matter." The old woman took the square-shaped, ivory box in her palm, giving it a tired look.

As the messenger turned to leave, she added, "Also, send an urgent message to Lord Crimson Star’s Court. Write that an emergency meeting is to be held tonight."

After returning to her seat at the edge of the pond, she opened the box, revealing a lock of black hair and a jade pendant.

"Leaking the Clan’s secrets at this moment..." The old woman sighed. "Little Ye, what are you thinking? Can you bear this karma?"

A moment later, as if finding her resolve, she took out the lock of hair and started casting a Mystic Art spell.

Under her feet, the pond’s water began to ripple from an unseen force. Suddenly, an ink-like thread shot out of the water, hooking itself against the lock of hair in the woman’s grip. It resembled a taut fishing line.

"Let this old lady seal the leakage for you, little Ye. Surely, you’ll learn to behave," She muttered, a trace of chill seeping into her tone. Grabbing the black thread with her other hand, she extended her spell.

The black thread began to emit smoke under the spell, and within the smoke, a malevolent will gave birth to ferocious little ghosts, each one the size of a fingernail. Wrapped in smoke, roaring savagely, the ghosts crawled across the thread and followed it into the red water of the pond.

A satisfied smile appeared on the old woman’s face, only to stiffen moments later.

"Can’t find it?"

Slowly, she tugged the black thread upwards, and its other end came out of the water, the edge visibly burnt. Rubbing the ruined end, she fell into a deeper pit of confusion.

"You could’ve hidden yourself with the Yuanfang Lock, but you did not. You could’ve hidden the leakage, but you did not do that either. So, did you want me to trace the karma till I find... this? But this method of cutting off karma..."

Recalling the bizarre omen depicted on lost cloth strip, a solemn look dawned on her aged face.

"Little Ye, who did you leak the secret to? Do you even understand what you’re doing?"