Chapter 737: The Great Dao of Karma and Evil Retribution

Gu An listened to Shangguan Xian'er’s inner thoughts and found it amusing. What rumors were spreading in private? The disciples who left and never returned were not turned away by Gu An; they simply chose to leave.

“Go ask your elders for guidance. You are not yet qualified for me to teach you,” Gu An responded, continuing to carve the wooden statue in his hands.

Shangguan Xian'er’s eyes widened, and she hesitated to speak, but in the end, she decided against it.

“It seems my sword Dao still isn't good enough. I haven't caught Master Ancestor's attention,” she thought to herself.

Shangguan Xian'er reflected on this and felt that she had her answer. She had shown Gu An her swordsmanship to test her progress, and since it didn’t impress him, she would practice more. At least now she had more motivation to understand the sword Dao.

With that realization, Shangguan Xian'er’s spirits were lifted, and she quickly regained her usual lively demeanor. After just a few words, she hurriedly left.

Gu An smiled slightly, continuing to carve the wooden statue.

Over the long years, he had many hobbies, and the ones he stuck with, he developed into cultivation practices. Just like the wooden figures in his hands—seemingly ordinary but in reality, containing profound principles.

He wanted to turn these wooden figures into powerful combat forces. He had already accumulated a considerable number, but his cultivation level still wasn’t high enough.

Once Shangguan Xian'er left, no one else came to disturb Gu An.

It wasn’t until dusk that Shen Zhen, sitting in front of the cauldron for artifact forging, opened her eyes. She looked at Gu An, who was admiring the wooden figure in his hands, and said, “Gu An, I saw someone. There is some inexplicable karmic force guiding me, wanting me to save her.”

Gu An listened, then looked at her and asked, “Who is it?”

As she spoke, Gu An followed Shen Zhen’s karmic path, and what he saw and heard made his heart stir with excitement.

Finally, he had found her!

“She’s a woman, meditating in a piece of darkness. The darkness… I can't describe it, it feels very oppressive…” Shen Zhen took a deep breath and said seriously.

Gu An stood up, tucking the wooden figure into his robe. He looked at Shen Zhen and asked, “Do you want to go see her?”

Shen Zhen hesitated, not immediately agreeing. She asked, “Is there any danger? Am I being targeted by some powerful being? Do they want to use my mouth to lead you there?”

Having comprehended the Dao for millions of years, she didn’t cultivate much, but her time spent understanding the Dao was the longest. After achieving the title of Hunyuan Dao Emperor, she was the one who had undergone the most reincarnation reflections in the Daoist temple—more than even An Xin.

Though An Xin didn’t speak about it, Gu An knew she had already considered Shen Zhen to be her greatest future rival, referring to the upcoming Daoist competition. The Blood Prison Saint no longer posed a threat to her.

With profound Dao understanding and deep insights into the Great Dao of Karma, Shen Zhen believed there were no coincidences in the world.

She couldn’t have suddenly comprehended the Dao, nor could she have developed a strong desire to save a stranger for no reason.

This had to be the work of a powerful being scheming behind the scenes.

Why would such a being target her?

She could only think of one reason: it was because of Gu An.

“There is indeed someone guiding you in the dark to save that woman,” Gu An walked over to her and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhen let out a sigh of relief and asked, “You noticed earlier? Do you know who that person is?”

“Let’s talk on the way,” Gu An said as he walked toward her, lightly patting her shoulder.

Shen Zhen stood up and followed Gu An. As soon as she took a step, the surroundings changed abruptly. She found herself in an expanse of darkness. Beneath her feet were silver lines of light, like endless schools of fish flowing forward, never stopping.

Gu An walked ahead, with Shen Zhen's gaze following his back. Her unease slowly faded as she caught up with him.

She quickly matched his pace, walking beside him and curiously asking, "Where is this place? Why is there no aura of the Great Dao around here?"

"This is the void created by the Great Dao of Karma," Gu An replied. "Although it appears empty here, the edges are blocked by the forces of the Great Dao of Karma. The Great Dao of Karma is a product of the rules constructed by the Three Thousand Daos. If you break these rules, you’ll face a backlash from the Great Dao of Karma, causing your Dao cultivation to dissipate and subjecting you to endless misfortune until your consciousness is obliterated."

Gu An explained, and though it was his first time visiting this place, he knew that even an Immortal in the Great Dao of Grand Luo would not fare well here if they meddled with the Great Dao of Karma.

"When I used my karma divine power to curse my enemies, I too experienced the backlash of the Great Dao of Karma. But compared to the karma surrounding this realm, it's like a tiny speck of light compared to the full moon."

"The Great Dao of Karma here is indeed powerful, but it cannot affect the Hunyuan Dao fruit."

Gu An continued, "For someone like Profound Qi Hunyuan Immortal, the Great Dao of Karma has no power over him, as if it doesn't even exist."

"The Great Dao of Karma... are you saying it’s evil retribution?" Shen Zhen muttered.

"You can interpret it that way," Gu An said. "Let me tell you a story."

Gu An agreed and began narrating the story of Yongsheng.

As they walked, Gu An didn’t hurry. While telling the story, he was also using his Dao power to help the trapped Fairy Yao Xuan expel the Great Dao of Karma.

Fairy Yao Xuan’s body was wrapped in the Great Dao of Karma, her consciousness falling into an endless abyss, constantly reliving her deepest fears. She had long since collapsed.

The only reason she hadn’t completely lost consciousness was due to the protective aura of the Dao Sovereign.

It had to be said, the Dao Sovereign was an extraordinary being, able to stand against the Great Dao.

For the Immortal Realm, Fairy Yao Xuan’s karma could not be dispersed, and Yongsheng was helpless. But for Gu An, the backlash from her Great Dao of Karma was something he could resolve.

At first, Shen Zhen didn’t pay much attention. As she listened, she took in the unfamiliar universe around her, but soon she was drawn into the story of Yongsheng.

Born in tragedy, with both parents dead, carrying the weight of hatred as she cultivated, meeting the one she loved, but eventually parting ways, carrying on her obsession through the heavens. She never got to save the one she loved before being hunted by Immortals.

Shen Zhen, who had the habit of writing books, found herself captivated by Yongsheng’s life story. She became immersed in it, and her emotions began to shift.

In the dark, it seemed as if she could feel Yongsheng’s experiences as her own.

“Yongsheng sacrificed himself to the Great Karma Monument, hoping to use the perfect creation of the Great Dao of Karma to find Fairy Yao Xuan,” Gu An said, pausing and glancing at Shen Zhen.

Shen Zhen understood and asked, "The woman I saw was Fairy Yao Xuan. The karmic force guiding me to save her is Yongsheng’s obsession?"

Gu An nodded, “That’s right. Once we save Fairy Yao Xuan, this karma will come to an end, and you won’t be affected anymore.”

Shen Zhen frowned and said, “But why did Yongsheng choose me? Do I have some connection to Fairy Yao Xuan? Am I her descendant?”

“You are not,” Gu An replied. “It’s because of the sin.”

“I’m not? Then why choose me?” Shen Zhen was puzzled. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened, and she asked in shock, “Are you the descendant of Yongsheng? Wait, what’s your relationship with Yongsheng? Could you be his reincarnation?”

The thought of Gu An being Yongsheng left Shen Zhen feeling strange, her emotions in a mess.

Gu An shook his head and chuckled. “He died within the Great Karma Monument. There’s no chance of reincarnation. I just knew him.”

That was the truth. Yongsheng had not reincarnated; instead, Gu An was his reincarnation body.