Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Great Causality Technique

With the aid of three fourth-grade Spirit Essence Pills, Qingxu smoothly elevated his immortal power to the mid-Earth Immortal stage. Yet before he could rejoice, an overwhelming crisis descended upon him: the Predestined Calamity of Cause and Effect was imminent.

Under the Grand Dao, merit, karma, and causality are all innate; beneath the Heavenly Dao, they become acquired—worlds apart and not to be compared. “This karma must originate from the future Investiture of the Gods, when the Twelve Immortals of the Chan Sect had their Three Flowers and Five Qi dissipated by the Three Immortal Sisters using the Nine-Curved Yellow River Formation and the Primordial Golden Cauldron. Yet, why does it affect me now? Perhaps it’s because I have crossed over into this world.” Although Qingxu had dwelt in the Great Desolation for over a century, he remained baffled by the mystery of his transmigration. That peculiar blue-red lightning was especially bizarre; even after sounding out the Primordial Heavenly Lord, he learned that such a thing was unheard of, even to a sage.

Qingxu was destined to be among the Twelve Immortals of the Chan Sect. During the era of the Investiture of the Gods, he was ensnared by mortal slaughter, and his Three Flowers and Five Qi were erased by the Three Immortal Sisters—a consequence that should have been acquired karma, yet now, inexplicably, it was being reversed to innate causality.

Four hundred and eighty million points of innate karma—cause and effect begins to flood the body...

As Qingxu’s mind raced, the innate karma value reached its full four hundred and eighty million, and immediately began to stir. When it reached one hundred percent, the vast, unimaginable innate karma would fuse with his natal spiritual treasure. Thereafter, to remove it would be nigh impossible.

Not daring to delay, Qingxu quickly withdrew his primordial spirit into the Qingxu Tower within his upper dantian’s Mud Pill Palace. At the same time, his Xu Soil avatar transformed into a cloud of hazy yellow innate Xu Soil Qi, enveloping the Qingxu Tower. No matter from where the innate karma might arise, before it could infuse the tower, it would first have to pass through this innate Xu Soil Qi.

His heart was racked with anxiety; the outcome was far from certain. Whether his avatar could shield him from disaster was unknown—he could only let fate decide.

“I’ve done all I can. Success or failure hinges on this!”

Innate karma at one hundred percent!

Startled to his core, Qingxu tensed every muscle and focused his senses inward, pinning all hope on his Xu Soil avatar’s ability to absorb the innate karma.

Threads of blood-red light surged from every direction within his Mud Pill Palace, weaving into a net of crimson veins that clung to the chamber’s inner walls, filling him with instinctive dread.

The red light quickly darkened to deep crimson, then shifted to an eerie black in the span of a few breaths. The web of karma turned entirely black.

The brewing of innate karma is complete.

Terror gripped Qingxu’s heart to its very limits—he was on the verge of mental collapse.

Crack!

With a clear sound, countless ancient runes abruptly manifested in the gaps of the innate karmic web—129,600 in total. Perfectly harmonized with the Grand Dao, they exuded a vast, archaic, and primeval aura.

The Primeval Great Causality Technique.

“The Great Causality Technique?” The information provided by the Investiture System astonished Qingxu yet again.

In the chaos of the primeval era, beneath the Grand Dao, three thousand innate supreme arts were born. Among them was the Great Causality Technique—once mastered, its power was terrifying. Used for good, it could help others erase karma; used for evil, it could increase their karmic burden, even inciting slaughter, inner demons, and disaster. Without enlightenment to sainthood, life and death would hang by a thread.

A Hunyuan Sage is untouched by karma, but their disciples are not; their sect’s fortune may be diminished as a result.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The 129,600 innate karmic runes shot from Qingxu’s Mud Pill Palace toward his natal spiritual treasure. There was no escape.

Snap!

One rune struck the innate Xu Soil Qi first, but met no resistance—as if it were illusory. It could not be stopped at all, and stamped itself firmly onto the Qingxu Tower, instantly merging in. An indelible black mark appeared on the tower’s surface.

In that instant, Qingxu felt as if a shackle had been locked onto his path to the Grand Dao; comprehending the mysteries of the universe would now be more than tenfold as difficult.

“It’s over—completely over!” he muttered, spiritless and lost.

Snap! Snap! Snap!...

Without any change in Qingxu’s fate, the 129,600 innate karmic runes continued to merge into the Qingxu Tower. Eventually, even the karmic net detached from the walls of his Mud Pill Palace and enveloped the tower fully, merging within.

Innate Divine Power (Great Causality Technique) unlocked.

“So this is compensation? Heh...” He laughed bitterly. Possessing the Great Causality Technique—one of the three thousand primeval divine arts—as his innate power was enough to make anyone ecstatic, but compared to what he had lost?

His path to the Grand Dao was essentially severed. Twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty chains of bondage, and the innate net of great causality blocked all further progress. Any hope of comprehending the Dao in the future was a vain dream.

Since matters had come to this, he could only accept his fate. Qingxu immediately checked his compensation.

Great Causality Technique: One of the three thousand innate supreme arts, divided into nine levels. Currently, only the first level can be used, affecting a single-digit number of beings with innate or acquired karma, either erasing or doubling their karma. (First level affects single digits, second level affects tens, third level hundreds, and so on. The increase also matches the level: first level doubles, second level triples, third level quadruples, etc.)

“Useless trash!”

Unable to restrain himself, he cursed inwardly. He didn’t yet understand how to ascend to higher levels, but it was probably anything but easy. Even if he reached one or two more levels, it would do little good. Take someone like Ba Liming—an utterly evil old demon with over five thousand karma; only the fourth level of the Great Causality Technique would affect him, and even then, it would only quadruple his karma.

“Oh? So that’s how it is!”

After reviewing the information, Qingxu realized he had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg. The true power of the Great Causality Technique was indeed earth-shattering, worthy of being called a primeval divine art—an innate arcane power!

Currently, the Great Causality Technique consisted of only a single karmic source rune, but if he could absorb and devour enough innate and acquired karma to obtain a second rune, its power would double, and he would possess nine divine abilities in total.

“With enough karma—be it innate or acquired—theoretically the Great Causality Technique could reach the level of the Grand Dao itself. At that point, defeating the Heavenly Dao, annihilating sages, suppressing and sealing would be no challenge. One could even plunge foes into the cycle of karma, condemned to endless rebirth without hope of transcendence!”

Realizing the ultimate might of the Great Causality Technique, Qingxu was both shaken and exhilarated. It was simply invincible!

Still, Qingxu understood well that to cultivate the technique to its pinnacle was an almost insurmountable task. Yet, the hope remained.

With the Great Causality Technique, he could help or harm at will, without hesitation. Others might fear accumulating karmic debts for evil deeds, but Qingxu would welcome it.

“If only I could also obtain the Great Fortune Technique, it would be perfect!” The Great Fortune Technique was formed of innate merit, complementing the Great Causality Technique—similar in function, but one positive, one negative.

“Alas! The Great Causality Technique is impressive, but what about my current situation?”

Endless frustration filled him. With the colossal weight of innate karma upon him, his future path was not only a hundred or a thousand times harder, but his own fortune had plunged into the negative. Seeking spiritual treasures was all but hopeless, and disasters would be ceaseless—misfortune, unending.