Chapter 3016 - The Medallion of Past Karma
The strongest divine ability on the first page of the Book of Destiny was called Seizing Destiny. With it, he could fuse a true name sealed within the Destiny Prison into his own body. In doing so, he could become the corresponding expert!
Moreover, no one, no matter who, would be able to see through his disguise. That meant that when Su Yi stepped into the Heavenly Fate Realm, he’d be able to use Seizing Destiny to transform into the Ape Ancestor or River Ancestor Ji Dian! Moreover, he’d be able to use their natal divine abilities and combat techniques. Most wondrous of all, not even those closest to the person he imitated would be able to see through his disguise.
Su Yi just lamented that with his Immeasurable Realm cultivation base, he could at most use Seizing Destiny to imitate a River Emperor. He’d need to become a Heavenly Monarch before he could fuse with a River Ancestor’s true name.
Had he already reached that level, he could have transformed into River Ancestor Ji Dian during their earlier battle and caught the Ape Ancestor off guard!
“Fellow Daoist Su, I left a mark on River Ancestor Sparrow and River Ancestor Bai Mang’s bodies. It won’t dissipate for another six hours,” said River Ancestor Lu Shu. “Should we seize this opportunity to hunt them down?”
Su Yi shook his head. “No need for that. They can run, but they can’t hide forever. More importantly, we need to find ourselves a safe place to rest as soon as possible.”
River Ancestor Lu Shu nodded.
Their enemies were already on guard. If they gave chase, it would inevitably drag out, and they had little hope of success.
The two of them promptly returned to the Five-Colored Hidden Realm.
......
Not long after the two of them left, a group appeared on the battlefield. All of them were river denizens, and they came in all shapes and sizes. Some were beasts, while others were monsters or ghosts. The leader of the group was a deathly pale man in black robes. He had bright red eyes, and his whole body was shrouded in baleful black mist.
“The Book of Destiny appeared here!”
“Judging by the vestiges of battle, numerous River Ancestors fought here!”
“We aren’t far from the Five-Colored Hidden Realm. Was one side based there?”
“That would make sense. Rumor has it that River Ancestor Shen Xiao once accompanied River Empress Peacock in search of the Key to Endless Tribulations. They say River Ancestor Shen Xiao might well have the Book of Destiny, too!”
“The Book of Destiny was definitely here. There’s no faking that.”
The river denizens conversed amongst themselves, quickly uncovering numerous leads.
“We have to report this to Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao as soon as possible!” said the leader of the group, the man in black.
Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao. That was the name of a terrifying existence confined to the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, a ruler among Negative Karma Destiny Demons!
......
That very day, in the deepest depths of the River of Destiny, the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain.
A black palace floated within the current. Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao sat within it atop a massive throne carved out of bones. This stark backdrop only served to highlight her lithe figure and dignified majesty.
A blood-red lantern refined out of a Whirling Netherworld Blossom hung behind her chair, shrouding Ling Zhao’s exquisitely beautiful face in its strange red light.
She’d just received word that the Book of Destiny had appeared once more.
Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao flicked her finger, and a streak of firelight shot out of the palace. “Ying Qi, come to my palace.”
A moment later, something whooshed toward the palace from afar, then came to a halt just outside. Shortly after, a tall, thin man strode into the hall.
“Your subordinate greets you, Your Excellency.” The man bowed low in greeting. His voice clanged like sabers rubbing together, cold and imposing.
He was dressed in red, with a golden belt around his waist and features that looked hewn out of stone. There was a startling “prisoner” imprint on his forehead, too. This represented that he was a fellow Negative Karma Destiny Demon.
“It seems the Book of Destiny has appeared again,” said Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao.
Ying Qi’s eyes glowed with horrifying blood-red light as he exclaimed, “Doesn’t that mean that the long lost Destiny’s Chosen has returned?”
“No, I suspect that this Destiny’s Chosen is someone else, and moreover, that he hasn’t fully mastered the Book of Destiny,” said Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao. “Otherwise, I’m afraid he’d have sensed the initial disturbance in the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain.”
“Someone new... who hasn’t truly mastered the Book of Destiny?” Ying Qi quickly understood. His eyes lit up. “Your Excellency, doesn’t that mean we have a chance to kill the new Destiny’s Chosen?”
“That’s exactly why I called you here,” said Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao. “Cracks have appeared in the seal around the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain. They’re far from sufficient to let us all escape, but with my power, so long as I pay a bit of a price, I have real hope of sending you through a crack.”
She looked at Ying Qi, eyes flashing like lightning. “Are you... willing to try it?”
Ying Qi was the steadiest of the Negative Karma Destiny Devils, as well as one of its most unparalleled, powerful fighters. His strength was beyond the vast majority of River Ancestors!
“I’m willing!” said Ying Qi without even pausing to think.
Demon Empress Ling Zhao rose from her skeleton throne, then gazed down at Ying Qi from on high. She said calmly, “Leaving the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain will be incomparably perilous, and I cannot guarantee your success. You’d better think it over carefully.”
Ying Qi smiled. “Rest assured. Life and death are predetermined by fate. I’m willing to bear the consequences of this myself!”
“This is our race’s Ancestral Destiny Artifact, the Medallion of Past Karma. I’ll entrust it to your care going forward.”
Ying Qi stiffened, then accepted it with both hands, an unprecedented look of excitement on his typically stern, craggy face.
The Medallion of Past Karma was one of the Negative Karma Destiny Demons four Ancestral Destiny Artifacts. It was extraordinarily strange and mysterious. It could illuminate the karmic ties of all living beings’ pasts, then glean insight into their mental weaknesses and secrets. With it, he could seize an opportunity to kill his enemies invisibly!
Past karma included ties of cause and effect, connections, and accumulated sin, as well as ill-fated relationships, and obsessions. All of these things seemed invisible, but they were always present. And those who could discern them could also exploit them! With the Medallion of Past karma, he could do just that.
Even if his opponents had no idea how much karma they’d accumulated, the medallion could detect it all!
That aside, the Medallion of Past Karma was carved with the Myriad Facets Edict, one of the Nine Edicts of Heaven’s Will. The power of this Edict was incomparably mystical and strange. It specifically targeted enemies’ past karma!
When he killed his enemies, he could plunge them into a prison of past karma before they even knew what hit them. Their heart would then collapse, and they’d lose themselves completely to obsession! This was the terrifying power of the Medallion of Past Karma.
Ying Qi had just acquired an extraordinary killer weapon. Of course he was excited!
“You have to be careful. If you make it out of the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain alive, you must investigate first. Only act once you’ve gotten a clear grasp on the situation,” Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao said calmly. “Make sure to think before you act. Whatever you do, don’t do anything reckless. I chose you for this mission because of your steady disposition and strategic mind. Make sure you don’t disappoint me.”
Ying Qi was instantly solemn, and he quickly regained his usual calm. “Rest assured, Your Excellency. Your subordinate shall assiduously carry out your orders. I dare not be even the slightest bit negligent!”
Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao nodded. “Bear this in mind: Although the owner of the Book of Destiny has not yet mastered it, he wouldn’t carry it if the book hadn’t acknowledged him. If you cannot find a suitable opportunity, better to abandon the operation outright than to act recklessly!”
“Understood!” Ying Qi said with increasing solemnity and awareness of this mission’s importance.
“The Destiny Demons and Destiny’s Chosen have always been at odds,” Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao said softly. “There’s no telling how many of our forebears he suppressed and imprisoned, and he even sealed our race in the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain. We’ve been prisoners here for countless years.
“An unprecedented change is on the horizon. It won’t be long before we can break the seal on the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, reclaim our freedom, and sweep through the River of Destiny! I would hate to see something go awry with your mission.”
With that, she strode out of the hall. “Come with me. I’ll see you on your way immediately.”
......
The Five-Colored Hidden Realm.
“What? You suppressed the Ape Ancestor and River Ancestor Ji Dian, and the other two got away?”
When the still convalescing River Ancestor Shen Xiao and the others heard the good news, they found it hard to believe.
“That’s right. It’s true,” said River Ancestor Lu Shu, recounting the battle in full detail.
The story sent waves of emotion coursing through the crowd’s hearts, They found it difficult to stay calm.
“I finally understand why the Book of Destiny is considered the ultimate taboo treasure of the River of Destiny,” River Ancestor Shen Xiao said with a sigh.
Destiny’s Chosen famously controlled the life and death of every denizen of the River of Destiny, but that was ultimately just a rumor.
It had been far, far too long since the Book of Destiny had last appeared, let alone Destiny’s Chosen.
Thus, the river denizens’ understanding of the Book of Destiny and Destiny’s Chosen was largely founded on their imaginations.
But now, River Ancestor Shen Xiao, River Empress Peacock, and the others were starting to see the book’s taboo, terrifying power for themselves!
It was also now that they realized that any attempts to fight the Book of Destiny head-on would prove weak and ineffectual.
“His Excellency Su is still only in the Immeasurable Realm, but he’ll have no need to fear River Ancestors going forward!” Star Toad said wistfully. Inwardly, he celebrated his decision to cast in his lot with Su Yi.
“How long does His Excellency Su plan to stay in seclusion this time?” asked River Empress Peacock.
Su Yi had entered seclusion as soon as he returned, nominally to treat his injuries.
“Three days,” said River Ancestor Lu Shu. “In three days’ time, we’ll set off in search of a safe place to rest.”
The Five-Colored Hidden Realm was no longer safe. They couldn’t stay here any longer.Fortunately, the River of Destiny was boundlessly vast. It wouldn’t be at all difficult to find somewhere uninhabited.
River Ancestor Lu Shu and River Ancestor Shen Xiao would discuss the matter together, then decide their next home base. As for Su Yi... well, they couldn’t entrust him with this. He knew far too little of the world beneath the surface of the River of Destiny, so in this, he was a hands-off leader.
...
Su Yi really was tending to his wounds. River Ancestor Ji Dian’s blood-red net had injured him badly, leaving him covered with gashes.
That aside, using Speaking Divine Writ and Seizing Destiny had severely depleted his heart power. He needed to recover as soon as possible.