Chapter 236 - 226: Creating New Magic
An extremely simple yet incomparably pure concept coalesced within his Heart and Spirit—’Karmic Forewarning and Retaliatory Tracing’.
Having become a Foundation Establishment Master, Qi Yun knew this very well.
The most terrifying power of the True Realm wasn’t its exponentially increasing destructive force.
It was the ability to meddle with Karma and divine heavenly secrets.
Although a Master couldn’t arbitrarily tamper with or extinguish Karma like a True Monarch could, they could already glimpse the threads of Karma, exert their influence, and lay traps from the shadows, ensuring an opponent’s inescapable doom.
This level of conflict was far more treacherous and perilous than direct Magical Combat. Often, disaster would strike from within, completely unforeseen.
This was precisely why Qi Yun wanted to create such a Dharma Gate.
The instant this intense will and concept manifested!
BZZZZZ—
Within Daluo Heaven, chaos surged and Dao Rhyme roared!
At the center of infinite possibilities, a single point of ultimate golden light suddenly flared to life!
It absorbed Qi Yun’s will and Magical Power, rapidly evolving and condensing!
But this point of golden light flickered erratically, collapsing with a violent burst just as it reached the crucial stage.
The entire Daluo Heaven trembled slightly from the strain of a deduction that surpassed its current limits, emanating a faint sense of being overwhelmed.
"PFFT—"
Qi Yun’s body shuddered. His face paled slightly, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
The unformed golden light completely disintegrated, and the backlash sent a stabbing pain through his Divine Sense.
His first attempt at a Creation Skill had ended in failure.
Yet, his eyes showed no sign of discouragement. Instead, they shone with an even brighter, more fervent light!
’My guess was right!’
Qi Yun muttered to himself, his voice filled with conviction and excitement.
’Daluo Heaven truly possesses the supreme, wondrous ability to create a skill from nothing!’
The reason for his failure was now crystal clear in his mind.
It wasn’t that Daluo Heaven was incapable, but that his own understanding and accumulated knowledge of the Daoist Intent of "Karma" were far too shallow and lacking.
’To think I could create a profound Dharma Gate that directly manipulates Karma with just a single concept, a single phrase.’
’Daluo Heaven could surely do it, but not now! Not yet!’
"The Dao Foundation is the root, and Dao Insights are the water."
"No matter how strong the root, without water for nourishment, it cannot blossom and bear fruit."
Qi Yun wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze turning toward the Holy Sect’s Scripture Pavilion.
「In the days that followed.」
Qi Yun’s figure became a frequent sight amidst the vast, oceanic sea of Jade Scrolls and books in the Scripture Pavilion.
He no longer browsed aimlessly but moved with clear purpose.
He specifically sought out any and all classics and secret records related to Karma, divination, heavenly secrets, fate, and tribulations.
From the most basic texts like *A Brief Analysis of Mei Hua Yi Shu* and *Initial Understanding of Xiao Yan’s Divine Calculation*, to the more profound *Cause and Effect Karma Analysis* and *Star Track Astrology Essentials*, and even some tattered, incomplete, one-of-a-kind volumes detailing ancient forbidden divination arts... he frantically absorbed the explorations and wisdom of his predecessors regarding the path of Karma.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, other Masters would often run into him.
They would just be about to greet him when he would rush past, his focus so intense he didn’t seem to notice them.
Time slipped by quietly amidst the lamplight and ancient scrolls.
Qi Yun’s understanding of the path of Karma, once a hazy blur, gradually became clear and well-defined.
He learned how to perceive the precursors of tribulations through subtle omens.
He even gained a preliminary grasp of the basic Dharma Gates for interfering with and even briefly distorting the weaker threads of Karma.
This accumulation wasn’t something achieved overnight; it was the result of sedimentation and refinement, day after day.
He was no longer in a rush to succeed. Instead, he transformed every reading, every deduction, and every insight into Resources to nourish Daluo Heaven, shoring up the foundations for his Creation Skill.
An unknown amount of time passed. It could have been several months, or perhaps even longer.
On this day, inside his quiet chamber, Qi Yun slowly closed the final ancient tome in his hands, a book on the *Tribulation Qi Sensing Chapter*.
His eyes were closed, his aura harmonious and clear.
Within his mind, all the knowledge, insights, and deductions concerning the path of Karma had merged and synthesized, forming an exceptionally clear framework.
The period of deep accumulation was over.
The time to shine was now!
He once again immersed his Heart and Spirit in Daluo Heaven.
This time, as the concept of ’Karmic Forewarning and Retaliatory Tracing’ arose once more, it was no longer a hollow idea. It was now infused with the profound understanding of the Law of Karma and the vast Daoist Intent he had accumulated.
"BZZZZ—!"
Daluo Heaven thundered once more.
But this time, the surging of the chaotic Dao Rhyme was orderly and majestic.
At its center, a point of ultimate darkness was born.
As Qi Yun poured in his Dao Insights on Karma, this point of darkness began to stretch and twist, sketching out the slender, lively form of a living creature!
The dark light finally coalesced into the form of a flood dragon, just over a foot long and pitch-black from head to tail!
Its head was raised slightly, its serpentine eyes like two frozen, deep-purple stars. Its forked tongue was a wisp of grayish-white tribulation qi, constantly flickering in and out.
With black scales and long horns, it was sinister and strange.
The skill was complete!
In the next instant, vast and mighty swaths of Ancient Seal characters continuously combined and manifested. Accompanied by visions of light and shadow, they gradually formed a complete Magic.
Gazing at the coalesced black serpent, a name surfaced in Qi Yun’s mind—Ink Flood Dragon!
With a flicker of his Heart Thought, the Ink Flood Dragon silently slithered out of his Daluo Heaven. Like an invisible shadow, it coiled quietly within the sleeve of his left arm.
The flood dragon’s body was ice-cold to the touch, not slimy, but with the smooth, silent feel of Jade.
It lay dormant, seemingly fused with Qi Yun’s sleeve and his own aura, leaving no trace of its existence.
And yet, Qi Yun could clearly perceive its presence.
The Ink Flood Dragon could spontaneously sense changes in the surrounding karmic energies. If any malicious divinations, scrying, or tribulation qi drew near, it would sense them in advance.
At the same time, its tribulation-qi tongue could silently follow the disturbed thread of Karma back to its source, projecting a hazy image of the caster’s location and origin into Qi Yun’s mind.
Qi Yun slowly raised his left hand. The wide sleeve of his Daoist Robe hung down naturally, concealing everything within.
Outwardly, he appeared no different from any other Cultivator; there was no way to tell that such a terrifying, sinister creature hid within his sleeve.
Having successfully created the Ink Flood Dragon skill, Qi Yun was immersing himself in this new, sinister, and treacherous Magic, carefully savoring its wondrous abilities.
But just as his Heart and Spirit merged with the illusory form of the Ink Flood Dragon to deduce its future potential, he suddenly felt a sensation.
It wasn’t a warning, nor was it an external enemy.
Instead, it was a sense of affinity and favor, originating from the unseen void—ethereal and indescribable.
He snapped his head up. In the void not far before him, without any warning, wisps of seven-colored light gathered and swirled as if alive. A natural Dao Rhyme emanated from them, carrying a pure and boundless aura.
At the center of the radiant light, an even more brilliant glimmer condensed, finally forming a perfectly round, longan-sized object resembling an Elixir Pill.
It emerged silently, suspended in mid-air.
This Elixir Pill appeared solid, yet seemed to hover between the real and the illusory. Layers of auspicious energy and radiant light constantly flowed across its surface.
A unique fragrance that soothed and tranquilized the Divine Soul quietly began to spread.
"What is this...?" Qi Yun froze, not acting rashly. He simply focused his senses and remained on guard.
The moment his gaze touched the strange Elixir Pill, streams of information surfaced in his Sea of Consciousness out of thin air, as if they had long been buried there and were only now being triggered. He naturally understood and absorbed it all.
A moment later, a flash of understanding crossed Qi Yun’s eyes, quickly replaced by incredulous astonishment.
"Daoist Grace...?"
The boundless Great Dao, though impartial and emotionless, could still record "merit."
If a Cultivator could break new ground on the path of cultivation and create an unprecedented Magic, Divine Technique, or even a Cultivation Method, it was considered adding new "branches and leaves" to the Great Dao system of Heaven and Earth. This was a meritorious deed for the Dao.
The unseen laws of the Great Dao would sense this and bestow a corresponding grace.
These boons were not fixed and came in various forms.
It all depended on ethereal and unpredictable fortune.
It might be Treasure Medicines and Rare Treasures that could increase one’s Cultivation. It could be Heavenly and Earthly Treasures containing a special Dao Rhyme. It could even be a fragment of Dao Insights that pointed directly to a core principle.
And the "Elixir Pill" wreathed in radiant light floating before Qi Yun right now was named—Heavy Light Qi.
This was no elixir Refined from Gold and Stone. It was formed from the condensation of an incomparably pure strand of Innate Aura from between Heaven and Earth, one that contained the vitality of Creation!
Its effect wasn’t on the physical body or Magical Power, but was specifically for the benefit of the Divine Soul.
Consuming it could cleanse one’s Soul Consciousness, strengthen its foundation, and make the Divine Sense more condensed and acute.
It even had a wondrous effect on comprehending the Great Dao and resisting Heart Demons.
For a Cultivator of any stage, especially those in the True Realm who must constantly use their Divine Sense to deduce and control power, this was an unbelievably rare treasure!
"Merit for a Creation Skill, a reward from the Great Dao. I never expected... something this wonderful could happen." A strange light gleamed in Qi Yun’s eyes as his astonishment gradually gave way to delight.
He had created the Ink Flood Dragon skill to compensate for his own weakness when it came to matters of Karma.
He had only meant to enhance his ability to protect his path, never imagining he would reap such an unexpected reward.
This undoubtedly confirmed the validity and immense potential of his path of using Daluo Heaven for Creation Skills.
Not only could he obtain powerful Magic, but he might even receive direct feedback and gifts from the Great Dao during the creation process, accelerating his own Cultivation!
He stretched out his hand. The radiant Elixir Pill formed by the Heavy Light Qi drifted into his palm as if it possessed its own spiritual nature. It felt warm to the touch but had no tangible weight, as if he were holding a ball of condensed light.
Feeling the powerful pull it exerted on his Divine Soul, Qi Yun no longer hesitated. He sat down cross-legged, placed the Heavy Light Qi before him, and began to channel it according to the method he’d learned.
The pill-like radiance slowly dispersed, transforming into streams of incomparably pure, seven-colored qi. As if guided, they flowed strand by strand into Qi Yun’s Ancestral Acupoint between his brows, merging into the Sea of Consciousness within his Divine Soul.
An indescribably cool and comforting sensation instantly spread through him. The power of his Divine Sense began to grow more solid and translucent at a visible rate.
For the Foundation Establishment Early Stage Realm, the maximum range of one’s Divine Sense was eight hundred miles.
But now, nourished by the Heavy Light Qi, the limit of Qi Yun’s Divine Sense was rapidly increasing.
Eight hundred miles...
Nine hundred miles...
A thousand miles...
Fourteen hundred miles...
Qi Yun closed his eyes and focused his mind, fully absorbing this unexpected Daoist Grace. His aura grew ever more tranquil and profound.
...