Chapter 342: Karma Fire Burns, Refining Wu Zhou

Chapter 342: Karma Fire Burns, Refining Wu Zhou

"Burn him! Burn him!"

Ji Jingqiu ignored the excited shouts of Hela beside him.

He looked down at his palm, where countless dark red and pitch-black threads intertwined and twisted, sending chills down one's spine. These were the entanglements of karmic forces, also known as the sins of karma, the 'fuel' for the karma fire.

Following these threads of karma, he saw a vast and dark 'world', which was the cause and effect.

It was the Great Way of cause and effect, closely intertwined with fate.

At this moment, what appeared before him was a dense and intricate web of cause and effect, almost turning into a dark and gloomy sight—the causal network that Wu Zhou had accumulated throughout his life.

At Wu Zhou's peak, these causal lines were like a torrential downpour, but they couldn't touch his body.

But at this moment, Wu Zhou was ignited by Ji Jingqiu, using himself as the kindling to burn the accumulated karma, especially the vast power of faith and aspiration accumulated within this temple, which was fueling the fire.

The causal veil was no exception to the saying, 'When the wall falls, everyone will push.' At this moment, even if Wu Zhou wanted to escape, he couldn't break free. He was bound by layers of causality and could only endure the karma fire calamity.

However, Ji Jingqiu's true focus was not on Wu Zhou or his causal lines.

Instead, it was his own causal lines.

Following Hela's suggestion, he voluntarily ignited the karma he had accumulated and embraced the sea of karma fire together with Wu Zhou.

According to Hela, Ji Jingqiu was only in his early twenties, so how much karma could he have accumulated?

Even if the karma fire was ignited, with the unique Bodhi Tree of the Sage lineage, he could easily pass through it.

It was true that Mu Shitian had died in the karma fire, but this guy had experienced the burning of karma fire countless times.

But at this moment, Ji Jingqiu was shocked by the causal lines he had accumulated.

This causal net was definitely not inferior to that of Wu Zhou!

Wu Zhou, forced to sit with Ji Jingqiu, endured the burning of the karma fire. After seeing the numerous causal lines Ji Jingqiu had accumulated, he frowned for a moment.

It seemed that even he couldn't understand how a small Tian Ren like Ji Jingqiu could accumulate so much karma at such a young age.

Could it be the doing of Mu Shitian?

But soon, Wu Zhou revealed a sinister smile:

"Is this your reliance?"

"Between you and me..."

Before he could finish, Ji Jingqiu gave him a strange look.

As if sensing his thoughts, the Bodhi Tree behind him gently swayed, opening up a pure land and a clear space, blocking the various karmic forces.

Wu Zhou's words abruptly stopped.

Just as Hela had said, although Mu Shi eventually fell to the karma fire, he had experienced the tempering of the karma fire more than once, relying on this Bodhi Tree.

After seeing Wu Zhou's expression suddenly turn gloomy, Ji Jingqiu continued to study his own vast and intricate causal network with peace of mind.

If it weren't for his own Bodhi Tree, he might have been truly harmed by La Jiang, that foolish woman.

...

While Ji Jingqiu and Wu Zhou were facing off,

Youli in the corner of the hall, along with the Great Bishop and the other survivors of the Four Deities Temple from the previous battle, all cried out in agony.

In almost an instant, the bodies of the weaker ones among them were burned to charcoal.

Among them, the fire was most intense on the Great Bishop!

At this moment, they finally understood what the God Master feared.

This was the boundless karma fire fueled by the power of evil karma!

Not only them, but even the gods would never dare to get involved with it.

The mortal world was filled with endless karma, and the sea of suffering was boundless. All beings were tainted by cause and effect, and the karma fire could burn away the sins of the world by following the causal lines.

A single thread of karma might not have much power, but once ignited, it would never go out. It would ignite the evil karma of those it touched, and the more karma and cause and effect they had accumulated, the more intense the fire would burn.

For deities who absorbed endless faith and aspiration, the karma fire was like a great enemy, a force that could not be resisted.

Even the highest deities, if they didn't act decisively to cut off the karma fire, would suffer heavy losses.

And if the most critical core of divine power was tainted by the karma fire, it was almost a death sentence.

It was said that the karma fire, formed by the gathering of all the sins of the world, could destroy all the gods!

"God Master... Save me!"

"No... It wasn't me who killed you... It was him! It was the Great Bishop's order!"

Listening to the mad ravings of the people burning in the karma fire, Youli clenched his teeth. The pain of his body and mind being burned made him want to end his life, but at this moment, life and death were no longer in his control.

His gaze fixed on the Lawless Youngster.

Why did this man seem completely unaffected?

The intensity of the karma fire on his body was the strongest in the room, even surpassing that of the God Master!

This fact alone was enough to be considered bizarre.

The karma fire judged one's accumulated karma, and this man's involvement in karma was even greater than that of the God Master?

Even so, as the instigator, how could he not feel the pain of the karma fire burning his body?

Could it be because of the divine tree behind him?

Filled with endless resentment and doubts, Youli couldn't withstand the burning of the karma fire, and his body gradually turned to ashes.

With Youli's death, only Ji Jingqiu and Wu Zhou remained in the hall.

The raging karma fire around them gradually extinguished, leaving even the void untouched, yet it had easily destroyed the followers of the Four Deities Temple.

Ji Jingqiu and Wu Zhou sat facing each other.

The power of the karma fire on Wu Zhou's body was terrifying, as if it could destroy all realms and burn eternity, adjusting its power according to the realm it attached to.

Ji Jingqiu discovered that compared to Wu Zhou's causal lines, the cause and effect he was involved in were more illusory, as if he wasn't deeply entangled or hadn't reached the time for repayment.

He tried to trace these causal lines but couldn't find their source.

At Hela's urging, Ji Jingqiu refocused his attention on his own karma fire.

His causal lines seemed vast, but they were all illusory, with very few being real, and the ignited karma fire was limited.

In Hela's words, it was indeed insignificant to him and not enough to get through the fire.

Ji Jingqiu sighed softly.

He had figured out some key points.

In the past, Mu Shi's cultivation journey was filled with the entanglements of mortal karma and cause and effect, which he used to temper his Bodhi heart. Eventually, he achieved the Pure and Clear Jade, unleashing boundless wisdom and establishing the Burning House of Buddhist Hell.

The path he chose was not the same as that of the Wood Master, and there were significant differences, or even...

Opposites.

Feeling the solemnity and eagerness emanating from the Bodhi tree at this moment, Ji Jingqiu realized that Hela had inadvertently found the most suitable way for him to overcome the fire calamity.

For others, the Thunder Calamity was the most challenging among the Three Calamities, corresponding to heavenly tribulations and karmic cycles, where a slight misstep could lead to death and the loss of the Dao.

However, for him, the most difficult calamity was actually the fire calamity.

It wasn't that he couldn't endure ordinary fire calamities, but if he wasn't careful, he might leave irreversible regrets at this stage.

This was also a form of "overcoming tribulations."

While others faced the challenge of overcoming the fire calamity, his challenge lay in finding the right fire calamity in the vast sea of possibilities.

From this perspective, Hela had inadvertently found the most suitable "fire calamity" for him.

"Every sip and peck, is this not also a matter of fate and causality?"

Through this exploration of the causal lines, Ji Jingqiu finally grasped the edge of the causal great Dao, no longer making mistakes in his words or thoughts.

He lightly snapped his fingers, and a crisp, clear sound rang out.

Suddenly, Wu Zhou's expression changed, and the karmic fire on his body surged upwards!

Then, Ji Jingqiu willingly drew this portion of karmic fire into himself.

Using the Six-Armed Heavenly King's Six-Armed Heavenly Tone combined with the Sole-Sovereignty, he subdued his mind, spirit, and body, calmly enduring the refining process.

This was destined to be a lengthy process.

Because he had also summoned the fire calamity, he was about to face a karmic fire tribulation that none had ever faced before!

He removed the protection of the Bodhi tree, allowing the karmic fire to engulf him, and began to practice the Contemplative Diagram of the Burning House of Buddhist Hell.

He sat there, unmoving and enduring, with two small figures, one above and one below, at his brow and in the middle of his chest, between the Five Zangs, enduring the scorching fire together with him.

The brow was the sacred fetal spirit, and the chest was the divine fetal physique.

Fire refines true gold; those who fail become ash, and those who succeed ascend to the next level.

Ji Jingqiu's inner world was also undergoing the baptism of karmic fire, his body glowing with boundless light, intertwining with the karmic fire on his body, yet clearly distinct.

At some point, his bones began to crackle, and his entire body glowed with clarity.

Especially his Five Zangs, which had undergone countless refinements, vibrated rhythmically, resembling five gateways about to open, ready to collapse.

Amidst this burning of karmic fire, Ji Jingqiu's body not only remained unharmed, but his aura grew stronger!

Not far away, Wu Zhou's face contorted, weighed down by heavy causal lines, unable to move.

What he couldn't tolerate the most was that this young man had turned him into a furnace, drawing his karmic fire to refine himself!

"Not enough!"

"You want to use Wu Zhou as a furnace, burning yourself, it's dangerous, but the benefits to you are beyond imagination..."

"This time, the karmic fire is different from ordinary karmic fire. It contains the myriad Dao glyphs that Wu Zhou has refined into his body. By burning yourself with it, you might be able to refine these great Dao glyphs into your body..."

"It's too slow to stimulate one or two at a time. Cut off more of his causal lines, increase the intensity, and ensure that you maintain the refining process on yourself while preventing Wu Zhou from escaping!"

In the inner landscape, Hela took the unprecedented initiative to provide guidance and advice, almost like a hands-on teacher.

Following Hela's instructions, Ji Jingqiu continuously drew the karmic fire from Wu Zhou's body, transforming it into a molten furnace that enveloped himself.

Meanwhile, the Bodhi tree also restrained its lustrous light, enduring the baptism of the karmic fire alongside him. In the sea of flames, it became increasingly lush and vibrant, exuding a vigorous aura.

In the end, Ji Jingqiu even took out the Green Lord and allowed it to bathe in the karmic fire, undergoing the refining process.

During this time, the Green Lord melted several times and was scorched by the karmic fire, but in the end, it managed to endure and underwent a wondrous rebirth.

Ji Jingqiu vaguely guessed why the Wood Master had chosen to self-immolate dozens of times in the past. Although it was a difficult process, it was a rare and extraordinary transformation for martial cultivators.

His physique had long surpassed that of ordinary heavenly beings, and logically, the only way to improve was to refine his inner world.

But at this moment, under the refining of the karmic fire, undergoing a drastic transformation. His flesh was reorganizing, like a snake shedding its old skin, as tiny white bones were squeezed out from his flesh. Every bone was being refined by the karmic fire, and the imprint of the great Dao was being engraved into his blood, flesh, and bones...

This could be called a disaster, a tribulation, but also a rebirth.

By enduring the karmic fire of others, he was also eroding their karmic force.

During this process, Ji Jingqiu saw many bizarre scenes through the karmic fire on Wu Zhou's body.

His mind felt like it was falling into unfamiliar worlds, sinking into them.

In Hela's view, this was also a form of cultivation, a cultivation of the mind.

As Ji Jingqiu immersed himself in cultivation, Hela left his inner landscape for the second time, projecting herself into the outside world, looking at Wu Zhou, who was engulfed in karmic fire and unable to escape, with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"When old friends meet, is there nothing to say?"

Wu Zhou gave her a deep look and suddenly asked, "When did he replace you?"

"Not long ago." Hela smiled and said, "After the incident in the Nine States, I let him use the Eldritch Will to open a path and arrive near Gusu Star."

"And how did he hide it from your eyes?"

"You're overestimating your eyes."

Wu Zhou narrowed his eyes, having already deduced that Hela was assisting Ji Jingqiu. He had calculated many critical pieces of information, but it was too late.

He didn't say much more, as the pain of the karmic fire burning his body would intensify with time, and even he couldn't endure it for long.

At this moment, his face seemed to undergo countless changes, each expression twisted with malevolence, as if countless resentful souls he had bound within were attempting to break free.

Suddenly, Wu Zhou saw Hela holding a tiny person in her hand, casually trampling on him, treating him as nothing.

His face darkened, "You should know what my taboo is!"

"Taboo? Are you talking about him or freedom?" Hela shook the small Wu Zhou in her hand, mocking, "Wu Zhou, you're talking to me about taboos?"

Wu Zhou stared coldly at her.

Suddenly, he chuckled, "Rest assured, I've taken good care of your godly realm. It's just that the limitations of the divine seat prevented me from fully enjoying it; I merely sampled a taste."

Even though Hela had anticipated this, her gaze remained as cold as a knife.

"Don't worry, Wu Zhou. We'll settle our accounts one by one."

Hela's voice, initially halting, gradually regained its calm and composure, and her demeanor once again exuded a lazy elegance, free from any signs of discomposure.

Looking at the projections swirling around Ji Jingqiu, Wu Zhou mocked, "In the ten thousand years of the Yanhuang Federation, has it made you completely fall?"

"Fall? Constantly accompanying a Sage, and through this, observing the Dao—wasn't this your yearning in the past?" Hela smiled enigmatically, "How come, just because Mu Shitian rejected you, you've become vengeful out of love?"

Wu Zhou responded coldly, "If he doesn't give it, I'll take it myself."

Hela nodded, "I and Ji Jingqiu said the same thing. He needs the residual Illusory Tao Fruit of your Formless Heavenly Demon Great Law to split into the Illusory Great Way. If you don't give it, we'll take it ourselves."

Wu Zhou smiled in response, "Make the most of your time to counterattack. Next time we meet, I hope you'll still have the upper hand as you do today."

Hela suddenly laughed coldly,

"No need to try, the Karma Fire is consuming your main body. Unless it's gone mad, it's impossible for it to receive the messages you're sending. Also, I've made some preparations to ensure that this divine clone of yours can't transmit messages to your main body."

"When you lose, you should admit it. Isn't that what you used to say?"

"Right, on behalf of Jingqiu, I'd like to thank you. With this divine clone of yours, it's enough for him to digest for a long time, greatly conserving his accumulation during the Tianren stage."

"Hmm, speaking of which, you and I can still get along for a long time. It depends on how long Jingqiu's fire needs to burn."

Wu Zhou's voice turned cold, "I never noticed you being so talkative before. It seems these ten thousand years have indeed changed you quite a bit, or perhaps it's just this divine clone of yours?"

Hela smiled contentedly, "Being able to appreciate you being grilled for a few months, not just me, even those two guys would be very interested."

Wu Zhou fell silent and closed his eyes.

The endless Karma Fire raged, as he exerted all his strength to suppress it. As long as he found a chink in its armor, today's battle wouldn't be over.

But Hela wasn't going to let him off so easily. She continued her verbal attacks and even tormented the small Wu Zhou in her hands, urging him to persuade the other part of himself to surrender early and spend the rest of his days in prison...

This stalemate continued for an entire month.

Until one day, Ji Jingqiu suddenly opened his eyes. The Bodhi Tree behind him suddenly expanded, showering down countless lustrous lights, and sealing the Wu Zhou, whose aura had dropped significantly, into his body!

As the Karma Fire enveloping him surged again, Ji Jingqiu continued his cultivation.

The Bodhi Tree behind him swayed, and at its very top, a Dao Fruit rolled, becoming increasingly brilliant and pure. Another incomplete and illusory Dao Fruit began to fill in some of its missing parts before being split apart.

This cultivation, using Wu Zhou as the grand elixir, was far from over.

He still needed to dismantle the Illusory Great Way and integrate it into his own Path-Founding Supernatural Ability.

As the saying goes, observing a single pattern reveals the entire leopard, and seeing a single icicle reveals the winter's cold.

The next time he independently opened the Illusory Great Way, it would be much easier.

Once Wu Zhou was absorbed into the Inner Landscape by the Bodhi Tree, things became much simpler.

With the assistance of the Bodhi Tree, Hela completed the suppression of Wu Zhou with a complete victory.

"You've gained another brother." Hela patted the little Wu Zhou's head with a contented smile.

Subsequently, Hela's expression turned solemn as she began searching through Wu Zhou's numerous memories.

As expected, most of the important memories were either severed or sealed, but Hela still managed to extract some of the parts she needed.

Among them were some concerning the upcoming turbulence in the lower-level rules.

"I've said it before, we'll meet again."

Hela's expression remained blank.

Wu Zhou's memories provided her with some answers, and the upcoming "feast" was likely intentionally left by Wu Zhou.

This caused Hela's eyebrows to furrow deeply.

In this memory, Ji Tianxing's brat had already been captured by Wu Zhou and 01!

In the memories left by Wu Zhou, with 01's help, Ji Tianxing's brat had already been partially assimilated by Wu Zhou.

It was only a matter of time before complete assimilation!

Wu Zhou had extracted some critical memories from Ji Tianxing regarding the Yanhuang Federation, such as the Near-Dao Land beneath the Four Guardian Stars.

The contradiction between these two pieces of information left Hela momentarily uncertain.

Near-Dao Land?

Does the Eye of the Sea of Suffering also count as a Near-Dao Land?

It seemed to be the case, but it was definitely not the Near-Dao Land they were yearning for!

This was obviously a pit dug by Ji Tianxing, waiting for Wu Zhou and them to jump into it.

But the problem was... 01 was involved in this!

Even if Ji Tianxing's brat had a seven-aperture clever heart, it was impossible to hide it from 01's authority!

01 was the true observer who could see the "whole" with a single glance!

Hela suddenly looked up, wondering what new invention this kid was up to.

Using the water of the Sea of Suffering to extinguish the Karma Fire?

Using the Karma Fire to refine Wu Zhou and then nurturing oneself was all part of Ji Jingqiu's plan this time.

But at the very end.

Ji Jingqiu suddenly had a crazy idea.

What would happen if the water of the Sea of Suffering and the endless Karma Fire met?

Would they clash, causing the Karma Fire to extinguish and the Sea of Suffering to boil? Or would the fire burn even brighter, and could the Karma Fire ignite the water of the Sea of Suffering?

He appeared in his own Inner Landscape, his body ablaze with Karma Fire, and took a step out of the Pure Land, bathing in the illusory rain of the Sea of Suffering.

Unexpectedly, the Karma Fire didn't extinguish, nor did it intensify. Instead, the falling rain of the Sea of Suffering, after passing through the Karma Fire, became clear and transparent.

Gazing at the clear and transparent water of the Sea of Suffering in his palm, Ji Jingqiu fell silent for a long time.

Was this the origin of the Sea of Suffering that Mu Shi had drawn upon the Karma Fire of all living beings in the past?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end