Chapter 135: Karma, Destiny

"Fellow Daoist Pan Wang, your current state seems a bit off."

While chatting with Hong Yun, Zhen Yuanzi had let a century pass. Glancing inadvertently at Patriarch Pan Wang, he furrowed his brows slightly. "Though my insight into the Dao of Poison is not deep, I have some discernment. How is it that your aura is fluctuating so erratically?"

Hm?

Hearing this, Hong Yun also looked up. Sensing the dense spiritual energy gathering and surging within the other, the condensation of the Great Dao of Poison, and the erratic flow of his essence, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"Does this look like... an attempt to break through your realm? Fellow Daoist Pan Wang, you have just emerged from such a fierce battle, and the Sage’s lecture is drawing near. Why choose such a difficult path at this time?"

Hong Yun’s tone was filled with surprise, and beneath it, a faint sense of regret. Based on his judgment of the other's state, he felt his assessment was likely accurate. Attempting to breakthrough at such a juncture was undoubtedly ill-timed.

Zhen Yuanzi, hearing this, raised a hand to calculate. "In these circumstances, for us to wake him would be seen as obstructing his Dao. I fear he might miss the opportunity."

As his words fell, the spiritual energy around Patriarch Pan Wang surged violently, and the Pan Wang Tripod rose above his head. With the gathered spiritual energy and the roaring poisonous mist all drawn into the cauldron, he coughed softly and opened his eyes.

Though his condition was poor, he stood up with effort, retracted his spiritual treasure, and spoke with sincere gravity: "My thanks to you both. I had previously refused the Demon Clan’s invitation to join them, and it nearly implicated you two."

"Fellow Daoist Pan Wang, have you suppressed your cultivation realm back down?"

Neither Zhen Yuanzi nor Hong Yun took the mention of the Demon Clan to heart. Their own attainment in the Dao was a cut above the Patriarch’s, and they could see his state at a glance.

Zhen Yuanzi sighed, reached into his wide sleeve, and after searching for a moment, produced a small porcelain bottle that radiated a profound aura. "The contents are a portion of Primordial Magnetic Source Liquid I collected some time ago. It should be of some use for your current injuries. It is of no use to me now, so please, accept it."

Hong Yun also untied his Concealment Void Ribbon and shook it gently. A warm, glowing jade stone appeared in his hand, suffused with red and yellow light, appearing quite extraordinary. "Indeed, though we need not mention that 'a vessel filled to the brim will spill over,' forcing a breakthrough like that is unwise. I have here a Dry Spirit Fire Source Gold Crystal. It is not of great value, but it should have miraculous effects on your injuries."

This...

Whether it was the Primordial Magnetic Source Liquid or the Dry Spirit Fire Source Gold Crystal, both were treasures capable of nourishing the soul, deepening one's understanding of the Great Dao, and providing subtle aid when breaking through the Great Luo realm. To be gifted such things...

Patriarch Pan Wang hesitated briefly, then reached out to accept the two treasures. His tone, for some reason, took on a note of deep emotion: "This time... thank you."

*It’s just a debt of karma, isn't it? I, the Patriarch, shall accept it!*

...

Two thousand years remained until the Sage’s second lecture!

The three maintained a tacit silence. Without needing to speak, they sensed this prompt. Not bothering to ponder whose divine power had delivered the message, they immediately channeled their遁light and headed toward the edge of the Primordial Chaos.

Yet, Hong Yun’s mood was not lightened by the prospect of hearing the lecture; rather, he felt a bit dejected. His Dao Brother Zhen Yuanzi had obtained the spirit of the earth veins, and although he had promised to eventually gift him a sapling of the Ginseng Fruit Tree, that was ultimately the brother's own destiny. As for Patriarch Pan Wang, he didn't know what benefits he had reaped from the earth fissures, but he himself had only received a small branch and a strand of the Power of Southern Jambudvipa.

*But that cannot be considered my own destiny. That was merely payment for the help I provided.*

*Where is my own destiny? Why don't I have any?*

As he flew, Hong Yun’s mind wandered, wondering if he should use his advantage of memories to "shear some wool" wherever possible.

Though the Primordial World was vast, the three were all Great Luo Golden Immortals. They did not need to use their top speed, and after some time, they reached the heavens of the Primordial World.

Beyond the thirty-three layers of the Primordial heavens lay thirty-three layers of fetal membranes, shrouding the world within. Without needing to break through them, they simply brushed against the barriers and merged into them, leaping across.

"The Primordial fetal membranes are truly wondrous, though it is hard to comprehend exactly how they were formed," Zhen Yuanzi remarked, sensing Hong Yun’s distracted state. "Fortunately, these membranes did not intend to hinder us, or it would have cost us a significant amount of time to break through."

Patriarch Pan Wang, rarely visiting these regions, looked at the gale winds and chaotic water and fire diffusing through the sky beyond the heavens, and let out a raspy sigh of admiration: "These membranes are themselves a manifestation of the Dao. If one could fully comprehend them, the Great Dao would be within reach."

"Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!" Zhen Yuanzi repeated the word three times. Seeing that Hong Yun had returned to his senses, his tone held a touch of regret. "My Dao lies not in the celestial vault. Even if I were to fully comprehend it, at most I would gain a bit more Dao essence, which is of little use to me now. However, Red Cloud's Dao has certain aspects that resonate with such places."

Hm?

The Great Dao of the heavens beyond the heavens and the Primordial fetal membranes?

Hong Yun did not argue, but merely reached out to grasp the air behind him, gathering countless winds and fires, before loosening his hand and letting them disperse once more.

"The Dao is something no one can clearly explain. Many fellow practitioners know that these thirty-three layers are filled with opportunities and fragments of the Great Dao, which are crucial for one's understanding. Yet, few come here—is it not because of the risk of falling?"

Patriarch Pan Wang and Zhen Yuanzi remained silent at this, and the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.

A Great Luo Golden Immortal is said to be immortal through ten thousand tribulations, but that is merely a title. Within the Primordial World, there are still many perilous places capable of causing a Great Luo Golden Immortal to perish. Some could even exhaust one's entire "immortal light," leaving no possibility for the true spirit to reincarnate.

The thirty-three layers beyond the heavens were one such place.

This is a general statement. The reason the thirty-three layers are considered a place of peril is that the Heavenly Dao here is inherently incomplete. Because the Heavenly Dao is fragmented, there are many fragments of the Great Dao and many insights to be gained. Within this space, the closer one is to the Primordial land, the more stable it is; the closer one is to the Primordial Chaos, the higher the possibility of danger. In fact, the space beyond the Primordial Chaos might even be less dangerous than these thirty-three layers.

However, the chance of encountering such a crisis within the thirty-three layers is relatively small. After all, Great Luo Golden Immortals are rare, and crises capable of felling one are naturally even rarer.

Because... Heaven has its destined numbers.