Chapter 181: The First Signs of Karmic Hindrance

The so-called [Encountering Ancient God] that extracted the life force of the Yao race's infants was naturally not something Fang Han had created himself.

Rather, he had deduced it by expending Xuanhuang Qi.

At first, Fang Han had made a wish to the Xuanhuang Qi, asking for a way to resolve the problem of the Yao infants possessing excessively vigorous life force.

The amount of Xuanhuang Qi required in its response was simply beyond what Fang Han could afford at present.

A full three hundred strands.

Fang Han immediately changed his approach and altered the conditions of the problem.

'Make the greatest possible use of everything I currently possess to deduce a method of reducing the Yao infants' life force.'

A moment later, the Xuanhuang Qi responded.

It provided five possible solutions.

The one requiring the least expenditure could solve the problem with less than two strands.

That was to use this world's martial arts divine ability, Encountering Ancient God, as a template, reverse its underlying mechanism, and transform it into a divine ability capable of extracting the target's life origin.

'With such a low expenditure, there are naturally considerable side effects as well.'

'First, the amount of life origin extracted cannot be controlled by the caster. The Yao infant can only be reduced to the level it would possess under natural gestation. By "natural birth" is meant the state in which a Yao infant would be born without the interference of the Twelvefold Longevity Methods.'

'Second, after having the majority of its life origin forcibly extracted, even if the Yao infant itself has no way of perceiving what happened, it will instinctively develop hatred toward the caster. This is an irreconcilable grudge, one that can only end with the death of one side. Fortunately, I have no reason to fear these little beasts.'

Fang Han did not take this to heart.

What truly troubled him was the third point.

Li Shun's thoughts returned to the Fangcun space.

His eyes remained fixed on the body of the puppet Fang Han.

At this moment, a strand of Xuanhuang Qi was circling above its head.

Yet unlike the Xuanhuang Qi in its normal state, this strand had taken on an eerie blue-black hue.

Furthermore, it could not be consumed.

Its size was tiny, not even enough to constitute a full thread.

Yet it constantly gave Li Shun an intense sense of unease.

'The Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth. What the heart desires shall come to pass.'

'...'

'As expected, Xuanhuang Qi is not as omnipotent and harmless as I once believed.'

'After allowing me to reap so many benefits for free, it has finally revealed the faintest hint of its fangs. This blue-black aura...'

Li Shun frowned slightly.

He had yet to determine exactly what danger it posed, but the appearance of this blue-black aura was like a bone stuck in his throat, forcing him to take it seriously.

'Why has using Xuanhuang Qi this time suddenly produced such a change?'

In truth, the instant the blue-black Xuanhuang Qi appeared, a vague understanding had spontaneously surfaced within Li Shun's mind.

'In the past, everything I sought through Xuanhuang Qi only involved myself.'

'The puppets within Fangcun can also be considered part of me.'

'That is why everything proceeded smoothly and all my wishes were fulfilled. But this time...'

'What I sought was to eliminate the excess life origin within the infants. This involved countless causes and effects beyond myself.'

'And therefore...'

Li Shun's consciousness once again swept over the top of the puppet Fang Han's head.

After carefully observing and pondering it, he obtained even more information.

'This blue-black Xuanhuang Qi is called [Karma].'

'After expending Xuanhuang Qi to fulfill a desired objective, karma will inevitably accumulate. The amount accumulated each time, however, varies.'

'If one only seeks various changes for oneself, the karma accumulated will not be particularly obvious. But if others are involved...'

'The more causes and effects one becomes entangled with, the greater the [Karma] that will be drawn forth.'

'And it isn't merely a one-time accumulation. It is like planting a seed. If the actions taken at the time continue to produce changes in cause and effect in the future, [Karma] will continue to descend and cling to the person, following them like a shadow, refusing to die until its target does.'

It was as though it had sensed Li Shun's thoughts. The blue-black Xuanhuang Qi slowly revolved once before coming to a stop, as if offering its response.

What would happen once [Karma] accumulated to a certain level?

Li Shun did not know yet.

But he knew one thing for certain.

It would absolutely not be anything good.

Li Shun had a vague premonition.

Even with the puppet's body, which was neither alive nor dead, he feared it would still be impossible to completely offset the effects brought about by [Karma].

'No wonder the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth is practically omnipotent, yet Great Qian's official forces maintain such a cautious attitude toward it.'

Li Shun did not blame himself for using the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth.

In his view, everything should have a price.

The fact that the Xuanhuang Qi had previously appeared nearly omnipotent while carrying absolutely no side effects had instead been what made him uneasy all along.

Now that its drawbacks had finally revealed themselves, Li Shun secretly felt relieved.

'I'm not afraid of trouble. What I'm afraid of is trouble that remains hidden in the shadows.'

'Although the details of this [Karma] are still unknown, and I don't yet know how to eliminate it, all things in the world generate and restrain one another. Since it can arise, there must also be a way to resolve it.'

'For example...'

Li Shun's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the dome of Fangcun, toward that deep and secluded door sealed beneath layer upon layer of Xuanhuang Qi.

'These two auras seem to be natural mortal enemies. Whenever they appear in the same place, they instinctively oppose one another.'

'Perhaps I can make use of this to resolve [Karma]. However, the karmic hindrance currently accumulated by Fang Han isn't very great, so there is no need to rush.'

'That said, in the future, I should try to use Xuanhuang Qi less often for matters involving the causes and effects of others. I should avoid allowing karma to accumulate too rapidly within a short period.'

As his thoughts churned, Li Shun raised his head once more and glanced at the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth continuously surging across the dome.

'Perhaps the accumulation of karma will inevitably accelerate as I continue using Xuanhuang Qi.'

'Once I begin using Xuanhuang Qi, there is no way to avoid it.'

'Unless, from this moment onward, I completely drive the Xuanhuang Qi out of the Fangcun space and never use it again.'

When he honestly asked himself whether he could do that, the answer was obvious.

Fang Han could not.

Even after learning about the drawbacks of using Xuanhuang Qi, he still could not bring himself to abandon it.

'There has never been anything in this world that brings only benefits without drawbacks. Drinking water can even cause someone to choke to death. Am I supposed to stop drinking water because of that?'

'The Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth is simply too useful to me, whether in opening up the Fangcun space or advancing my cultivation realm.'

'I cannot let fear of choking stop me from eating. Now that I have grasped its wonders, there is no way I can simply leave it unused.'

'The fact that Great Qian has not completely prohibited the use of Xuanhuang Qi means that its negative effects are likely something that cannot be avoided entirely.'

'Perhaps I can find the answer through Great Qian's Directorate of Celestial Observation.'

The image of the Great Siming once again surfaced before Li Shun's eyes.

It was obvious that Great Qian's official forces had conducted extremely thorough research into Xuanhuang Qi.

Rather than blindly trying to figure everything out himself, it would be better to seek guidance from someone wiser.

'The only problem is that the Great Siming spends most of her time hidden away in the Sacred Capital. Establishing a connection with her while ensuring that I do not arouse her suspicion...'

'It will not be easy. I need to plan carefully.'

'Perhaps I can start with a new puppet.'

Li Shun did not fall into panic merely because [Karma] had appeared.

He simply made a subtle adjustment to his original plans for the future.

'It isn't that I must never use it, nor should I use it recklessly.'

'Rather, I must use it with restraint.'

'If I can accomplish something through my own abilities, then there is absolutely no need to invoke the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth.'