What kind of person would extract a soul fragment from their own soul and then seal it with the Grand Blood-Coagulation Seal?
Perhaps not just one fragment.
Gu Qingfeng had heard from Fei Kui that since the Great Natural Spirit Mutation, seven such cave dwellings had appeared over the past few days. If this cave dwelling sealed one soul fragment, then the other six cave dwellings must each seal another of the remaining six fragments.
If that were truly the case...
Then it was far too bizarre.
He simply couldn't fathom what kind of person would do such a thing.
Pouring a cup of wine and taking a light sip, Gu Qingfeng reorganized his thoughts. He then retrieved a murky crystal from his storage pouch—something he had found earlier in that cave dwelling. He was now certain that these two cave dwellings were absolutely the work of the same person. One had been established five thousand years ago, the other three thousand years ago, separated by two millennia.
The methods of establishment were identical, the cave dwelling structures were the same, and the techniques used for the formation arrays and mechanisms were all variations on a theme.
The only difference was the power involved. The former's power was immense, while the latter's was noticeably weaker.
Previously, Gu Qingfeng had speculated it might be an external incarnation. But now, thinking it over carefully, an external incarnation simply couldn't accomplish this. Who would be so idle and bored as to use an external incarnation to establish a cave dwelling two thousand years later? Moreover, an external incarnation is merely a vessel for divine sense; it possesses no soul whatsoever. How could it extract soul fragments?
Then there was only one explanation.
Reincarnation.
A woman, five thousand years ago, encountered something unknown. Three thousand years ago, she reincarnated, becoming the founder of the Ice-Profound Sect.
And then she extracted her own seven soul fragments and sealed them with the Grand Blood-Coagulation Seal.
The Grand Blood-Coagulation Seal required soul-blood to unlock.
Why use this particular seal?
Hmm?
Did she want to reincarnate again?
After reincarnating, go and unlock the seals?
That didn't make sense either. Having extracted all seven soul fragments, leaving only the core soul... setting aside how one would even open a reincarnation channel, even if it were opened, the soul would surely be torn to shreds. Moreover, without the seven fragments, it would be just a wisp of a remnant soul, incapable of reincarnating at all.
Since reincarnation was impossible, why still use the Grand Blood-Coagulation Seal?
As he pondered, Gu Qingfeng suddenly recalled an ancient method: Bloodline Legacy.
Some people possessed bloodlines precisely because they were formed from the soul-blood of their past lives.
But this thing hinged on immense fortune. It wasn't a guarantee that just because you died in a past life, your soul-blood would transform into a bloodline in the next.
The variables were too great.
No one dared claim absolute certainty. At the very least, Gu Qingfeng himself believed he lacked such capability.
Did this woman possess it?
Hard to say.
The mysteries between heaven and earth were myriad, and there were plenty of great powers. If this woman truly managed to open a reincarnation channel and slip through it back then, that in itself indicated she was no ordinary person. Reincarnation channels weren't something you could just open if you wanted to, especially while evading the notice of the Heavenly Dao.
Such deeds were not easy to pull off. It wasn't something you could accomplish just by being powerful. It required millennia of deduction, calculating the variables of the Laws of Reincarnation, then deceiving heaven and outwitting the Heavenly Dao to succeed.
If that woman truly succeeded, then it wasn't impossible that she had the means to ensure her bloodline was passed down.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but recall what Huode had said.
Huode said the founder of the Ice-Profound Sect and the founder of Yunxia Sect were cultivation partners. They then used the Ice Heart and the Yanyang Heart respectively as the legacies for their sects, hoping to pass them down generation after generation.
If that were the case...
Once the inheritor of that woman's bloodline fused with the Ice Heart, after the bloodline awakened, they could use their own bloodline to unlock the seals. At that time, the memories of the past life would also be restored...
If his speculation was correct, then this woman was truly formidable.
Just the act of scheming against the Heavenly Dao, deducing the Laws, and opening a reincarnation channel—these feats alone earned Gu Qingfeng's deep respect.
And then extracting her own seven soul fragments to seal them, using grand methods to deduce a Bloodline Legacy...
Such methods were far too complex and formidable.
If that woman could truly accomplish this, it meant her understanding of the Heavenly and Earthly Laws had reached a terrifying level.
"Impressive... truly admirable..." The more Gu Qingfeng thought about it, the more respect swelled within him. This series of deeds—reincarnation, extraction, Bloodline Legacy—if a single step went wrong, the entire plan would collapse.
However...
The only thing he couldn't understand was: what was the purpose of the woman doing all this?
What meaning did it hold?
To escape judgment?
No.
Whether you reincarnate, transmigrate, or even pass on a Bloodline Legacy, as long as your soul is not extinguished, you fundamentally cannot escape the judgment of the Heavenly Dao.
One life of sin, generations of sin—this was not an empty saying.
Unless your soul was judged and cleansed completely, even if only a wisp of consciousness or a remnant of awareness remained, the Heavenly Dao would not let you go.
Since this woman could deduce so many Laws, just thinking with one's toes would tell you she must be the kind of old hand who had roamed between heaven and earth. It was impossible she didn't know this principle.
But then again, if it wasn't to escape judgment, what exactly was she doing all this for?
What kind of matter could compel a woman to undertake such complex and extremely dangerous actions? Privately opening a reincarnation channel was itself a grave crime against heavenly law, and then playing with something as variable-heavy as a Bloodline Legacy.
Why?
This question left Gu Qingfeng utterly perplexed. If this matter had nothing to do with him, that would be one thing; he couldn't be bothered to trouble himself with it. But it seemed more and more connected to the Yanyang Heart, and the Yanyang Heart was his first branch of Karma. This inevitably made him anxious.
Thinking of Karma, a bad feeling suddenly arose in Gu Qingfeng's heart.
He picked up a cup of wine, then set it down again, muttering suspiciously, "Could it be that this woman stirred up all this trouble for the sake of Karma..." Karma was a complex thing. It was both a Law and not a Law, both a Dao and not a Great Dao. Most terrifyingly, all the myriad Laws of heaven and earth were also within Karma.
In other words, if you truly understood Karma, then deducing the various Laws wouldn't be a difficult matter.
Therefore, since ancient times, those old fellows who had cultivated for who knows how many years loved to fiddle with this thing called Karma. It made deducing a Law or two on a whim much more convenient.
Any great power, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, as their comprehension of the Great Dao and their understanding of the Laws grew day by day, would more or less develop a yearning for Karma.
Even Gu Qingfeng himself was no exception. Of course, his interest in Karma wasn't because he wanted to deduce Laws. He simply didn't want to waste such an excellent opportunity to probe Karma, that was all. After all, the Cataclysm of the Myriad Heavens, the rebirth of the Primordial Source, the evolution of Laws, the renewal of all phenomena—such a situation, not encountered in tens of millions of years, wasn't something one could just stumble upon anytime.
After much deliberation, Gu Qingfeng felt only the two words "Karma" could explain that woman's series of insane actions.
He pondered a while longer, then leaned back in his chair again, slightly closing his eyes as his divine sense entered the Extinct Bone Jade.
Whenever he encountered confusion in the past, he would come to seek guidance from the Old Monk inside the Extinct Bone Jade.
The interior of the Extinct Bone Jade remained a blurry expanse. This blurriness was profoundly mysterious, much like what Buddhism described: seeing a mountain not as a mountain, seeing water not as water; seeing a mountain still as a mountain, seeing water still as water.
The Old Monk said that in truth, there was nothing inside the Extinct Bone Jade. Each person's mental state differed, so what they saw also differed.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know what level of mental state was required to see clearly. He only knew he had never seen clearly within it; it was always very blurry.
A blurry world, blurry mountains, and on a blurry mountain stood a blurry temple. Inside the blurry temple was an Old Monk he had never actually seen.
Some time ago, the Old Monk had just awakened, seeming extremely weak. Gu Qingfeng didn't know how he was now.
He was hesitant to disturb him. Just as he was about to leave, the Old Monk's aged and peculiar voice slowly drifted over.
"Layman Gu, it has been a while. I trust you are well."
Gu Qingfeng smiled and responded, "Same as always. And you? How are you? Have you recovered somewhat?"
"This old monk possesses neither a physical body, nor a soul, nor consciousness. There is no talk of recovery, nor anything to recover..." The Old Monk had said this many times, but Gu Qingfeng had never understood it.
"Layman Gu previously inquired of this old monk about matters of Karma. Have you come this time also for Karma?"
The Old Monk's voice was very aged, and he dragged out each syllable of each word very, very long. After listening to a few words of a sentence, it was easy to experience an illusion, as if one had traversed countless ages.
Fortunately, Gu Qingfeng was long accustomed to it. He chuckled, "You could say so."
"Oh? In that case, has Layman Gu perceived his first branch of Karma?"
"Perceived it... indeed, you could say perceived... though I haven't gone looking for it yet."
The Old Monk inquired, "Why not?"
"Perceiving it is enough. Why go looking for it?" Gu Qingfeng countered, then laughed again. "The Dao of Karma lies in letting things take their natural course. Those were your words. My first branch of Karma is merely a stone. The stone itself is of no use to me; I don't need it. Even if I found it, what then? It's just a stone. What's truly useful to me are the people and events related to that stone. That's the Karma I wish to know."
After Gu Qingfeng finished speaking, the Old Monk remained silent for a very long time before sighing and responding.
"Layman Gu is indeed a man of wisdom, having already glimpsed the beginnings of Karma."
Gu Qingfeng gave a wry smile and shook his head. "After listening to you chant Buddhist scriptures for so many years, even if I were a fool, I should know a little something about the Dao of Karma."
"Layman Gu is too modest... Hmm... Since Layman Gu has already perceived his first branch of Karma, for what purpose have you come to this old monk this time..."
Gu Qingfeng didn't conceal anything. He recounted the events he had encountered from beginning to end, explaining them in detail.