The Theory of Causation

In our Buddha Kingdom, we believe in karma and its effects.

Benefactor Li, by killing my junior today, you have sown the seeds of karma.

My punch back at you is merely returning the fruit.

To drink and peck in this manner follows the will of heaven.

Yet the benefactor continues to harbor enmity against me, sowing new karmic seeds.

The cycle of karma and effects, why persist?

With a soft sigh, the shadowy image of a giant Buddha reappeared behind Jia Nan, emanating faint pressure.

In that instant, his aura also reached its peak.

The Buddha said: Be still!

As his voice fell, the giant illusory Buddha behind him stretched out a finger at Li Hongtian.

An invisible force pinned Li in place, unable to move.

Jia Nan then flashed forward to stand before him, throwing another simple, unadorned punch.

The undulating black mist blocked Jia Nan's fist an inch away as the cold light glinted behind Li Hongtian's golden spectacles.

A concentrated ghostly aura emanated from his body.

The giant Buddha illusion shook slightly before dissipating into the space between heaven and earth.

In the next moment, Li Hongtian vanished from where he stood, reappearing behind Jia Nan and pressing a finger to his shoulder.

Jia Nan's body quivered slightly as the skin where the finger touched rapidly decayed, spreading outward.

His expression didn't change at all as he turned and threw a punch at Li Hongtian's chest.

The two simultaneously retreated a step back.

Amitabha.

Softly chanting the Buddha's name, a golden light flashed over Jia Nan's body, the rotten flesh peeling away as the wound quickly healed.

Li Hongtian looked at Jia Nan with equal impassivity.

This exchange, the two were even.

One finger, one fist.

The cycle of karma has been broken. Benefactor Li, shall we stop here?

Jia Nan said lightly.

Li Hongtian seemed lost in thought as he glanced at the three fruits in the distance. His figure disappeared as he returned to his original position, as if nothing had happened.

At this time, the Buddhist youth had completely vanished from the small garden, the soil settling back into stillness.

In the distance, Wang Ye's gaze rested on Jia Nan, somewhat speechless.

He had to admit, this guy was pretty strong.

But...

Putting on such a flashy entrance only attracted hostility and wasted energy, serving no real purpose.

There was also the obsessive-compulsive rationale about karma.

By his logic, because Jia Nan had injured him, shouldn't he stab himself twice to balance the karma?

Were the new generation leaders of the Buddhist and Daoist powers this eccentric now?

Also, why was Li Hongtian emitting a ghostly aura?

Apparently the soil in this garden was strange indeed, he wondered if the Fei Guan would work here.

He looked forward to some brave soul testing it out.

Wang Ye sat holding his wooden chair, motionless with Xiao Si, forming a two-person sculpture.

Sure enough...

Someone couldn't resist any longer.

This time it was the Qingfeng Stockade youth.

Seeing him take action, Wang Ye suddenly realized he had subconsciously dismissed this person when assessing alliances.

Though the sentiment was admirable, he clearly lacked intelligence.

Already the weakest one here, yet still daring to take the lead.

Failure meant death.

Success in obtaining a fruit also meant death.

This Qingfeng Stockade didn't seem as formidable as Zhang ZiLiang had described, only the old man was crafty.

Little did Wang Ye know, these people hadn't come for the Ancient Domain in the first place.

Their target was Wang Ye, sent to assassinate him in the capital. But they'd suddenly learned of the Ancient Domain and were forcibly sent in by the stockade to try and gain some advantage.

The youth suddenly leapt up, a flash of light appearing under his feet as he stepped swiftly and ethereally, rushing toward the old tree.

Already over halfway with no abnormalities occurring.

Had he won the gamble?

A look of joy appeared on the youth's face. In the next moment, a massive vine emerged from the ground, coiling around him and dragging him underground.

He didn't even have time to scream before being silently killed.

As expected, going by air didn't work either?

No, the air was still better than the ground, with space to dodge. As long as one was fast enough, one could still force through.

Watching this scene unfold, Wang Ye analyzed in his mind.

Clearly, this youth's life had inspired everyone with a flash of insight.

They all wore contemplative looks now.

Brothers Jie Chi and Jie Chen, I just saved both your lives, planting a karmic seed.

Now it's time to return the fruit.

Jia Nan turned back to look at the last two of the Buddhist clan, palms pressed together as he said lightly.

Their gazes instantly turned ugly, clearly wanting to refute him.

But considering Jia Nan's formidable strength, they swallowed their words.

They hadn't known Jia Nan would participate in this competition for the new Buddhist leader. Had they known about this monster early on, they'd have withdrawn from the election long ago!

Now they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Exchanging silent glances, they understood clearly that their only hope now was seizing a fruit to eat and possibly defeating Jia Nan!

Therefore, taking the lead was unavoidable at this point.

In the next moment, golden light flashed around the two as their legs erupted with tremendous explosive power. They didn't have the means to fly but could jump far enough to achieve the same effect.

At the same time, the two middle-aged Daoists seemed to have argued with Mao Yong'an, also sticking talismans to their legs and floating up without Mao's consent, transforming into two green streaks shooting toward the old tree at great speed.

The Buddhist and Daoist sides started exerting power simultaneously.

For some reason, Mao Yong'an still stood calmly in place, coolly observing everything.

The old woman also remained aloof from the world, watching the commotion like a vegetable-buying aunt at the market.

But the fingers dropping from her wicker basket fell even faster now, already forming a thick, writhing layer on the ground that was most sinister.

The top experts still hadn't made a move, maintaining observation.

Clearly, this group was just cannon fodder on a slightly higher level.

Although it sounded pathetic, this was the reality.

Four vines suddenly burst from the ground, shooting upward and coiling toward the four people.

Having made mental preparations, the four suddenly shifted trajectories, evading the vines and picking up speed again.

They were even closer to the old tree now.

But as the first strike failed, four more vines emerged, the assault growing even fiercer.

One of the middle-aged Daoists failed to dodge in time and was directly dragged underground.

Seeing this, Mao Yong'an took a deep breath and bowed slightly.

Sensing he couldn't evade in time, Jie Chen grabbed Jie Chi's foot at the last moment, using the momentum to speed up again.

But Jie Chi had nothing to leverage off of, so he fell into the vines with a miserable scream.