177: Chapter 177 The Sea of ​​Cause and Effect

Yongning Morning Bell, Karma Returns to the Heart

The morning bell of Yongning City rang once again; three full months had already passed since Guardian Lin Jingyun returned from the space-time rift.

During these three months, Guardian Lin Jingyun had almost never left the small courtyard beside the Monument of Heroes.

He sat cross-legged on the futon all day, digesting the vast information left behind by the Spirit of Space-Time.

That information was far too massive; even with his current cultivation, he needed time to slowly absorb it.

The Profound Truth of the Law of Space-Time was far more profound than the Law of Chaos.

Chaos was balance, inclusiveness, and the Origin of all things.

And space-time was circulation, change, and the carrier of Karma.

The two complemented each other and were indispensable.

On this day, Guardian Lin Jingyun was deducing the third layer of the Profound Truth of the Law of Space-Time when he suddenly felt a wave of palpitation.

That palpitation came without any warning, yet it was so intense that he could barely breathe.

He abruptly opened his eyes, and at the center of his palm, the Power of Space-Time automatically surged forth, transforming into a light-gold sphere of light.

Inside the sphere of light, countless tiny threads could be faintly seen dancing.

Those threads crossed horizontally and vertically, resembling a giant net that connected all things together.

Threads of Karma.

This was the warning left behind by the Spirit of Space-Time — when the threads of Karma danced violently, it meant that a major Karma node was about to appear.

Guardian Lin Jingyun stared at the sphere of light in his palm as the dancing of those threads became increasingly violent and chaotic.

In the end, all the threads converged into a single point, pointing towards a direction in the deepest depths of the star sea.

That place was the Sea of Karma.

The Sea of Karma was one of the most mysterious places in the star sea.

Located in the deepest depths of the star sea, it was a bizarre space intertwined by countless threads of Karma.

According to legend, that place connected the past and the future, serving as the root of all things' Karma.

But for thousands of years, no one had ever truly entered the Sea of Karma.

All Cultivators who attempted to enter became lost within that bizarre space and never returned.

Guardian Lin Jingyun looked in that direction and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he stood up and walked out of the small courtyard.

Ling Shuang was standing outside the courtyard, holding a pot of freshly brewed tea in her hands.

Seeing him come out, she smiled slightly.

"Are you leaving?"

Guardian Lin Jingyun nodded.

"There is an anomaly in the Sea of Karma, I must go take a look."

Ling Shuang did not stop him; she only handed the teapot to him.

"Drink this cup of tea before you leave."

Guardian Lin Jingyun took the teapot, poured a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea was very bitter, so bitter that it made him frown.

Ling Shuang looked at his expression and laughed.

"Is it bitter?"

Guardian Lin Jingyun nodded.

"Very bitter."

Ling Shuang took the empty cup and said softly,

"The path of Karma is more bitter than this tea. You must prepare yourself."

Guardian Lin Jingyun looked at her, warmth welling up in his heart.

"Master, rest assured, I will return."

Ling Shuang nodded and said nothing more.

An hour later, a specially crafted star skiff rose from Yongning City, speeding towards the direction of the Sea of Karma.

On the star skiff, besides Guardian Lin Jingyun, there were Shen Qiuyu and ten of the most elite scouting Disciples.

The Array Hall chief Elder originally wanted to accompany them, but was rejected by Guardian Lin Jingyun.

The Sea of Karma was too bizarre; having too many people would instead be counterproductive.

The star skiff sailed for a full seven days before finally arriving at the edge of the Sea of Karma.

Looking from afar, the Sea of Karma resembled a boundless fog.

Within the fog, countless tiny threads could be faintly seen dancing. Those threads were colorful; some were bright, some were dim, some were straight, and some were twisted.

Every single thread represented a trace of Karma.

Guardian Lin Jingyun stood at the front of the star skiff, gazing at that fog as an indescribable palpitation surged in his heart.

He could feel that among those threads of Karma, one was closely connected to him.

That thread was very thin and very faint, yet it truly existed.

"Wait here, I will go inside to take a look," he said to Shen Qiuyu.

Shen Qiuyu wanted to dissuade him, but was stopped by Guardian Lin Jingyun raising his hand.

"If I do not return after three days, immediately return to Yongning City and notify Senior Ling Shuang."

Finished speaking, without waiting for everyone to react, he took a step forward and stepped into the fog.

The world within the fog was completely different from what he had imagined.

There were no directions here, no distances, only countless dancing threads of Karma.

Those threads converged from all directions and dispersed in all directions, forming a boundless giant net.

Guardian Lin Jingyun floated within the net, feeling the dancing of those threads.

Every single thread carried a segment of Karma.

Within some threads, one could see a person's life; within some threads, one could see the rise and fall of a civilization; within some threads, one could see the birth and destruction of a world.

He slowly walked forward, passing through countless threads.

When those threads touched his body, they would emit a slight tremor, as if telling him something.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a bright light suddenly appeared ahead.

That light was completely different from the other threads.

It was not colorful, but light-gold, originating from the same source as the Power of Chaos within his body.

Guardian Lin Jingyun quickened his pace, walking towards the direction of that light.

When he passed through the very last thread, the sight before him left him stunned.

That was a giant sphere of light, fully a thousand zhang in diameter, floating in the deepest depths of the Sea of Karma.

On the surface of the sphere of light, countless threads of Karma intertwined and wrapped around each other, forming a complex pattern.

That pattern looked like a tree, a giant tree connecting the past and the future.

Inside the sphere of light, countless images could be faintly seen circulating.

There was the birth of the star sea, the rise of the Creation God Clan, the decisive battle between Guardian Patriarch Bai Yunzhou and the Void Sovereign, the ceremony of Ling Shuang succeeding as the Guardian Patriarch, and the scene of him inheriting the Chaos fragment.

Past, present, and future all converged here.

Guardian Lin Jingyun stared at that sphere of light, and a wave of enlightenment surged in his heart.

This was the core of the Sea of Karma, the root of all things' Karma.

He slowly approached and reached out to touch the sphere of light.

The moment he touched the sphere of light, an aged and gentle voice sounded in his mind.

"Latercomer... you have finally come..."

Guardian Lin Jingyun's heart shook.

"Who are you?"

That voice said slowly,

"This seat... is the Spirit of Causality... originating from the same source as the Spirit of Chaos and the Spirit of Space-Time..."

"Chaos is responsible for balance... space-time is responsible for circulation... and this seat... is responsible for Karma..."

"Hundreds of millions of years ago... the Chaotic Universe collapsed and disintegrated... This seat transformed into a sea with its body... sealing the Karma Power right here..."

"Waiting for... the true successor..."

Listening to this, Guardian Lin Jingyun was incomparably shocked.

So this was the truth of the third fragment.

It was not a space-time fragment, but a Karma fragment.

What the Spirit of Space-Time gave him was only the Power of Space-Time.

And the Karma Power had always been here, in the deepest depths of the Sea of Karma.

That voice continued,

"Latercomer... the fact that you can come here... shows that you have already gained the recognition of Chaos and space-time..."

"Chaos, space-time, Karma... the three are inherently one..."

"Only by mastering all three simultaneously... can one truly protect the Chaotic Universe..."

"Latercomer... are you willing... to inherit this seat's power..."

Guardian Lin Jingyun took a deep breath.

"Senior, I am willing."

That voice laughed, laughing with incomparable relief.

"Good... very good..."

"But before inheriting this seat's power... you need to complete a trial..."

Guardian Lin Jingyun was stunned.

"What trial?"

That voice said slowly,

"Within the Sea of Karma... there is a thread of Karma... closely connected to you..."

"That thread... connects to the greatest regret in your heart..."

"You need to... return to the time node where that regret occurred... and change it..."

"If you can succeed... you will truly be able to master the Karma Power..."

As the voice fell, the scenery around Guardian Lin Jingyun suddenly changed.

He found himself standing in front of a dilapidated village.

That was his hometown.

Three hundred years ago, when the Yao Beasts attacked, he was only ten years old.

He watched with his own eyes as the soldiers of the Realm Guardian Army fought desperately to protect it, and watched with his own eyes as a soldier had his chest pierced by the sharp claws of a Yao Beast.

Before dying, that soldier still tightly hugged that Yao Beast, refusing to let it take another step forward.

That scene was engraved in his heart, becoming his lifelong regret.

He had always wanted to say thank you to that soldier.

But that soldier was no longer around.

Guardian Lin Jingyun stood at the village entrance, looking at those familiar faces.

There were his parents, his neighbors, and his ten-year-old self.

The roar of the Yao Beasts came from afar, growing closer and closer.

He knew what would happen next.

The soldiers of the Realm Guardian Army would rush over, fight desperately to protect, and someone would sacrifice themselves.

And he could change all of this.

He took a deep breath and strode towards the battlefield.

Outside the Sea of Karma, Shen Qiuyu and the Disciples had already waited for three days and three nights.

Three days had passed, and the Patriarch still hadn't come out.

Shen Qiuyu stood at the front of the star skiff, gazing at that fog, her eyes filled with worry.

She recalled the Patriarch's words before leaving — if I do not return after three days, immediately return to Yongning City.

She gritted her teeth and was about to order the return voyage.

Right at this moment, a light-gold radiance suddenly lit up within the fog.

That radiance grew brighter and more dazzling, and finally, a figure walked out from the fog.

It was Guardian Lin Jingyun.

There was a smile on his face, yet tears filled his eyes.

Shen Qiuyu hurried forward to greet him.

"Patriarch! What is wrong with you?"

Guardian Lin Jingyun shook his head and wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes.

"It is nothing, just... fulfilled a wish."

He turned around and gazed at that fog.

Deep within the fog, that light-gold sphere of light had already disappeared without a trace.

But those threads of Karma were still dancing.

Only at this moment, he was no longer a bystander, but a protector.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and stepped onto the star skiff.

"Let's go, let's go home."

The star skiff turned around and sped away towards Yongning City.

A month later, Guardian Lin Jingyun returned to Yongning City.

The very first place he went was before the Monument of Heroes.

At the top of the monument, that Chaos-colored radiance was still bright.

He knelt before the monument and said softly,

"Patriarch, I have found the Sea of Karma and inherited the power of the Spirit of Causality."

"From now on, I am the Karma Guardian."

That radiance danced slightly, as if responding to him.

Guardian Lin Jingyun smiled and kowtowed deeply.

In the distance, within Ling Shuang's small courtyard.

Ling Shuang stood before the window, gazing in the direction of the Monument of Heroes.

She saw that Chaos-colored radiance, brighter than ever before.

She smiled slightly and said softly,

"Jingyun, you have finally fulfilled your wish."