277: Suffering backlash from the divination

Inside a military command tent on the outskirts of Southern Border.

The interior of the tent was filled with a thick, pungent smell of blood and a withered aura unique to the excessive consumption of the Divine Soul.

On the ground, a complex hexagram array drawn with essence blood had already dimmed. Six pieces of dull-colored spirit tortoise shells were scattered at the center of the array.

Master Qing Xuan sat cross-legged in the center of the hexagram array, his original transcendent, immortal-like appearance completely gone.

His face was as ashen as gold leaf, devoid of any color, and his wrinkles were as deep as if carved by a knife, making him look as if he had aged twenty years overnight.

His aura was weak to the extreme, and the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him were in complete disarray. Even maintaining basic breath regulation seemed extremely difficult, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

In those sunken eye sockets, the flames of hatred and obsession that had once burned were long extinguished, leaving only endless exhaustion, shock, and... a hint of indescribable despair and helplessness.

Just last night, he had not hesitated to further deplete his lifeblood, even shaking part of his Foundation, to forcibly activate the "xuantian tortoise shell." Finally, within that chaotic heavenly secret, he once again captured that dim, anomalous star representing the "suppression of Luck"!

He could even vaguely sense the position of that anomalous star; it was near the Nether Crow Cave Mansion deep within the Southern Border!

Although he could not see the other party's appearance or gender, as long as he knew the location and confirmed that their Luck was currently withered and their Origin damaged, he was confident he could find this person and eliminate this major threat for the Tianqi Dynasty!

Ecstasy clouded his mind like a tide, causing him to ignore the slight stinging pain coming from his Divine Soul and the faint abnormality within the hexagram signs.

Without hesitation, he channeled more spiritual energy, wanting to further lock onto the other party's tracks and see the true face of that "Luck suppressor."

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

Within the hexagram array, that originally dim anomalous star suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant light without any warning!

It wasn't a gradual brightening or a spreading spark; it was like an ancient giant beast that had slept for billions of years suddenly opening its eyes, its pupils bursting with light enough to tear through the darkness.

It was also like a volcano that had been suppressed for a thousand years suddenly erupting, its lava carrying the power of destruction and rebirth, instantly swallowing the entire world!

Blazing light overflowed from the hexagram, stinging Master Qing Xuan's eyes so much he couldn't open them. The oil lamps in the tent dimmed instantly under that light, leaving only that dazzling ball of light suspended in mid-air.

Majestic Luck surged out from that anomalous star like a galloping river, carrying a domineering and unquestionable sense of terrifying power that instantly filled the entire command tent.

The originally withered aura seemed to be injected with a violent and peerless source of life. In the blink of an eye, it became incredibly radiant, shining with ten thousand zhang of light, even causing the entire hexagram array to tremble slightly, as if it could not withstand that force.

What shook Master Qing Xuan's mind even more was that the surging Luck actually instantly surpassed the "Imperial Star" in the hexagram array, which represented the national fortune of the Tianqi Dynasty!

That Imperial Star, which should have been firmly seated in the center and shining brightly, actually appeared somewhat dim under the light of the anomalous star, as if covered by dark clouds, and even its movement became sluggish.

Before he could recover from this subversive sight, a violent force of backlash followed the mysterious heavenly connection like an invisible sledgehammer, ruthlessly striking his already fragile Divine Soul!

"Pfft—!"

Master Qing Xuan's body jerked violently, his chest feeling as if it had been hit by a giant rock, and a metallic sweetness instantly rushed up his throat.

He could no longer hold it back and sprayed out a large mouthful of fresh blood. Dark red blood droplets splashed onto the hexagram array in front of him, making a faint "chi-chi" sound.

His vision went black, his ears buzzed, and his Divine Soul felt as if it were being torn apart by intense pain. He nearly fainted on the spot!

He clutched his chest tightly, his fingers digging deep into his Daoist robe. The coarse fabric was torn by his nails, and blood seeped through his fingers, staining his lapel. Yet, he seemed unable to feel the pain; all his senses were occupied by the agony of his Divine Soul and the shock in his heart.

His eyes were wide, the eyeballs covered in fine bloodshot veins and nearly bulging out of their sockets. Although his vision was blurred, he still stared fixedly at the "anomalous star" in the hexagram that now possessed Luck as grand as a rainbow.

That majestic sense of power transmitted through the hexagram, causing his heart to tremble uncontrollably.

"No... impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!"

A hoarse roar squeezed out of his throat, his voice sounding like a bellows rubbed with sandpaper—dry, harsh, and carrying an unbelievable despair.

His gaze swept over the xuantian tortoise shell that had fallen to the side. Looking at those shells covered in cracks that could no longer light up, he took a heavy breath. The sharp pain in his chest made him cough, each cough bringing up dark red blood foam that fell to the ground, spreading into small stains.

"Clearly... clearly just now the Luck was withered and the Origin damaged... why would it... why would it suddenly..."

He muttered to himself, his voice full of confusion and fear.

This kind of explosion in Luck was by no means ordinary! It was more like... more like obtaining some world-shaking Opportunity or supplement, or... breaking through some vital Realm Bottleneck, or even... obtaining some supreme treasure that could reverse Luck!

But how much time had passed?!

From the first time he sensed the other party's withered Luck until now, it had only been one night!

What kind of Opportunity could allow a Cultivator who was heavily injured and whose Luck was declining to not only fully recover from their injuries in a single night but also make a great leap in Cultivation, with Luck exploding to such a shocking degree?!

This completely violated the common logic of the Heavenly Dao and the fundamental laws of a Cultivator's practice!

Unless... unless the other party wasn't injured at all! Instead, they had been hiding their strength all along, or were undergoing some kind of crucial transformation?

The "withered" state he saw from the hexagram was simply a false appearance during their transformation process?!

He... he had actually been deceived?

For this false appearance, he had exhausted his lifeblood, shaken thirty percent of his Foundation, and even risked damaging his Divine Soul. In the end, not only did he fail to find the other party's tracks, but he also suffered such a violent backlash and ended up in such a miserable state!

Extreme anger, the humiliation of being played, the regret of a miscalculation, the despair of shattered hope... all sorts of emotions entwined around his mind like poisonous snakes, instantly crushing his final line of defense for sanity!

"Bastard—!"

He suddenly raised his withered, claw-like hands and grabbed his hair tightly, roaring like a madman, his voice shrill like a Night Owl:

"Thief! How dare you deceive me!! How dare you deceive the national fortune of my Tianqi Kingdom!!!"

Another mouthful of hot heart-blood sprayed out, splashing onto the dimmed hexagram array with a "chi-chi" sound. It was instantly evaporated by the residual eerie power, leaving only a wisp of faint white smoke that dissipated into the air.

Master Qing Xuan's body seemed to have all its bones removed. He could no longer support himself and slumped backward, falling heavily onto the cold ground, kicking up a bit of dust.

He curled his body and coughed violently, each cough sounding as if he were going to cough up his lungs, with blood foam constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth.

His eyes, which had still carried a hint of spirit, were now unfocused, leaving only a sense of ashen death and silence, like burnt-out ashes that could no longer see a trace of light.

"It's over... it's all over..."

He smiled bitterly in his heart, his consciousness like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

Not only did he fail to find the person suppressing the national fortune of Tianqi, but because of his own miscalculation, he suffered such a severe backlash. His Foundation was seriously damaged, and without several years of quiet recuperation, it would be impossible to recover.

Meanwhile, the other party's Luck had exploded at this moment. With one side declining and the other rising, trying to use the "xuantian tortoise shell" to lock onto the other party's tracks in the future would be as difficult as reaching the heavens!

More importantly, how should he explain this to the King, Li Xuan?

Should he report truthfully, saying that he had exhausted his heart's blood and even shaken his Foundation, only to calculate that the enemy suppressing the Dynasty's Luck had not become weaker, but had instead become stronger?

The high hopes the King had placed in him, and the stability of the Dynasty for a thousand years—were they all to turn into a bubble?