Asura Mad Emperor

At the top of the list was a spiritual medicine called Karma.

"Karma? What kind of treasure is this? Why have I never heard of it before?"

As the Elder Tian Tuo continued to read, he saw a rough sketch of Karma below its name.

Underneath the drawing, there was a line of small text.

"Karma, grows in uncertain environments, does not require nourishment from spiritual energy, and leaves no trace; one can only obtain it when luck is in full measure."

Elder Tian Tuo looked at Qinchuan with a puzzled expression, finding the information rather useless.

Besides the Three Lives Fruit and the Nine Turns Nine Leaf Grass he had heard of, the rest of the five spiritual medicines were unheard of.

Indeed, the six spiritual medicines Qinchuan asked Elder Tian Tuo to find were extremely elusive, including one called the Bloodthirsty Spirit Root, which even after ascending to the heavens and delving into the earth, throughout nine incarnations in both the Divine Realm and the Lower Realm, he had never heard any news about.

However, he was not in a hurry. Among the six spiritual medicines, except for Karma, which he could use now, the rest would only be needed after he became a Supreme Saint.

As for Karma, it was something he had recently come up with the idea to use for advancing his Innate Pupils—an insight that had just come to him.

His Innate Pupils could now penetrate all things in the world, but they proved ineffective against a certain mysterious force, which gave him a sense of urgency. It was only then that he thought of using Karma to enhance the power of his Innate Pupils. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

With the advanced Innate Pupils, if he encountered that mysterious force again, even if he could not probe the source of that power, he would be able to see through the force of Karma and lock in on the connection it had with him.

There was no escaping, as the cycle of Karma abides.

...

After leaving Elder Tian Tuo's courtyard, the three of them returned to the inn together.

No sooner had the three of them arrived at the inn than a cultivator from the Exquisite Pavilion, holding a treasure box, was seen looking around cautiously, having clearly been waiting there for quite some time.

Upon seeing Qinchuan, the cultivator handed the treasure box to him, saying, "The Pavilion Master says his identity is too sensitive and he fears causing trouble for the master, so he did not come to deliver it in person."

Qinchuan smiled, took the box, opened it and glanced inside. He said nothing, but thought to himself that the Exquisite Pavilion sure was efficient.

Seeing that the item had been delivered, the Exquisite Pavilion cultivator took his leave.

The treasure box contained exactly the spiritual medicine Qinchuan needed for his breakthrough to the Spirit Martial Realm.

The various spiritual medicines Qinchuan asked Yu Qilin to find were all relatively common and low-ranked, and this Second Rank Two Leaf Grass necessary for his Spirit Martial Realm breakthrough happened to be in the Exquisite Pavilion's inventory, which is why it was delivered so promptly.

However, Qinchuan did not intend to make his breakthrough immediately. Today, during his sermon, he had broken through four ranks in succession; to continue breaking through could potentially harm the foundation of his Innate Body. Now, it was best to consolidate his current realm.

He planned to wait until he awoke his Innate Marrow and then make a concerted breakthrough to the Spirit Martial Realm. Such simultaneous advancement of his realm and his Treasured Body would excavate their fullest potential.

Now, he was only short of the Heaven-Piercing Five Elements Spiritual Root and Hellfire Flame Stone to awaken his Innate Marrow.

He had found the Heaven-Piercing Five Elements Spiritual Root during his seventh incarnation. Back then, he entrusted it to that youngster Gongshan Busu, and now, two incarnations later, that lad must have surely turned into an old man and, if he hadn't ascended to the Divine Realm, would have likely died of old age.

However, the descendants of the Gongshan Clan truly lacked competence. They were bullied and ended up hiding their surnames, taking refuge in other cities.

The Hellfire Flame Stone was kept by the Burning Heaven Sect.

Although it was highly possible that Elder Chi Tian of the Burning Heaven Sect had gone to the Divine Realm, it seemed that the juniors were more diligent. They might not have greatly expanded the sect, but neither had they let it decline.

...

The next morning, the Burning Heaven Sect's Saint Heir and several elders came knocking on the door.

Qinchuan understood the purpose of their visit.

Although Qinchuan's identity was a closely guarded secret within the Burning Heaven Sect, an elder accompanying the Saint Heir seemed to have caught wind of some rumors.

That elder, while still harboring doubts about Qinchuan's identity, dared not treat Qinchuan with any disrespect.

Since Qinchuan had previously expressed a wish to accompany the Saint Heir and others to the holy land, this elder seized the opportunity to invite Qinchuan back to the holy land so that the decision-makers of the Sect could verify Qinchuan's identity.

Initially, Qinchuan had intended to travel with the Burning Heaven Sect's Saint Heir to obtain the Hellfire Flame Stone, but he had now become aware of a power even he could not fathom, meddling in the path to immortality. Desperate to enhance his own strength, he decided against going there in person.

He gave Zhou Xi and Ye Xuanji a jade pendant containing a trace of his Asura Qi, instructing them to accompany the Burning Heaven Saint Heir and his group on a trip to the holy land.

With this jade pendant, the Burning Heaven Sect would naturally recognize Zhou Xi and Ye Xuanji as Qinchuan's envoys, greet them with utmost deference, and present the Hellfire Flame Stone.

He had far more pressing matters to attend to.

Once the Burning Heaven Sect's group had departed, Qinchuan did not linger in Tianqing City.

He left Tianqing City and journeyed northward.

About three days into his northern journey, he saw a dilapidated small city with the words "Northern Desolate City" inscribed on its crumbled walls. The city's ramparts were pockmarked with holes, and even weeds were thriving on the merlons, making it evident that they had not been maintained for many years.

The two defenders at the city gate were dozing off against the gate. Upon seeing Qinchuan approach, they merely glanced at him before turning over to continue their slumber.

Qinchuan entered the city unobstructed.

The city was desolate, devoid of bustling high-rises and markets, and only a few sparsely scattered pedestrians could be seen—not even remotely comparable to Tianqing City, let alone Great Wilderness City where the Qin Family resided.

Qinchuan roamed around the city for half a day without finding his intended target.

Realizing that he was unlikely to find it on his own, he caught a passing old lady and asked, "Old mother, do you know where the Chou Family is?"

However, the old lady, whose face had originally been all smiles, suddenly turned pale at the mention of "Chou Family" and hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "I don't know, I don't know."

Then, she hurriedly left.

This Chou Family was the surname taken by the Gongshan Clan after their downfall.

Gongshan Busu had founded the Gongshan Clan, making a mark on the entire Great Domain of Tianyuan. But in later generations, the Gongshan Clan provoked a power that even the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom dared not offend. They were subjected to ruthless retaliation, and with no Great Emperor to protect them, the Gongshan Clan stood no chance against a Quasi-Emperor. To escape from that power, they had no choice but to leave Tianqing City and flee to this Northern Desolate City to preserve a single line of their lineage.

To keep the memory of this vendetta alive, the Gongshan Clan changed their surname to Chou. This was also the reason Qinchuan could not find the Gongshan Clan in Tianqing City.

Qinchuan questioned several more people, but they all gave him strange looks and then indicated ignorance before walking away.

Just as Qinchuan was about to give up, a faint voice suddenly spoke up, saying, "Cough cough... The Chou Family, cough cough... has long since been exterminated."

Qinchuan was taken aback and turned to look. The speaker was a gaunt old beggar lying by the roadside.

Qinchuan could see at a glance that the man's Dantian and Sea of Consciousness had been destroyed, and the Meridians in his limbs shattered. The Yang Energy in his body was nearly depleted, and he was on the brink of dying. He was able to respond to Qinchuan only because of an instinctive reaction after hearing the words "Chou Family."

Under the scrutiny of his Innate Pupils, Qinchuan had already ascertained the man's identity but chose not to reveal it. Smiling, he asked, "What crime did the Chou Family commit that warranted descendants of a Great Emperor to be hunted and exterminated?"