Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 376 Red Lotus Karmic Fire

On the isolated island in the South China Sea, the radiance of the three-layered array illuminated the world as if it were daytime, but it was suppressed by the constantly gathering and churning lead-black tribulation clouds above.

At the center of the formation, Lin Yan's robes fluttered without wind, his aura had reached its peak, and his chaotic inner energy surged and roared within him, awaiting the final test.

coming.

Without any warning of thunder, the center of the thick tribulation clouds was suddenly torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand, scattering an endless, eerily crimson expanse!

That was a flame purely manifested from cause and effect—the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. The flame carried a burning sensation that penetrated deep into the marrow and reached the very root of the soul. Wherever it passed, space was slightly distorted, and countless tiny, weeping, wailing phantom faces appeared. These were the invisible resentment and causal threads that were pulled and drawn out by karma.

Flames rained down like blood! The first to be hit was the golden light of merit accumulated on Lin Yan's body from saving hundreds of thousands of lives in Tangshan.

"Buzz—"

A soft yet resilient golden aura emanated from every pore of Lin Yan's body, forming a solid barrier three feet away. Merit is the most righteous thought of heaven and earth, and it has a natural effect of restraining and purifying karma.

The crimson flames of karma collided violently with the golden merits, producing a sickening sizzling sound, as if a red-hot iron had met solid ice. The vast amounts of karmic fire and the vengeful spirits clinging to it melted away like snow in the golden light, purified into wisps of blue smoke.

However, the karmic fire is endless, while merit is finite. The golden light barrier visibly thinned and dimmed, as more karmic fire seeped through the cracks, clinging to Lin Yan's body like a malignant tumor.

"Sizzle—"

His clothes instantly turned to ashes. His body, at the peak of the Flesh Refining Realm, glowed with a radiant light, temporarily resisting the direct burning—but what it ignited was something deeper: cause and effect, and sin.

Lin Yan seemed to see the distorted faces of fishermen emerging from the Japanese typhoon, the gang members on the high seas who were cursing him viciously, and the lingering resentment from his actions in Indonesia... These "karma" indirectly created by his alteration of history and his pursuit of profit were now being settled by the will of Heaven, turning into a scorching fire that would burn him to nothingness from the inside out.

Even more insidious is that some of the karmic fire disregards the physical body and directly invades the sea of ​​consciousness, aiming to ignite the fire in his soul!

At that moment, the "Great Millstone of Gods and Demons," which had been dormant deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, stirred.

The ancient and heavy millstone seemed to be "awakened" by the karmic fire and resentment filled with negative emotions.

It began to slowly rotate.

The karmic fires and wailing resentments that invaded the sea of ​​consciousness and burned the soul were like encountering their nemesis, and were forcibly pulled towards the hole in the center of the millstone by an invisible suction force.

"Squeak... squeak..."

The grinding sound echoed deep within Lin Yan's consciousness. The domineering karmic fire and the fierce, overwhelming resentment, once they entered the millstone, were like dust thrown into chaos, mercilessly crushed, pulverized, and decomposed by the slowly closing and rotating upper and lower millstones... In the end, they transformed into strands of incomparably pure, cool, and warm strange soul power, which nourished Lin Yan's soul.

The Great Millstone of Gods and Demons actually used this karmic tribulation sent down by the Heavenly Dao as resources to temper the soul!

External pressure has not lessened.

The karmic fire on the body's surface continues to burn away the cause and effect, while the golden light of merit continues to be consumed.

Lin Yan's mind raced, and eight spell seeds within his dantian lit up simultaneously.

"Southern Ming Fire, rise!"

"Mysterious Netherworld True Water, condense!"

Instantaneous! Absolutely no delay!

A pure, blazing white Southern Bright Fire, imbued with the power of exorcising evil, surged from his left hand. Like the most loyal guardian, it actively confronted the entangled crimson karmic fire, engaging in a battle and purification at the primal level of "fire," attempting to burn away the filthy karma.

At the same time, a stream of extremely yin and cold Xuanming True Water, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, flowed from his right hand, rapidly spreading throughout his body. It formed a layer of flowing ice crystal armor, drastically cooling and slowing the burning speed of the karmic fire, buying time for other methods.

"Azure Emperor's Longevity Mantra, Protect!"

The third seed is activated, and the abundant and pure life force of the Wood element bursts forth from within, like a spring breeze sweeping across scorched earth. It firmly protects the heart, internal organs, and the foundation of the body, maintaining the most vigorous vitality and stubbornly resisting the "annihilation" trend caused by the karmic fire.

Meanwhile, within the outer array, Xie Qingci, his beard and hair bristling, was fully engaged in presiding over the "Primordial Qi Array." The hazy array aura expanded to its limit, like a giant purifying filter, desperately eliminating and transforming the immense karmic force descending from the tribulation clouds and permeating the entire island, thus alleviating the core pressure Lin Yan was under.

Time passed slowly amidst extreme torment.

After an unknown amount of time, the crimson flames that had been raging across the sky finally began to weaken and dissipate. Even the heavy tribulation clouds seemed to have faded slightly in color.

At the center of the formation, Lin Yan's figure remained upright. The Xuanming True Water Armor on his body was covered with cracks, the light of the Nanming Li Fire was dim, and the Azure Emperor's life force continued to circulate. The originally thick and powerful golden light of merit, which was almost tangible, had now been nearly half consumed, becoming thin and transparent, yet it still stubbornly protected him.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, which carried a trace of the lingering burnt smell of karmic fire after purification. In his sea of ​​consciousness, the great millstone of gods and demons slowly stopped turning, as if it had fallen into silence again after "feasting" on its fill. Lin Yan's soul, however, was more refined and clear than before, shimmering with a resilient luster after being tempered.

The first tribulation, the karmic fire of the red lotus, was overcome.

The price was nearly half of his meritorious golden light; the reward was a mind and soul tempered by the heavens and earth for the first time, as well as a deeper understanding of karma. Lin Yan raised his head, looking at the tribulation clouds that were beginning to brew again, turning a deep, dark black. His eyes showed no fear, only an increasingly cold fighting spirit.

The real destruction has only just begun.

Lin Yandao was resolute. Regardless of fairness or justice, he killed only those who stood in his way. Even if he had to suffer the backlash, he was not afraid!