Chapter 1258: Severing Karma

"Senior..." Seeing that the old man seemed disinclined to speak, Han Li suppressed the fear in his heart and spoke up.

However, before he could finish his sentence, the old man suddenly struck like lightning, reaching out through the air to grab at his chest.

A golden thread of light materialized out of the void, coiled around Han Li's chest, and plucked the dark green vial that hung from his lapel—never shown to anyone—directly into the old man's hand.

Han Li's body trembled, his mind shaken.

No one but himself knew what the Heaven-Devouring Bottle meant to him.

From their first encounter at the Seven Mysteries Sect to the myriad adventures across the three realms, every step of his growth in the path of immortality bore the mark of the Heaven-Devouring Bottle. Without it, he would not be who he was today; he might not even have made it out of Doctor Mo's Spirit Hand Valley back then.

Yet, facing this old man, Han Li felt like a child confronting a mountain—there was not even a glimmer of a chance to resist.

Though he cultivated both body and dharma, and comprehended the laws of time, allowing him to handle opponents a minor realm higher with his early Daluo stage strength, against a Dao Ancestor a full major realm above—the pinnacle of the True Immortal Realm, someone even the influential figures of the Heavenly Court treated with deference—any means were useless.

Now, Han Li could only stare intently at the old man and the dark green vial in his hand.

The old man's face was as calm as an ancient well. He held the dark green vial in one hand, his fingers gently tracing the leaf patterns on it, like a cherished old possession long lost, reluctant to let go.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a slight change flickered across the old man's expression, but it quickly returned to normal.

Han Li noticed the subtle shift and felt a pang of suspicion: could the old man be conversing with the bottle spirit within the Heaven-Devouring Bottle? Otherwise, he shouldn't have changed like that.

After another moment, the old man suddenly sighed and turned his gaze back to Han Li.

With a mere blink, the binding restraints placed on Han Li dissolved and vanished.

Han Li felt his body relax, but he dared not make a move, only staring at the old man as if facing a great enemy.

Then, the old man did something that utterly surprised Han Li.

He raised his hand and tossed the dark green vial back to Han Li.

Bewildered, Han Li caught the vial instinctively and looked at the old man with confusion.

"This Heaven-Devouring Bottle will only grow hotter to handle. Losing it back then might not have been a curse, and regaining it today may not be a blessing. Our Nine Yuan Temple cannot accept this treasure. If you wish to keep it, then keep it..." the old man said calmly, his expression unchanged.

Hearing this, a strange look crossed Han Li's face, but without hesitation, he put the Heaven-Devouring Bottle back around his neck and carefully tucked it into his lapel.

Completely baffled by the old man, Han Li was full of questions he dared not ask. After a long pause, he finally said, "From what you say, Senior, you don't intend to kill me?"

"You may leave the Nine Yuan Temple safely today, and for the near future, no Nine Yuan Temple cultivator will hunt you down. But after this, you remain a remnant of the Reincarnation Hall, a name on the Heavenly Court's Immortal Slaying List. If you set foot in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain again, you will face certain death." The old man glanced at Han Li and said.

"I know I shouldn't be nosy, but I still hope you can tell me why," Han Li said after a moment's hesitation.

"Some things are fated by karma, unchangeable even across the path of reincarnation. Since the cycle of heaven has brought you before me, it is for me to repay a debt of gratitude and settle this karma." A look of reminiscence appeared on the old man's face, and after a long pause, he spoke.

Han Li was even more confused by this cryptic explanation and asked with a puzzled expression:

"Senior means you once owed me a debt of gratitude?"

He was certain he had never crossed paths with this ancestor of the Nine Yuan Temple. Their realms were as different as heaven and earth; how could he have ever done him a favor?

"Your current realm is insufficient; you can only see the trajectory of the present life. As for the entanglement of karma in reincarnation, even if I told you, you wouldn't understand it right away. In any case, after settling this karma, the faint connection between you and me can be completely severed." The old man spoke as if relieved of a burden.

"Do you mean that in the cycle of reincarnation, someone once did you a favor, and that person's soul reincarnated into me? So this is a debt from a past life repaid in this life?" Han Li's heart stirred as he asked.

The old man looked at him with a strange expression, as if surprised.

"Release the Devouring Immortal Gold. I have something to say to her." Instead of answering, the old man changed the subject.

As soon as he spoke, Han Li found that his connection with Gold Devourer had been restored.

After a moment's hesitation, he did as the old man instructed.

After all, since the old man said he wouldn't harm him, he likely wouldn't harm Gold Devourer either. He might as well see what the old man intended.

A flash of golden light appeared, and a slender, golden-haired girl materialized beside Han Li.

"Uncle, what's going on... Hey, old man, it's you?" As soon as she appeared, she saw the old man standing opposite and called out in surprise.

"You've grown so much in the blink of an eye?" The old man seemed equally surprised and said with a smile.

"Uncle, this is the old man I told you about, the one who was pretty nice to me," Gold Devourer said to Han Li with a grin.

"Gold Devourer, show some respect. He is the ancestor of the Nine Yuan Temple," Han Li quickly warned, afraid she might cause trouble with her loose tongue.

"Gold Devourer, I find you quite agreeable. I'm willing to take you as my personal disciple, a closed-door disciple. Would you like to stay at the Nine Yuan Temple?" The old man didn't mind and spoke directly.

Han Li's expression changed again. He had some guesses about the old man's identity and understood what it meant for him to take Gold Devourer as a closed-door disciple.

Just as he was about to send a mental message to Gold Devourer, he heard her say nonchalantly:

"No way! This fairy finally escaped that lousy Ghost Valley; I'm not staying in this dump again."

"This time is different. You won't be a prisoner; you'll be my closed-door disciple, on par with Pure Jun. What do you think?" The old man's expression remained unchanged as he asked again.

Han Li's suspicions were further confirmed, and he looked at Gold Devourer with hesitation.

"Still no. Although this fairy likes you well enough and we get along, I already have a master. I'm not planning to follow anyone else." Gold Devourer refused without a second thought.

"Very well, I won't force you. Take this golden pill as a farewell gift." With that, the old man turned his wrist and produced a golden pill the size of a dragon's eye, tossing it to Gold Devourer.

"Thanks! You're a good man. I won't be polite." Gold Devourer caught it generously and grinned.

Han Li was speechless. The only person in the entire True Immortal Realm who dared speak to the Nine Yuan Temple ancestor like that was Gold Devourer. If the Hundred Creations Mountain master knew from the underworld, he'd probably be furious enough to spit blood.

"Alright, you can go now." The old man chuckled, glanced at Han Li, and waved his hand in front of him.

A metal disk shot out, landed on the ground, and burst into dazzling silver light.

After the light faded, a spatial ripple emanated, and a silver light gate appeared above the disk.

Beyond the silver light gate was a vast blue sea.

"Let's go." Han Li called to Gold Devourer and walked toward the entrance of the silver light gate.

At the threshold, a sudden jolt went through Han Li's mind like an electric shock. He recalled a distant memory and couldn't help turning back to ask, "May I dare ask your name, Senior?"

"My name? It's been many years since anyone called it... It's Li Yuanjiu." The old man hesitated for a long time before answering.

Han Li was thunderstruck, frozen in place.

But in the next instant, the old man waved his sleeve, conjuring a whirlwind that swept both Han Li and Gold Devourer into the light gate.

By the time Han Li came to his senses, he was already above the blue sea, and the old man's warning voice came from behind:

"Leave quickly. Never set foot in the Nine Yuan Temple domain again. Take care of yourselves."

With those words, the silver light gate closed and vanished into the void.

"Uncle, what now? Where do we go?" Gold Devourer looked around and asked.

But after waiting a long time without an answer, she turned to see Han Li still in a daze, as if he hadn't heard her.

In fact, Han Li's mind was filled with the name "Li Yuanjiu."

He still remembered that when he accidentally experienced a soul traversal, he had entered the body of an old Daoist named Ling Yunzi, and that old Daoist's disciple was named Li Yuanjiu.

Han Li also remembered that he had taught him two techniques: the "Brahma Saint True Demon Art" and the "Heavenly Devil Art." Could this be the karmic debt Li Yuanjiu mentioned?

But then he thought it unlikely. Given Li Yuanjiu's cultivation level at the time of the transmission, he couldn't have detected the soul traversal. How could he recognize him now?

Just then, Han Li recalled that Li Yuanjiu's words seemed to mention another word... "reincarnation."