Mo Hua pondered.

Ordinary karma techniques, dealing with the success or failure of an event or the life and death of an individual, are small-scale. However, if an event is significant enough, involves many people, and possesses strong karmic power, it constitutes great karma. Karma of an even larger scope, concerning the rise and fall of a regional domain or even the destiny of all living beings in the world, is what is known as “heavenly secrets.”

People often refer to “heavenly secrets and karma” together, but there are actually many distinctions between them. Without careful study of karma, one truly cannot understand it. Most people’s karma is limited to an individual’s fortune or misfortune and never reaches the level of “heavenly secrets.” This is a classification based on a grander scale.

Furthermore, from a fundamental structural perspective, the power of karma is also quite unique. As Mo Hua had previously sensed, the so-called “power of karma” is not merely a cultivation power at the “spiritual thought” level—such as psionic power, sinister power, evil thoughts, or divine consciousness. Nor is it purely a cultivation power at the “physical” level—such as physical strength, spiritual energy, or flesh and blood.

Based on Mo Hua’s current understanding of heavenly secrets and his intuitive instincts, karma seems more like a Dao power that merges spiritual thought with reality. It partly consists of reality, using reality as a medium; it also includes spiritual guidance, using spiritual thought as a bridge. It is a state where “substance” and “void” coexist.

Karma transcends ordinary objective forces, being profoundly mysterious. However, because it has a “substantive” component, it is neither purely “metaphysics” nor purely “theology.” It is more like…

Mo Hua frowned, then pondered meticulously. “It’s like seeking the laws of karma within objective existence, then utilizing spiritual methods to control these laws, and subsequently reversing objective existence.” “From substance to void, then using void to return to substance, finally achieving the unity of substance and void…”

These were some insights into the laws of karma that he gained from contemplating the *Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art*, building upon his foundational understanding of karmic spells. This “insight” was somewhat abstruse. Mo Hua only vaguely felt that this was probably the case. However, he wasn’t clear on the specific logical rules or how they manifested in all things. After all, he had only just begun learning and was merely at the introductory stage. He needed to study more, observe more, practice more, and integrate knowledge with action to gain deeper insights. Only then could his karma techniques become stronger.

Comprehending the Dao was merely the foundation. Practicing the Dao was the essence. Comprehending the Dao without practicing it was equivalent to not having comprehended it at all.

“So how exactly should these karma techniques be applied?”

Heavenly secrets and karma represented the grand scheme. The transformation between substance and void was the underlying logic. But what about the specific application at the level of “techniques”?

Mo Hua fell into contemplation. A moment later, he opened the manual of the *Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art* and meticulously re-examined some of the profound texts and divination diagrams within it. The Demonic Bone Divination Art had complex texts and intricate hexagrams. However, the core principles of its “techniques” were also based on karma.

Stripping away the superficial layers of the “spellcraft,” Mo Hua briefly summarized the underlying karmic principles, which could roughly be divided into three categories. Tracing Causes: Peering into the past based on certain known “effects.” Predicting Effects: Divining the future based on certain known “causes.” And the general “deduction”: Using karmic relationships to deduce the current time, location, and state of fortune or misfortune for a particular person, event, or object.

While these three divination methods differed in form, they essentially applied the same karmic laws, so they were not strictly distinct from one another. Besides the methods, karmic divination also required specific mediums and consumed a significant amount of spiritual thought. If the karmic link being divined was substantial, one might even need to set up altars and prepare rituals.

These were merely issues related to the superficial application of “spellcraft.” The application of “karma techniques” at a deeper level involved many more complexities. Karma techniques were not as simple as they appeared. Nor were they like ordinary spells, which could always be used effectively once learned. There were simply too many variables involved. The same karma technique would yield different results when used by different people. Using the same karma technique to divine for different people would also result in varying fortunes or misfortunes. For example, “Mr. Wu” used the same Demonic Bone Divination Art to divine for others without issue, but when he divined for Mo Hua, he died.

Furthermore, the strength of karma techniques sometimes had no direct correlation with an individual’s fortune or misfortune. Typically, if a person did not understand karma and could not divine their own fortune or misfortune, they would likely fall into danger and die. If they mastered karma, knew their fortune and misfortune, and could seek advantages and avoid harm, they would naturally live longer. Conversely, an ordinary cultivator who did not understand karma would generally not glimpse great horrors and thus would not invite great calamities. However, a heavenly secrets cultivator with extremely powerful karma techniques and keen insight might, due to their strength and profound divinations, inadvertently glimpse forbidden existences, thereby inviting great horrors.

Not learning karma was dangerous. Learning karma could be even more dangerous. Moreover, the study of karma was unfathomable. The *Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art* was only an introductory karmic method, containing merely some basic “divination techniques,” which were probably considered relatively “crude” even within the Great Barren’s karmic system. Even such a “crude” divination art contained too many intricacies.

When divining with demonic bones, different bones would naturally correspond to different divination methods. Different divination methods would inevitably produce different hexagrams. Different hexagrams would certainly have different interpretations. Varying interpretations and analyses of the hexagrams would lead to discrepancies in judging fortune or misfortune. This was just one category within the Great Barren’s divination system. This particular system accounted for only a very small portion of “Mr. Wu’s” manual. Speaking more broadly, Mo Hua speculated that the Great Dao of Karma must contain even more profound and advanced laws. For example, karmic insight, offense and defense, grafting, usurpation, reversal, and so on. Merely thinking about these concepts made them seem incredibly profound and obscure.

And all of this constituted the “Dao of Heavenly Secrets and Karma.” It was extremely perilous, immensely obscure, and deeply mysterious, yet paradoxically exquisite.

Mo Hua was deeply moved. The path to seeking the Dao harbored great peril. The knowledge of cultivation was also vast and boundless. Many things remained unknown until one began to learn them, revealing their truly unfathomable depths. These areas of study were diligently pursued and passed down by predecessors. Especially the perilous and mysterious Dao of Karma, which could be formed into methods and passed down; it unknowingly embodied the diligent thought and effort of countless extraordinary talents throughout history, whose brilliance shook the heavens and whose gifts shone across eras. If not for these brilliant and powerful individuals who meticulously researched and passed down their knowledge from generation to generation, one truly couldn’t know how much time, effort, and detours it would take to learn these Great Dao methods.

Mo Hua felt both respect and gratitude in his heart. At the same time, he was filled with anticipation. “There’s something new, very difficult, and incredibly powerful to learn now…” Mo Hua’s eyes shone brightly, like a beacon in the dark night.

Subsequently, Mo Hua’s focus of cultivation temporarily shifted from array formations to the *Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art*. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to practice array formations more; it was simply that there were no more “difficult” arrays for him to learn at the moment. The Reverse Spirit Array was twenty-patterned. The inductive derivation of the Great Barren Azure Dragon Array Diagram was also twenty-patterned. Mo Hua’s spiritual thought, however, had already reached twenty-one patterns. Twenty-patterned formidable arrays were no longer sufficient to “tax” his spiritual thought and achieve a refining effect; he could only practice them casually for fun. Therefore, until he found new, more difficult formidable arrays, Mo Hua dedicated a significant portion of his energy to studying the Demonic Bone Divination Art of the Great Barren.

To Mo Hua’s surprise, frequent practice of divination consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual thought. While it might not match array formation drawing in terms of spiritual manipulation and intricate complexity, karmic divination surpassed it in terms of sheer “quantity” consumed. Hence, this could be considered another way to “temper” his divine consciousness. When Mo Hua previously used copper coins for simple “divination,” although it consumed a fair amount of divine consciousness, divining with a single coin was too simplistic. Moreover, he often divined only once or twice, which was too few times, and lacked a fixed method to continuously refine his spiritual thought and improve his divine consciousness. Now, being able to train his divine consciousness from another angle by delving into the Demonic Bone Divination Art was an unexpected bonus.

Of course, this was still not the ideal situation. The most ideal scenario would be to use karmic array formations for divination. This “two-pronged approach” would undoubtedly enhance the tempering of his divine consciousness. And indeed, within the *Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art*, there were some traces that appeared to be “array patterns.” Mo Hua speculated that these were array formations used for “divination.” However, Mo Hua had no idea what kind of array formations these were or what their purpose was. Furthermore, the book on Demonic Bone Divination only contained a few sparse lines, which were incomplete and fragmented, making it impossible to distinguish if they were hexagram patterns, demonic patterns, totems, or array patterns… So, all of this was Mo Hua’s speculation based on the clues he found. He wasn’t entirely sure if karmic array formations truly existed and would need to verify this during his future travels.

In the following days, besides researching divination techniques, he also kept an eye on the affairs of the Canglang Sect. Sect Master Zhao, though fond of feigning “righteousness” to deceive others, was not truly bad-hearted and indeed acted with a certain measure of propriety. He was also the most suitable candidate for sect master of the entire Canglang Sect. He had conscientiously implemented Mo Hua’s words and occasionally visited Mo Hua to inform him of the progress.

Inside the guest room, Mo Hua and Sect Master Zhao were drinking tea. Sect Master Zhao, a Golden Core realm cultivator, was gentle, polite, and very respectful towards Mo Hua, who was only at the Foundation Establishment realm. He said: “Everything has been done according to Young Master Mo’s instructions.”

“Not my ‘instructions’…” Mo Hua corrected, “They were my ‘suggestions.'”

Sect Master Zhao sighed inwardly and nodded, saying, “Yes, everything has been done according to your ‘suggestions,’ Young Master. Disciples within the sect are no longer permitted to worship wolf statues. They are not allowed to meditate on any wolf images, burn incense to ancestors, or let ‘wolf nature’ corrupt their minds. Some disciples who engaged in wrongdoing have been punished. Those with serious offenses have been detained by the Dao Court Division and imprisoned in the Dao Prison. Elders and disciples closely associated with the former sect master have all been ‘purged’… or rather, ‘reformed.’ The sect rules have also been reorganized; bullying merchants, coercive buying and selling, and monopolistic takeovers are no longer permitted… Sect members are also no longer allowed to oppress locals, assault, or kill… Violators will be severely punished…”

Sect Master Zhao reported each item and case to Mo Hua. Mo Hua thought for a moment and asked, “What about those decadent pleasure houses in the inner city?” Elder Ji had attempted to “corrupt” him in those very establishments with vulgar beauties and gambling.

Sect Master Zhao replied, “They’ve all been shut down, and the people dispersed…”

Mo Hua said, “Tear down the buildings too. They’re gaudy, and I don’t like them.”

Sect Master Zhao paused slightly, then sighed, “Very well. What Young Master Mo said, was naturally what would happen. It’s just…” Sect Master Zhao hesitated, unsure whether to speak, but after a moment, he sighed, “Young Master Mo, such high pressure might… make it difficult to win over the masses…”

Mo Hua looked puzzled. “Why should I make them submit willingly?”

Sect Master Zhao was startled. Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Only good-hearted people need to be won over willingly. But ‘rapacious’ individuals fear power and do not cherish kindness; being good to them is useless. One merely needs to suppress them with strong authority and awe them with power, and they will naturally beg for mercy. I am a prodigy of a fifth-grade major sect, and behind me stands the Grand Sect of Qianxue, the Tai Xu Sect. As long as I hold the superior position and wield strong power, they will naturally only be able to rely on and flatter me. As for what they think or whether they are truly convinced, how does that concern me?”

Sect Master Zhao was shaken, and after a moment, he sighed: “Young Master is absolutely right.”

Subsequently, Sect Master Zhao established the “rules” as Mo Hua had instructed. He then found a casual excuse to publicly execute several utterly wicked Canglang Sect elders, giving everyone the impression that the Canglang Sect was undergoing a “change of sky”—those who complied would prosper, and those who resisted would perish. Although no one had personally witnessed how the former Golden Core realm Sect Master Duan died, everyone more or less had an idea. Coupled with Sect Master Zhao leveraging Mo Hua’s reputation as a “prodigy of a fifth-grade major sect,” all cultivators in the Canglang Sect naturally felt fear and submitted. Many elders secretly inquired about Mo Hua’s preferences and sent him gifts. Mo Hua accepted all gifts without exception and confiscated these “ill-gotten gains” for use in the upcoming construction of Canglang City.

The “construction” of Canglang City was actually quite simple. It meant providing food for poor cultivators and a livelihood for low-level rogue cultivators. Such a task seemed simple but was difficult to accomplish. Giving them spirit stones wouldn’t work. Low-level rogue cultivators who received spirit stones would mostly be robbed, and even if not robbed, they would quickly squander them. So Mo Hua implemented “work-relief,” beginning to build artifact forging shops, expand provincial roads, and employ low-level rogue cultivators. This way, the rogue cultivators had food. The artifact forging shops and provincial roads could also be completed on schedule. Once the artifact forging shops were built and the provincial roads were connected, gathering the rogue cultivators along the way, Canglang City could develop further. Finally, as Sect Master Duan had promised Mo Hua before his death, Canglang City would be connected with Tongxian City, coexisting, prospering together, and mutually assisting each other. However, Sect Master Duan had merely drawn a pie in the sky for Mo Hua. Mo Hua, on the other hand, genuinely intended to do this.

In front of Canglang City’s artifact forging shops, it was noisy and bustling, with towering spiritual machinery and artisans moving continuously. The construction of the artifact forging shops was in full swing. Mo Hua inspected the site, nodded, then found a spot to sit and drink tea, while casually flipping through Mr. Wu’s manuscript. He had generally arranged all affairs concerning Canglang City. He planned to leave in a few days.

But before leaving, Mo Hua always felt a sense of unease. He kept feeling that he had inadvertently overlooked something… The longer he studied the Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art and the deeper his understanding of the Dao of Karma became, the stronger this feeling grew. Yet, Mo Hua had no clue what he had overlooked. After much thought, he could only guess that it might be related to “Mr. Wu.” Therefore, for the past few days, he had been idly flipping through the manuscripts from Mr. Wu’s storage bag.

As he read, Mo Hua suddenly realized something: Strictly speaking, this Mr. Wu didn’t seem “incompetent” at all… Not only was he not “incompetent,” but one could even say… he was quite formidable? He had encountered Mo Hua and was trapped by Mo Hua’s karmic demon seed technique, leading to his inexplicable death. However, his mastery of the Demonic Bone Divination Art was actually not low. Otherwise, how could he, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, have divined his own fate based on the karmic threads of destiny and groped through the mists of fate for so long alone?

The Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art was a legacy of the Great Barren. This implied that Mr. Wu was from the Great Barren region. Why would he travel thousands of miles to Canglang City?

“Something’s not quite right…” Mo Hua frowned, finding it increasingly strange the more he thought about it. “Perhaps I should divine Mr. Wu’s karma?”

Mo Hua pondered deeply, then shook his head. Karmic divination also had to adhere to certain basic laws. He didn’t know much about Mr. Wu’s past, which, in karmic terms, meant lacking knowledge of the “cause,” making the divination more difficult. Furthermore, Mr. Wu was already dead, and Mo Hua himself had killed him by trickery. This was not a good thing; in terms of karma, it should be considered a negative effect. In that case, for him, the killer, to divine the karma of the slain person would be somewhat… impolite. If he really wanted to divine, he could use Mr. Wu’s relics as a medium for karmic deduction. But the problem was… what exactly should he divine?

Karmic divination required specific people, events, or objects to serve as mediums and clues for the “karma” to be deduced. The more specific, detailed, and targeted the divination, the more precise the karmic reading would be. The more vague and general, the wider the scope of deduction, and the more factors involved, the less accurate the divination would be. Mo Hua currently knew little about Mr. Wu; he didn’t even know which specific event to divine, which people were involved, or which items were relevant. Yet, he couldn’t ignore this matter.

“Should I just try a random divination? Whatever comes up, comes up?” Mo Hua considered it and decided to give it a try. Besides that, there seemed to be no other method. He figured that a mere Mr. Wu, even with decent karmic abilities, couldn’t truly pose any monumental danger to him. Moreover, he was already dead. He might as well use him for practice and divine first.

Without hesitation, Mo Hua immediately returned to his room and began divining according to the methods recorded in the *Great Barren Demonic Bone Divination Art*. Inside the closed and quiet room, Mo Hua took out a brazier, placed a wolf bone in it, and then roasted the wolf bone with green phosphorescent demonic fire. Once the phosphorescent fire was scorching hot and the wolf bone was charred dry, Mo Hua threw some of Mr. Wu’s “relics” into the brazier, while silently chanting an incantation to trace Mr. Wu’s past.

The Demonic Bone Divination Art was activated. A powerful karmic fluctuation emanated… Mo Hua’s powerful, golden, almost solidified divine consciousness instantly poured forth. The karmic laws spun rapidly. The Great Barren’s Demonic Bone Divination Art seemed to be invoked by a “divine being.”

And the moment Mo Hua’s spiritual thought flowed, green flames surged, the wolf bone cracked, and a hexagram formed. Suddenly, the heavens and earth churned, and the qi flow vibrated. Before Mo Hua’s eyes, a magnificent chain, like a dragon’s spine, vaguely appeared, locking down a terrifying karmic phenomenon that was as scorching hot as a blazing sun setting the sky ablaze.

Mo Hua’s pupils abruptly constricted, his heart trembled violently, and he immediately overturned the brazier with a flick, shattering the wolf bone with spiritual energy, extinguishing the phosphorescent fire, and then using a fire-ball spell to burn everything to ashes, completely “destroying all traces.”