I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The Azure Emperor remained silent for a long time. She slowly lowered her longsword, and the coldness in her eyes gradually faded.

"You're right," she said. "It's me who can't let go."

She transformed into golden specks of light and merged into Lin Qing'er's body. Lin Qing'er felt a warm power surge into her heart—not cultivation, not spiritual power, but a sense of relief. She accepted her past life, accepted the karma, and accepted her imperfect self.

The Mirror of Reincarnation began to tremble. The mirror labyrinth began to collapse, the mirror shattering one after another, the fragments turning into a rain of light. The power that sustained it—the obsession of Qin Yuan and Lin Qing'er—was disappearing.

Qin Yuan used his Eye of Termination to look at the core of the Mirror of Reincarnation. The light from all the mirrors converged on a single point of light at the center of the sphere, like countless rivers flowing into the sea. That was the heart of the Mirror of Reincarnation.

He raised the Xingtian Sword and slashed at the point of light.

The golden sword energy pierced through countless shattered mirrors, striking the core with pinpoint accuracy. The light shattered, and all the mirrors exploded simultaneously, the fragments transforming into a shower of light, like a golden snowfall.

The Mirror of Reincarnation screamed, "You...you severed reincarnation..." Its body shattered, and its mercury-like flowing form scattered and disappeared into the rain of light.

The fourth heaven collapsed.

[Ding! The fourth gatekeeper above all realms has been defeated—the Mirror of Reincarnation. Reward: Unlimited Energy Points.]

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Origin Saint Emperor Level 5 → Origin Saint Emperor Level 9.]

[Lin Qing'er's advancement: Origin Saint Emperor Level 1 → Origin Saint Emperor Level 5.]

[Obtain a special item: Mirror Shard (can reflect one attack; disappears after use).]

[Obtained: Fourth Heaven Pass.]

A fifth light barrier appeared in the void. Qin Yuan, holding Lin Qing'er's hand, walked towards the light barrier.

Lin Qing'er lowered her head and said softly, "I think... I'm not so scared anymore."

Qin Yuan looked at her. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of my past," she said. "I'm afraid I'm not worthy to stand by your side."

Qin Yuan gripped her hand tightly. "You deserve it. You always have."

Lin Qing'er looked up and smiled.

The fifth heaven is a labyrinth of chains.

Countless chains hung from the void, some rusty, some gleaming gold, some still dripping water. Each chain was inscribed with words—not names, but "cause" and "effect." One chain was inscribed "Kill one person," another "Save a hundred," and still others "Killed out of greed," "Killed out of hatred," "Killed out of protection." The chains intertwined, clattering like countless whispers.

The chains converged at the center, forming a giant sphere. The sphere split open, and a figure emerged from within—a humanoid form woven from countless chains, with gears at its joints that clattered as they turned.

"The gatekeepers of the fifth heaven, the chains of karma." The voice dragged across the ground like iron chains. "You've killed so many people; the chains of karma have bound your bodies. Don't you know that?"

The Chain of Cause and Effect raised its hand. The chains of cause and effect on Qin Yuan and Lin Qing'er became visible.

Qin Yuan looked down at his body. Countless chains were wrapped around his limbs, torso, and neck, densely packed like prey ensnared in a spiderweb. Each chain represented an enemy he had slain—from outer disciples of the Xuan Yuan Sect to gatekeepers of the myriad realms, countless, innumerable. Some chains were thin, like strands of hair; others were thick, like arms. Some chains were black, exuding a putrid stench; others were golden, radiating a warm glow.

Lin Qing'er had far fewer chains, only a dozen or so, but that was enough to immobilize her.

"Every person you kill adds another link to the chain of cause and effect," said the Chain of Cause and Effect. "The more people you kill, the heavier the chain becomes. When the chain becomes too heavy for you to bear, you will be dragged into the abyss of cause and effect, never to be reborn."

It pulled on the chains binding Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan felt his body bound by an invisible force, as if gripped by countless hands, unable to move. He tried to raise his hands, but couldn't; he tried to take a step, but couldn't. Even breathing became difficult, because chains were also wrapped around his neck.

Lin Qing'er was also entangled in the chains and could not break free.

Qin Yuan attempted to sever the chains with the Xingtian Sword. The golden sword energy struck the chains, but the blade passed right through them, as if cutting through thin air. The chains remained intact.

"Cause and effect are not physical things," said the Chain of Cause and Effect. "They cannot be severed. If you kill someone, you must bear the consequences. This is the rule of all realms, and no one can break it."

Qin Yuan remained silent for a moment. "So, if I don't kill you, the chain of cause and effect won't increase?"

The Chain of Cause and Effect laughed, its laughter like chains dragging across the ground. "You won't kill me? Then you'll be trapped here forever. You will kill me, the chain of cause and effect will strengthen, and you'll still be trapped here. Whichever you choose, it's a dead end."

Qin Yuan closed his eyes.

He stopped struggling.

"I do not sever the cause and effect," he said. "I bear the consequences of my actions."

The laughter from the Chain of Cause and Effect stopped. "What did you say?"

"The people I killed all deserved to die," Qin Yuan said. "The karma I bear is not a debt, but a responsibility."

He deliberately pulled the chain of cause and effect toward himself, not to break free, but to embrace it. The chains tightened, digging into his skin, and golden blood seeped from the wounds. But his eyes were calm, without fear or anger.

The power to protect the Heavenly Dao surged from his body. Golden light spread along the chains, like sunlight shining into a dark cave. Bathed in the golden light, the chains transformed from black to gold. From cold to warm, from a constraint to armor.

"Kill one, save a hundred," Qin Yuan said. "This is my karma. I owe no one anything."

He broke free of the chains. Not by severing them, but by letting them loosen on their own. The golden chains of cause and effect slid off him and fell to the ground like docile snakes.

The chains of cause and effect retreated a step. "You...you've repaid all your karmic debts? Impossible!"

"It's not about paying it off," Qin Yuan said. "It's about taking on the responsibility. Once you take on the responsibility, you're no longer in debt."

He wrapped the golden chains of cause and effect around the Xingtian Sword and slashed at the Chains of Cause and Effect. The sword energy, carrying the golden chains, struck the Chains of Cause and Effect. The chains snapped from the Chains of Cause and Effect—not because they were severed, but because the cause and effect had been "completed." Each broken chain represented the end of a cause and effect.

The Chain of Cause and Effect screamed, its body shattered, and the chains scattered across the ground, turning into ordinary iron chains. The Fifth Heaven collapsed.

[Ding! The fifth gatekeeper above all realms has been defeated—the Lock of Cause and Effect. Reward: Unlimited Energy Points.]

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Origin Saint Emperor Level 9 → Origin Saint Venerable Level 1.]

[Lin Qing'er's advancement: Origin Saint Emperor Level 5 → Origin Saint Emperor Level 9.]

[Obtain special item: Chain of Cause and Effect (binds enemies, immobilizing them for ten breaths).]

[Obtained: Fifth Heaven Pass.]

A sixth light barrier appeared. Qin Yuan, holding Lin Qing'er's hand, walked towards the light barrier.