Chapter 5349: Karmic Defense Debate

Ophirya Kaelis drew in a slow breath and let her vacant white eyes drift over the assembled family as though she were already tracing threads no one else could see. Tia did not look away. Their gazes locked, two different schools of Karma Laws measuring the same impossible object: a continent that would fly, momentarily vanish into a mini-realm, and reappear wherever the Void Dust Tree’s catapult-like ability decided the next sanctuary should stand.

"I will speak first," Ophirya Kaelis said, her voice even, "because the problem is not merely defense of the continent, but karmic signature."

She lifted one pale hand as translucent soul force of an immortal beast gathered above her palm and shaped itself into a thin, trembling spindle of light. Fine silk-like lines radiated from it as they formed into the shape of the Golden Radiance Continent while a blip emerged in the forest a bit to the south from the east.

"A continent of this scale will accumulate its own karmic weight the moment it leaves the ground. Every gust that carries it, every life that lives upon it, every formation that binds the Seraphic Azure Wings to the continent and Stella’s roots will write a new line, leaving behind huge traces. If that line is allowed to remain attached to the Davis Family, then any Mystic Diviner of sufficient rank, or any Peak Exalt who is highly learned in Karma Laws and karmic traces, who simply glances in the right direction, will follow it right back to us. My clan does not cut these threads, but tends to impersonate them and sew them elsewhere while hiding the true line."

She glanced at Stella, her voice serene.

"The Void Dust Tree already breaks spatial continuity whenever she shifts sanctuaries. That break can be made to serve karma as well. I propose we treat the flying continent as a borrowed garment. While it is bound to Stella’s current sanctuary, I will weave a Dreamsilk Veil Formation that usurps the continent’s newly bound karmic weight and pins it to a false spatial node far from any of us. When Stella blinks the entire landmass into another mini-realm, the veil is torn by the displacement itself and slings to a false node far away. The false node is left holding an empty fake trace. Anyone who follows the thread arrives at nothing and assumes the phenomenon was a natural spatial fold or a remnant of some ancient warping gust. The real continent reappears cleanly elsewhere where Stella dictated."

Tia’s purple eyes narrowed, but she did not interrupt.

Ophirya Kaelis continued, "The cost is that I must remain near the core for the first three displacements until the veil learns the rhythm of Stella’s ability. After that, any of our Mystic Diviners learned enough to maintain the formation can maintain it. Of course, my bloodsoul essence is required for this formation to be active. My bloodline is already cursed to die early. Using it this way does not add much, so I am willing to help the Davis Family, and willing to help myself guard my clan."

A faint smile touched her lips, more challenge than courtesy as she gazed at Tia.

Tia stepped forward before the silence could settle.

"That is clever," she said with a faint look, "but it is also incomplete. Usurping a thread and leaving a decoy works against ordinary diviners. It does not work against a gaze that already knows our family exists and is waiting for us to move a piece this large. Your idea would work once, but once our enemies are aware, it would be easy to counter. For example, the Celestial Transcendent does not need a continuous line. He only needs his gaze to see a single confirmed ripple that resonates in our karma to track us."

She placed her palm over her own heart. Soft golden-violet light bloomed there, the quiet pulse of an awakened Karmic Guardian Physique.

Ophirya Kaelis was about to argue that no one could fool the Celestial Transcendent’s gaze, for he was a Supreme Ruler.

However, Tia continued, "It’s true that we cannot escape the likes of the Celestial Transcendent and the others at his level when it comes to karma. Therefore, I will not cut our karma away but bury it under something heavier and older. The Davis Family already carries so much karmic burden that one more continent is only another stone on a mountain that has already learned how to look like a mountain. I will raise a Guardian Shell Overgaze Formation around the entire mass, layered with the same Whisper of Fate cadence that my physique uses to survive heavenly scrutiny."

"Incoming probes will not find a flying treasure or a Divergent base, but whisper to me instead. If they push harder past your fake trace, the shell will reflect a fragment of my own tribulation signature. Most will flinch, thinking there’s something ominous. Those who do not flinch will at least waste time confirming whether they just offended a powerful Karmic Guardian for no gain. However, it will not stop the likes of the Celestial Transcendent and the others at his level, but what I will be capable of is attaining premonition. Normally, I can’t predict their attacks because their fates are too vast for me to perceive, but with the Guardian Shell Overgaze Formation, I can actively predict whether we are going to be under attack. Then, my husband will descend and take care of it~"

Tia panned her gaze across all, nodded at Davis, causing him to laugh before she slightly turned her head toward Ophirya Kaelis.

"Your veil is a knife." Tia said mystically, "My shell is a wall that already belongs to us. A knife can be noticed when it cuts, but a wall that has always been there is only scenery. Those who gaze at it would only think it’s another mountain painting the landscape and actively choose to not go to it as a part of misdirection."

"..."

Ophirya Kaelis’s lips twitched.

She couldn’t understand. How could this little girl be born with such wisdom!?

"Then- what will you use as the core to activate the formation, and do you think such a formation will remain stable?"

"Naturally, it’s the Ecliptic Karma Turtle, as you might’ve guessed, a Grand Ancestral Magical Beast Rank Turtle. This massive turtle’s shell shines with a golden radiance, covered in complex, interwoven patterns of light and shadow that pulse with karmic energy. It can influence the balance of karma on a grander scale, redirecting ill karma to opponents or blessing allies with good fortune. Its movements are slow yet deliberate, symbolizing its control over fate and balance."

"How can you find such a thing?" Ophirya Kaelis looked a bit stunned, "It’s incredibly rare to spot an Ecliptic Karma Turtle. You wouldn’t find one here!"

Tia’s lips curled.

"Well, husband brought back a shell from such a turtle. I think it was found from one of the spatial rings, possibly belonging to the spatial ring that the Celestial Transcendent possessed to reward others. The contents have been listed in the Treasury now."

"Wha-" Ophirya Kaelis felt it was so unfair.

It felt like the other party was already prepared even though they had both given out impromptu ideas.

While she was a lone wolf, the other party was stacked with resources. How could she fight a fair battle if this was the case?