Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

Thanks to the Dao Court and the Pure Land, the news of Lü Yang founding his sect spread across all five domains of the world in an instant, following that earth-shaking True Lord battle.

【Path of Righteous Qi】!

Overnight, this name became the hottest topic among all rogue cultivators. Not only were Foundation Establishment True Persons discussing it—even the mortal world had heard of it.

As for Lü Yang, he had instantly ascended to the peak of fame across the Five Regions. Some even considered him one of the top True Lords of the current era. After all, low-level cultivators had no concept of the differences between Early, Mid, or Late Golden Core—they only knew the term ”True Lord,” and so, naturally, the more famous one was, the more powerful they assumed him to be.

For a time, the masses surged with excitement.

Some longed to go and join the mountain to cultivate. Others scoffed, thinking it merely a fleeting moment of glory, believing that the Pure Land’s Buddhist cultivators would soon return in full force.

Most of these were mediocrities.

The truly wise had already taken action.

Jiangxi, 【Path of Righteous Qi】.

As a streak of resplendent light descended, the 【Everjoy Garden】 opened. A single figure was drawn in by it and deposited directly outside the mountain gate of the 【Path of Righteous Qi】.

This was the disciple recruitment mechanism Lü Yang had established: any cultivator who wished to join the 【Path of Righteous Qi】—whether mortal, rogue, or disciple from another sect—could silently chant in their heart, and immediately trigger a response from the 【Heavenly Flame Above】. Then, the 【Everjoy Garden】 would handle their reception.

Only after a long while did that figure slowly regain consciousness.

It was a young-looking cultivator, at the peak of the Qi Refining realm. His features were shadowy, and upon waking, he instantly surveyed his surroundings with caution.

But soon, a realization dawned upon him:

‘Path of Righteous Qi. It’s real. I merely chanted silently in my heart, seeking a way out, and I was actually summoned here to Jiangxi?’

Yet, the next second, he looked suspiciously at the mountain gate of the 【Path of Righteous Qi】 before him, hesitating—not out of doubt, but because something felt off:

‘Is it just my imagination?’

‘Why is this mountain gate emitting black qi?’

According to what he’d heard, the 【Path of Righteous Qi】 was founded by a great divine power. Because the sect was newly established, its doors were wide open and it accepted all without discrimination.

Judging from the rumors, this great power seemed to be benevolent.

As a rogue cultivator, he knew better than anyone the harsh reality of such a life: all cultivation techniques and divine powers relied purely on luck, and a single misstep meant a dead end.

Even if one miraculously advanced to Foundation Establishment, they would still be at the very bottom of that tier. Lacking understanding of karmic law or how to pair divine abilities with the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, they would be nothing more than brute force. If they stayed put and died peacefully, fine—they might even enjoy a few lifetimes. But the more ambitious they were, the faster they would perish.

At that thought, the cultivator instantly cast aside all hesitation.

Ever since he was discovered to possess a great treasure, he had been hunted to the ends of Jiangbei, with no path left to run. Already at rock bottom—every path forward could only lead up!

He steeled himself!

In the next moment, the cultivator tensed and stepped into the black-qi-emitting mountain gate. His previously clear consciousness immediately descended into a haze.

Meanwhile, within the 【Path of Righteous Qi】—

Lü Yang sat calmly in the grand hall, contentedly observing the space inside the Myriad Spirits Banner. In just a few months, he had gathered over ten thousand banner spirits—cultivators who had come, drawn by fame.

And all had entered the banner willingly!

‘At this point, the Myriad Spirits Banner must be reforged.’

Lü Yang contemplated inwardly. Certainly, the Myriad Spirits Banner, crafted by an Innate True Person, was exquisitely wrought—capable even of concealing Fruit Positions—making it a top-grade treasure just shy of a true treasure.

But now that he had attained True Lordhood, it was foreseeable that the banner’s usefulness would increasingly diminish. In fact, ever since Empress Xiao, Suohuan, and Ancestor Tingyou had all become True Lords, Lü Yang could already feel that the Myriad Spirits Banner was operating at its limit—on the verge of breaking down.

‘That’s with two of them being heterodox paths.’

Among the three True Lord souls, only Suohuan was a proper True Lord—his soul having aligned with the Metal aspect and undergone a qualitative transformation. Tingyou Ancestor and Empress Xiao merely represented a quantitative increase.

Had it been otherwise, the banner would have exploded already.

Thus, in Lü Yang’s view, reforging the Myriad Spirits Banner could not be delayed any longer. And it couldn’t just be a simple reforge—it had to be once-and-for-all.

‘A true treasure!’

Lü Yang planned to reforge the Myriad Spirits Banner into his very first true treasure. Conveniently, the banner’s control over banner spirits matched perfectly with the imagery of the 【Heavenly Flame Above】.

But while ideals were grand—

Reality was cruel: after three attempts, Lü Yang still couldn’t get past the first step—extracting the Fruit Position imagery from the Fruit Position itself.

‘My Dao isn’t deep enough. My cultivation isn’t high enough.’

Lü Yang frowned, lightly tapping his desk. Suddenly, his heart stirred. He looked up to see yet another banner spirit descending through the void into the Myriad Spirits Banner.

“Another one.”

Lü Yang smiled slightly. Out of habit, he performed a soul search. Fortunately, this was just a Qi Refining cultivator, so there was no need for both father and son of Mending Heaven to assist.

But soon, Lü Yang’s brows lifted slightly.

“This one…”

Focusing his mind, Lü Yang sat up and carefully examined the young cultivator before him. From the soul search, he learned the youth’s name was Han Qingyun.

A rogue cultivator from Jiangbei.

Originally, just one among countless ordinary rogue cultivators. His cultivation hovered in the early Qi Refining stage, unable even to break past the third level.

But one fateful encounter changed his life: a round mirror that, when used to reflect an item, could create a perfect duplicate taken directly from the mirror. Pills, talismans, techniques, weapons—all could be copied. Thanks to this, he had rapidly risen to prominence in three months.

Three months ago, he was Qi Refining early stage.

Three months later, he had become a peak-stage Qi Refining grand cultivator. Even Lü Yang was a bit shocked by his speed—it wasn’t far from how he himself once progressed.

“Observation Mirror?”

Lü Yang summoned it with a thought, and a mirror the size of a makeup compact flew from Han Qingyun’s robes into his palm. But no extraordinary qualities manifested.

He then glanced at the unconscious Han Qingyun again.

“So young…”

Though from Jiangbei, Han Qingyun was still just a rogue cultivator who had never trained in a Sacred Sect. He didn’t understand the fundamental law: that every stroke of fortune was inevitably linked to some pitfall of karma.

But that was understandable.

After all, to Han Qingyun, the Observation Mirror was the foundation of his rise. Who would doubt their foundation before even rising? Better to ascend first, and deal with it later.

‘Luckily, it’s fallen into my hands. Since he’s joined my 【Path of Righteous Qi】, I’ll help screen things for him. From now on, he won’t need to fear being tricked by schemers again.’

With that thought, Lü Yang turned back to the Observation Mirror:

“Which True Lord left this behind?”

Stroking his chin, Lü Yang was intrigued. For something that even he couldn’t decipher, it clearly wasn’t made by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Only a True Lord.

As for this magical copying ability, it somewhat resembled the Water aspect of Fruit Positions—but in his hand, it didn’t quite feel like it. In fact, it leaned a little toward an Outer Dao Fruit Position.

“Trying to hide from me?”

Lü Yang chuckled, then extended his hand. Overlapping imagery condensed into a phantasmal brilliance upon his palm, casting a golden light:

『【Seize】！』

Whatever secrets this treasure held—once seized, it would be his. At that point, wouldn’t all its secrets naturally unfold before him?

“Boom!”

In that instant, the seemingly unremarkable Observation Mirror trembled violently. On its once-smooth surface, a blurry figure began to appear.

“Hm?”

The other party did not reveal their true face, but a sense of surprise clearly transmitted. Then, without a word, the mirror surface began to shatter.

“Trying to escape?”

Lü Yang flicked his sleeve and stood up, suddenly laughing, “How interesting—come back to me!”

His instinct told him that this time, his act of mingling with the lower cultivators and sharing their joy had accidentally reaped unexpected rewards—he may have just hooked a big fish!