Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Bond of Devouring Fate

”This method is called the Bond of Devouring Fate.”

With Lü Yang’s permission, Zhao Xuhe drew out a Jade Scroll, infused it with his Spiritual Sense, and passed it to him—offering only the simplest explanation of this so-called Foundation Establishment Secret Technique.

The moment Lü Yang swept his Spiritual Sense across the scroll, his brows rose in astonishment.

This ”Bond of Devouring Fate”—even a casual glance revealed its origins. Every stroke, every turn of phrase, bore the unmistakable mark of the Stain Sect.

As the name suggested, the method first required selecting a cultivator of the opposite sex—similar age, comparable talent, equal stage—then becoming Dao Companions. Over time, the practitioner would thread his own Qi into the other’s body, gradually replacing her inner Qi Seed with his own.

Success would mean the victim no longer cultivated her own cultivation, but his instead.

Any fortune she grasped, any breakthrough she achieved—would ultimately become his. A lifetime of effort gifted to another.

Sinister. Venomous. Treating talent as nothing more than fodder. A true Stain Sect classic.

A thought flickered. Lü Yang glanced sideways at Zhao Xuhe, recalling rumors from the previous life—that Zhao had once partnered with Fairy Feixia...

”So that’s what it was. No wonder they both perished when he failed the Foundation Establishment...”

”Perhaps in that life he was the one who dragged Feixia into the abyss first—yet still ended up with nothing but his own corpse. All that scheming, for naught.”

Mockery lingered only in his heart. Yet a chill crept up his spine.

Because from his current standpoint, Zhao Xuhe’s preparations in that life had been impeccable—every scrap of advantage squeezed dry.

After forming a Dao Companion bond with Fairy Feixia, he had seized the opportunity on Skull Mountain: breaking through to the Final-phase of Qi Refining, acquiring two Foundation Establishment Marvels... and now, this Bond of Devouring Fate? Feixia’s fortune had practically belonged to him already.

Three separate routes prepared toward Foundation Establishment.

And the outcome?

Still failure.

”Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment... the gateway to the Immortal Path. Without it, one remains dust—so only those who achieve it are called Perfected.”

”Harder than reaching the Heavens...”

Sighing, Lü Yang lowered his gaze once more to the Jade Scroll.

”What does Junior Brother think?”

Zhao Xuhe leaned forward eagerly. ”If Junior Brother would lend me thirty thousand Contribution Points—three months’ time—I will surely repay it by then.

”If I fail to repay, the secret technique shall remain with you as collateral.

”And even if I do repay, I will still gift the technique to you, as thanks for your timely aid!”

Righteous words, generous tone. Lü Yang smiled inwardly.

”It sounds like no matter what I choose, the Heavenly Secret Stealing Technique will be mine... but that’s the bait.”

The key wasn’t the scroll.

It was the three-month deadline.

If anything happened to Zhao within that time, Lü Yang would be forced to intervene to protect his investment—or risk losing everything.

This wasn’t a loan. It was a tether.

Zhao Xuhe wanted to bind him to his fate—to make Lü Yang pay the price for the risks and karma he would incur in the days ahead.

A sugar-coated cannonball.

And when it concerned Foundation Establishment, refusing was not an option.

”But I want the sweet coating, not the explosion inside...”

He weighed the scroll in hand, contemplating how to swallow the candy and return the shell—perhaps by pushing Zhao toward Liu Xin and letting him meddle there...

But no. Just as the Divine Martial Sect had methods to prevent the theft of their cultivation arts, Zhao would have come prepared. The risk of backfiring was too high.

After a moment’s silence, Lü Yang finally spoke. ”...Very well. I will grant Senior Brother the loan. But I have one condition. If Senior Brother cannot accept it, then I’d rather abandon the technique altogether.”

Zhao Xuhe straightened, delighted. ”Please, speak!”

”It is simple,” Lü Yang said quietly. ”You must hand the genuine manuscript of the technique over to me. Otherwise... what if you go back on your word in the end?

”Of course, you may place a restriction on it. If opened without your permission, it self-destructs. Set it to unlock in three months. With Senior Brother’s abilities, the restriction can hold for at least eighty years. That way, we both feel at ease. How does that sound?”

Zhao Xuhe hesitated, but... it was perfectly logical.

True, his Qi could only sustain the lock for eighty years—but by then it would be meaningless.

A Qi Refiner lives roughly one hundred and fifty years. After a hundred, spirit wanes; Foundation Establishment becomes a dream. Lü Yang was already past twenty. Eighty years later, he would be half-buried, even with the technique in hand—its use nearly gone.

Would he begin anew in another lifetime?

The more Zhao considered it, the more flawless and mutually beneficial the proposal appeared.

”Junior Brother’s request is reasonable. We’ll do exactly that.”

He produced another Jade Scroll, wove the restriction into it, and offered it with both hands.

Lü Yang accepted with a pleasant smile.

Both parties appeared well pleased.

...

”From this moment, Zhao Xuhe is of no further concern.”

”If he survives, fine. If not, I will not lift a hand. I can simply wait eighty years and read the technique then.”

”Either way... I lose nothing.”

After seeing Zhao off, Lü Yang hummed to himself and returned to running his marketplace stall—his current livelihood.

Besides, the Hundred Bones Grand Array anchoring this market was a Seventh-Grade Array. His Blood River Sword Array was merely Ninth-Grade, its strength propped up by the Heavenfiend Lifeblood Offering Radiance. If he could fully comprehend the Hundred Bones Grand Array, his mastery of arrays would advance by leaps through insight and comparison.

Time slid by.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Lü Yang emerged from meditation just as a faint fragrance drifted through the air. A graceful figure entered the Blood Robe Tower.

”Senior Sister...”

He smiled. ”No business without purpose. Has Senior Sister found new breakthroughs in array-craft and come to exchange insights?”

”How many times must I tell you? Just call me Feixia.”

Fairy Feixia shot him a glance, sat down in his lap as though by habit, and murmured, ”Someone from the Stain Sect has come.”

”They came long ago,” Lü Yang replied calmly. ”I have already said—I only wish to cultivate in peace. I have no interest in conflicts, nor in the Wu Ghost Secret Realm.”

”This time is different.”

Her tone sharpened. Lü Yang’s eyes narrowed. ”...Who?”

”Second Senior Brother.”

Her voice grew solemn. ”The Second Senior Brother of the Sanhe Association. A Direct Disciple at the Final-phase of Qi Refining. He came in person to deliver this message.”

Lü Yang’s expression darkened.

Because if he remembered correctly, the Sanhe Association — a major power under the Stain Sect — had been founded by a group that included a Foundation-Stage cultivator.