Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Lü Yang’s Moment

Outside the Skull Mountains Marketplace, within a hastily constructed cave mansion.

Amid swirling, multicolored misty light, a stunningly beautiful woman sat in meditation, regulating her breath. With each inhalation and exhalation, the mist gathered and condensed, responding to her rhythm.

Moments later, all seven hues converged into a single mass.

Soon after, the colors gradually fused, transforming into a pure, flawless white divine light that cascaded downward like a waterfall.

”I’ve succeeded!”

As the white divine light stabilized, the woman opened her eyes, joy flashing across her face.

”The Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi—I’ve reached the final-phase of Qi Refining!”

The technique she cultivated had been passed down by an elder of the Stain Sect. Though the ’Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi’ appeared pure white at first glance, it was in fact formed from the fusion of seven misty lights—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Each hue represented a single refinement, and upon completing all seven, the grade of one’s Qi rose to Fourth Grade.

”With this, Foundation Establishment is finally within reach.”

Fairy Feixia let out a soft sigh. As for the fact that Fourth Grade Qi had no potential to the Golden Core Stage, it mattered little to her—she had never harbored ambitions toward the stage to begin with.

”Finding a Cloud Gathering Stone this time was also a stroke of fate.”

”It’s just a pity about Junior Brother Lü. Cultivation goes against the heavens—had he left the marketplace with me, perhaps he too might have reached the final-phase of Qi Refining.”

Having broken through, Fairy Feixia’s mindset had subtly shifted.

Previously, she had stayed close to Lü Yang because he guarded the marketplace and could contend with final-phase Qi Refining cultivators. But now that she herself had broken through, Lü Yang’s value in her eyes diminished considerably.

After all, being able to ”match” someone was not the same as truly standing at that level.

Setting aside his array, Lü Yang’s personal strength appeared rather unimpressive to her.

Moreover, Fairy Feixia had long been dissatisfied with Lü Yang’s overly cautious demeanor, seeing it as little more than a pretext masking insufficient strength.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. A surging Qi tide swept across the sky, rolling waves of Qi crashing outward. Fairy Feixia staggered, nearly losing her balance.

”What’s happening!?”

She swiftly summoned her flying light, shooting into the air and gazing toward the source of the disturbance. Her expression changed instantly.

”Is it the marketplace?”

Rumble!

Another deafening boom followed. A second wave of the erupted, like the detonation of a massive energy bomb. Fairy Feixia hastily activated her Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi to shield herself.

Yet It barely held steady when facing the overwhelming might of heaven and earth. For a moment, she was like a lone skiff tossed upon a raging sea, swaying violently as the once-pure white divine light faintly revealed its seven underlying colors.

”Is this... the aftershock of combat!?”

Steadying herself with the Qixia Smoke Veil, Fairy Feixia’s face drained of color.

”Such a phenomenon... someone is fighting fiercely within the marketplace?”

Junior Brother Lü... he’s not dead, right?

Her heart heavy with unease, Fairy Feixia flew swiftly toward the marketplace. From afar, she saw a figure at the heart of the spirit tide, surrounded and besieged.

Three attackers.

When she recognized them, her expression turned to shock.

”Yun Zhiqiu of the Celestial Sword Pavilion, wielding the Taiyi Sword... Ouyang Feng of the Divine Martial Sect, the Heaven-Overturning Warrior... and Ming Zen, the Demon-Slaying Zen Master... They’ve joined forces!?”

Her gaze sharpened. Above Skull Mountain Marketplace, a blood-red sword array stretched across the sky. Countless blood lights coalesced into a vivid eight-clawed Loong, tearing and charging through the air. It finally let out a thunderous roar, stirring the tide anew.

”Break!”

Each eruption of the tide forced Yun Zhiqiu, Ouyang Feng, and Ming Zen to retreat momentarily. Yet the three quickly regrouped, pressing forward again without hesitation.

”Amitabha. Who would have thought Benefactor Lü would possess such an opportunity...”

Ming Zen clasped his hands together. A rare flicker of emotion crossed his normally tranquil face.

”Third-Grade Qi. This is what only direct disciples of the major sects could boast.”

At this thought, his expression grew ever more compassionate.

”Truly, Benefactor Lü shares karmic ties with this poor monk. This time, after sending the benefactor to reincarnation, I shall inquire about the Third-Grade Foundation Method. When the benefactor returns in the next life, I will safely return the cultivation technique, fulfilling our master-disciple bond.”

”Freaking off, you bald donkey!”

Lü Yang sneered. The dragon formed by his Qi roared once more as the Blood Sun Sword Pill emerged, its sword array expanding with a thunderous boom.

”Good, good... We act for Heaven, benefactor. Why waste effort in futile resistance?”

Ming Zen did not confront him directly. Instead, he flicked his monastic robe, revealing Ruyi Pearls, Mani Pearls, Dust-Repelling Pearls, and other Seven Treasures. They flared instantly with radiant Buddha Light.

Shielded by the Protective Buddha Light, Ming Zen calmly retreated, narrowly avoiding being enveloped by Lü Yang’s sword array.

In truth, Lü Yang had managed to hold on until now largely thanks to the Blood Sun Sword Pill.

The grand array contained within ensured that the Heavenfiend Radiance struck with terrifying precision, repeatedly turning the tide at critical moments.

Even if all else failed, the Hundred Bones Grand Array could preserve his life, allowing him to rise again.

More importantly, the three attackers were holding back.

’They’re wary of my Yin Curse...’

Lü Yang understood this well. The more intense the battle became, the more exposed their qi trace would be—and if he seized such an opening, it would be fatal.

Thus, Yun Zhiqiu and the others chose to wear him down slowly. After all, they were three final-phase Qi Refining cultivators with formidable combat prowess. Against someone at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, the odds overwhelmingly favored them. Even with two grand arrays supporting him, Lü Yang’s resistance should have been futile.

”If I were truly only at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, that would indeed be the case...”

Lü Yang lifted his gaze skyward, a sudden realization dawning within him.

Today—right now—was the moment.

The next instant, he let out a long howl toward the heavens.

His Qi surged violently, attempting to break through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining!

Seeing this, Yun Zhiqiu and the others froze for a moment, then burst into cold laughter.

”Ignorant fool! Breaking through in the midst of combat? Read too many webnovels?”

Breaking through during battle was tantamount to suicide.

Which cultivator ever broke through without sitting quietly in seclusion?

A breakthrough demanded complete concentration to control the explosive surge of Qi. With enemies pressing in, how could one possibly still the heart and mind?

Yet at that very moment, high above Skull Mountains—

At a place ever ”higher and higher,” a gaze descended, overlooking everyone below as though they were mere figurines upon a chessboard.

”Interesting. Bold, yet able to seize the moment. Not bad.”

Master Yin Mountain chuckled softly. He extended a hand and flicked his fingers lightly, as if plucking invisible strings.

In an instant, the once-fatal situation changed completely.

Lü Yang felt it most clearly.

Just moments earlier, his Qi circulation had been chaotic, the forced breakthrough fraught with danger. A single misstep could have led to deviation.

Yet suddenly, everything aligned.

The ”strayed” Qi fell perfectly into the circulation. The bottleneck that should have been insurmountable yielded with ease. His mind grew astonishingly clear, allowing him to instinctively stabilize his cultivation after the breakthrough.

Coincidence? Luck beyond belief.

So this was the feeling of being a ”Child of Destiny.” When the moment was right, even heaven and earth lent their aid. No deliberation was needed—success came naturally.

Rumble!

Under the stunned gazes of Yun Zhiqiu and the others, Lü Yang broke through forcefully, mastering the final technique of the Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis—the Flying Fish Transformation.

And the function of the Flying Fish Transformation was—breaking through.

Without pause, Lü Yang surged forward again. His newly elevated Qi, amplified by the Transformation, slammed into the bottleneck of the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining.

And then... he broke through again—just as ”naturally.”

Final-phase of Qi Refining!

”Roar!”

A clear dragon’s roar echoed across all of Skull Mountain. The sound washed over Yun Zhiqiu and the others, freezing their expressions in disbelief.

”This is impossible... wait! Is a perfected person interfering with karmic links!?”

At last, panic surfaced on their faces.

They saw Lü Yang standing proudly in midair. He turned his gaze toward them, a chilling smile curving his lips.

”Do you understand now?”

”This is what it means to act for Heaven.”

With the backing of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator, heaven and earth were no longer the same.

To Qi Refiners, a Foundation-Stage Cultivator was Heaven. Whoever possessed such backing was a Child of Destiny—one who truly acted for Heaven.

”Amitabha...”

The next instant, Ming Zen said nothing. He shook his monastic robe, Buddha Light bursting forth—

And vanished first.