Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Breaking the Void

As Ji Xiongying finished speaking, the assembled Celestial Martial Artists all made their move. With the Yun Family Ancestor secretly manipulating their karmic links, none of them noticed anything was amiss.

The next second, the seven of them closed in for the kill, their seven Divine Weapons illuminating the night sky.

”Well met!”

Before Lü Yang’s voice had even faded, his entire body exploded into a cloud of Primal Qi. It then swept forward like a gale, appearing before Ji Xiongying in the blink of an eye.

A blood-red glint flashed in Ji Xiongying’s eyes. His Divine Weapon was the Celestial Emperor Sword. As he unsheathed the Divine Sword, the sky above Celestial Capital City instantly roiled with wind and clouds. All the folks within the city felt their hearts sink; for some reason, they suddenly lost all their strength and collapsed limply to the ground.

In its place, Ji Xiongying’s Divine Power suddenly surged.

”Die!”

The next second, Ji Xiongying slashed out. The attack’s power surpassed even that of a Sword Qi Talisman, and when it struck Lü Yang, it nearly dispersed his Qi Body.

But that was the extent of it.

A Primal Qi Avatar could disperse and reform at will, having no fear of fists, kicks, blades, or swords. This made it a natural counter to Martial Arts; otherwise, he never would have sent this avatar.

In the end, Martial Arts was just a rudimentary system Lü Yang himself had created. Even though the Yun Family Ancestor had developed it to the Fourth Step, allowing a Martial Master’s physique to rival that of a cultivator at the Final-phase of Qi Refining, it remained deeply flawed. A Cultivator merely needed to master a single technique to defeat a martial artist with ease.

”All of you, attack together!”

Seeing his attack had failed, Ji Xiongying immediately shot backward. ”Engage him! Don’t let him use the Talismans! Force him to fight us hand-to-hand.”

He didn’t need to say it; the other Celestial Martial Artists had already charged forward.

The first to charge were Chang Qingjing and Xuan Ku. One a Daoist and the other a Monk, they flanked him from the left and right in a pincer attack.

At the same time, Hua Xiangrong descended from the roof, while Guan Qiankun took Ji Xiongying’s place to face Lü Yang head-on. Only Ding Feiying remained hidden in the shadows like a venomous snake, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

BOOM!

Lü Yang fought with abandon, at times reforming his body to cast Talismans, at others dispersing his form to evade attacks. For a moment, he handled all seven opponents with ease!

In the distance, the Yun Family Ancestor, watching secretly, shook his head at the sight.

”Too weak...”

Although purely in terms of power level, a Celestial Martial Artist should have been superior to Lü Yang’s Primal Qi Avatar, that wasn’t how the actual math worked out.

If Lü Yang’s Primal Qi Avatar was a max-level character with a full set of ultimate gear, then a Celestial Martial Artist was, at best, a max-level character with no equipment at all. They might seem the same, but the difference was as vast as that between heaven and earth. This was an innate flaw in Martial Arts; the cultivation system less than a hundred years old was simply no match for the Immortal Dao.

”...So be it. I will make my move.”

With a single thought, the Yun Family Ancestor began to influence the karmic links, slowly guiding the situation away from Lü Yang’s favor and toward a victory for the Celestial Martial Artists.

The result was reflected in the state of the Celestial Martial Artists.

During the battle, not only did the seven Celestial Martial Artists feel no fatigue, but they grew more and more excited the longer they fought. Countless ingenious ideas and bursts of inspiration erupted from them like a geyser.

And the aura of the Divine Weapons in their hands grew increasingly powerful.

These Divine Weapons had been designed by the Ancestor and given to Ji Xiongying as a ’fated opportunity,’ each one perfectly suited to its wielder’s personal Martial Arts.

The combination of wielder and weapon could already unleash power approaching that of a technique.

However, as the Yun Family Ancestor forcibly manipulated the karmic links, this power that had only ’approached’ the level of a technique suddenly reached it!

BOOM!

They surrounded him for another attack, but this time, Lü Yang clearly felt something was wrong. When his Primal Qi Avatar reformed, a corner of its robes was missing.

’Their attacks... are working?’

Lü Yang felt a chill. His avatar was supposed to be complete and flawless. The only way for this to have happened was if the Celestial Martial Artists had actually managed to obliterate a portion of his Primal Qi.

’It seems that Yun family’s cultivator has made a move!’

Lü Yang’s thoughts raced. Though he hadn’t sensed anything unusual and his Divination had come up empty, he still instantly identified the culprit.

’Alright, the show has gone on long enough.’

’After all, I still need this Primal Qi Avatar for the grand finale. It would be a disaster if I got careless and it was actually destroyed.’

”HAAAA...”

The next second, all the Celestial Martial Artists present heard a deep, resonant breath. The sound caused the surrounding air currents to churn violently, as if the wind and clouds themselves were being sucked backward.

The sound was resonant and clear, like a True Dragon inhaling and exhaling Heaven and Earth.

Following that, the sky-filling White Qi reconverged, and Lü Yang’s figure reappeared. He was no longer evading, but instead revealed a smile of complete confidence.

”Begone!”

In an instant, a powerful aura erupted from Lü Yang’s body. A halo of light flashed into existence behind his head, like a Round Mirror reflecting a storm of wind and lightning.

The Heaven Mirror!

As a weapon, this artifact was immeasurably stronger than the so-called Divine Weapons wielded by the Celestial Martial Artists. The moment its power flared, the outcome of the battle was set.

BOOM!

The mirror’s surface shimmered, and a rolling torrent of wind and lightning exploded out around Lü Yang, blasting all the Celestial Martial Artists away. Every one of them was instantly and severely injured.

Yet even so, the Celestial Martial Artists showed no sign of despair. On the contrary, they grew even more excited as all other thoughts vanished from their minds, leaving only one:

’Kill! Kill this man!’

Buoyed by this intense killing intent, all the Celestial Martial Artists fought as if divinely inspired. Bottlenecks in their training that had stumped them for ages were suddenly overcome in an instant!

The sole exception was the Saint Heart Scholar, Wang Boyuan. Though he was also filled with killing intent, his movements revealed a slight struggle. He seemed to have realized something, yet he was powerless to break free and could only go with the flow. Only his eyes—the eyes that could perceive fate and observe Qi—betrayed a hint of terror.

’Don’t worry, Brother Wang. You’re a man of talent. I will guide you in your next life...’

Lü Yang sighed internally, but his actions remained decisive. Another blast of wind and lightning knocked the Celestial Martial Artists back once more, and then his entire body erupted in a blinding, splendid light.

In an instant, the void trembled!

His blood and Qi surged like a dragon, piercing through the heavens. It was as if a celestial pillar had descended, stilling the turbulent night and parting the dark clouds to reveal the pristine moon.

In the blink of an eye, what had been a dark and windy night was now clear, with a bright moon and sparse stars.

Between Heaven and Earth, only Lü Yang’s long cry remained:

”I have achieved the Great Dao!”

CRACK!

The next second, the void shattered, and a massive rift appeared above Celestial Capital City. Lü Yang leaped, his figure a blur as he vanished inside.

Breaking the Void!

Breaking the Void!

The immense visual shock was enough to snap the Celestial Martial Artists back to their senses. Their eyes filled with terror, as if they had just witnessed an unimaginable legend of the Martial Arts world come to life.

Was this the realm beyond a Celestial Martial Artist?

Breaking the void and ascending, transcending the mortal world forever... How similar was this to the Immortals in storybooks? What secrets did it hold?

”I saw it...”

Among the seven Celestial Martial Artists, only Ji Xiongying was muttering under his breath.

He was the pawn most valued by the Yun Family Ancestor, and thus the blessing of fortune he received was the most potent, having consumed nearly all the fortune allotted for the remainder of his life.

Yet because of this, his Dao Wisdom had reached the absolute peak of his life. He felt as if he could see the method Lü Yang had used to open the rift in the void. It was simply a matter of breaking an entire surface from a single point: first, find a specific connecting point in the void, then shatter it, and finally, step through before it could close...

”...Hahaha! I can do it too!”

The next second, Ji Xiongying suddenly threw his head back and laughed. Then, with the Celestial Emperor Sword in hand, he too slashed at the void, and a rift appeared!

Ji Xiongying did not hesitate, striding proudly into it.

The next second, the rifts slammed shut. The remaining Celestial Martial Artists stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at where Lü Yang and Ji Xiongying had just been.

”They... broke through?”

”To think such a thing is possible!”

”Breaking the Void, Breaking the Void... So there really is another realm above that of a Celestial Martial Artist, a realm where one can break the void and ascend, to live freely beyond the mortal world forever?”

...

Meanwhile, outside the Simulation Realm.

After breaking the void himself, Ji Xiongying saw Lü Yang—who had done so just a moment before—standing in a grand hall, eyeing him with a strange expression.

”I really don’t know whether to call you lucky or unlucky...”

”Where is this...?”

Ji Xiongying turned around, only to see a crystal sphere. But what he saw inside it sent a chill to the very marrow of his bones.

It was the dazed Celestial Martial Artists.

Beyond them, the crystal sphere contained countless miniature buildings. Ji Xiongying recognized them—they were the cities of Great Zhou, the very lands he ruled.

”This is... Great Zhou!? How is that possible...”

Ji Xiongying was no fool. On the contrary, for someone who had managed to rise above countless other Martial Artists and be noticed by the Yun Ancestor, his intellect was by no means low.

Therefore, he quickly came to his senses and looked at Lü Yang with utter shock.

’A fraud! It was all a fraud!’

’This ”Breaking the Void”... it’s all fake!’

The next second, Ji Xiongying whipped around, attempting to break the void once more and warn the other Celestial Martial Artists in the Secret Realm, ”Don’t break the void—”

BOOM!

Before his words could escape, a Splendid Light descended from the sky, freezing him in place. Immediately after, the Second Senior Brother of the Sanhe Association, Luo Wuya, strolled into the hall.

”What a fine Upper Grade material for Corpse Refinement!”

A look of delight appeared on Luo Wuya’s face. ”Is this something you raised in the Secret Realm, Junior Brother? He actually has the strength of the Final-phase of Qi Refining... Junior Brother, how did you cultivate such a specimen?”

Lü Yang cupped his hands and smiled. ”If Senior Brother likes him, then he is a gift to you.”

”Excellent! Then many thanks, Junior Brother!”

The next second, Luo Wuya decisively performed a finger technique. Ji Xiongying instantly felt a deathly cold energy invade his body, an energy his Celestial Martial Artist physique was powerless to resist!

On the verge of death, he thought of many things.

In the end, however, this Martial Master, this Celestial Martial Artist of a generation, this living legend of the Martial Arts world who had Broken the Void, only had time to direct a final, furious roar at Lü Yang, the architect of this grand deception:

”You beast... YOU BEAST!!!”