Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: You Will Go Far

The moment Lü Yang reported him to Perfected Yin Shan, the Ancestor felt a tremor run through his entire body, as if disaster was about to strike.

’...Is it that avatar of yours?’

The Ancestor pinched his fingers to perform a quick divination and instantly understood everything. A hint of despair surfaced on his face. ’In the end, there’s no escaping this tribulation.’

The key to his plan was secrecy.

He had avoided detection entirely because the Sect Leader of the Sword Pavilion had concealed the celestial secrets on his behalf. But the moment he was discovered, not even the Sword Pavilion’s Sect Leader could get him out.

In other words, his final, life-or-death gamble had utterly failed. He had not completed the Sect Leader’s mission, and all hope of returning to the Foundation Establishment stage was lost. Without him, the Yun Family’s status in the Sword Pavilion would plummet. They would no longer be a lofty Foundation Establishment Immortal Race—they might even be facing imminent destruction...

’...No, there’s still a chance!’

The Ancestor looked at Lü Yang, a terrifying killing intent suddenly flashing in his eyes. His hatred for Lü Yang was so immense it felt as if all the rivers in the world couldn’t wash it away.

The next second, his face was a mask of grim resolve.

With a single thought, the Taiyi Golden Flower that had been circling him rapidly recoiled, converging at his fingertip and transforming into a sharp strand of Sword Qi.

This strand of Sword Qi was a technique called Karma Slash.

Though the Sword Qi appeared unremarkable, it could lock directly onto an enemy’s karmic links. Once unleashed, the Sword Qi would not dissipate as long as the target’s karmic links endured.

In the past, a Sect Leader of the Celestial Sword Pavilion—a Golden-Core Perfected Lord—had used this very technique to annihilate the entire Wu Ghost Sect, leaving no one alive. In fact, because the Wu Ghost Sect left behind a legacy within a Secret Realm, their karmic links never fully dissipated, and so the Sword Qi lingered for a thousand years.

However, this was no strike an ordinary Cultivator could unleash.

Because it involved karmic links, it could not be used by anyone below Foundation Establishment. Since the Ancestor had now fallen from his Foundation Establishment Position, the only way for him to unleash this strike was to sacrifice his life.

In other words, he was trying to take Lü Yang down with him!

’With the Prophetic Orrery to conceal the destiny, if I sacrifice my life to slay this Demon and then immediately reincarnate, there might be a sliver of hope to escape this alive... ’

However, this was already his second reincarnation. Forcing a third before he had even returned to the Foundation Establishment stage would be a severe blow to his Cultivation. Even if he did manage to escape, he would surely be afflicted by the ”delusion in the womb” in his next life, reduced to a mere mortal with no hope of ever cultivating again.

’...But first, I will kill you!’

The Ancestor stared intently at Lü Yang, then channeled his Ability. His entire Spiritual Essence shattered, pouring completely into the sharp Sword Qi he had condensed.

”Slash!”

With a furious roar, the Sword Qi screamed through the air, descending directly on Lü Yang. In that instant, Lü Yang felt an overwhelming sense of crisis.

’Trying to take me down with him?’

With a mere thought, Lü Yang’s figure vanished completely into the Saint Appearance behind him. He then manipulated the Saint Appearance, making it extend two colossal hands to grab the Sword Qi.

The two forces entangled. The Sword Qi shredded the flesh from the bones of the Saint Appearance’s hands, while the hands, in turn, forcefully tore away a large chunk of the Sword Qi. However, as long as Lü Yang’s karmic links remained intact, the Sword Qi simply devoured the energy of Heaven and Earth to replenish itself. The torn portion was instantly restored.

Meanwhile, the same was true for the Saint Appearance.

After all, it was not a true physical entity, but something Lü Yang had manifested with his own energy. With a surge of his Power, the missing flesh and blood instantly regenerated.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

Seeing this, the Ancestor sighed but did not linger. He no longer had a physical body; only his Soul remained in the world.

His best option was to reincarnate as quickly as possible, before the Perfected Person from the Stain Sect arrived.

Just then, the Ancestor felt a chill sweep over his heart. He glanced back and saw Lü Yang in the distance, smirking coldly at him.

”Why the rush, Senior?”

The next second, he saw a cluster of his own Qi trace appear in Lü Yang’s hand. Lü Yang then drew a circle of light and used the Qi trace to project an image of his form within it.

’...This is bad!’

The Ancestor’s pupils shrank. He was shocked and furious, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure it out. ’The Yin Curse... How did he capture my Qi trace?’

The Yin Curse could kill an enemy from a distance as long as one captured their Qi traces. The Ancestor had long since calculated that Lü Yang had learned this technique. That was why he had been so meticulous about concealing his Qi trace during their combat, giving Lü Yang absolutely no opportunity to capture it. It should have been no leak...

And yet, he never imagined that Lü Yang had managed to capture his Qi trace anyway!

In his current state, having lost his physical body and existing only as a Soul, if he were struck by this technique, his soul would be scattered to the winds, and he would have no chance to reincarnate ever again!

”Heavenly God, save me!”

For the moment, the Ancestor had to postpone his reincarnation. Instead, he channeled his power as a Soul to activate the Prophetic Orrery, hoping to block Lü Yang’s Yin Curse.

”Too late!”

Lü Yang waved his hand, slashing the image of the Ancestor within the circle of light. The Ancestor instantly braced himself, preparing to resist it.

And then, nothing happened.

The Ancestor blinked, frozen in place. The characteristic remote killing of the Yin Curse he had imagined never manifested. It was almost as if it were fake...

’...No, that’s not right!’

’It was a bluff! He was stalling for time!’

The Ancestor’s realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. Not daring to linger a moment longer, he waved his hand to open a black tunnel, and his Soul prepared to dive inside.

But in that exact instant, a vast and powerful aura surged into the Simulation Realm!

”Forbidden Heaven and Earth!”

A magnificent voice boomed throughout the Secret Realm. Its words were like a divine edict; the black tunnel the Ancestor had just opened was instantly sealed shut.

”No—!!!”

That black tunnel was his path to reincarnation. The Ancestor let out a wretched scream. His Soul trembled violently as he glared savagely at Lü Yang. ”You dared to trick me!?”

”And what can you do about it?”

Lü Yang gave a faint smile as another massive hand reached in from outside the Secret Realm. It seized the relentless Sword Qi, and with a gentle pinch, crushed it to dust.

No matter how powerful the technique, it was utterly useless in the face of a higher Position.

’So this is the power of Foundation Establishment...’

Lü Yang sighed to himself. Even though he had seen it many times, the absolute dominance a Foundation-Stage Cultivator held over a Qi Refiner still filled him with reverence.

The next second, the figure of Perfected Yin Shan appeared beside Lü Yang.

”Well done.”

Perfected Yin Shan offered his praise, then turned to look at the Ancestor’s Soul and laughed heartily. ”So it was you all along, you old bastard Yun Qingchuan.”

”Yin Shan...”

The Ancestor’s eyes darted about, as if he wanted to say something more, but before he could speak, Perfected Yin Shan raised his hand and brought his palm down on the man’s Soul.

BOOM!

The next moment, Perfected Yin Shan completely erased all of the Ancestor’s Conscious Thought, leaving only a blank Soul clutched in his hand.

Having fallen from the Foundation Establishment Position, his Soul, despite retaining a shred of its former Position, was no match for a true Foundation-Stage Cultivator. What’s more, Perfected Yin Shan’s Cultivation had improved after the incident at the Skull Mountains; he was now at the Middle-phase of Foundation Establishment, far beyond what the Ancestor could handle.

WHUMMM!

With the Ancestor dead, the Prophetic Orrery was left masterless. Perfected Yin Shan didn’t hesitate, immediately seizing and suppressing the artifact, holding it in his hand to examine it.

”A fine treasure, a truly fine treasure...”

The fact that the Ancestor had used this item to conceal the celestial secrets and reincarnate into a Secret Realm without anyone noticing was a testament to its high quality. Even Perfected Yin Shan couldn’t help but feel his heart stir.

However, this matter involved the Celestial Sword Pavilion, not to mention the Soul of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator. According to sect rules, he had to report it and allow the Sect Leader to pass judgment. But once he did, this marvelous artifact could no longer be hidden. It would surely become a target for all, and with his own strength and status, he wasn’t certain he could keep it...

Just then, Lü Yang suddenly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

”Senior Brother, if I may be so bold, I have a presumptuous request... I was wondering if I might borrow the Soul of that Righteous Dao’s Foundation Establishment cultivator? I will be sure to return it, completely unharmed, within ten years.”

”Oh? You want this old bastard’s Soul?”

Perfected Yin Shan raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. ”You’ve got some nerve. But this matter concerns the Sword Pavilion. Once I report it, the Sect Leader is sure to ask questions. At that point, neither the Soul nor the Artifact will be ours to keep.”

”However... there might be a way around that.”

At this, Perfected Yin Shan’s tone shifted. He looked at Lü Yang with a wry smile. ”A problem only weighs as much as you choose to give it.”

”If you help me cover this up, and no one reports it and no one investigates, then both the Soul and the Artifact can be kept.”

Lü Yang feigned a moment of confusion. ”Cover what up?”

”...Excellent! Worthy of being a disciple of our Stain Sect! You will go far!”

The two of them exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them.

The next second, Perfected Yin Shan tossed the Ancestor’s Soul into Lü Yang’s hands, put away the Prophetic Orrery, and then gracefully floated away.