Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Avatar Guardian

The Wu Ghost Secret Realm was empty.

Progenitor Tingyou had killed everyone during his possession attempt, and then the Golden Core Sword Qi descended, smashing him to pieces.

Now, Lü Yang was the only one left in the Wu Ghost Secret Realm.

However, the Golden Core Sword Qi did not strike again. Instead, it returned to the sky above the Secret Realm, where it lay dormant, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi as if it would never dissipate.

Yet Lü Yang’s expression didn’t relax in the slightest. It grew extremely grave, for he could clearly feel that one of his karmic links was now locked onto by the Sword Qi. In other words, if the Sword Qi were to erupt, it could decapitate him with a single strike, even from thousands of miles away!

’Is it because I took the Wu Ghost Sect’s inheritance?’

Lü Yang glanced at the remnants of Progenitor Tingyou’s Soul, which he had collected. If he abandoned these soul fragments, he might be able to sever the karmic link to the Sword Qi.

’But... I’ll take it anyway!’

This was a Foundation Establishment Soul, the soul fragments of a former titan of the Demon Dao and a Sect Leader. It was far beyond what the Yun Ancestor’s Soul from his past life could compare to.

After all, the Yun Family Ancestor’s Soul had been cleansed by Perfected Yin Shan.

But Progenitor Tingyou’s Soul contained a full thousand years of his experiences, including his abilities, Cultivation Techniques, and even all sorts of secrets about Foundation Establishment!

’I accept this karmic link!’

With a single thought, Lü Yang summoned a Flying Light and vanished. He then casually carved out a Cave Mansion nearby and immediately entered seclusion.

....

「A few days later.」

Inside the Cave Mansion, Lü Yang opened his eyes. Before him lay the soul fragments of Progenitor Tingyou, but now, he had Refined them all.

In the process, he had come to a deeper understanding of Progenitor Tingyou.

’This man was truly a heaven-sent genius.’

Lü Yang sighed, then picked up one of the soul fragments. Unlike the others, this one shimmered with a splendid light and was far more Spiritual.

This was because this fragment didn’t record Progenitor Tingyou’s memories, but his last will and testament.

Although Progenitor Tingyou was confident his possession would not fail, he had still prepared countermeasures for the worst-case scenario.

This will was his countermeasure. In it, he clearly stated that he would preserve the Wu Ghost Sect’s inheritance in its most complete form within his soul memories. If he died and Lü Yang survived, the inheritance would be a gift to Lü Yang, thereby continuing the Wu Ghost Sect’s Dao.

Of course, there were conditions.

To receive this inheritance, Lü Yang would have to accept the karmic links of the Wu Ghost Sect, rebuild its Mountain Gate in the future, and train a Foundation Establishment cultivator for the sect.

Otherwise, the soul fragment would self-destruct.

Just as Progenitor Tingyou had said before, his life’s ambition was to continue the Wu Ghost Sect. He absolutely could not let it perish at the hands of its own Sect Leader.

Therefore, he had made plans for both life and death.

He even stated explicitly in the fragment that as long as Lü Yang accepted the inheritance, he had a way to let him rapidly gain the combat power of the Foundation Establishment Realm in a short time!

How could Lü Yang refuse?

’I’ll take the rewards first. In any case, no matter how heavy the Wu Ghost Sect’s karmic links are, that’s a problem for this life. What does it have to do with me in my next life...’

Progenitor Tingyou, the last Sect Leader of the Wu Ghost Sect.

He was also the most talented person in the history of the Wu Ghost Sect. He achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age and then, in just over two hundred years, he secured the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches needed to be a Perfected Lord. With Major Metal, Zi Water, Minor Metal, and Chou Earth, he sought after the Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth.

Unfortunately, the heavens are jealous of geniuses.

At that very moment, a Perfected Person from the Celestial Sword Pavilion had taken the step before him, attaining the Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth and instantly cutting off Progenitor Tingyou’s Dao path.

How could Progenitor Tingyou, how could the Wu Ghost Sect, accept this?

However, Progenitor Tingyou truly lived up to his heaven-sent talent, managing to forcibly research another path and create the method of the Yama Hall.

With eight cultivators at Foundation Establishment Perfection transforming into the Black and White Ghost Guards, the Scribe and Warden Judges, the Ox-headed and Horse-faced, and the Night and Day Wardens, all presided over by him, they could achieve the same Position as a Perfected Lord by temporarily creating a Fruit... This should have been the stuff of fantasy, but with the help of a third-party power, Progenitor Tingyou succeeded.

But this very achievement brought a world-ending disaster upon the Wu Ghost Sect.

That Golden-Core Perfected Lord who had attained the Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth, sitting in the Celestial Sword Pavilion, unleashed a single sword strike from tens of thousands of miles away and annihilated the entire Wu Ghost Sect.

”.....”

The more Lü Yang read, the more horrified he became. Finally, he abruptly shut off the memory fragment, not daring to look further, not even daring to think about it anymore. He decisively chose to stop there.

He could clearly feel that the more he understood the story of the Wu Ghost Sect’s destruction a thousand years ago, the clearer a certain karmic link on him became. One end of this link was attached to him, while the other disappeared into the Great Net of Karma Links, like an abyss with no end in sight...

’Fucking hell, that Perfected Lord from a thousand years ago is still alive!’

Lü Yang was one hundred percent certain that the other end of that karmic link was that Perfected Lord! The moment he learned the details of what happened, that Perfected Lord would also learn of him!

’This is too fucking ridiculous. What a shithole, what a goddamn shithole...’

After a long while, Lü Yang slowly pulled himself together. Not daring to investigate the truth of a thousand years ago any further, he turned to study the inheritance left by Progenitor Tingyou.

Aside from techniques like the Demon Yin Thunder, the most crucial part was the Nether Lord’s Position that Progenitor Tingyou had used. The Wu Ghost Sect’s foundation was not as deep as the Stain Sect’s; they only possessed this one Legendary Technique. However, Progenitor Tingyou had developed it to its absolute limit.

After reading it, Lü Yang’s expression became even more amazed.

’No wonder he said in his will that he could help me attain the combat power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator...’

The Nether Lord’s Position: if nine cultivators at Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivated this Ability together and formed the [Yama Hall], they could achieve a Fake Golden Position with their Foundation Establishment bodies.

Of course, finding nine cultivators at Foundation Establishment Perfection was now impossible.

But if one settled for second best, having nine Final-phase Qi Refiners cultivate this technique together, supplemented by a massive infusion of Qi, they could actually achieve a Foundation Establishment Position!

This was the case with the eight Elders of the Tingyou Sect. The entire purpose of the eight Red-clothed Ghosts was to form the Yama Hall with him. Progenitor Tingyou had originally planned to use this method to achieve Foundation Establishment immediately after escaping.

Unfortunately, his plan failed.

Of course, while this Ability was astonishing, it was not without its drawbacks. Its very foundation was built upon the Wu Ghost Secret Realm.

’The so-called Foundation Establishment Position isn’t actually a true breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.’

’Instead, it transforms a territory into an existence with the same Position as the Foundation Establishment Realm. By ruling over that territory, one can display the power of Foundation Establishment.’

This was not the Ascension Dao.

’This is actually the philosophy of the Heaven’s Mandate Dao...’

Lü Yang quickly recalled that when Progenitor Tingyou was perfecting this technique, he had received help from a third party and borrowed from their sect.

Its name was—the Celestial Wu Dao Court.

Located in the East!

’Chen Xin’an told me that the sects of the East are completely different. Cultivators of the Heaven’s Mandate Dao do not seek Ascension; they transform their existing environment instead.’

’In the lands of the East, the Dao Court rules the world. It is called Celestial Wu and it commands a hundred clans. It establishes twelve positions, each with its own duties, to govern the people in all directions. Therefore, under the Dao Court, one does not cultivate or learn techniques. Those appointed as officials naturally possess power, and their techniques are bestowed by Heaven. Those who hold a position are equivalent to a Perfected Person, while the one who ascends the great throne has a Position comparable to a Perfected Lord...’

Thinking of this, Lü Yang’s frown deepened.

Those of different Daos cannot walk the same path. He was already a Cultivator of the Ascension Dao; even if he wanted to switch to the path of the Heaven’s Mandate Dao, it would be impossible.

’So if I use this technique for my Foundation Establishment, my future path will be cut off.’

In the East, there would still be room for advancement beyond Foundation Establishment, but the Yama Hall was merely Progenitor Tingyou’s imitation. Naturally, there was no path forward from it.

This was only one of the side effects.

The other was that since Foundation Establishment was achieved by relying on a territory, one would also be trapped by it. If the Lay Lines were damaged, one’s Realm would drop.

’This method is not for me... but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a clever workaround.’

Progenitor Tingyou had been very thorough in his considerations. He had anticipated that Lü Yang would be unwilling to sever his own Dao path, so he had specially prepared an alternative plan for him.

’The Avadar Guardian Technique!’

Lü Yang’s eyes burned with intensity. The effect of this Secret Technique was simple: it was to refine a living person into his Avatar Guardian. This would allow him to borrow that person’s Merit and Qi, and even preserve their thoughts, while turning them into his puppet without creating any karmic links.

’An incarnation refined with this Secret Technique would be perfect for cultivating the Nether Lord’s Position!’

’And I can dump the karmic links from the Wu Ghost Sect’s inheritance onto it as well.’

’Progenitor Tingyou even arranged for the nine Final-phase Qi Refiners needed for the cultivation. The eight Red-clothed Ghosts plus myself... everything is ready...’

The only thing missing was the final step: a massive infusion of Qi.

At this thought, a bold idea suddenly surfaced in Lü Yang’s mind:

’...Yu Suzhen!’

If she could brainwash Xiao Shiye and seize the Qi from that Colorful Merit Fish for him, it might be enough to meet the requirements for constructing the Yama Hall.

He could even refine Yu Suzhen herself into his Avatar Guardian!