Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Third Visit to the Wu Ghost Realm

Although he’d decided to crack down on Qi refiners, Lü Yang still planned to make his preparations as thorough as possible. Before he went, he had to complete at least three small things.

’First is my Direct Disciple status in the Stain Sect. That’s the easiest one.’

’As long as I replicate my actions from the life before last, which means revealing my Final-phase of Qi Refining cultivation with a Legendary Technique, that should be enough to qualify.’

’Second is the Lay Line of the Skull Mountains.’

’Although I successfully inherited the Yama Hall when I started over with the Myriad-Soul Banner, I lost the empowerment from the Skull Mountains’ Lay Line.’

’I need to figure something out for that.’

’Otherwise, without the empowerment from the Skull Mountains’ Lay Line, the Yama Hall’s power, given Su Nu’s current state, will be less than half of what it was at its peak in my last life.’

’Finally... the Ancestor of the Yun Family.’

’That Divination Artifact in his hands is extremely useful to me. Perhaps it can help me calculate karmic links in advance and eliminate as many risks as possible.’

These three things combined with Zhao Xuhe as a shield, formed a four-layered safety net. He refused to believe he couldn’t deal with Arhat Fulong.

In fact, Lü Yang’s ambitions went even further.

Arhat Fulong was, after all, at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment. Even if Lü Yang broke through, being constantly targeted by such a powerful expert would undoubtedly be a huge hidden danger.

If possible, he wouldn’t mind luring Arhat Fulong over and killing him in a trap!

That would be a solution once and for all.

Lü Yang determined to be a Perfected Person so that he would be able to survive in this world fraught with danger.

...

With his goal set, the rest was familiar territory for Lü Yang. He just had to replicate his actions from the life before last; there was no need to do much else.

He made a fortune on Death-Warding Skeletons, and then announced he was entering secluded cultivation.

Lü Yang was very patient, in no hurry at all.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed.

Within those ten years, Lü Yang successively re-cultivated the Legendary Techniques from his previous life. At the Final-phase of Qi refining, he was once again in his prime and could attempt his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment at any moment.

When Lü Yang emerged from seclusion, he claimed that he successfully ”broken through” to the Late-phase of Qi Refining.

Soon, everything fell into place as expected. Fairy Feixia came to recruit him on behalf of the Sanhe Association. Lü Yang decisively accepted and, while he was at it, snagged another Legendary Technique for free, the Demonic Tribulation Light.

As its name suggested, this Legendary Technique was completely different from both the Lunar Shedding Technique and the Soul Splitting Technique. Rather than increasing the chances of a successful Foundation Establishment, its purpose was geared more toward combat.

’To master this technique, you must first refine an artifact. You then have to fly it high above the heavens and into the Thirty-six Layers of Gang Cloud. After that, you may use the artifact to gather the boundless Evil Qi from beyond the heavens. The Evil Qi will eventually condense into a single beam of tribulation light. When it is needed, you can draw it down from the sky, and wherever the light passes, all living things perish!’

’And the longer it accumulates, the greater its power!’

’However, just flying an Artifact up to the Thirty-six Layers of Gang Cloud is nearly impossible for a Qi Refiner. The difficulty is absurd.’

Of course, this was a minor problem for Lü Yang.

’I’ll just have to trouble Su Nu again.’

Lü Yang summoned Su Nu and handed her the Blood Sun Sword Pill, telling her to fly into the Thirty-six Layers of Gang Cloud to cultivate this Legendary Technique for him.

’With this Legendary Technique, I’ll have another trump card for future combat.’

’After this, if my preparations are complete, my chances of successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment could even rise to ninety percent. I can find some opportunities in the Great War of Righteous and Evil to make up for the last ten percent.’

Perfect Foundation!

Although Lü Yang hadn’t initially intended to pursue this achievement, in this life, he wanted to be absolutely foolproof. It seemed he had to take this step.

With a Perfect Foundation, the moment he broke through, he would be at the Peak of Early-phase Foundation Establishment!

Perhaps only then would he truly have the power to protect himself.

...

One month later.

Lü Yang proceeded with his plan. At Fairy Feixia’s invitation, he, along with her, Zhao Xuhe, and Lu Yuanchun, set out to oversee the Skull Mountains Marketplace.

However, in this life, Zhao Xuhe hold more influence than in the life before last, where he had lost Perfected Panlong’s technique and could only come to the Skull Mountains Marketplace with the Bond of Devouring Fate for one last gamble.

Zhao Xuhe was now in much higher spirits. As the ”reincarnated self of Perfected Panlong,” his cultivation sky-rocketed. Coupled with Lü Yang’s secret funding, he had reached the Final-phase of Qi Refining within ten years and was also on the verge of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

But the shift aligned perfectly with Lü Yang’s design.

After all, Perfected Yin Shan needed a Stain Sect Disciple to open the Secret Realm. Since Lü Yang certainly wasn’t going to cooperate, Zhao Xuhe could take the fall instead.

...

Northern Border, Skull Mountains.

’I’m back again...’

Slipping away from the group, Lü Yang quickly returned to the entrance of the Wu Ghost Secret Realm, preparing to have the Yama Hall once again anchor itself to the Lay Line of the Skull Mountains.

The next moment, however, he froze.

’The Skull Mountains’ Lay Line... already has an owner!?’

As he activated the Yama Hall and attempted to connect with the Lay Line, he discovered that a towering palace already stood at its center!

It was another Yama Hall!

’This is... Progenitor Tingyou!?’ Lü Yang’s brow furrowed. Memories of his past few lives flashed through his mind, and a look of understanding dawned on his face.

In the life before last, news of the Wu Ghost Secret Realm had first spread from the Divine Martial Sect, and it was also Divine Martial Sect disciples who discovered it. At the time, he hadn’t noticed anything.

Thinking back now, however, if he hadn’t appeared, would the near-death Progenitor Tingyou have failed to notice a few Divine Martial Sect disciples entering the Secret Realm? How could he not take action?

Moreover, the price for his successful possession was to kill everyone inside the Wu Ghost Secret Realm.

And in the life before last, the Wu Ghost Secret Realm had been empty!

In a flash, Lü Yang reached a conclusion: ’At this point in time, Progenitor Tingyou has probably already possessed a Divine Martial Sect disciple and is living his fifth life!’

In that case, the Progenitor Tingyou of the life before last had actually won.

Because at the end of the life before last, Perfected Yin Shan had dealt with the Golden Core Sword Qi and reopened the Wu Ghost Secret Realm, only to take away a single Celestial Corpse Fiend...

The Lay Line was still there!

Perfected Yin Shan, while using others as the bait for the Fiend, didn’t know that he himself had become Progenitor Tingyou’s bait—used to lure away the Golden Core Sword Qi!

’...Incredible!’

If Progenitor Tingyou was truly still alive, then his scheme had actually succeeded completely! It was only in the last life that his own appearance had caused the progenitor to fail when success was just within reach.

After figuring it all out, even Lü Yang couldn’t help but marvel at the scheme.

Because without him, Progenitor Tingyou would have been a miracle—a cultivator who, over a thousand years, managed to escape from a Golden-Core Perfected Lord while only at the Foundation Establishment stage!

Just then, a consciousness suddenly emanated from the center of the Lay Line:

”Who are you!?”

The voice was full of surprise, doubt, and even a bit of confusion. It was unmistakably Progenitor Tingyou. Seeing this, Lü Yang’s eyes darted, and he immediately understood.

He was using the Yama Hall to connect with the Lay Line!

And the Yama Hall was a Supreme Divine Technique created by Progenitor Tingyou, a secret that was never passed down. From his perspective, he should be the only one capable of using it.

How could there be another user?

Realizing this, Lü Yang’s expression changed in an instant. It became one of ecstasy and shock, his voice tinged with a sob. ”Progenitor Tingyou, is that you, Progenitor Tingyou?”

”You’re really still alive!”

”The heavens are merciful! The Wu Ghost Sect is not doomed!”

Without another word, Lü Yang bowed deeply in a grand salute and said, ”I, Lü Yang, disciple of the three hundred seventy-sixth generation of the Wu Ghost Sect, pay my respects to the Progenitor!”

Progenitor Tingyou: ”.....?”