Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: The Terrifying Lü Yang

At that moment, the Master of Heaven Mending Peak’s expression was blank.

He could still convince himself that Chen Shuqian waking up was Lady Ruoxiang’s doing. Although it was beyond his expectations, he could understand the method.

But Chen Xin’an was different!

Chen Xin’an had no Magic cast on him by Lady Ruoxiang. Logically, it should have been impossible for him to break free from the Divine Sense suppression technique!

’He was already the Master’s man?’

’Who is the Master?’

”Could it be...”

The Master of Heaven Mending Peak whipped his head around, only to see Lü Yang with one arm around Lady Ruoxiang and the other suppressing Chen Shuqian. He gave him a grim smile.

”No... Impossible!”

In that instant, an absurd thought leaped into the mind of the Master of Heaven Mending Peak. ”I saved you before he even reached Foundation Establishment!”

”Nothing is impossible.”

Chen Xin’an shook his head. ”I was the Master’s man from the very beginning. If not for the Master’s orders, why would I have kept up this act with you for so long?”

At that moment, the Master of Heaven Mending Peak felt a chill seep into his very bones.

It wasn’t just because of Chen Xin’an. It was because of the mastermind behind him, whose deep schemes and farsighted plans made him feel as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss.

”...What brilliant methods!” the Master of Heaven Mending Peak sighed.

Even he had to admire it. If what Chen Xin’an said was true, then this person had the audacity to plot against him before even reaching Foundation Establishment!

But thinking of this, the Master of Heaven Mending Peak still couldn’t make sense of it.

’Was it really necessary? Did we have such a deep-seated grudge?’

The Master of Heaven Mending Peak had no mind for further thought and could only look at Chen Xin’an again. ”Xin’an... you can’t do this to me! Didn’t you used to understand your father best?”

”I must break through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment! I still have so much to do. I need to become a Great Trueman, gain a voice in the Saint Sect, and earn the favor of a Perfected Lord. I’ve made so many preparations! The Millennial Calamity is approaching, and if my plans succeed, I have a chance to use this opportunity for Seeking Gold!”

”Xin’an, I’m begging you...”

The Master of Heaven Mending Peak couldn’t believe it. Unlike Chen Shuqian, he had raised Chen Xin’an with his own hands. How could the bond between father and son be weaker than one with some Lü Yang!

However, as he clung to his last sliver of hope, he heard only a cold reply:

”Farewell, Father... and farewell to my cowardice.”

RUMBLE!

The next second, Chen Xin’an, whose Divine Sense was suppressed, also sacrificed himself and self-destructed. A layer of karmic links then visibly dissipated.

In an instant, only the Master of Heaven Mending Peak was left in the Foundation Establishment Realm. He had just opened his mouth to say something when the long-accumulating, rolling [Celestial Thunder] crashed down, instantly submerging his figure. Only a shrill, venomous roar echoed faintly:

”LÜ YANG—!!!”

Below, on Heaven Mending Peak, a streak of white energy descended, transforming into the figure of Chen Xin’an. He landed before Lü Yang and prostrated himself on the ground with a reverent expression.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Even inside Holy Fire Cliff, Perfected Chong Guang, who had once praised Lü Yang as a future pillar of the Saint Sect, never imagined Lü Yang could pull off something like this.

”Goddamn... Old Monster Chen had it rough!”

”His wife, his daughter, his son... all of them were fucking Yuan Tu’s people. Who wouldn’t die in that situation? How on earth did Yuan Tu do it? A Mind Control Secret Technique?”

”Impossible. A Mind Control Secret Technique couldn’t possibly work on a Perfected Person.”

”Don’t tell me it’s because he’s good in the sack?”

”Well, whatever he’s doing, he’s damn good at it...”

For a moment, the Saint Sect Perfected Persons chattered amongst themselves. When they looked back at the Master of Heaven Mending Peak struggling under the [Celestial Thunder], they subconsciously took a few steps back.

To be fair, no one felt any sympathy for the Master of Heaven Mending Peak.

For one, the Master of Heaven Mending Peak wasn’t very popular to begin with. For another, his actions had vaguely crossed the line for some people.

Using Foundation-Stage Cultivators as cultivation material!

In the Saint Sect, reaching Foundation Establishment was always a clear dividing line. Once you achieved it, you were no longer considered mere ”material” and gained the right to choose.

But if even a Perfected Person could be treated as material, that dividing line would blur. This was especially true now that the Master of Heaven Mending Peak had used this method to break through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. Would other Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment cultivators follow his example and secretly target those in the Early Stage?

Therefore, they were happy to see the Master of Heaven Mending Peak meet his end.

”Chen Taihe, you got what you deserved!”

In particular, Chen Shuqian and Chen Xin’an both breaking free and turning the tables on the Master of Heaven Mending Peak served to reinforce the transcendent status of Foundation-Stage Cultivators.

This outcome was enough to quell the restless hearts of many.

Furthermore, this was the Saint Sect, and its culture had always been this way. For a time, many people even looked at Lü Yang with a hint of goodwill.

Meanwhile, the aged Perfected Person who had previously boasted of his worldliness looked as though his eyes had been opened for the first time. He stared at Lü Yang as if looking at a superman. It wasn’t until the young Perfected Person beside him called out several times that he snapped back to his senses and let out a long breath of Muddy Qi.

”In the future, never, ever offend Yuan Tu!”

The moment he came to, the aged Perfected Person warned in a low voice, ”This man has a profound demonic nature and his methods are extraordinary. At the mere Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, he has taken down two Mid-phase cultivators in a row...”

”That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it?”

The young Perfected Person seemed unconvinced. ”He outlasted one until death, and he conspired with the other’s wife and children to take him down. Neither was a victory in a direct Combat.”

”In a head-on Combat, he might not be that strong.”

At this, the young Perfected Person smiled confidently. ”I think I could take him in a fight.”

”What do you know? That’s what makes him so terrifying!”

The aged Perfected Person shook his head. ”You only see his schemes. You don’t see the predictive ability required to pull off such things.”

”You could never achieve what he has without being able to precisely divine Karma Links and manipulate karmic links. Either he possesses a Divination Artifact, or he has an exceptional Talent Skill and his Cultivation far exceeds his Realm. Regardless of which it is, his Combat strength absolutely cannot be weak!”

”Besides, it’s not like he never engages in Combat.”

”Didn’t he fight a Perfected Person from the Divine Martial Sect at the Skull Mountains decades ago? I heard that battle was an utterly overwhelming victory.”

”The Divine Martial Sect may not be large, but it has some foundation.”

”They at least have a Superior Sentient Artifact to anchor their Sect. And Perfected Huan Wu, the one he fought, had already refined his Innate Ability and was considered a mid-tier figure among Early Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

”But what was the result?”

The more the aged Perfected Person spoke, the graver his expression became. ”And yet, now, whenever anyone looks at this Yuan Tu, the first thing they think of is his schemes!”

A man of immense power, yet the first impression he gives isn’t of his power?

That is the truly terrifying part!

Using one kind of notoriety to conceal an even greater one. Strictly speaking, this is a form of hiding one’s true strength, but few people can realize it.

For a moment, the aged Perfected Person didn’t even dare to voice his conclusion, fearing it would attract Lü Yang’s attention. He was already over eight hundred years old. His third life was nearing its end, and a fourth was nowhere in sight. He had no desire to needlessly provoke such an insidious fellow sect member.

And he was not the only Perfected Person who thought this way.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang watched as the [Celestial Thunder] in the Foundation Establishment Realm gradually dissipated and the Master of Heaven Mending Peak turned into a pile of tribulation ash, a hint of regret in his heart.

’What a pity. Such a fine material for tempering a sword.’

The same went for Arhat Fulong. Unfortunately, the Divine Effect of the [Abi Sword] needed to be stacked through Combat, and making enemies submit without a fight didn’t count.

Otherwise, two Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment cultivators would have absolutely pushed the [Abi Sword]’s power to a terrifying new level!