Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Unleashing All Means

Under the night sky, Lü Yang’s gaze was chilling. Before Wu Cang could even react to his words, he brought his hands together, formed a Dharma Seal, and unleashed a burst of golden light.

’How dare he!?’

For a moment, a look of shocked anger flashed in Wu Cang’s eyes. He was in the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment! ’A junior in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment is actually taking the initiative to attack me?’

However, he had no time to ponder it further. As the golden light descended, in just the blink of an eye, he was plunged into a vast, rolling golden Cloud Sea. His vision was filled with a landscape formed from auspicious clouds—sun and moon, mountains and rivers, streams and lakes—and illusory, dragon-shaped lights weaving through it all.

”BOOM!”

The next second, with almost no hesitation, Wu Cang swung his sleeve and sent out a Black Gold Shield to protect his back, blocking an incoming streak of Sword Light.

”Trying to ambush me?”

Wu Cang smirked. He had already spread his Divine Sense throughout the area, and Lü Yang was still inside his Array. How could anything possibly escape his notice?

However, before Wu Cang could finish speaking, Lü Yang—who had just slashed out with the Abi Sword—suddenly erupted in a blazing white Splendid Light. In the nick of time, he teleported from behind Wu Cang to right in front of him, the tip of his sword instantly aimed at the point between Wu Cang’s eyebrows!

CLANG—!

An explosive sound erupted between them. At the critical moment, Wu Cang had opened a black umbrella, and Lü Yang’s sword had struck it squarely.

Just as Wu Cang was about to counterattack, the white light flashed once more.

By the time he registered what had happened, he saw that Lü Yang had already pulled back, holding the Abi Sword in a reverse grip and studying him thoughtfully.

’He does have some skill...’

If Wu Cang had still been in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, that last slash would have wounded him. However, the stronger Divine Sense of a Mid-phase cultivator had allowed him to evade Lü Yang’s strike.

Of course, this was also because Lü Yang had yet to fully unleash the Abi Sword’s power. He could clearly feel the blade trembling in his hand as the Sword Spirit Girl shouted excitedly, ”That’s him! Kill him! If an Early Stage cultivator kills a Mid-phase one, offering him to the sword will restore at least fifty percent of my power!”

”Don’t be hasty. You’ll get your chance to shine.”

Lü Yang smiled leisurely and slung the Abi Sword onto his back. Then, the vast ocean of Mana within him began to pour into the blade ceaselessly.

But this Superior Spirit Sword was truly a Gold-devouring Beast.

No matter how much Mana Lü Yang poured into it, the Abi Sword accepted it all, with the Sword Spirit Girl still shouting, ”Not enough!” like a bottomless abyss.

Of course, Lü Yang was in no hurry.

After all, the more Mana the Abi Sword absorbed and the longer it charged, the greater its power would be. It was a trump card capable of deciding the battle.

More importantly, that last exchange had confirmed something for him.

Separation was still usable!

The fact that it worked meant he wasn’t truly trapped by the enemy’s Array. With just a thought, he could escape. His safety, at least, was guaranteed.

With an escape route secured, Lü Yang naturally became much more composed. He no longer needed to think about fleeing. Instead, he could use every trick up his sleeve and have a proper fight with Wu Cang!

It was the perfect chance to test the gap between himself and a Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment cultivator!

He wasn’t in a hurry, but someone else was.

Wu Cang’s face was ashen. He clearly hadn’t expected that, despite his higher Realm, he had still come so close to being wounded by Lü Yang. It was an utter humiliation!

The next second, Lü Yang noticed the Array enveloping him begin to activate. In an instant, countless branches descended and thousands of flowers bloomed, merging with Wu Cang’s own Qi trace. Finally, they transformed into a colossal, winding tree that touched the heavens, its canopy obscuring the entire world!

”You’re courting death!”

As his voice fell, a flower on one of the great tree’s branches bore fruit. In the blink of an eye, a miniature, crimson-red fruit, fiery as a flame, had grown.

Then, the fruit fell.

The moment the fruit fell, it transformed into a streak of red light that shot out amidst rolling waves of heat. As it whistled through the air, the unending sound of cracking thunder followed in its wake!

”An Innate Ability?”

Seeing this, Lü Yang raised an eyebrow. While continuing to charge the Abi Sword, he once again cast Separation, intending to send the red light away.

This time, however, things were different. The light of Separation, which had been invincible until now, had just touched the crimson fruit when the fruit suddenly erupted with a ring of red light, blazing like a magnificent flame. With a single bang, it shattered his Ability and, in the blink of an eye, struck him!

”RUMBLE!”

In an instant, a violent explosion and a torrent of fire engulfed Lü Yang. Wu Cang had compressed the full force of the blast within a radius of several hundred meters.

The Mana of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator was like a dragon—it could be massive or minuscule, changing form at will.

At its largest, it could cover a thousand li, toppling mountains and leveling peaks. At its smallest, it could maneuver within inches, concentrating a world-shattering force into a tiny spark.

The latter was often even more powerful!

Yet, as he watched Lü Yang get hit by the crimson fruit, Wu Cang’s face showed no joy. Instead, he frowned deeply and stared at the spot engulfed in flames.

The next second, the flames dispersed.

Lü Yang’s figure stood steadfast amidst the flowing fire. He held a seal in his hand, conjuring the radiant light of an Ability. The light rippled out in circles from behind his head like a magnificent canopy, shielding him completely and isolating him from the flowing fire. The two were as distinct as clear and muddy water, forever unable to affect each other.

Differentiation!

Besides evading karmic links, this Ability was also an Upper Grade defensive technique. Once activated, the Ten Thousand Laws could not touch the user, whose One Qi would remain perfectly pure!

’Two Profound Mysteries...’

Wu Cang’s brow furrowed. Although he had been mentally prepared, the Profound Mysteries Lü Yang displayed still alarmed him. He no longer dared to underestimate Lü Yang.

After all, Innate Abilities also varied in quality.

Generally, an Innate Ability would only possess one Profound Mystery. Those with multiple Profound Mysteries were either due to the favor of a Fruit Position or an Upper Grade Cultivation Technique.

As for Wu Cang, his background was actually quite similar to Lü Yang’s on the surface. Both had received the legacy of a destroyed major Sect, allowing them to leap through the dragon gate. And both had joined the Stain Sect by offering up that very legacy. Therefore, despite his origins as a Loose Cultivator, Wu Cang’s cultivation and combat power were not weak.

So, even though Wu Cang found the situation troublesome, he remained confident.

’I forged the Coiling Dragon Divine Wood Dao Foundation, mastered the Innate Ability Coiling Dragon Treasure Fir Tree, and broke through to the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment. Only then was I able to condense three Profound Mysteries.’

’Could this Yuan Tu possibly be stronger than me?’

At this thought, Wu Cang looked at Lü Yang again and smiled calmly. ”Fellow Daoist Yuan Tu, my Wood Fire is not so easily dealt with.”

Though Lü Yang was currently protecting himself with Differentiation, the rolling torrent of fire around him had not dissipated. Instead, it clung to him like a maggot on a rotting bone. The moment he stopped maintaining his Ability’s protection, the fire would surge forward and incinerate his Dharma Body.

This had turned into a battle of attrition.

If Lü Yang tried to engage in Combat with him while fending off the fire, the Mana consumption would be immense. In just a few rounds, his Mana would be depleted, leaving him at Wu Cang’s mercy.

That was why Wu Cang appeared so calm and smug.

But in the next second, his expression changed.

Lü Yang, unhurried and composed, took a Qiankun Brocade bag from his sleeve and opened it. Instantly, a sea of insects that blotted out the sky poured forth.

Qi-eating Insects!

A full one hundred and forty million Qi-eating Insects. To store them, Lü Yang had even specially refined a Storage Bag capable of holding living creatures, which he named the Centipede Bee Bag.

Now, as the Centipede Bee Bag opened, the Qi-eating Insects surged out like a tide, spreading over the flowing fire around Lü Yang and beginning to feast. Although this fire was created by Wu Cang’s Innate Ability, it was ultimately still a form of Mana, one of the myriad forms of Qi. And there was no Qi the Qi-eating Insects would not devour!

In the blink of an eye, the flowing fire was completely devoured by the Qi-eating Insects!

Although the Qi-eating Insects paid the price of nearly ten million of their kind turning to ash, inside the Centipede Bee Bag, the Qi-Eating Insect King was still working overtime to breed more.

Such a loss was not even worth mentioning!

’As expected of the Extraterrestrial Alien Species even the Patriarch praised!’

Lü Yang smiled in satisfaction at the sight. His special trip to the Simulation Realm to refine these insects had not been in vain. Now that their numbers exceeded one hundred million, they truly possessed the might of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator!