Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: 1 Slash Cleaves Dusk and Dawn

The Sea of Clouds, outside Heaven Mending Peak.

At first glance, the gloomy sky appeared empty. In reality, a crowd had already gathered—all of them in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Seven or eight Perfected Persons were lying in wait among them.

”Oh? You’re here too?”

”Just here for the excitement.”

”Same here.”

Several Stain Sect Perfected Persons stood together, chatting happily. Each wore a warm smile, looking for all the world like fellow disciples who shared a deep, genuine bond.

”How long has Wu Cang been in there?”

”About the time it takes an incense stick to burn. A Mid-phase against an Early Stage; there won’t be any surprises. The arrays are all set. The moment he comes out, we’ll jump him!”

”He’s well and truly offended Yuan Tu this time.”

”We’ll wait for Wu Cang to come out with the prize, then we’ll snatch the True Monarch’s Handwriting from him. We’ll sneak a few peeks in the process and then foist all the karmic links onto Wu Cang...”

”If you ask me, Wu Cang is a far cry from Yuan Tu. Although both joined the sect with existing skills, Yuan Tu clearly grasped the true essence of our Stain Sect. Wu Cang, on the other hand, can’t shake his Loose Cultivator habits. He’s malicious but not cunning. He’ll never amount to much in this life. A long road of suffering lies ahead for him.”

The Stain Sect Perfected Persons conversed with an air of relaxed confidence.

Clearly, Wu Cang thought his actions were secret, but how could he possibly fool those who were paying close attention? It was simply that everyone happened to need a scapegoat.

However, at this very moment—

BOOM!

Following the massive explosion, the Perfected Persons all looked up to see Heaven Mending Peak tremble slightly, faintly projecting a magnificent, illusionary radiance.

”They’re actually making a scene in there?”

This time, some of the Stain Sect Perfected Persons were genuinely curious. ”What is Wu Cang playing at? A Mid-phase against an Early Stage, and he’s actually letting the guy make so much noise?”

”Are Loose Cultivators really that useless?”

”Not necessarily. While Wu Cang’s cunning is average and he doesn’t know how to manipulate karmic links, his combat skills are decent, at least on par with the average Mid-phase cultivator.”

”So you’re saying... it’s not that he’s too weak?”

At these words, the Stain Sect Perfected Persons present fell silent. Their expressions flickered, and when they looked toward Heaven Mending Peak again, their eyes held a trace of shock.

「Meanwhile, inside Heaven Mending Peak.」

Lü Yang held the Abi Sword in a reverse grip with one hand, continuously pouring Mana into it. His other hand was channeling an Ability as a Daoist verse sounded from his mouth:

”Insects, feast on Qi! Annihilate all intent!”

Justification!

As the edict fell, all the Qi-eating Insects were empowered. Their mundane forms suddenly took on a hint of the profundity of Foundation Establishment, and their power instantly skyrocketed.

”Damn bugs!”

Wu Cang frowned at the sight. He wasn’t afraid of these Qi-eating Insects. So what if there were 140 million of them? By expending a vast amount of mana to activate his Innate Ability, he could still wipe them out completely. But doing so would inevitably cost him a great deal of Mana and delay him significantly.

At this thought, he glanced at Lü Yang again.

To be precise, he glanced at the Abi Sword that Lü Yang held in a reverse grip behind his back. His Divine Sense detected a fatal threat emanating from it.

’I absolutely cannot be held up!’

In an instant, Wu Cang had made his decision. He formed a hand seal with one hand.

With this motion, a strange new change occurred within the sky-propping great tree that was his Dao Foundation. A lone spark ignited in its canopy.

In the blink of an eye, the spark became a raging inferno!

The entire canopy transformed into a gigantic fireball. Its crimson glow lit up the sky, a radiance so brilliant that even the surrounding array could barely contain it!

”No Rushing South!”

In that instant, wood died to give birth to fire, turning Heaven and Earth into a single furnace. Lü Yang, standing within it, felt a scorching pain with every breath.

’It’s an Innate Divine Technique!’

The Prophetic Orrery between Lü Yang’s brows activated, shining with a mythical light. In a flash, he understood the details of his opponent’s Ability.

’It’s very similar to Arhat Fulong’s Fire Dragon... This is formed from the Qi of the Major Wood Position of Heavenly Stems, also known as Jia Wood. It is a Pure Yang Treasure Tree...’

However, there was a difference between Wu Cang and Arhat Fulong.

Arhat Fulong’s Fire Dragon is born from the convergence of the Heavenly Stem, Major Wood, and the Earthly Branch, Chen Earth. The Heavenly Stems are dominant, and its essence is Earth and Wood creating Fire.

However, No Rushing South was different.

This Innate Divine Technique was a fusion of the Heavenly Stem, Major Wood, and the Earthly Branch, Wu Fire. Its core concept was that fire depends on wood to live, but when the fire grows strong enough, the wood must be consumed by the flames!

The imagery of the Ability perfectly corresponded with Wu Cang’s Coiling Dragon Divine Wood Dao Foundation. At this moment, he was sacrificing wood to fuel the fire, and the flames it produced were ferocious to the extreme. They were known as the Celestial Furnace Separation Fire, and any Wood Element Abilities or Artifacts would be reduced to ash before them.

WHOOSH—!

The swarms of Qi-eating Insects filling the sky took the full brunt of the flames, and vast swathes of them were instantly turned to ash. However, the raging inferno showed no signs of weakening.

As Wu Cang formed a hand seal and pointed, the flames shot through the air!

Almost simultaneously, the Daoist Hand Seal in Wu Cang’s hand changed. The Coiling Dragon Treasure Tree behind him bloomed and bore fruit once again, but this time, the fruits were one green and one gold.

”Go!”

The next second, the two fruits fell from the treasure tree, each unleashing its own profound effect. They worked in concert with the Celestial Furnace Separation Fire to trap Lü Yang!

These were the three profound effects of Wu Cang’s Innate Ability, the Coiling Dragon Treasure Tree. The red fruit was called ”Wood Fire” and could incinerate a Dharma Body. The green fruit, ”Coiling Peach Core,” could immobilize a target and prevent escape. The gold fruit, ”Dragon Scale Seed,” could amplify one’s Qi, greatly boosting the power of their Abilities.

An Innate Ability with three profound effects.

One for offense, one for control, and one for buffing. It had nothing to do with karmic links or celestial secrets; its entire focus was on maximizing the Ability’s lethality!

For a moment, the world was split between light and shadow.

With Wu Cang as the dividing line, the space before him was filled with the Celestial Furnace Separation Fire, burning clouds and piercing the sky, illuminating everything as if it were high noon. Behind him, however, all was the darkness of a moonless, windy night.

Seeing this, Lü Yang finally let out a sigh.

The next second, the Li Fire was upon him!

And then, something happened that left Wu Cang dumbfounded... Lü Yang simply flicked his sleeve, and with a seemingly effortless display of Mana control, he flung the flames away!

The move was executed with consummate grace.

His control over Mana was so exquisite it was indescribable, nearly leaving Wu Cang stunned. He subconsciously drove the flames at Lü Yang once more.

And again, Lü Yang flicked them away with ease.

’This... How is this possible!?’

In disbelief, Wu Cang urged the flames forward again. This time, however, Lü Yang lost his previous composure and was instantly engulfed, becoming a human torch.

In an instant, Lü Yang’s entire body was roasted by the Celestial Furnace Separation Fire. His flesh split open, revealing flawless, white jade-like bones. His chest, lungs, and spleen were filled with flowing fire that burned through his organs. For a moment, even his breath carried sparks. He had been grievously wounded by Wu Cang’s attack!

However, at that very moment, a laugh came from within the flames.

”...Heh!”

Amidst the roiling fire, Lü Yang raised his head. His lips curled into a grin, and his ignited eyes, like two suns, stared straight at Wu Cang.

The Abi Sword in his hand trembled slightly.

This Gold-devouring Beast had been constantly consuming his Mana since the beginning of the battle. Only now did it finally give a slight response, as if it was finally full.

Lü Yang looked up at Wu Cang and uttered a single edict: ”Kill!”

Justification activated. It was as if, in a high court, the Emperor had spoken, and his Words Become Law. A brilliant golden Divine Power Radiance instantly suffused the Abi Sword.

The next second, Lü Yang unleashed the Abi Sword!

A bloody light mingled with gold, as if Heaven and Earth were split in two and Yin and Yang separated. The sky, which had displayed an unnatural mix of dawn and dusk under the glow of the Li Fire, was now cleaved open by a single sword strike!

A single strike to sunder dusk and dawn!

This sword strike wasn’t just a physical explosion; it slashed directly at the spiritual essence of the attack. The Celestial Furnace Separation Fire, once cleaved, let out a series of crackles and was stripped of its original spiritual power. It instantly degenerated into mundane fire and dispersed, revealing the figure of Wu Cang hidden behind the flames.

Wu Cang’s eyes were wide with shock, blood gushing from his mouth and nose.

On his torso, a sword mark, visible to the naked eye, appeared across his abdomen. With each passing moment, the flesh and blood along the line slowly parted. He was being sliced in half at the waist.