Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: This Time, I’m Really Going to Be a Good Person

The ideal was beautiful, but reality was grim. Cultivating the Heavenly Qian Totalizing All Manifestations Dharma Body was far more difficult than any ordinary Daoist Skill.

’The key is Qi Collection.’

’After all, one can only form a Dharma Body after achieving Major Mastery in a Cultivation Technique, and the amount of World Heaven Qi needed to reach Major Mastery is likely unimaginable.’

Generally speaking, the higher one’s Cultivation, the harder it was to perform Qi Collection.

Because the higher one’s Cultivation, the more severe the Outer Realm’s malice became. One also needed more qi, making it easier for the Outer Realm to target and kill them.

As Lü Yang was lost in thought, a sudden premonition made him look up. In the distance, an army of what appeared to be mortals was marching toward him. A dozen or so banners fluttered in the wind as the soldiers’ brilliant Blood Qi erupted into red light, piercing the heavens.

In an instant, the sky lit up brightly!

The sky-filling Blood Qi stirred the celestial phenomena. Every person had a corresponding Life Star, and at this moment, they linked together, astonishingly forming a brilliant Starry Universe Map!

”...Oh?”

Seeing this, Lü Yang’s eyes narrowed. The instant the army formed their array, he immediately felt a powerful suppression.

’This is... a suppression of Position!’

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, an army would normally be meaningless before Lü Yang, unless it was the Dao Court using a formation to achieve a Fake Foundation Establishment.

But things were different now. Once the opposing army formed its array, it connected to the stars above. The effect was completely different from the Dao Court’s method of elevating Position. Instead of elevating, it lowered. It forcibly knocked down a part of Lü Yang’s Position, even causing his Flying Light to diminish by nearly half.

’What a powerful technique!’

Lü Yang was amazed, but he had no idea that the opposing general was even more shocked to see him still able to manifest Mana while facing their formation head-on.

’How is this possible!’

The army’s general was named Wu Changkong. He was the City Lord of the only nearby city, Pioneer City, and the person with the most powerful Life Star for hundreds of miles around.

His Life Star was the Earth Concealing Star.

Legend told of one hundred and eight Demon Stars in the world, the absolute peak of all Life Stars. Anyone blessed by a Demon Star was destined to possess divine abilities, far surpassing ordinary Martial Artists.

Such was Wu Changkong. As the bearer of the Earth Concealing Star, he was born with a pair of Golden Pupils and a fearsome, panther-like visage. He possessed innate Divine Power, and his progress in Martial Arts was incredibly fast. Right now, his Blood Qi was the most powerful in the entire army. Combined with the blessing of his Life Star, ordinary soldiers would be injured merely by looking directly at him.

Yet at this moment, his face was filled with terror.

The reason he had hastily gathered his army and rushed over was because he discovered that the rift mentioned in the Heavenly Dao Revelation was located on Heaven Pillar Mountain, within his own jurisdiction.

As long as he was the first to strike and kill the target, he could advance to the next level!

Therefore, upon seeing Lü Yang, he had mobilized the army without a second thought, assuming it would be an easy victory. He never expected Lü Yang to be so formidable.

Soon, however, a look of confusion appeared on his face.

Wu Changkong stared intently at Lü Yang. He had assumed his opponent was a Celestial Demon from the ancient records, but now he could sense a Life Star from him.

What was even more ridiculous was the level of that Life Star.

’Villager?’

For a moment, Wu Changkong found the situation utterly absurd.

His opponent’s strength had clearly reached the level of ’Sweeping Thousand Armies.’ The next step up was ’Unstoppable.’ Even among Demon Star bearers, he would be considered a powerhouse!

’All that power, and his Life Star is ’Villager’?’

That being said, Wu Changkong didn’t doubt Lü Yang’s identity. After all, in his experience, anyone with a Life Star could not possibly be an Outer Celestial Demon.

Thinking of this, Wu Changkong hurried forward, cupped his hands, and said, ”Immortal Master, this was all a misunderstanding. We are here searching for the Outer Celestial Demon. Since you arrived first, Immortal Master, I presume you’ve already encountered it? I wonder where it fled? We would like to pursue and eliminate it.”

Lü Yang blinked upon hearing this, then a look of sudden realization dawned on his face:

”I fought a great battle with that Outer Celestial Demon. She fled that way.” Lü Yang pointed without hesitation in the direction Master Miaoyin had gone.

”Thank you, Immortal Master!”

Wu Changkong cupped his hands once more, then turned and gave the order. The army, disciplined and swift, immediately gave chase in the direction Master Miaoyin had fled.

Lü Yang watched his retreating back.

”Interesting...”

He was beginning to understand the system of the Ten Thousand Martial Realm. This Outer Realm didn’t actually have any so-called Cultivators; strictly speaking, they were all mortals.

The only difference was the Life Star.

’This Life Star is like another form of Position. It blesses mortals but doesn’t increase their lifespan. Their outward displays of power don’t even come close to the Foundation Establishment level.’

However, it possessed one nasty ability: suppression. When enough Life Stars gathered and linked into a formation, the combined starlight could suppress the radiance of other Life Stars. Its power was so immense that even a once-lofty Foundation-Stage Cultivator could be knocked down to the mortal plane!

’A higher Life Star suppresses those of a Lower Position.’

’However, when enough Lower Position Life Stars gather, they can also obscure the light of a high-Position Life Star, thus creating a delicate balance.’

That said, there were exceptions.

’To create a suppressive formation, you need to be at least a ’Martial Soldier.’ If you’re just a ’Villager,’ you can’t even form an array.’

In other words, ’Villagers’ were nothing but fodder.

Their only value was to farm every day to support the ’Martial Soldiers’ and those with higher Life Stars. They were the lowest of the low, but also the most numerous.

It was a brutally strict pyramid structure.

However, Lü Yang saw an opportunity to exploit. After all, this was an Outer Realm with only a single Fruit. Its rules were strict, but not yet mature.

At least, in his eyes, there were still loopholes to be found.

’The biggest flaw is that the gap based on Life Stars isn’t absolute. At the very least, the difference between a ’Villager’ and a ’Martial Soldier’ isn’t as vast as Heaven and Earth.’

After a moment of thought, Lü Yang swept the area with his Divine Sense and soon spotted a group of refugees in the distance. He then cast a spell and shot off toward them in a streak of Flying Light.

.......

The ones fleeing at this moment were, of course, the villagers of Luo Family Village. The long line of people made not a single sound; everyone walked in silence.

When people are starving, they don’t speak.

They didn’t even have the strength to complain, or perhaps they were already used to it. More than complaining, they were worried about how to survive the next few days.

After all, having left their village, they no longer had fields and couldn’t hunt in the mountains. Even if they had a little food left, they dared not eat it. They could only endure, nibbling a tiny bit every day or two, or simply filling their stomachs with tree bark—which, in any case, was a Divine Effect that came with being a ’Villager.’

The burly man and the young boy were naturally among them. Because the man was a ’Martial Soldier,’ even a retired one, he was much better off than an ordinary ’Villager.’ He could therefore spare a few pieces of dry rations for the boy beside him. The boy was sensible and, despite his hunger, didn’t dare to eat it all at once.

GRUMBLE...

A low rumble came from his stomach. The boy’s face flushed red, and he clutched his belly. He had, after all, just finished his martial arts practice and was in desperate need of nutrients.

Unfortunately, the burly man had no more food to spare.

”Just endure it,” the burly man said in a low voice. ”The matter on Heaven Pillar Mountain is not for us to get involved in. A beast tide is coming; staying in the village would have been a death sentence.”

”Once we get to the city, I’ll figure something out.”

”Master...”

Just then, a fair-skinned hand suddenly reached out. In its palm rested two white, candy-like beans, accompanied by a soft voice:

”Do you want to live?”

The burly man and the boy, stunned, looked up to see a handsome young Daoist priest, whose appearance inspired goodwill at first glance.

The burly man, however, quickly became vigilant. ”Who are you?”

”You don’t need to know my name.”

Lü Yang shook his head and smiled. ”Aren’t you hungry? Use these to fill your stomachs. After you eat them, you won’t feel hungry anymore.”

Only then did the burly man realize Lü Yang had already distributed the ”candy beans” to everyone around them. Not everyone had spare food, and since ’Villagers’ could eat anything, no one hesitated as long as it could fill their stomachs. They snatched the beans and wolfed them down.

Then, something miraculous happened.

”I... I can eat dirt?”

”I can eat grass too!”

”It smells so good!”

All those who had eaten the candy beans—some began eating dirt, some grass, some tree bark—no longer looked starved as they had before.

Normally, eating tree bark, grass, or dirt was just a way to fill one’s stomach; the feeling of fullness was merely an illusion. But now, the villagers were full of vigor and vitality after eating. Their bodies were visibly growing stronger by the second!

The burly man grew even more horrified. ”Th-this... what kind of demonic art is this?”

”This isn’t a demonic art.” Lü Yang shook his head and revealed his own Life Star. The large word ’Villager’ immediately drew everyone’s astonished gazes.

”We are all ’Villagers.’ There’s no difference between us.”

As his voice fell, Lü Yang broke into a grin. ”Come with me. I’ll lead you to eat your fill, and we’ll create a world where no one has to go hungry ever again.”

’This time, I’m really going to be a good guy!’