After a long while, Lu Yang held a yellowed talisman in his hand, sizing it up with great interest. After refining Liu Xin into a banner spirit, Lu Yang had him recount his life story in detail, including how he had entrapped and killed Chen Xin'an, and how he had avoided the divinations of a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master.
"The Innate Primordial-Unity Qi Divine Talisman."
"That is the talisman."
Liu Xin prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing as he said respectfully, "This talisman was left behind by the Innate Rogue Cultivator. As long as one carries it on their person, they can avoid karmic divination." Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction, then lightly shook the Myriad Spirits Banner.
This time, a handsome youth dressed in a black robe descended from the banner. Upon seeing Lu Yang, the newcomer was first stunned, then he looked at Liu Xin beside him, who had already become a banner spirit, and his body immediately began to tremble.
"Haha… Hahaha! You've finally gotten what you deserve."
Chen Xin'an threw his head back and laughed loudly, then looked at Liu Xin.
"I thought you were already incompetent, but I never imagined your incompetence would exceed my imagination."
"You were refined into a banner spirit in a reversal?"
"How did you manage that?"
"..."
Facing Chen Xin'an's mockery, Liu Xin merely lowered his head, showing no intention of answering. Only then did Chen Xin'an turn to look at Lu Yang.
"Truly worthy of being a disciple of our Saint Sect."
Chen Xin'an began with a word of praise, clapping his hands with a smile.
"This junior brother, I won't ask you to release me for reincarnation. Besides, the fact that you could kill Liu Xin has already settled the great hatred in my heart... How about this, I will give you a secret cache as a reward?"
"I am also a banner spirit now, so you can naturally see through truth and falsehood."
"That secret cache is located on an island deep within the sea of clouds, called Gourd Island. Your cultivation level is still low, it would be best to go after you've reached the Perfection stage of Qi Refining..."
"There's no need."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yang showed not a hint of interest, shaking his head indifferently.
"Senior Brother Chen, we are all disciples of the Saint Sect, why bother putting on an act?"
"... Junior Brother, you've truly misunderstood me."
Chen Xin'an let out a soft sigh.
"Although most of us Saint Sect disciples don't care much for fellowship, we still repay favors. We are by no means heartless and unrighteous villains."
"Stop trying to flatter yourself."
Lu Yang interrupted Chen Xin'an without hesitation, sneering, "Are there any good people among the Saint Sect disciples? Every single one who survives is a villain! Senior Brother Chen, you don't need to waste your breath, I'm not going to your secret cache."
Lu Yang was extremely wary of this True Disciple senior brother. If there really was a secret cache, why hadn't Liu Xin, who held the Myriad Spirits Banner for so many years, gone to claim it? It was highly likely that he too feared Chen Xin'an would turn the tables on him!
This person had a profound background and unfathomable methods, completely different from the likes of Liu Xin. Even as a banner spirit, he could not be fully trusted. Chen Xin'an's expression changed slightly.
"Then for what purpose did you summon me?"
"Just an experiment."
Lu Yang's tone was calm, yet Chen Xin'an sensed danger in it and hurriedly said, "Wait, wait... I also know where to find an opportunity for Foundation Establishment..."
Boom!
The next second, Lu Yang acted without hesitation. Disregarding the so-called opportunity for Foundation Establishment, he directly shattered Chen Xin'an's true spirit, which had been refined into the Myriad Spirits Banner.
"No—!"
"The Heaven Mending Peak Master targeted me so much in my last life. In this life, I'll beat his son to death first to vent some anger. After a few more lives, once I've reached Foundation Establishment, I'll go and beat him to death too!"
Lu Yang's face was calm. Possessing the Book of a Hundred Lives, his Dao heart was incomparably firm, one could say indomitable. No matter how powerful his opponent was, he was confident he would eventually defeat them.
As for the opportunity for Foundation Establishment… what a coincidence, he knew of one too! Chen Xin'an's aura completely dissipated as his soul scattered. Lu Yang then put away the Myriad Spirits Banner, cleaned up the scene, and began to wait in silence.
Before long, Heaven Mending Peak shook violently! A familiar sense of pressure emerged, as if Mount Tai was descending upon him. Lu Yang immediately put on a fearful expression; he knew very well what it was.
It was the gaze of a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master. Clearly, by completely killing Chen Xin'an, he had alarmed the Heaven Mending Peak Master. The man was probably starting to use karma to deduce the murderer's identity.
Normally, he should have been discovered in the next second. Lu Yang waited just like that in his cave residence for half an hour, but even after the oppressive feeling disappeared, the Heaven Mending Peak Master still hadn't appeared before him.
"... It really works!"
He couldn't figure it out! Lu Yang's face remained impassive, but inwardly he was laughing. With this verification, he could finally cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art with peace of mind in this life.
In his subsequent actions, Lu Yang replicated his operations from previous lives. First, he hyped up the Death-Substituting Yin Puppets to earn contribution points. Then, he hyped up Yun Miaoqing to conceal his own sword arts and sword pellet.
Afterward, he purchased a large quantity of spiritual pills and began to cultivate in seclusion. Ten years later. In the blink of an eye, generations of disciples had risen and fallen.
The various storms that had once been stirred up had returned to calm, and the development of the Saint Sect continued its steady and positive trend. Only today seemed to be somewhat different. Heaven and earth resonated in harmony.
The cave residence where Lu Yang was in seclusion seemed to have become a vortex, and boundless spiritual energy surged from all directions like a bursting flood.
"This is… a heaven and earth phenomenon!?"
"Some senior brother has condensed a Qi seed and broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining!"
Even in the Primordial Saint Sect, the late stage of Qi Refining was considered high-level beasts of burden. One would no longer be easily treated as cannon fodder and would possess a certain degree of autonomy.
Therefore, within Heaven Mending Peak, when the disciples who toiled day in and day out for their livelihood saw the heaven and earth phenomenon manifested by Lu Yang's breakthrough, while they were inevitably amazed, hidden beneath it was an even stronger sense of envy, jealousy, and even resentment of "why wasn't it me?"
At the same time, inside the cave residence, Lu Yang also opened his eyes. In an instant, a flash of white lightning seemed to arc through the dim Cultivation Chamber, bright and piercing!
"The term bottleneck is truly fitting."
In this life, Lu Yang's cultivation speed was the same as in his previous life. It took him only three years to reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining, the peak of the middle stage, but he was stuck at the bottleneck for seven years.
And this was only because he had broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining once before and had the experience. Otherwise, this duration would likely have been even longer. One could well imagine why so many cultivators got stuck at this step, unable to advance for their entire lives.
Having just broken through, Lu Yang was not in a hurry to leave seclusion. Instead, he sat quietly for another three days, only standing up after he had completely mastered the changes in his True Qi, physique, and spiritual sense.
He opened the panel for the Book of a Hundred Lives: Name: Lu Yang Age: 28 Cultivation: Qi Refining 7th Layer (Late Stage), Ninth-Grade Formation Master Talents: Heretical Prodigy (White), Got a Trick or Two (Purple) Cultivation Technique: Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art (Seventh Layer) Divine Abilities: Divine Firmament Sword-Riding True Art (Minor Accomplishment), Secret Explanation of Formation Treasures (Perfection), Life-Killing Curse (Perfection), Heavenly Demon Transforming Blood Divine Light (Perfection), Breath-Concealing Art (Perfection) Treasures: Blood Sun Sword Pellet (Superior Magical Artifact), Innate Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner (Superior Magical Artifact) Book of a Hundred Lives Pages: 95 Though both were in the late stage of Qi Refining, the Lu Yang of this life was far stronger than the one from the life before last.
Their True Qi wasn't even on the same level; if they were to fight, it would be a complete blowout.
Especially after mastering the Heavenly Demon Transforming Blood Divine Light, paired with the Bloodwash Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram, even if he faced another late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, once they were enveloped by his formation, unless they knew a great deal about him and had prepared countermeasures for the Heavenly Demon Transforming Blood Divine Light in advance, they would still be walking a path to certain death.
"But it's still not safe enough."
The Heavenly Demon Transforming Blood Divine Light was powerful, but it was just a divine ability that ordinary disciples could find. Who knew what incredible divine abilities those True Disciples possessed?
"True Disciples... I wonder if I'll have a chance?"
Lu Yang's face showed a look of anticipation. In this life, with the divine talisman concealing his karma, his identity was completely clean. Generally speaking, he should be an easy target for recruitment.
After all, even for a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator was a decent subordinate. Moreover, unlike his life before last, he had not transformed into a blood shadow, and his Immortal Path was not severed. No matter how one looked at it, he should be of some investment value.
Therefore, Lu Yang had long since made up his mind. If a disciple of a Foundation Establishment expert really extended an olive branch, he wouldn't refuse even if it was the Heaven Mending Peak Master. He would take the benefits first; the grudge could be settled in the next life.
They say a man has gold beneath his knees; today was the perfect time to cash it in