Relying on his understanding of Zhao Xuhe from several lifetimes, Lu Yang quickly became familiar with him, also allowing Zhao Xuhe to feel a long-lost sense of respect from an outsider. To be honest, he had not felt this way for many years.
Ever since the price of Death-Substituting Yin Puppets crashed, Coiling Dragon Island mysteriously disappeared, and the karma became so tangled that even his master, the Heaven Mending Peak Master, could not divine it, his life had become more and more difficult. First, his master grew increasingly disappointed in him.
Second, his cultivation level struggled to advance even an inch; a full ten years had passed, yet he was still stuck at the middle stage of the Qi Refining Realm, unable to break through the bottleneck.
If one had to point out something good, it was that his master, seeing his situation worsen day by day, canceled the marriage engagement between him and his junior sister. The world is unpredictable, and human relationships are fickle. Zhao Xuhe had tasted the full spectrum of it in these ten years.
Therefore, upon hearing that Lu Yang had exited the market in a timely manner at the peak of the Death-Substituting Yin Puppet prices, thus achieving financial freedom, Zhao Xuhe's eyes turned red with envy.
"Alas, Junior Brother, your Dao heart is firm, not swayed by the disaster of wealth. Your future achievements will be limitless. It's just a pity that I did not have a Dao heart like yours back then."
"Senior Brother, you must not belittle yourself."
Lu Yang comforted him in a low voice, "The concept of fortune is not determined by a single day or moment. As long as you remain determined on the Immortal Path, Senior Brother, what do these temporary setbacks amount to?"
"You're right."
Zhao Xuhe nodded, seeming to have cheered up a little. Then, he glanced at Lu Yang tentatively and opened his mouth, but no words came out. Such behavior made his intentions blatantly obvious in Lu Yang's eyes.
He wants to borrow money. Lu Yang smiled faintly. Since Zhao Xuhe didn't say it, he naturally wouldn't bring it up either.
After all, if something is obtained too easily, one will not know how to cherish it. Just then, a voice suddenly came from the flying vessel: "We've arrived at Skull Mountain!" The Northern Frontier, Skull Mountain.
Named a mountain, it was actually a large mountain range stretching for several hundred li, with peaks clustered like gatherings and waves of terrain like raging torrents. Every inch of land was overflowing with spiritual energy. There was a reason the Saint Sect established a market here.
Although it was far from comparable to the Heaven-Linking Cloud Sea, for worldly Rogue Cultivators, Skull Mountain could already be considered a treasured land. And at the very center of the mountain range, there was a White Bone Cave, where the Saint Sect's market was located.
"The feng shui of this place... it is a land of extreme yin."
On the deck of the flying vessel, Lu Yang looked down at the spiritual veins of Skull Mountain, somewhat surprised.
"As long as a cultivator is buried here, they will inevitably transform into a zombie within ten years."
"Junior Brother has a discerning eye."
A rosy light flashed, and Fairy Feixia, her crane-feather cloak fluttering, strode out.
"That is why the Saint Sect sent us to garrison Skull Mountain and maintain order in the market."
"Just as Junior Brother said, due to the special feng shui, Skull Mountain experiences a large-scale corpse tide every thirty years. These zombies have no consciousness and only know how to devour the living. This is a risk of Skull Mountain, but also an opportunity. After all, these zombies are all excellent materials for treasure refining."
After explaining, Fairy Feixia continued: "The market is protected by the 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation.' Daoist Lu and Daoist Chen will be responsible for two of the four formation eyes. As for the remaining two, you and I will each take one, Junior Brother?"
"I will follow Senior Sister's arrangements."
Hearing this, Fairy Feixia nodded. Immediately after, her elegant brows furrowed slightly as she glanced at Zhao Xuhe beside Lu Yang, who was staring with wide eyes, his face full of disbelief.
"What is it?"
Lu Yang asked curiously.
"Does Senior Sister know Senior Brother Zhao?"
"... I do not."
Fairy Feixia indifferently withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at Zhao Xuhe. Instead, she gave Lu Yang a gentle smile.
"I will have to ask Junior Brother to look after me in the future."
With that said, she rode a ray of rosy light and flew away. Zhao Xuhe, however, remained where he was with a complex expression, having clearly guessed that for Lu Yang to be able to oversee the market, his strength was definitely not the middle-stage Qi Refining he had sensed.
"Senior Brother Zhao?"
Lu Yang's voice came, and Zhao Xuhe's movements froze. An expression of both joy and desolation appeared on his face. He moved his lips but made no sound.
His posture finally became respectful as he called out clearly: "My lord." Seeing this, Lu Yang could only sigh helplessly.
"Senior Brother Zhao, I still have official business to attend to. If you have any difficulties in the future, feel free to contact me at any time."
After speaking, he too departed on a ray of light. Only Zhao Xuhe was left behind, his expression fluctuating between clear and cloudy. His previous various emotions quickly receded, and what was revealed in his eyes was a look of contemplation.
"He is wary of me. It seems I was too hasty."
Entering the market, Lu Yang recalled Zhao Xuhe's reaction just now and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Just as I expected, he actually has another purpose for coming to this market."
"Good, good."
"In this life, I shall treat him as my closest friend!"
Lu Yang was not afraid of Zhao Xuhe being wary, because he had sufficient patience. If necessary, he could even give up this lifetime to truly be friends with Zhao Xuhe for a lifetime, gathering intelligence to pave the way for the next life! While lost in thought, Lu Yang had already arrived before a pavilion.
This place was one of the four major formation eyes of the market, and also the area with the most spiritual energy on Skull Mountain, estimated to be at about thirty percent of the level of a Saint Sect cave residence.
"Bloodwash Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram, rise!"
Lu Yang waved his large sleeve, and the Blood Sun Sword Pellet flew into the pavilion to preside over the center. Subsequently, one formation pattern after another expanded outwards, beginning to replace the original formation patterns.
Although the profoundness of the market's 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation' surpassed the Bloodwash Heavenly River Sword Formation, firstly, Lu Yang only occupied one of the formation eyes, and secondly, as a formation master, Lu Yang did not like to entrust his life and safety to a formation set up by an outsider.
"After all, I have quite a few secrets..."
"Moreover, the Skull Mountain market has been established for so long that no matter how brilliant this 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation' is, its effects are already known to everyone."
The more your details are exposed, the easier it is to be targeted by others. So if any truly formidable figures were to attack the Skull Mountain market, they would surely have prepared divine abilities and methods to break the 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation.'
Therefore, when that time comes, this Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation might not be of much use. That being said, Lu Yang did not directly abandon the formation. Instead, he opened up a new area within the pavilion, hiding a formation within a formation, which could be considered a trump card.
After doing all this, Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction. Immediately after, he waved his hand again, naming the pavilion 'Blood-Robed Pavilion'. He had now formally settled in the Skull Mountain market and had a public name for his residence.
Just then, more than ten streaks of escaping light came flying over. These were all Saint Sect disciples assigned to Lu Yang's area. Their cultivation levels were generally at the early and middle stages of Qi Refining, and they were also here at the market to do missions.
After the streaks of light flew into the Blood-Robed Pavilion, they dispersed one after another, revealing the figures of cultivators of all ages and appearances.
One by one, they came to the upper floor with awe on their faces, only to see a handsome and spirited young man in blood-red robes leaning against the railing by the platform, looking down at all of them with a faint smile.
"Greetings, Pavilion Master!"
The disciples did not dare to be disrespectful and all bowed in salute. Although they could address each other as senior and junior brothers within the Saint Sect, outside the sect, they had to use official titles. Moreover, this was a senior brother at the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm!
The early, middle, late, and Perfection stages of the Qi Refining Realm might seem like just four minor realms, but the gap between them could be described as a chasm.
"At ease."
Looking at the row of figures below, Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself, "Not bad. At a glance, they are all beasts of burden, no capable people among them." Putting other things aside, the cultivation environment in the Saint Sect was indeed top-tier.
So generally speaking, cultivators who chose to be stationed outside were either like Lu Yang and Fairy Feixia, who were determined to reach Foundation Establishment, or like these people before him, with poor aptitude, advanced age, and no money, unable to get by in the Saint Sect.
"If I wished, I could kill all of them with just one sword..."
Someone with the intention of building their own power might be dissatisfied with this situation, but Lu Yang felt it was just right. The atmosphere of weakness made him feel very at ease.
"You are all dismissed. Decide on small matters yourselves, there is no need to come to me."
After casually giving his orders, Lu Yang directly sent them away. He then sealed off the Blood-Robed Pavilion, preparing to cultivate peacefully in seclusion until the opportunity for Foundation Establishment appeared!
(End of this chapter)