"It's true what they say. The more beautiful a woman is, the more deceitful she is."
Watching Liu Xin's miserable state in this life, poisoned by Yu Suzhen and ultimately drained dry by her demonic art, Lu Yang felt a sense of delight in his heart.
‘Serves you right for harming me in my second life.’
Immediately after, Lu Yang turned his head to look at Yu Suzhen. He did not reveal himself, but instead used a sleight of hand to swap out the Innate Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner. As for the Innate Dao Scripture, Lu Yang still left a copy for Yu Suzhen.
He only deleted the content related to the Myriad Spirits Banner and added the Stealing Heaven's Secrets secret art. The result was just as he had expected. The moment Yu Suzhen saw this secret art, she was almost instantly captivated.
"Stealing Heaven's Secrets… just by sparring with someone, I can seize their cultivation level and fortune?"
Yu Suzhen's eyes burned with fervor as she leafed through the contents of the Stealing Heaven's Secrets secret art, feeling as though this cultivation technique was simply tailor-made for her! At this thought, the ambition in Yu Suzhen's heart instantly surged.
If before she only had the aspiration to cultivate and achieve long life but did not know how to realize it, then now she had found a method. After all, for Yu Suzhen, this was far easier than cultivating.
With her aptitude, it had taken her a long time in the Joyful Union Hall just to break through to the first level of the Qi Refining Realm. Even if she cultivated for her entire life, she was probably fated to only reach the third level of Qi Refining.
However, if she could master this Stealing Heaven's Secrets secret art, with her looks, she just needed to cast a wide net and catch many fish. By specifically targeting those cultivators with good talent, she could build a large fish pond and gather the cultivation of many. Her progress would surely advance by a thousand miles a day.
It might not even be impossible to reach Foundation Establishment! The more Yu Suzhen thought about it, the more her heart burned with excitement. Immediately after, she used corpse-dissolving water to dispose of Liu Xin's body, followed by the body of that young disciple, gradually cleaning up the scene.
Three months later, inside the cave residence.
"You bitch! You actually poisoned me."
Looking at the man whose body was a complete wreck and was on the verge of collapse, Yu Suzhen had no interest in even answering him. For a moment, only the man's mournful cries echoed within the cave residence.
Just like that, the man's body shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye, while Yu Suzhen's complexion grew increasingly rosy.
Boom!
With a soft sound, Yu Suzhen's aura suddenly surged. She had brazenly broken through the bottleneck of the third level of Qi Refining, reaching the mid-Qi Refining Realm. At this moment, nourished by the True Qi, Yu Suzhen even appeared somewhat sacred.
Lu Yang, however, was hidden nearby and had witnessed the entire process. In just three short months, he had personally watched Yu Suzhen "spar" with all sorts of disciples. From the first level to the third level of Qi Refining, she had plundered their cultivation one by one.
Cultivation could make one stronger! Yu Suzhen even paid great attention to her reputation. She only engaged in clandestine affairs.
On the surface, she maintained the persona of a cold and proud woman who gave no man the time of day. The colder and prouder Yu Suzhen acted, the more men fell for it.
Thus, in just three short months, Yu Suzhen had hooked quite a few unlucky fools whose lust had clouded their judgment, and then used the Stealing Heaven's Secrets secret art to suck them all dry.
"Looking at it this way, if my foul disease's lethal curse hadn't killed her in the first life, she would have killed Liu Xin. Even without the Stealing Heaven's Secrets secret art, she would have obtained the Innate Dao Scripture and the Myriad Spirits Banner. She might have been able to take off all the same. The changes of karma are truly wondrous."
"Regardless, the bait has been cast."
Without a doubt, Yu Suzhen had potential. She was ruthless enough, vicious enough, and had no shame. She was willing to do anything as long as it benefited her.
She was practically a natural-born disciple of the Saint Sect. She only lacked an opportunity. And now, Lu Yang had given her this opportunity, allowing her to grow rapidly.
More importantly, if this continued, she would cross paths with Xiao Shiye. Lu Yang wanted to see if she had a chance to seduce Xiao Shiye. If she could really spar with Xiao Shiye, he would have struck it rich, because in the future, Xiao Shiye was destined to catch that Rainbow Merit Fish in the Merit Pool!
If he could use Yu Suzhen to turn Xiao Shiye into a puppet of the Stealing Heaven's Secrets art, then when he caught the Rainbow Merit Fish and was about to consume and refine it, he could suddenly activate the art, thereby substituting the plum for the peach.
Using Yu Suzhen as a relay, he could steal the entire cultivation level and fortune of the Rainbow Merit Fish! Daoist Hongyun was using Xiao Shiye as bait to fish for the Merit Fish. He, in turn, was using Yu Suzhen as bait to steal the prize right from under his nose!
This plan was tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth. One could imagine that if it truly succeeded, it would absolutely provoke the wrath of Daoist Master Hongyun, who would spare no expense to investigate.
"So I need to hide far away."
Taking the Myriad Spirits Banner, Lu Yang observed Yu Suzhen for a few more days. After confirming there were no problems, he quietly left the Saint Sect and sped toward the mortal world. Staying in the Saint Sect had a hundred harms and not a single benefit.
After all, on the surface, he was already dead. If he stayed in the Saint Sect, he could only hide in the shadows, silently waiting for his "transformation after death" and for Yu Suzhen's cultivation to progress. That was too much of a waste of time.
"Yu Suzhen is the most important part of my plan in this life, but not the only part. After all, even if I master Stealing Heaven's Secrets and the Supreme Yin Corpse-Shedding Form Transformation True Art, and add The Sage's Theft and the third-grade True Qi, I only have a forty percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment. I must find other ways."
"Besides, staying far away has its advantages."
"After all, once the matter with Yu Suzhen succeeds, a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master will be enraged. If he scours through karma, hiding in the Saint Sect would be no different from seeking death."
"But if I am far away at the edge of the world, no matter how angry the Foundation Establishment Daoist Master is, it will still take time for him to find me."
"This time difference is enough for me to attempt my breakthrough to Foundation Establishment."
Lu Yang would not pin his hopes on 'possibly not being discovered'. After all, in his previous life, the old ancestor of the Yun family had managed to divine his location with just a Heaven-Scrutinizing Instrument. He would only consider the worst-case scenario.
As for Yu Suzhen, Lu Yang only needed to occasionally deduce her karma and observe her to ensure her actions did not deviate from his control. After leaving the Saint Sect, Lu Yang felt as if the sky was high for birds to fly and the sea was wide for fish to leap.
"My corpse is hidden within the Myriad Spirits Banner. This wondrous treasure contains a universe within; only it can accommodate my transforming corpse and allow me to carry it with me."
Besides that, there was another opportunity within the Myriad Spirits Banner that made his heart race. Lu Yang formed a hand seal and unfurled the flag banner. In an instant, black smoke billowed out, and a handsome young man in a black robe walked down from the banner.
The Saint Sect's True Disciple, Chen Xin'an. In the previous life, to verify the heaven-deceiving effect of the Innate Primordial-Unity Qi Divine Talisman, and because his cultivation level was too low at the time and he felt powerless to control the other party, he had not kept this person. But things were different now.
Having mastered The Sage's Theft and now possessing a 'status', Lu Yang was filled with confidence.
"Where is this?"
Having just emerged from the Myriad Spirits Banner, Chen Xin'an seemed not to have come to his senses yet. He subconsciously looked for Liu Xin, then frowned.
"... Liu Xin is dead?"
Chen Xin'an pondered for a moment, then his brow relaxed. He turned to look at Lu Yang.
"Which sect are you a disciple of? Did you kill Liu Xin?"
"That's right."
Lu Yang nodded, his expression unreadable. Unlike the previous life, where Chen Xin'an knew he was a Saint Sect disciple with just one glance, this time he showed no reaction.
Lu Yang knew in his heart that this was because he had not lit a life lamp in the Primordial Saint Sect in this life, but had instead used a sleight of hand to fool them.
Furthermore, the main cultivation technique he was practicing now was the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art, not a secret true art of the Primordial Saint Sect. That was why Chen Xin'an had misjudged him for a moment.
(End of this chapter)