Chapter 103: First Hearing of the Dao-Seizing Battle
Chapter 103: First Hearing of the Dao-Seizing War
"Gather!"
Within the cave abode, as the Mending Heaven Peak Master uttered a Daoist incantation and wildly channeled his magic power, Chen Xin'an's nearly dissipated soul finally stabilized once more.
"Am I... still alive? Father?"
Seeing Chen Xin'an gradually regain consciousness, the Mending Heaven Peak Master wore a gentle smile. "I always knew my son wasn't some mediocre talent."
Clearly, while helping Chen Xin'an reconstitute his soul, the Peak Master had already deduced the karmic threads. With Liu Xin no longer protected by the divine talisman, past events could no longer be concealed. The banner spirit Chen Xin'an had inherited his original body's karma while carrying the divine talisman, perfectly obscuring heavenly secrets.
Through this chain of events, the Peak Master had failed to notice anything amiss.
In his deductions, the sequence was simply that Chen Xin'an had been ambushed by an Innate Daoist, reduced to a banner spirit controlled by Liu Xin, but through wit had managed to turn the tables.
"Regardless, what matters is you're safe."
The Mending Heaven Peak Master sighed. Though the banner spirit Chen Xin'an outwardly displayed moved emotions, inwardly he felt not the slightest ripple.
'Forgive me, Father.'
'I already belong to the Young Master...'
Cradling Chen Xin'an's soul, the Peak Master returned to Mending Heaven Peak's summit in a single step. He then molded clay into human form and carefully placed the soul within.
"Don't worry, this is only temporary. You were schemed against by that Innate Daoist, hence this mishap. With me here, a dozen years of recuperation will restore your peak cultivation. As for your physical body, I can reshape it for you. Given time, you'll still have the chance to assault the Foundation Establishment realm!"
The Peak Master spoke patiently.
Clearly, he interpreted Chen Xin'an's silence as despondency after failure, hence his comforting words. Superficially, his paternal affection overflowed.
Chen Xin'an responded perfunctorily, his thoughts turning to Lü Yang's mission.
"Father, in my current state, can I truly attempt Foundation Establishment?" Chen Xin'an looked up, his face showing just the right amount of dejection.
"Of course!"
The Peak Master smiled faintly. "I possess a Foundation Establishment treasure called Creation Jade Clay, which I intend to use to reshape your body."
"This grants you an innate ten percent chance at breakthrough."
"Combine that with mastering the Thought-Severing Heaven-Seeing Silkworm Secret and the third-grade true qi from the Mending Heaven True Classic, and you'll have a thirty percent chance at Foundation Establishment."
Such ordinary methods...
Having been thoroughly processed by Lü Yang, Chen Xin'an was utterly loyal, now solely considering how to scout precious resources within the Saint Sect for his master.
"Thirty percent... isn't that too low?"
Chen Xin'an sighed. "Father, I don't want to gamble on thirty percent. If possible, I'd prefer greater certainty before attempting breakthrough."
"Oh?"
The Peak Master paused, then showed pleased approval. "Good. With this mindset, how could I blame you? As for other methods to increase success... there are indeed some. I recall a True Lord recently emerged from seclusion, decreeing the resumption of the Righteous-Demonic War."
"Righteous-Demonic War?"
Chen Xin'an blinked. Lü Yang's divine sense monitoring this conversation within him also pricked up with curiosity—how was this war related to Foundation Establishment breakthroughs?
Seeing Chen Xin'an's confusion, the Peak Master chuckled:
"It's normal you wouldn't know. You grew up in the Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds as my descendant, insulated from such matters."
"Why do you think we fight tooth and nail against Jiangnan?"
Chen Xin'an instinctively replied: "Because righteousness and demonic paths cannot coexist..."
"That's bullshit!"
The Peak Master shook his head. "Both sides follow the 'Form-Refining Ascension Dao,' merely with different styles. The labels are just names."
"Would you fight to the death over a name?"
He pointed upward. "The so-called Righteous-Demonic War is essentially True Lords contending over Dao lineages!"
"If our Saint Sect wins and advances into Jiangnan, the True Lords' Fruit Positions expand accordingly, strengthening their cultivation. If the Sword Pavilion wins and pushes into Jiangbei, their positions weaken. It's less a war than a Dao-Seizing Battle!"
"For this, most Saint Sect True Persons garrison Jiangnan."
"Including Qi Refining disciples—the Sea of Clouds merely trains newcomers. The Dao-Seizing War's battlefield is the true proving grounds!"
"Most Saint Sect True Persons emerged from there."
"Because the war's outcome affects not just True Lords' Fruit Positions, but also greatly benefits us lower cultivators under their aegis."
"Including opportunities to enhance Foundation Establishment chances."
"Take that junior Yinshan—he distinguished himself in the war a dozen years ago, helping his True Lord seize Jiangnan's mass grave, enabling his breakthrough."
Yet the Peak Master ultimately shook his head: "That said, the battlefield is perilous—nine deaths for one survival. With me here, you needn't take such risks. At worst, I'll petition the True Lords for a Foundation Establishment Pill..."
He patted Chen Xin'an's shoulder.
"In short, focus on recuperating. I await the day you establish your foundation and inherit my legacy."
His smile was kindly, like a farmer eagerly anticipating his seeds sprouting, blooming... and finally bearing fruit.
.........
Within a Mending Heaven Peak cave abode.
Lü Yang reviewed the intelligence gleaned through Chen Xin'an, contemplative: "Righteous-Demonic Dao-Seizing War, lineage conflicts, Foundation Establishment opportunities..."
This resolved a long-standing puzzle.
He'd always felt the Saint Sect had surprisingly few disciples.
Take Mending Heaven Peak—mostly early and mid Qi Refining disciples, with late-stage practitioners rare and perfected ones virtually unseen.
This made little sense.
Given Foundation Establishment's low success rate, vast numbers of perfected Qi Refining cultivators would be needed to produce sufficient True Persons.
Theoretically, late and perfected Qi Refiners shouldn't be uncommon.
Yet reality differed.
Now it seemed the disciples weren't missing—they were simply at the warfront!
"So the Sea of Clouds is essentially the rear."
"Perfected Qi Refiners remaining here are mostly those like Luo Wuya and Chen Xin'an—backed by True Persons, exempt from battlefield risks."
The more Lü Yang considered, the clearer his vision became.
"In the Dao-Seizing War, True Lords must personally oversee, preventing scenarios like True Persons bullying Qi Refiners!"
"Meaning Fulong Arhat wouldn't dare come."
"If I can breakthrough on that battlefield, it'd be safest!"
Compared to Fulong Arhat, Qi Refiners on that battlefield were negligible—if I can't handle Foundation Establishment, can't I handle you?
"Better a rooster's head than a phoenix's tail!"
Reflecting on past encounters—what monsters had he faced?
Ancestor Nether Whisper's Foundation Establishment reincarnation; the half-crippled mid-stage Mending Heaven Peak Master; peak-condition mid-stage Fulong Arhat... each more outrageous than the last!
"I've gotten ahead of myself!"
Lü Yang remorsefully reflected:
"Truthfully, I was never skilled at combat. My forte is leveraging higher cultivation to dominate weaker opponents..."
His gaze firmed with resolve.
I'm returning to the beginner village to show off!