Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Senior Brother Zhao, This Is the Last Time
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"Noisy."
Before Lu Yang had even finished speaking, Guang Ming—who had been howling in tears—abruptly cut off his cries. He knelt on the ground, not daring to lift his head, feeling as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.
Lu Yang's demeanor was mild, however. He personally reached out and helped him to his feet.
"How have things been for you in the Pure Land?"
"I beg the Perfected Being's pardon for worrying over me."
Guang Ming was drenched in sweat, swallowing hard as he trembled.
"Many thanks to the Perfected Being for showing mercy and sparing this monk's life. I've been doing quite well in the Pure Land."
"Oh?" Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
"But you've gained some benefit?"
"No! None!"
Guang Ming shook his head frantically, blurting out, "It's just that my master promoted me to the position of head disciple in the Dragon-Subduing Temple. Nothing else besides that."
"I see." Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. Very good."
Only then did he get to the main point.
"To be honest, I have a small favor to ask. Would Fellow Daoist Guang Ming be willing to lend me a hand?"
Of course not!
Guang Ming's heart turned to ice, but his face broke into an expression of eager anticipation.
"To go through fire and water for the Perfected Being is the fortune of eight lifetimes for this monk!"
Lu Yang's smile grew even warmer at those words, his tone gentle and affable.
"Rest assured, it's only a minor matter. I currently have an excellent talent under my command named Zhao Xuhe. Like me, he cultivates the Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art, and his realm has long reached the peak of Qi Refining. He's currently preparing to attempt Foundation Establishment."
"At that time, I will personally act to cover for him."
Lu Yang spoke casually, but Guang Ming listened with terror in his heart. He hurriedly pounded his chest.
"Please rest easy, senior cultivator. This monk swears to keep it sealed tight!"
"Keep it sealed tight?"
Lu Yang shook his head with a laugh.
"Do I need you to keep it sealed? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill you? No, I want you to tell Fulong about this!"
"Ah?"
Guang Ming gaped, more bewildered than ever.
Lu Yang paid it no mind and continued.
"This doesn't even count as betrayal. In fact, it could help you earn merit, so there's no need to be too concerned."
Easy for him to say, but Guang Ming had already realized.
'No, this is wrong!'
'This is probably a trap! Using a cultivator who practices the Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art attempting Foundation Establishment to lure out my master—this demon wants to harm my master?'
At that thought, Guang Ming swallowed hard.
He was now the head disciple of the Dragon-Subduing Temple, with Fulong Arhat above him and no further advancement possible. But if Fulong Arhat died, things would be different.
With that in mind, Guang Ming lowered his voice to a rasping whisper.
"That's... that's my master!"
"My master who led me into the Dao, whom I regard as a father."
Lu Yang nodded in understanding at Guang Ming's wail.
"Don't worry, I have this under control. I guarantee this time he'll die without an intact corpse."
". . . Deal!"
Guang Ming agreed decisively, and only then did Lu Yang drift away.
After Lu Yang left, Guang Ming collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely while tremblingly pulling a stick of Awakening Incense from his robes.
Snap!
He lit the Awakening Incense, and as the smoke curled around him, Guang Ming's expression gradually steadied once more. After an unknown stretch of time, he suddenly opened his eyes.
But this time, when his eyes opened, everything was different.
". . . Heh."
Though his features remained the same, his brows relaxed, his gaze sharpened, and his entire bearing underwent a heaven-shaking transformation.
"In the end, he's just an ignorant junior who doesn't understand the wonders of our Pure Land's Dharma."
"Among the world's four directions, the least likely to be turned are probably our Pure Land's Buddhist cultivators. After all, we've refined ourselves into the 'self'—how could the 'self' betray itself?"
He had specially brought Guang Ming here precisely to use him as bait!
"Zhao Xuhe wants to lure me out and then ambush me? In that case, I'll turn the tables and make sure he fails to steal the chicken only to lose the rice!"
With that thought, Fulong Arhat patted Guang Ming's body, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"A bit clever, but cowardly and greedy for life, actually thinking of betraying me... Fine, I'll keep him for now to better deceive that Lu Yang and avoid raising suspicion. I'll deal with him after success."
The next moment, Fulong Arhat withdrew his consciousness.
A moment later, Guang Ming opened his eyes in bewilderment, ignoring everything else as he first glanced at the Awakening Incense beside him.
In an instant, his teeth nearly chattered uncontrollably.
'He came!'
This stick of Awakening Incense was his special creation, infused with profound mysteries. Its smoke intertwined with his spiritual sense, leaving an unmistakable mark in his mind.
The mark was exceedingly fragile—any external spiritual sense interference would erase it instantly.
But now, the mark was gone!
'No mistake, Master must have come. I just don't remember it, don't know it, can't detect it... He already knows Lu Yang came to me!'
Guang Ming exhaled deeply, taking a long while to regain his composure.
'He knows... That's good!'
'At least this way, I'm still useful to Master, and he won't kill me for a while. And I'm useful to Lu Yang too, so he probably won't kill me either.'
At that thought, a profound sense of helplessness washed over Guang Ming.
From the moment Lu Yang approached him, Guang Ming's wailing stemmed from realizing he had become a pawn manipulated by two Perfected Beings.
Side with Lu Yang, and Master would kill him.
Refuse, and Lu Yang would kill him.
'Things being as they are, I've outwardly sided with Lu Yang, but secretly I'm Master's puppet. And in that conversation just now, I actually hinted to Lu Yang as well.'
He had said: That's his master!
How could a master not have ways to control his disciple? As long as Lu Yang caught the implication, he would understand Guang Ming's true stance.
This way, he offended neither side and might find a path to survival.
By now, Lu Yang had cast Guang Ming to the back of his mind.
No matter what Guang Ming thought, it was irrelevant and meaningless to him. All he needed was for the intelligence on Zhao Xuhe to reach him through Guang Ming's mouth.
Next, he concealed his figure and arrived at a quiet chamber in the Skull Mountain market.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
In the chamber, Zhao Xuhe was in closed-door cultivation, utterly unaware of Lu Yang's arrival. Seeing this, Lu Yang extended a finger and tapped his brow.
"Sorry, Senior Brother Zhao. This is the last time."
As the words fell, a streak of yellow glow merged into Zhao Xuhe's body. Zhao Xuhe immediately felt his spirit refresh and his intent flow freely, as if communing with the entire Skull Mountain.
Lu Yang smiled in satisfaction.
Just moments ago, he had personally and unreservedly transferred control of the most vital inheritance of the Witch Ghost Path—the leyline of the eight-hundred-li Skull Mountain—to Zhao Xuhe!
The next second, a brilliant glow bloomed at Lu Yang's fingertip.
[Resolve Suspicion]!
The great net of causality stirred, and an intangible thought fell into Zhao Xuhe's sea of consciousness. The content was simple: Whoever obstructed his Foundation Establishment, he would fight them to the death.
Even at the cost of mutual destruction!
Under the influence of [Resolve Suspicion], if Zhao Xuhe were hindered in Foundation Establishment with no way to retreat, he would decisively unleash his most powerful card.
—Detonate the leyline!
In that instant, Lu Yang sensed a powerful wave of crisis. This was the world's resonance, a warning from the void targeting him.
If Zhao Xuhe truly detonated the leyline, he would inevitably suffer karmic backlash.
At that thought, the glow at Lu Yang's fingertip shifted abruptly.
[Separate Same and Different]!
His innate divine ability activated, instantly severing Lu Yang's sacred link to the Skull Mountain leyline. From this moment, he would bear no karma from it whatsoever—all causality would fall solely on Zhao Xuhe.
What did Zhao Xuhe's actions have to do with him?
The divine ability's radiance draped over Lu Yang like a cloak, washing away the karma. Soon, that sensation of being "targeted by heaven and earth" vanished.
Only then did Lu Yang smile in satisfaction, withdrawing his finger and gazing at Zhao Xuhe, still meditating with eyes closed.
Senior Brother Zhao, go ahead with peace of mind.
In your next life, I'll treat you well!
(End of Chapter)