Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Calamity
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“Junior Brother Xiao, you’re quite the talent.”
Lu Yang smiled as he patted Xiao Shiye on the shoulder. “My name is Lu Yang. We should have entered the sect in the same batch, so I don’t really count as a Senior Brother.”
“The same batch?”
Xiao Shiye’s face filled with surprise, which quickly turned to admiration. “In that case, Brother Lu’s talent must be exceptional to have achieved such a cultivation level.”
“I don’t deserve such praise.”
Lu Yang waved his hand. He was well aware of his own limitations; his talent was far from good. His usual cultivation relied on consuming pills, and his breakthroughs depended entirely on unorthodox techniques.
If he had followed the conventional path, he would probably still be stuck at the third level of the Qi Refining Realm.
After learning that Lu Yang was his contemporary, Xiao Shiye was no longer as reserved as before and quickly warmed up to him. After they had chatted for a while, Lu Yang tentatively asked, “I just had a breakthrough and was planning to return to my cave residence to stabilize my cultivation. Where are you headed, Brother Xiao?”
“To be honest, Brother Lu, I’m planning a trip to the Merit Pool.”
Xiao Shiye smiled. “I’ve heard that the Merit Pool is the ultimate test of luck. As it happens, I’ve been feeling rather fortunate lately, so I wanted to take the opportunity to try my hand.”
“The Merit Pool…”
A thought stirred in Lu Yang’s mind, and he said on a whim, “In that case, why don’t we go together?”
He had already tried the winning number from Xiao Shiye’s past life, so he was very curious to see what Xiao Shiye would choose this time and whether there was truly some foul play involved.
At the same time, within a sea of clouds outside Ten Thousand Treasures Peak.
A dozen or so figures stood silently. Their leader was a handsome young man in white robes who looked dashing and unrestrained, his body wreathed in clouds and mist.
Just then, one of them suddenly showed a look of delight.
“Senior Brother Liu, that person with the surname Xiao has come out.”
Before his voice had faded, the handsome young man seemed to awaken from his meditation. The clouds and mist dispersed, revealing a face that Lu Yang would never forget.
It was Liu Xin!
At this moment, Liu Xin had also broken through to the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, as a practitioner of the *Innate Dao Scripture*, he possessed an ethereal, immortal-like air that was uncommon among ordinary cultivators.
“He’s finally out…” Liu Xin smiled faintly. On the surface, he showed none of the ferocity of a Demon Sect cultivator, instead exuding a warm and approachable aura. However, when he circulated his True Qi and used an Aura Observation Art to look in Xiao Shiye’s direction, his smile suddenly froze.
“…Late-stage Qi Refining?”
Liu Xin’s brow furrowed slightly. He clearly hadn't expected Xiao Shiye to be accompanied by a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. This was a variable significant enough to make him alter his plans.
Just then, a soft gasp came from beside Liu Xin.
Liu Xin turned his head and smiled gently. “What is it, Qingchen? Could it be that you recognize that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator?”
Hearing this, the charming woman standing behind Liu Xin pursed her red lips. “To be honest, Senior Brother Liu, I do indeed recognize that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.”
Then, the woman spoke with a resentful tone, “That man is named Lu Yang, a disciple who joined a few months ago. During the Death-Substituting Yin Puppet incident, he left the market early and made a huge profit, at least ten thousand contribution points! I imagine he relied on that massive sum to break through to the late-stage of Qi Refining…”
The charming woman was none other than Fairy Qingchen, who had been by Zhao Xuhe’s side in the previous life.
Unlike the last life, however, this time Fairy Qingchen had fallen out with Zhao Xuhe long ago and had now become Liu Xin’s paramour.
The reason for their falling out was simple: Zhao Xuhe had dragged her into speculating on the Death-Substituting Yin Puppets.
When Zhao Xuhe went bankrupt, Fairy Qingchen naturally suffered the same fate.
Incidentally, Liu Xin had also speculated on them.
And because the impact of the Death-Substituting Yin Puppets was much greater in this life, their losses after the market crashed were far more severe than in the previous one.
Not only were they on the verge of bankruptcy, but they had also accumulated a large amount of external debt.
Because of this, the two were forced to resort to robbing their fellow disciples, something they had never done in their past life, to cover the losses from their speculation.
Over time, they even formed a team, its members all disciples with some background and influence in the sect who had gone bankrupt due to the puppet speculation. As for their targets, they focused on ordinary disciples who had made a fortune because they had invested little and exited early. Xiao Shiye was the target they had most recently set their sights on.
And now, after hearing Lu Yang’s story from Fairy Qingchen, Liu Xin’s eyes shone even brighter. It was clear he now saw Lu Yang as a target as well.
“There’s no time to lose. Let’s move!”
With Liu Xin’s order, everyone present let out sinister chuckles, then each mounted their escape light and flew towards Lu Yang and Xiao Shiye.
Just after leaving Ten Thousand Treasures Peak and flying for a distance through the sea of clouds, Lu Yang’s brow suddenly furrowed. The Sword Pellet at the center of his forehead throbbed with a warning.
Looking in the direction of the warning, Lu Yang’s frown deepened.
He saw that with him and Xiao Shiye at the center, escape lights were converging from all directions, like a great net closing in on their position.
Before long, a voice came from behind.
“Fellow Daoist, please wait!”
Lu Yang’s face immediately darkened.
To use such words, their intentions were clearly hostile!
Without looking back, Lu Yang ignored the voice behind him and focused on frantically channeling his magic power. A sword light enveloped Xiao Shiye as he fled with great speed toward the Merit Pool.
However, the other party had clearly come prepared. Lu Yang had not flown far before he was forced to stop. He looked around, only to see that the surrounding sea of clouds had, at some unknown point, thinned out. In its place was a vast and bizarre mirage, which had trapped both him and Xiao Shiye firmly in its center!
“Such an unexpected calamity…”
Lu Yang’s expression was grim. Observing from a distance with his Aura Observation Art, he gritted his teeth. “One late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, seven mid-stage… at most a thirty percent chance of victory.”
What should he do?
As Lu Yang pondered a countermeasure, Xiao Shiye, who was beside him, suddenly spoke. “Brother Lu, if I’m not mistaken, these people are all here for me.”
At this, Xiao Shiye’s face filled with regret. “It was my carelessness. They must be after the magic treasures and contribution points I possess. I thought that after several months, they would have given up, but I never expected them to be so persistent… At this point, let’s split up and flee.”
“Split up and flee?”
Lu Yang shook his head. “The enemy has already sealed off this entire area of clouds, likely using some powerful magic treasure. I’m afraid there’s no escape.”
“It’s alright, I have a way.”
Xiao Shiye said in a low voice, “I have two ‘Treasure-Breaking Awls.’ If I use them, I can open a path to escape. I’m willing to give one to you, Brother Lu.”
“Brother Lu, you go first. I will cover our rear.”
After speaking, he directly handed an awl to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang weighed it in his hand, and as he circulated his magic power, he immediately understood that Xiao Shiye was telling the truth. This magic treasure indeed had a high chance of breaking through the surrounding mirage.
“…Are you sure you want me to go first?” Lu Yang’s expression was unreadable.
“Brother Lu, the mountains are high and the road is long. I hope we meet again.”
Xiao Shiye cupped his hands, a look of peaceful acceptance on his face. Then, he turned to face the approaching enemies, clearly prepared to die.
Lu Yang watched him, lost in thought.
He had been in seclusion for three months and had made no enemies. It was impossible that these people were targeting him. Besides, compared to him, Xiao Shiye was clearly the fatter sheep.
So, what Xiao Shiye said was true.
If he abandoned him, he would most likely be able to escape.
So, should he do it?
Above the sea of clouds, watching Xiao Shiye’s figure advance fearlessly, as if he had already cast aside life and death, Lu Yang’s Sword Pellet throbbed a warning, and his face was a mask of uncertainty.