Chapter 25: Daoist Hong Yun's Terrifying Luck
Chapter 25: The Horror of Hong Yun
The explosion of treasure light surged like a tidal wave, instantly tearing apart the formation laid by Qing Chen Fairy before engulfing Lü Yang, Liu Xin, and Chen Xin'an.
Liu Xin was the first to scream. Having summoned banner spirits to deal with Lü Yang and expended most of his qi to summon Chen Xin'an, he had no strength left to resist the blast. His body was instantly ignited and reduced to ashes, the Myriad Spirits Banner falling limply from his grasp.
"Truly worthy of a Saint Sect disciple..."
With Liu Xin dead, Chen Xin'an, though still capable of holding on, found it impossible to sustain his existence any longer. He sighed deeply before dissipating into the wind.
As for Lü Yang, he was completely swallowed by the treasure light, vanishing without a trace.
Only after a long while did the boiling radiance gradually settle, revealing Xiao Shiye's figure, his face brimming with wild triumph.
"I won!"
Xiao Shiye laughed excitedly. Though self-detonating a spirit treasure was his trump card, using it came with many limitations—it was far too easy for enemies to evade.
To kill with this move, one first had to restrict the battlefield to ensure a hit.
Second, the explosion's power couldn't be concentrated—wide-ranging yet too dispersed—so the enemy had to be weakened enough to guarantee a fatal strike.
Lastly, spirit treasures had their own consciousness and might refuse to self-detonate.
"Luck is still on my side!"
Ever since joining the Primordial Saint Sect, Xiao Shiye felt as though his fortune had completely turned. Whatever he wanted, he got. Whatever he did, it seemed divinely aided.
When speculating on Substitute Death Yin Puppets, he sold at the peak, earning hundreds of thousands of Contribution Points.
A casual trip to the mortal world led him to stumble upon a lost magical treasure left behind by predecessors.
When pursued by enemies, he conveniently found Lü Yang to serve as a scapegoat.
No matter what crisis he faced, he always emerged unscathed through a series of coincidences, reaping the greatest benefits.
"What a fine Myriad Spirits Banner—from now on, it's mine..."
Just as Xiao Shiye stepped forward to claim the treasure, a blood-shrouded figure appeared beside him at the same moment, also reaching out to grasp the banner.
Seeing this, Xiao Shiye froze, then his entire body began trembling.
"What? Does Brother Xiao also want this treasure?"
The blood-shadow rippled before slowly revealing Lü Yang's face. Turning to Xiao Shiye with a grin, he frightened him into a full-body shudder.
Are you human or ghost?
Xiao Shiye's face turned deathly pale as he stared at the Blood-Transforming Divine Light swirling around Lü Yang. The images of those Lü Yang had drained into husks flashed through his mind.
In the next second, he hastily released the banner and bowed respectfully.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother! This junior was merely safeguarding the Myriad Spirits Banner for you. Now, it returns to its rightful owner!"
"Thoughtful of you."
Lü Yang chuckled as he took the "Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner," examining it briefly before channeling magic power into it and shaking out two storage pouches—Liu Xin's and Qing Chen Fairy's.
Opening them, he found the Innate Dao Book prominently displayed, alongside the Secrets of Formation Treasures, clearly belonging to Qing Chen Fairy.
"All excellent finds..."
Lü Yang sighed in admiration, committing the contents of both books to memory before turning his gaze to Xiao Shiye, who was slowly backing away, trying to put distance between them.
Truthfully, Xiao Shiye's killing move had indeed been unexpected.
A self-detonating spirit treasure could obliterate even a peak Qi Refining cultivator—a theoretically unstoppable attack. Yet Lü Yang was the exception among exceptions.
Because he cultivated the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light.
In his blood-shadow form, Lü Yang was merely human-shaped—present in form but not substance. His true spirit resided entirely within his Sword Pill. So long as the Sword Pill remained intact, he would not die.
Against Xiao Shiye's spirit treasure explosion, the Sword Pill forged from gold essence and jade marrow was far sturdier than mere flesh. Though not entirely unscathed, it avoided annihilation, allowing Lü Yang to reform once the blast subsided—claiming the greatest spoils.
Thinking this, Lü Yang found Xiao Shiye remarkably pleasing to the eye.
His initial judgment had been correct—this Xiao Shiye was truly talented! Without him, how could Lü Yang have reaped such bountiful rewards?
"Many thanks to Junior Brother Xiao for this."
"To express my gratitude, I'll send you on your way."
Lü Yang chuckled lightly before waving a hand, sending a streak of blood light onto Xiao Shiye. Before the latter could utter a word, he was drained into a withered husk.
Keeping such a person alive was far too risky.
With luck so high, what if he later rose to power and sought revenge? It was far simpler to eliminate the root of trouble outright.
"But to die just like that?" Lü Yang stroked his chin as he examined Xiao Shiye's corpse, somewhat surprised. "With luck like a Chosen One, shouldn't a savior have appeared to stop me? I was fully prepared for interference, yet it ended so easily..."
At this thought, Lü Yang's heart stirred, and he activated the Qi-Observing Art once more to inspect Xiao Shiye.
A bizarre sight unfolded.
Previously, Xiao Shiye had radiated treasure light—overflowing with fortune. But now, all that radiance had vanished without a trace.
Watching this, Lü Yang couldn't help but form a thought:
This man's fortune has run dry.
"Ai..."
The next moment, a sigh suddenly sounded.
Lü Yang raised his head, gaze locking onto the sky, his expression freezing mid-shock as all thoughts and movements halted in that instant.
Without warning, a figure appeared before Xiao Shiye's corpse.
Cloaked in crane-feather robes, lips curled in a smile, and gently waving a feather fan, the man appeared the very image of a dashing scholar out for a spring stroll.
Yet with his arrival, the entire world seemed to lose its color. He alone became the focal point of all existence, concentrating within himself all the fortune, wealth, and luck of heaven and earth—a favorite of the heavens, evoking involuntary envy and resentment.
"Only this much to show for it?"
The newcomer beckoned lightly, and the Innate Dao Book and Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner, which Lü Yang had just stored away, flew out from the pouch into his hands.
At that moment, a voice abruptly rang out: "Hong Yun, you've left seclusion?"
The Daoist named "Hong Yun" lifted his head as if meeting someone's gaze and chuckled lightly. "What choice did I have? The one I chose died suddenly."
The voice expressed surprise. "Died? How could your chosen one die? What happened?"
"Laughably, his luck ran out."
"I bestowed him with such fortune intending for him to fish the colorful fish from the Merit Pool. But variables piled up, exhausting his luck prematurely."
"With luck spent, death naturally came knocking."
Having said this, Daoist Hong Yun weighed the Innate Dao Book in his hand, shook his head, and casually stored it away before turning his gaze to Lü Yang.
"This one, however, is somewhat interesting..."
Daoist Hong Yun pinched his fingers in calculation, his smile widening. "This man carries tremendous variables. The recent stir over Substitute Death Yin Puppets seems tied to him."
"Hmm... His background checks out, but how could a mortal have Qi Refining fourth-layer cultivation upon entry? Deliberately concealed—likely a rogue cultivator learning outside the sect. No matter... Wait, no. He mastered the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Formula before joining? Could he be a spy from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion?"
The more Daoist Hong Yun deduced, the greater his interest grew.
Every secret of Lü Yang's—except the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes—was unraveled through causality, laid bare strand by strand. Only at the end did Daoist Hong Yun frown:
"...He cultivates the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light?"
In the next instant, the interest in Daoist Hong Yun's eyes rapidly dissipated, replaced by an expression of disgust.
A blood-shadow transformation meant the end of the immortal path. Such a cultivator was no longer worth his attention, let alone qualified to be the next "Chosen One."
"Pity about that colorful fish in the Merit Pool. Since it wasn't caught this time, we'll have to wait for the next opportunity."
Daoist Hong Yun withdrew his gaze and took a step forward, vanishing like an angler who'd exhausted his bait and left empty-handed.
Leaving Lü Yang standing alone.
Drenched in sweat.