Chapter 292: The Terror of Golden Talent!
Chapter 292: The Terror of the Golden Talent!
Three days later.
Lü Yang carefully contemplated the gains from this cultivation session.
"Excellent, it truly works!"
"Previously, it was for the sake of the technique that I resorted to direct torment. But now it's different—killing them outright would be too wasteful of resources."
Moreover, this approach actually benefited his pursuit of gold!
"[Pomegranate Wood] is a variant of wood, pure gold yet belonging to wood, yielding abundant fruits, its chambers gleaming—thus my cultivation aligns perfectly with its fundamental imagery!"
Of course, this was merely a coincidence.
The reason Lü Yang had chosen [Pomegranate Wood] as his target for gold-seeking in this lifetime was purely for the sake of his Dao path.
With this thought, Lü Yang turned his head.
True Person Xiuxin had already regained her clarity.
As for Yun Miaozhen, she had been watching until just moments ago.
"Alright, both of you, rise."
Lü Yang extended his hand and pulled True Person Xiuxin to her feet. She offered no resistance.
He then conjured a spiritual flame to evaporate all traces at the scene, thoroughly cleansing it, before nodding in satisfaction at the master-disciple pair.
"Today's events between you and me—forget them entirely."
"Furthermore, cease all actions regarding Yun Miaoqing. From now on, you sisters must work together in harmony."
Both Yun Miaozhen and True Person Xiuxin nodded obediently.
Watching this scene, Lü Yang felt a surge of accomplishment. Regardless of the process, at least this time he had done a good deed, hadn't he?
'I truly am a good person!'
With this thought, he turned to True Person Xiuxin. "Tell me about the Sword Pavilion's recent movements. And has the Saint Sect made any major moves in Jiangbei?"
He needed to confirm the timeline.
Since Yun Miaoqing had not yet fallen into the Saint Sect's clutches, Lü Yang could only deduce that the restart point of this lifetime was likely close to his first anchor point.
'It might even be the exact same time, just in a different location.'
'Judging by Yun Miaozhen's actions, she was already scheming to have Yun Miaoqing abducted by Saint Sect disciples and reduced to a human cultivation manual.'
Just as this thought crossed his mind, True Person Xiuxin spoke softly:
"The Sword Pavilion has recently been mobilizing forces, led by Third Elder [True Person Dangmo], preparing to attack the mass grave and uproot this Wonder entirely."
"Oh?" Lü Yang's eyebrows shot up at this.
The Jiangnan mass grave!
'If I recall correctly, this mass grave was established by the Saint Sect after their victory in the Dao-Seizing War, later recaptured by the Sword Sect through some means.'
The fall of the Jiangnan mass grave directly triggered the Saint Sect's "Substitute Death Yin Puppet bubble." Eventually, news spread that the Sect Master True Lord himself had intervened, reclaiming the mass grave and reaching a truce with the Sword Pavilion—leading to a brutal harvest of qi-refining disciples.
At the time, it had seemed insignificant.
But now, upon reflection, Lü Yang detected numerous anomalies in the affair... The biggest issue being the claim that the Sect Master True Lord had personally intervened!
'The Saint Sect True Lord charging into Jiangnan to reclaim a mass grave?'
'Impossible!'
'While the mass grave is important, it's ultimately just a Wonder like the [Kingdom of Qing]—merely a pawn in the strategic games between Golden Core True Lords.'
For a mere pawn, would the player personally enter the board?
This was akin to the Dao Court Emperor personally leading a northern expedition when Chong Guang destroyed the [Kingdom of Qing]—utterly implausible.
As for deliberately spreading news to harvest disciples? Even more unlikely. Saint Sect Contribution Points were exclusively designed for qi-refining talents, useless to Foundation Establishment True Persons. What purpose would harvesting them serve? At most, it would be a trivial side effect.
Unless—
'Something emerged from that mass grave—something even a True Lord coveted—but the Sword Pavilion discovered it first and seized it?'
Considering the eventual truce between the Saint Sect and Sword Pavilion, neither side likely suffered losses—the Sword Pavilion might even have gained a slight advantage.
'There's a secret behind this!'
Lü Yang's eyes flickered, but he quickly regained his composure. Personally investigating was out of the question—his goal for this lifetime had already been set.
He would develop quietly, then astonish everyone!
'Lay low, use the Dharma Body to gather resources externally, nurture the immortal spirit body, push straight to Foundation Establishment Perfection before emerging, then directly seek gold!'
To achieve this, he needed many white-gloved pawns.
'The [Puppet on Strings] talent is perfect here. Let True Person Xiuxin investigate the Jiangnan mass grave on my behalf and uncover its secrets.'
With this thought, Lü Yang turned his gaze back to the two women.
The next moment, he snapped his fingers—pop—and vanished on the spot. True Person Xiuxin and Yun Miaozhen shuddered abruptly.
"Ah—!"
Their bodies swayed slightly as they instinctively checked themselves but found nothing amiss. Their gazes remained clear when they exchanged glances.
"...Miaozhen."
After a moment of silence, True Person Xiuxin suddenly shook her head. "Let's postpone Miaoqing's matter. This master has decided to accept the sect's summons."
"I will soon depart for the Jiangnan mass grave."
"We can handle Miaoqing's affairs after my return. Agreed?"
Yun Miaozhen showed no change in expression and nodded. "Miaozhen understands. Master's orders take precedence. Miaoqing's matter can wait indefinitely."
True Person Xiuxin nodded slightly. "Good."
From start to finish, neither woman detected anything amiss—their personalities remained unchanged—yet they still made the decisions Lü Yang desired.
Hidden in the shadows, Lü Yang nodded in satisfaction.
"For safety's sake, I'll test them for a few more days."
"Once I confirm [Puppet on Strings] is flawless, I'll have True Person Xiuxin summon all her friends—set the trap—then systematically take control of them one by one."
Though [Puppet on Strings] had cultivation restrictions—only allowing control over cultivators weaker than himself—with gradual accumulation, the terrifying potential of this talent would only grow more formidable in the later stages!
(End of Chapter)