Chapter 313: Sword Pavilion's Divine Decree, Another Opportunity?
Chapter 313: Sword Pavilion's Decree, Another Opportunity?
Lü Yang had long coveted the Fate-Linked Karma Rewriting Talisman Book, a Fruit Position Treasure. Among all treasures he had encountered, its effects were the most domineering.
Using Fate's Breath as brushstrokes and merit as ink, words written upon it could directly mobilize the power of heaven and earth to manifest their intent.
This was already a technique at the True Lord level, far surpassing ordinary Fruit Position Treasures—evidence of how much effort Daoist Hong Yun had invested in refining it.
"May I ask your honorable name, fellow Daoist?"
"Yuan Tu."
As Lü Yang spoke, Hong Ju immediately extended his hand and lightly tapped the Fate-Linked Karma Rewriting Talisman Book. A brief line of text appeared almost instantly:
[Yuan Tu's cultivation depth reaches perfection; may seek Shen Metal qi.]
In the next moment, Lü Yang noticed Hong Ju's accumulated merit and fortune plummet sharply, while an inexplicable intuition arose within his own heart.
'...It worked!'
Lü Yang was inwardly delighted. Through the Fate-Linked Karma Rewriting Talisman Book, he had directly fulfilled the merit and fortune requirement for seeking the second Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends.
To be precise, Hong Ju had paid this price on his behalf. And in this lifetime as an Innate Celestial Spirit, he lacked the cultivation bottlenecks faced by ordinary cultivators. As long as he found the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends and fused them into his celestial spirit form, he could naturally achieve a breakthrough!
"My thanks, fellow Daoist."
Seeing this, Lü Yang smiled in satisfaction and, true to his word, used his divine sense to inscribe the Upper Bright Golden Lamp Jade Light method before presenting it to Hong Ju.
"Think nothing of it—just fulfilling my duty."
Hong Ju accepted the secret method and, after a brief perusal, revealed a smile. His expression toward Lü Yang grew noticeably warmer—this was an honest man.
He hadn't even turned hostile!
At this thought, Hong Ju's gaze toward Lü Yang gradually turned peculiar. A radiant glow of divine abilities began to shimmer around him as his divine sense locked onto Lü Yang.
He wanted to turn hostile now.
"Fellow Daoist... have you shared this method with anyone else?"
"No."
Lü Yang replied indifferently, simultaneously emanating his own divine brilliance—two golden and one pink—while an intoxicating fragrance began to permeate the surroundings.
Essence of All Flowers!
Witnessing this, Hong Ju's expression shifted slightly, as if recalling the scene in the Heaven of Non-Existence where he had been utterly humiliated by over a hundred Heavenly Maidens.
This divine ability from the Heaven of Non-Existence was a bewitching art. At its peak, it could enchant not just living beings but even inanimate objects. Now unleashed, its pervasive influence made Hong Ju suddenly feel that this fellow Daoist wasn't so bad after all, and he hesitated to harm him...
"...Break!"
In the next instant, Hong Ju activated his divine ability with a thunderous shout, dispelling Lü Yang's influence. After all, he was still a Grand True Person at Foundation Establishment Perfection.
"A divine ability bestowed by the Heaven of Non-Existence?" Hong Ju narrowed his eyes, his gaze icy.
His words carried palpable killing intent, yet Lü Yang remained calm: "What? Does fellow Daoist intend to keep this avatar of mine here as a guest?"
'Avatar?'
Hong Ju was momentarily stunned, then frowned skeptically: "Fellow Daoist's avatar is remarkably subtle—I couldn't detect it at all. Might I inquire what marvelous method this is?"
Lü Yang replied placidly: "The Immortal Embryo Worldly Residence Secret Record."
"Tch!"
All divine radiance abruptly withdrew as Hong Ju's expression transformed into one of enthusiastic warmth: "With such a marvelous method at your disposal, you should have said so earlier!"
The fact that Lü Yang could name the Immortal Embryo Worldly Residence Secret Record made Hong Ju eighty percent convinced. After all, paired with a superior spiritual treasure as its vessel, such a method could create an avatar indistinguishable from a real person, capable of roaming the world in place of the original body. Even if killed, it would cause no harm to the caster's true form.
In that case, there was no need to make an enemy.
Leaving roots unremoved was worse than not cutting grass at all. As a True Person of the Saint Sect himself, Hong Ju not only extended goodwill but even produced a spiritual treasure to press into Lü Yang's hands.
"A token of apology—fellow Daoist must not refuse!"
Looking down, Lü Yang saw it was actually a mid-tier spiritual treasure, gleaming brilliantly. If fused with Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, it might even advance to superior grade!
"Then I'll accept graciously."
"Safe travels, fellow Daoist!"
Bidding farewell to Hong Ju's enthusiastic send-off, Lü Yang departed the mountain forest and soared on a beam of light. Only after traveling over ten thousand li did he pause amidst the clouds.
"Hmph... trying to play me?"
He weighed the spiritual treasure Hong Ju had given him in his hand beforewith a cold laugh—then casually tossed the precious treasure down from the clouds!
Having done this, he transformed into light once more and departed.
Not long after Lü Yang left, Hong Ju's figure quietly materialized, holding the very spiritual treasure he had just "gifted."
'This person must be from our Saint Sect... not so easily fooled.'
Hong Ju sighed helplessly. He was confident his methods were undetectable—the other's rejection of his treasure stemmed purely from caution.
There was no countering that.
If Lü Yang had actually discovered something, adjustments could be made. But simple wariness—this style of conduct left few openings to exploit.
"...Very well."
With these words, his figure dissipated into the breeze.
Jiangnan, Hidden Sword Manor.
Lü Yang's true body opened its eyes, showing not a trace of regret for discarding a spiritual treasure with potential to reach superior grade—the matter was forgotten in an instant.
Though he hadn't actually detected any issues, nor known about Hong Ju's subsequent surveillance, this didn't prevent him from treating the treasure as a ticking time bomb. The same went for his avatar—another potential hazard.
What if someone tracked the avatar back to his true body?
Thus he had no intention of recalling the avatar, instead sealing it away to be reawakened when needed.
Just then, the door abruptly swung open.
True Person Xiuxin entered the chamber with her usual icy demeanor, but her expression immediately thawed like spring melting winter's frost, her beautiful eyes glistening with moisture.
"Master... a message from the Sword Pavilion."
"Oh?"
Lü Yang raised an eyebrow, examining the flying letter she presented. Its contents were simple: a summons for all Foundation Establishment cultivators under Sword Pavilion's jurisdiction.
The signatory's name: Demon-Subduing.
From the recesses of memory, Lü Yang quickly recalled this figure—in previous lifetimes, it was this Sword Pavilion True Person who had conquered Jiangnan's mass grave!
In that case—
"Is Sword Pavilion finally making its move on the mass grave?"
Suddenly, Lü Yang sensed something—his sealed avatar had transmitted an inexplicable intuition, making him narrow his eyes.
'My opportunity... Shen Metal qi...'
Cross-referencing the avatar's sensed location with his calculations, Lü Yang's expression grew increasingly peculiar: '...In the direction of the mass grave? Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends gathering there?'
An opportunity?
No!
Lü Yang instantly heightened his vigilance. With Tribulation Wave in hand, he expertly swept himself with its Discernment divine ability.
'Phew... good, no deception at work.'
With this realization, Lü Yang's initial inclination to visit the mass grave immediately faded: 'No hurry—better send the puppet to investigate first.'