Chapter 32: Target: Liu Xin!
[You were crushed to death by the Mending Heaven Peak Lord's finger.]
[Current remaining pages in the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes: 95]
[Restarting a lifetime, you may select one of the following rewards from your previous life:
1: Treasure.
2: Cultivation.
3: Lifespan.
4: Abandon all rewards and randomly awaken a talent based on your previous life's experiences.]
"Those whose names are called, step forward."
Liu Xin's voice came from the stage, but Lü Yang remained dazed for a long time, his mind seemingly still lingering on that furious sword strike from his previous life.
"An ant shaking a mighty tree... not entirely wrong..."
Lü Yang exhaled deeply. Despite witnessing firsthand the gap between himself and a Foundation Establishment True Person, he wasn't discouraged—instead, his fighting spirit burned even brighter.
With the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] in hand, what didn't kill him would only make him stronger.
It was merely starting over from scratch.
With this thought, Lü Yang looked again at the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] interface. In his previous life, he had stubbornly focused solely on cultivation, leaving him with nothing but Qi Refining sixth-tier cultivation.
Yet he couldn't choose cultivation.
After all, as long as the hidden dangers of the [Nine Transforming Dragon Art] remained, he couldn't practice this technique—it would be like carrying a ticking time bomb.
"I choose talent."
[Settling accounts for your previous life's experiences...]
[After your death, the tale of you drawing your sword against a Foundation Establishment cultivator spread. Countless mocked you for overestimating yourself, unaware that you weren't entirely without achievement.]
[Though you still failed to harm the Foundation Establishment True Person in the slightest, at the moment before you were crushed to death, you miraculously broke through a bottleneck in swordsmanship, forcing the Mending Heaven Peak Lord to exert slightly more effort to finish you off. Later, he remarked that though you were but an ant, you still had some skill.]
[You have awakened the purple-grade talent: Some Skill.]
[Some Skill: No matter how terrifying the attack you face, as long as it lies within your capability limits, you can effortlessly respond twice.]
"What kind of talent is this?"
Lü Yang frowned. At first glance, it seemed like an absolute defense divine skill, but the phrase "within your capability limits" in the description somewhat diluted its power.
However, he soon stopped dwelling on it. After all, the reason he chose talent was simply to avoid the hidden dangers of practicing the [Nine Transforming Dragon Art] from his previous life. If the talent was strong, all the better; if weak, it didn't matter. Compared to this, Lü Yang was more concerned about whether there was a way to evade the Mending Heaven Peak Lord's calculations.
"If all else fails, I'll just have to abandon the [Nine Transforming Dragon Art]..."
"Lü Yang."
"...Here!"
Liu Xin's voice from the stage snapped Lü Yang back to reality, and he hurriedly stepped onto the platform. Just like in previous lifetimes, Liu Xin assigned him to the Pleasure Hall.
The next moment, Lü Yang suddenly froze.
"Wait... I remember, my Myriad Spirits Banner seemed to have refined in a formidable figure, very likely a true disciple of the Saint Sect."
This didn't add up.
He had merely practiced a technique, and the Mending Heaven Peak Lord deduced karma to track him down. Yet Liu Xin had killed a true disciple!
How was he still alive?
At this thought, Lü Yang's eyes suddenly gleamed sharply as he stared fixedly at Liu Xin on the stage.
"That's it—the only explanation is that he possesses another miraculous treasure capable of obscuring karma, preventing Foundation Establishment True Persons from deducing any information about him!"
In an instant, Lü Yang's mind buzzed with activity.
Immediately afterward, he changed his approach, replicating his actions from the first lifetime by publicly killing Yu Suzhen on the spot, successfully drawing Liu Xin's attention.
Obtaining half of the Innate Dao Book from Liu Xin.
Secluding himself to cultivate.
Then, just as he expected, on a dark and windy night, a fully prepared Liu Xin, humming a tune, arrived at the entrance of his cave dwelling.
"Junior Brother Lü, are you there?"
Lü Yang remained silent.
Seeing this, Liu Xin wasn't surprised. Instead, he sneered before patiently opening his storage pouch and taking out formation flags to arrange around the area.
These were soundproofing and illusion-creating formations, ensuring that no matter what happened inside, not a trace would be detected outside. Liu Xin had done similar things many times before, and to this day, no one had connected the incidents to him. Even if someone tried deducing through karma...
At this thought, Liu Xin touched the pouch at his chest and smiled confidently.
Even if someone tried deducing through karma, it would be useless!
Soon, once the formations were set up, Liu Xin no longer concealed himself. He erupted with true qi, cleaving open Lü Yang's cave dwelling with a sword strike before striding inside.
"Junior Brother Lü, no use hiding. This senior brother needs someone like you...!?"
Liu Xin's voice abruptly cut off.
Inside the cave dwelling, Lü Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, looking at him with a faint smile—completely unlike someone who had practiced half of the Innate Dao Book!
"...This isn't right!"
In that instant, Liu Xin's pupils contracted sharply, and a banner appeared in his hand.
But it was already too late.
The next moment, as a red light flashed, Liu Xin felt most of his true qi and flesh being drained away. Staggering, he collapsed to the ground!
Heaven-Slashing Blood River Sword Formation!
Lü Yang had long since laid out the formation diagram at the entrance of his cave dwelling. Thus, Liu Xin's forced entry was no different from walking into a trap, allowing Lü Yang to effortlessly capture him.
"Senior Brother, I've been waiting for you."
Looking at the fallen Liu Xin and recalling how he had been deceived to the point of death in the first lifetime, Lü Yang sneered. Finally, you're in my hands!
If our roles were reversed, I'd show you what cruelty truly means!
"Who the hell are you!?"
Liu Xin lay paralyzed on the ground, unable to muster an ounce of strength, utterly baffled by the situation. Had he been schemed against? By a newly admitted disciple?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
"Are you a spy from a righteous sect? Wait, don't kill me—I can be useful to you... I possess a superior Dao book that can help you achieve Foundation Establishment!"
In this critical moment, Liu Xin could no longer hold back, revealing his greatest secret.
"Besides that, I have a magic treasure containing a Saint Sect true disciple who knows many secrets about the Saint Sect... no, the Primordial Demon Sect."
"Spare me, and all of this will be yours..."
Before Liu Xin could finish, Lü Yang activated the Blood-Transforming Divine Light, sucking him dry until only a human husk remained: "Fool—kill you, and it's all mine anyway!"
"You're mine too!"
Immediately afterward, Lü Yang reached out, grabbing the Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner. He shook the banner, sweeping it over Liu Xin's corpse.
In his second-to-last life, he had read the Innate Dao Book and naturally knew how to activate this treasure.
As Liu Xin's corpse fell into the banner, it vaporized into qi. After churning within the banner for a long time, Lü Yang flicked the banner's surface, causing Liu Xin to reappear.
However, the Liu Xin who reemerged had become a banner spirit of the Myriad Spirits Banner. Lü Yang had deliberately preserved his memories, so when Liu Xin revived, he stared at Lü Yang in disbelief: "Junior Brother Lü... impossible! How could you possibly know how to activate the Myriad Spirits Banner?"
"What did you call me?"
Lü Yang sneered. "Do I need to teach you how a banner spirit should address its master? Or would you prefer to have your soul scattered?"
"Spare me, my lord! Liu Xin pays respects to my lord!"
Liu Xin's legs instantly gave way, and he knelt on the ground. Though he retained all his memories from life, he couldn't muster even a shred of hatred toward Lü Yang, who had killed him with his own hands.
Every thought was filled with absolute loyalty.
Such was the tyranny of the Myriad Spirits Banner. Though banner spirits appeared no different from living beings at first glance, their wills had long been seized, leaving them incapable of true autonomy.