Chapter 355: Which Saint Sect Comrade Is This?
Chapter 355: Which Fellow Saint Sect Disciple Is This?
Northern Jiangbei, Skeleton Mountain Market.
Lü Yang was still traveling in his Dharma Body form, yet remained cautious, completely suppressing his qi aura. At first glance, he appeared to be nothing more than a down-and-out rogue cultivator.
'Caution preserves the ship for ten thousand years.'
'If I recall correctly, Skeleton Mountain at this time is under the watchful eyes of many Saint Sect True Persons—certainly not just True Person Yinshan alone!'
The Northern Frontier's Divine Martial Gate had a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Had it not been for a Grand True Person overseeing the sect, the Divine Martial Gate could never have become the sole hegemon of the Northern Frontier, let alone coveted the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm within Skeleton Mountain.
Yet, during the battle at Skeleton Mountain, True Person Yinshan not only lured out the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm but also drew forth a group of True Persons from the Divine Martial Gate. In the end, the sect master—the sole Grand True Person—was besieged and killed by the Saint Sect's True Persons. Only a few early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators managed to flee in disgrace, marking the beginning of the sect's inevitable downfall.
'In other words, there must be a Grand True Person watching this place!'
Strictly speaking, Lü Yang's original body wasn't even as strong as his avatar. Even with [Law Holding], he was only at mid-stage Foundation Establishment perfection—no match for a Grand True Person.
Thus, he remained utterly unarrogant.
"Senior Brother Zhao..."
Upon entering the market, Lü Yang swept the area with his divine sense and immediately spotted a familiar figure—none other than Zhao Xuhe, who had owed him a hefty sum of Contribution Points in previous lifetimes.
'As expected, he still cultivated the 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》.'
Lü Yang's gaze flickered slightly. Zhao Xuhe's cultivation had already reached Qi Refining perfection. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he would attempt his Foundation Establishment breakthrough within the next few years.
'Does that mean Fulong Arhat is also about to arrive?'
Lü Yang grinned.
But the next second, as if suddenly remembering something, he directed his divine sense into the Myriad Spirits Banner, locating the Mending Heaven Peak Master, whom he had refined into a banner spirit.
"Tell me—you must already be preparing to break through to the late stage, right?"
"Answering my master, yes."
Hearing this, Lü Yang's eyes lit up brightly. He lowered his voice and said, "In that case, you must have secretly obtained a strand of [Xin Metal] long ago, correct?"
Previously, Lü Yang had overlooked this matter. After all, in past timelines, the Mending Heaven Peak Master had waited a full century before attempting his late-stage Foundation Establishment breakthrough. However, upon seeing Zhao Xuhe, it suddenly dawned on him—the Peak Master had likely already possessed the qualifications to advance long ago!
The reason he hadn't attempted it was probably simply fear of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation!
Otherwise, why would he have had the leisure to nurture Zhao Xuhe? Seeking out Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends should have been his priority—without them, everything else was meaningless.
Of course, this was merely Lü Yang's speculation.
Thus, he still needed confirmation from the Mending Heaven Peak Master.
"..."
A moment later, Lü Yang withdrew his divine sense from the Myriad Spirits Banner, his expression shifting between gloom and brightness.
The good news was that the Mending Heaven Peak Master indeed had a lead on a strand of [Xin Metal]. The bad news was that this strand wasn't currently in his possession.
"...The Palace of Su Heng?"
Lü Yang's brows gradually furrowed.
This was a Wonder located in Northern Jiangbei, similar to the [Kingdom of Qing]. However, unlike the latter, it hadn't been established by the Dao Court's expansion into Jiangbei but rather by the Pure Land's incursion.
According to the Mending Heaven Peak Master, the [Xin Metal] was inside this Wonder.
Due to its connection with the Pure Land, the Peak Master had maintained friendly relations with Fulong Arhat. Judging by the outcome in his previous life, he had indeed succeeded in obtaining it.
From this, it was evident that Fulong Arhat was crucial to acquiring the [Xin Metal] within the Palace of Su Heng.
'But...the Pure Land, huh.'
Lü Yang felt a headache coming on. Ever since his near-fatal scare with the World-Honored One overseas, his attitude toward Pure Land Buddhist cultivators could be summed up in one phrase:
'Killable, insultable—just don't get creative!'
Thus, even though he possessed [Puppet on Strings] in this lifetime, Lü Yang had never considered infiltrating the Pure Land with an avatar to uncover its secrets.
After all, who knew what might happen if an avatar joined the Pure Land and became a Buddhist cultivator? While [Puppet on Strings] could deceive Golden Core cultivators, could it truly fool a Dao Lord? What if the World-Honored One possessed the avatar, discovered someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, and traced it back to him...
Wouldn't that be game over?
Though this was merely Lü Yang's concern—it was also possible that his talent was peerless, and even the World-Honored One wouldn't detect anything amiss—it remained a gamble.
And Lü Yang hated gambling more than anything!
'As long as I don't gamble, I can't lose!'
'Ultimately, [Puppet on Strings] is merely a talent settled using Xin Metal's Metal Essence. Betting that it can handle the World-Honored One across two realms is far too optimistic.'
The same logic applied to Fulong Arhat.
How could he extract information about the [Xin Metal] from him?
'Kill him and refine him into the Myriad Spirits Banner? No—he's an Arhat. Even if the World-Honored One senses something amiss and descends to investigate, it's still game over!'
If the World-Honored One possessed the Arhat, he would undoubtedly notice the embryonic Fruit Position within the Myriad Spirits Banner. Wouldn't he be overjoyed?
"Free Fruit Position delivery?"
While Lü Yang had previously refined some Buddhist cultivators into the banner, they were all Qi Refining realm—hardly even human—so it made sense that the World-Honored One hadn't taken notice.
But Foundation Establishment cultivators were True Persons.
Especially in this era where True Lords remained reclusive, the World-Honored One was highly likely to focus his attention on Foundation Establishment cultivators!
As for sending the Mending Heaven Peak Master and Chen Xin'an—father and son—to extract information via dual cultivation and soul-searching, that was even less reliable. What if the World-Honored One showed up midway?
"Tsk..."
At this thought, Lü Yang couldn't help but smack his forehead, inwardly cursing, 'It all comes down to the World-Honored One being shameless—a Nascent Soul Dao Lord still fishing in low-tier matches!'
Yet after much deliberation, he reached a decision:
'No matter what, capture him first!'
'At worst, I'll suppress him and take my time devising methods that won't alert the World-Honored One. I refuse to believe that bald donkey is truly unbreakable!'
With this resolution, Lü Yang immediately sprang into action.
First, he located Zhao Xuhe and gifted him the Foundation Establishment spiritual materials the Mending Heaven Peak Master had prepared for his children. Then, he used [Puppet on Strings] to manipulate Zhao Xuhe into attempting his breakthrough.
"Boom!"
In an instant, nearly half of the Skeleton Mountain Market trembled from the disturbance.
Lü Yang had employed this trick in the past two lifetimes and was thoroughly familiar with the process. Moreover, his current higher cultivation made executing it flawlessly effortless.
Soon, serene Buddhist chants echoed through Skeleton Mountain:
"Amitabha!"
Buddhist light suddenly parted as Fulong Arhat's familiar figure strode forth, wearing a compassionate smile. "Benefactor, you and this humble monk share a karmic bond..."
Simultaneously, several gazes descended from nowhere.
Just as Lü Yang had anticipated, Skeleton Mountain was currently teeming with Saint Sect True Persons, lying in wait for the Divine Martial Gate's Foundation Establishment cultivators to take the bait—ready to net them all in one swoop.
"A bald donkey from the Pure Land?"
"Why is he here?"
One Saint Sect True Person immediately began divining, then revealed an expression of realization. "The 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》... It was allowed into the Cloud Sea back then with the Mending Heaven Peak Master's approval."
"Should we stop him?"
"Forget it. Let him be. If we act, we might startle the Divine Martial Gate and let the fish escape—hardly worth it for a mere Qi Refining disciple..."
Yet at that very moment—
"Whoosh—"
A radiant light abruptly flashed, sweeping over Fulong Arhat. The latter had no chance to resist—with a startled "Ah!"—before being captured.
In an instant, all sounds ceased.
The Saint Sect True Persons present were all seasoned veterans. They instantly grasped the situation: someone had set a trap, deliberately capturing Fulong Arhat!
Moreover, judging by the display, the attacker's cultivation was at least mid-stage Foundation Establishment perfection!
A mid-stage perfection cultivator targeting a mid-stage Foundation Establishment monk, using a Qi Refining disciple as bait, and launching a sneak attack—this was clearly premeditated, likely not their first time.
With this realization, enlightenment dawned upon them, and they exchanged knowing smiles:
'Which fellow Saint Sect disciple is this?'