Chapter 356
Chapter 356
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Skull Mountain Market
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Jiangbei, Skull Mountain Market.
Lu Yang was still traveling via his dharma body, yet he remained utterly cautious, retracting every trace of his qi aura. At a glance, he seemed nothing more than a destitute itinerant cultivator.
‘Careful sailing lasts ten thousand years.’
‘If memory serves, at this point in time, Skull Mountain is under the watchful eyes of numerous Perfected Beings from the Primal Saint Sect—not just Perfected Being Yin Shan!’
The Northern Frontier’s Divine Martial Sect boasted a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Without a Great Perfected Being presiding over the sect, Divine Martial Sect could never have claimed sole hegemony in the Northern Frontier, let alone coveted the Witch Ghost Secret Realm hidden within Skull Mountain.
Yet in the battle at Skull Mountain, Perfected Being Yin Shan had hooked the Witch Ghost Secret Realm—and in doing so, also reeled in a swarm of Divine Martial Sect Perfected Beings. The sect master, their sole Great Perfected Being, fell to a siege by the Primal Saint Sect Perfected Beings, leaving only a handful of early Foundation Establishment cultivators to flee home in disgrace. From that day, the sect’s extinction loomed on the horizon.
‘In other words, Great Perfected Beings are definitely watching this place!’
To be precise, Lu Yang’s main body wasn’t even as strong as his clone. Even [Upholding the Dharma] only reached late mid-Foundation Establishment perfection—not enough to match a Great Perfected Being.
Thus, he felt no swelling of pride.
“Senior Brother Zhao.”
As he entered the market, Lu Yang swept out with his divine sense. Sure enough, a familiar figure appeared: Zhao Xuhe, to whom he owed a massive pile of contribution points across several previous lives.
‘He really cultivated the Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art.’
Lu Yang’s gaze shifted subtly. Zhao Xuhe’s cultivation had now reached great perfection Qi Refining. Barring surprises, he’d attempt Foundation Establishment within the next few years.
‘Does that mean Fulong Arhat will show up too?’
Lu Yang cracked a grin.
In the next instant, something seemed to strike him. He plunged his divine sense into the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner, locating the Heaven Mending Peak Master he had previously refined into its banner spirit.
“I ask you—you should already be preparing for a late-stage breakthrough, correct?”
“In response to Master, yes.”
Lu Yang’s eyes lit up at the reply. He murmured lowly,
“Very well, then. That means you’ve long since secretly acquired a strand of [Xin Metal]!”
Lu Yang had overlooked this before. In the prior timeline, after all, the Heaven Mending Peak Master hadn’t attempted late Foundation Establishment until a century later. But seeing Zhao Xuhe jogged his memory: the Peak Master likely possessed the means for a late-stage breakthrough long ago!
The sole reason he held back? Simple fear of the heavenly thunder tribulation!
Otherwise, why waste time nurturing Zhao Xuhe? Securing Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend essences should have been priority one—without them, it was all for naught.
Of course, this was mere conjecture on Lu Yang’s part.
He needed confirmation from the Heaven Mending Peak Master.
“...”
Moments later, Lu Yang withdrew his divine sense from the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner. His expression flickered between elation and frustration.
The good news: the Heaven Mending Peak Master did have a lead on a strand of [Xin Metal].
The bad news: it wasn’t in his possession.
“...Su Heng Palace?”
Lu Yang’s brows knit tighter.
A wondrous spectacle in Jiangbei—much like [Celebration Kingdom], though not a Dao Court incursion. This one had been driven in by the Pure Land.
Per the Heaven Mending Peak Master, the [Xin Metal] lay within.
Its Pure Land ties explained his friendship with Fulong Arhat. And from the previous life’s outcome, he had indeed claimed it successfully.
Clearly, Fulong Arhat was key to securing the [Xin Metal] from Su Heng Palace.
‘But... the Pure Land.’
Lu Yang rubbed his temples. Ever since nearly dying of fright to the World Honored One overseas last time, he summed up his stance on Pure Land Buddhist cultivators in one line:
‘Can kill them. Can curse them. Just don’t get fancy with them!’
Thus, even with [Marionette] in this life, Lu Yang never entertained sending a clone to infiltrate the Pure Land for its secrets.
Who knew what might happen once a clone joined and became a Buddhist cultivator? [Marionette] could fool Golden Cores, sure—but a Dao Lord? What if the World Honored One possessed the clone, spotted the puppet strings, and traced them back...
Game over.
Admittedly, just a worry on Lu Yang’s part. His talent might prove invincible, eluding even the World Honored One. But it remained a gamble.
And Lu Yang despised gambling!
‘Refuse to bet, and you can’t lose!’
‘[Marionette] is just a talent derived from Suo Huan’s metal nature. Betting it handles two realms above the World Honored One? Too optimistic.’
Fulong Arhat posed the same problem.
How to extract [Xin Metal] intel from him?
‘Refine him into the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner? No way—that’s an Arhat. Even if the World Honored One senses foul play and possesses to inspect, instant disaster!’
The World Honored One’s possession would spot the embryonic fruition positions in the banner for sure. Wouldn’t he just crack up?
Collecting fruition positions too, eh?
Lu Yang had refined minor Pure Land Qi Refining cultivators into the banner before—barely people, so no alarm raised.
But Foundation Establishment? A full Perfected Being.
Especially now, with True Lords in seclusion—the World Honored One likely had eyes on every Foundation Establishment cultivator!
Father-son soul-searching harvest with the Heaven Mending Peak Master and Chen Xin’an? Even riskier. Attract the World Honored One mid-process?
“Eh.”
Lu Yang couldn’t help slapping his forehead, inwardly railing,
‘World Honored One’s too damn shameless—a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, fishing the kiddie pool!’
After wrestling with it, he settled on a plan:
‘Capture him regardless!’
‘Worst case, seal him away and tenderize slowly. Avoid World Honored One-baiting methods, and I refuse to believe that bald ass is unbreakable!’
Decision made, Lu Yang sprang into motion.
First: locate Zhao Xuhe. Hand over the Foundation Establishment spiritual items the Heaven Mending Peak Master had prepped for his kids. Then [Marionette] to force the breakthrough attempt.
Boom-rumble-rumble!
In a flash, half of Skull Mountain Market quaked.
Lu Yang had run this play in his first two lives—routine by now. With superior cultivation, it left zero traces.
Soon, sonorous Zen chants filled Skull Mountain:
“Amitabha!”
Buddhist radiance parted abruptly. Fulong Arhat’s familiar form strode forth, beaming compassionately.
“Benefactor, you share karmic ties with this poor monk...”
Several gazes materialized from thin air at the same instant.
As Lu Yang foresaw, Primal Saint Sect Perfected Beings had converged on Skull Mountain, lying in wait for Divine Martial Sect’s Foundation Establishment bait—primed for a clean sweep.
“A Pure Land bald donkey?”
“What’s he doing here?”
A Primal Saint Sect Perfected Being divined at once, then dawned with understanding.
“The Nine Transformations of the Dragon Art... Heaven Mending greenlit its entry to the Cloud Sea back then.”
“Intervene?”
“Nah, let it slide. Acting now tips off Divine Martial Sect—the fish bolts, and we lose big. Just a Qi Refining kid anyway...”
But then—
Splash!
A blaze of glorious light erupted, sweeping straight onto Fulong Arhat. He offered zero resistance—“Ah!”—and was snared outright.
Silence crashed down like a tomb.
Every Primal Saint Sect Perfected Being there was a veteran of countless battles. Realization hit like lightning: a setup! Someone deliberately nabbed Fulong Arhat!
And that strike? At least late mid-Foundation Establishment perfection!
Perfection mid-stage versus mid-stage, Qi Refining bait, hidden ambush—premeditated to the core, maybe not their first rodeo.
Insight sparked. Everyone exchanged knowing smirks:
‘Which Primal Saint Sect comrade pulled this off?’