Chapter 393: The Frustrated Immortal Spirit
'Thank goodness I got out early!'
Looking at the utterly dejected Mu Changsheng before him, Lü Yang felt immensely relieved by his decision. He'd been absolutely right—this godforsaken place was utterly unsuitable for growth!
Moreover, following the Heavenly Dao truly led nowhere.
For a moment, Lü Yang even felt grateful that the Heavenly Dao had stripped him of his immortal spirit body. Otherwise, wouldn't he have ended up targeted by all four Dao Lords in the future?
How could anyone live like that?
But in the next instant, another thought struck him.
If the Innate True Person's soul was trapped in the Refinement Secret Realm, then the Sword Pavilion Sect Master's intention in having the Yun Family Patriarch reincarnate here took on a far more intriguing meaning.
'Is the Sword Pavilion Dao Lord locked in a battle of wits with the Saint Sect's Founding Ancestor?'
'No, that can't be it. It's probably just a straightforward talent grab. The Saint Sect used Mu Changsheng's soul to help disciples cultivate divine abilities, but what would the Sword Pavilion want with him?'
Having trained at the Sword Pavilion himself, Lü Yang quickly arrived at the answer:
'To fill the [Sword Dao Fruit Position]!'
'Exactly. If Mu Changsheng's reincarnated soul cultivated the 《Sword Lord's Secret Chapter on Discussing Mysteries》 and used it to establish his foundation, then when Mu Changsheng's consciousness returned...'
He'd probably still be driven mad with rage!
'The Sword Pavilion plays dirty too...'
Yet soon, Lü Yang noticed something amiss: This lifetime differed from before. The Sword Pavilion Sect Master was now a Golden Core True Lord who should have already withdrawn from the world.
If so, who had arranged for the Yun Family Patriarch's reincarnation here?
Could it actually have been a Dao Lord?
The thought gave Lü Yang a headache. While [Puppet on Strings] allowed him to manipulate outsiders like marionettes, it didn't grant direct access to their memories.
'And there are other inconsistencies'
Lü Yang hadn't forgotten how, during his lifetime in the overseas Biyang Cultivation World, the Innate True Person's Dao Calamity had been drawn out by Hong Ju using the Heavenly Dao's killing intent.
At the time, it hadn't seemed noteworthy.
But viewed now, the implications were enormous!
'The Innate True Person was the Heavenly Dao's most loyal follower. For the Dao Calamity to summon [Flowing Water], it must have had the Heavenly Dao's tacit approval. How could the Heavenly Dao's killing intent affect him?'
That made no sense!
Not only had the Dao Calamity emerged prematurely, but it was ultimately slain by True Lord Feixue, completely aborting the Innate True Person's plans for that lifetime.
Why would that happen?
Suddenly, Lü Yang felt as if doused with cold water. Any satisfaction from destroying the White Lotus Sect and stirring up chaos in the Seven Luminaries Heaven evaporated instantly:
'Was it because... that lifetime... I brought Wang Boyuan out from the Refinement Secret Realm?'
Back then, while cultivating Qi-Devouring Worms in the secret realm, he'd thought to recruit some talent for his own faction. He just hadn't followed up on it afterward.
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Lü Yang realized:
'The Heavenly Dao's killing intent emerged because I extracted Wang Boyuan from the secret realm... meaning a Dao Lord's influence was behind this?'
How utterly absurd!
'The Heavenly Dao's killing intent... The killing intent Hong Ju summoned using the [Fate-Linked Karma Rewriting Talisman Book]—did it truly originate from this realm? Or was there another source?'
Such as... a Dao Lord?
'The Heavenly Dao can bring tribulations, and so can Dao Lords. Whatever the Heavenly Dao can do, Dao Lords can accomplish as well. Dao Lords, Dao Lords... Lords of the Heavenly Dao?'
Lü Yang dared not dwell further. The realm of Dao Lords remained far too enigmatic for his current understanding—like viewing flowers through fog. Most conjectures would likely prove wrong, serving only to vex him. With that in mind, he reined in his thoughts and refocused on the Innate True Person.
The next moment, he heard the Yun Family Patriarch speak:
"So it is the Innate True Person before me."
"This humble one is Yun Qingchuan, sent here under the oral decree of the Evil-Banishing True Person to rescue you from peril and extract you from this Refinement Secret Realm."
Evil-Banishing True Person?
Lü Yang frowned slightly. He recognized this Daoist title.
The Sword Pavilion maintained three generationally inherited honorifics: Demon-Subduing, Evil-Banishing, and Monster-Conquering. Each title was held by at least one Grand True Person.
'Though nominally open to all based on merit, in practice these titles have circulated exclusively among three Sword Pavilion factions for... millennia? However long it's been.'
Including the Demon-Subduing True Person.
Without the Ye Family's backing, he'd never have obtained that title.
Within the Sword Pavilion, no one rose above factional politics. Even a prodigy like the Demon-Subduing True Person owed his current standing primarily to his Golden Core lineage.
As Lü Yang pondered this, the Innate True Person spoke again:
"The Sword Pavilion... wants to save me?"
Then he laughed coldly: "With what means?"
"The only way to bypass the restrictions and enter or leave the Refinement Secret Realm undetected is through the [Netherworld's] cycle of reincarnation. There is no alternative."
"But my current soul hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment. A Qi Refining soul entering the [Netherworld] would have its present consciousness forcibly erased."
What meaning would rebirth hold then?
With this realization, he cast a sardonic glance at the Yun Family Patriarch: "Claiming to save me? More like seeking to convert me into a Sword Pavilion disciple in my next life!"
Birds of a feather!
This was precisely why he'd erupted in curses earlier. He could conceive of no method for escape unless someone within the Saint Sect actively released him—a near-impossible scenario!
Yet in the next moment, his eyes suddenly brightened with realization:
"...Wait, no."
After brief consideration, the Innate True Person smiled: "You're not here to save me. You're after my patron... the Heavenly Dao? No—you seek the Immortal Spirit!"
Suddenly reinvigorated, he declared:
"Of course! [Tian Gong] must have intervened. Has He successfully nurtured an Immortal Spirit? And you aim to locate that very being."
"That's why you came to me!"
As the Heavenly Dao's devoted follower, the Innate True Person knew it wouldn't abandon him if rescue were possible. Yet direct Heavenly intervention remained difficult.
Thus, an Immortal Spirit made the perfect intermediary.
With True Lords withdrawn from the world, a Foundation Establishment Perfection Immortal Spirit stood excellent chances of extracting him.
Conversely, this also meant interested parties could use the Innate True Person as bait to lure out whatever Immortal Spirit the Heavenly Dao had cultivated!
'Nothing but schemes...'
Meanwhile, Lü Yang fully grasped the Sword Pavilion's reasoning. Compared to this den of intrigue, the Seven Luminaries Heaven seemed almost naively pure by contrast.
'However...'
Lü Yang stroked his chin with an amused smirk: 'That damned Immortal Spirit might not have reached perfection yet.'
Did it think stealing his Immortal Spirit body would come without consequences?
At that very moment, in a place no one could perceive...
Within a moonlit white pool sat a stone figure in meditative posture, its vividly carved face twisted in unmistakable fury.
"BOOM!"
The entire pool trembled violently as the stone figure glared skyward at a luminous mark above its head:
[Pomegranate Wood Destiny]
This was the fate Lü Yang had assigned to his stolen Immortal Spirit body using the 《Mystical Resonance Scripture》, designed to enhance attunement with the Pomegranate Wood Fruit Position.
Its drawback? [Chastity Prohibition].
Simply put—daily dual cultivation was mandatory. Now that the Immortal Spirit body had been stolen, this destiny naturally transferred to its new owner.
"This is utterly unreasonable!"
And unreasonable it was!
Not that the act itself posed difficulties—he could manage if desperate. The real problem was the World-Honored One hunting him everywhere!
How could he possibly venture out under such circumstances?
Yet failing to comply meant suffering destiny's backlash... resulting in a full decade wasted merely recovering from the penalty!
How many opportunities had this delay cost him?
"...That bastard!"