Chapter 43: Blood Garment Tower Master
Chapter 43: Master of the Blood Garment Tower
The Divine Martial Gate's invasion ended as abruptly as it had begun.
With Ouyang Haoze dead, Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan didn't dare linger for even a moment. Without another word, they turned and fled as if pursued by floodwaters or savage beasts.
In stark contrast to the Divine Martial Gate's panicked retreat, the marketplace was filled with jubilation.
After this battle, Skeleton Mountain's marketplace had become an impregnable fortress. Unless a Foundation Establishment True Person intervened, the Divine Martial Gate would find this tortoise shell impossible to crack.
As for the corpse tide? A mere trifle, hardly worth mentioning.
In short—safety!
A secure marketplace would inevitably become a hub of commerce. One could easily imagine more frequent transactions and greater opportunities for profit in the future.
Better days lay ahead!
But the excitement belonged to others. Lü Yang found their clamor merely noisy.
At this moment, he remained immersed in the lingering palpitations from earlier, unable to shake them off.
For a long time—or rather, ever since Xiao Shiye had been whisked away by Daoist Hong Yun—Foundation Establishment True Persons had cast an inescapable shadow over Lü Yang's heart.
When he realized another True Person might be scheming against him, the joy of slaying Ouyang Haoze evaporated instantly. His hand instinctively clutched the "Primordial Chaos Qi Divine Talisman" hanging around his neck. Only after confirming it was still active did his racing heart settle slightly.
"The talisman is still functioning, meaning they still can't deduce me..."
That said, the Primordial Chaos Qi Divine Talisman had its limits.
Strictly speaking, it didn't sever karma but obscured it—layering Lü Yang with false threads of causality to achieve protection.
After all, completely severing karma would be far too conspicuous.
When a Foundation Establishment True Person attempted to deduce him, they wouldn't find nothing. Instead, they'd receive a flawless yet entirely fabricated result.
The advantage was greater concealment; the drawback was an inability to fully shield against a True Person's influence.
With this in mind, Lü Yang arrived at an answer: "So they weren't specifically targeting me but accidentally dragged me into their scheme?"
This also explained the Mysterious Female Taiyin Treasure Jade.
It wasn't that he'd stumbled upon incredible luck—someone had deliberately placed it in his hands to achieve some hidden purpose through him.
"What purpose?"
Lü Yang's gaze shifted to Ouyang Haoze's corpse. With a flick of the Myriad Spirits Banner, he drew the bisected body toward him.
Perhaps clues could be gleaned from this man.
Besides, as a true disciple of the Divine Martial Gate, Ouyang Haoze's collection was bound to be impressive!
Soon, the corpse was refined into the banner. However, since it had been split in two, the extracted True Spirit was incomplete.
The Myriad Spirits Banner's ability to preserve a Banner Spirit's combat prowess, memories, and consciousness depended on the corpse's integrity. The better preserved the body, the closer the spirit remained to its living state—like Liu Xin. For Ouyang Haoze, Lü Yang had only managed to retain about seventy percent.
Even so, he uncovered many secrets.
"So this was the Divine Martial Gate's true objective."
"Skeleton Mountain holds a secret realm left behind by the ancient Witch Ghost Path. The underground spiritual veins' yin energy leaks from that very realm..."
"The Divine Martial Gate sought to monopolize the realm, hence their plan to eradicate the Saint Sect's marketplace here..."
"This is valuable intel. Reporting it to the sect would earn substantial Contribution Points and prompt reinforcements..."
"Though keeping it to myself offers greater benefits... but why would I?"
"I have no intention of venturing into that Witch-Ghost Secret Realm anyway. Better to hand it over to the sect, secure a steady stream of Contribution Points, and watch others fight to the death!"
With this settled, Lü Yang relaxed.
Now aware that a Foundation Establishment True Person was scheming behind the scenes at Skeleton Mountain, he grew even more determined to remain within the marketplace's safety and never step outside.
Next, he turned his attention to Ouyang Haoze's belongings.
As soon as he picked up the storage pouch, a circular mirror floated over unsteadily, nuzzling his hand like an affectionate puppy.
The Taiwei Mirror.
This spiritual treasure circled Lü Yang eagerly, bouncing slightly as if pledging allegiance through its movements.
"Are you defecting to the dark side?"
Lü Yang was surprised. For such a supremely yang spiritual treasure to submit to a demonic cultivator like him—Ouyang Haoze must have wounded it deeply.
Once it had Lü Yang's attention, the mirror first shone light onto the storage pouch, then swayed side to side. A voice, childlike and tentative, as if from a toddler just learning to speak, echoed in Lü Yang's mind:
"Them, no good!"
Then the mirror blazed with radiant light, bobbing up and down proudly, its tone brimming with innate arrogance:
"Me, good!"
This was a self-recommendation.
Lü Yang's astonishment deepened. Though he'd known spiritual treasures possessed intelligence, witnessing it firsthand was another matter.
"Very well. You'll do for now."
With a beckoning gesture, the mirror eagerly settled into his hand. Under its cooperation, he swiftly mastered every aspect of the treasure.
"Excellent! Truly a marvelous treasure!"
Delight spread across Lü Yang's face. Spiritual treasures lived up to their reputation!
It was common knowledge that so-called Qi Refining Perfection involved nurturing one's qi seed to its limit, allowing it to transform into a strand of "perfected true qi."
For instance, his 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》 would produce "True Dragon Malice" upon reaching Qi Refining Perfection.
In other words, perfected true qi was the hallmark of Qi Refining Perfection and the ultimate means by which such cultivators suppressed all those beneath them.
Yet the Taiwei Mirror naturally contained its own perfected true qi—"Taiwei Wind-Thunder Qi"!
This meant that wielding the mirror allowed even a first-level Qi Refining cultivator to rival Perfection while activating it.
"Though there seem to be many restrictions within..."
Lü Yang examined the mirror closely. Treasures served their users—even in righteous sects. The Taiwei Mirror was laden with constraints limiting its autonomy.
If used before Divine Martial Gate disciples, a mere hand seal might send it flying back to them.
This wasn't about the mirror's will but safeguards left by its creator.
"Such a treasure would be wasted if unusable..."
After a moment's thought, Lü Yang's eyes lit up. Though his formation skills couldn't dismantle the restrictions, there was a workaround.
With a shake of the Myriad Spirits Banner, he summoned Ouyang Haoze's spirit, refined it into "Primordial Chaos Qi," and infused it into the mirror... Now, by controlling Ouyang Haoze, who in turn manipulated the mirror, he bypassed its restrictions.
Boom!
Instantly, the Taiwei Mirror erupted with dazzling radiance, wind and thunder rumbling within its light—its power now equivalent to Qi Refining Perfection!
"...It worked!"
Lü Yang laughed heartily, then suspended the mirror behind his head. Even its glow gradually tinged crimson, adopting his hues.
"Excellent! Truly excellent!"
Still laughing, he stored the mirror and opened Ouyang Haoze's storage pouch. A surge of spiritual energy made him narrow his eyes.
Inside lay heaps of spirit stones!
Beyond those were precious pills, magical tools, materials... A rough estimate suggested selling them to the sect would net at least thirty thousand Contribution Points.
"A windfall... Pity such opportunities won't come again."
With Ouyang Haoze's fate as a warning, no one below Foundation Establishment would dare challenge the formation now.
'Once news of the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm spreads, Skeleton Mountain will become a bloodbath... All orchestrated by a Foundation Establishment True Person behind the scenes.'
'But if I stay put and avoid entanglement... What can they do unless they act personally?'
His mind made up, Lü Yang stored everything away, dispersed the formation, and rode a beam of light back to the marketplace, alighting atop the Blood Garment Tower.
From that day forth, Skeleton Mountain settled into an eerie calm.
The Divine Martial Gate continued deploying forces; the Primordial Saint Sect's reinforcements arrived in succession. Yet on the surface, not a ripple stirred—only undercurrents moved unseen.
Amid this, Lü Yang's deeds spread inexplicably, becoming widely known.
A mortal joining the Saint Sect ten years ago... Profiting massively from the Substitute Death Yin Puppet bubble... Secluding himself for a decade to break through to late-stage Qi Refining... Becoming a formation master and slaying a Divine Martial Gate true disciple in battle... Reaching Qi Refining Perfection...
This rags-to-riches tale of a commoner's rise injected every ordinary Saint Sect disciple with newfound vigor.
Gradually, out of reverence, many ceased uttering Lü Yang's name.
Instead, they adopted another title of respect:
'Master of the Blood Garment Tower!'