Chapter 48: Foundation Establishment Determines Karma
Chapter 48: Foundation Establishes Karma
Blood Garment Tower, another dawn.
Fairy Feixia leaned against the balcony railing, sunlight filtering through her thin, wind-fluttering robes, casting a silhouette that stirred endless imaginations.
"These past days, many thanks to Junior Brother Lü."
The two had just concluded a night of exchange, and after Lü Yang's unreserved guidance, Fairy Feixia had reached her limit—no further progress could be made in the short term.
"Today, I plan to leave the market."
Turning her head, Fairy Feixia gazed intently at Lü Yang. "My mental fortitude falls short of yours, and my talent is inferior as well. Yet, I refuse to resign myself to mediocrity."
"Once I depart, it may be a long time before we meet again." Her eyes flickered with a pitiable expression as she sighed softly. "The path ahead may lead to enlightenment... or to an unmarked grave. The immortal path is lonely, especially within the Saint Sect... I only hope that when the time comes, I may still see an old friend."
With that, Fairy Feixia smiled brilliantly at Lü Yang.
Her stunning face, paired with that pure and radiant smile, seemed as though she had opened her heart to him for the first time. "Junior Brother... would you be willing to be that old friend of mine?"
"......" Lü Yang remained silent for a long while.
A peerless beauty gazed at him with tender affection, her emotions weaving around him like delicate threads, enough to intoxicate any man's soul.
Yet Lü Yang restrained himself.
Calmly, he raised his hand. "You're always welcome to return for tea, Senior Sister."
A dismissal.
In that instant, the light in Fairy Feixia's eyes flickered—whether disappointment or resignation was unclear—before she withdrew her smile, her demeanor cooling once more.
"This humble one takes her leave."
As her words fell, a rainbow-like streak of light soared into the sky, vanishing beyond the horizon.
Only after she had departed did Lü Yang exhale deeply, turning back to enter the meditation chamber of Blood Garment Tower. Sealing himself within the formation, he grasped the Primordial Chaos Divine Talisman...
...At last, his trembling body stilled.
"Damn it, this must be the work of a Foundation Establishment True Person scheming against me!"
With Fairy Feixia, Lü Yang had always engaged physically, never emotionally—their relationship was purely academic, with dual cultivation merely a method of study.
Yet just now, he had been moved!
For a moment, he had been utterly enchanted by Fairy Feixia, nearly blurting out "I would" multiple times. Such emotions were clearly unnatural, completely at odds with his true intentions!
Drawing from his past lives' experiences, Lü Yang quickly reached a conclusion: "The Foundation Establishment True Person behind the scenes is growing impatient and resorting to crude methods—using Fairy Feixia as bait to forcibly bind me to her... trying to lure me out of the market!"
"Seclusion... I must enter seclusion!"
With that thought, Lü Yang immediately announced a death-seclusion to the outside world, refusing all visitors in the short term to minimize the risk of his karma being entangled by others.
............
"...Impressive."
Outside the Skeleton Mountain market, atop a cliff, a figure stood with hands clasped behind his back, while behind him stood a blood-robed youth with a reverent expression.
A moment later, the figure chuckled. "An ordinary disciple, without backing, yet possessing such unwavering Dao heart—truly rare. Despite my repeated attempts to bait him, he refuses to bite... Second Brother, I truly don't know whether to praise your judgment or lament it."
"Forgive this junior's incompetence, Senior Brother."
The blood-robed youth bowed respectfully, his tone tinged with helplessness. "My original intention was merely to find a scapegoat. Who would have thought that even shallow waters could birth a dragon..."
The youth was named Luo Wuya, the "Second Senior Brother" of the Three Rivers Association.
His cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Refining, and he commanded a great divine ability, making him the strongest overt figure of the Saint Sect at Skeleton Mountain—a true heavyweight.
And the one who could command such deference from him? The identity of the figure with hands clasped behind his back was unmistakable.
The leader of the Three Rivers Association!
His Dao title was "Yinshan." A decade ago, after successfully establishing his Foundation, he rose to become a high-ranking member of the Saint Sect, granted permission by the Sect Master to establish his own lineage within the Sea of Clouds.
"Still, Senior Brother, I fail to understand—must it absolutely be a disciple of the Saint Sect?"
"Second Brother, you are unaware."
True Person Yinshan shook his head. "The Ancient Witch Ghost Path was a major demonic sect. The karma surrounding its secret realm runs deep—even I am reluctant to casually involve myself."
In this world, karma lurks everywhere.
Reap benefits, incur karma, and repayment becomes inevitable.
The Ancient Witch Ghost Path established its secret realm precisely to seek an individual of great fortune, using the sect's legacy to plant karma and beg for a chance at revival.
"If I were to personally intervene, locating the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm would be effortless—it might even reveal itself without my searching. But doing so would bind the Witch Ghost Path's karma to me, inviting untold troubles and hindering my cultivation..."
In essence, True Person Yinshan wanted the goods without paying the price.
"Thus, I require someone to open the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm on my behalf. Since the Witch Ghost Path was a major demonic sect, selecting a Saint Sect disciple is most fitting."
"I originally chose that 'Blood Garment Tower Master' and even drew formidable enemies toward him. Had he been willing to leave the market, I would have backed him, aiding him in slaying his foes to accumulate Fate's Breath. Once sufficient, the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm would have been drawn forth by his fortune..."
Had Lü Yang been present, these words would have struck him as eerily familiar.
For this was precisely how Xiao Shiye had met his end.
A manufactured Chosen One, seemingly blessed by heaven, invincible in every battle—yet in truth, merely bait for a Foundation Establishment True Person to fish out opportunities.
And once the opportunity was hooked, the bait became useless.
Behind True Person Yinshan, Luo Wuya bowed deeply, shuddering inwardly at the terrifying methods Foundation Establishment True Persons employed to manipulate destiny and karma.
"...Enough."
Suddenly, True Person Yinshan shook his head. "Since the 'Blood Garment Tower Master' refuses to cooperate, we shall simply find another. He is not indispensable."
At this, True Person Yinshan chuckled lightly. "Second Brother, do you recall how the Ancient Witch Ghost Path met its demise?"
"I do—it was the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion."
Luo Wuya nodded. "The Sword Pavilion's Sect Master of that generation, a Golden Core True Lord, unleashed a single sword strike from Seven Star Cliff, and the Witch Ghost Path's mountain sank beneath the earth..."
"Precisely—just one strike."
True Person Yinshan sighed. "At its peak, the Ancient Witch Ghost Path boasted double-digit Foundation Establishment True Persons and even a fourth-grade formation suppressing its fortune."
"And yet, even that could not withstand a single sword strike from a Golden Core True Lord tens of thousands of miles away."
"Moreover, that sword qi remains within the Witch Ghost Path's secret realm to this day!"
Here, a trace of wariness flashed in True Person Yinshan's eyes. "The True Lord's decree, the sword qi's lingering presence—so long as the Witch Ghost Path's legacy persists, the sword qi shall not fade."
This was another reason he refused to intervene personally.
The sword qi of a Golden Core True Lord, no less one from the righteous leader Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion—what if he ventured to open the secret realm, only for that sword qi to casually bisect him?
Far safer to employ a stepping stone.
"After countless years of entanglement, that sword qi and the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm have fused into one. Thus, if we cannot use a Saint Sect disciple to open the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, we can pivot—lure a Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion disciple to claim that sword qi. The effect would be the same..."
As he spoke, True Person Yinshan's gaze shifted, finally turning away from the market.
Almost simultaneously, Lü Yang—deep in seclusion within the market—suddenly felt a lightness in his body, as though an immense burden had been lifted. A look of astonishment crossed his face.