Chapter 74: Seventh Lifetime
Chapter 74: The Seventh Life
[You failed to break through to Foundation Establishment and perished, your Dao extinguished.]
[Remaining pages in the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes: 94]
[Restarting a new life. You may select one of the following rewards from your previous life:
"Those whose names are called, step forward."
Liu Xin's voice echoed from the platform, but Lü Yang remained oblivious, his mind still lingering on the interface of the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes. Only after a long pause did he snap back to reality:
"I choose cultivation."
In the next instant, his empty body was flooded with surging true qi. The peak tenth-layer Qi Refining realm from his previous life, the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light, the Profound Yin Form-Capturing Grand Art, the Taiwei Decree-Pardoning Treasure Talisman, the Saint's Theft... Numerous divine abilities returned to him, prompting Lü Yang to exhale in satisfaction.
"Taiwei Treasure Talisman, decreeing heavenly pardon..."
Immediately, Lü Yang activated the Taiwei Decree-Pardoning Treasure Talisman, reinforcing his own karmic threads with a layer of illusory causality under the authority of the Saint's Theft.
He hadn't wasted a single moment during his century-long cultivation in his previous life.
With the help of the Bright Dao Jade Slip, his attainments in formations and talismanic arts had reached the seventh grade—the limit achievable for a Qi Refining cultivator.
Talismanic arts had been his primary focus.
His greatest achievement was successfully replicating the "Innate Primordial Qi Divine Talisman" from his previous life, which had been used to obscure heavenly secrets. Though it retained only thirty percent of the original's efficacy, it was sufficient for temporary use.
"The original was drawn by a Foundation Establishment True Person, imbued with their authority. For me to perfectly replicate it is unrealistic—thirty percent is already commendable..."
Boom.
In the next moment, Lü Yang sensed a disturbance in the vast web of karma, as if an overwhelming force surged through it, tracing back toward him along the karmic thread of True Person Panlong's legacy. He instantly recognized the source—the Mending Heaven Peak Master!
Such a swift reaction!
In previous lives, the Mending Heaven Peak Master had taken years to find him. Yet now, he had almost immediately traced the connection. Was it because Lü Yang's cultivation was higher this time?
"But... times have changed!"
Lü Yang steadied his mind. Since he had chosen cultivation and inherited True Person Panlong's karma, it was only natural that the Mending Heaven Peak Master would come knocking.
However, this time, he had one crucial difference:
He possessed 'authority'!
A Foundation Establishment True Person divining the fate of an ordinary mortal without authority was effortless. But once the target had authority, the difficulty of divination skyrocketed.
"Hmph! You dare court death, junior!"
Through the web of karma, Lü Yang heard the Mending Heaven Peak Master's furious voice reverberating, clearly having detected Lü Yang's attempt to obscure heavenly secrets. The Peak Master had even discerned Lü Yang's true state—not a Foundation Establishment True Person, but a Qi Refining cultivator with authority.
In the next instant, Lü Yang felt the Mending Heaven Peak Master grow serious.
A torrent of divine sense surged forth, tearing through the illusory layer of causality Lü Yang had erected, heading straight for his origin. Within fifteen minutes, he would be locked onto.
"So strong... terrifyingly strong..."
Lü Yang marveled inwardly, yet remained unshaken. The Mending Heaven Peak Master needed fifteen minutes to pinpoint him, but what Lü Yang intended to do wouldn't even take that long.
Immediately, Lü Yang acted.
He left his Primordial Qi avatar in place while his true body concealed itself and slipped away. Then, he directly approached Liu Xin and took the authentic divine talisman from him.
With Lü Yang's current cultivation, dealing with Liu Xin, who was still in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, was effortless. Liu Xin remained completely unaware of any anomaly. Moreover, to avoid alerting suspicion, Lü Yang replaced the stolen talisman with a crude imitation he had crafted.
"Who was it!?"
Almost immediately after Lü Yang took the authentic talisman, the Mending Heaven Peak Master broke through his defenses and began sweeping through the web of karma.
Yet he found nothing.
This near-mockery of his efforts enraged the Peak Master, but no matter how he calculated the heavenly secrets, he couldn't locate the culprit.
This bizarre turn left the Mending Heaven Peak Master silent for a long while before he spoke again:
"Hong Yun... was it you?"
"Huh?"
Within the Saint Sect, a strikingly handsome Daoist with jade-like features opened his eyes, a trace of helplessness flashing across his face. "Old Monster Chen, don't slander me without cause."
"Hmph! It must be you!"
The Mending Heaven Peak Master seemed convinced that Daoist Hong Yun was behind this. He sneered coldly, "Before Panlong died, he entrusted his legacy to me, agreeing that I would designate his successor. Yet you dared to use a junior's hand to secretly fish it away. Did you truly believe I would hesitate to act against you because of your status?"
Daoist Hong Yun narrowed his eyes slightly. "Panlong's legacy was stolen?"
"Stop pretending ignorance." The Mending Heaven Peak Master's voice continued, "This matter isn't over between us. A True Lord's reincarnation... is still not a True Lord!"
Soon, the fluctuations in the web of karma faded.
Evidently, despite his harsh words, the Mending Heaven Peak Master still exercised restraint and refrained from direct action. Yet Daoist Hong Yun couldn't help but feel aggrieved.
After all, among the Saint Sect's many Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Mending Heaven Peak Master was one of the strongest—not someone easily dismissed. To have such a formidable opponent appear out of nowhere while he was peacefully secluded in his cave abode naturally soured his mood. At the same time, it also sparked immense curiosity.
"Who is scheming against me?"
Daoist Hong Yun performed a divination but found nothing. Frowning, he murmured, "If not a scheme... then an unintended consequence that accidentally implicated me?"
"How intriguing!"
"From Old Monster Chen's words, some junior managed to take Panlong's legacy from him, and he couldn't even deduce who it was? Which junior would dare to be so bold?"
The more Daoist Hong Yun pondered, the more his curiosity burned. "Pity. This junior seems to possess a treasure capable of obscuring heavenly secrets. Ordinary methods won't reveal him... But to use 'Overturned Lamp Flame' for a mere junior would be excessive, not worth the cost... Forget it. My main task takes priority."
With that, Daoist Hong Yun shifted his focus.
Almost simultaneously, a disciple within the Saint Sect suddenly raised his head. His previously muddled thoughts cleared, and his demeanor became dignified and imposing.
His name was Xiao Shiye.
............
"How terrifying..."
Inside the Pleasure Hall, Lü Yang had already been lured into a cave abode by Yu Suzhen—just as in previous lives. Liu Xin was already waiting outside the door.
Originally, the next step would be counter-killing Yu Suzhen.
But this time, Lü Yang had a different plan.
"In this life, I intend to cultivate the 《Profound Moon Molting Corpse Dissolution True Method》, which requires me to 'die once.' Since that's the case, why not let it happen here?"
This time, Lü Yang planned to let Yu Suzhen plunder his primordial qi!
Beyond that, he also intended to test a theory through Yu Suzhen—one whose validity would determine the goal of this lifetime.
The technique of Stealing Heavenly Secrets!
This Foundation Establishment secret technique, traded to him by Zhao Xuhe, allowed one to plant their own qi mechanism within a partner of the opposite sex during dual cultivation, turning them into a stepping stone for one's own advancement.
Lü Yang's idea was simple: Could this technique be stacked?
Since the technique was restricted to the opposite sex, if he used it himself, it could only be applied to women—such as Fairy Feixia or Fairy Qinghe.
But whether it was Fairy Feixia or Fairy Qinghe, their innate talents and strength were limited, far from meeting his needs.
The only suitable candidate, Yun Miaozhen, was far away in the Sword Pavilion.
In contrast, men were a different story.
Liu Xin, Zhao Xuhe, Xiao Shiye—each was more formidable than the last, practically all seeds of Foundation Establishment, blessed with profound fortune, and right within his reach.
Thus, Lü Yang devised a plan:
If Stealing Heavenly Secrets could be stacked, he would first use it on Yu Suzhen, turning her into a puppet. Then, he would have her learn the technique and engage in dual cultivation with prodigies like Liu Xin, Zhao Xuhe, and Xiao Shiye. Wouldn't that allow him to indirectly apply Stealing Heavenly Secrets to them?
Back then, Daoist Hong Yun had nearly scared him to death. This lifetime, it was time for payback.
If Daoist Hong Yun had crafted Xiao Shiye—a Chosen One surpassing countless disciples—then Lü Yang would craft a Chosen Maiden surpassing even Xiao Shiye:
Yu Suzhen!