Chapter 76
"Truly, the more beautiful a woman is, the better she lies..."
Watching Liu Xin's miserable fate in this lifetime—poisoned by Yu Suzhen and ultimately drained dry by her demonic arts—Lü Yang felt nothing but satisfaction:
'Serves you right for harming me in my second life...'
Without revealing himself, Lü Yang then turned his gaze to Yu Suzhen, employing an illusion technique to secretly swap out the Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner.
As for the 《Innate Dao Book》, Lü Yang left a copy for Yu Suzhen, though he excised all content regarding the Myriad Spirits Banner and inserted the Stealing Heavenly Secrets technique instead. The outcome was precisely as he anticipated—the moment Yu Suzhen laid eyes on this secret method, she was instantly captivated.
"Stealing Heavenly Secrets...just by sparring with others, one can plunder their cultivation and fate's breath..."
Yu Suzhen's eyes burned with fervor as she pored over the technique's contents, feeling as though this cultivation method had been tailor-made for her.
With this realization, her ambitions swelled exponentially.
Whereas before she had merely harbored aspirations of immortality without knowing how to achieve them, now she'd found her path.
After all, for Yu Suzhen, this was far simpler than conventional cultivation.
Given her mediocre aptitude—having spent so long in the Pleasure Hall only to barely reach the first layer of Qi Refining—she'd likely peak at the third layer in her lifetime.
But mastering this Stealing Heavenly Secrets technique changed everything. With her beauty, she could cast a wide net, specifically targeting talented cultivators to build an extensive "fish pond," harvesting collective cultivation progress that would advance her by leaps and bounds. Foundation Establishment might not even be beyond reach!
The more Yu Suzhen contemplated, the more inflamed her desires grew.
Methodically, she proceeded to dispose of Liu Xin's corpse and the young disciple's remains using Corpse Dissolving Water, meticulously cleaning the scene.
...........
Three months later, inside a cave abode.
"You treacherous bitch! You poisoned me?"
The man before her was already battered beyond recognition, swaying unsteadily. Yu Suzhen couldn't even muster the interest to respond.
His agonized screams soon filled the cavern.
Almost visibly, the man's body withered away while Yu Suzhen's complexion grew increasingly radiant.
Boom!
With a soft explosion, her qi surged dramatically, violently shattering the bottleneck at the third layer of Qi Refining to reach mid-stage Qi Refining.
Bathed in the nourishing true qi, Yu Suzhen momentarily took on an almost saintly aura.
Lü Yang observed the entire process from concealment.
In just three months, he'd witnessed Yu Suzhen spar with various disciples, progressing from the first to third layer of Qi Refining before systematically plundering their cultivation.
Simply cultivate to grow stronger!
Remarkably, Yu Suzhen maintained her reputation impeccably—conducting affairs in secret while publicly upholding an icy, unapproachable persona that rejected all male advances.
The colder and more aloof she appeared, the more certain men fell for it.
Thus, within three short months, Yu Suzhen had lured numerous lust-blinded fools to their doom, draining them dry with her Stealing Heavenly Secrets technique.
"Viewed this way, if not for my malignant curse killing her in the first life, she could have defeated Liu Xin. Even without Stealing Heavenly Secrets, she would have obtained the Innate Dao Book and Myriad Spirits Banner—likely still achieving meteoric rise... The transformations of human fate and karma are truly mystical."
"Regardless, the bait has been cast."
Undoubtedly, Yu Suzhen possessed potential.
Ruthless, venomous, and utterly shameless—willing to do anything that benefited herself—she was practically born to be a Saint Sect disciple.
She'd merely lacked opportunity.
Now Lü Yang had provided that opportunity, enabling her rapid growth. More importantly, this path would inevitably lead her to cross paths with Xiao Shiye.
Lü Yang wanted to see if she could seduce Xiao Shiye.
If she succeeded in "sparring" with Xiao Shiye, the payoff would be enormous—because Xiao Shiye was destined to catch that colorful Merit Fish from the Merit Pond!
By using Yu Suzhen as a proxy to turn Xiao Shiye into a Stealing Heavenly Secrets puppet, Lü Yang could strike at the precise moment when Xiao Shiye consumed and refined the colorful Merit Fish. Through Yu Suzhen as a conduit, he could steal all the fish's cultivation and fate's breath!
Daoist Hong Yun used Xiao Shiye as bait to catch the Merit Fish.
Lü Yang would use Yu Suzhen as bait to steal the donkey!
This plan amounted to snatching food from a tiger's mouth. If successful, it would undoubtedly provoke Daoist Hong Yun's wrath, driving him to investigate relentlessly at any cost.
"So I need to keep my distance..."
After observing Yu Suzhen for several more days with the Myriad Spirits Banner in hand and confirming everything was proceeding smoothly, Lü Yang quietly departed the Saint Sect, speeding toward the mortal world.
Remaining in the Saint Sect offered no advantages.
After all, officially, he was already dead. Staying would mean lurking in shadows, passively awaiting both his "death and rebirth" and Yu Suzhen's cultivation progress—an enormous waste of time.
"Yu Suzhen is this lifetime's most crucial scheme, but not the only one... Even if I master Stealing Heavenly Secrets and the Corpse Dissolution True Method, combined with Saint's Theft and third-grade true qi, my chances of Foundation Establishment breakthrough only reach forty percent. I must find additional methods elsewhere."
"Distance also offers benefits."
"Once Yu Suzhen's scheme succeeds, an enraged Foundation Establishment True Person tracing karma would make remaining in the Saint Sect suicidal."
"Whereas if I'm far away, no matter how furious the True Person becomes, reaching me will take time."
"That time difference is all I need to attempt Foundation Establishment."
Lü Yang wouldn't pin hopes on "maybe not getting caught." After all, in his previous life, the Yun Family Patriarch had located him using the Heavenly Instrument.
He planned only for worst-case scenarios.
As for Yu Suzhen, periodic divinations to monitor her progress and ensure she remained under his control would suffice.
Beyond the Saint Sect's confines, Lü Yang felt like a bird granted the boundless sky or a fish given the vast ocean.
"My corpse is concealed within the Myriad Spirits Banner—this marvelous treasure contains its own universe, uniquely capable of harboring my transforming body for portable storage."
But the banner held another opportunity that stirred his heart.
Executing hand seals, Lü Yang unfurled the banner. Black smoke billowed forth as a handsome youth in black robes stepped down from the banner's surface.
Chen Xin'an—a true disciple of the Saint Sect.
In his previous life, Lü Yang had released him to test the Heavenly Chaos Primordial Qi Divine Talisman's ability to obscure heavenly secrets, coupled with his own insufficient cultivation to control such an individual. Now, having mastered Saint's Theft and attained status, Lü Yang brimmed with confidence.
"Where is this...?"
Emerging from the Myriad Spirits Banner, Chen Xin'an seemed disoriented, instinctively searching for Liu Xin before frowning.
"...Liu Xin is dead?"
After brief contemplation, his brow smoothed as he turned to Lü Yang: "Which sect's disciple are you? Did you kill Liu Xin?"
"Correct." Lü Yang nodded impassively.
Unlike their previous encounter—when Chen Xin'an had immediately recognized him as a Saint Sect disciple—this time elicited no reaction.
Lü Yang understood perfectly: this lifetime, he'd never lit a life lamp in the Primordial Saint Sect, having used illusions to bypass the requirement. Moreover, his primary cultivation now followed the 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》 rather than the Primordial Saint Sect's secret techniques, creating Chen Xin'an's momentary misjudgment.