Chapter 83: Pleasant Cooperation
Inside the cave abode, as Lü Yang's words fell, the Master of Mending Heaven Peak seemed to truly take notice of this audacious junior before him. He suddenly chuckled lightly:
"You're quite impressive. Interested in becoming my son-in-law?"
Lü Yang raised an eyebrow at this: "If I recall correctly, Senior already has a son-in-law."
"Xuhe's Panlong inheritance was taken by you. What I want is for Panlong's successor to be my son-in-law—who that successor is doesn't matter to me."
The Mending Heaven Peak Master waved it off casually, smiling: "Your proposal is quite interesting, though it also reveals your true situation. It seems you don't have a Foundation Establishment True Person backing you. How about it? Become my son-in-law, and we'll be family from then on. At that point, I might even lend you a hand."
Before his words had fully faded, the Mending Heaven Peak Master waved his hand grandly.
In an instant, the world spun around Lü Yang as his surroundings abruptly transformed. Above him was a moonlit starry sky—he had been transported to the summit of Mending Heaven Peak!
"Qian'er, come out."
At the Peak Master's words, a radiant light flashed before Lü Yang's eyes, from which emerged an enchanting woman of peerless beauty with a cinnabar mark between her brows.
"Father, another one?"
The woman had initially appeared somewhat languid, but upon seeing Yu Suzhen, she froze: "Father, while I don't mind, a woman is a bit..."
"You! If only you'd practiced diligently as I told you. Had you mastered my great divine ability, you wouldn't fail to see the truth about this woman." The Peak Master sighed helplessly at his daughter before projecting the entire sequence of events directly into her sea of consciousness with a sweep of his divine sense.
Then, he turned back to Lü Yang:
"This is my daughter, Chen Shuqian. She cultivates the 《Six Paths Nirvana Phoenix Art》, while you practice the 《Nine Transformations Dragon Art》. The two of you are natural Dao companions."
"When you dual cultivate, combining six and nine, the effect will be equivalent to a Foundation Establishment treasure!"
Lü Yang didn't respond immediately, instead falling into contemplation.
To be fair, the Peak Master's offer was tempting. At first glance, accepting would seem like a fortunate opportunity for both parties.
But this was the Saint Sect.
How could any opportunity in the Saint Sect come without strings attached?
Yet in the end, he nodded cheerfully: "Mutual benefit—this junior can agree. However, we'll have to wait until I attempt Foundation Establishment."
"Naturally." The Peak Master laughed heartily: "The higher your cultivation, the better the effects when you dual cultivate with my daughter. As for Hong Yun's matter, I can assist you once as well. Rest assured, with me obscuring the heavenly secrets for you, I guarantee he won't catch anything this time!"
"...Then many thanks, Senior."
Lü Yang cupped his hands: "Pleasant cooperation?"
The Peak Master grinned widely: "Pleasant cooperation."
With those words, Lü Yang decisively withdrew his consciousness. As he departed, the Peak Master waved his hand, sending Yu Suzhen back to her cave abode—none the wiser about what had just transpired, her relevant memories casually erased by the Peak Master.
Only then did Chen Shuqian, the Peak Master's daughter, open her eyes and say softly: "Father, this man is wolf-hearted and ambitious. Are you truly set on cooperating with him?"
The Peak Master's smile vanished as he replied coldly: "Wolf-hearted and ambitious? That's exactly what we want! Which disciple of the Saint Sect isn't? As for cooperation... I merely said it to placate him, lest he flee like a startled bird beyond my sight."
Chen Shuqian asked curiously: "So Father doesn't intend to help him?"
"Wrong. I do intend to help him."
The Peak Master shook his head: "Hong Yun's current state isn't ideal—otherwise, he wouldn't need to fish for fortune in the Saint Sect periodically."
"Were it not so, that fellow Chongguang wouldn't dare covet the 'Overturned Lamp Flame' position."
"In this situation, if I scheme against Hong Yun once to make his fishing fail and his fate's breath wane, it would be perfect for currying favor with Chongguang."
"Why not do it?"
"Moreover, if this man truly plans to use the Stealing Heavenly Secrets technique to swap heaven and earth, I can exploit the qi connection to locate his original body."
"His earlier ability to obstruct me momentarily on the web of karma proves he possesses status. His material is dozens of times better than Zhao Xuhe's. Once I find his original body and capture him, you can drain him dry with the Mending Heaven True Classic—boosting your Foundation Establishment chances by at least thirty percent!"
His words made it clear he already viewed Lü Yang as meat on a chopping block.
Yet Chen Shuqian still seemed concerned: "But my brother is still in his hands..."
"Don't worry." The Peak Master said indifferently: "So long as Xin'an appears within my sight, nothing will happen to him. Even if his soul scatters, I can reassemble it!"
...........
"That old bastard definitely has ulterior motives!"
Outside the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, Lü Yang opened his eyes, his gaze icy: "He surely covets me, wanting to find my original body to serve as a cauldron for his daughter."
"As for Chen Xin'an... he's not safe either."
"After all, he's a peak master of the Saint Sect—even among Foundation Establishment True Persons, he stands at the absolute pinnacle. Would someone like him truly care about familial bonds?"
Thinking this far, Lü Yang couldn't help but scratch his head.
This was too difficult. Compared to him, how did others even manage to break through to Foundation Establishment?
Surely they didn't just randomly accumulate a great divine ability, a Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure, a Foundation Establishment secret technique, then gamble their lives on a thirty percent chance?
"Alas... at this point, I have no choice but to gamble."
Lü Yang's gaze shifted to the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm before him. Though he was well-hidden now, it went without saying he couldn't stay hidden forever.
"Moreover, the Stealing Heavenly Secrets technique was created by the Mending Heaven Peak Master himself. Once I activate it to drain Yu Suzhen dry, he might trace it back to me. At that point, my only hope would be the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm—perhaps even leveraging the Golden Core sword qi to deal him a vicious blow..."
With the Golden Core sword qi present, the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm was Lü Yang's natural sanctuary.
Once inside, even if discovered, the Mending Heaven Peak Master and Daoist Hong Yun might not dare follow.
There, he could cultivate at leisure, gather the [Underworld Lord Xuanming's Ghost-Controlling Position], master the 《Thought-Severing Heaven-Seeing Silkworm Secret》, and refine the Corpse Dissolution Immortal.
At the very least, he could attempt Foundation Establishment with sixty percent odds!
As for the Secret Realm's one-way entry rule, it mattered little to him. Once he achieved Foundation Establishment, he could simply restart by suicide.
If anything, the Golden Core sword qi was the unstable wildcard.
Based on his past life's experience, that sword qi would eventually slaughter everyone in the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm—though Lü Yang didn't know why.
"The answer likely lies with the Tingyou Sect."
Recalling the statue of the Tingyou Sect's founder he'd seen earlier, Lü Yang pondered: "That Ancestor Nether Whisper was probably a Foundation Establishment survivor of the Witch Ghost Path."
"Did he do something to provoke the Golden Core sword qi's massacre?"
The more Lü Yang thought, the graver his expression became:
"In that case, to cultivate safely within the Secret Realm, I must first resolve the Tingyou Sect issue—or the Golden Core sword qi will kill me sooner or later."
Having reached this conclusion, Lü Yang finally made his decision.
Enter the Secret Realm in person!
All or nothing!