Chapter 90: Refining a Guardian Deity
Chapter 90: Refining the Guardian Deity
Primordial Saint Sect, Mending Heaven Peak.
The moment Xiao Shiye drew the colored Merit Fish and began refining it, Yu Suzhen acted. With Stealing Heavenly Secrets activated, Xiao Shiye was instantly drained to death.
The vast cultivation and Fate's Breath of the colored Merit Fish—enough to elevate an ordinary mortal to Qi Refining Perfection overnight—were effortlessly absorbed by Yu Suzhen.
In an instant, her cultivation surged explosively!
Everything happened too quickly. Even Yu Suzhen herself hadn't processed it, but that didn't hinder her ecstasy. Could this be her destined opportunity?
"Am I ascending to greatness in a single step?"
The very next moment after this thought crossed her mind, a familiar sensation spread from her dantian, rapidly engulfing her entire body.
This was... Stealing Heavenly Secrets!?
Yu Suzhen's delicate face twisted in shock as she incredulously sensed her cultivation—which should have broken through to Qi Refining Perfection—begin plummeting at an even faster rate.
She knew this feeling all too well. Having drained countless disciples and crafted numerous cauldrons herself, it was only now that she realized she had become someone else's cauldron! But when? Who had targeted her without her knowledge?
Soon, weakness flooded her heart.
Extreme joy turned to sorrow as terror replaced ecstasy. The sensation of being slowly drained to death contorted Yu Suzhen's beautiful features, compelling her to cry out:
"W-wait—"
Before she could finish, the suction force abruptly doubled.
In the next breath, Yu Suzhen's cultivation aura bottomed out. Her true qi, cultivation base, Fate's Breath—even her soul—were completely drained, flowing away beyond the sect.
Almost simultaneously, two spatial rifts tore open inside Yu Suzhen's cave abode.
Two figures stepped through—one after another—their gazes immediately locking onto Yu Suzhen's corpse.
"Too late..." Daoist Hong Yun's expression remained calm, yet his ice-cold eyes betrayed towering fury. He turned abruptly to glare at the Mending Heaven Peak Master: "Chen Taihe... do you wish to fight me?"
His condition was well-known throughout the sect.
Anyone who dared steal the bait he used to fish for Fate's Breath was directly shortening his lifespan—and would face his most vicious retaliation.
On this point, even Chongguang—his greatest rival—wouldn't dare act.
After all, his status was too exalted.
Even in his diminished state, he far surpassed ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Yet Daoist Hong Yun never imagined that the Mending Heaven Peak Master—with whom he'd only had minor disagreements—would obscure causality to orchestrate such an audacious move!
"Calm yourself, Daoist Hong Yun."
Compared to the livid Daoist Hong Yun, the Mending Heaven Peak Master appeared utterly composed: "The culprit is that junior who previously severed the karma of Panlong's legacy."
"By following this aura, we may yet recover the colored Merit Fish. Though much will inevitably be lost, something is better than nothing... Of course, if you insist on fighting, I wouldn't mind witnessing the prowess of a former True Lord."
The Peak Master had no intention of making an irreconcilable enemy of Daoist Hong Yun.
He merely wanted to owe Chongguang a favor. Reducing Daoist Hong Yun's gains would suffice—there was no need to leave him completely empty-handed.
This way, he wouldn't become Daoist Hong Yun's mortal enemy.
At worst, their relationship would deteriorate—not that it was particularly good to begin with. With Chongguang as a greater adversary ahead, the consequences were manageable.
Everything proceeded according to his plans.
With a faint smile, the Peak Master performed a divination, quickly pinpointing Lü Yang's location. In a single step, he traversed the void in pursuit.
Gritting his teeth, Daoist Hong Yun had no choice but to follow.
..........
Meanwhile, within the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm.
As a streak of light pierced through the void, Lü Yang's eyes snapped open—first with joy, then solemnity as he glanced toward the Primordial Saint Sect.
"That old bastard... plotting against me after all!"
Exhaling sharply, Lü Yang remained composed. The pursuit by the Mending Heaven Peak Master and Daoist Hong Yun was expected—in fact, it played perfectly into his hands!
With this thought, he looked down at the Innate Primordial Unity Divine Talisman in his grasp.
In the next moment, he removed this causality-obscuring Ultimate Treasure, voluntarily exiting its protection before hurling it into the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm!
"At this point, hiding my own karma is meaningless. But the secret realm's must remain concealed... Once the Peak Master arrives and fails to deduce this is the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, his rash attempt to open it will earn him a vicious strike from the Golden Core sword qi inside..."
A ruthless glint flashed in Lü Yang's eyes.
"Though the Saint Sect's foundations far surpass the Witch Ghost Path's, and the Peak Master—as a ruler of one of the inner peaks—likely possesses Golden Core-level life-preserving treasures..."
"A Golden Core sword qi strike won't leave him unscathed."
"If I can successfully refine a Foundation Establishment Guardian Deity by then, I'll have the perfect chance to beat a drowning dog—avenging my humiliation of being crushed by a single finger two lifetimes ago..."
Wasting no time, Lü Yang acted immediately.
"Begin refining the Guardian Deity now!"
Activating Stealing Heavenly Secrets, the light in his hand dispersed, revealing Yu Suzhen's bewildered soul alongside the colored Merit Fish's vast cultivation and Fate's Breath.
Next, Lü Yang unfurled the Myriad Spirits Banner. Dark radiance shimmered as countless Witch Ghosts roared—among them, the eight red-clothed ghosts required for cultivating [Underworld Lord Xuanming's Ghost-Controlling Position]. As the banner swayed, the [Yama Palace] once manifested by Ancestor Nether Whisper materialized anew.
"Great Incarnation Universal Divine Method!"
Lü Yang's hand seals never ceased as vast spiritual sense coalesced into a giant hand that enveloped Yu Suzhen's soul, seizing and refining it instantly.
"Ah—!"
Yu Suzhen's agonized wail rang out briefly before fading, her soul transforming into a sphere of light that reconstituted into a new entity.
This reborn soul appeared identical to Yu Suzhen, yet every aspect had been reforged by Lü Yang. Now it stared blankly at him, devoid of will.
Gradually, the soul solidified.
The previously naked, delicate figure became veiled in translucent gauze as snow-white robes blossomed like lotus petals, her petite bare feet hovering midair.
At this stage, the Guardian Deity was technically complete.
Yet Lü Yang remained wary. Since he intended for her to falsely wield Foundation Establishment power, what if she grew too strong and escaped his control?
Such risks couldn't be ignored.
The last thing he wanted was to someday lament, "What an extraordinary Yu Suzhen—this world truly has no shortage of heroes." That would be a joke far too bitter to bear.
Thus he continued, recalling the Guardian Deity into the Myriad Spirits Banner while engraving numerous self-destruct restrictions onto her soul. Triple safeguards ensured immediate annihilation should betrayal ever cross her mind, protecting Lü Yang from backlash.
After another moment passed,
As Lü Yang formed a final seal, the vacant look in Yu Suzhen's eyes suddenly brightened like a painted dragon gaining pupils—her stagnant thoughts abruptly reactivated.
In the next instant, she turned to Lü Yang.
Her voluptuous form gracefully knelt, porcelain forehead pressing against the ground as a melodious voice brimming with submission spoke: "This lowly maid greets the Master."
Satisfied, Lü Yang nodded: "You are no longer your former self. Henceforth, you shall be called Su Nu."
As a Guardian Deity bound by the Myriad Spirits Banner and self-destruct restrictions, Su Nu's life and death now rested entirely in his hands—eliminating any concern of betrayal during critical moments.
"...Take your position."
With a thought, the newly forged Guardian Deity Su Nu floated up and settled onto the throne within the [Yama Palace].
Next, Lü Yang channeled the colored Merit Fish's Fate's Breath into the palace.
Like quenching flames tempering steel, the Fate's Breath fused the hastily assembled [Yama Palace] into a seamless whole.
But just then—
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion made Lü Yang jerk his head up. His gaze pierced through the secret realm to see a spatial rift tear open above Skeleton Mountain.
The Mending Heaven Peak Master and Daoist Hong Yun stepped through.
The great adversaries had arrived!