Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

What was [Tribulation]?

"The Void Sea of Light serves as a self-purging antivirus mechanism to cleanse Cultivators. However, this mechanism isn't something that becomes easier to sense simply by killing more Cultivators," Lü Yang thought.

Otherwise, wouldn't anyone be able to sense [Tribulation] just by committing murder?

If that were truly the case, it would be impossible for [Tribulation] to remain unproven for so many years, with no one even sensing it. This Dao was actually extremely harsh.

It did not target a single Cultivator or a single Sect.

Rather, it targeted the entire Cultivator community.

How many could truly be killed in mutual slaughter among Cultivators? Moreover, no matter how many died, they were only Cultivators of the same Realm. It would have zero impact on Cultivators of a higher Realm.

"To sense [Tribulation], the best method is to propel the overarching trend. Use a minor incident to drive a major event, and then use that major event to trigger the deaths of higher-Realm Cultivators. Like a row of falling dominoes, pulling one hair sets off a chain reaction that shifts the entire paradigm. Only this can be called [Tribulation]!"

Enlightenment dawned in Lü Yang's heart.

"Under [Tribulation], no matter how immense your Cultivation is, you cannot escape your doom. To sense this Great Dao, the best approach is to verify this imagery.

"Therefore, I must kill Golden Cores!

"Golden Core Perfected Lords stand aloof, transcending the mortal world to command karmic links. They cannot be shaken by mere Fortune. Because of this, it is very difficult for [Tribulation] to affect them."

Of course, it was only "very difficult."

After all, millennial cataclysms still existed. Golden Core Perfected Lords would also engage in massive wars and fall like rain. The ones who truly sat comfortably above the fray were the Nascent Soul Daoist Lords.

"However, a Master of Dao is not someone I can punch above my weight to provoke right now," he mused.

"I can only settle for the next best thing and make Golden Core Perfected Lords my first targets. I will let the battle of Foundation Establishment ripple out to affect the Perfected Lords, thereby indirectly causing their downfall!"

Doing so would inevitably allow him to better sense [Tribulation].

"In fact, the Heart Demons I've created have only influenced the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining levels so far. Almost no Golden Core Perfected Lord has manifested a Heart Demon."

True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde was an exception.

After all, Progenitor Tingyou was far too overpowered, so he couldn't be blamed.

Even for True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde, his Heart Demon actually wasn't that strong. After all, he had taken down Progenitor Tingyou back then, emerging as the ultimate victor.

"Ultimately, it's because there are no Heart Demons at the True Monarch Level existing in the current world. The [Sea of Suffering] lacks the corresponding imagery, so it naturally cannot affect Perfected Lords. If I can help Master Chong Guang become a Perfected Lord of the Dao of Heart Demons, I can fill in this missing imagery for the [Sea of Suffering].

"Thereby drawing a response from [Tribulation]!"

At this thought, Lü Yang immediately took a deep breath. He then threw open the [Sea of Suffering] and, in the blink of an eye, arrived above the Boundless Vast Ocean where imagery gathered.

RUMBLE!

In an instant, he formed a Daoist Hand Seal. The [Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder] surfaced at his fingertips, and the Profound Mysterious [Cataclysm Launcher] he had just condensed rapidly spread outward.

"I must modify specific imagery," he thought.

"The imagery flowing within the [Sea of Suffering] doesn't just consist of objects; it also includes events! Time, location, characters... these are all elements of event imagery."

At this moment, Lü Yang was searching the [Sea of Suffering] for a specific event imagery. This should have been like finding a needle in a haystack, but fortunately, he was very familiar with the person involved.

[Time: Within ten years.]

[Location: Jiangnan Gantang Dao.]

[Character: Fortune.]

Immortal Pivot, the North, the Sea of Clouds.

On Holy Fire Cliff, a Daoist priest who seemed to have gathered the favor of Heaven and Earth and the blessing of Fortune stood with his hands behind his back. He surveyed the scenery of Heaven and Earth with a melancholic expression.

"I never expected to see the day of my return..." Fortune mused.

With the birth of [Ang Xiao] and the exposure of the Earth Reversal, he had become the only Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the entire Immortal Pivot who could seek proof of the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] without any hindrance.

Therefore, World Purger Fei Xue abandoned Minor Metal and chose to cooperate with him instead.

Thanks to this, he was finally able to return to Holy Fire Cliff after many years away. In the past, he only dared to show his face in the Sea of Clouds using an avatar.

"What a pity... It's too fast," he thought.

If he had waited another ten years or so, filling the void in his own Fortune and completely restoring his Cultivation to Foundation Establishment Perfection, he might have been able to engage in Seeking Gold right now.

However, as things stood, he only possessed Cultivation at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment. Even the Master of Heaven Mending Peak dared to bare his fangs at him.

"What should I do?" Fortune pondered.

He wasn't entirely without a method to rapidly restore his Cultivation. After all, he had previously sensed that a Grotto Heaven Fragment from his past was located in the South.

"But that Grotto Heaven Fragment is highly likely to be a trap. Moreover, it's very possible that [Ang Xiao] left it behind for me. If I rashly go to retrieve it, I'll definitely fall into the snare. By then, it might result in yet another reincarnation... Five thousand years. For five whole millennia, I've been killed like this almost every single time during my Seeking Gold!"

At this thought, Fortune immediately gnashed his teeth in hatred.

"[Ang Xiao]! You deserve to die! Even killing you a thousand or ten thousand times wouldn't be enough!"

Yet, hatred aside, when he truly recalled [Ang Xiao]'s methods, Fortune couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. After all, the psychological shadow of being scammed for five thousand years was far too massive.

What was to be done?

Should he go to Gantang Dao or not?

If he went and recovered the Grotto Heaven Fragment inside, he would immediately be able to restore his Cultivation to Foundation Establishment Perfection. He could proceed with Seeking Gold and reclaim his position, avoiding any complications from a prolonged delay.

If he didn't go, he would have to undergo a systematic recovery, which could stretch the timeline up to ten years. Considering that [Ang Xiao] would absolutely never allow him to regain control of the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire], this decade would inevitably be filled with a massive number of Variables. One misstep, and he might very well end up reincarnating all over again.

For a time, Fortune's heart was filled with hesitation.

"Hard training for ten years to slowly recover certainly entails many Variables, but recovering the Grotto Heaven Fragment also carries risks. After all, there might be a pitfall left by [Ang Xiao]."

Both choices had their pros and cons. It all came down to which one he chose and how he dealt with it.

As he thought about it, Fortune suddenly became completely absorbed in his thoughts. It was unknown how much time had passed before he jolted, snapping back to reality. Then, for no apparent reason, a resolute expression surfaced on his face.

"I'll go to Gantang Dao!" Fortune resolved.

"The risk of training bitterly for ten years is still too great. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Elevating my Cultivation first is ultimately better than remaining in my current weak state.

"Moreover, Xue Feihong is on my side right now.

"With her helping me keep watch, even if [Ang Xiao] really buried some kind of trick in that Grotto Heaven Fragment, she should be able to discover and resolve it.

"I'm risking it all!"

Of course, just in case, Fortune still executed a Secret Technique to calculate the karmic links and sense his fortune and misfortune. Afterward, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, there are no anomalies.

"My Fortune is flourishing right now. This trip to Gantang Dao is a mix of good and bad omens, with perhaps a bit more good. This meets my expectations... Then there's no need to hesitate!"

Brimming with confidence, Fortune departed from Holy Fire Cliff.

"It's done!"

With a sigh of realization, Lü Yang stood with his hands behind his back. The [Cataclysm Launcher] transformed into a vivid hue of light that sank into the [Sea of Suffering], slowly modifying an event imagery.

[Time: Now]

[Location: Jiangnan Gantang Dao]

[Character: Fortune]

[Event: After much deliberation, Fortune ultimately chose to travel to Gantang Dao to refine the Grotto Heaven Fragment and restore his Foundation Establishment Perfection as quickly as possible.]

—This event had been modified.

In the original event, Fortune's final outcome should have been abandoning the idea of Refining the Grotto Heaven Fragment. However, Lü Yang had used the [Cataclysm Launcher] to alter the course of the event.

"This is the true power of the [Cataclysm Launcher]!" Lü Yang thought.

"Unlike [Engraving Laws], the [Cataclysm Launcher] doesn't establish logical rules; rather, it directly modifies the underlying parameters. The two merely appear similar in their manifestations."

"Their fundamental natures are entirely different!" he said aloud.

The most wonderful part was that modifying the course of an event through the [Cataclysm Launcher] would not disturb karmic links. Even the Spiritual Sense of a Perfected Lord wouldn't notice anything amiss.

"Just now, using the [Cataclysm Launcher], I triggered a minor tribulation by exploiting the conflict between Master Chong Guang and Fortune," Lü Yang pondered.

"Let alone Fortune, even Fei Xue remains completely oblivious to this.

"This is exactly how [Tribulation] should be. Your doom is inescapable. If you were able to calculate the reason and even manage to pursue good fortune and avoid calamity, how could it still be called [Tribulation]?"

As this thought crossed his mind, the [Sea of Suffering] beneath Lü Yang's feet suddenly began to roar!

SPLASH!

The boundless waters of imagery surged wildly. Faintly, in the deepest depths of the [Sea of Suffering], Lü Yang seemed to glimpse a magnificent Great Dao, similar to the Dao of Arcane Body.

Astonishingly, it was [Tribulation]!

"I can finally see it, though I still can't reach out and touch it... However, as long as I can use [Tribulation] to slay a Perfected Lord this time, I should be able to resonate with it."

As for who to kill, Lü Yang had already made his decision long ago.

True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde!