Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Deep within the Cloud Sea in the South.

A magnificent Sword Light streaked across the sky, revealing a valiant and heroic woman. She had bright eyes, white teeth, delicate eyebrows, and a graceful forehead. Over her emerald palace dress, she wore a wide-sleeved silk shirt.

"The Ganhai Li Clan..."

As she sped forward on her sword, the woman thought, "To think a shallow pond could produce a Flood Dragon. I didn’t expect Jiangnan to produce someone at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment.

"This person possesses immense Fortune.

"Otherwise, the Patriarch wouldn’t have specifically sent me on this trip. To be subjected to my Killing and reincarnate to join our Sword Pavilion, his Fortune is indeed not shallow.

"However, after taking him into the Sect, his family cannot be spared. Otherwise, under the entanglement of karmic links, many troubles will inevitably arise. Besides that, the numerous opportunities he obtained in life should also be collected by the Sect, serving as his apprenticeship gift for joining the Sword Pavilion through my hands..." Ye Guyue pondered.

However, just as she was formulating her plan, mapping out the fates of Master Xiao Hai and the Ganhai Li Clan clearly, a chill suddenly welled up in her heart.

"Huh!?"

As a Sword Cultivator at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Perfection with three Abilities, her Spiritual Sense was incredibly sharp. The moment she sensed it, she immediately realized something was wrong.

In the distance, the clouds suddenly parted.

A mass of profound light descended into the Current World, crashing down right in front of her. It then materialized into a figure—a man of Ordinary appearance.

He merely stood before her, yet it felt as if he had completely cut off all directions. His majestic Qi trace covered the sky, leaving her with no way out.

Ye Guyue’s expression instantly changed drastically as she cried out, "Minor Metal!?"

As the Direct Lineage of the Ye Family, she naturally knew of the former Interim Sect Leader of the Stain Sect, but she didn’t understand why this person would appear here.

Was he here specifically to intercept her? There was no need for that!

Without any hesitation, Ye Guyue directly activated the Life-Saving Talisman in her sleeve to call for help. However, to her horror, the Talisman showed no reaction at all.

"How could this be!?" she thought.

Above the Cloud Sea.

Ye Guyue’s beautiful face was blank, her eyes unfocused. She simply stood dazedly in midair, completely unresponsive to the outside world, looking as if she were about to drool.

Opposite her, Minor Metal reached out and beckoned, pulling a Talisman from her sleeve. He sighed with emotion, "I didn’t expect this trick. If it had been before, I might not have succeeded if I had struck rashly. After all, that fellow Demon-Vanquishing Perfected is standing guard in the South..."

Unfortunately for her, times had changed.

From the moment he appeared, he had already used the Heart Demon Divine Technique to invade Ye Guyue, effortlessly Swallowing up more than half of her Spiritual Space.

The next second, Minor Metal opened his hand. A patch of profound light was Gathering in his palm, dreamy and illusory, surrounded by swirling mist. Inside, countless Fierce Ghosts were howling.

[Formless Realm]!

As the name implied, a Heart Demon empowered by this Ability could break free from physical forms, no longer bound by the material world, mastering the power to transform invisibly.

It was exactly the second Heart Demon Divine Technique he had condensed after Swallowing Master Xiao Hai.

Ye Guyue had fallen for this exact move. Caught completely off guard, her Spiritual Space was almost entirely laid bare to him, naturally trapping her deep within the Heart Demon Illusion Realm, unable to extricate herself.

Yet, from the outside, Ye Guyue appeared completely normal.

Only when he Moved the Heart Demon Divine Technique and utilized the Ability’s Observation Technique could he see the true scene. At this moment, Ye Guyue had already turned into the appearance of a mummified corpse.

Not only that, but under the erosion of the Heart Demon, endless black energy constantly shuttled in and out of her facial features, orifices, and every pore on her body. When it entered, it brought endless filth, and when it came out, it took away her sanity, Qing, and Ming. This vicious cycle made her sink deeper into it.

A moment later, Minor Metal finally withdrew the Heart Demon.

On the other side, Ye Guyue, whose brows had been tightly furrowed due to the Heart Demon’s invasion, relaxed them again. She opened her eyes, a blank look surfacing in their depths.

"What’s wrong with me...?"

Seeing this scene, Minor Metal immediately steadied the third Heart Demon Divine Technique he had just mastered. Then, placing the Ability’s light on his lips and teeth, he spoke faintly,

"Has Daoist forgotten?

"You were originally a disciple under my command. Two hundred years ago, you reincarnated and infiltrated the Sword Pavilion to gain their trust. Now that your Merit has reached Perfection, you have finally recalled the past.

"Are you still not Waking Up?"

The voice of the Ability echoed out like an invisible hand, erasing the blankness in Ye Guyue’s eyes in the blink of an eye. "Ah! Only today do I know my past!"

Seeing this, Minor Metal nodded slightly.

On his lips and teeth, the light of the third Heart Demon Divine Technique was no longer the dark, eerie color from before. Instead, it was purely white and flawless, appearing radiant, Ming, and righteous.

[Five Poison Heart]!

"The five poisons are greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. As long as one is human, they cannot escape these Five Poison Heart emotions. And as long as the body harbors the five poisons, it will give the Heart Demon a chance to Swallow them."

Thinking of this, Minor Metal slowly exhaled, marveling in his heart, "That Immortal Monarch of Tribulation’s methods are truly profound and unfathomable. A single copy of the He-Transformed Heart Demon Scripture can actually condense such an Ability! Moreover, for some unknown reason, it shares some similarities with the Shixiu Method from the Pure Land."

[Free Heaven], [Formless Realm], [Five Poison Heart].

Three Abilities: the first could provide Enlightenment to the Heart Demon, the second allowed the Heart Demon to transform invisibly, and the third enabled the Heart Demon to manipulate human thoughts, even deceiving and altering memories.

No matter which Ability it was, they were all incredibly Profound Mysterious.

If one had to point out a drawback, it was that none of these three Abilities blessed the Cultivator themselves; instead, they were all used to strengthen one’s own Heart Demon.

Therefore, the stronger the Abilities, the stronger the Heart Demon.

"It’s becoming increasingly restless," he thought.

Minor Metal’s thoughts Moved slightly. He just felt his vision blur, and immediately saw a figure with the exact same appearance as himself, but completely shrouded in profound light.

It was precisely his Heart Demon.

However, compared to when he only had one Ability, the current Heart Demon was already itching to take action, suppressed solely by his Cultivation of Foundation Establishment Perfection.

"It’s not a problem right now.

"Even if I nurture it to Five Divine Powers Perfection, with my Position and Heart Thought, I can at least match it evenly and won’t be taken advantage of by the Heart Demon."

But what about the future?

"Foundation Establishment Perfection is my limit. If I really let this Heart Demon Swallow a Perfected Lord’s Heart Demon, can I really seize its body?

"Wouldn’t I be the one Swallowed by the Heart Demon instead?"

"Therein lies..."

Driven by a Saint Sect Zhenren’s natural distrust of everything, Perfected Chong Guang frowned slightly. Just as he was about to fall into deep thought, he suddenly Woke Up with a start.

"...How bold!"

In an instant, majestic Mana roared out. A light surfaced in Minor Metal’s eyes, instantly erasing all his suspicions and restabilizing the thoughts that had just Moved.

Seeing this scene, the Heart Demon in front of him finally grinned. However, before it could say anything, Minor Metal put it away with a solemn expression.

"I didn’t expect that, in a moment of carelessness, I actually fell for its trick and had my Heart Thought Moved by it. But this is also because I originally had this flaw in my heart; it merely magnified the flaw... What a treacherous Heart Demon! It truly originates from the heart, making it impossible to defend against. No wonder it makes people turn pale at the mere mention of it," he thought.

Thinking of this, Minor Metal’s eyes turned entirely cold.

His doubts about the He-Transformed Heart Demon Scripture still hadn’t dissipated. However, he had already firmed his resolve. Even if it was a trap, he would absolutely not give up.

Retracting his gaze, he summoned Ye Guyue to his side.

Minor Metal just looked down at the great lands of the South, his gaze occasionally looking towards the North, and sometimes back at the South. After a moment, he exhaled a deep breath of Muddy Qi.

"Fortune, True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde.

"That Grotto Heaven Fragment in Gantang Dao seems to be related to the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire. Fortune will definitely come. The South is the territory of the Sword Pavilion, so True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde is bound to arrive...

"In that case, I’ll set up a trap right here."

For every one that comes, I’ll eat one! Shrimp eats small fish, small fish eats big fish, all the way until I eat a Perfected Lord!

"Even if I really can’t suppress it when the time comes, it doesn’t matter if I suffer a backlash from the Heart Demon.

"At that time, the Heart Demon will be me, and I will be the Heart Demon. If I achieve the right outcome, whether it is me or not, it will ultimately be me. If I don’t achieve it, there won’t be much difference between me and not-me!"