Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

[Sea of Suffering]

"Hahaha! So Master Chong Guang actually knows how to play this kind of game!"

Lü Yang clapped his hands and laughed aloud. Without hesitation, he used his spiritual perception to record the entire process of Minor Metal putting on a masterful theatrical display and completely outmaneuvering Dragon Map.

He pondered, "I thought I would have to step in at the very end to clean up his mess, but he solved it all by himself... My initial help wasn’t given in vain."

At this thought, Lü Yang couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

Dragon Map was actually not that incompetent. His fatal flaw was his complete ignorance regarding Heart Demons, combined with the fact that he fed a quarter of his spiritual perception to Minor Metal all at once. Otherwise, he would never have fallen to such a wretched state.

"Strictly speaking, when I observed the trajectory of events just now, the highest probability was that Dragon Map would help Demon Subduing Zhenren out of the siege, and Master Chong Guang would fall short at the final hurdle.

"However, before I could even alter the outcome, Master Chong Guang adapted on the fly. He played Dragon Map for a fool, causing him to lose a massive amount of his spiritual perception. After swallowing it whole, the balance of power shifted. Only then was Master Chong Guang able to use his Heart Demon Divine Technique to secretly influence Dragon Map, making him sink deeper and deeper into the trap until the situation was entirely salvaged."

If one had to pinpoint Dragon Map’s mistake, it was using a quarter of his spiritual perception right off the bat, thoroughly stuffing Minor Metal full. Without that feast, Minor Metal might not have possessed the strength to influence him.

A single misstep led to a cascading failure.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang looked again at the event imagery within the Sea of Suffering, a sudden realization dawning in his heart. "I see. I am not the sole scriptwriter of this grand play.

"I can rewrite the script, but the actors in the play can do the same.

"The most probable outcome isn’t guaranteed to happen. Conversely, even without my interference, low-probability variations can still emerge naturally.

"...Human effort decides the outcome!"

In an instant, Lü Yang’s eyes brightened. "The Great Dao derives fifty, yet leaves one to escape... I understand now. This is the Variable! The Variable that must exist within the Sea of Light!"

From this small glimpse, the larger truth was revealed.

If a Foundation-Stage Cultivator could carve out a sliver of survival within the schemes of a Perfected Lord, then by the same logic, a Perfected Lord could also forge their own Dao beneath the grasp of a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord!

The Great Dao was never a dead end; even within a Tribulation, a glimmer of life could be found!

For a moment, Lü Yang felt incredibly invigorated. In the dark, he seemed to have formed a deeper resonance with [Tribulation], and the Great Dao in his eyes became increasingly clear.

In the South, within Gantang Dao.

The clash within the Spiritual Space felt agonizingly long, but in reality, only a fleeting moment had passed. In the blink of an eye, Minor Metal had seized total control over Demon Subduing Zhenren’s Heart Thoughts.

Dragon Map was unceremoniously suppressed as well.

Moreover, after devouring Dragon Map to the brink of total annihilation, Minor Metal discovered that his Heart Demon had benefited immensely, achieving Major Mastery straight away!

Looking closely, within Demon Subduing Zhenren’s Spiritual Space, the Heart Demon sat cross-legged, smacking its lips. Five streams of Profound Light in dark hues coiled around it, making it appear increasingly Spiritual. Its eyes brimmed with deep cunning, swirling with the seven emotions and six desires, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to meet its gaze directly.

Far away, Minor Metal sensed the changes in his Heart Demon across the distance and sighed inwardly. "It’s getting trickier to handle.

"Although I can still control it, its resistance has grown extremely strong.

"One moment of carelessness, and it will immediately spiral out of control."

At this thought, Minor Metal didn’t dare leave the Heart Demon inside Demon Subduing Zhenren’s Spiritual Space any longer. If he slipped up even slightly, Demon Subduing Zhenren might be entirely consumed by it.

He mentally commanded, "Come back.

"We cannot kill this man yet, but leave a backdoor in his mind to ensure I can end his life at any moment... Also, bring back that remnant soul of the Daoist True Monarch as well."

Minor Metal circulated his spiritual perception, even utilizing his newly condensed Gold Attribute, just to temporarily suppress the Demon Thought and force it to obediently follow his orders. It wasn’t until the Heart Demon returned with its spoils of war that he finally had the spare energy to examine the two new Abilities it had gained following the Great Success of Heart Demon.

One was [Outer Body], and the other was [Inverted Sumeru].

He analyzed, "[Outer Body], as the name implies, allows the Heart Demon to manifest into millions of incarnations. Furthermore, these divided Heart Demons have no distinction between primary and secondary; every single one of them can serve as the main body.

"This is an Upper Grade cloning technique, as well as a brilliant life-saving Ability.

"As for [Inverted Sumeru], it draws upon the concept of ’if the ego is released, Mount Sumeru falls on its own.’ It is an offensive Ability designed to Erase the Self, leaving a person’s Soul intact while completely obliterating their consciousness."

Minor Metal nodded in satisfaction.

Between the two Abilities, the former further enhanced the Heart Demon’s already monstrous self-preservation capabilities, while the latter filled the gap in its frontal combat methods.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang, who was constantly monitoring Minor Metal, stood completely stunned.

"Such an Ability actually exists?!" he thought in shock.

After all, Minor Metal was only at Foundation Establishment. Being a Lower Cultivator with limited perspective, he was essentially standing in a treasure trove completely oblivious. However, how could Lü Yang not understand the true value of the [Inverted Sumeru] Ability?

"This Ability... is specifically designed to target the Dao Heart!"

In the current era where Dao Heart Techniques had gone extinct, such an Ability was simply an ultimate killing move. It never missed its mark, practically on par with Bhagavat’s Unity!

"What a pity it’s only at Foundation Establishment..."

Lü Yang rubbed his hands together, his anticipation for Minor Metal’s growth intensifying. After all, with [Student as a Model] in effect, he could perfectly synchronize with everything Minor Metal gained.

He mused, "If Master Chong Guang can truly use his Heart Demon to achieve Seeking Gold, his foundational Heart Demon Divine Technique might also undergo a qualitative evolution. When that time comes, the [Inverted Sumeru] Ability might even be effective against a Perfected Lord! If that really happens, Master Chong Guang could probably defeat True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde the moment he breaks through!"

As Lü Yang was marveling over this revelation, back in Gantang Dao, Demon Subduing Zhenren finally snapped out of his daze.

He felt no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, it was as if he had just woken from a deep sleep, his mind feeling unprecedentedly clear. However, Dragon Map had been completely erased from his memory.

His Soul remained intact, but it was now shrouded in a thin layer of dark light—like a massive, invisible hand silently manipulating the flow of his thoughts.

Then, his gaze locked onto Hong Ju, who had just entered Gantang Dao.

"Demon!" he roared.

His previous thoughts of retreating were instantly cast to the wind, leaving behind only boiling courage. Before his voice even faded, Demon Subduing Zhenren had already unsheathed his sword.

CLANG!

Sword Light erupted. His Innate Ability, which corresponded to the [Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal], clung to the blade. Infused with the power to Slash the future, this strike was absolutely guaranteed to hit its target!

"Hmm...?"

Hong Ju glanced over and saw that it was only someone at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. Although the man’s Ability was formidable, Hong Ju didn’t pay it much mind. After all, the vast gap in their Positions was clear for all to see.

However, in the very next second, his expression drastically changed.

Just as Demon Subduing Zhenren closed in on him, a stream of Profound Light abruptly flashed within the depths of his eyes. Immediately following that, his Position, which had originally been at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, began to skyrocket!

It was Minor Metal’s doing!

He hadn’t possessed Demon Subduing Zhenren. Instead, using the Heart Demon’s connection, he transferred his own Foundation Establishment Perfection Position, temporarily bestowing it upon the Zhenren!

Now that the gap in Position had vanished, the Profound Mysterious of the [Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal] to Slash the future instantly manifested itself. Unable to evade in time, Hong Ju was cleaved squarely in the head. He exploded on the spot into a tempest of flowing light, rapidly creating distance from Demon Subduing Zhenren before finally reforming his physical body.

Fire Snake Divine Technique, [Heaven-Reaching Road]!

Si represents the grand post station, and fire embodies the smoke and fire of the mortal realm, acting as a Manifestation of unhindered paths. Therefore, despite being of the Fire Element, this Ability also encompassed some of the imagery of the [Fruit of Post-Road Earth].

Just a moment ago, Hong Ju had relied on this very Ability to escape calamity, which was the only reason he had survived Demon Subduing Zhenren’s full-powered strike.

"You’re courting death!"

In the next second, believing he had met a worthy opponent, Hong Ju didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Going all out, he sent five Abilities crashing violently toward Demon Subduing Zhenren.

And then—Minor Metal withdrew his empowerment from Demon Subduing Zhenren.