Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

This time, the great battle lasted for a full half-Hour.

The outcome remained the same—Lü Yang emerged victorious. He lay contentedly on the Void Sea of Light, beside World Purger Fei Xue, who was similarly sprawled out in a star shape.

After a long while, World Purger Fei Xue finally caught her breath. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, the lingering afterglow of the great battle still flushing her fair, flawless face. She looked at Lü Yang and gave a soft huff. "This experience was much better. Your Combat level has risen significantly."

Having said that, she licked her lips, her full chest heaving slightly as if savoring the memory. "What was that Dharma Gate just now? I feel like you’re still holding back."

Hearing this, Lü Yang slightly raised an eyebrow. Her intuition wasn’t wrong; he was indeed holding back. After all, it wasn’t convenient to use the Profound Mysterious of the [Fruit of River-Sand Gold] and the [Fruit of Spring Water] out in the open. At most, he could only use the [Cataclysm Launcher] to alter the imagery of the [Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder] into one of them for use.

He thought, "I can’t help it. There’s still a gap between me and the Profound Robed Man. He can depict the Fruit Position Profound Mysterious out of thin air and then use them simultaneously. I can’t do that; I can only make modifications based on the [Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder]."

Lü Yang didn’t count on being able to do that anytime soon. This wasn’t something achievable merely with high Cultivation. It required Mana control honed to the Peak, as well as Talent Skill. If it were Fei Xue, there might be a chance. For him, it was simply too difficult. It was like that math problem analogy: sometimes, if you don’t know it, you just don’t know it.

However, even so, the power he displayed allowed Lü Yang to defeat World Purger Fei Xue much faster than last time, and it gave her a much better experience.

At this thought, Lü Yang immediately sat up. He thought, "My hands were just itching for a fight, so I came out to battle Fei Xue to verify my insights. Now that the fight is over, I should head back to [Emperor Ying] and see if there are any rewards!"

"Leaving already?"

Seeing this, World Purger Fei Xue slightly raised her delicate eyebrows, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. They had just fought until the heavens overturned and the earth flipped, and now he was just going to dust off his pants and leave? Did he not take her seriously at all?

But soon, her brow relaxed, and she lay back down languidly. Considering she had enjoyed herself twice, she decided not to hold it against Lü Yang. Furthermore, she still needed a favor from him, and there would be opportunities to cooperate in the future. There was no need to cause any unpleasantness over such a trivial matter.

"Besides... this feeling isn’t too bad," she thought.

At this thought, World Purger Fei Xue couldn’t help but lick her red lips again. She wished she could recover her Mana immediately so she could fight Lü Yang fiercely one more time.

Inside [Emperor Ying].

Lü Yang returned. This time, the Dark Land had undergone a completely different transformation. A massive aperture had appeared within the void.

Boundless heavenly light beamed down from the aperture, illuminating Lü Yang’s eyes—or more accurately, his right eye. At the very least, his right eye could see things now. In a daze, he felt as if he could see a certain object from an extremely faraway place, which sparked an inexplicable resonance within him.

"That is..." he thought.

Just then, a voice floated into his ears. "That is the clearance reward for [Emperor Ying]. However, you cannot take it yet."

Lü Yang snapped his head back. Looking over, he saw the Profound Robed Man standing beside him with his hands behind his back and a calm expression. Seeing Lü Yang turn, his eyes curved as he offered a seemingly friendly smile.

"Daoist, your aptitude is truly outstanding," the Profound Robed Man said. "Forgive my poor judgment. At first glance, I did not see any Wisdom Light, so I assumed you only had average talent. Now, looking again, I see I was completely mistaken."

Lü Yang remained silent.

After a moment of silence, Lü Yang stiffly changed the subject. "Daoist, you said I can’t take the reward for [Emperor Ying] yet. Did I not clear the stage?"

"Of course not." The Profound Robed Man shook his head.

"Then how do I clear it?"

"By taking the reward for [Emperor Ying]."

"Isn’t that the reward for clearing it?"

"That is why you must clear it."

"Then how do I clear it?"

"By taking the reward for [Emperor Ying]..."

Lü Yang raised his hand and threw a punch right at him. The Profound Robed Man dodged with a smile and shook his head. "Look at you, getting impatient again. This kind of temperament is no good."

He quickly explained, "According to the rules, since you defeated me once just now, you earn one opportunity to comprehend that reward object. If you successfully establish a connection with it, you will naturally be able to take it away. If you fail... then you must find a way to defeat me again.

"However, I must remind you, Daoist. If you challenge me again, I will not only use the Fruits. Since you have many methods, I will also replicate more of your methods for Combat. Therefore, the difficulty of defeating me will only increase.

"Besides that, you only have six chances at most. If you fail to comprehend it after six attempts, then I advise you to give up."

"Oh? Can there not be a seventh attempt?"

At these words, the Profound Robed Man’s tone instantly turned eerie. "It seems times have changed. The old parables are no longer known to anyone today. Daoist, do you know why this place is called [Chaos]?"

Lü Yang shook his head, his eyes clear.

Immediately after, the Profound Robed Man spoke in a deep voice. "[Chaos] is the Emperor of the Center. He was born without the seven apertures. To seek the ability to see, hear, eat, and breathe, he attempted to open his seven apertures. Thus, he chiseled one aperture each day. On the seventh day, Chaos died."

As the final word fell, the Dark Land seemed to tremble slightly, echoing the Profound Robed Man’s voice. "The seventh attempt is a guaranteed death. Therefore, Daoist, it is best not to try."

"I see," Lü Yang nodded slightly, his expression as calm as ever. In contrast, seeing his reaction, the Profound Robed Man felt a wave of doubt. Was this Daoist not nervous at all?

He only had six chances, and the seventh attempt would mean death. This should instill a strong sense of urgency, right? Why did he act as if it were completely trivial, as if he had countless chances for trial and error?

"Daoist, do you wish to attempt it now?" the Profound Robed Man said helplessly. "Sensing fortune is not that simple. I advise you to prepare yourself properly and wait until your Spiritual Essence has reached its absolute peak before trying."

"No need. I’ll do it right now."

"...Very well."

The Profound Robed Man pointed to the solitary aperture radiating heavenly light in Lü Yang’s field of vision. "Daoist, you simply need to project your Spiritual perception toward that ray of light. At that time, a resonance will naturally be born."

"Thank you, Daoist," Lü Yang cupped his hands in thanks, then smiled. "By the way, you mentioned before that you would tell me your Honorary Title once I won. Since I’ve won once, you should be able to tell me the truth now, right?"

"...Once you finish your sensing, you will naturally know."

Hearing this, Lü Yang nodded and didn’t ask further.

The next second, his gaze fell on that beam of heavenly light. He felt as if the light had transformed into a bridge, guiding his Spiritual perception toward the deep aperture.

The object became clearer. The distance was closing.

"Is that... a painting? A piece of paper? Or a book?" he thought.

Lü Yang strained his eyesight to the limit, doing his utmost to sense the nameless object. Finally, he could vaguely make out something. Several patterns and lines of text gradually materialized before his eyes.

The patterns were incredibly abstract and difficult to comprehend. At first glance, it appeared to be a sphere, but inside, countless lines were intertwined in chaos, with different lines forming spheres of different shapes.

The text, on the other hand, was clear and direct. It was a passage:

"I wished to open the Netherworld, establish the foundation of the Current World, and reverse the Fall of the Other Shore. To do so, I had no choice but to take away the wondrous item within [Emperor Ying]. Therefore, I leave this object behind as a substitute.

"I believe this item’s effectiveness for Cultivators should be even better than what was here before.

"The great senior who opened [Emperor Ying] in the past was somewhat lacking in consideration. I have attempted to remedy this. If future disciples clear the trial and take this item away, they may come to the Netherworld to seek me.

"This object, I shall call—the [Primordial Sea of Light].

"Stain Sect, Beast Taming Peak Master."