Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

The appearance of Demon-Vanquishing Perfected changed everything in an instant.

The moment he appeared, he placed a hand on the hilt of the[Non-Killing Sword]at his waist. In that instant, every Sword Cultivator in the entire South felt it and looked up.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

From the swords of Perfected Persons down to those of Qi Refining disciples, from Spiritual Treasures and Artifacts to even the ordinary blades of mortals—all of them began to stir, letting out a series of clear, ringing hums.

Instantly, Guang Ming, who had been so composed, finally showed a change in expression. He subconsciously took a step back. The aggressive Buddha Light he had directed at Lü Yang receded at once. A sharp, stinging pain pricked the neck of his Golden Body, which should have been indestructible.

’Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, Ye Guangji...’

The number one Sword Cultivator in the world!

If not for his dislike of Combat and his rare personal involvement in the conflicts between the Sword Pavilion and the Stain Sect, the Stain Sect would have likely been beaten back at every turn by the Sword Pavilion!

But Guang Ming’s fear of this man ran even deeper than others’.

The incident that had cemented the name of Demon-Vanquishing Perfected and made him universally acknowledged as the number one cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm was, in fact, closely related to him.

After all, this wasn’t the first time the Bhagavat had descended to crush weaker opponents.

However, unlike his[Victorious Will-Born Clarity Tathagata’s World Appearance], the last one the Bhagavat had sent down was the[Great Compassion and Great Mercy Tathagata’s World Appearance].

The chosen one back then was a Monk from the Pure Land, a Buddhist Nun. Her Cultivation was exceptional, already at Foundation Establishment Perfection. After receiving the blessing of the Dharma Appearance, she became unprecedentedly powerful, leading the Pure Land in a sweep across the land. She even proclaimed her intent to establish an[Earthly Buddha Country], extending an open invitation to all the world’s Perfected Persons.

Until that Buddhist Nun came to the South.

Everyone knew of the Pure Land’s wicked nature. One by one, the people of the South were brought to its ’Enlightenment’. Originally, all the Perfected Lords of the Sword Pavilion had reached an agreement with the Pure Land and tacitly accepted this.

But Demon-Vanquishing Perfected grew furious.

And then came the battle that shook the world, one that even drew the attention and awe of Perfected Lords: Demon-Vanquishing Perfected beheaded the Pure Land’s Buddhist Nun with three sword strikes.

The[Great Compassion and Great Mercy Tathagata’s World Appearance]was brutally slain!

You must understand, a Monk blessed by a Dharma Appearance awakens their ’past life memories,’ realizing they are an incarnation of the Bhagavat, and their power skyrockets.

Though not the Bhagavat in person, they should theoretically be invincible within the Foundation Establishment Realm.

And taking a step back, even if a Foundation-Stage Cultivator could fight them, who would actually dare to win? Weren’t they afraid of provoking the Bhagavat?

As everyone knew, the Bhagavat was shameless.

Only Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was different, for he was the only powerful Sword Cultivator in the Sword Pavilion in many years who had a chance of attaining the[Fruit of Sword Dao].

Thus, he had backing—very powerful backing.

For the sake of the[Fruit of Sword Dao], the Sword Pavilion would naturally not allow the Pure Land to use its strength to bully the weak.

So, the two sides engaged in a fair duel.

And then that Buddhist Nun, who had come to crush a weaker opponent, ended up being crushed herself.

After awakening his ’past life memories,’ Guang Ming could even recall the sword strike Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had delivered back then. The memory alone was enough to make him want to retreat.

"Sir, you misunderstand. I was only joking just now."

The next second, a sincere smile appeared on Guang Ming’s face. "I truly only wished to invite this gentleman to visit the Pure Land."

"I won’t see you out."

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s expression was indifferent. The[Non-Killing Sword]slid half an inch from its scabbard, casting a chilling glare. The Buddhist hymns and chants that filled the sky instantly vanished, and Heaven and Earth fell silent.

Guang Ming pressed his palms together, seemingly wanting one last look at Lü Yang. However, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected stood firm, completely blocking Lü Yang from view. At almost the same time, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s Sword Intent flared, causing a sharp pain in Guang Ming’s eyes and making tears stream uncontrollably down his face.

"Farewell!"

Seeing this, Guang Ming dared not linger. He immediately formed a sign for an Escape Technique and took a step forward. His figure shattered like a phantom bubble and vanished on the spot.

’...I’m saved?’

Witnessing this, Lü Yang was still processing what had happened, utterly shocked. He clearly hadn’t expected Guang Ming, the Buddha’s Son, to retreat so decisively.

The next second, a concerned voice reached him:

"Are you all right?"

Lü Yang looked up and saw that Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had already sheathed the[Non-Killing Sword]and was looking at him with concern. "Do you still have the strength to retract that sword strike?"

Lü Yang shook his head at his words.

The[Life-taking]sword was a strike of no return. In truth, from the moment he had gathered its power, Lü Yang was already a dead man. The only question was when he would unleash it. Theoretically, it was impossible to take it back. Even if he could, he had no intention of doing so in this situation.

’I have to keep a way to reset.’

Although Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had just saved him, for someone to show such concern in a treacherous place like this made it hard for Lü Yang to believe there were no ulterior motives.

’What if I retract the[Life-taking]sword, and you make a move against me the next moment?’

Right now, Lü Yang didn’t dare trust anyone.

He could only trust himself!

Thus, Lü Yang was silent for a moment before sighing. "I can’t retract it for now. I can only barely control it from striking out. That’s the most I can do."

But Demon-Vanquishing Perfected just smiled at his words.

"As long as you can control it, that’s what matters. Don’t rush. Once you comprehend[Sword Intent]in the future, you’ll be able to neutralize a mere[Life-taking]sword with ease."

After speaking, he gave Lü Yang another deep look.

"[Sword Heart Clarity]?"

Lü Yang nodded and cupped his hands. "This disciple gained some enlightenment after destroying the Ten Thousand Poison Sect."

"Excellent!"

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected smiled in satisfaction. "You are heavily injured. Come back to the Sword Pavilion with me for now. You can also tell me what exactly happened with the Ten Thousand Poison Sect."

"This disciple obeys."

Lü Yang omitted any mention of his main body and his avatar, selectively recounting the events. He wasn’t worried about Demon-Vanquishing Perfected trying to view past events. After all, Heaven and Earth had already intervened, clearing the karmic links surrounding the Ten Thousand Poison Sect. Even the highest of Immortals couldn’t retrace what had happened there.

***

「Sword Pavilion, Zenith Cliff.」

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected led Lü Yang all the way here. Without delay, he took out a Qi Pill meant for healing injuries and gave it to Lü Yang to take.

"Thank you, Master."

There was a hint of genuine sincerity in Lü Yang’s thanks. After all, without Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, he would have had to self-destruct and reset, losing absolutely everything in the process.

His Immortal Spirit Body had been stolen, so if he reset, the best he could do was choose his Sword Dao Avatar’s Cultivation. But the Sword Dao was fucking cursed; how could he take that with him? The only other choice would be to select the Dharma Body again. This whole life would have been for nothing, with nothing accomplished. How could he accept that?

The only good news was that although his own situation was bleak, he at least still had Progenitor Tingyou on his side.

So even if he had to reset, he had to at least wait until Progenitor Tingyou was more developed. Otherwise, he really would be left with nothing.

At this thought, Lü Yang gritted his teeth again.

Fortunately, crucial things like the[Heavenly Qian Totalizing All Manifestations Dharma Body]were bound to the[Centome]and had transferred to his avatar along with his consciousness.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be a matter of gaining nothing—he would have lost everything he owned!

In his ten lives of cultivation, he had only ever suffered such a huge loss in the first few, back when he was young and ignorant, still lacking in worldliness and experience.

’Guang Ming, Heaven and Earth...’

’I’ll remember this grudge.’

’Just you wait!’

Just then, the voice of a Qi Refining Disciple reporting from outside the door suddenly rang out: "Interim Sect Leader, the Patriarch and Elder Ye Cheng are outside Zenith Cliff, requesting an audience."