Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Sword Pavilion, the Ye Family estate.

Swirling mists of the Cloud Sea wreathed magnificent, brightly lit halls. The Ye Family now stood as the most prominent clan in the Sword Pavilion, not only because of their Perfected Lord, but even more so because of the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected.

After all, with all the Perfected Lords living in seclusion, those at Foundation Establishment Perfection were the strongest cultivators around.

And among those at Foundation Establishment Perfection, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was leagues ahead of the rest. The Ye Family, borrowing his might to intimidate others, had reaped considerable benefits in the Sword Pavilion over the past decade.

Just then, a Flying Spirit Letter arrived.

Inside the main hall, a handsome young man in an ornate coronet reached out and caught the Spirit Book. He swept it with his Divine Sense, and a smile spread across his face.

"Patriarch, the Ten Thousand Poison Sect has been destroyed!"

At these words, the Ye Family Patriarch, Ye Shaoying, who had been meditating on the main seat in the hall, snapped his eyes open. A look of grim satisfaction flashed in their depths.

"Are you certain, City?"

"Absolutely!"

Ye City stated with conviction, "I arranged this matter personally, uncle. This letter is from a friend of mine in the Southern Border. There’s no falsehood in it whatsoever!"

"Good!"

Only then did Ye Shaoying nod, saying with vindictive glee, "The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected made a personal trip to the Southern Border, and the Ten Thousand Poison Sect was annihilated... Minghe must be dead!"

Ye City smiled and nodded. "The Patriarch is wise. You cleverly used the spies the Ten Thousand Poison Sect planted among the Qi Refining disciples to lay this inescapable trap. How could a mere Loose Cultivator like Lü Yang possibly escape? In the end, he owed our Ye Family for his karmic links. His death now is simply the work of Fate."

"You have a point, City."

Ye Shaoying nodded. His daughter, Ye Guyue, had died so mysteriously inside the [South Celestial Gate], a fact that had bothered him for many years.

Thus, he had long been dissatisfied with Lü Yang.

The reason was simple: ’My daughter is dead, so why are you still alive?’

’Did you cause her death?’

Not to mention, his original plan for his daughter, Ye Guyue, to inherit the mantle of the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected and learn his [Sword Intent] had fallen through because of this.

And to make matters worse, Lü Yang had been accepted as the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s disciple.

What if the two of them hit it off, and the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected passed his [Sword Intent] on to Lü Yang? What would the Ye Family do then? This was something Ye Shaoying could not tolerate.

In his eyes, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was a member of the Ye Family.

Therefore, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s [Sword Intent] should also belong to the Ye Family!

How could an outsider be allowed to touch it?

So, for both public and private reasons, he did not want Lü Yang to live. And if he had to live, it was best if he could never achieve Foundation Establishment.

"Let’s go."

At this thought, Ye Shaoying stood up and gave Ye City a slight smile. "Come along, City. Accompany me to see the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected. We should offer him some comfort."

Then, he clapped Ye City on the shoulder and said earnestly, "You are now the most outstanding young man in our Ye Family. I will recommend you to become a disciple under the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected. You must train hard... With Gu Yue gone, the position of Patriarch after me is not yet decided. You must strive for it."

"I understand, uncle!"

Ye City’s face lit up with excitement. The position of Patriarch... if he could secure that seat, reaching the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment in the future would be a near certainty!

Soon, two streaks of Flying Light departed from the Ye Family estate.

They made their way to Zenith Cliff.

As they approached, Ye Shaoying composed himself and said in a solemn voice, "Guangji, I know the pain of losing a beloved disciple is terrible, but you must... you must..."

His voice trailed off abruptly.

Before he could offer his condolences, Ye Shaoying saw Lü Yang standing calmly beside the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, turning to look at him upon hearing his voice.

’He’s not dead!?’

Ye Shaoying whipped his head around to look at Ye City, only to find him equally stunned, clearly not having processed why Lü Yang was still alive.

’Could it be that the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected noticed something was wrong and arrived in time?’

’Otherwise, Long Yue, the Master of Ten Thousand Poisons, is a Great Trueman at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. There’s no way she could have failed in dealing with a junior who just reached Foundation Establishment...’

Ye Shaoying was still lost in thought.

The next second, a sudden jolt ran through him as his [Sword Heart] sounded a warning. He instinctively looked up, his gaze meeting Lü Yang’s.

CLANG! CLANG!

In a daze, a clear, ringing sword hum suddenly echoed in Ye Shaoying’s ears. The image of Lü Yang before him blurred, losing its human form and transforming into a magnificent, blazing Sword Qi so brilliant it was hard to look at! A single glance revealed that it was in no way inferior to that of a Great Trueman!

"My apologies."

Lü Yang smiled apologetically. "My current state is rather unique. I’m finding it difficult to restrain my Sword Qi, so I ask that you two fellow Daoists not take offense."

Despite his words, Lü Yang’s Sword Qi did not recede. Instead, it grew even more ostentatious.

’Damn it, if I can’t deal with the Bhagavat, I can at least deal with you!’

Of those present, Ye City had the weakest cultivation, having only just entered the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment. Crushed by Lü Yang’s Sword Qi, he immediately coughed up blood and staggered back a step.

’How is this possible...’

This time, Ye Shaoying’s expression truly changed. The composure and cunning befitting a Patriarch shattered in an instant as he stared at Lü Yang in disbelief.

’Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!? A Great Trueman!?’

What kind of joke was this!

’His foundation is this profound? What are his origins? It’s only been about ten years since his reincarnation, and he’s already reached the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment?’

If it had been anyone else, Ye Shaoying would have long since accused Lü Yang of being a spy sent from another Sect. But Lü Yang’s situation was different. After all, he had been able to offer incense in the Reception Hall, which meant his past-life memories had certainly been wiped clean. Even if he had been a spy before, he couldn’t be one now.

But Ye Shaoying was the Ye Family Patriarch, after all.

"...It’s no matter."

In a flash, he had already composed himself and said, "I came here today precisely to bring this disgrace to our family to you and beg for forgiveness, fellow Daoist."

Ye City: "???"

The next second, before Ye City could react, Ye Shaoying slapped a hand on him, directly sealing his Divine Sense, and shoved him forward.

"This is the one who secretly colluded with the Ten Thousand Poison Sect and betrayed the Sword Pavilion’s interests."

"The evidence is conclusive. If you still have doubts, fellow Daoist, the several Qi Refining disciples he communicated with can be verified through Soul Searching as spies for the Ten Thousand Poison Sect."

Ye Shaoying spoke with righteous indignation.

Lü Yang was left breathless with admiration at the performance.

’Truly a Sword Species born once in a generation...’

Why had the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected suddenly rushed to the Southern Border? It was because he had discovered Ye City’s little scheme. He just hadn’t expected Ye Shaoying to sacrifice the pawn to save the chariot.

Ye Shaoying, however, saw nothing wrong with his actions.

Compared to before, his thinking had completely changed. After all, the value of a Great Trueman and an ordinary Foundation-Stage Cultivator were in two completely different leagues.

If before he had been thinking of eliminating Lü Yang...

...then now, he had already shifted his approach: ’If I could arrange a marriage alliance and pull a Great Trueman into my Ye Family, it wouldn’t be a bad thing at all...’

Thinking this, Ye Shaoying was just about to speak.

But at that very moment.

"That’s enough."

The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected suddenly cut Ye Shaoying off, his voice grave. "Haven’t you brought enough shame upon yourself? Go back. Take Ye City with you."

"Have him enter seclusion. A century of quiet meditation."

"...Very well."

Hearing this, Ye Shaoying nodded decisively. He understood this matter required more long-term planning, so he immediately grabbed Ye City and hastily departed from Zenith Cliff.

The Demon-Vanquishing Perfected watched them go and sighed helplessly, then turned to Lü Yang.

"For my sake, don’t make things difficult for them."

Lü Yang quickly bowed. "This disciple wouldn’t dare."

Hearing this, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected finally nodded. He then surprisingly unfastened the [Non-Killing Sword] from his waist and handed it to Lü Yang.

"Consider this my apology on their behalf."

"You have now reached the stage where you can comprehend [Sword Intent]. I am lending you this sword to observe. Study it patiently. It should be of some use to your current cultivation."

"Thank you, Master!"

Lü Yang bowed again. Without refusing, he accepted the [Non-Killing Sword]. An icy chill and a mountain-like weight immediately spread through his hands.

In truth, even if the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected hadn’t said anything, he didn’t have time to cause trouble for the Ye Family right now. At most, he would just keep it in mind.

He had more important things to do.

’The memories from Fortune!’

Heaven and Earth had secretly interfered before, preventing him from investigating further. This meant there must be a secret related to them hidden within. He was determined to find out what it was!