Chapter 382: Really a Fish Pond Game?
Seven Luminaries Heaven. This was the name Lü Yang gave to this world.
Its structure was similar to the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, with a round heaven arching over a square earth, a vast divine land. Out of caution, Lü Yang’s true body remained still, and he only dispatched a Banner Spirit.
Chen Xin’an.
He had also chosen a very remote location, not daring to venture toward the center of the Seven Luminaries Heaven’s continent. Instead, he had selected a small village nestled deep within the mountain forests of a secluded corner.
"This place... has no Spiritual Qi."
Inhabiting Chen Xin’an’s body, Lü Yang strolled through the mountain forest. He sent out his Divine Sense to probe his surroundings, only to discover that this Outer Realm was completely devoid of Spiritual Qi.
’This isn’t exactly friendly to Qi Refiners.’
’In the cultivation system from that broken place, you still need Spiritual Qi to practice all the way up to the Late-phase of Qi Refining. Only then do you start to gradually generate your own. In other words, if any Cultivator below the Late-phase of Qi Refining came here, they would instantly be reduced to an ordinary mortal the moment their Dantian ran out of Mana, since there’s no external Spiritual Qi for replenishment. Body Cultivators would have it even worse. Without Mana, they probably couldn’t even move their meticulously tempered physiques.’
Only those at the Foundation Establishment realm wouldn’t mind.
After all, once the Dao Foundation was built, it was no longer a matter of the cultivator conforming to Spiritual Qi, but Spiritual Qi conforming to the cultivator. Though Mana would still be consumed, one could be completely self-sufficient.
SWOOSH!
Lü Yang formed a Finger Technique with one hand. A green light ignited at his fingertip as a vast Wood Element Spiritual Power surged forth, instantly sweeping over the surrounding forest.
In an instant, vegetation grew explosively. Trees blossomed, bore fruit, withered, and then became lush once more, as if experiencing spring, summer, fall, and winter all in a moment. Seeing this, Lü Yang nodded in satisfaction. His Divine Power still worked. This was undoubtedly good news; he wasn’t completely without the means to protect himself.
Just then, Lü Yang suddenly raised an eyebrow.
’Hm? Someone’s coming?’
The next moment, he decisively dispersed the Banner Spirit body of Chen Xin’an, transforming it into a wisp of Primal Qi and concealing it. He then began to observe silently, using only his Divine Sense.
Then, an old man quietly materialized.
With his appearance, a faint scent of Sandalwood Incense suddenly drifted through the air.
He had the white hair of an old crane but the youthful complexion of a child. With a stooped back and plain clothes, he looked kind and benevolent. His eyes, narrowed to slits, swept over the scene Lü Yang had just created.
After a moment, he frowned in confusion.
"Where did this Wild Fox Zen come from?"
"To use Magic so recklessly... The one behind this is probably some Wild God who doesn’t understand the rules. *Sigh*. We’re far from the City God’s jurisdiction, after all. This chaos is unstoppable..."
The old man checked the area carefully one more time but found nothing out of the ordinary.
He departed, looking deeply concerned.
However, Lü Yang did not reappear. He remained as a wisp of Primal Qi, waiting patiently. ’Who knows if he’ll double back for a surprise attack?’
「A day passed.」
「Two days passed.」
It wasn’t until the third day that Lü Yang cautiously reformed his body. He was rather dumbfounded. ’He really left? He didn’t suspect someone was hiding in the shadows?’
’So unprofessional.’
Lü Yang judged the man by his own standards. ’If it were me,’ he thought, ’I would’ve definitely pretended to leave while actually lying in wait nearby. I’d check back every so often, multiple times, just to be absolutely sure no one was there.’
’But this guy took one look, found nothing, and actually just left!’
It had been a long time since Lü Yang had encountered someone so guileless.
’Besides, that man was interesting. He actually had a Position?’
Lü Yang stroked his chin. The Position wasn’t high—not even on par with Foundation Establishment. At best, its strength was equivalent to the Position of someone at the Final-phase of Qi Refining who had mastered a single Legendary Technique.
Still, it was a Position nonetheless.
On that basis alone, most things in the mortal world could not harm him. And yet, this was merely one of the most remote corners of Seven Luminaries Heaven.
’So, being cautious was the right move.’
Lü Yang took a deep breath. According to Fortune’s memories, Seven Luminaries Heaven was supposed to be a safe retreat he had specifically prepared for himself. In theory, there shouldn’t be any problems.
But five thousand years had passed, after all.
Five thousand years was long enough for many variables to arise. While it was unlikely there would be a Perfected Lord, a single Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection would be enough to kill him instantly.
’No need to rush. Slow and steady wins the race...’
Lü Yang continued forward, using his Divine Sense to follow the scent of Sandalwood Incense lingering in the air. The man had left such an obvious trail behind him.
’Do Cultivators in this world not know how to cover their tracks?’
’Or... is this bait to lure me in?’
A hundred thoughts raced through Lü Yang’s mind, but he wasn’t flustered. It was only a Banner Spirit, after all. The worst that could happen was losing it. Emboldened by this, he followed the trail.
Before long, a mountain village came into view.
The faint, bustling sounds of people drifted from the village. It seemed to have about a hundred households, but a single glance confirmed they were all mortals; none had any Cultivation.
The trail of Sandalwood Incense ended here.
Lü Yang stood his ground and waited patiently for a moment... Still, nothing happened. There were no traps like he’d imagined. It was so peaceful it was almost frightening.
Lü Yang gazed into the distance and soon spotted a shrine built from packed earth inside the village. It was about the size of a doghouse. Inside sat an incense burner with three long sticks of incense, along with a few plates of fruit as offerings. Amidst the faint scent of Sandalwood Incense, a shimmering figure materialized.
It was the same old man with the white hair and youthful face.
He sat cross-legged amidst the Incense smoke, breathing with his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell as he absorbed the Incense, and his originally weak Position was actually growing stronger!
’He’s almost at the level of a Fake Foundation Establishment...’
’Well, I’ll be!’
Lü Yang finally understood. No wonder this world had no Spiritual Qi but still had Cultivators. It turned out they didn’t use Spiritual Qi to practice at all!
’City God? Earth God?’
’Achieving godhood through Incense?’
Numerous thoughts flashed through Lü Yang’s mind, but it was impossible to discern the details from so far away. ’If I really want to get to the bottom of this, Soul Searching is the most direct method.’
’But I can’t just charge right in.’
Lü Yang mused to himself, ’Earth God... City God... those sound like titles for Cultivators with a home-field advantage. The risk is too great if I just charge in recklessly. Besides, who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve. Best to lure the snake out of its hole.’
With this in mind, Lü Yang immediately began setting up his trap outside the village.
First, he found a valley. Then he began setting up an Array to isolate the area, ensuring that no message could escape from within. Next, he laid down a Trapping Array and a Killing Array. Finally, he added another layer of a concealment Array around the entire setup.
He also added various Talismans to amplify the power of the Arrays.
And to top it all off, he obscured the Karma Links.
Once all this was done, Lü Yang returned to the valley and used the same trick as before, channeling his Mana to affect the environment.
"Hm?"
To Lü Yang’s surprise, the old man in the shrine opened his eyes almost the instant he made his move.
"Just where did this Wild Fox Zen come from!"
Furious, he flew out of the shrine, unleashed his Magical Power Mechanism, and then plunged headfirst into the trap Lü Yang had so carefully prepared...
’Huh?’
For a moment, even Lü Yang was stunned. He hadn’t expected the man to be so reckless.
’Didn’t he even check first?’
’Wasn’t he worried about a trap?’
’Didn’t he even try to divine the Karma Links?’
The next moment, dozens of Arrays activated. The old man who fell into them let out a single, wretched scream before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.
Yet Lü Yang still did not reveal himself.
Standing outside the formation, he manipulated the Arrays to launch a few more long-range attacks at the old man.
The old man was already suppressed by Lü Yang. After taking a few more hits, his qi trace grew even fainter. He was no longer just unconscious; he looked to be on his last breath.
Only then did Lü Yang emerge, still skeptical. From a safe distance, he materialized an illusory body to approach the old man, preparing to counter a sudden ambush.
And yet, nothing happened.
It was as if the old man had truly just fallen into the trap and been effortlessly subdued.
"That’s it?"
’I haven’t even really tried yet, and you’re already down?’
Lü Yang blinked. A long-forgotten, inexpressible feeling washed over him.
’A true fish pond, huh?’