Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Before World Purger Fei Xue could even finish speaking, the Old Dragon Monarch sensed something was wrong.

’Dammit! This Mad Woman is trying to drive a wedge between us... What’s going on? She isn’t just screaming about fighting and killing like she used to. She’s actually using strategy now!’

At that moment, World Purger Fei Xue’s voice was still echoing:

"I won’t waste your time with pleasantries. In my Stain Sect, promises are empty. Only benefits are real, and they make for the most reliable alliances."

"And between us, the greatest benefit is anchoring your Grotto Heavens to mine and the opportunity to become a Great Perfected Lord. As long as you anchor your Grotto Heavens beneath my own, I will be forced to protect you and consider your needs, lest my own Realm fall. No alliance is more stable than that."

"Isn’t that right?"

"Of course, you might trust the Old Dragon Monarch more than me... but there is no Master of Dao Overseas. The Old Dragon Monarch can protect you for a time, but can he protect you for a lifetime?"

"I am the better choice."

"I come from the Stain Sect. If you side with me, you will still be a Great Perfected Lord and receive the same protection. Plus, the Stain Sect is stronger than the True Dragon Race."

"Besides..."

At this, World Purger Fei Xue suddenly looked at Profound Turtle Great Saint and Bright Pearl Great Saint, a cold smirk on her face. "I already have one Perfected Lord anchored to my Grotto Heaven."

"So I don’t need both of you."

"You two Great Saints, I will only accept one of you at most. It would be best for you both to quickly make a decision you won’t regret in the future."

As World Purger Fei Xue’s voice faded, Bright Pearl Great Saint and Profound Turtle Great Saint subconsciously exchanged a glance, each seeing deep suspicion in the other’s eyes. The Old Dragon Monarch’s heart sank. ’This is bad,’ he thought. If even one of them was swayed by her words, his own Great True Monarch Position would be in jeopardy!

’This Mad Woman actually has a silver tongue!’

First, she leveraged the power of the Stain Sect, then used clever words to sow discord. Even though she was from the Stain Sect, she laid everything out on the table, which paradoxically made her seem sincere.

In a situation like this, would anyone be tempted?

Absolutely!

The Old Dragon Monarch had no doubt. Profound Turtle Great Saint and Bright Pearl Great Saint were ancient demons. To have survived so long, they couldn’t be fools who valued old sentimentalities.

They wouldn’t hesitate for a second to sell out their allies when the time came!

Besides, World Purger Fei Xue only needed one of them. And since neither could guarantee the other wouldn’t secretly agree, it was bound to deepen their wavering.

’I have to get rid of this Mad Woman as quickly as possible!’

Thinking this, he immediately and secretly performed a Finger Technique.

The next second, a sliver of spiritual perception shot silently toward the Current World, carrying an urgent message: ’Daoist, we can’t wait any longer. Proceed with the plan!’

Almost simultaneously, World Purger Fei Xue’s eyebrow twitched, and fury surfaced in her eyes.

"How dare you!"

......

「North, the Sea of Clouds.」

As the undisputed hegemon of the North, it had been several thousand years since the Stain Sect had established its gates here, and in all that time, it had never once been invaded by outsiders.

But today, the Sea of Clouds received an uninvited guest.

It was a beam of Sword Light.

Making no effort to conceal itself, it tore through the heavens and shook the stars, slashing forth from the South and crossing the river that divided the South from the North.

In an instant, the Sea of Clouds reacted. The clouds churned and roiled as lines of Array patterns lit up. The mountain peaks of the Foundation-Stage Cultivators rumbled into motion. At that moment, the entire Sea of Clouds seemed to transform into a massive chessboard spanning Heaven and Earth, with the peaks serving as its pieces.

BOOM!

The Sword Light slashed into the Sea of Clouds and immediately changed form, transforming into a swarm of white game pieces that surged toward Holy Fire Cliff, which occupied the board’s Celestial Essence point.

Almost at the same time, the chessboard rumbled.

The Cloud Sea swelled and the mountain peaks shifted. Empowered by the Array, the peaks transformed into black game pieces, blocking the path of the advancing white pieces.

The Thirty-Three Heaven and Earth Cross and Diagonal Array!

If the Supreme Treasure the Sword Pavilion’s Ancestral Master left for the Sword Pavilion was the Eternal Sword, then this Grand Ward was the Supreme Treasure the Stain Sect’s Ancestral Master left for the Stain Sect.

A First-Grade Grand Array!

Within this Grand Ward, any Mighty Power, any attack, would be transformed into black and white game pieces. The only thing they would compete with was Cultivation, and nothing else.

As the defenders, the one controlling the Main Array was empowered by the Array Spirit. While it couldn’t raise their Cultivation, it boosted their calculation and deduction speed, making their displayed Cultivation seem half a level higher. In other words, within the ward, Stain Sect Cultivators were essentially invincible against those of the same Realm!

CLANG! CLANG!

The Sword Light that slashed into the Sea of Clouds was terrifyingly powerful, filled with an intense Sword Intent. An Outer Dao True Monarch would instantly explode and die just by looking at it.

The sharpness of its edge was no less than what had been seen at the Star Palace in the past.

However, the Stain Sect was not the Star Palace.

With the Cloud Sea in turmoil and the game board laid out, no matter how great the Mighty Power, it was all rendered null. The white pieces formed from the Sword Light were quickly surrounded by a heavy encirclement of black pieces.

But this was only temporary.

After all, challenging those in higher realms was a fine tradition of the Immortal Pivot. The brilliant Sword Light rising from the South was clearly not holding back. It possessed the might of a Great True Monarch Position!

Under these circumstances, True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven, who was temporarily in charge of the Main Array, could only do his best to slow the Sword Light’s assault, even with the empowerment of the Array Spirit. Reflected in the array, the black pieces were being constantly surrounded and annihilated by the white pieces, and there was no hiding the fact that the game was on the verge of collapse.

「Meanwhile, at Holy Fire Cliff.」

True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven still appeared as a shimmering reflection, his form illusory. But he could not hide the grave expression on his face, and his pupils were slightly dilated.

’True Monarch Gangxing!’

’That old bastard! Could he have known Xue Feihong wasn’t here and attacked on purpose? No, that’s not right. He’s trying to tie up her attention.’

’Damn it... Hold the line!’

At this thought, True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven moved his fingers so fast they nearly sparked. He gathered all the black pieces for a massive encirclement, pushing the array to its absolute limit.

BOOM!

With a final, tremendous roar, the white pieces formed from Sword Qi were finally smashed to pieces before Holy Fire Cliff. A swarm of black pieces surged forward and cut them in two.

The white pieces, overextended, were continuously divided and swallowed.

Seeing this, True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven finally breathed a sigh of relief... but in the next second, a second beam of Sword Light once again illuminated his pupils.

BOOM!

In that instant, even with his level of Cultivation, True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven felt a profound sense of terror as a Sword Light appeared directly in his Spiritual Space.

Fortunately, his Cultivation was high, and he managed to obliterate the Sword Light in an instant.

But while he had this ability, others did not. In that moment, every Cultivator below the Perfected Lord realm within the Sea of Clouds fell into a daze.

They had all seen that beam of Sword Light.

At this moment, the Thirty-Three Heaven and Earth Cross and Diagonal Array, which protected the sect’s gates, was preoccupied with the first Sword Light and had lost its ability to shield the disciples.

In a single moment, an Enchanted Sword appeared in the hearts of all the Stain Sect disciples.

Then, the Sword Light blossomed!

In a flash, these beams of Sword Light would have turned the Stain Sect into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, slaughtering every Cultivator below the Perfected Lord realm without leaving a single one alive.

Fortunately, however, none of this came to pass.

Because before it could, a slender, jade-like hand took control of the Thirty-Three Heaven and Earth Cross and Diagonal Array, extinguishing all the Sword Light.

「Witnessing this scene from the lands of the South...」

On Zenith Cliff, True Monarch Gangxing coughed a few times before lowering his Magical Sword. He smiled and said, "Daoist, your Abilities are truly extraordinary."

"Gangxing..."

World Purger Fei Xue’s expression was icy, her beautiful eyes filled with a chilling killing intent. "To think you would dare threaten me with the Stain Sect. In all these years, you are only the second person to do so."

True Monarch Gangxing was completely unconcerned. He simply gave a faint smile.

"Fei Xue, you’re not really like a Stain Sect Perfected Lord."

Just as Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was an anomaly in the Sword Pavilion, World Purger Fei Xue was an anomaly in the Stain Sect. It was only because she was the strongest that this wasn’t as obvious.

What is a true Stain Sect Perfected Lord?

Ang Xiao.

Sect disciples? They don’t matter. Friends and family? They don’t matter. There is nothing but the Dao. They pursue only benefit, only the Nascent Soul Path in their hearts.

"Compared to that, you are too emotional. You have too many pointless attachments. If you continue like this, you will never be able to attain the Great Dao." True Monarch Gangxing’s voice boomed across the land, filled with a piercing, heart-shaking intent. Yet, World Purger Fei Xue’s expression remained unchanged.

"My attachments are my Dao."

"I have already attained it."

"As for you, you have nothing worth holding on to. You only know how to drift with the tide. Even if you were to attain the strongest Dao in the world, what meaning would it have?"

"In the end, it would never truly be yours!"