Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Ever since he had obtained the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven, Progenitor Tingyou had actually been keeping a very low profile. Although he had acted a few times, his strength had always been quite limited.

His greatest achievement to date was briefly holding his own against a Middle Stage of Golden Core cultivator from the Celestial Mansion.

However, for someone of Progenitor Tingyou’s talent and intelligence, this level of progress was clearly a bit slow. The innate flaw of his Outer Dao Fruit Position was the key reason.

But, to look at it from another angle...

Once the innate flaw of the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven, as an Outer Dao Fruit, was remedied, all of Progenitor Tingyou’s quiet accumulation of power could finally be unleashed.

"The time is now."

As the Righteous Banner fluttered, Progenitor Tingyou paced forward. His gaze was so bright it was hard to look at directly; he had clearly adjusted his Spiritual Essence to its absolute peak.

He actually had a very clear understanding of himself. He knew his talent was a cut above the average person’s. Especially after successively absorbing his past incarnations, he had undergone changes that no one else had. To put it bluntly, he was stronger than he had ever been before.

Yet Lü Yang was still worried.

"Progenitor... I understand what you mean, but even if you can obtain a high Position with this method, what happens after? How will you secure your footing?"

Whether it was a staircase or a road, at least there were places to stand.

But a propulsive rocket?

It could fly up, sure, but how would it stabilize? It would be one thing if you could reach the Other Shore in a single leap, but if you couldn’t, and you had no ground to stand on...

Wouldn’t that be like stepping on air? People could die from that!

At this thought, Lü Yang’s expression turned grave. "Progenitor, do you have a solution for this?"

’Ho ho... this kid actually thought of that?’

As Lü Yang’s voice fell, Progenitor Tingyou was momentarily stunned, then an emotional expression crossed his face. ’To think of this... the kid’s Cultivation has really improved.’

’He’s not so easy to fool anymore!’

For a moment, Progenitor Tingyou couldn’t quite put his feelings into words. There was the gratification of seeing his disciple improve, but also the slight headache of being managed by him.

After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Gradual progress is not my style."

"My Dao lies in insight, in enlightenment, in sudden epiphanies and daylight Ascension... As long as my Cultivation is sufficient, my Cultivation base, Realm, and Position will all be achieved in a single stroke."

—This was a lie.

There were certainly benefits to gradual progress. A solid foundation naturally made cultivating easier. It was just that the current Progenitor Tingyou was unwilling to take that path.

’Lü Yang... that kid is in such a terrible situation.’

There was Ang Xiao, the Old Dragon Monarch, Fei Xue, and True Monarch Gangxing. In the future, he might even encounter a true Great Perfected Lord.

He was surrounded by powerful foes, with enemies on all sides.

In a situation like this, whether it was him, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, or Summon, the most they could do was provide support for Lü Yang. They couldn’t truly share his burdens.

Although Lü Yang had never shown any negative emotions because of it, and only continued to rack his not-so-brilliant brain to plot and scheme, Progenitor Tingyou saw it all and felt a pang in his heart. How could he allow himself to fall behind Lü Yang’s pace, or worse, be protected by him?

That was why Summon had obtained the Fake Middle Stage of Golden Core.

And it was why he and Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had given Lü Yang their two Gold Attributes.

But that still wasn’t enough. Progenitor Tingyou had long since made up his mind. This time, he wouldn’t just open a path; he would use this opportunity to become a truly useful asset to Lü Yang!

This was the true reason for Progenitor Tingyou’s actions.

Of course, he wasn’t a reckless brute.

"Don’t worry."

Progenitor Tingyou smiled. "I’ve already considered this matter thoroughly. How could I joke about my own life? I have about an eighty percent certainty, which is more than enough to risk a try."

"..."

Lü Yang frowned.

If it were him, eighty percent certainty would naturally be enough to risk it. But Progenitor Tingyou was different. For him, anything less than ninety-eight percent certainty felt unsafe.

"Progenitor... perhaps you should reconsider?"

"No need to reconsider."

Progenitor Tingyou shook his head. "Right now, my Spiritual Essence is at its peak, and I’ve just had an epiphany. My inspiration is flowing like a spring. If I wait, I’ll be even less certain."

"Now is the perfect moment!"

"Ngh..."

Looking at Progenitor Tingyou’s determined gaze, Lü Yang opened his mouth, understood what he was thinking, and in the end, couldn’t bring himself to say any more words of caution.

So, he settled for the next best thing: "Then I will act as your Protector, Progenitor."

"You may."

This time, Progenitor Tingyou nodded readily. "I have a feeling... my path-opening this time will be quite unusual. The commotion might be a little bit big."

Lü Yang nodded. "I understand."

He was also a decisive person. Once he made a decision, he wouldn’t hesitate. After speaking, he turned to Mu Changsheng. "Daoist, you may leave now."

Mu Changsheng was stunned. The conversation between Progenitor Tingyou and Lü Yang had been concealed by the Righteous Banner, and he hadn’t heard a single word. However, that didn’t stop him from reading the situation. Since Lü Yang was so obviously trying to get rid of him, he naturally wouldn’t be tactless. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "This Lower Cultivator thanks the Perfected Lord."

As soon as he finished speaking, he fled from the Sea of Suffering.

Seeing this, Lü Yang immediately took Progenitor Tingyou and left. They wandered aimlessly through the Sea of Suffering for the better part of an Hour before finally stopping.

"This should be the place."

Lü Yang formed a Daoist Hand Seal and once again deployed the Profound Mysterious powers of Night Exorcism and Profound Water. The two combined, creating an area of deep darkness.

Concealing traces, concealing mysteries, concealing auras.

Outside the dark region, the Sea of Suffering remained as it always was. Any and all disturbances were hidden within the darkness, making it impossible for anyone to deduce the truth of what was happening.

"Progenitor, you may begin."

Lü Yang stood with a solemn expression, the Righteous Banner fluttering behind him. The figures of Demon-Vanquishing Perfected and Summon emerged one after another, equally serious, assembling their full lineup.

Progenitor Tingyou smiled at the sight.

"This time, as I open my path, perhaps it can provide you all with some inspiration. Especially you, Lü Yang. Watch closely. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me at any time."

Lü Yang was rendered speechless.

’What kind of person does Progenitor think I am? Am I some kind of unlearned fool? I may be a little slow, but I’m incredibly diligent!’

’How else could I have achieved what I have today?’

’Just you wait. I guarantee I’ll understand everything and won’t ask a single question!’

Meanwhile, Progenitor Tingyou paid no mind to Lü Yang’s thoughts. The moment his voice fell, he focused his mind and calmed his spirit, instantly casting aside all external influences.

The next second, the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven appeared!

Progenitor Tingyou was seen forming a finger technique with one hand while gently pressing the center of his brow with the other. His Mud Ball Palace opened wide, and a hazy, illusory torrent of light and shadow suddenly surged forth.

Layers of light and shadow, saturated with the charm of the Dao, were each distinct. They separated into the five colors of cyan, yellow, crimson, white, and black, each displaying the potent Qi trace of one of the Five Elements. They continued to expand, and after reaching their limit, they suddenly collapsed. The five-colored radiance converged into a single point, which then hovered above Progenitor Tingyou’s head.

"Go!"

With a Daoist cry, the point of light—which had condensed the colors of the Five Elements and appeared no larger than a mustard seed, but in reality was as vast as Sumeru—fell into the Sea of Suffering.

RUMBLE!

At that moment, the waters of the Sea of Suffering around the point of light began to churn violently. Countless bubbles surfaced and burst, as if the sea itself were boiling!

Seeing this, Progenitor Tingyou’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Normally, relying solely on the Ruyi Heart’s ability to make fantasies real would make it impossible to perfectly manifest an orthodox Fruit Position... An Outer Dao Fruit Position would be more like it.’

’But there are always exceptions.’

’Thanks to the Nourishing Life Master, I was able to read the orthodox Fruit Position Book, understand its conceptual structure... and greatly reduce the difficulty of making fantasy real.’

After all, pure imagination was far too difficult. Not only would it consume a massive amount of Mighty Power, but even if it succeeded, it would only be a superficial resemblance with a completely different internal substance. However, if you knew its principles and understood its structure, then using the Ruyi Heart to manifest it could create something infinitely close to the real thing.

’The first Fruit Position...’

Progenitor Tingyou took a deep breath and selected the first Fruit Position to manifest. It was the source of his greatest past suffering, and also the Fruit Position he was most familiar with.

The Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth!