Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Immortal Pivot, a mortal kingdom in the North.

The Immortals’ combat high up in the sky did not affect them. Daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea remained their priority. Even if the sky were to fall, life still had to go on as usual.

At this moment, in a rural village.

A shirtless young man yawned as he walked out of his thatched cottage, ready to sweep the yard and feed the chickens. However, when he reached the chicken coop, he froze.

Inside the coop, the roosters and hens he had raised to be plump and fat had all turned into bare skeletons, scattering feathers all over the ground.

"What’s going on?"

The young man opened his mouth to speak but suddenly felt a slight pain between his eyebrows. He scratched it subconsciously and grew even more bewildered... because right there on his fingertip was a piece of minced meat.

There was no blood, just a chunk of flesh. As time passed, the meat rapidly decayed, soon emitting a pungent stench.

"What’s happening..."

A strong sense of foreboding welled up in the young man’s heart. Suddenly, his entire body began to itch. He simply gave himself a vigorous shake, shedding all the flesh and blood from his body.

"Phew, that’s much better."

After doing so, he hurried back into the house. "Dad! Mom! Something isn’t right. The chickens have all turned into bones..."

A moment later, terrified screams echoed from inside the house.

The same phenomenon occurred all across the mortal realms of Immortal Pivot. Countless mortals inexplicably shed their flesh and blood, leaving only bare skeletons, yet their minds remained perfectly clear.

As time passed, this transformation rapidly expanded toward the Qi Refiners. It was unstoppable. Only Foundation-Stage Cultivators could barely suppress the change. Feeling as though they had contracted a severe illness, they discovered an inexplicable ink-black glow appearing within their Spiritual Space, right at the Celestial Spirit between their eyebrows.

"What’s going on!?"

"It must be the Upper Cultivators in combat again... but this time, it seems everyone has been affected, regardless of their Attainment Position. What exactly happened!?"

"Does anyone have inside information?"

"Am I going to die?"

For a time, countless Foundation-Stage Cultivators cried out in panic. Completely ignorant of the situation, they could only slowly descend into madness amid their confusion and fear.

As for the Golden Core Perfected Lords, they could see the situation clearly.

However, the Perfected Lords at the Early Stage of Golden Core could only see what was happening. Limited by their shallow Cultivation, they saw the reality but failed to understand the principles behind it.

Those at the Middle Stage of Golden Core had a vague inkling.

Only the Great Perfected Lords truly understood what Ang Xiao was doing. For this very reason, almost all of them revealed expressions of shock. And without exception, they all uttered the exact same exclamation of amazement that Lü Yang had made earlier:

"What sheer audacity!"

Ang Xiao’s actions were simple. He was letting the Netherworld’s Mighty Power leak out, reversing life and death, and fundamentally swapping the symbols of the living and the dead!

From now on, Immortal Pivot, and even the entire Void Sea of Light, would be ruled by the dead.

Only the dead could cultivate. Once a person came back to life, they would immediately lose all consciousness, and their Soul would reincarnate. They would have to die all over again before Entering the Dao once more.

This transformation was extremely drastic.

Although it was currently only spreading among Qi Refiners, it was bound to expand over time to those in Foundation Establishment, then Golden Core, and ultimately reach the Other Shore!

When that time came, it would be the moment Ang Xiao sought the Nascent Soul!

Inside Nourishing Life Master, Lü Yang could not help but clap his hands and sigh in admiration. "So that’s how it is. Using this method to elevate the Netherworld’s Position... What a brilliant strategy!"

Before this, the Netherworld’s level had been insufficient.

As far as Lü Yang knew, the Netherworld used to be nothing more than a Void Attainment Position. Although it had developed over a long period, its essence was at most a Great Dao.

Moreover, due to its unique nature, its Position was directed downward rather than upward. As a result, it could never touch the Other Shore. This was likely why the four Masters of Dao had spared the Netherworld in the past. After all, if it could not reach the Other Shore and its master could not become a Master of Dao, it would never threaten their rule.

However, Ang Xiao had come up with a solution.

"Whether it is the Other Shore, the Sea of Suffering, or the Foundation Establishment Realm, they are essentially built upon the Current World layer by layer, like a pyramid," Lü Yang mused.

"The Netherworld is actually the same.

"It’s just that the Netherworld has its limitations. It is restricted to the Soul and has no effect on the living, so it does not entirely rely on the sentient beings of the Current World.

"That is why the Netherworld has never been able to rival the Other Shore.

"However, things are different now. With the reversal of life and death, the Netherworld has successfully expanded its authority over the living beings of the Current World, becoming truly indistinguishable from the Other Shore!"

Beyond that, there was an even more ingenious aspect.

By using this method to elevate the Netherworld’s Position, Ang Xiao had zero impact on the Current World’s various Dharma Gates, Pocket World Techniques, Mana, Dharma Bodies, and Magic.

No impact meant no conflict!

After all, a person’s lifespan remained the same; only the states of life and death had swapped places. The foundation of the Pocket World Technique and the principles of cultivation remained completely unchanged.

"How similar is this reversal to the Earth Yin Yang Reversal from back then?" he thought.

"There’s no doubt about it!

"The reason Ang Xiao can pull this off is definitely not just because of the Netherworld, but because of that Void Test Dao he has been hiding all along!"

What kind of Dao is it exactly?

At this thought, Lü Yang subconsciously sat up straight. If nothing unexpected happened, Ang Xiao’s final hidden trump card was about to surface!

Overseas, Skyline.

As the Netherworld expanded, more and more Perfected Lords cast their gazes over. Finally, a Star Gate opened, and a middle-aged Daoist stepped out.

"I am Haoyuan."

The middle-aged Daoist looked calm. Mana as vast as the ocean flowed within his body, yet it carried a strong sense of decay. Clearly, his days were numbered.

Not only that, but another Star Gate opened, and Celestial Master Chongying Yuan You of Profound Wall also stepped through. Countless unique manifestations of Magic surfaced around him.

Two Ancient Law Great True Monarchs!

In addition, Emperor Jia You, World Purger Fei Xue, and True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven also arrived one after another. Clearly, Ang Xiao’s actions had exceeded their expectations as well.

Therefore, they also made their move.

They hadn’t stopped him earlier merely to wear down Profound Wall and Star Palace, seizing the initiative for themselves. It didn’t mean they actually wanted Ang Xiao to attain the Nascent Soul!

Seeing this, Ang Xiao chuckled lightly. "You’re all here?

"Actually, there’s no need for you to intervene. As you can see, what I am pursuing is the Netherworld, which has nothing to do with the Other Shore. It won’t affect your interests.

"Not only will it not affect you, but it might even open up an additional new path for everyone. The Other Shore can have multiple Masters of Dao; why can’t the Netherworld? Given time, if you all fail to reach the Other Shore, and I have attained the Netherworld, I might just be able to offer you a completely new path to pursue the Dao."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of the dying Daoist Hao Yuan of Star Palace flickered.

Seeing this, Celestial Master Chongying Yuan You hastily spoke up. "Demon, cease your nonsense! Fellow Daoist Hao Yuan... this man is from the Stain Sect. You haven’t lost your mind, have you?"

"He’s from the Stain Sect...?"

Daoist Hao Yuan’s eyes instantly regained their clarity.

A look of helplessness flashed across Ang Xiao’s eyes. "What’s wrong with the Stain Sect? Can’t the Stain Sect have good people too?

"Back in the day, as a Saint Sect True Monarch, my good reputation was known throughout the world!"

The group of Immortal Pivot Perfected Lords was left speechless.

The next second, not wanting to give Ang Xiao another chance to use his glib tongue, Celestial Master Chongying Yuan You struck first, raising his hand to shoot out a dazzling Bright Light.

"Heaven-Departing Eternal Brightness Great Immortal Technique!"

In an instant, the Bright Light illuminated everything and landed directly on Ang Xiao, burning his Mana and Soul. Yet, Ang Xiao remained completely indifferent.

"Don’t you all want to see?" Ang Xiao stood with his hands behind his back amid the blazing flames, his tone remaining calm. "What attitude do those mighty figures in Heaven truly hold toward us Lower Cultivators?

"Do they really allow us to seek the Dao?

"Or is the combat between those figures just an illusion? Have they actually shaken hands and made peace long ago, ready to strike down anyone who seeks the Nascent Soul the moment they try?"

With that said, Ang Xiao looked up at the sky.

"RUMBLE!"

With a loud boom, the hazy smoke dissipated. Ang Xiao’s figure was unexpectedly burned into nothingness, all his Qi trace vanishing without a trace.

"He died?"

Inside Nourishing Life Master, Lü Yang abruptly stood up, his brows furrowed tightly.

"That’s not right..." he thought.

A second later, Lü Yang realized something. Almost at the same time, the group of Perfected Lords present also sensed it and raised their heads to look at the sky.

What met their eyes was a vast, boundless shadow.

It silently imprinted itself upon the firmament, overlooking the Sea of Suffering and gazing at the Current World. It was as if it had never left, yet no one had ever noticed it.

It was a pair of long, narrow eyes.

"Stubborn fools!"