Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

"You win."

Quietly leaving the Heaven Mending Peak ancestral hall, Lü Yang appeared remarkably calm. After cursing the old immortal of the Stain Sect countless times in his mind, he made a decisive choice.

He thought, "I don’t want the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood anymore!

"In this life, I’m supposed to hide in the shadows and steadily build my strength. How could I risk drawing the Stain Sect Ancestral Master’s attention again just to seek the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood?

"What’s the difference between that and courting death?

"If it really comes down to it, I might as well find a way to kill a Wood Element True Monarch, refine their reincarnated vessel into a Life Form Body, and then swallow their Fruit!"

However, this line of thought brought Lü Yang another headache. The reason was simple: aside from the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood, none of the other Wood Fruit Positions were to be trifled with.

The Fruit of Great-Forest Wood went without saying—he could skip that immediately. The Fruit of Level-Ground Wood was under the Dao Court’s control; under the lockdown of the Immortal Dao Law, there was absolutely no chance. As for the Fruit of Willow-Poplar Wood and the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood, he could perhaps figure something out, but they were in the Pure Land. Heaven knew if making a move on them would attract a Bhagavat.

He pondered, "Only the Fruit of Mulberry-Thorn Wood is left.

"True Monarch Zeng Cai Qiluo is the only one who doesn’t carry so many hidden traps. At most, I’d offend World Purger Fei Xue. But she has already affiliated herself with the Flying Snow Cave Heaven."

This point was also troublesome.

Although True Monarch Zeng Cai Qiluo’s Cultivation was only at the Early Stage of Golden Core, by affiliating with Fei Xue, she had indirectly acquired the undying trait of Pocket World Falling.

Under these circumstances, trying to challenge someone above his level, wait until she reincarnated after death, and refine her into a Life Form Body before she recovered her Cultivation... that was virtually impossible. Therefore, the only way to swallow the Fruit of Mulberry-Thorn Wood was to wipe out World Purger Fei Xue as well.

But if he did that, it would most likely attract the Stain Sect old immortal’s attention.

After all, World Purger Fei Xue was currently the leading figure of the Stain Sect. Wiping her out wouldn’t just be striking her—it would be a direct slap in the face to the Stain Sect old immortal.

"What a headache..." Lü Yang rubbed his temples. "If I had known it would be like this, I might as well have taken a little risk, chosen the second anchor point, and restarted at the time I controlled the Fruit of Celestial Fire.

"Then I could take the Fruit of Celestial Fire to the Dao Court and trade it for the Fruit of Level-Ground Wood."

The more he thought about it, the more tempted he felt. According to his Previous Life’s experience, the Dao Court would definitely agree to exchange the Fruit of Level-Ground Wood for the Fruit of Celestial Fire.

But he quickly regained his rationality.

He thought, "The situation in my Previous Life was special. If I don’t have a perfectly sound external environment and rashly go in for a trade, nine times out of ten the Master of Dao will double-cross me.

"Dealing with a Master of Dao... there are too many Variables. It’s too dangerous.

"Besides, I just restarted. To commit suicide and restart again right now would be too much of a waste of my Centome pages. Let’s just keep that as a backup plan for now.

"I should figure out a way in this life first."

Thinking it over from every angle, Lü Yang felt like pounding his desk. He thought, "Damn it, not a single Fruit is reliable! They’re all under the watchful eyes of a Master of Dao. How am I supposed to play this game?

"Forget it. Between two evils, choose the lesser. Compared to the Stain Sect old immortal, a Bhagavat is slightly easier to deal with. I should set my sights on the Fruit of Willow-Poplar Wood and the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood. The Fruit of Willow-Poplar Wood... Bhumba Bodhisattva? No, he’s affiliated just like True Monarch Zeng Cai Qiluo.

"Then it can only be Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva."

Lü Yang reached a conclusion in his mind. "This guy is a victim of bad luck. In my Previous Life, he was focused down and instantly killed by Emperor Jia You, yet no Bhagavat descended to the mortal realm. That shows they probably don’t pay too much attention to him."

The target was set.

Next was how to execute it. Should he just charge straight to his door? No. The moment he revealed his Cultivation—possessing all four elements of the Dao of Arcane Body—it would inevitably draw attention.

He strategized, "I can only use the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder to kill him.

"Moreover, I need a plausible motive to evade the Master of Dao’s senses as much as possible.

"Once I kill him and capture his reincarnated vessel, I’ll immediately run off to Emperor Ying. When I swallow the Fruit then, the Master of Dao won’t be able to do anything to me."

A plan gradually took shape in Lü Yang’s mind.

He mused, "I’ve got it. The Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder is currently still an Outer Dao. If an Outer Dao resists the Immortal Core Demon and kills him in passing, would that attract a Bhagavat? Whatever. Even if it does, I’ll just have to fight it out. When it’s time to be reckless, I must be reckless!"

At this point, an idea leaped into his mind. "The Profound Spirit Realm!"

The unluckiest Outer Dao Realm Heaven! It was attracted by the Immortal Pivot, fell into the Sword Pavilion’s control, and was ultimately devoured by several Perfected Lords. It was simply an opportunity delivered right to his doorstep!

He thought, "A war among Outer Realms where a Bodhisattva falls... Just listen to how perfectly natural that sounds!"

Lü Yang’s mind instantly raced with possibilities. He said, "If things follow their normal trajectory, the Profound Spirit Realm will be eaten clean by the Sword Pavilion, and the Pure Land won’t be involved at all.

"But now, I am here.

"So the situation will be different."

With a Heart Thought, Lü Yang immediately rode a streak of Flying Light into the Void Sea of Light. Looking utterly tranquil, he murmured, "In the past, I would have been powerless to manipulate such a monumental event."

Back when he was merely a Foundation-Stage Cultivator, he could only rely on his prophetic advantage after restarting, leaking information to guide all the Perfected Lords in the world to fight over the Profound Spirit Realm. But now, he no longer needed to go through so much trouble. He could simply use brute force to get what he wanted.

In the gloomy Sea of Light, Bright Light suddenly flared.

"Manifest!"

Lü Yang formed a Daoist Hand Seal, and the Treasure Pearl-like Yellow Court hovered at his fingertips. Surrounded by Bright Light, the invisible Great Net of Karma Links rapidly spread out.

RUMBLE!

At this moment, the Divine Effect of the Yellow Court was pushed to its Extreme, taking in all the karmic links within the surrounding Void Sea of Light before simulating the corresponding scenes from within.

Soon, an Outer Realm came into his view.

The Outer Realm was quite large—a full tenth the size of the Immortal Pivot—and was brimming with intense Fruit Position Imagery that was only slightly inferior to the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder.

"The Profound Spirit Realm!"

Lü Yang’s gaze sharpened as he enveloped the Profound Spirit Realm with the Yellow Court. The intense imagery of karmic links flooded in, carrying a mountain-like heaviness.

He thought, "Although these are the karmic links of an entire realm and hold massive implications, they are an Outer Dao after all, which leaves a gap compared to a Perfected Lord. It’s stuck perfectly at the Critical Point where I can alter its karmic links. If it were slightly stronger, I wouldn’t be able to touch it... but as things stand, making a minor adjustment is no problem."

With this in mind, Lü Yang immediately channeled his Mana.

His massive Position at the Middle Stage of Golden Core, possessing all four elements of the Dao of Arcane Body, completely bolstered the Yellow Court as he gave a gentle push to the phantom image of the Profound Spirit Realm inside.

BOOM!

In an instant, the karmic links shifted, and a terrifying backlash surged toward him. Lü Yang’s pupils shrank, and in a flash of lightning, he already wielded the Tribulation Wave in his hand.

Empowered by the Tribulation Wave, visions of the future instantly surfaced in his eyes. These were the changes the Profound Spirit Realm would undergo under the shifting karmic links, many of which deviated from his expectations. Without hesitation, he spurred the Tribulation Wave and unleashed a vicious Slash.

All unfavorable future visions were Slashed to nothingness!

After he finished this, an unexpected change occurred in the Void Sea of Light.

Right on the Profound Spirit Realm’s path forward, several streams of Duality of Life and Death Profound Light suddenly collided, stirring up waves and causing a small-scale disturbance in the Sea of Light.

This tremor deflected the Profound Spirit Realm’s trajectory.

According to its original path, this Outer Realm would have fallen into the Sword Pavilion’s line of sight. But now, its direction had shifted, and it was hurtling straight toward the Pure Land.

It was logical, reasonable, and left absolutely no trace.

Only at this moment did Lü Yang heavily exhale a breath of Muddy Qi, a look of delight crossing his face. He thought, "That concludes the first step! Next up is laying out the Killing trap!"