Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Lü Yang's expression instantly turned solemn.

Of course, this was a deliberate show for Hao Yuan Shangzhen. With such a stark change in his demeanor, there was no way Hao Yuan Shangzhen could pretend not to notice.

"Daoist? What happened?"

Lü Yang let out a heavy sigh. "To be honest, the Profound Spirit Realm has sent out a distress signal. They seem to be in danger and asked me to return and reinforce them immediately, but they didn't specify any details..."

"The Profound Spirit Realm sent a distress signal?"

At those words, Hao Yuan Shangzhen's eyes narrowed.

To him, the Profound Spirit Realm was nothing more than a rural backwater. However, he had to admit that among backwaters, it was a rather large one.

Looking across the entire Void Sea of Light, how many Outer Realms could force the Profound Spirit Realm to send out a distress signal, trapping them so completely that they couldn't even flee? In truth, only the four super Outer Realms could manage such a feat! Profound Wall was out of the question—they had sealed their realm off from the outside world and rarely interfered in external affairs, making it impossible for them to target the Profound Spirit Realm.

In that case...

Hao Yuan Shangzhen wondered, "Is it the Immortal Pivot?"

He quickly reached a conclusion. If it were before, he might not have overthought it; after all, it was perfectly normal for the Immortal Pivot to capture Outer Dao Realm Heavens.

But this time was different.

Hao Yuan Shangzhen thought, "Just a moment ago, the Flaring Nebula Belt surrounding the mother planet issued the highest-level Dao Heart alarm. It is highly likely that the anomaly was caused by the Bhagavat.

"Under these circumstances, the Profound Spirit Realm suddenly sent out a distress signal.

"Could it be that the Bhagavat is also interested in this Crossing Business Dharma Body and wants to use him to find the Dao of Arcane Body? It's not impossible, especially since the Celestial Mansion is still there!"

Observing the fluctuations in Hao Yuan Shangzhen's spiritual perception, Lü Yang feigned a look of panic and ignorance on the surface, but internally, he remained incredibly calm. His eyes were icy cold as he analyzed the situation, "If nothing unexpected happens, he'll also connect this to the Bhagavat. As long as the Star Palace still needs me, they have to protect my life this time."

This was an opportunity!

He thought, "Fortune favors the bold. As long as I finish this job, I'll cut my losses and run. At worst, I'll hide in Emperor Ying afterward, or just restart completely if all else fails."

With this in mind, Lü Yang formed a plan.

A second later, his face hardened with determination. "Senior, the Profound Spirit Realm is my homeland. Now that my home is in peril, I absolutely cannot sit idly by.

"I agree to your previous request.

"I will extract ten thousand years of Lifespan for you, Senior, and I ask that you lend me a helping hand!" With that, Lü Yang offered a solemn bow.

Hearing this, Hao Yuan Shangzhen was instantly overjoyed. "It's a deal!"

Immediately after, Lü Yang saw a syringe-like array artifact land in front of him. Hao Yuan Shangzhen explained, unable to hide his eagerness, "This item is called the Life Span Needle. Daoist, you only need to pierce it into your Dharma Body, and it will automatically extract Lifespan. One needle is enough for ten thousand years."

Pausing for a moment, Hao Yuan Shangzhen pondered internally, "This is also a perfect opportunity to verify his identity. Extracting Lifespan isn't something that can be done to just anyone. Otherwise, with the vast resources of my Star Palace, why go through all this trouble? It would be easier to just raise an entire planet of human livestock.

"The problem lies in the fact that our loss of Lifespan was caused by the collapse of the Dao of Arcane Body.

"This is an injury to the Dharma Body itself.

"Therefore, to mend it, we must absorb the essence of a powerful Dharma Body. If this man's Dharma Body is fake, then his Lifespan will be entirely useless to us."

On the other side, Lü Yang accepted the Life Span Needle but shook his head. "Senior, I am merely an avatar here, so I cannot extract any Lifespan. My true body is currently located in a remote area just outside the Profound Spirit Realm.

"If you truly wish to help me, Senior, why not accompany me there?"

Lü Yang phrased it very tactfully.

Hao Yuan Shangzhen caught the underlying meaning. He mused, "He wants me to help him first before he's willing to extract his Lifespan... He won't play his hand until he sees a sure thing."

Despite this, Hao Yuan Shangzhen didn't mind.

As long as he could obtain enough Lifespan to walk out of this stone carving, he wouldn't hesitate to exhaust the Measuring Star Palace's material wealth to win Lü Yang's favor.

"Then it's settled!" Hao Yuan Shangzhen declared.

He then manifested a long inventory list directly in front of Lü Yang. At a glance, Lü Yang spotted familiar items.

He thought, "Five Elements Star Marrow, Sun and Moon Profound Juice... these are all top-tier treasures. Beyond that, there are many materials unique to the Star Palace that can't be found anywhere else, including several essential components for refining Star Maps. There are even Cultivation Techniques and Magic... They really have everything."

Looking at the list, Lü Yang blinked. "So, Senior, how many of these can I take?"

Instantly, a wave of displeasure radiated from Hao Yuan Shangzhen's spiritual perception. "Daoist, you really need to correct your Outer Dao mindset.

"You're only thinking about taking a few?

"With that kind of attitude, what do you take our Star Palace for? Some impoverished backwater in the Void Sea of Light? My Star Palace has mountains of gold and silver that can never be exhausted!"

Hao Yuan Shangzhen concluded decisively, "Take whatever you want!"

Lü Yang was speechless.

Meanwhile, in the Profound Spirit Realm.

While the Incense and Candle Avatar was sweeping up everything on Hao Yuan Shangzhen's list, Lü Yang's true body stepped out of his previously sealed Cave Mansion.

"Something's not right..."

Lü Yang frowned deeply. He immediately activated the Void Purification and Calm Business Jade Book, establishing a deep connection with the Profound Spirit Realm to sense the situation across the entire Outer Realm.

To put it simply, the Profound Spirit Realm was indeed in grave peril. He could already see the black hole-like manifestation of the Immortal Pivot within the Void Sea of Light. Bizarrely, however, the Profound Spirit Realm wasn't attempting to flee; instead, it was accelerating straight toward the Immortal Pivot.

"Why is this happening?" Lü Yang murmured. "They were just sending out distress signals..."

Realizing this, he immediately activated Puppet, remotely controlling an Immortal of the Profound Spirit Realm and sending him flying toward the Celestial Court.

This Immortal was someone he had carefully selected.

He held the position of a favored close attendant to the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm, allowing him to see the Supreme Venerable at any time. Right now, he was the perfect tool for gathering information.

Soon, inside the Celestial Court.

Controlling his puppet, Lü Yang found the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm discussing matters with a group of Immortals in the treasure hall. However, there was absolutely no sense of tension in the air.

"Supreme Venerable!" Lü Yang didn't waste any time. He stepped forward and spoke urgently, "With this crisis upon us, you previously sent out a call for help. Do you have any other countermeasures in place?"

When he asked this, Lü Yang had anticipated many possible responses, but the Supreme Venerable's actual reply made his blood run cold.

"What crisis?" Seated in the treasure hall, the Supreme Venerable tilted his head in sheer confusion. "I am currently discussing with the Immortals about a strange Outer Realm we just discovered.

"There seem to be dozens of Perfected Lords in that Outer Realm. It's a big fish, undoubtedly rich in resources. So, we're preparing to invade it, grab a fortune, and leave. Don't worry, with my strength, what is there to fear? Why be afraid of a mere few dozen Perfected Lords?"

Lü Yang was speechless.

They were hopeless. They might as well just wait for death.

Without a second thought, he severed his control over the Puppet, watching as his former pawn reverted into a pathetic yes-man.

Lü Yang thought, "Is the Bhagavat making a move?

"No, their Dao Hearts haven't been tampered with... This method feels more like a Constant, where the process is forcibly guided toward a specific outcome!"

Why could the Immortal Pivot continuously capture Outer Realms?

One had to understand that the Immortal Pivot's appearance in the Void Sea of Light was incredibly imposing—it looked exactly like a supermassive black hole. Any normal Outer Realm would steer clear of it.

Yet, Outer Realms constantly blundered into the Immortal Pivot.

And at an alarmingly high frequency.

This could no longer be described as a mere coincidence, especially given the utterly brainless actions currently displayed by the Supreme Venerable and the other Cultivators of the Profound Spirit Realm.

He pondered, "No matter what kind of Outer Realm it is, as long as it gets within a certain distance, the Constant will inevitably guide it into plummeting into the Immortal Pivot.

"This is the terror of the Immortal Pivot... No, this is the handiwork of the Stain Sect's old... old but vigorous Ancestral Master!"