Chapter 102: It

The plan was perfect, but reality was cruel.

"I didn't carry over my cultivation from my last life, so I inherited no progress in the Corpse Liberation True Method or the Celestial Silkworm Secret—restarting will take time."

Fortunately, with the Guardian Spirit Su Nü, I no longer need to endure the countless trials of my last life; I can directly bolster my cultivation with the Foundation Establishment rank, and within a few months, I can reclaim my Foundation Establishment spiritual awareness and the 【Corpse Liberation Immortal】 rank, restoring my cultivation to its former peak.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang no longer rushed to execute his plan.

After all, this was sneaking sand beneath the eyes of a Foundation Establishment True Person—just to be safe, it was better to wait until he regained his peak before acting.

He stepped out of the cave and met Liu Xin.

He received half of a Primordial Dao Scripture from Liu Xin.

After watching the man leave, Lu Yang used an illusion technique to conceal his form, tapped his fingers in calculation, then arrived at a secluded cave on Buxian Peak.

At that moment, angry roars echoed from inside the cave:

"My opportunity! That was my opportunity, and now it's been stolen! Reason? How am I supposed to be reasonable? What am I supposed to use for reason?!"

That was Zhao Xuhe's voice.

Indeed, as soon as he appeared, the legacy of Panlong True Person vanished, and Zhao Xuhe plunged once more into the depths of despair, now raging and screaming.

Soon after, the cave door opened, and Immortal Qinghe, Zhao Xuhe's longtime mistress, stepped out with a cold, beautiful face, turned back, and said, "Zhao Xuhe, we're done," then walked away without a single glance—Lu Yang tapped his fingers in calculation and deduced she was heading toward Liu Xin's cave.

Inside the cave, sounds of smashing and destruction resumed.

Lu Yang opened his Dharma Eye and quickly saw Zhao Xuhe venting his fury inside; he then smiled faintly: "Zhao Shixiong, it's still you, isn't it?"

In this life, his greatest enemy was unquestionably Arhat Fu Long Luo Han.

Because he had no intention of dissolving his cultivation and restarting—after all, Zheng San Pin techniques were rare, and besides the Nine Transformations Dragon Decree, the rest were all Holy Sect techniques.

But the Holy Sect's techniques… felt even less stable.

At least he already knew the hidden flaw in the Nine Transformations Dragon Decree, while the Holy Sect's Zheng San Pin techniques remained to him like flowers seen through mist.

So it was better to find a way within the Nine Transformations Dragon Decree.

"Although the technique indeed has a flaw, it should only target Qi Condensation cultivators—otherwise, why would Arhat Fu Long come to stop me precisely when I'm breaking through to Foundation Establishment?"

"Wouldn't it be more profitable for him to wait until after I've reached Foundation Establishment before harvesting me?"

"Yet he didn't do that… the only possibility is that once I succeed in Foundation Establishment, I'll escape his control, so he must intercept me early!"

In other words, if he could break through to Foundation Establishment despite Arhat Fu Long's interference, he could break the deadlock!

Even so, Lu Yang had self-awareness—Arhat Fu Long Luo Han had already forged a Cheng Tian Gang, and his Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation was far beyond what Lu Yang could oppose.

At least, not while still unestablished.

So he couldn't fight head-on—he had to outwit him.

"Although I plan to secure a position as a Holy Sect True Disciple for self-preservation, I can't place all my hopes on the Holy Sect."

After all, it was the Holy Sect.

And even rabbits have three burrows—how much more so a human?

So Lu Yang needed at least one, even several backup plans, to ensure he could respond when Arhat Fu Long Luo Han inevitably came for him.

And Zhao Xuhe was one of the backup plans Lu Yang had chosen.

The next instant, Lu Yang directly activated his spiritual awareness and forcibly surged it into Zhao Xuhe's mind.

As the effects of drunkenness faded, Zhao Xuhe suddenly opened his eyes, half-asleep and half-awake, as fragmented memories surged abruptly into his heart.

"Where am I…?"

Zhao Xuhe looked around in confusion, unable to regain his senses for a long time—until the fragmented memories in his mind gradually sharpened, and only then did he wear an expression of sudden realization.

". This is my past-life memory!"

In the memory, Zhao Xuhe saw a young man who bore eight-tenths resemblance to himself, riding the wind, laughing triumphantly across heaven and earth—utterly radiant and exultant.

"So this is it… my past life was actually Panlong True Person!"

Zhao Xuhe understood.

"No wonder I had affinity with Panlong True Person's technique—it was mine all along! And the Three Lifetimes Merit? That was accumulated during my time as a True Person."

"As for why I have no more memories and lack the innate talent of a True Person reincarnated—this is normal. The True Person's fruit is severed after five lifetimes, and I am already the fifth incarnation of Panlong True Person—my time is nearly up, and many divine abilities have been lost; otherwise, how could I have fallen so low?"

Zhao Xuhe had no doubt about the memory.

After all, the memory was logical, coherent, and even the flaws he noticed could be reasonably explained with slight reasoning.

More importantly, one thing in the memory was undeniably real.

"The Nine Transformations Dragon Decree!"

Zhao Xuhe concentrated his mind and recalled—the technique's content instantly appeared word by word in his heart, along with corresponding understanding and annotations!

No doubt—this was definitely my past-life insight into the technique!

Not only that, but even the Ten Thousand Chariots Dragon Ascension Precious Scroll was there, filling Zhao Xuhe with ecstatic joy—he nearly danced around the cave.

Yet soon, his expression turned grim.

"In this life, someone is definitely scheming against me!"

Zhao Xuhe pondered briefly, and his sharp mind quickly pinpointed the mastermind:

"The Master of Buxian Peak!"

If before, as the Master of Buxian Peak's disciple, Zhao Xuhe had still held some reverence for him, now he felt only resentment.

"That old bastard is himself a True Person—why did he take me, a True Person reincarnated, as his disciple? Clearly, he's exploiting me! And my own legacy, which I left behind, suddenly vanished—when I asked that old bastard, he claimed my connection to the legacy was exhausted? Pure nonsense."

Could it be he stole my own legacy for himself?

Zhao Xuhe grew angrier the more he thought, but after a long while, his emotions gradually calmed: ". That old bastard is too powerful—I mustn't let him discover I've awakened my past-life memories."

Endure this humiliation for now!

Wait for the right moment!

Zhao Xuhe's gaze hardened, as if he had truly become the wind-and-rain-controlling Panlong True Person of his memory: "In this life, I will surely return to Foundation Establishment!"

"Even if there are a thousand difficulties and ten thousand dangers, I will still go against the heavens!"

Watching Zhao Xuhe, who had just sworn to the sky inside his cave dwelling and pulled himself together again, Lu Yang smiled in satisfaction.

The so-called "memories of a past life" were naturally all made up by Lu Yang; with the support of the Pure Maiden, he could now subtly influence the thoughts of others without them noticing.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Xuhe had now become Lu Yang's bait.

And the big fish Lu Yang intended to catch was the Dragon-Suppressing Arhat!

"In this life, I will first help Zhao Xuhe break through to Foundation Establishment, letting him draw all of the Dragon-Suppressing Arhat's attention, and then I will break through to Foundation Establishment myself."

This way, it would buy him time to make his breakthrough.

To put it plainly, he was using Zhao Xuhe as a shield.

"Senior Brother Zhao, just go with peace of mind. If you can block this calamity for me in this life, I won't charge you interest on the contribution points you owed me from two lifetimes ago."

(End of this chapter)