Chapter 33: The Primordial Hunyuan One Qi Divine Talisman

After a long while, Lu Yang held a yellowed talisman in his hand, examining it with keen interest.

After refining Liu Xin into a banner spirit, Lu Yang made him recount his life in detail, including how he had tricked and killed Chen Xinan and how he had evaded the calculations of a Foundation Establishment True Person.

"The Primordial Hunyuan One Qi Divine Talisman?"

"Indeed, it is this talisman." Liu Xin knelt and bowed his head to the ground, respectfully saying, "This talisman was left by a Primordial Daoist. As long as one carries it on their person, they can evade karmic calculations."

Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction, then lightly shook the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner. This time, a handsome young man in a black robe descended from the banner. Upon seeing Lu Yang, the newcomer first froze in shock, then turned his gaze to Liu Xin, who had already become a banner spirit beside him, and his body immediately began to tremble.

"Haha... hahaha! You have your day too!"

Chen Xinan laughed heartily toward the sky, then looked at Liu Xin: "I thought you were already incompetent, but I never imagined your incompetence would exceed my expectations."

"Refined by someone else into a banner spirit?"

"How did you manage it?"

"..." Facing Chen Xinan's mockery, Liu Xin simply kept his head down, showing no intention of answering. Only then did Chen Xinan turn to look at Lu Yang.

"Truly worthy of being a disciple of the Holy Sect." Chen Xinan opened his mouth with a sigh of admiration, clapping his hands and smiling: "Junior brother, I do not ask you to let me go and be reborn. Moreover, since you have killed Liu Xin, you have already relieved my deep-seated hatred. How about this: I will give you a secret treasure as repayment?"

"I am now a banner spirit; you can naturally see through truth and falsehood."

"That secret treasure lies within an island deep in the sea of clouds, named Gourd Island. Your cultivation is still too low now; it is best to go after you reach the peak of Qi Refining."

"No need."

Hearing this, Lu Yang showed not the slightest sign of interest, coldly shaking his head: "Senior brother Chen, we are all disciples of the Holy Sect; why pretend?"

"... Junior brother has truly misunderstood me."

Chen Xinan sighed softly: "Although most disciples of our Holy Sect do not speak of camaraderie among fellow sect members, we do repay kindness with kindness and are by no means heartless and unrighteous villains..."

"Stop trying to gild your own lily." Lu Yang interrupted Chen Xinan without hesitation, sneering: "Where are the good people among the disciples of the Holy Sect? Those who survive are all villains, one and all! Senior brother Chen, do not waste your effort; I will not go to your secret treasure."

Regarding this true transmission senior brother, Lu Yang felt deep apprehension in his heart.

If there really were a secret treasure, why had Liu Xin, holding the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner for so many years, not gone to seek it? More likely than not, he too feared Chen Xinan would turn the tables!

This person's background was too deep, his methods unpredictable, completely different from someone like Liu Xin; even as a banner spirit, he could not be fully trusted.

Chen Xinan's expression changed slightly: "Then why did you summon me out? What is your purpose?"

"Just conducting an experiment."

Lu Yang spoke in a flat tone, but Chen Xinan heard danger within it and hurriedly said: "Wait, wait... I also know of a Foundation Establishment opportunity somewhere..."

Boom!

The next second, Lu Yang acted without hesitation, disregarding the so-called Foundation Establishment opportunity, and directly smashed apart the true spirit of Chen Xinan that had been refined into the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner.

"No—!"

"The Mending Heaven Peak Master targeted me so relentlessly in his past life; in this life, I will first beat his son to death to vent my anger. In a few lifetimes, when I have reached Foundation Establishment, I will go and beat him to death!"

Lu Yang's face remained calm.

Possessing the 【Book of a Hundred Lives】, his Dao heart was unshakably firm, truly unyielding; no matter how powerful the opponent, he was confident he would ultimately defeat them.

As for the Foundation Establishment opportunity, coincidentally, he knew of one as well!

Chen Xinan's spiritual energy completely dissipated, his soul scattered and spirit shattered. Afterwards, Lu Yang retracted the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner, tidied up the scene, and began to wait silently.

In a short while, the Mending Heaven Peak trembled violently!

A familiar oppressive presence emerged, as if a Mount Taishan had fallen upon his shoulders. Lu Yang immediately feigned a look of terror; he knew very well what that was.

That was the gaze of a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Obviously, after completely killing Chen Xinan, he had already alerted the Mending Heaven Peak Master, who was likely already beginning to deduce the culprit through karma.

Normally, the next second he should have been discovered.

Lu Yang waited in his cave dwelling for half a shi, but until the oppressive feeling vanished, the Mending Heaven Peak Master still did not appear before him.

"... It really works!"

He cannot calculate it!

Lu Yang's face remained expressionless, but inside he smiled. With this verification, in this life he could finally cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Art with peace of mind.

For his subsequent actions, Lu Yang replicated the operations of his previous lives.

First, he traded the Substitute Death Yin Puppet to earn contribution points, then traded Yun Miaoqing to conceal his sword art and sword pill, and finally purchased a large quantity of spirit pills to begin secluding himself for cultivation.

Ten years later.

In the blink of an eye, generation after generation of disciples rose and fell; the various storms once stirred up had returned to calm, and the development trend of the Holy Sect continued to be steady and improving.

Only today seemed to carry a few differences.

Heaven and earth resonated; the cave dwelling where Lu Yang was secluding himself seemed to have become a vortex, with vast spiritual energy surging in from all directions like a flood breaking its dam.

"This is... a heavenly and earthly anomaly!?"

"A senior brother is condensing a Qi seed and breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining!"

Even in the Initial Holy Sect, the late stage of Qi Refining belonged to high-level beasts of burden; they would no longer be easily treated as mere material and could be said to possess a certain degree of autonomy.

Therefore, within the Mending Heaven Peak, the disciples who rushed about daily for their livelihood, upon seeing the heavenly and earthly anomaly manifested when Lu Yang broke through, could not help but marvel, yet beneath that lay even stronger envy, jealousy, and even the resentment of "why not me."

At the same time, inside the cave dwelling, Lu Yang opened his eyes.

In an instant, a flash of white lightning seemed to streak through the dim meditation room, bright and piercing!

"The saying about bottlenecks is well-deserved."

In this life, Lu Yang's cultivation speed was the same as in his past life; he reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining, the peak of the mid-stage, in just three short years, but then wasted seven years at the bottleneck.

This was because he had already broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining once and had experience.

Otherwise, this time would likely have been extended even further; one can imagine why so many cultivators get stuck at this step and never advance an inch throughout their entire lives.

Immediately after breaking through, Lu Yang did not rush to leave seclusion; instead, he sat in stillness for another three days until he had completely mastered the changes in his true qi, physique, and spiritual consciousness before rising.

He opened the panel of the 【Book of a Hundred Lives】:

【Name: Lu Yang】

【Age: 28】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (Late Stage), Ninth-Rank Array Master】

【Talent: Dual Cultivation Genius (White), Has Some Skills (Purple)】

【Cultivation Method: Nine Transformations Dragon Art (Seventh Layer)】

【Divine Abilities: Shenxiao Sword True Art (Minor Success), Secret Interpretation of Array Treasures (Perfection), Life-Taking Curse (Perfection), Heavenly Demon Blood-Transformation Divine Light (Perfection), Qi-Collection Art (Perfection)】

【Treasures: Blood Sun Sword Pill (Superior Magical Treasure), Primordial One Qi Ten Thousand Spirits Banner (Superior Magical Treasure)】

【Pages in the Hundred Lives Book: 95】

Both are in the Late Stage of Qi Refining, yet this life's Lu Yang is far stronger than the one from two lives ago; their true qi is not on the same level. If they truly fought, the odds would be ten to zero.

Especially after mastering the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transformation Divine Light and pairing it with the Blood-Washing Chen Tianhe Sword Array Diagram, even against someone of the same Late Stage of Qi Refining, once he traps them with an array, unless they know his information very well and prepared means to counter the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transformation Divine Light in advance, they will still face a dead end.

"But it is still not safe."

The power of the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transformation Divine Light is good, but it is only a divine ability that ordinary disciples can find. Who knows what powerful divine abilities those True Disciples possess?

"True Disciple... I wonder if I will have the chance?"

Lu Yang's face showed expectation. In this life, with the Divine Talisman obscuring cause and effect, his identity is utterly clean; generally speaking, he would easily become a target for recruitment.

After all, even for a Foundation Establishment True Person, a Late Stage Qi Refining cultivator is a decent servant.

Moreover, unlike two lives ago, he has not transformed into a Blood Shadow, and his path to immortality has not been cut off; no matter how one looks at it, he should have certain investment value.

Therefore, Lu Yang had already made up his mind.

If a Foundation Establishment disciple truly extends an olive branch, even if it is the Mending Heaven Peak Master, he would not refuse; take the benefits first, and the grudges can be settled in the next life.

A man's knees hold gold; today is the day to cash in!

(End of this chapter)