Chapter 33: The Innate Hunyuan One Qi Divine Talisman

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

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

"The Innate Hunyuan One Qi Divine Talisman?"

"It is indeed this talisman," Liu Xin kowtowed on the ground, saying respectfully, "This talisman was left behind by the Innate Daoist; as long as one carries it on their person, they can evade karmic divination."

Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction, then lightly shook the Myriad Souls Banner; this time, descending from the banner was a handsome young man clad in black robes, who upon seeing Lu Yang first froze, then looked toward Liu Xin, who had already become a banner spirit nearby, causing his body to tremble instantly.

"Haha... hahaha! So you have your day too!"

Chen Chen Xinan laughed up at the sky, then looked at Liu Xin: "I originally thought you were already quite incompetent, but I didn't expect your incompetence to exceed my imagination even further."

"Refined by others into a banner spirit?"

"How did you manage that?"

"..." Facing Chen Chen Xinan's mockery, Liu Xin merely kept his head down, showing no intention of answering, prompting Chen Chen Xinan to finally turn and look at Lu Yang.

"Truly worthy of being a disciple of our Holy Sect," Chen Chen Xinan began with a sigh of praise, clapping his hands and smiling: "This junior brother, I do not ask you to release me to reincarnate; moreover, since you were able to kill Liu Xin, you have already resolved my great hatred... How about this: I will gift you a secret treasury as repayment?"

"I am now a banner spirit as well; you can naturally see through any falsehood or truth."

"That secret treasury is located on an island deep within the Cloud Sea, named Huludao; your cultivation base is still low, so it would be best to go only after reaching the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation."

"No need."

Hearing this, Lu Yang showed not a trace of temptation, indifferently shaking his head: "Senior Brother Chen, we are all disciples of the Holy Sect; why pretend?"

"... unior brother truly misunderstands me."

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

"Stop damn well glorifying yourself," Lu Yang interrupted Chen Chen Xinan's words without hesitation, sneering: "Where are there any good people among the Holy Sect disciples? Those who survive, every single one of them, are bad people! Senior Brother Chen, do not waste your effort; I will not go to your secret treasury."

Regarding this true disciple senior brother, Lu Yang harbored extreme caution in his heart.

If there truly was some secret treasury, why had Liu Xin, holding the Myriad Souls Banner for so many years, never sought to claim it? Nine times out of ten, he must have feared Chen Chen Xinan would turn the tables and take control!

This person's background was too deep, his methods unfathomable, entirely different from the likes of Liu Xin; even having become a banner spirit, he could not be fully trusted.

Chen Chen Xinan's expression changed slightly: "Then why did you summon me out? What exactly do you intend?"

"Just conducting an experiment."

Lu Yang's tone was calm, yet Chen Chen Xinan heard danger within it and hurriedly said: "Wait, wait... I also know where there is a Foundation Establishment opportunity..."

Boom!

The next second, Lu Yang did not hesitate; disregarding the so-called Foundation Establishment opportunity, he directly scattered Chen Chen Xinan's true spirit that had been refined onto the Myriad Souls Banner.

"No—!"

"Peak Master Senior Butian targeted me so much in his previous life; in this life, I will first beat his son to death to vent my anger, and in a few more lives, once I reach Foundation Establishment, I will go beat him to death too!"

Lu Yang's face remained calm.

Possessing the 【Book of Hundred Lives】, his Dao Heart was incredibly firm, truly indomitable; no matter how powerful his opponent, he had confidence that he would ultimately defeat them.

As for Foundation Establishment opportunities, coincidentally, he also knew of one!

Chen Chen Xinan's qi presence completely dissipated, his soul scattered and his spirit destroyed; afterward, Lu Yang put away the Myriad Souls Banner, tidied up the scene, and began to wait silently.

Before long, Senior Butian Peak shook violently!

A familiar sense of oppression manifested, as if Mount Taishan had fallen upon him; Lu Yang immediately put on an appearance of fear, for he knew clearly what it was.

It was the gaze of a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Clearly, his complete slaying of Chen Chen Xinan had already alarmed Peak Master Senior Butian, who was likely now beginning to deduce the culprit through karma.

Under normal circumstances, he should be discovered within the next second.

Lu Yang thus waited within his cave dwelling for half an incense stick's time, yet until the sense of oppression vanished, Peak Master Senior Butian still had not appeared before his eyes.

"... ndeed, it works!"

He cannot calculate it!

Lu Yang's face showed no change in expression, yet in his heart he laughed; with this verification, in this life he could finally cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art with peace of mind.

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

First, hype the Substitute Death Yin Puppet to earn contribution points, then hype Yun Yun Miaozhen to conceal his sword art and sword pill, then purchase large quantities of elixirs to begin closed-door cultivation.

Ten years later.

In the blink of an eye, generations of disciples rose and fell; the various upheavals stirred up in the past returned to calm, and the development trend of the Holy Sect remained steady and improving.

Only today seemed to hold a few differences.

Heaven and earth resonated together; the cave dwelling where Lu Yang was in closed-door cultivation seemed to become a vortex, as boundless spiritual energy rushed forth from all directions like a flood breaching its dikes.

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

"A senior brother has condensed a qi seed and broken through to the Late Stage of Qi Condensation!"

Even within the Chusheng Sect, the Late Stage of Qi Condensation belonged to high-level drudges who would no longer be easily treated as mere talent, and could be considered to possess a certain degree of autonomy.

Therefore, within Senior Butian Peak, those disciples who busied themselves daily just to make a living, upon seeing the heavenly and earthly phenomenon manifested by Lu Yang's breakthrough, although inevitably amazed, hid beneath that amazement an even stronger sense of envy, jealousy, and even resentment of "why is it not me."

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

In an instant, the dim meditation chamber seemed to flash with a bolt of white lightning, bright and piercing!

"The talk of bottlenecks is truly deserved."

In this life, Lu Yang's cultivation speed was the same as in his previous life; in merely three years he had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation, the peak of the Mid Stage, yet he had stumbled at the bottleneck for seven years.

This was only because he had once broken through to the Late Stage of Qi Condensation before, giving him experience.

Otherwise, this timeframe would likely have been extended even further; one can imagine why so many cultivators get stuck at this step, unable to advance even an inch throughout their entire lives.

Having just broken through, Lu Yang did not rush to exit seclusion, but instead sat in meditation for another three days, only rising after he had completely mastered the changes in his true qi, physical body, and spiritual sense.

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

【Name: Lu Yang】

【Age: 28】

【Cultivation Base: Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation (Late Stage), Ninth Grade Array Master】

【Talents: Dual Cultivation Prodigy (White), Has a Few Tricks (Purple)】

【Techniques: Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art (Seventh Layer)】

【Divine Abilities: Divine Thunder Sword Control True Art (Minor Success), Secret Interpretation of Array Treasures (Great Perfection), Life-Taking Curse (Great Perfection), Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light (Great Perfection), Qi-Concealing Art (Great Perfection)】

【Treasures: Blood Sun Sword Pill (Upper-Grade Magic Treasure), Innate One Qi Myriad Souls Banner (Upper-Grade Magic Treasure)】

【Pages of the Book of Hundred Lives: 95】

Both being at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation, Lu Yang in this life was far stronger than in the life before last; their true qi was not even on the same level, and if they were to fight, it would be a ten-to-zero matchup.

Especially after mastering the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light, when paired with the Blood-Washed Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram, even against others at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation, once they were enveloped by his array formation, unless they knew his information extremely well and had prepared means in advance to counter the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light, they would still face certain death.

"However, it is still not safe."

The power of the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light is indeed good, but it is merely a divine ability that ordinary disciples can find; who knows what powerful divine abilities those true disciples possess?

"True disciples... I wonder if I have a chance?"

Lu Yang's face showed anticipation; in this life, with the divine talisman obscuring karma, his identity could be described as clean and clear, and generally speaking, he would easily become a target for recruitment.

After all, even for a Foundation Establishment True Person, someone at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation makes for a decent servant.

Moreover, unlike in the life before last, he had not transformed into a blood shadow, nor had his path to immortality been cut off; by any measure, he should possess a certain investment value.

Therefore, Lu Yang had long since made his decision.

If a Foundation Establishment expert truly extended an olive branch, he would not refuse even if it were Peak Master Senior Butian; take the benefits first, and grievances can be settled in the next life.

A man has gold beneath his knees; today is the time to cash it in!

(End of Chapter)