Chapter 358

Yushu Jiange, Ji Tian Cliff.

Lu Yang's avatar exhaled a puff of turbid air, turned inward to examine himself, and gazed toward the Foundation Establishment realm—where, within that realm, a flying sword gleamed brilliantly beneath Bi Feng.

【Constant Eternal World Holding Golden Sword Foundation】!

This foundation's grade was no different from that of 【Myriad Chariots Riding Dragon Foundation】; its condensed innate spiritual technique was named 【Bright Union Constant World Upholding Righteous Golden Sword】.

Beneath it were four mysterious aspects:

【Slay Heaven】, 【Kill True Person】.

【Trap Mind】, 【End Life】!

'Something's off.'

As Lu Yang sensed the spiritual technique names transmitted by his foundation, he fell into deep thought—because the words 'Bright Union' were the Dao title bestowed upon him by the Eliminate Demon True Person.

How could they become the name of a spiritual technique?

'Unless my foundation—and even this spiritual technique—have already been 【Recorded in the Registers】! The incense offering at the Reception Hall was surely more than just an offering!'

Lu Yang's heart turned icy, yet he couldn't help feeling relieved—he'd caught a lucky break. Had this happened when the Heavenly Sovereigns still reigned, he'd never have gotten away with it; just this one technique name would have terrified him into sleepless nights. Now that the Sovereigns had withdrawn from the world, there was at least some room to maneuver.

'The four mysterious aspects of your innate spiritual technique each have their own merits.'

Lu Yang carefully perceived them, and fine threads of swordlight flickered in his eyes.

'【Slay Heaven】 governs slaughter—a single slash cuts through all things; no matter what spiritual technique or transformation you wield, if it cannot rise higher than this sword, it is cut down.'

'【Kill True Person】 is a method of merging swordlight.'

'Once the swordlight arises, it splits into countless shards, infiltrating every gap, then recombines inside the enemy's body to form a blade that strikes out—truly treacherous and venomous.'

'【Trap Mind】 is a technique for ensnaring foes.'

'Merely shining the technique upon them traps them in an unknown realm, forcing them to duel there.'

'If you lose, you turn the real into the illusory—treat it as mere simulation, unharmed in body or spirit. If you win, you turn the illusory into the real, killing the opponent instantly.'

'Moreover, the sword-wielder can repeatedly attempt the duel, testing and refining tactics until he uncovers the enemy's true strengths, then strike with a single fatal blow. The only flaw is that each loss drains immense magic power—so only those with profound magic reserves dare use it lightly.'

'The final aspect, 【End Life】, is a sword of mutual destruction.'

'As the name implies, once activated, this mystery strikes the enemy only after striking oneself—cutting away one's own life, leaving the body unscathed but the fate already sealed.'

In Lu Yang's hand, swordlight swirled, the spiritual technique's radiance displaying four hues.

In addition, Lu Yang had condensed two 【Sword Spiritual Techniques】 from his sword case, but their sole function was to reinforce the innate technique's mysterious aspects.

Beyond their rank, they possessed no other special qualities.

'Likely because the 【Sword Path Position】 has not yet been truly proven, no additional mysteries are granted—only supplementary support for the innate technique.'

Lu Yang opened the door, stepped out of his cave dwelling, and weighed his combat power internally: 'No wonder the Yushu Jiange's sword cultivators claim to be the best in the world at dueling—these four mysterious aspects of the innate technique offer both raw power and intricate mechanics; in battle, they are truly unmatched.'

'Not to mention the 【Sword Intent】 above them.'

Lu Yang was still pondering when suddenly—

A flying spirit-letter descended before him, clearly meant for him. He caught it, swept it with his spiritual sense, and immediately revealed a look of surprise.

The next instant, he transformed into a blade of light and arrived atop Ji Tian Cliff.

This place had once been the meditation chamber of the Heaven-Enduring Righteous Virtue True Sovereign, but now that the Sovereign had withdrawn, the one seated here was the Demon-Eliminating True Person.

'Master!'

Without hesitation, Lu Yang performed the sword salute.

The Eliminate Demon True Person glanced at him, then said calmly: 'Now that you've reached this realm, your past origins offer little further aid.'

'Enter the world.'

'We sword cultivators never seal ourselves away. To forge a sword heart, you must endure countless battles, walk the path through life and death.'

The Eliminate Demon True Person spoke vaguely, but Lu Yang understood clearly: sword cultivators needed massive slaughter and duels to condense sword spiritual techniques—but the Yushu Jiange still dressed it up in elegant words, calling it 'entering the world' when it meant going somewhere to slaughter without restraint.

As he finished speaking, the Eliminate Demon True Person produced a jade slip.

"Recently, major sects and clans in the Jiangnan region have reported that the Ten Thousand Poison Cult of the Southern Wastelands has secretly abducted civilians to use as ingredients for poison gu. Investigate this matter."

At this, a flash of murderous aura surged across the Eliminate Demon True Person's brow:

'If this is true, report back to me immediately.'

Lu Yang respectfully accepted the jade slip: 'Disciple receives the order!'

After Lu Yang departed, a figure appeared atop Ji Tian Cliff—it was Ye Cheng, the True Person of the Ye Clan, whom Lu Yang had met before. Gazing at his back:

'His luck is remarkable!'

The Ye Clan's direct heir mused: 'I thought I'd secretly replaced his Foundation Establishment talisman with a poison from the Ten Thousand Poison Cult's spy. Given his accumulated karmic debt, failure was inevitable—but his origins truly are extraordinary; he endured it anyway.'

'Too bad… if my uncle weren't so rigid, I wouldn't have to act in secret.'

Turning back toward the peak of Ji Tian Cliff, Ye Cheng shook his head: 'Though our Yushu Jiange leads the righteous path and must act with justification, why investigate civilians?'

Commoners aren't worth the time.

Under heaven's cycle, commoners die and are replaced—there are too many of them, and investigating them is a nuisance, wasting precious energy.

And what if something truly is uncovered?

'Wouldn't it be simpler to just let one Sword Seed die at the hands of the Ten Thousand Poison Cult?'

'This man killed Xing Feng in his past life. My Ye Clan, magnanimous, took him in as a disciple. Now is the time for him to repay his karmic debt.'

That's why I schemed in secret, waiting for Lu Yang to fail his Foundation Establishment—then blame the Ten Thousand Poison Cult and gain justification for our retaliation.

'Great War between Righteous and Demonic. Sword Seed dies violently.'

'Our Yushu Jiange avenges its disciple, eradicates demons and defends the Dao—this is the simplest method. One death brings great benefit to the world. Yet my uncle refuses.'

'Enough. I must act myself to ease my uncle's burden.'

With this thought, Ye Cheng flicked his finger and sent out a flying spirit-letter.

Meanwhile, outside Ji Tian Cliff, Yushu Jiange.

A disciple in the late Qi Refining stage suddenly looked up, caught the flying message talisman descending from the sky, and then went to a quiet chamber to read it.

'The Yushu Jiange is about to strike the Holy Sect?'

'Not good!'

The disciple's expression changed; he then took a deep breath, quickly sank his consciousness into his dantian, where a small insect was visibly coiled.

This was the Thousand-Mile Shared-Heart Gu.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect bases its cultivation on Gu; every cultivator refines several kinds of Gu insects to serve as magical treasures, each possessing unique wonders.

As the name Thousand-Mile Shared-Heart Gu implies, it consists of a mother Gu and a child Gu, allowing messages to be transmitted from the child Gu to the mother Gu.

With this sequence of actions, before Lu Yang had even left the Yushu Jiange, news of his impending departure for the Southern Border had already reached the desk of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

(End of this chapter)