Chapter 36: Skull Mountain Market Town

Relying on his knowledge of Zhao Xuhe from several past lives, Lu Yang quickly became familiar with him, making Zhao Xuhe feel a long-lost sense of respect from an outsider.

To be honest, he had not felt this way for many years.

Ever since the price of Death-Substituting Yin Puppets crashed catastrophically, Panlong Island vanished mysteriously, and even his master, Peak Master Senior Butian, could not calculate the karmic connections, his life had become increasingly difficult.

First, his master grew more and more disappointed in him; second, his cultivation base struggled to advance, and after a full decade, he remained stuck at the Mid Stage of Qi Condensation, unable to break through the bottleneck. If one had to name something good, it was that seeing his condition worsen, his master canceled his engagement to his junior sister.

Over these ten years, Zhao Xuhe had experienced the impermanence of worldly affairs and the fickleness of human relationships in full.

Therefore, upon hearing that Lu Yang had exited the market just at the peak price of Death-Substituting Yin Puppets, achieving financial freedom, Zhao Xuhe's eyes turned red with even greater envy.

"Alas, Junior Brother, your Dao Heart is firm; you are not harmed by wealth. Your future achievements are limitless. It is a pity I did not possess such a Dao Heart back then."

"Senior Brother must not belittle yourself."

Lu Yang comforted him in a low voice: "The theory of fortune and timing does not depend on a single moment. As long as Senior Brother remains determined on the immortal path, what do temporary setbacks matter?"

"You are right."

Zhao Xuhe nodded, seeming to cheer up slightly, then试探性地 glanced at Lu Yang, opened his mouth, but spoke no words.

Such behavior made his intentions crystal clear in Lu Yang's eyes.

He wants to borrow money.

Lu Yang smiled slightly. Since Zhao Xuhe did not speak, he naturally would not bring it up主动 ly; after all, if something is obtained too easily, one will not know how to cherish it.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from the flying boat:

"Skull Mountain has arrived!"

Northern Frontier, Skull Mountain.

Though named a mountain, it was actually a large mountain range stretching for hundreds of li, with peaks gathering like crowds and waves surging in anger, every inch of land brimming with spiritual energy.

There was a reason the Holy Sect established a market town here; although it fell far short of the Cloud Sea Connecting to Heaven, for secular rogue cultivators, Skull Mountain could already be called a treasure land. At the very center of the range lay a White Bone Cave, where the Holy Sect's market town was situated.

"The feng shui of this place is an extremely yin location."

On the deck of the flying boat, Lu Yang looked down at the earth veins of Skull Mountain with some surprise: "If any cultivator were buried here, within ten years they would inevitably transform into a corpse."

"Junior Brother has eyes as sharp as torches."

Rosy light suddenly appeared as Fairy Feixia, her feathered cape fluttering, stepped out: "That is precisely why the Holy Sect dispatched us to guard Skull Mountain and maintain order in the market town."

"As Junior Brother said, due to the special feng shui, a large-scale corpse tide occurs at Skull Mountain every thirty years. These zombies possess no consciousness and only know how to devour the living. This is the risk of Skull Mountain, but also an opportunity, after all, these zombies are excellent materials for refining treasures."

After explaining, Fairy Feixia continued:

"The 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to Truth Great Formation' is laid out within the market town. Fellow Daoist Lu and Fellow Daoist Chen will be responsible for two of the four formation eyes; shall Junior Brother and I each take one of the remaining two?"

"I await Senior Sister's instructions."

Hearing this, Fairy Feixia nodded, then her embroidered brows furrowed slightly as she glanced at Zhao Xuhe standing beside Lu Yang, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What is it?" Lu Yang asked curiously. "Does Senior Sister know Senior Brother Zhao?"

"... do not know him."

Fairy Feixia indifferently withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at Zhao Xuhe, and instead offered Lu Yang a gentle smile: "I will rely on Junior Brother's care in the days to come."

With that, she mounted a streak of rosy light and flew away.

Zhao Xuhe remained in place, his expression complex; he had clearly guessed that Lu Yang's ability to guard the market town meant his strength was definitely not the Mid Stage of Qi Condensation he had sensed.

"Senior Brother Zhao?"

Lu Yang's voice arrived, and Zhao Xuhe's movements froze.

Joy and desolation appeared on his face; he moved his lips but made no sound. Finally, his demeanor became respectful, and he clearly addressed him:

"My lord."

Seeing this, Lu Yang could only sigh helplessly: "Senior Brother Zhao, I still have official duties to attend to. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, contact me anytime."

With those words, he also rode a beam of light and departed.

Only Zhao Xuhe remained in place, his expression shifting between gloom and brightness. His previous emotions quickly converged, replaced by a look of contemplation in his eyes.

"He is wary of me; it seems I was too hasty."

Entering the market town, Lu Yang recalled Zhao Xuhe's reaction just now and chuckled lightly: "As I expected, he came to this market town with another purpose in mind."

"Good, very good!"

"In this life, I shall treat him as a closest friend!"

Lu Yang was not afraid of Zhao Xuhe's wariness, for he possessed sufficient patience.

If necessary, he could even abandon this life, truly becoming lifelong friends with Zhao Xuhe to gather intelligence and pave the way for the next life!

While pondering, Lu Yang arrived before a pavilion.

This place was one of the four major formation eyes of the market town and also the area with the most spiritual energy in Skull Mountain; it was estimated to be about thirty percent the level of a Holy Sect cave dwelling.

"Blood-Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation Diagram, activate!"

Lu Yang waved his wide sleeve, and the Blood Sun Sword Pellet flew into the pavilion to guard the central hub. Subsequently, lines of formation markings expanded outward, beginning to replace the original patterns.

Although the mysticism of the market town's 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to Truth Great Formation' surpassed even the Blood-Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation, firstly, Lu Yang only occupied one of its formation eyes, and secondly, as a formation master, Lu Yang did not like entrusting his life and fortune to a formation set up by an outsider.

"After all, I have quite a few secrets."

"Moreover, the Skull Mountain market town has been established for so long; no matter how sophisticated this 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to Truth Great Formation' is, its effects are already common knowledge."

The more one's background is exposed, the easier it is to be targeted.

Therefore, if any powerful figure truly attacked the Skull Mountain market town, they would inevitably have prepared divine abilities and methods to break the 'Hundred Skeletons Returning to Truth Great Formation'.

Thus, when that time came, this Hundred Skeletons Returning to Truth Great Formation might not be of much use.

Despite this, Lu Yang did not directly discard the formation; instead, he opened a new area within the pavilion, hiding a formation within a formation, which counted as a trump card.

After accomplishing all this, Lu Yang finally nodded in satisfaction.

Immediately after, he waved his hand again, naming the pavilion 'Blood Robe Tower', formally settling in the Skull Mountain market town and establishing a public title.

Just then, over a dozen streaks of遁 light flew in.

These were all Holy Sect disciples assigned to Lu Yang's region; their cultivation bases were generally at the Early and Mid Stages of Qi Condensation, and they had all come to the market town to perform tasks.

After the streaks of light flew into the Blood Robe Tower and dispersed one by one, figures of cultivators of various ages and appearances emerged. One by one, they approached the tower terrace with faces full of awe, only to see beside the terrace a handsome young man in blood-red robes leaning against the railing, smiling as he looked down upon them all.

"Greetings, Tower Master!"

The group of disciples dared not be negligent and bowed in unison; although within the Holy Sect everyone could address each other as senior and junior brothers, outside the sect one must use official titles.

Besides, this was a senior brother at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation!

The Early, Mid, Late, and Great Perfection stages of the Qi Condensation Realm might appear to be merely four minor realms, yet the gaps between them could truly be called chasms.

"Rise."

Looking at the row of figures below, Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself: "Not bad; at a glance, they are all mere beasts of burden, with no capable individuals among them."

Leaving aside other matters, the Holy Sect's cultivation environment was indeed top-tier; therefore, generally speaking, cultivators who chose external assignments were either like Lu Yang and Fairy Feixia, aiming for Foundation Establishment, or like these people before him—poor aptitude, old age, and lacking money, unable to survive within the Holy Sect.

"If I wished, one person and one sword could kill them all."

Someone intent on building a faction might be dissatisfied with this situation, but Lu Yang felt it was just right; the atmosphere of the weak made him feel very secure.

"All of you disperse. Decide minor matters yourselves; there is no need to come to me."

After casually giving this instruction, Lu Yang immediately announced the guests' departure, then sealed the Blood Robe Tower, preparing to cultivate peacefully in seclusion until the opportunity for Foundation Establishment appeared!

(End of Chapter)