Chapter 38: Shenwu Sect

At dusk, inside the Blood Robe Tower.

The setting sun was like blood; as another cycle of circulation ended, Lu Yang slowly refined the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his dantian, transforming it into true qi that flowed to his four limbs and hundred bones.

The qi moved through his meridians, like a dragon returning to the great sea.

"Soon; once I cultivate the final Flying Fish Transformation and merge the nine transformations into one, I will completely refine the Third Grade true qi 'True Dragon Fiend' of the 'Nine Transformations Dragon Art'."

"By the time I complete 'True Dragon Fiend,' the great war between the Righteous and Demonic paths will be about to begin; the timing will align perfectly, allowing me to contend for the Foundation Establishment opportunity at Skeleton Mountain in my strongest state. Only a Foundation Establishment opportunity is worth my risk and desperate struggle; everything else is an illusion."

Having finished today's cultivation, Lu Yang walked out of the quiet room.

Outside the quiet room, a woman with a striking figure and sharp brows had been waiting for some time; upon seeing Lu Yang, she immediately stepped forward and handed over a jade slip.

"Fellow Daoist, the zombie tide's movements for today have been delivered."

Lu Yang took the jade slip, smiling slightly: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yun."

This woman was none other than Yun Miaoqing.

She was originally a disciple of the Yushu Sword Pavilion; although Lu Yang had long mastered the Divine Thunder Sword Control Art, considering their fate from a previous life, he had purchased her nonetheless.

To be fair, his original intention was that since they had indeed practiced dual cultivation in a past life, he did not mind doing a good deed and helping Yun Miaoqing, as long as it did not hinder him; following him was far better than being bought by other Holy Sect disciples to be used as a cauldron and drained until she became trash.

However, he had not expected this decision to bring him an unexpected surprise.

Perhaps because in this life he had never practiced dual cultivation with Yun Miaoqing, instead treating each other with respect while focusing solely on bitter cultivation, Yun Miaoqing's affection for him had surprisingly increased greatly.

"Fellow Daoist, you are a good person; why stay in the Chusheng Demonic Sect?"

Yun Miaoqing walked to Lu Yang's side and whispered: "With the zombie tide erupting now, Senior Brother, why not feign death and accompany me to the Sword Pavilion to convert to the Righteous path?"

Speaking thus, Yun Miaoqing looked at Lu Yang, hidden affection shimmering in her beautiful eyes.

When she was at her most desperate and powerless, it was the person before her who had rescued her from the sea of bitterness; not only had he not harmed her in the slightest, but he had also given her a place to stay.

Though born in a demonic sect, he was a humble gentleman.

Not to mention that over the past ten years, she had witnessed his growth step by step; his cultivation was high, his talent strong, and most importantly, he was very handsome.

If he could join the Sword Pavilion, perhaps he could be with her...

Thinking this, a flush suddenly rose on Yun Miaoqing's pretty face, though one could not tell what exactly she was imagining.

This posture made Lu Yang recall how, in previous lives, she had faced him with an unyielding expression, shouting "demonic fiend"; for a moment, he found it quite amusing.

Of course, he had no interest in romantic love between men and women.

What truly caught his attention was that Yun Miaoqing's status within the Yushu Sword Pavilion seemed not low; she actually claimed that with her recommendation, the Sword Pavilion would definitely accept him.

"Cultivating in the Holy Sect is like walking on thin ice; if possible, I would prefer to join a sect with a better reputation."

Yun Miaoqing might well be the stepping stone for his future defection to the Righteous path.

"How are Senior Sister Feixia and the others?"

"Those few demonic cultivators were breaking through the zombie tide at Jueyin Ridge a few days ago; although a mysterious expert intervened, they repelled him and pursued him afterward."

Yun Miaoqing handed over another jade slip.

Lu Yang took the jade slip and swept it with his spiritual sense; immediately, all the scenes from the day of the incident reflected in his mind.

"So that's it... it seems the early eruption of the zombie tide truly has a mastermind behind it; disciples of the Shenwu Sect? And the strange treasure they used to catalyze the zombie tide..."

Reading this, Lu Yang suddenly froze, then abruptly stood up.

"Mysterious Yin Treasure of the Profound Womb!?"

Indeed, the intelligence clearly showed that the mastermind behind the zombie tide's eruption, a disciple of the Shenwu Sect, possessed a thumb-sized Mysterious Yin Treasure of the Profound Womb!

"If I can obtain this treasure, I can immediately cultivate the Profound Yin Form-Seizing Great Art; given time, even the 'Great Yin Metamorphosis Corpse-Release True Art' will not be a dream. Considering the rarity of the treasure, this is likely my only chance in this life; once I give up, I may miss it forever."

"However... if not in this life, then in the next; if I miss it, I miss it!"

Lu Yang's expression turned gloomy as he sat back down; despite unexpectedly discovering the coveted Yin Treasure, he felt not a shred of joy.

He only felt a bone-chilling cold, his heart filled with vigilance.

"Whatever I want gets delivered right to my door; how could there be such lucky things under heaven? After all, I am not a chosen one like Xiao Shiye."

Moreover, Xiao Shiye's luck was granted by others!

"Could it be that Daoist Hong Yun again?"

As soon as he thought that all this might once again be the manipulation of karma and secret plotting by a Foundation Establishment True Person, Lu Yang immediately made up his mind.

"I will not go out!"

The situation at Skeleton Mountain was now treacherous; staying within the market town to oversee the array was the safest option. As long as no Foundation Establishment True Person acted, he would be as stable as Mount Tai.

"Besides, even if I don't go out, that doesn't mean I have no chance to obtain the treasure."

Wasn't there still Fairy Feixia and the others?

After all, the intelligence said they had pursued the enemy; if they could seize the treasure and flee back to the market town, wouldn't his opportunity arrive then?

Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but sincerely cheer for Fairy Feixia in his heart.

Time flew swiftly.

Another day passed, inside the Blood Robe Tower.

Lu Yang was sitting in meditation cultivating qi when he suddenly felt something; mounting a beam of escape light, he arrived outside the tower, gazing into the distance toward the outskirts of the market town.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In the distant sky, thunderous explosions accompanied by expanding clouds of blast rapidly spread from the horizon toward the market town; it was clearly a chase involving escape lights, with the one running at the very front emitting the distinctly colorful rosy glow of Fairy Feixia.

"One is missing?"

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow; including himself, there were four late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators in the Skeleton Mountain market town: Fairy Feixia, Lu Yuanchun, and an unnamed senior brother.

Yet at this moment, Lu Yang saw only the figures of Fairy Feixia and Lu Yuanchun.

"Activate the array."

Unhurried, Lu Yang gave the order; the Holy Sect disciples within the market town immediately arranged themselves, array flags fluttering, and within moments, a magnificent array was erected.

The Hundred Bones Return to Truth Great Array!

This array ranked Seventh Grade, a top-tier formation for the Qi Condensation level; with Lu Yang overseeing it, he could even fight against a Great Perfection Qi Condensation cultivator.

However, the very next second, a sudden change occurred!

Lu Yuanchun suddenly took out a token, formed a hand seal, and activated it, directly opening a gap in the originally closed great array.

"Now!"

Almost simultaneously, an extremely excited shout rang out from outside the market town, followed by several beams of spiritual light darting out, transforming into array flags that distributed themselves in all directions.

Immediately, a miniature small array appeared over the gap Lu Yuanchun had opened, locking it in place so that even Lu Yang could not close it!

"Shenwu Sect."

Lu Yang frowned slightly, immediately recognizing the party responsible; clearly, the Shenwu Sect had been ambushing outside the market town for a long time, waiting precisely for such an opportunity.

Now that the array had been forcibly pried open to create a gap, the Shenwu Sect could completely use this to kill their way into the market town!

As for Lu Yuanchun, the culprit behind all this, he merely cast a cold glance at the market town, then soared away on escape light in the opposite direction!

He clearly understood what he had done, but he did not care; in fact, he had done it intentionally, treating the market town as a sacrificial pawn so he could escape with his life, for to the Shenwu Sect, annihilating the Skeleton Mountain market town in one stroke was a far better opportunity than continuing to chase him.

As for the fellow Holy Sect disciples inside the market town?

They were simply unlucky!

(End of Chapter)