Chapter 47: A Hidden Dragon Does Not Leave the Abyss

Perhaps it was a bird startled by the bow, perhaps it was a man of Qi worrying the sky would fall, but no matter what, Lu Yang was now wary of every faction with a Foundation Establishment background.

Especially any faction capable of keeping an eye on him.

"Unlike before, in this life I have the divine talisman's protection, so Butian Peak can't scheme against me, and the Divine Martial Gate, as an orthodox sect, shouldn't be plotting against its own people. By that reasoning, that True Person of Foundation Establishment who's been hiding in the shadows scheming over Skeleton Mountain — he might really be the one backing the Sanhe Society!"

The more Lu Yang thought about it, the more suspicious the Sanhe Society seemed, yet his face betrayed nothing:

"I see. So does Second Senior Brother wish to see me?"

"That's right." Fairy Feixia Fairy nodded. "Second Senior Brother has come to Skeleton Mountain and is short of a few capable helpers, so he hopes Senior Brother can lend a hand."

Helpers? Cannon fodder, more like it!

Lu Yang shook his head without hesitation. "I may know a little about formations, but conversely, that means my strength drops sharply without them. How could I possibly deserve Second Senior Brother's favor?"

"Please ask Second Senior Brother to find someone more capable."

Lu Yang spoke these words with great conviction.

Although he had joined the Sanhe Society and signed a law contract, he was no slave to it — he still had this much autonomy. Who could force him?

Fairy Feixia Fairy clearly thought the same, which was why she had only come to deliver the message.

Now that the message had been delivered, her expression gradually grew ambiguous; her fair, pretty face flushed with two rosy clouds, and every glance she cast radiated a thousand charms.

"Junior Brother, I have recently run into a few areas in formations I don't understand. I humbly ask Junior Brother to instruct me."

"That would be excellent."

Lu Yang immediately perked up.

Over the next three months, Lu Yang's pace of life slowed down.

Every day he was either discussing the Dao with Fairy Feixia Fairy, or out studying the Hundred Bones Return-to-Truth Grand Formation; sometimes, when the mood struck, he simply did both at once.

Yet compared with his tranquil days, Skeleton Mountain outside the market town had turned into utter chaos.

Not only the Divine Martial Gate and the Initial Saint Sect, but also the subsidiary sects under their command, and even some rogue cultivators with astonishing divine abilities had been drawn here.

When the three sides met, naturally they fell to fighting one another.

During this period, several ruins of the ancient Wugui Dao were unearthed, further confirming the existence of the Wugui Secret Realm.

It was at this very moment that Fairy Feixia Fairy brought him news, saying Zhao Xuhe had been borrowing his name outside the market town to snatch quite a few opportunities.

"I didn't expect my name would be this useful."

Lu Yang was rather surprised after hearing this. Every time Zhao Xuhe contended with others for opportunities and fell into danger, he had invoked Lu Yang's name to turn peril into safety.

Clearly, Ouyang Haoze's death had indeed made many people wary of him.

Of course, this was also because Zhao Xuhe was clever and knew when to advance and when to retreat; so far he hadn't provoked any truly formidable figures, which was why he could play the fox borrowing the tiger's might.

"Junior Brother, are you truly not going to deal with this?"

Fairy Feixia Fairy's powdered face was set in a fierce expression, her words ice-cold: "This man is borrowing your name and dragging karmic consequences onto you. If you ask me, we should just kill him first!"

"There's no need to bother with him."

Lu Yang shook his head. Zhao Xuhe wasn't returning to the market town at all now, devoting himself wholly to searching Skeleton Mountain for the ancient Wugui Dao's ruins and that Wugui Secret Realm.

If he wanted to kill him, he'd have to leave the market town.

But how could that be possible?

"Let him be. He once pawned a sum of contribution points with me, and I agreed back then that he could borrow my name. There's nothing more to say."

After seeing Fairy Feixia Fairy off, the expression on Lu Yang's face gradually became composed.

"Heh!"

"Interesting. Over these past few months, everything I've heard and seen seems to be urging me, trying to make me leave the market town?"

A word rose unbidden in Lu Yang's heart: tribulation!

He was a mere minor Qi Refining cultivator, yet a Foundation Establishment True Person had set his sights on him, deducing karmic ties and scheming in every way. If this wasn't tribulation, what could be called tribulation?

"Karma — damnable thing!"

"No matter what, with tribulation hanging over my head, I absolutely must not stir up nameless fire. Only by tightly shutting my cave door and quietly reciting two or three scrolls of the Yellow Court can I hope to dodge this calamity."

First it was the Sanhe Society, applying external pressure.

Now it's Zhao Xuhe, internal entanglements.

"Cast your hook however you like — I simply won't bite. A hidden dragon does not leave the abyss. What can your grandfather's pride do to me?"

Thinking this far, Lu Yang suddenly felt his mind become clear; the restless thoughts from moments ago returned to calm, his whole body relaxed, as if he had shed another layer of karma.

Time flowed on, and another month passed.

Skeleton Mountain market town, a thousand or so li to the east.

A streak of escape light could be seen fleeing for its life, apparently employing some technique that burned essence blood, while behind it followed seven or eight streaks of escape light.

"Zhao Xuhe! Where do you think you're running!"

The pursuers were all clad in sturdy armor and gripping sharp weapons, their qi and blood surging to the skies — clearly disciples of the Divine Martial Gate, their cultivation universally at late Qi Refining, with none at Qi Refining Great Perfection.

Were it not so, with Zhao Xuhe's cultivation it would have been hard for him to escape.

Even so, fleeing all the way here was already near his limit; the reason he hadn't yet passed out was entirely because he clung to hope.

"I can still be saved!"

"I already sent a flying letter to Lu Yang before. As long as I can — as long as I can make it to that place, make it to the area around the market town, Lu Yang will definitely save me!"

Zhao Xuhe fled for his life, desperately trying to convince himself.

"There's still my restriction on the Stealing-Heaven Mechanism. As long as he still wants to break through to Foundation Establishment, rather than waiting eighty years until he's old and withered, he has to come save me!"

"He'll come save me!"

"He definitely will!"

Just then, to Zhao Xuhe's immense excitement, a brilliant streak of escape light finally rose from the direction of the market town, as if its master had discovered him in his deadly peril.

"He's coming! I knew he wouldn't abandon me!"

Seeing this, Zhao Xuhe was instantly revitalized, while the pursuers behind him also slowed down, seemingly waiting for something.

However, as time passed, everyone realized something was wrong.

They saw that the magnificent escape light was still on its way, yet it simply could not arrive.

Finally, Zhao Xuhe could run no more, and the pursuers from the Divine Martial Gate reluctantly trapped him, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.

This battle lasted for nearly half a day.

In the end, the pursuers from the Divine Martial Gate did not even dare to strike hard, fearing they might kill Zhao Xuhe with a single move, and they kept glancing toward the direction of the escape light.

Looking closely, was that escape light getting farther away?

Until finally, Zhao Xuhe completely broke down.

"No! Why!?"

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, then knelt on the ground, having completely exhausted his last bit of strength, and even his life force began to dissipate rapidly.

Before dying, only one thought remained in his mind.

Could it be that Lu Yang does not want the Secret Art of Stealing Heaven's Decree anymore?

"Why won't you save me!?"

Little did he know, this was also the thought of the mastermind behind this assassination plot.

In the shadows, the Elder of the Divine Martial Gate, Ouyang Feng, was equally baffled, looking toward the Skull Mountain Market in the distance, his eyes revealing a trace of unwillingness and helplessness.

"Why won't you save him?"

"Only a fool would save him!"

Retracting his escape light, Lu Yang looked at the latest distress message sent by Zhao Xuhe, not knowing which number it was, and casually tossed it aside: "Do you really think you can blackmail me with a secret art?"

"It's only eighty years; I can wait!"

"Wait until your restrictions naturally dissipate, and the secret art will still be mine! If it doesn't work in this life, I'll just use it in the next life."

Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh at Zhao Xuhe's bad luck; if he had truly managed to escape all the way into the market, Lu Yang wouldn't have minded lending a hand.

But outside the market? Then it was simply a matter of no fate.

"Senior Brother Zhao, go in peace. You sacrificed yourself for the Holy Sect, and in the future, I will petition the Peak Master of the Heaven-Mending Peak to grant you a grand funeral."

"As for your debts, let it go for this life; I will come to collect from you in the next life!"

(End of Chapter)