Chapter 56: Without Achieving Foundation Establishment, One Remains Merely a Chess Piece

For Lu Yang, this was an unprecedented experience.

He was "ascending."

In some ineffable realm, his position was constantly climbing toward the "heights," and everything mortal appeared increasingly insignificant to him.

'Is this the vision of a Foundation Establishment True Person?'

'Is this ascension!?'

Lu Yang gained some insight; no wonder most Foundation Establishment True Persons were like divine dragons showing only their heads but not their tails, transcending the mortal world. Perhaps this "altitude" was one of the reasons.

At the same time, he recalled his previous duel with Yun Yun Miaozhen and the "Great Taiyi Golden Splendor" she had unleashed at the end. That great divine ability had given him a sensation similar to this moment, yet not so "high." Now he realized that great divine abilities might be a simulation of Foundation Establishment.

No wonder it was said that refining a great divine ability could increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment.

It was like the difference between "climbing a mountain from its foot" and "climbing from its waist"; with different starting lines, the difficulty of reaching the summit naturally differed as well.

The next second, Lu Yang's mind suddenly shook violently.

Immediately afterward, he seemed to fall into a region where one could not see one's own fingers, a place that appeared to encompass everything yet remained void and silent, making it difficult for his spiritual sense to expand.

However, very soon, the situation changed.

"Beasts! You bunch of beasts!"

Accompanied by a furious roar, the mysterious region suddenly erupted with a burst of colorful light, while all around it, towering black qi sealed off every direction.

Both the colorful light and the black qi felt as heavy as mountains to Lu Yang, but judging by the situation, the colorful light was clearly pinned firmly in place by the black qi. As time passed, large swathes of the colorful light were being eroded by the black qi, and the once vigorous roar grew increasingly feeble.

'Is this... a Foundation Establishment battle?'

Lu Yang felt alarmed and uncertain in his heart, realizing he was merely hitching a ride with Daoist Yinshan and could not truly witness this great battle between True Persons.

Nevertheless, relying on his experience from previous lives, he made his judgment.

'That patch of colorful light must be the True Person from Shenwu Sect... I understand! This is another trap! Only this time, the bait is the entire Skull Mountain!'

Thinking of this, Lu Yang suddenly felt enlightened.

Because everything before his eyes resolved a doubt that had long puzzled him.

Clearly, Daoist Yinshan was fishing at Skull Mountain for the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm, and judging by his words, this likely concerned his own cultivation.

Yet from beginning to end, there had been only one Foundation Establishment expert at Skull Mountain: Daoist Yinshan himself.

Where were the Foundation Establishment experts of Shenwu Sect?

At first, Lu Yang had assumed Daoist Yinshan's methods were so superb that he could deceive the True Persons of Shenwu Sect to set up his scheme, but now it seemed that was not the case.

In fact, quite the opposite was true.

'This True Person probably never tried to hide anything; instead, he openly manipulated karma for the sole purpose of luring out the Foundation Establishment experts of Shenwu Sect!'

Daoist Yinshan was at Skull Mountain, using himself as bait to fish.

And Sheng Sect was across the entire Northern Frontier, using Daoist Yinshan as bait to fish! Now, the fish had taken the hook; all the Foundation Establishment experts of Shenwu Sect had fallen completely into the trap!

Boom!

In an instant, heaven and earth trembled violently. A Foundation Establishment True Person from Shenwu Sect shouted loudly, "Mo Sect, do you truly intend to extinguish the lineage of my Shenwu Sect this time?"

"What else?"

A True Person within Sheng Sect sneered coldly, "Let me guess; could it be that you still pin your hopes on those madmen from Yushujiange? Let me tell you, they will not come!"

"Ten years ago, during the battle at the Ten Thousand People Pit in Jiangnan, our Sect's Supreme One already reached an agreement with the Zhang Sect of Jiange: the Northern Frontier belongs to our sect, and the Southern Frontier goes to Jiange. Therefore, today our Sheng Sect will destroy your Shenwu Sect, and in the future, Jiange will destroy the Wandu Sect of Miaojiang. One for one exchange; neither side suffers a loss."

"What... Impossible! Master Chongguang, you are deceiving me!"

Facing the angry rebuke from the Shenwu Sect Foundation Establishment expert, True Person Master Chongguang scoffed, "Consider it a deception if you will; in any case, after today, there will be no more Shenwu Sect!"

"Kill them!"

In an instant, the colorful light surged violently, finally transforming into five brilliant streams of qi. Instead of launching a combined attack, they scattered and fled rapidly in all directions.

"Scatter! Flee! Find a way to escape back to the sect!"

"Flee? Wishful thinking!"

It was still True Person Master Chongguang. This Foundation Establishment expert from Sheng Sect appeared especially domineering at this moment, laughing loudly, "Above the heavens and below, there is nowhere for you to escape!"

Boom!

With a single thunderous crash, Lu Yang completely lost all sensation and fell into unconsciousness. He did not know how much time had passed before he slowly regained consciousness, feeling as if waking from a dream.

"Awake?"

A voice came from beside his ear. Lu Yang's pupils constricted sharply as he became fully alert. Looking around, he realized he had returned to the mountain forests of Skull Mountain.

Beside him, Daoist Yinshan stood with his hands behind his back, watching him with a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!"

Without another word, Lu Yang immediately performed a grand bow of reverence.

"Rise."

Daoist Yinshan raised a hand slightly and smiled lightly, "You assisted me greatly in seizing the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm this time; your merit is immense. Therefore, I will offer you a few words of advice on certain matters."

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother," Lu Yang said respectfully.

"First, I previously forcibly elevated your fortune and assisted you in seizing the fortune of others. Although this allowed you to advance by leaps and bounds in the short term, the future consequences are severe."

After speaking, Daoist Yinshan deliberately paused. Seeing that Lu Yang's expression remained unchanged, displaying composure in the face of both honor and disgrace, he nodded slightly and continued, "Therefore, according to my calculations, your luck will be extremely poor for the next thirty years. It is best not to cultivate nor venture outside; otherwise, you risk death."

"I humbly accept your instruction."

Lu Yang dared not show even a hint of dissatisfaction. After all, although he had lost thirty years of luck, Daoist Yinshan had gained an entire Witch-Ghost Secret Realm.

Without achieving Foundation Establishment, one remains merely a chess piece... Would a chess piece dare to feel dissatisfied?

For a Foundation Establishment True Person to be willing to use you is already your blessed reward!

The fact that Daoist Yinshan was even willing to remind him showed he was considering the face of a subordinate, since Lu Yang had joined the Sanhe Society.

Seeing Lu Yang so "sensible," Daoist Yinshan was quite satisfied and smiled, "In any case, by helping me accomplish my goal, you have indeed earned great merit."

"As the one presiding over the Sanhe Society, I have always rewarded merit without fail."

"I see you have already broken through to the Tenth Layer of Qi Condensation. Next, it is merely a matter of Foundation Establishment. How about this: I shall bestow upon you a rare treasure for Foundation Establishment. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang's eyes instantly widened.

A rare treasure for Foundation Establishment!?

'Of course... In the life before last, Zhao Xuhe likely obtained his first Foundation Establishment rare treasure in exactly this manner. Only now, I have taken his place...'

No wonder, despite stationing himself in the market town for so long and sending people out daily to gather information, he had not even seen a shadow of a Foundation Establishment rare treasure. Now he realized those were likely rumors deliberately spread by Zhao Xuhe in the life before last to deceive outsiders and confuse the situation.

Lu Yang's thoughts raced rapidly in his heart, filled with both excitement and desire.

Yet in the end, his expression gradually calmed. After closing his eyes to ponder for a moment, he actually shook his head and said, "Replying to Senior Brother, may I request a different reward?"

"... h?"

This time, Daoist Yinshan was truly somewhat surprised: "Are you certain? This 'Ascension Token' in my hand can increase the probability of Foundation Establishment by at least ten percent."

"I am certain."

Lu Yang nodded. A rare treasure for Foundation Establishment was indeed precious, but he knew clearly that with his fortune damaged for the next thirty years, he would be unable to keep such a treasure safe!

For his current self, a Foundation Establishment rare treasure was not an opportunity but rather the root of disaster, highly likely to lead to his eventual untimely death. This could be inferred from the fate of Zhao Xuhe in the life before last. Therefore, relying on tremendous willpower, Lu Yang forcibly suppressed the greed in his heart.

'For me, there is no need to rush at this moment...'

'I have only just reached the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation; there is still much room for growth, such as great divine abilities... I can claim a Foundation Establishment rare treasure in a few lives later; it will be the same.'

Lu Yang's affirmation left Daoist Yinshan silent.

To be honest, initially he had not intended to pay Lu Yang any mind. It was only because Lu Yang had broken through two realms in succession, understood how to assess the situation, and was a member of the Sanhe Society that he had developed a slight intention to nurture him.

After a moment, he spoke again: "What kind of reward do you wish to exchange for?"

Lu Yang replied without hesitation: "I desire a treasure that enhances comprehension."

After all, the great divine ability in his possession, the "Great Yin Metamorphosis and Corpse Liberation True Art," still lacked one component: the "Taiwei Imperial Pardon Precious Talisman," which relied heavily on comprehension.

If one does not understand, one simply does not understand.

Therefore, without a treasure to enhance comprehension, Lu Yang estimated that achieving this divine ability would be unlikely even after several more lifetimes.

(End of Chapter)