Chapter 62: Foundation Establishment Opens the Calamity of Killing, Storms Rise with a Single Thought

"With my current strength, killing that little demon is likely not easy."

The Yun Clan Ancestor's face showed a look of deep thought; after all, he had just reincarnated. With an infant's body, aside from a powerful soul and divination ability, he possessed no combat strength whatsoever.

"However, it matters not."

The Yun Clan Ancestor was not in a hurry. After all, Lu Yang could not discover him. He could simply develop slowly; within ten years, he could restore his Foundation Establishment to the peak of Qi Condensation.

"However, that boy is slippery. Since he temporarily commands this Refining Law Secret Realm, once he discovers he is in danger, he can withdraw from the Secret Realm at any time. Even if I restore my Qi Condensation to the peak, killing him will require careful planning. I must devise a way to lure him into a trap so he cannot escape."

While pondering, the Yun Clan Ancestor continued his divination.

"The three steps of Martial Arts are: mastering the Five Elements within the body, opening the Nine Orifices connecting to Heaven, and breaking the Creation Mystery. A Great Success Martial Artist can compare to the late stage of Qi Condensation. What a wonderful technique."

The Yun Clan Ancestor's face showed a look of astonishment.

He had cultivated to Foundation Establishment in two lifetimes, lived for over six hundred years, and seen countless demons. Among them were those who cultivated the Sage Thief, yet few were like Lu Yang.

"Without entering Foundation Establishment, one does not know Heaven's Mandate. Divination and deduction abilities fall far short of the standard for creating techniques. Even if one barely creates one, it is merely mud and tiles, shattering at a touch. A Great Success practitioner reaching the mid-stage of Qi Condensation is already considered impressive; reaching the late stage is nothing short of perfect."

"That demon actually possesses such talent?"

Amidst his astonishment, the Yun Clan Ancestor's fear deepened. He had already made up his mind not to let Lu Yang break through to Foundation Establishment, thereby adding to the power of the Demonic Path.

However, how to do it?

"The Sage Thief steals the fate of the world, damaging merit. A Great Success practitioner will inevitably suffer calamity. Thus, my reincarnation this time is likely his calamity."

The Yun Clan Ancestor, seeing through Heaven's secrets, gained a sudden realization in his heart:

"However, I have the 'Heaven-Seeking Instrument' protecting me. He cannot divine my existence, yet I can easily grasp his movements. This should be a major advantage for me."

"Since that is so, I can devise a way to create a 'calamity' for him. This 'calamity' must not be too easy to resolve, nor too difficult. It must show him hope for a solution, so he will act personally. I will use this 'calamity' to lure him into a trap and into my net."

As the saying goes, even when a lion wrestles a rabbit, it uses its full strength.

The Yun Clan Ancestor had already reincarnated once, so he did not put on airs of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, nor would he underestimate Lu Yang. His planning and layout were taken with utmost seriousness.

"Then, what is this 'calamity'?"

The Yun Clan Ancestor pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly, having formed a plan: "For this fellow, the greatest worry is undoubtedly an error in the Sage Thief's cultivation."

"Since that is so, I shall help him a bit!"

"He created the three steps of Martial Arts; I shall create a fourth step for him. However, this step will no longer be confined within the framework of the system he created."

Upon thinking this, the Yun Clan Ancestor immediately began to push the cause and effect.

In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.

During these ten years, heroes rose everywhere in the world. The development of Martial Arts reached an extreme, and the three steps of Martial Arts became widely known, learned by people throughout the world.

And it was in this era where the world valued martial arts that, one late night, sudden thunder roared in Tianjing City. Dragons and snakes rose from the earth, heavy rain poured down, and then all the common people in the city saw a pillar of righteous qi shoot straight into the clouds, breaking through the rain clouds and reversing the heavenly phenomena. In less than two hours and thirty minutes, the clouds parted and the sun shone bright!

The next day, a piece of news thundered across the world.

The Haoran Academy, which held a scroll of the Heavenly Book, had its master, the 'Saint-Heart Scholar' Wang Boyuan, suddenly realize the Dao in one night, penetrate the mysteries, and actually walk out the fourth step of Martial Arts!

The first step of Martial Arts is mastering the Five Elements within the body.

Heart, lungs, spleen, liver, kidneys; when the five viscera are perfected, one is a Martial Artist.

The second step of Martial Arts is opening the Nine Orifices connecting to Heaven.

Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, tendons, bones, flesh, blood, and will; when all nine orifices are opened, one may be called a Martial Master.

The third step of Martial Arts is breaking the Creation Mystery.

There are gods three feet above one's head. Using the five viscera to transform the body's essence and qi, and using the nine orifices to draw upon the power of Heaven and Earth, combining the internal and external to break the mystery above the head, one can see the 'Gods'.

Everyone believed that with Martial Arts reaching this point, one was a grand master of a generation, with no path upward.

However, with the breakthrough of the 'Saint-Heart Scholar' Wang Boyuan, all Martial Artists in the world were thrilled. Wang Boyuan, with a heart of great righteousness, did not hoard his realization.

"The fourth step of Martial Arts is named 'Investigating the Changes Between Heaven and Man'!"

"To achieve this method, one must break free from the shackles of Martial Arts, no longer be bound by Martial Arts itself, but walk out one's own Dao, thereby achieving the transformation between Heaven and Man!"

The Saint-Heart Scholar had penetrated this point. No longer bound by Martial Arts, he created the 'Art of Gazing at Fortune' on his own. It could know Heaven's Mandate, gaze upon Heaven's Fortune, and even alter Heaven's secrets, simply because his heart was entirely for the country. He wished to use the Art of Gazing at Qi to extend the fortune of the Great Zhou, establish an iron-clad empire, and open ten thousand ages of peace.

And with the Saint-Heart Scholar's breakthrough, cause and effect shifted, and the world underwent a sudden, drastic change.

The second to break through was the contemporary Envoy of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion, the 'Barefoot Daoist' Chang Qingjing, who achieved breakthrough through sudden enlightenment during a medical practice.

The third was the 'Suffering-Relieving Divine Monk' Xuan Ku of the Hanging Temple, who achieved breakthrough through sudden enlightenment during morning prayers.

The fourth... the fifth... the sixth...

In just ten short years, seven Martial Arts Heaven-Men emerged in the world, proving the feasibility of this path and completely breaking the Martial Arts framework originally set by Lu Yang!

"Hmm?"

In the far west of the Refining Law Secret Realm, amidst layers of mountains and forests, within the Blood-Washing Chen Tianhe Sword Array Diagram surrounded by countless talismans, Lu Yang suddenly opened his eyes.

All he saw was dark clouds covering the sky; no blue sky or bright sun was visible.

The next second, a round light burst forth behind Lu Yang's head. The Taiwei Treasure Record rotated, and the many changes of the past ten years immediately appeared in his mind, fully grasped by him.

"The fourth step of Martial Arts, Investigating the Changes Between Heaven and Man... so fast!"

At this moment, Lu Yang was both delighted and suspicious. He was delighted that Martial Arts had changed so much in such a short time, yet suspicious for the same reason.

How could it be so fast?

However, the cause and effect revealed by divination were seamless, with not a single flaw to be found.

"The Martial Arts I created, reaching the third step, can compare to the late stage of Qi Condensation. Now that someone in the Secret Realm has walked out the fourth step, a rough estimate suggests this so-called Martial Arts Heaven-Man likely possesses formidable strength, perhaps comparable to the peak of Qi Condensation. But if so, it is no longer Martial Arts!"

Upon thinking this, Lu Yang's expression gradually grew serious.

The events revealed by divination were fine...

The shift in cause and effect was fine...

Everything was reasonable and plausible. There was only one problem: Martial Arts had gone out of control. The Sage Thief was about to fail. Only he could personally intervene to correct it.

"... This is wrong!"

Alarm bells rang instantly in Lu Yang's heart. Naturally, he could not see the Yun Clan Ancestor's planning and layout, nor could he sense the Yun Clan Ancestor's actions in pushing cause and effect.

He knew only one thing:

"No one shall make me leave this place!"

Here, he has countless talismans at his disposal and array formations to protect him; even if a dozen or so who have reached the peak of Qi Refining come, he fears them not, sitting firmly like a fisherman on his perch.

But once you leave this place, it is another matter entirely.

Moreover, he is now the one holding the chess pieces, standing above all things; if he chooses to enter the world and become widely known, it would be equivalent to stepping onto the board as a piece himself.

One careless move, and the entire game is lost.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately calmed down. Although the appearance of a Martial Dao Immortal could disrupt his Saint Thief, it would still require some time.

"For now, I shall use a clone to scout the way."

At Lu Yang's thought, the Myriad Spirits Banner materialized in his palm; then, a wisp of white Qi appeared at his fingertip—indeed, a pure 'Primordial One Qi'.

This was condensed after he refined himself during his second life.

In the past, this 'Primordial One Qi' had extraordinary effects; in his third life, it even helped him break through to the Mid-stage of Qi Refining, but regrettably, in the subsequent lives, it gradually became useless.

"Now is the perfect time to make use of this waste."

(End of this chapter)