Chapter 89: The Overly Dead Xiao Shiye

"If I can truly refine a Guardian Deity that falsely holds Foundation Establishment, it will greatly aid my own body's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, adding at least thirty percent to my chances of success!"

Lu Yang sat cross-legged, pondering in his heart:

"Not only that, more importantly, the Guardian Deity possesses complete karmic cause and effect; when necessary, I can sever the connection and throw all the karma of the Wraith-Ghost Dao onto it."

"Although doing so means the fortune and cultivation obtained from Stealing Heaven's Mechanism cannot be used for my own Foundation Establishment but must be invested in the Guardian Deity, with a Guardian Deity, combined with Third Grade True Qi, 【Corpse-Release Immortal】, 【Saint's Theft】, and 【Severing Thoughts to See My Celestial Silkworm Secret】, I still have a seventy percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment!"

If I obtain the Ascension Token as well, it would be eighty percent!

"Moreover, according to Patriarch Ting You's words, the more preparation one makes before Foundation Establishment, the higher the chance of success, and the greater the rewards obtained after breaking through to Foundation Establishment."

"This involves the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment realm."

"The so-called Foundation Establishment is actually a gamble for one's life; there are even True Persons who gambled against Heaven with only thirty or forty percent chance of success and ultimately succeeded by sheer luck."

"However, the breakthroughs gained through such life-risking gambles are not without cost; the less preparation you make beforehand and the lower your chances, the greater the Dao injuries you suffer during Foundation Establishment, especially since these Dao injuries become deeply rooted after Foundation Establishment, and as long as they are not removed, you cannot break through to a higher realm."

"The entire cultivation of early Foundation Establishment is actually a process of healing."

"Conversely, if you are fully prepared and only attempt the breakthrough when you have seventy or eighty percent chance of success, then correspondingly, the healing time after success will be greatly reduced."

"If you have a hundred percent chance of success before breaking through, then the moment you break through, you will reach the perfection of early Foundation Establishment and can look forward to the mid-stage."

"In the cultivation world, this method of breakthrough is also called 'Perfect Foundation Establishment'; generally speaking, only the direct disciples of True Lords have hope of attempting it."

This is normal.

One must know that Lu Yang, having walked the path to today through several lifetimes of bitter cultivation, in the best scenario only had an eighty percent hope of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, with the remaining twenty percent still unsecured to this day.

This is not a gap in talent, but purely a background issue; after all, the resource requirements for 'Perfect Foundation Establishment' are simply too terrifying, completely beyond what ordinary people can achieve; perhaps only direct disciples of Jin Dan True Lords can mobilize such vast resources.

However, despite this, Lu Yang does not intend to pursue the so-called 'Perfect Foundation Establishment'.

"Although 'Perfect Foundation Establishment' sounds impressive, it actually only saves cultivation time; I simply have no need to be obsessed with it."

"An eighty percent chance of success is enough to gamble on!"

"Break through first, then worry about the rest!"

As the saying goes, 'The higher you stand, the farther you can see'; many things require one to become a Foundation Establishment True Person just to sit at the table and eat, so the benefits of breaking through first are unquestionable.

Having made up his mind, Lu Yang no longer dwelled on it.

"Calculating the time, Yu Suzhen over there should be about done; if that old thing, the Peak Master of Bu Tian, is truly willing to act, she has likely already succeeded."

Lu Yang formed a hand seal with one hand and once again calculated Yu Suzhen's recent situation.

Initial Saint Sect, Cloud Sea Touching Heaven.

Inside a secret realm, an ancient bronze hall; there, Yu Suzhen sat in mid-air, her skin, which the thin shirt could not conceal, now flushing a deep red.

On the other side, Xiao Shiye's eyes were blood-red, his face contorted in struggle as if enduring something; his ox-calf-sized body now radiated intense Yang energy, forming a stark contrast with Yu Suzhen, whose Yin energy was overwhelming; at that moment, the convergence of Yin and Yang was clearly visible.

"Shameless scoundrel!"

The next second, Yu Suzhen, with a tone of icy coldness, struck with one palm, shattering the bronze coffin at the center of the secret realm, her face bearing intense, visible rage.

Seeing this, Xiao Shiye was even more terrified.

Yet amidst the fear, an unusual sensation quietly surfaced in his heart along with Yu Suzhen's resistance, making his self-control increasingly difficult.

The cause of the matter was merely a treasure hunt in a secret realm.

Relying on his overwhelming fortune, he was the first to enter the center of the secret realm, but he did not expect Yu Suzhen to be only a step behind him, forcibly seizing his opportunity.

As a result, the opportunity left by the master of the secret realm actually hid a trap; after receiving the inheritance, one must harmonize it with Yin and Yang powers, otherwise one would die immediately from Yin-Yang imbalance; and at this moment, only Xiao Shiye and Yu Suzhen were inside the center of the secret realm, a lone man and a lone woman, so what would happen was self-evident.

Thinking of this, Xiao Shiye instinctively stood up.

"Do not come over!"

On the other side, Yu Suzhen almost immediately cried out in alarm, yet neither her hazy eyes nor her rosy skin held any persuasiveness.

It even made Xiao Shiye more excited.

The two drew closer and closer, the Yin and Yang powers completely converging; the next second, Xiao Shiye saw a Bai Xi arm, white as jade, wrap around his neck.

In an instant, a fragrant breeze hit his nose.

Yu Suzhen's weak voice, mixed with a sigh, still echoed in Xiao Shiye's ear: "Little thief, if you dare touch me, one day I will surely take your life!"

This sentence instantly triggered Xiao Shiye's rebellious psychology.

He had heard of Yu Suzhen, the famous Bai Xi Fairy Suzhen, with extraordinary talent, surpassing many disciples at a young age and breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining.

Compared to her, he was merely an unknown nobody in the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

And from the moment he entered the secret realm, Yu Suzhen had maintained this cold demeanor, never once taking him seriously from start to finish, and had forcibly seized his opportunity.

How can such things be tolerated!

"I am touching you, what can you do about it?"

Xiao Shiye's eyes were blood-red; in a fit of rage, he instantly cast aside the many uneasiness and self-restraint instinctively born in his heart, grabbed with his large hand, and directly began to mount.

Yin and Yang converged, day and night without ceasing.

Until several days later, Yu Suzhen finally awoke; after another round of entanglement with Xiao Shiye, she ultimately chose to spare him, even saving his life.

From then on, the two formed an inseparable bond.

Since then, Xiao Shiye could not forget Yu Suzhen.

Especially when he occasionally saw that cold fairy appear before the crowd, he could not help but recall the fire hidden beneath her cold exterior.

Under the circumstance where the small head controlled the big head, Xiao Shiye's choice was self-evident: he wanted to become strong! Strong enough to stand before Yu Suzhen again and openly form a Daoist couple with her!

Driven by this thought, Xiao Shiye came to the Merit Pool of the Saint Sect.

Since he was already at the bottom, no matter which way he went, it was upward.

Take a gamble!

In a place invisible to mortals, Xiao Shiye's overwhelming fortune, which shot straight to the clouds, burned wildly at this moment, yet it also earned a response from the Merit Pool.

"This time I will definitely win!"

"I have thrown all my contribution points for this year into it; at least it should give me gold, right?"

"If not gold, even a purple as the consolation prize would be fine."

Under the crimson-eyed, tense-to-the-breaking-point gaze of the Holy Sect disciples, the Merit Pool began its draw, and a burst of seven-colored light erupted forth!

"First prize! First prize!"

In an instant, the crowd erupted.

Almost everyone's gaze instantly focused on Xiao Shiye, shrouded in the colored light; the jealousy, fury, and killing intent in their eyes were barely concealed.

Damn it, who is this guy?!

Xiao Shiye paid no heed to any of it, merely taking with an excited face the colored Merit Fish that had landed in his hand, nuzzling it affectionately against his palm.

With it, he could turn his fortunes around!

That aloof and proud Fairy Yu Suzhen would surely look at him differently from now on!

Sensing the jealous, greedy gazes around him, Xiao Shiye didn't hesitate—without a word he swallowed the Merit Fish whole on the spot, and began to consume and refine it.

The next second, all sounds fell silent.

"."

Every furious, jealous, greedy Holy Sect disciple, Xiao Shiye included, ceased to think; time itself seemed to halt its steps.

A figure that gathered the colors of heaven and earth silently materialized.

It was none other than Daoist Daoist Hong Yun.

"It seems the bait cast this time yielded a fine haul."

Daoist Daoist Hong Yun looked at Xiao Shiye and nodded in satisfaction; with the fortune of the colored Merit Fish filling the gap this time, he could finally ease his pressing crisis.

Thinking of this, he immediately prepared to recall Xiao Shiye and extract his fortune.

However, he soon froze.

Because when he extended his divine sense into Xiao Shiye's body, he found Xiao Shiye's frame utterly empty—his true qi along with his vitality had all vanished into nothing.

He was dead.

Where is the fish I hooked? It was right here, so big!

Daoist Daoist Hong Yun's smile froze on his face, and his complexion turned an ashen blue at a speed visible to the naked eye as he stared at Xiao Shiye's corpse in mingled shock and fury.

The next second, Daoist Daoist Hong Yun began calculating on his fingers, then laughed through his rage:

"What gall!!!"

(End of chapter)