Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 546: Insidious Fei Xue

As if I’d ever believe you!

Lü Yang’s face showed suspicion, but inwardly, he was certain: ’The Saint Sect Ancestral Master would never just hand me some great opportunity for no reason.’

There had to be a catch.

The reason was simple: ’In this damn life, I’m not even a Saint Sect Zhenren. I might have the Saint Sect’s style, but I’m a bona fide Dao Court cultivator through and through!’

’You’re from the Saint Sect. Why would you give an opportunity to me?’

’It’s definitely a trap!’

’Although... I might not be the one getting trapped.’

To be fair, Lü Yang had some confidence in the Saint Sect Ancestral Master. Across the Five Domains, the Ancestral Master was actually the most magnanimous of the leaders.

It sounded absurd, but just look at the others. The Bhagavat was a case in point—utterly without a moral compass. The Dao Court was a little better, but it also hamstrung cultivators with the Immortal Dao Law. The Sword Pavilion was better still; at least they were good to their own.

Only the Saint Sect was different.

They preached survival of the fittest, the strong devouring the weak, but in practice, they would teach anyone. As long as you had the ability and the skill, you could make a name for yourself in the Saint Sect.

It was all a matter of comparison.

Compared to the other three Masters of Dao, the Saint Sect Ancestral Master seemed downright broad-minded. If nothing else, the fact that Ang Xiao was still alive was irrefutable proof.

’If this were the Bhagavat, I’d think he was plotting against me. But the Saint Sect Ancestral Master... am I, a nobody who isn’t even a Perfected Lord, worth scheming against? It’s far more likely he’s just using me to screw over the Bhagavat again, to make his situation even worse...’

A hundred thoughts raced through Lü Yang’s mind before he finally let out a long breath.

He stopped overthinking. After all, whether there was a trap or not, or who it was for, his course of action wouldn’t change: ’Defeat Fei Xue and enter the distorted history!’

With this thought, Lü Yang looked up.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on World Purger Fei Xue before him. A sudden smile touched his lips. "Perfected Lord, you truly are from the Saint Sect."

BOOM!

The moment Lü Yang’s words fell, the ground around them erupted in a splendid light, surging forth like a Celestial River pouring down from the heavens!

In an instant, Lü Yang felt as if he’d been thrown into a rushing, winding torrent. A Celestial River flowed overhead while the ground beneath his feet turned into a churning sea. His Mana was being pulled away in all directions, making it impossible to muster, and there was no escape in sight.

Celestial River Technique!

This was the True Skill that corresponded to the Fruit of Gully-Rill Water. In her time, World Purger Fei Xue’s use of this technique was said to "topple the three provinces and invert the heavens over the four seas"!

Such power was clearly the result of long preparation!

World Purger Fei Xue had been using vague, confusing words to distract Lü Yang, while secretly preparing a killing blow the entire time!

Utterly insidious.

’From this perspective, it’s no wonder Master Chong Guang was her student. He copied her combat style perfectly—seemingly grand, but actually cunning...’

Lü Yang took a deep breath. He formed a Daoist Hand Seal at his chest and began an incantation:

’Fenghou Suiyang Book!’

Instantly, roiling fire spewed from his lips. It took root upon landing, manifesting as thousands of armored soldiers that charged toward the surrounding Celestial River.

But in the next second.

DONG—!

A splendid light slammed down from the front with the resonant clang of a giant bell, shattering the torrent of fire Lü Yang had summoned and forcing him to focus his attention.

Almost simultaneously, a graceful figure appeared behind him. Her long, slender fingers formed a single blade-hand, slicing silently toward his neck. By the time Lü Yang realized what was happening, her palm was already resting lightly on his neck, sinking into his flesh unopposed.

’I can’t block it!’

Lü Yang’s eyes were bright. He sensed that this seemingly ordinary palm strike actually contained the most domineering concept in all of Water Element Imagery:

Dripping Water Carves Stone.

The mountains and lay lines, the very earth itself, are works of art carved by rivers, lakes, and oceans. Therefore, there is nothing that "water" cannot sever.

This palm strike even carried a hint of a Sword Cultivator’s intent!

Seeing the profound mystery within World Purger Fei Xue’s attack, Lü Yang didn’t try to defend. He knew that ’trying to defend would be playing right into her hands.’

’I have to counterattack!’

In a flash, Lü Yang met World Purger Fei Xue’s gaze. His pupils erupted in a dazzling golden light that shot from his eyes and slammed into hers.

Jianyang Emperor’s Light Talisman!

This Daoist Art could sever Divine Sense and block the five senses. After unleashing it, Lü Yang’s body exploded into a mass of dark gold light.

Heaven!

After Lü Yang cultivated this Second-Grade Cultivation Skill to Perfection, he had long since reached a state of formlessness, of impermanent gathering and scattering. He had no weak points in the ordinary sense.

The next second, the dark gold light reconverged into Lü Yang’s form. While the effects of the Jianyang Emperor’s Light Talisman still lingered, severing her Divine Sense, he raised a single finger. The dark gold light danced on its tip before shooting down toward World Purger Fei Xue below.

BOOM!

As his finger descended, Heaven and Earth responded in unison. The entire space began to collapse in on World Purger Fei Xue’s position, shattering into pieces!

This was Heaven and Earth Respond to Me!

The Divine Effect activated. Lü Yang didn’t need to channel Mana; he simply issued a command, ordering Heaven and Earth to be his vanguard, to charge forth and slay the enemy. It was a perfect match for the imagery of the Fruit of Celestial Fire!

Instantly, Lü Yang, showing no mercy, sliced World Purger Fei Xue’s figure into countless pieces. But the next second, the dismembered Fei Xue dissolved into scattered streams of water. They flowed apart before converging again a short distance away, reforming her perfect, unharmed figure.

"Not bad!"

World Purger Fei Xue clasped her hands behind her back, her beautiful eyes filled with admiration. "To take my palm strike and even find a chance to counterattack, you’ve already surpassed ninety percent of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the world!"

Lü Yang chuckled. "You, on the other hand, have been a great disappointment, senior. First you try to trick me with words, then you launch a sneak attack. Is that how you became the champion of Combat back in your day?"

The words were dripping with sarcasm.

Yet Fei Xue wasn’t the least bit angered. Instead, she nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course."

"Water has no constant form, and neither does combat. A winning move is a good move. If I were obsessed with saving face, the grass on my grave would be taller than you are by now."

Lü Yang raised an eyebrow, though he wasn’t surprised. Deep down, he agreed with her logic. While secretly forming a finger technique and chanting an incantation, he deliberately spoke up, "Speaking of which, what exactly is this ’Source’ you mentioned? Why is it so beneficial to our cultivation?"

"You want to know?"

World Purger Fei Xue flashed a radiant smile. Though it held no seductive intent, her transcendent beauty was enough to topple nations.

"Defeat me..."

BOOM!

Before World Purger Fei Xue could finish, the Daoist Hand Seal Lü Yang had been secretly preparing was fully charged. A golden light suddenly flared, revealing a Magical Talisman shimmering with multicolored light.

’Gold-Plated Military Token!’

At the same time, Lü Yang took hold of the Tribulation Wave. He activated the Xuanwei Divine Effect, and with the empowerment from the Command Token, pushed his qi trace to its absolute peak.

But he wasn’t finished.

Just as his qi trace reached a critical point, another light burst from his body—faint, but eternal.

Unyielding Sword Intent!

CLANG! CLANG!

Magic, Spiritual Treasure, and Sword Intent—a triple empowerment. The incomparably blazing Sword Light erupted like a hurricane, instantly shredding the surging abyssal waters of the Celestial River.

There were no frills, just the raw power of a Sword Cultivator. It roared forth, tearing the scene apart like a beautiful scroll painting, and the waters vanished. World Purger Fei Xue drifted backward, and behind her, the misty landscape from when Lü Yang first arrived began to reappear.

Even though her Daoist Skill was broken, World Purger Fei Xue was not the least bit panicked. Instead, she spoke in a low voice:

"...The so-called ’Source’ is a cultivator’s own potential. The stronger your Source, the more possibilities your future holds."

"That distorted history is the same."

"It is a possibility that was abandoned by the Bhagavat using the mighty power of the Fruit of Rampart Earth. It represents another direction for the world... a completely different possibility."

At this, World Purger Fei Xue said something shocking:

"The possibility where the Bhagavat achieves Attainment and reaches the Nascent Soul realm!"