Chapter 56: Without Achieving Foundation Establishment, One Remains a Pawn
For Lü Yang, this was an unprecedented experience.
He was "ascending."
In a certain mysterious realm, his position was continuously rising towards a "higher place," and all mundane things became increasingly insignificant to him.
‘Is this the perspective of a Foundation Establishment True Person?’
‘Is this what ascension feels like!?’
Lü Yang had an epiphany; no wonder most Foundation Establishment True Persons were elusive, transcending the mundane—perhaps this "height" was one of the reasons.
At the same time, he recalled the "Taiyi Golden Radiance" that Yun Miaozhen had used in their previous duel; that great divine ability had given him a similar feeling, though not as "high" as now.
Thinking back, perhaps great divine abilities were simulations of Foundation Establishment.
No wonder it was said that mastering a great divine ability could increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment.
It was like the difference between "starting to climb from the foot of the mountain" and "starting from halfway up"; with different starting points, the difficulty of reaching the summit naturally varied.
The next second, Lü Yang's mind suddenly trembled violently.
Immediately after, he seemed to fall into a place where one couldn't see their hand in front of them, seemingly all-encompassing, yet void and silent, with his spiritual consciousness unable to expand.
However, the situation quickly changed.
"Beasts! You bunch of beasts!"
Accompanied by an enraged roar, a burst of colorful light suddenly exploded in the mysterious realm, and around the colorful light, strands of towering black energy sealed all directions.
Whether it was the colorful light or the black energy, both felt as heavy as mountains to Lü Yang.
However, judging from the situation, the colorful light was evidently firmly pinned in place by the black energy, and as time passed, large areas of the colorful light were being eroded by the black energy.
The once vigorous roar also became increasingly feeble.
‘Is this... a Foundation Establishment battle?’
Lü Yang was filled with uncertainty, also understanding that he was merely hitching a ride on True Person Yinshan's coattails and couldn't truly witness this battle between True Persons.
But relying on experiences from his previous lives, he still made a judgment.
‘That colorful light is probably the True Person from the Divine Martial Sect... I see! This is another scheme! Only this time, the bait is the entire Skeleton Mountain!’
Thinking of this, Lü Yang suddenly felt enlightened.
Because everything before his eyes unraveled a mystery he had never been able to solve.
Obviously, True Person Yinshan was fishing at Skeleton Mountain for the Witch Ghost Secret Realm, and judging from his words, this was likely related to his cultivation.
But from beginning to end, there was only one Foundation Establishment cultivator at Skeleton Mountain—True Person Yinshan.
What about the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Martial Sect?
At first, Lü Yang thought that True Person Yinshan had superior methods, able to set up the scheme without being noticed by the Divine Martial Sect's True Persons. But now it seemed that this wasn't the case.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
‘This True Person probably didn't hide anything at all but openly manipulated cause and effect, all to lure out the Divine Martial Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators!’
True Person Yinshan was fishing at Skeleton Mountain, using himself as bait.
And the Primordial Saint Sect was fishing across the entire Northern Frontier, using True Person Yinshan as bait!
Now, the fish had taken the hook, and the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Martial Sect had all fallen into the trap!
Boom!
In an instant, the entire world was in turmoil.
A Foundation Establishment True Person from the Divine Martial Sect shouted loudly: "Demon Sect, are you truly going to destroy our Divine Martial Sect's orthodoxy this time?"
"Otherwise?"
A True Person from the Primordial Saint Sect sneered: "Let me guess, are you still hoping for that group of lunatics from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion? Let me tell you, they won't come!"
"As early as ten years ago, during the Battle of the Mass Grave in Jiangnan, our sect's Supreme and the Sword Pavilion's Sect Master reached an agreement: the Northern Frontier belongs to our sect, and the Southern Frontier to the Sword Pavilion. So today, our Primordial Saint Sect will destroy your Divine Martial Sect, and in the future, the Sword Pavilion will destroy the Myriad Poison Sect of Miaojiang. It's a one-for-one exchange; no one loses."
"What... impossible! Chongguang, you're lying to me!"
Facing the Divine Martial Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivator's angry rebuke, True Person Chongguang sneered: "Just take it as me lying to you. Anyway, after today, there will be no more Divine Martial Sect!"
"Kill!"
In an instant, the colorful light surged, finally transforming into five brilliant auras. However, instead of combining their forces, they scattered and fled rapidly in all directions.
"Scatter and escape! Try to return to the sect!"
"Escape? Wishful thinking!"
It was still True Person Chongguang, this Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Primordial Saint Sect now appeared particularly domineering, laughing loudly: "Heaven and earth, there's nowhere you can escape!"
Boom!
With a loud bang, Lü Yang completely lost all senses, fell into unconsciousness, and didn't know how long it took before he slowly regained consciousness, feeling as if he were in a dream.
"Awake?"
A voice came from his ear, and Lü Yang's pupils suddenly contracted, becoming fully alert.
Looking around, he realized he was back in the forest of Skeleton Mountain.
Beside him, True Person Yinshan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a faint smile.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
Without hesitation, Lü Yang immediately performed a grand salute.
"Rise."
True Person Yinshan raised his hand slightly, chuckled, and said: "You helped me seize the Witch Ghost Secret Realm this time, which is a great contribution. So, I'll give you some advice."
"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother," Lü Yang said respectfully.
"First of all, I previously forcibly elevated your fortune and helped you seize others' fortune. Although this allowed you to make rapid progress in a short time, the hidden dangers are immense."
True Person Yinshan deliberately paused after speaking, seeing that Lü Yang's expression remained unchanged, showing neither pride nor fear. Only then did he nod slightly and continue: "Therefore, according to my calculations, your luck will be extremely poor for the next thirty years. It's best not to cultivate or go out; otherwise, there's a risk of death."
"I accept your guidance," Lü Yang said, not daring to show any dissatisfaction.
After all, although he lost thirty years of luck, True Person Yinshan gained a Witch Ghost Secret Realm.
Without achieving Foundation Establishment, one remains a pawn. Does a pawn dare to be dissatisfied?
If a Foundation Establishment True Person is willing to use you, that's already your blessing!
Moreover, True Person Yinshan was willing to give him a reminder, which was already considering that he had joined the Three Rivers Society and was, in a way, his subordinate.
Seeing Lü Yang so "sensible," True Person Yinshan was quite satisfied and said with a smile: "In any case, you helped me succeed, which counts as a great merit."
"As the leader of the Three Rivers Society, I always reward merit."
"I see that you've already broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refining. Next, it's just Foundation Establishment... How about this, I'll grant you a Foundation Establishment rare treasure. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Yang's eyes widened instantly.
A Foundation Establishment rare treasure!?
‘That's it... Zhao Xuhe from two lifetimes ago probably obtained his first Foundation Establishment rare treasure this way. It's just that now I've replaced him...’
No wonder he had been stationed in the market for so long, sending people to gather information daily, yet hadn't seen even a shadow of a Foundation Establishment rare treasure.
Thinking back, that was probably just a rumor Zhao Xuhe from two lifetimes ago deliberately released to mislead those with ulterior motives and confuse the public.
Lü Yang's mind was racing, filled with excitement and desire.
However, in the end, his expression gradually calmed down. After closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, he actually shook his head and said: "Senior Brother, may I exchange it for another reward?"
"Oh?"
This time, True Person Yinshan was genuinely surprised: "Are you sure? The 'Ascension Token' I have can at least increase the probability of Foundation Establishment by ten percent."
"I'm sure."
Lü Yang nodded.
Foundation Establishment rare treasures were indeed precious, but he knew very well that in the next thirty years, with his luck damaged, he couldn't protect this rare treasure!
For him now, a Foundation Establishment rare treasure was not an opportunity but a root of disaster, highly likely to lead to his untimely death.
This could be seen from Zhao Xuhe's end two lifetimes ago. Therefore, Lü Yang still relied on great determination to suppress his greed.
‘For me, there's no need to rush.’
‘I have just completed Qi Refining and still have much room for growth, such as great divine abilities. Foundation Establishment rare treasures can be obtained in a few lifetimes later as well.’
Lü Yang's certainty made True Person Yinshan fall silent.
To be honest, at first, he didn't intend to pay attention to Lü Yang.
Mainly because he had broken through two realms consecutively, knew how to assess the situation, and was a member of the Three Rivers Society, he developed some thoughts of nurturing him.
After a moment, he spoke again: "What reward do you want to exchange for?"
Lü Yang said without hesitation: "I want a treasure that can enhance comprehension."
After all, the great divine ability he possessed, the 『Taiyin Body-Shedding Corpse Liberation True Method』, still lacked the Taiwei Pardon Talisman to be completed, and it heavily relied on comprehension.
If one couldn't do it, they just couldn't.
Therefore, without a treasure that could enhance comprehension, Lü Yang estimated that even after several lifetimes, he might not be able to master this divine ability.