Chapter 43: The Blood-Clad Pavilion Master

The invasion of the Divine Martial Sect ended abruptly just like that.

With Ouyang Haoze dead, Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan did not even dare to linger; they turned and fled without a word, as if a flood or a ferocious beast were chasing them from behind.

In stark contrast to the panicked flight of the Divine Martial Sect, the marketplace was filled with jubilant cheers.

After all, following this battle, the Skeleton Mountain Marketplace had become as impregnable as a fortress. As long as a Foundation Establishment True Person did not intervene, it would be difficult for the Divine Martial Sect to shake this "turtle shell."

As for the corpse tide, it was merely a minor ailment, not worth mentioning.

In short, it was safe!

A safe marketplace would inevitably become a center of wealth. It was easy to imagine that future transactions here would be even more frequent, and opportunities to make money would be even more abundant.

The good days were yet to come.

However, the excitement belonged to others; to Lyu Yang, they were merely noisy.

At this moment, he was still immersed in the palpitations he had just experienced, unable to recover his composure for a long time.

For a long time—or rather, ever since Xiao Shiye was fished away by that Daoist Hongyun—Foundation Establishment True Persons had become an inescapable shadow in Lyu Yang's heart.

When he realized that another Foundation Establishment True Person might be plotting against him, the joy of having just slain Ouyang Haoze vanished instantly. He subconsciously gripped the "Innate Primordial Chaos One-Qi Divine Talisman" around his neck to ensure it was still functioning; only then did his racing heart settle slightly.

"The divine talisman is still working, which means the opponent still cannot calculate me."

That being said, the efficacy of the Innate Primordial Chaos One-Qi Divine Talisman had its limits.

Strictly speaking, it did not isolate causality, but rather obscured it. It placed a layer of false causal threads upon Lyu Yang to achieve protection.

After all, completely isolating causality would, conversely, be too conspicuous.

Therefore, when a Foundation Establishment True Person attempted to divine his fate, they would not come up empty-handed; instead, they would calculate a result that was flawless yet entirely false.

The benefit of this method was greater concealment, but the drawback was that it could not completely shield him from the influence of a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Thinking of this, Lyu Yang already had his answer: "In that case, the opponent wasn't specifically targeting me, but accidentally dragged me into it."

This also explained the matter of the Mysterious Yin Moon Jade.

It wasn't that he was exceptionally lucky; rather, someone had specifically placed this object in his hands to use him to achieve some unspeakable purpose.

"What purpose?"

Lyu Yang turned his gaze toward Ouyang Haoze's corpse, then waved the Myriad Spirit Banner, pulling the bifurcated corpse toward him.

Perhaps he could obtain some clues from this man.

Moreover, as a true disciple of the Divine Martial Sect, Ouyang Haoze's collection was bound to be quite substantial!

Soon, Ouyang Haoze's corpse was refined into the Myriad Spirit Banner. However, because the body had been split in two, the extracted True Spirit was incomplete.

Whether the Myriad Spirit Banner could maintain the combat power, memories, and consciousness of a banner spirit generally depended on the integrity of the corpse. The better preserved the body, the closer the spirit would be to its living state, such as Liu Xin. As for Ouyang Haoze, Lyu Yang could only barely preserve seventy percent of his former state.

Even so, he still learned many secrets.

"So this was the Divine Martial Sect's true goal."

"There is a secret realm within Skeleton Mountain left by the ancient Witch-Ghost Dao. The yin energy in the ley lines beneath Skeleton Mountain is leaking from that secret realm..."

"The Divine Martial Sect wants to monopolize the secret realm, which is why they planned to uproot the Saint Sect's marketplace here..."

"This is actually good news. If this is reported back to the Saint Sect, I will surely receive many contribution points as a reward, and the Saint Sect will send reinforcements..."

"While the benefits of monopolizing this news are greater, why should I monopolize it?"

"I don't plan on venturing into that Witch-Ghost Secret Realm anyway. It's better to hand it over to the Saint Sect, steadily earn a pile of contribution points, and watch others fight to the death!"

With this thought, Lyu Yang relaxed.

Knowing that Foundation Establishment True Persons were secretly plotting within Skeleton Mountain, he became even more determined to hide in the marketplace and never step foot outside.

Next, Lyu Yang began to deal with Ouyang Haoze's belongings.

However, just as he picked up Ouyang Haoze's storage bag, a round mirror drifted toward him tremulously, even nuzzling his hand affectionately upon approach.

It was the Tai Xiao Mirror.

This spiritual treasure acted like an eager puppy, circling Lyu Yang and even hopping twice, its movements filled with an air of loyalty.

"Are you defecting to the dark side?"

Lyu Yang was somewhat surprised. To be honest, for such a highly Yang spiritual treasure to defect to a practitioner of the Demonic Path, it seemed Ouyang Haoze had truly wounded it deeply.

Seeing that Lyu Yang's attention had finally fallen on it, the Tai Xiao Mirror first reflected the storage bag in Lyu Yang's hand, then swayed left and right. Then, a voice rang out in Lyu Yang's mind, sounding somewhat milky, like a newborn child who had just learned to speak

"Them... no good!"

Then, the Tai Xiao Mirror erupted with intense light and swayed up and down again. Its voice changed, carrying an innate sense of pride and arrogance

"I... am good!"

It was recommending itself.

Lyu Yang's eyes grew increasingly astonished. Although he had long known that spiritual treasures possessed their own intelligence and were incredibly miraculous, this was the first time he had witnessed it.

"Very well, I shall use you for now."

With a wave of his hand, the Tai Xiao Mirror immediately descended of its own accord. Under its compliance, he quickly mastered the ins and outs of this spiritual treasure.

"Good! Truly a fine treasure!"

Lyu Yang's face was full of pleasant surprise; the spiritual treasure lived up to its reputation!

It was well known that a cultivator at the Great Circle of Qi Refinement was one who had nurtured the Qi seed within their body to its limit, thereby evolving a strand of "Perfected True Qi."

For example, with his "Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Technique," reaching the Great Circle of Qi Refinement would evolve a strand of "True Dragon Baleful Qi."

In other words, Perfected True Qi was the hallmark of the Great Circle of Qi Refinement, and it was the strongest means by which such cultivators suppressed all Qi Refinement cultivators below that level.

However, the Tai Xiao Mirror, this spiritual treasure, was actually born with a strand of Perfected True Qi named "Tai Xiao Wind and Thunder Qi"!

In other words, as long as one wielded this treasure, even with a cultivation level of only the first layer of Qi Refinement, one could rival the Great Circle of Qi Refinement while activating the treasure!

"However, there seem to be many restrictions within this treasure..."

Lyu Yang examined the Tai Xiao Mirror. Treasures are meant to be used, and even in the Righteous Path, this was no exception; the Tai Xiao Mirror clearly contained a large number of restrictions to limit its actions.

Therefore, if he used this treasure in front of a Divine Martial Sect disciple, the opponent might be able to make the Tai Xiao Mirror fly back to them simply by performing a hand seal.

This had nothing to do with the Tai Xiao Mirror's will; it was entirely a contingency left by its creator.

"It would be a waste not to use such a treasure..."

Lyu Yang pondered for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up. Although his formation skills were not yet sufficient to break the restrictions within the mirror, there was a compromise.

In the next second, Lyu Yang shook the Myriad Spirit Banner, summoning Ouyang Haoze back out, then refined him into a strand of "Innate One-Qi" and struck him into the Tai Xiao Mirror... He would control Ouyang Haoze, and Ouyang Haoze would then control the Tai Xiao Mirror, thereby bypassing the restrictions within the mirror.

*Rumble!*

In an instant, the Tai Xiao Mirror in Lyu Yang's hand erupted with dazzling treasure light. Within the light, the faint sounds of wind and thunder could be heard, its power clearly reaching the Great Circle of Qi Refinement!

"...It really works!"

Lyu Yang laughed heartily, then suspended the Tai Xiao Mirror behind his head. For a moment, even the treasure light it emitted turned crimson, stained by his own color.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!"

Lyu Yang laughed joyfully before putting the Tai Xiao Mirror away. He then opened Ouyang Haoze's storage bag, and instantly, the surging spiritual energy made him squint his eyes.

Inside was a massive pile of spirit stones!

In addition, there were various precious pills, magical treasures, and materials. Lyu Yang's rough estimate suggested they were worth at least thirty thousand contribution points if resold to the Saint Sect.

"Truly a windfall. A pity there likely won't be another chance in the future."

After all, with Ouyang Haoze serving as a warning, no one below the Foundation Establishment stage would likely dare to storm the formation again.

'Once news of the Witch-Ghost Secret Realm spreads, Skeleton Mountain will see another storm of blood and wind... There must be a Foundation Establishment True Person plotting behind this.'

'But as long as I don't go out and don't get caught up in this trouble... unless he acts personally, what can he do to me?'

Lyu Yang made up his mind, then packed everything away, cleared the formation, and rode a streak of light back to the marketplace, landing on the balcony of the Blood Clothing Pavilion.

From that day forward, Skeleton Mountain fell into an eerie calm.

The Divine Martial Sect continued to send more personnel, and reinforcements from the Initial Saint Sect arrived one after another, yet on the surface, there was no ripple at all, with only undercurrents surging behind the scenes.

Under these circumstances, Lyu Yang's deeds spread inexplicably, becoming widely known.

Joining the Saint Sect as a mortal ten years ago, making a fortune by trading Substitute Yin Puppets, breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refinement after ten years of seclusion, and then slaying a true disciple of the Divine Martial Sect after becoming a formation master—this inspiring tale of a commoner's rise served as a shot in the arm for almost all ordinary disciples of the Saint Sect.

Gradually, out of awe, many people stopped even mentioning Lyu Yang's name.

In its place came another respectful title

'The Pavilion Master of the Blood Clothing Pavilion'!