Chapter 38: Shenwu Gate

At dusk, within the Blood Clothing Pavilion.

The setting sun was as red as blood. As another cycle of cultivation concluded, Lyu Yang slowly refined the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his dantian, transforming it into true qi that flowed through his limbs and bones.

As the qi traveled through his meridians, it was like a dragon returning to the sea.

"Soon. Once I cultivate the final Flying Fish Transformation and merge the nine transformations into one, I will be able to completely refine the third-grade true qi of the 'Nine Transformations Dragon Art'—the 'True Dragon Baleful Qi'."

"By the time I master the 'True Dragon Baleful Qi,' it should be close to the start of the Great War between Righteous and Demonic paths. It will be a perfect transition, allowing me to compete for the Foundation Establishment opportunity at Skeleton Mountain in my strongest state. Only a Foundation Establishment opportunity is worth my risk and life; everything else is an illusion..."

Finishing his day's cultivation, Lyu Yang stepped out of the meditation room.

Waiting outside was a woman with a striking figure and sharp features. Upon seeing Lyu Yang, she immediately stepped forward and handed him a jade slip.

"Fellow Daoist, the latest movements regarding the corpse tide have arrived."

Lyu Yang took the jade slip and smiled faintly. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yun."

This woman was none other than Yun Miaoqing.

She was originally a disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion. Although Lyu Yang had long since mastered the Divine Firmament Sword Control Art, he had purchased her out of respect for their connection in his previous life.

To be fair, his intention was that since they had shared a bond in his past life, he didn't mind doing a good deed as long as it didn't hinder him. Helping Yun Miaoqing was better than letting her be bought by other Saint Sect disciples, where she might be treated as a resource to have her cultivation plundered and be turned into a piece of trash.

However, he hadn't expected that this decision would bring him an unexpected surprise.

Perhaps because he had not engaged in any intimacy with her in this life, instead treating her with utmost respect and focusing solely on bitter cultivation, Yun Miaoqing's favor toward him had increased significantly.

"Fellow Daoist, you are a good man. Why stay in the Initial Saint Demonic Sect?"

Yun Miaoqing walked to Lyu Yang's side and whispered, "The corpse tide is erupting right now. Why not fake your death, Senior Brother, and follow me to the Sword Pavilion to join the righteous path?"

As she spoke, Yun Miaoqing looked at Lyu Yang, her beautiful eyes brimming with affection.

In her most desperate and powerless moments, it was this man who had rescued her from the sea of suffering, not only treating her with absolute respect but also providing her with a place to belong.

Though he hailed from a demonic sect, he was a true gentleman.

Moreover, over the past ten years, she had watched him grow step by step. His cultivation was high, his talent was strong, and most importantly, he was very handsome.

If he could join the Sword Pavilion, perhaps he could be with her...

As her thoughts wandered, Yun Miaoqing's lovely face suddenly flushed with a hint of crimson, lost in her own imagination.

This posture made Lyu Yang recall how, in her previous lives, she would have glared at him with defiance and called him a "demon." For a moment, he found it quite amusing.

Of course, he had no interest in romance.

What he truly valued was Yun Miaoqing's status in the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion; she had claimed that if she recommended him, the Sword Pavilion would surely accept him.

"Cultivating in a Saint Sect is like walking on thin ice. If possible, I would still prefer a sect with better discipline..."

Yun Miaoqing might just be the stepping stone for his future transition to the righteous path.

"How are Senior Sister Feixia and the others?"

"Those demonic cultivators were still breaking through the corpse tide at Jueyin Ridge a few days ago. A mysterious powerhouse even intervened but was repelled by them, and they are currently in pursuit."

Yun Miaoqing handed him another jade slip.

Lyu Yang took it, and as his spiritual sense swept through, the various scenes of that day immediately flashed through his mind.

"I see... It seems there really is a mastermind behind the premature eruption of the corpse tide. A disciple of the Divine Martial Sect? And the precious treasure they used to catalyze the tide..."

Seeing this, Lyu Yang froze, then suddenly stood up.

"The Profound Female Lunar Jade!?"

Indeed, the intelligence revealed that the mastermind behind the corpse tide, a disciple of the Divine Martial Sect, possessed a thumb-sized Profound Female Lunar Jade.

"If I can obtain this jade, I can immediately master the Profound Yin Form-Shifting Great Art. In time, the 'Lunar Metamorphosis Corpse Dissolution True Method' will not be a dream. Considering the rarity of this jade, this might be my only chance in this lifetime. If I let it go, I might miss it forever."

"However... if it's not meant for this life, let it be for the next. If I miss it, I miss it!"

Lyu Yang's expression turned grim as he sat back down. Despite discovering the long-coveted Lunar Jade, he felt no joy.

He felt a bone-chilling cold, his heart filled with vigilance.

"I want something, and it comes to my door? How could such luck exist in this world? After all, I am not a 'Child of Destiny' like Xiao Shiye."

Moreover, Xiao Shiye's luck was granted by someone else!

"Could it be that person, the Fortunate Daoist, again?"

The thought that this might be another Foundation Establishment True Person manipulating karma and plotting in the shadows made Lyu Yang make a decision immediately.

"I am not going out!"

The situation at Skeleton Mountain was currently treacherous; it was safest to stay within the market town to maintain the formations. As long as a Foundation Establishment True Person did not act, he would be as steady as Mount Tai.

"Besides, staying out doesn't mean I won't have a chance to get the jade."

There were still Fairy Feixia and the others.

The intelligence said they were in pursuit. As long as they could seize the jade and escape back to the market town, wouldn't his opportunity arise?

Thinking of this, Lyu Yang couldn't help but feel a sense of genuine encouragement for Fairy Feixia.

***

Time flew by.

Another day, within the Blood Clothing Pavilion.

Lyu Yang was meditating and refining qi when he suddenly felt something. He rose, rode a streak of light outside the pavilion, and looked far toward the outskirts of the market town.

*Rumble!*

In the distant sky, thunderous explosions accompanied by expanding clouds of smoke rolled rapidly from the horizon toward the market town. It was clearly a chase of flying lights, and leading the pack was the unmistakable, colorful radiance of Fairy Feixia's flight.

"One is missing?"

Lyu Yang raised an eyebrow. Including himself, there were four late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators in the Skeleton Mountain market: Fairy Feixia, Lu Yuanchun, and one unnamed senior brother.

However, at this moment, Lyu Yang only saw the figures of Fairy Feixia and Lu Yuanchun.

"Activate the formation!"

Unfazed, Lyu Yang gave the command. The Saint Sect disciples within the market immediately fell into position, flags fluttering as they instantly erected a magnificent formation.

The Hundred Bones True-Returning Grand Array!

This was a seventh-grade formation, the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement level. With Lyu Yang presiding over it, even a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement could hold their ground.

However, in the next second, a sudden change occurred!

Lu Yuanchun suddenly produced a command token and, through hand seals, activated it to directly open the previously closed array, creating a gap.

"Now!"

Almost simultaneously, an extremely excited shout rang out from outside the market. Several streaks of spiritual light flew out, transforming into formation flags that distributed themselves in all directions.

Immediately after, a miniature array appeared at the gap opened by Lu Yuanchun, locking it in place so that even Lyu Yang could not close it!

"The Divine Martial Sect..."

Lyu Yang's brow furrowed as he immediately recognized the attackers. Clearly, the Divine Martial Sect had been lying in ambush outside the market for a long time, waiting for exactly this opportunity.

Now that the formation had been forcibly breached, the Divine Martial Sect could use this gap to charge into the market!

And the culprit behind it all, Lu Yuanchun, merely cast a cold glance at the market before taking flight in the opposite direction!

He clearly understood what he had done, but he did not care. In fact, he had done it deliberately, treating the market town as a sacrificial pawn to ensure his own escape. To the Divine Martial Sect, it was better to seize this golden opportunity to wipe out the Skeleton Mountain market in one fell swoop than to continue pursuing him.

As for the fellow disciples in the market?

They were just unlucky!