Chapter 301: A Heart Devoted to the Holy, Though the Body Stands in Sword Pavilion
Chapter 301: A Heart Devoted to the Holy, Though the Body Stands in Sword Pavilion
Truth be told, Lv Yang never expected to meet Ang Xiao again in this life—certainly not under such dramatic, abrupt circumstances.
‘Calm down, Bai.’
Clenching his teeth, Lv Yang suppressed the urge to retreat. The one exploring the Fortune Immortal’s Long-Yao Treasure Light Realm is Xiao Hai True Man. What does that have to do with me?
The Golden String Puppet blocks his sight—he can’t see me!
Just intimidation tactics!
Lv Yang was utterly confident. After all, this Golden String Puppetry hailed from the Ten Thousand Lives Scroll.
Golden String Puppet: Steal one’s vitality, bear their karmic burden, and you may hide beneath their guise, manipulating them like a marionette. No one can divine your true nature.
When they said “no one can divine,” they meant it—absolutely no one!
Stay still!
The Ten Thousand Lives Scroll gave Lv Yang the confidence to steady himself. He continued observing Ang Xiao through Xiao Hai’s eyes, their gazes locked in a silent battle.
In this moment, all was silent.
Even the rising Emberforge Flame froze mid-air, embers suspended motionless. The surrounding heatwave turned icy cold.
Xiao Hai’s expression froze mid-flinch of terror, his thoughts grinding to a halt. Only one figure remained mobile within the Cave Heaven Fragment—the man standing in the flames. One hand cupped his chin, the other hugged his chest, his eyes burning with intensity as he studied Xiao Hai.
His gaze was a torch.
Xiao Hai’s fluctuating aura, magic power, pupil dilation, gaze shifts, and even the karmic threads around him—nothing escaped this scrutiny.
Ang Xiao’s smile thinned slightly.
“Which fellow cultivator?”
His voice rumbled, causing the entire Cave Heaven Fragment to tremble. The Emberforge Flame resumed flowing, crawling along Xiao Hai’s body.
In a blink, countless Ember Serpents engulfed Xiao Hai, slithering into his seven orifices, flooding his organs, and blazing through his Spirit Sea. The poor Foundation Building True Man was illuminated from within, his body utterly transparent. No anomaly, however minute, could hide.
Yet Ang Xiao found nothing.
An illusion?
The cavernous expanse remained empty, save for himself. This result sparked a flicker of doubt in his eyes—quickly replaced by certainty.
Impossible!
My senses don’t fail. Someone is watching me—using this Foundation Building True Man to do so. Yet I cannot trace them… Who is this cultivator?
Few merited the title “fellow cultivator” from him. A man who monopolized five Fruit Positions, blocking future cultivators—a feat requiring unparalleled mastery. His breakthrough into Golden Core Late placed him among the strongest, the necessary foundation for his schemes in the Underworld.
Could it be… the Dao Lord?
A wary glint sharpened Ang Xiao’s gaze. He knew of one such method—Pure Land. That stubborn World-Honored One favored such tactics.
No. What interest could the Dao Lord have in me?
His gaze darkened, scanning Xiao Hai. This Foundation Building True Man was formidable, yes—but not enough to warrant the attention of the Four Dao Lords.
If the mortal world was a bitter sea, most sank within it. True Monarchs rode the tides on boats forged from Fruit Positions.
But the Dao Lords had already crossed to the other shore.
Their gaze and concerns transcended the mundane, focusing on entirely different realms. He, Ang Xiao, was not worthy of their notice.
Unless… I should kill him?
His frown deepened. The Li Clan here was a carefully placed pawn, masking this Cave Heaven Fragment for years—not to bury it, but to leak just enough clues.
When Fortune Immortal finally tracked this fragment down after great effort, he’d suspect nothing.
The previous two Jade Scrolls—the Celestial Void Internal Cultivation Manual and Luminous Jade Lamp Scripture—were intentionally flawless to deceive him. Ang Xiao had manipulated not the knowledge itself, but the fragment.
Once Fortune Immortal absorbed this Cave Heaven, transforming it into his own Fortune Ground, Ang Xiao’s scheme would succeed.
But Xiao Hai’s death complicated things.
Though I used the Veil of Cognition to obscure Fortune’s memory of his past death and suspicions of Chen Earth, and stripped his fallback for reclaiming power…
He is still a True Monarch.
After five millennia, even with the Veil’s influence, Fortune likely sensed anomalies. By now, he’d be as skittish as a wounded bird.
If this Foundation Building True Man dies here, Fortune will grow suspicious. My plan would unravel into chaos. No—variables emerged the moment this cultivator entered the Cave Heaven!
Yet how had these variables arisen?
Ang Xiao calculated furiously, but found no answers. His frown deepened, a rare unease creeping in.
Enough. Let stillness counter chaos.
In an instant, Ang Xiao regained his composure. Stepping back, his form dissolved into the roaring Emberforge Flame.
Time resumed.
Xiao Hai blinked, the terror fading as though it never was. Nothing extraordinary had occurred.
No disaster. No boon.
“Hmph. A waste,” he sighed. “This Cave Heaven’s empty. No treasures. A pointless journey.”
He turned, ignoring the three Jade Scrolls on the table, and departed.
Behind him, Ang Xiao watched his retreating figure.
Unknown cultivator… intriguing.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. After half a millennium of solitude, these unexpected variables pleased him.
Let’s see how you play your hand.
“Time to go!”
Lv Yang withdrew from the Golden String Puppet, exhaling sharply. This lifetime, I’ll never step near Gantang Port again!
This place was far too dangerous!
Yet a bold idea formed in his mind. Chongguang Senior Master would certainly take interest in this Cave Heaven…
The method to forge a Cave Heaven Fortune Ground!
The technique to sense the Lampfire of Restoration!
Chongguang hadn’t reincarnated yet. These two arts alone would compel him to act. And if he came, wouldn’t the Fei Xue True Monarch follow?
That Radiant Diary of the Ming Era explicitly doubted Chen Earth. If he let Chongguang read it, he’d grow cautious—and Lv Yang could earn his favor. Later, he’d seize the Xin Metal Qi from Chongguang’s Reincarnated Immortal Spirit.
Pomegranate Wood corresponded to the Geng Shen Xin You union.
This lifetime, he’d cultivate the Pomegranate Wood Dao. Securing the Xin Metal Qi was vital for his path—planning early was only prudent.
And the clash between Fei Xue and Ang Xiao? Even better!
If Ang Xiao’s existence surfaced early, the upcoming “Chongguang’s Quest for Gold” would eclipse its previous scale.
Then—his chance!
There’s still a century left.
Lv Yang’s mind sharpened into focus:
In a hundred years, I must cultivate my Immortal Spirit to Foundation Building Perfection. Ideally, ally with Suo Huan to involve Chongguang in the quest.
Let those two fools draw all eyes.
I’ll prepare in the shadows, then seize the True Monarch Fruit Position when none can stop me.
At the Sky-Connecting Sea of Clouds, Holy Flame Cliff…
In a vast hall, a man sat at the head of the chamber. Though not handsome, his aura pierced the heavens.
Chongguang True Man.
In his hand glowed a Sky Message—a divine communication scroll sent by Lv Yang. It detailed the secrets of Jiangnan’s Ten Thousand Pit, and his account of reincarnating there as a spy: Body in Sword Pavilion, heart devoted to the Holy.
Chongguang couldn’t help but marvel.
Holy Sect had many defectors. Among the Four Sects, only Pure Land rivaled its harshness—and even they forbade defection.
In contrast, Sword Pavilion and Dao Court were far more forgiving. Many ordinary True Men, their paths blocked, chose new identities in these sects post-reincarnation.
Yet among them, this was the first to return a message declaring loyalty to Holy Sect.
“Interesting…”
Chongguang gazed at the signature—Yuan Tu (“Slaughter”)—and mused:
Does Holy Sect truly have such a faithful True Man?
(End of Chapter)
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