https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-320-How-Could-It-Be-So-Coincidental-/13506599/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-322-The-Holy-Sect-Remains-the-Same/13506613/
Chapter 321: A Thorny Issue
Chapter 321: A Thorny Issue
Lv Yang admitted he'd felt a flicker of panic just now, but quickly composed himself. As long as his Immortal Spirit core hadn't been seized yet, there was still room to maneuver.
"The core hasn't been exposed yet", he reasoned. "That stream of Metallic Essence Qi was probably a trap—someone's trying to lure me out. What a rotten situation."
With that thought, he grabbed Qi He the True Man's storage pouch, opened it using Chen Xin'an's technique, and swept his Divine Consciousness inside.
The sight made him abandon all hope of a clean escape.
At the pouch's bottom lay a ball of yellow mist—vast and boundless, like stubborn iron ore awaiting refinement.
Terrestrial Sha—Shen Jin.
"The Monkey represents water and earth's birthplace. Though metal in nature, it carries water and earth elements. Fire tempers it into swords, water sharpens its edge, and heavy earth buries it."
Lv Yang sighed. He'd come to the Ten-Thousand Corpses Pit intending to track the Metallic Essence Qi, then decide whether to seize it depending on circumstances. Now he'd obtained it far too easily, leaving him in a bind.
"I've got the goods", he mused. "But how do I transfer them to my core without getting reincarnated? If I deliver this now, someone's sure to come hunting me down."
Who orchestrated this? He knew exposing his interest in Metallic Essence Qi through Hong Ju had been risky—he'd practically invited manipulation. But this place left him no choice. Without calculated risks, he couldn't accumulate enough Fortune to sense the Qi. He'd accepted those odds beforehand.
"At least two True Monarchs are watching me—Ang Xiao, Qingcheng Feixue of the Hidden Sword Manor, and probably Fortune too, though he's irrelevant. The real threats are Qingcheng and Ang Xiao."
He still remembered Ang Xiao's silent shadowing. While the Snowfeather True Monarch didn't seem skilled in such tactics, her immense cultivation realm made evading her surveillance impossible.
"But there's another possibility."
In Jiangnan's Hidden Sword Manor, Lv Yang's Immortal Spirit form rose, cradling the Tribulation Tempest Blade. With Insightful Clarity Divine Essence enhancing his vision, he studied the sky with a furrowed brow.
"This feels like Heaven-Sundering Malice—but different. This energy welcomes me. When I concentrate, Spiritual Qi flows into me naturally."
"Is this Heaven's favor?" he wondered. "Even if my Immortal Spirit form can fool True Monarchs, Heaven itself won't be deceived—it birthed me after all."
"Could this Shen Jin be Heaven's aid? After all, Immortal Spirits are Heaven's darlings."
"Yet whether from True Monarchs or Heaven, this feels too urgent. They could've operated subtly, letting me believe I'd outwitted everyone before striking."
Doing it so obviously just raised suspicions. Why the haste?
As he pondered, Lv Yang examined Qi He's memories—and suddenly stiffened. His expression darkened.
"Qi He, you cunning bastard!"
Previously, he hadn't questioned why Qi He betrayed the Holy Sect, assuming he'd defected to Jiangnan. But this revelation proved he'd underestimated a Holy Sect True Man's depravity.
The man hadn't betrayed just the Holy Sect—he'd turned traitor to the entire world, defecting to the Mystic Spirit Realm for a simple reason: extended lifespan.
In the Mystic Spirit Realm, cultivators' lifespans dwarfed those bound by the Dragon-Binding Winds. Even the weakest ghost immortals lived a millennium, while deities receiving national offerings might survive ten thousand years—Human Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Heaven Immortals even longer.
Of course, this came at a price. Once immortalized, the realm's cultivators faced Dao Transmutation Calamities—the higher their cultivation, the more susceptible to Heaven's assimilation. Most ghost immortals couldn't survive three centuries, deities a millennium, Earth Immortals three thousand. A Heaven Immortal's ten-thousand-year existence was simply another form of Dragon-Binding Winds—albeit less severe.
Still, for Qi He—a True Man nearing his second life's twilight—it was an irresistible temptation. Having recently breakthrough to Foundation Building's mid-stage, his third reincarnation carried immense risk of failure.
For a Holy Sect True Man, survival justified any risk. Profit always came first—so long as the reward outweighed the danger.
This Shen Jin served as Qi He's "letter of introduction"—a Celestial Vanguard Terrestrial Sha that would greatly nourish the Mystic Spirit Realm's Fruit Position cultivators.
"Now I understand!" Lv Yang realized. "They're rushing this into my hands because it's slipping away!"
The Shen Jin itself was compromised. From Qi He's memories, he learned the True Man had inscribed a Mystic Spirit Realm tracking sigil onto it—a one-way charm with no countermeasure.
"Realm traitor!" he cursed. "And the tracking method itself comes from the Mystic Spirit Realm. This 'gift' is a scalding potato!"
The Mystic Spirit Realm—ranked as a major Jie Tian—had a unique structure: hundreds of mortal worlds formed its base, supporting the Celestial Court above. Cultivators who ascended became ghost immortals, joining celestial legions to accumulate merits. Sufficient merits earned dominion over a nation, transforming one into a deity through worship offerings. At the heart of this heavenly realm sat the Lingxiao Hall.
Currently, the hall's magnificent throne held a man in resplendent robes, deep in thought. Suddenly, he opened his eyes—startled.
"The Shen Jin... has changed hands?"
(End of Chapter)
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