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Chapter 43: Master of Bloodcloak Pavilion
Chapter 43: Master of Bloodcloak Pavilion
The invasion by Divine Martial Gate ended as abruptly as it began.
The moment Ouyang Haoze fell, Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan didn’t dare linger. Without a word, they turned and fled as if pursued by demons, their desperation palpable.
In stark contrast, the bazaar erupted into celebration. With their enemies routed, Skull Mountain Bazaar had become an impregnable fortress—short of a Foundation Building Realm practitioner intervening, Divine Martial Gate could do little to threaten them now. As for the corpse tide? Merely a nuisance, no more consequential than an itch.
In short: safety.
A secure trading hub inevitably becomes a magnet for wealth. Everyone could foresee surging commerce and abundant opportunities for profit.
Bright days lay ahead—but the jubilant crowds felt distant to Lv Yang, their noise grating against his nerves.
He remained lost in the lingering unease from earlier, his mind circling the same dread. Ever since Xiao Shiye’s disappearance at the hands of the Fortune Immortal, the shadow of Foundation Building Realm practitioners had loomed over him. Now, sensing the faintest trace of such a cultivator’s machinations again, the satisfaction of defeating Ouyang Haoze evaporated. His hand tightened instinctively around the "Primordial Hunyuan One Qi Divine Talisman" at his neck, checking its steady hum before his racing heart finally slowed.
The talisman still works—I must still be hidden.
Yet even this relic had limits. Strictly speaking, it didn’t sever fate’s threads but masked them, weaving a false path of causality around him for protection. Complete isolation would’ve drawn attention; instead, when Foundation Building Realm practitioners sought him, they’d encounter a flawless yet entirely fabricated trail.
This subtlety ensured concealment but not immunity.
A grim certainty settled in: So... this wasn’t a targeted strike. I was merely swept up in someone else’s scheme.
That explained the Primordial Yin Jade, then. Not a stroke of luck, but a deliberate pawn in his hand to serve another’s hidden agenda.
What purpose?
His gaze sharpened on Ouyang Haoze’s corpse. With a flick of his Ten-Thousand Spirit Banner, he drew the bisected body toward him. Answers might lie here.
As Divine Martial Gate’s True Transmission, Ouyang Haoze’s treasures would be considerable.
The banner absorbed the remains swiftly, though the split body yielded an incomplete True Spirit. The banner’s power—preserving a spirit’s strength, memories, and consciousness—depended on the corpse’s integrity. Liu Xin, for instance, remained nearly whole. Ouyang Haoze retained only seventy percent of his former self, yet his fragmented knowledge still revealed truths:
This was their goal all along.
Beneath Skull Mountain lies an ancient realm left by the Wugui Dao. The land’s yin energy seeps from that secret domain.
Divine Martial Gate seeks to monopolize it, hence eliminating Holy Sect’s bazaar here.
A boon for Holy Sect. Reporting this would earn Contribution Points, even reinforcements.
Why hoard it? I have no interest in braving Wugui’s hidden realm. Let Holy Sect handle it—I’ll profit either way.
Reassured, Lv Yang turned to Ouyang Haoze’s belongings. But as he reached for the storage pouch, a mirror floated toward him, trembling eagerly before nuzzling his hand.
The Celestial Mirror.
The artifact behaved like an overzealous puppy, twirling excitedly around Lv Yang, practically oozing devotion.
Defecting, are we?
He arched a brow. For a treasure of pure yang essence to submit to a cultivator of the demonic path... Ouyang Haoze must’ve treated it cruelly indeed.
The mirror tapped his arm, then gestured mockingly at the storage pouch. A childish voice echoed in his mind:
"They’re useless!"
It flared with light, vibrating proudly:
"I’m the one you need!"
A self-recommendation.
Lv Yang studied it, intrigued. Though he’d heard of artifacts possessing sentience, witnessing it firsthand was another matter.
We’ll see.
With a touch, the mirror settled willingly into his grasp. Mastery followed effortlessly.
Incredible!
Refining Qi Perfection cultivators harbored “Perfect Qi,” the pinnacle of their realm. The Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art’s “True Dragon Sha” was proof. Yet this mirror held its own Perfect Qi—“Celestial Wind and Thunder Qi.”
Merely wielding it could elevate even a novice Refining Qi practitioner to match Perfection-tier power.
Still...
The mirror bristled with binding seals—typical of treasures created by righteous sects. In Divine Martial Gate’s presence, a single incantation from their master could reclaim it, regardless of Lv Yang’s will.
Undeterred, he summoned Ouyang Haoze’s spirit from the banner, reshaping his essence into Primordial Qi and channeling it into the mirror. Now, the puppeteer pulled strings through the puppet.
The mirror erupted, golden light crackling with thunder. Its power surged to Refining Qi Perfection.
Success!
Lv Yang laughed, crimson qi staining the mirror’s glow as he anchored it behind him.
Only then did he open the storage pouch. Inside, spirit stones piled high, alongside pills, treasures, and materials worth thirty thousand Contribution Points to Holy Sect.
Pity such opportunities won’t last.
Divine Martial Gate’s defeat would deter challengers for now.
Let the Wugui realm stir chaos. As long as I stay hidden, even Foundation practitioners can’t touch me.
He pocketed the loot, dissolved the formation, and retreated to Bloodcloak Pavilion.
Skull Mountain fell into uneasy silence. Divine Martial Gate reinforced, Primordial Sacred Sect’s forces arrived—but outwardly, all remained still, the true war waged in shadows.
Yet amid the tension, whispers of Lv Yang’s deeds spread.
A commoner who’d joined Holy Sect a decade prior, profited from Yin puppets, secluded for years to breakthrough into Formation Art Mastery—his slaying of Ouyang Haoze became legend. His ascent, from mortal to Refining Qi Perfection rival, inspired countless disciples.
Reverence turned to reverence.
Soon, no one dared utter his name.
They spoke only of:
The Master of Bloodcloak Pavilion.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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