Blood-Clad Tower. Another morning.
Fairy Feixia leaned against the terrace, sunlight filtering through her thin robes as they swayed in the wind, casting a graceful silhouette that stirred countless imaginations.
"Thank you so much, Junior Brother Lü, for this time."
The two had just finished their exchange the previous night. After Lü Yang's complete instruction, Fairy Feixia had reached her limit; it would be difficult for her to make any further progress in the short term.
"Today, I intend to leave the market."
Turning back, Fairy Feixia looked directly at Lü Yang. "My state of mind is not as refined as yours, Junior Brother, and my talent is also inferior. Yet I am unwilling to simply fade into obscurity as an ordinary mortal."
"With Feixia's departure, it seems that seeing Junior Brother again will be a long and uncertain journey."
She raised her eyes, her expression pitiful, and suddenly sighed softly.
"The future may hold the path of cultivation, or it may lead to burial in a foreign land. The path of immortality is lonely—especially in the Holy Sect. Feixia only hopes that she may see an old friend again when the time comes."
After speaking, Fairy Feixia smiled sweetly at Lü Yang.
Her beautiful face, her clear smile—it seemed she was opening her heart to him for the first time.
"Junior Brother... would you be willing to be Feixia's old friend?"
"..."
Lü Yang remained silent for a long time.
A stunningly beautiful woman gazed at him with tender affection, like a great net winding around him—enough to make any man lose his mind.
Yet Lü Yang restrained himself.
He calmly raised his hand. "Senior Sister is always welcome to return for tea."
He saw her off.
In an instant, the light in Fairy Feixia's eyes flickered—a mixture of disappointment and helplessness, indistinguishable. Then her smile vanished, replaced by a cold demeanor.
"This humble servant takes her leave."
As soon as she spoke, a streak of light, like a colorful cloud, rose into the sky and disappeared beyond the horizon.
Only after she had left did Lü Yang exhale. He turned back to his quiet room in the Blood-Clad Tower, hid within the formation, and grasped the Innate Primordial Qi Divine Talisman.
Only then did he finally stop trembling.
"Damn it. This must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator plotting against me."
Lü Yang had always been purely interested in Fairy Feixia, never in love. Their relationship was one of exchange and study; dual cultivation was merely a method of learning.
But just now, he had actually fallen for her.
He had been infatuated with Fairy Feixia, nearly saying "I do" several times. This emotion was clearly wrong—completely contrary to his true feelings.
Drawing on the lessons of his past lives, Lü Yang quickly concluded:
"The Foundation Establishment cultivator behind the scenes is growing impatient. He's resorting to crude methods—using Fairy Feixia as bait to forcibly bind me to her, trying to lure me out of the market."
"Seclusion... I need to go into seclusion."
With this thought, Lü Yang immediately announced his retreat, refusing to see anyone for the time being, minimizing the karmic threads that could be used against him.
"...Impressive."
Outside Skull Mountain Market, on a distant cliff, a figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Behind him stood a respectful-looking young man in blood-red robes.
The next second, the figure laughed.
"An ordinary disciple, no background to speak of—yet such a person with a firm Dao heart has emerged. Truly rare. I tried to lure him with magic several times, but he never took the bait. Second Brother, I don't know whether to say your judgment is good or bad."
"Please forgive me, Senior Brother."
The blood-robed youth bowed deeply, his tone somewhat helpless. "My original intention was merely to find cannon fodder. I never expected that even shallow waters could produce dragons."
The blood-robed youth was named Luo Wuyai—the "Second Senior Brother" of the Three Rivers Society.
His cultivation was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and he possessed a great divine power. He was the strongest of the Holy Sect's forces on Skull Mountain, a truly formidable figure.
And the identity of the man who could make him bow so low was obvious.
The leader of the Three Rivers Society.
His Daoist name was Yinshan. Ten years ago, after successfully establishing his Foundation, he became a high-ranking member of the Holy Sect and was granted permission by the Sect Leader to establish the Yinshan lineage in the Sea of Clouds.
"But Senior Brother, I still don't understand. Is it truly necessary to involve a disciple of the Holy Sect?"
"Second Brother, you do not understand."
Yinshan Zhenren shook his head. "The ancient Witch Ghost Path was a great sect of the demonic way. Its secret realm is steeped in deep karmic consequences. Even I am unwilling to step into it lightly."
In this world, karma is everywhere.
Gain a benefit, incur a debt—and it must be repaid.
The ancient Witch Ghost Path established the secret realm to find a person of great fortune, to plant the seeds of karma through the sect's inheritance, and to seek an opportunity for the revival of their lineage.
"If I were to act myself, finding the Witch Ghost Secret Realm would be trivial—it might even reveal itself of its own accord. But then the karma of the Witch Ghost Path would fall upon me. Who knows how many entanglements that would create, hindering my cultivation?"
To put it plainly: Yinshan Zhenren wanted the goods, but he did not want to pay the price.
"Thus, I need someone else to open the Witch Ghost Secret Realm for me. The Witch Ghost Path was a great demonic sect—choosing a disciple of the Holy Sect is most fitting."
"I originally selected that 'Blood-Clad Pavilion Master.' I even specially lured a host of powerful enemies to him. As long as he was willing to leave the market, I would act as his backer—help him kill his enemies, accumulate his fortune. Once his fortune was sufficient, the Witch Ghost Secret Realm would be drawn out by his karmic radiance."
If Lü Yang had been there, these words would have sounded terribly familiar.
For this was precisely how Xiao Shiye had died.
The artificially created Chosen One—seemingly blessed by heaven, invincible in battle—was in truth nothing more than bait, used by Foundation Establishment cultivators to lure out opportunities.
And once the opportunity was caught, the bait was discarded.
Behind Yinshan Zhenren, Luo Wuyai lowered his head deeply. A chill ran down his spine at the terrifying methods by which a Foundation Establishment True Person could manipulate cause and effect and twist the threads of fate.
"Enough."
Suddenly, Yinshan Zhenren shook his head.
"Since that 'Blood-Clad Master' is unwilling to cooperate, we will find another. It is not as though we must have him."
Saying this, Yinshan Zhenren chuckled.
"Second Brother, do you remember how the ancient Witch Ghost Path perished?"
"I know. It was the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion." Luo Wuyai nodded. "That generation's Sword Pavilion leader—a Golden Core True Monarch—unleashed a single sword strike from Seven Star Cliff. The Witch Ghost Path's mountain gate sank instantly."
"Indeed. One sword strike."
Yinshan Zhenren sighed.
"At its peak, the ancient Witch Ghost Path possessed double-digit Foundation Establishment True Monarchs, and even a fourth-grade formation to suppress its fortune."
"Yet even so, it could not withstand a single sword strike from a Golden Core True Monarch ten thousand li away."
"In truth, that sword strike still lingers within the Witch Ghost Secret Realm."
A trace of fear flickered in Yinshan Zhenren's eyes.
"The True Monarch's decree: as long as his sword energy resides in this world, and the Witch Ghost Path still exists, that sword energy shall never perish."
This, too, was why he refused to act personally.
That sword energy originated from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion—the leader of the righteous path. What if he opened the secret realm and the sword energy within mistook him for an enemy?
Thus, it was safer to send a scout.
"That sword energy and the Witch Ghost Secret Realm have been intertwined for countless years. They are now inseparable. Since we cannot open the secret realm through a Holy Sect disciple, let us try another approach—find a disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion to retrieve that sword energy. The effect is the same."
With these words, Yinshan Zhenren's gaze shifted. He finally turned away from the market.
Almost at the same moment, Lü Yang—still in seclusion within the market—suddenly felt a lightness in his body.
It was as though an immense burden had been lifted from him.
A look of surprise appeared on his face.
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