Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Lü Yang faltered for only an instant, but a man like Ang Xiao, with a gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, immediately noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor.

"You don’t know, Daoist?"

This time, genuine astonishment surfaced in his eyes. "I thought you must have learned that secret and gained some measure of confidence. That would explain why you’d dare to use a Grotto Heaven to refine a True Treasure, severing your own path forward. But it turns out you know nothing at all? How strange. Where, then, does your boldness come from, Daoist?"

Lü Yang could only remain silent.

’How am I supposed to answer that? I can’t just admit I’m using a cheat. My only option is to remain silent and feign inscrutability. At least that way, he can’t see through me.’

Fortunately, the Liu Ying of Ang Xiao had no intention of pressing the matter.

He chuckled lightly. "It seems you truly are a lucky one, Daoist. Otherwise, with your talent, you would have been led astray."

’What does he mean?’

Lü Yang’s mind raced. His Enlightenment might not rival that of Progenitor Tingyou, but he was more than capable when it came to scheming and manipulation.

An instant later, his pupils constricted.

’The Pocket World Technique is flawed!’

’With my talent, if I hadn’t refined a True Treasure with my Grotto Heaven, I could be using the Seeing Myself Immortal Technique to break through to the Mid-phase right now... Is *that* what he means by being led astray?’

’But why?’

At this thought, Lü Yang’s brow furrowed, his heart growing heavy. He looked up to see Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying looking perfectly composed, as if simply waiting for him to ask the question.

’He’s trying to get me on the hook.’

Lü Yang refused to be manipulated. Losing the initiative was the biggest taboo in any negotiation. How could he allow himself to be pinned down and dominated like this?

With this in mind, Lü Yang suddenly laughed. "Speaking of which, you and I have a bit of a blood feud in the outside world, Senior. I never thought it could be resolved, yet here we are meeting again inside this Celestial Human Residual Consciousness. And you even call me ’Daoist.’ It’s quite amusing, really."

"A blood... feud?"

The smile vanished from the eyes of Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying.

He knew his own character well. There was no such thing as an irreconcilable blood feud in this world. For the right price, he’d call his own father’s killer ’brother’.

The only possibility was—

A moment later, Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You ruined my plan? Was it the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire? Or one of the other Fruits?"

"All of them."

Lü Yang’s expression was placid. "Your other self is currently holed up in the Netherworld. Of the Five Elements Fruit Positions he once held, only three remain. The road to the Nascent Soul realm is looking rather difficult, wouldn’t you say?"

As soon as Lü Yang spoke, Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying realized the gravity of the situation. ’The Five Elements Fruit Position, the Netherworld... It seems my original plan was largely successful, only for this man to discover it and manage to sabotage a good portion of it. I must have cut my losses just in time to salvage three of the Fruits?’

He deduced a great deal in a single instant.

Even so, he couldn’t suppress the resentment in his heart. ’The Fruits... If I hadn’t been so ignorant back then, trapped by the Fruits, would I have ever faced this tribulation?’

Outwardly, however, he remained perfectly composed.

"In that case, you and I truly share the enmity of obstructing one another’s Dao."

Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying paused, then smiled. "However, that is a problem for my self in the Current World. As a mere Liu Ying, it’s of no concern to me."

"Is that so?"

’Of course it’s a lie!’

Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying was seething internally. If his original body managed to become a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord, it would be of immense benefit to him as a Liu Ying.

But he was also keenly aware that they were currently vying for control of the conversation. He absolutely could not show any weakness, or he would be at a disadvantage. He’d end up being duped into trading vital intelligence for a pile of useless garbage, which would be a catastrophic loss.

Just as he was mulling this over, Lü Yang spoke up.

"I’ve been carefully considering what you said earlier, Senior, and I have a few theories. I wonder if you would be willing to enlighten me as to whether I’m on the right track?"

Hearing this, Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying felt a flicker of interest, but his expression remained impassive. "Feel free to share."

"The key is the Pocket World Technique."

Lü Yang said gravely, "Within the Pocket World Technique, the method for breaking through to the Middle Stage of Golden Core is flawed. Am I right?"

At this, Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying burst out laughing. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Despite his words, he sighed inwardly. ’I underestimated him. The clues I gave away were too obvious; they allowed him to guess too much.’

Meanwhile, Lü Yang continued his analysis. "I also have a theory about the specific problem. It lies in the ’Pocket World Falling’ characteristic, doesn’t it? The Pocket World Falling roots itself in a Fruit. Although this makes one immortal, it also means the Cultivator becomes deeply bound to that Fruit."

The Fruits are flawed!

Lü Yang had known this for a long time. For instance, a Golden Core Perfected Lord never truly has complete control over a Fruit; they merely acquire long-term usage rights.

Under these circumstances, what is the consequence of being deeply bound to a Fruit?

The thought sent a chill down Lü Yang’s spine. "To be bound to a Fruit that isn’t truly yours... in the end, do you just become nourishment for the Fruit itself?"

Lü Yang stared intently at Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying.

Unfortunately, the swirling smoke around the other man was too troublesome; it concealed all emotional fluctuations, making it impossible for Lü Yang to tell if his guess was correct.

"What do you think, Senior... Am I right or wrong?"

Before Lü Yang could finish, Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying let out a soft chuckle. He looked at Lü Yang with a hint of admiration, then shook his head.

"You are both right and wrong."

"Becoming nourishment for a Fruit? That’s a bit of an exaggeration. What is a Fruit, after all? Once we’ve condensed a Grotto Heaven, they are ours for the taking."

He refuted Lü Yang’s guess.

"The key is still the Nascent Soul. The Pocket World Technique was handed down by the Progenitor and spread throughout the world. With the Progenitor’s vision, why would he ever care about something as trivial as a Fruit?"

"From start to finish, the only things the Progenitor ever truly cared about were the Nascent Soul and the Great Dao! Therefore, the flaw in the Pocket World Technique lies only there. If you use the Pocket World Technique to reach the Middle Stage of Golden Core, the Late Stage, or even Perfection... then when you try to pursue the Dao further, no matter how well you prepare, your chances of success are ten percent at best!"

At these words, Lü Yang pressed his lips together.

He desperately wanted to ask: ’Why?’

But the moment he asked that question, the initiative would shift to Ang Xiao. He would have to offer up a significant bargaining chip in exchange for the answer.

And even then, there was no guarantee the answer would be the truth.

This was Ang Xiao, after all, a Perfected Lord of the Stain Sect. Lü Yang strongly suspected the man would just give him some half-truth to brush him off.

’That naturally evil old bastard!’

Lü Yang cursed inwardly while his mind raced, searching for a piece of information that could win him back the initiative. Alas, his ten lifetimes of cultivation were still too brief.

When it came to secret lore, there was no way he knew more than Ang Xiao.

At this thought, Lü Yang heaved a long sigh. He made a snap decision, completely abandoning the idea of further questioning. The Bright Light at his fingertip began to shine with increasing intensity.

Seeing this, Ang Xiao’s Liu Ying grew even more impressed.

’Such a decisive personality. He’s simply done talking. Rather than dig for secrets, he’d rather kill me and claim the reward for this trial first.’

But his thoughts quickly shifted again. ’No, it must be that the intelligence I offered wasn’t valuable enough to tempt him. That makes sense. After all, he has already refined his Grotto Heaven, so the flaw in the Pocket World Technique isn’t that important to him anymore. If I want him to play along, I’ll have to offer something with more value.’

’Something that’s a matter of life and death for him, preferably.’