Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

He cursed internally, but his reaction was swift.

The next second, Bright Light erupted from his body, transforming into a sky full of roiling vermilion flames. He had actually managed to break free from that slender palm!

Within the roiling vermilion flames, Lü Yang’s body was a half-hidden silhouette, mostly merged into the fiery light. Only one hand and his face were visible. He formed a Finger Technique, chanted an Incantation, and clenched his jaw. He didn’t care where his opponent was, mustering all his strength to indiscriminately unleash the Profound Mysterious technique in his hand.

Righteous Banner, [Enlightenment]!

Tribulation Wave, [Reform Technique]!

The former delayed the newcomer’s further attacks, while the latter severed the lingering influence of the [Veil of the Trees] that now permeated the space.

This sudden change finally drew a surprised sound from his attacker:

"Hm...?"

Lü Yang looked toward the sound but was instantly struck speechless. What he saw was a figure shrouded in smoke, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.

It was [Ang Xiao], no doubt about it.

’But the [Ang Xiao] in this trial is supposed to be just a Liu Ying, not the Great Perfected Lord at his Peak. Why is he still hiding his appearance?’

’This means he already looked like this when [Ang Xiao] entered this [Celestial Human Residual Consciousness] all those years ago. Just how long has he been hiding? And here I was, thinking I’d get to see the true face of this Stain Sect senior. Hiding this well... don’t tell me this old geezer is actually an ugly woman?’

These myriad thoughts flashed through Lü Yang’s mind in an instant.

The next second, a circular light appeared between his brows, pulsing with vibrant colors. In an instant, it swept through Heaven and Earth, plunging the world into a dim twilight.

"There is righteous qi in Heaven and Earth!"

Lü Yang chanted under his breath as the point of light between his brows grew increasingly brilliant before suddenly exploding. It shattered the surrounding darkness, bathing Heaven and Earth in a dazzling, golden-white light.

[Yellow Court], Heaven Opening!

’Above, it becomes the sun and stars; below, it becomes the rivers and mountains...’

Wherever the Splendid Light passed, mountains rose from the ground and the sun and moon hung high in the sky. Layers of conceptual images emerged, directly enveloping both [Ang Xiao] and Lü Yang.

Immediately after, just as he had done against Du Xuan Immortal Monarch, Lü Yang unleashed all the conceptual images he had collected after swallowing the [Mingtian] Fruit. The view was filled with a vast Sea of Light that illuminated Heaven and Earth, engulfing [Ang Xiao]’s exposed figure.

However, Lü Yang’s actions did not stop there.

After this full-power burst, he didn’t even look at the result. In a flash, the Daoist Hand Seal in his hand changed, and he immediately began to gather conceptual images around his own body.

"Hard as a boulder! Impregnable as a fortress! A thousand overlapping peaks!"

With each phrase Lü Yang spoke, a corresponding conceptual image descended upon him, reinforcing his Dharma Body and causing thousands of solid barriers to materialize around him.

At the same time, he pushed the Profound Mysterious conceptual image of the [Fruit of Celestial Fire] to its Extreme.

[Those who intend to harm me shall be severely punished]

Forced Engraving: [Maximize the power of the above Profound Mysterious conceptual image]

The very instant Lü Yang finished all this, another fair hand suddenly appeared out of thin air and silently pressed against the center of his back.

BOOM!

The next second, all the conceptual images gathered around Lü Yang shattered, but in response, countless Spells also converged into Celestial Fire and burst into light.

Celestial Fire Body Burning Punishment!

This was the light of the [Fruit of Celestial Fire] itself, further enhanced by the [Engraving Laws]. Locked on by the rules, it struck the hand that had sneak-attacked the center of Lü Yang’s back!

In an instant, a brilliant light exploded between Heaven and Earth. Fiery light rained down as myriad conceptual images appeared, only to be destroyed in sequence. The blast was so intense Lü Yang couldn’t even extend his spiritual perception outside his body. He could only hold his Daoist Hand Seal and defend himself. A long moment passed before he saw a figure standing nearby, hands clasped behind their back, watching him with keen interest.

Even at this moment, the other person still did not reveal their true appearance.

Aside from their palms, clothes, and a part of their torso that had materialized, all that was visible besides the drifting smoke was a pair of long, narrow, and placid eyes.

The next second, the figure let out a soft chuckle:

"[Fruit of Celestial Fire]?"

The familiar voice even made Lü Yang a bit nostalgic. At the same time, a sense of pride welled up for no reason... ’I fucking fought in Combat against [Ang Xiao]!’

’And it was a draw!’

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Lü Yang covered his mouth, forcing himself to swallow the blood that rose in his throat. He waved his hand, gathering a healing conceptual image that washed over him like spring water, mending his shattered Dharma Body.

In this state, compared to the seemingly unharmed [Ang Xiao] standing not far away, the gap between them was obviously immense.

But Lü Yang didn’t care.

’Injured or not, I’m not dead yet. If I’m not dead, I haven’t lost! And if I haven’t lost, it’s a draw! I refuse to believe this old scoundrel can actually kill me!’

The next second, the [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying spoke:

’Your Dao Heart is not bad.’

The terror of the [Veil of the Trees] is well-known. Its most prominent feature is its insidiousness; when used, people often die without even knowing how.

Yet Lü Yang broke free.

"You didn’t just absorb the Power of the Heart in the [Human World] trial. You had already mastered some method of tempering your Dao Heart before you absorbed it."

The [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying spoke eloquently, "Quite interesting. Using the Power of Qi and Blood to stir your will, reinforcing it with the invincible momentum of a hundred victories in a hundred battles. With this Dharma Gate, you rampaged through the first trial with the Cultivation of a Perfected Lord. Most importantly, you were actually able to bring your Cultivation in with you..."

Reaching the end of his analysis, he made his judgment:

"From the Stain Sect?"

Lü Yang was silent for a moment, then a righteous expression appeared on his face as he angrily retorted, "Absurd! How could I possibly collude with the Jiangbei Demon Dao?"

"I am the Master of the West’s Righteous Qi Dao!"

"The West? The Righteous Qi Dao?"

This time, the [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying was truly stunned. He even stroked his chin and chuckled, "Daoist, why is your righteous qi black?"

Lü Yang’s expression didn’t change as he heard this. He said coolly, "It’s not black, it’s a profound black. We Cultivators seek truth and cultivate the profound. Is there a problem with our qi being a profound black?"

Hearing this, the [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying sighed with emotion:

"Even in the Stain Sect, there aren’t many Daoists like you. Your words even carry a hint of the Sword Pavilion. It seems the Immortal Pivot has not been peaceful in recent years."

After saying this, a curious look appeared in his eyes:

"The West’s Righteous Qi Dao... What about the Pure Land?"

"It was destroyed, of course."

Lü Yang was joking around, but his heart was calm and cold. The [Seeing Myself Immortal Technique] he had just gathered in his palm was already pushed to its Extreme.

Otherwise, he was worried the [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying would suddenly strike him mid-sentence.

At the same time, he had also seen through the true nature of this Liu Ying. ’Early Stage of Golden Core, has condensed the [Seeking Dao Immortal Technique]... in truth, he’s no different from me!’

’If that weren’t the case, I couldn’t possibly have fought back just now.’

At this moment, Lü Yang was surrounded by blazing vermilion fire. He held the Immortal Technique steady in one hand and formed seals with the other. A thousand colorful radiances shimmered behind him as he faced the swirling smoke opposite him.

On the other side, the [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying was the same as before, with streams of smoke coiling like dragons and merging with its Dharma Body. Only now did Lü Yang get a clear look at its hand. The palm was covered in a layer of scorched blackness, a clear sign that the Celestial Fire Body Burning Punishment from before had not been entirely without effect.

"The Pure Land was destroyed..."

The [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying seemed to be lost in thought and was in no hurry to attack again. After a moment, it looked up again at the wary Lü Yang.

"Daoist, your luck is quite good."

The [Ang Xiao] Liu Ying’s gaze fell on Lü Yang’s brow, as if seeing through everything. "Using a Grotto Heaven to refine a True Treasure? Your luck is good, and your boldness is equally extraordinary."

"However, for you to dare risk severing your Dao to do this, could it be you’ve also noticed something?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lü Yang’s eyes narrowed.

’Noticed what?’