Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

On the Path to Immortality, Lü Yang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

How long had it been? How long since he’d last encountered an opponent he could suppress so easily? He’d nearly forgotten the ways of the Stain Sect!

’This is the kind of opponent I should be fighting!’

The thought made Lü Yang want to weep. He had finally, after so much difficulty, become a Perfected Lord—and with an Emperor Fruit, no less. Two joyous occasions, happening at once.

And these two joys should have brought him even more joy.

What should have followed was a time of dream-like bliss... But why? Why is it that after I went through Seeking Gold, every enemy has been more monstrous than the last?

Why did it turn out like this?

He had it all planned out. After attaining his Golden Core, he’d have the power to challenge those above his rank, but instead he’d punch down, rapidly building his foundational cultivation by oppressing Lower Cultivators.

But what happened instead?

Instead, everyone’s been punching down on me!

’That True Monarch Gangxing, that Taiyin Immortal Venerable, that World Honored One’s Avatar, that Du Xuan Immortal Monarch... Are they on the same level as me?’

I’m only in the Early Stage of Golden Core!

Finally, the tables have turned. It’s my turn to punch down on a Foundation-Stage Cultivator! As expected, a true powerhouse should utterly humiliate the weak!

"Speak."

Lü Yang casually pinched a ball of Spiritual Qi, forming it into a table and chair. He then sat down in front of the aged soul and said with a smile, "You have at least three things to say."

’As he spoke, he felt a pang of regret. He realized that the aged soul must have also been a Perfected Lord in life, but he clearly hadn’t cultivated the Pocket World Technique, as his soul lacked the Gold Attribute. In other words, he couldn’t be ’settled’ by the Centome. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be so troublesome.’

"Fellow Daoist..."

Meanwhile, the aged soul was desperately defending his Spiritual Space as he cautiously asked, "This one is Longtu. May I ask which sect Fellow Daoist hails from?"

Lü Yang shook his head with a smile. "That’s not one of them."

"..."

At these words, an immense sense of crisis washed over Longtu. He hastily added, "I can be your guide here, Fellow Daoist!"

Lü Yang’s smile gradually faded. "That’s not one of them either."

’This is definitely a Demon from the Immortal Pivot!’

While cursing furiously in his mind, Longtu dared not stray from the topic any longer and said directly, "This place is called the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness, and it holds the legacy of a Master of Dao."

"Oh?" Lü Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly. "A legacy left by a Master of Dao?"

Longtu shook his head. "A legacy that leads to a Master of Dao!"

The words sent a storm raging in Lü Yang’s mind. ’Left by a Master of Dao’ versus ’leads to a Master of Dao’—the difference was a world apart!

Longtu then explained:

"As far as I know, this place may have formed spontaneously from the Void Sea of Light, or it could have been left behind by some unimaginably Great Power. But the specific reason for its formation is beyond the ability of Lower Cultivators like us to trace. In fact, this place was shattered long ago. What remains is merely a fragment of the ruins."

Faced with the pressure from Lü Yang, Longtu revealed a truth he had never told the Demon Subduing Zhenren.

"Shattered?"

"That’s right."

Longtu gave a wry smile. "Didn’t you notice before you came in, Fellow Daoist? At first glance, this place looks like a footprint, projected from the Sea of Suffering into the Current World..."

Lü Yang drew in a sharp breath.

At those words, Lü Yang immediately understood.

"You’re saying... the footprint and this place aren’t one and the same? In fact, it’s the opposite—the footprint is what destroyed this place when it descended from the heavens?"

A chill went through Lü Yang’s heart as he finished speaking.

’Before, I thought the legacy in this entire shadowed region was left by the footprint’s owner. I was even wondering why someone would use a footprint to transmit information.’

However, the truth was that this place might have once been a massive legacy ground, perhaps even a super Outer Realm on par with a Celestial Mansion. Then one day, a giant foot descended from the sky, landing in the Sea of Suffering and simultaneously stamping out everything this place was in the Current World.

The giant foot of a Master of Dao!

’But if that’s the case... it all adds up! Si Chou once said that the paths to becoming a Master of Dao were all severed by the Masters of Dao themselves!’

This is the proof!

’A giant foot... It probably wasn’t some avatar, but a true Master of Dao pulling himself away from the Other Shore to descend upon the Current World. Only that could explain such Mighty Power!’

However—

Thinking of this, Lü Yang looked at Longtu again. "With the Mighty Power of a Master of Dao, if one decided to annihilate this place, how could any part of it have survived to this day?"

"Oh, that’s because the one who acted was the Bhagavat. That’s why something was missed."

Lü Yang: "..."

’You’ve got some nerve!’

Seeing Lü Yang’s strange expression, Longtu laughed. "This place is sealed off from karmic links. It doesn’t matter if you speak ill of a Master of Dao to their face; they won’t sense it."

"Besides, while some of this place remains, it’s only because it’s special and doesn’t exist in the Current World. Otherwise, it couldn’t have escaped the Bhagavat’s Dharma Eye. So even if the Bhagavat were to descend a Dharma Body again, he wouldn’t be able to find this place. With no karmic links and no Karma, entry is impossible..."

As he spoke, Longtu himself was filled with doubt.

He was able to bring the Demon Subduing Zhenren in because the faction behind him had a karmic link to the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness. But what about this Golden Core Perfected Lord before him?

Never mind just getting in—he entered as a Golden Core Perfected Lord, completely violating the rules!

This place should only be accessible to Foundation-Stage Cultivators. Once one has gone through Seeking Gold and obtained a Fruit, they should be obliterated by the rules for trespassing here.

’How did he do it?’

Before Longtu could figure it out, Lü Yang grabbed his soul, causing him to cry out in a mixture of shock and anger, "Demon... Fellow Daoist, what are you doing to me?"

"Nothing much." Lü Yang chuckled. "It’s just that you haven’t finished what you were saying earlier, Fellow Daoist. This place has a legacy that can lead to a Master of Dao. So what’s next? How is it passed on? Cultivation Techniques? Abilities? Spiritual Materials? Since you’re so familiar with this place, you must know more details."

"If I tell you... can I trade it for my life?"

Lü Yang said nothing, merely smiling as he tightened his grip.

Instantly, the excruciating pain from his soul made Longtu hastily continue, "This place has a total of seven layers. To obtain the opportunities here, one must pass its trials."

"We who remain here are all lingering on the first layer."

"However, seven layers was its state in its prime. Now that it’s shattered, it’s hard to say if all seven still exist. There might only be one layer left."

"But even the first layer alone offers countless benefits. Demon Subduing Zhenren merely took some scraps and was able to refine his Fifth Divine Technique and achieve Dao Practice Perfection. He now has a good chance of attaining the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal... If you were to go, Fellow Daoist, you might even be able to seize the main opportunity of this layer."

Longtu explained for quite some time.

When he finished, Lü Yang’s brow furrowed. "Trials... Who set up these trials? For a legacy that leads to a Master of Dao, who is worthy of setting up so-called trials for a Master of Dao?"

"This..."

Longtu was struck dumb by the question, then said helplessly, "Regarding that, my old sect had its speculations, but they were just that—speculations, with no proof."

"Let’s hear them."

After a moment of thought, Longtu lowered his voice. "It is said that these trials were formed spontaneously by the Sea of Suffering. Fellow Daoist, do you know the origins of the Sea of Suffering?"

"The Sea of Suffering is a sea of infinite concepts, a manifestation of the Current World at a higher Position. In the Sea of Suffering, there is no distinction between past, present, and future. All concepts settle within it... Therefore, the Sea of Suffering is also a history book, recording all of history up to the present moment!"

"And the trials within the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness originate from it."

"According to my old sect’s speculation, these trials are actually records of the Masters of Dao themselves from when they achieved Attainment of the Nascent Soul. These records have been extracted to test those who come after!"

As his voice fell, Longtu’s heart grew heavy.

Having said so much, he had practically emptied out all his secrets to win Lü Yang’s trust. Only his greatest secret remained unsaid.

’I can’t die.’

’I’m useful to this Golden Core Perfected Lord... If it comes down to it, I’ll abandon that idiot Demon Subduing Zhenren and cooperate with this Perfected Lord. Maybe then there’s still a chance of success...’

He acted on the thought, immediately lowering his voice to say:

"Fellow Daoist, there is no real enmity between us. I am quite familiar with this place. If you are interested, why don’t we explore it together? Cooperation would benefit us both."

Who would have thought that before he could even finish, Lü Yang would raise an eyebrow in surprise and say, "Explore? Fellow Daoist, how dare you presume to explore *my* Secret Realm?"

At these words, Longtu was completely stunned:

"Huh?"

BOOM!