Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Lü Yang felt he might be overthinking things.

After all, the value of the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness was simply too high. A single Human World had allowed his Dao Heart to reach Perfection, which only made him covet the other stages even more.

’It was just a chance encounter Beyond the Heavens.’

’Perhaps Mu Changsheng just said it casually. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s been to a Celestial Human Residual Consciousness... Still, just in case, I’ll have to keep an eye out in the future.’

With that, he shifted his focus.

The conflict between Mu Changsheng and Ang Xiao was only one part of the picture. His current scheme Overseas involved another important piece that had yet to be played.

.......

「Overseas, in a remote stretch of sea.」

After fleeing all the way here, Yuan Tu dove straight to the bottom of the sea, found an underwater cave to hide in, and laid down an Array before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your help, Senior."

Calming his Heart Spirit, Yuan Tu cupped his hands toward Si Chou in his Spiritual Space and said gratefully, "If you hadn’t intervened, Senior, I would have died without a proper burial."

Yuan Tu’s expression was simple and honest, his tone sincere. Yet, a strange, indiscernible emotion hid in the depths of his eyes. His mind kept replaying the feeling from before—the terror of being consciously aware as Si Chou manipulated his body, unable to so much as move a finger.

Every time he thought of it, his expression nearly twisted in anguish.

But he had inherited Lü Yang’s personality, never showing his joy or anger, especially at critical moments. So, even as a thousand thoughts churned in his mind, his expression remained unchanged.

Then, he saw Si Chou give a bitter smile.

"Don’t say that... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!"

Si Chou waved a hand, coughing violently. "This time, I had to drain my own Divine Marrow to help you. I’m afraid I will perish after this."

"Perish? Really!?" Yuan Tu was aghast.

Of course, it was a lie.

Si Chou shook his head internally. It was just that his "substitute fighting" this time had been too conspicuous. He needed to lie low for a while, shifting his work from the open to the shadows.

But he still had to make it sound good.

Si Chou said in a solemn voice:

"Of course it’s true... In any case, after I perish, you must act with caution. You absolutely cannot let someone with ill intentions hunt you down again like this."

"Especially that Ang Xiao."

"His strength is extraordinary. He and I have a history of grievances. He probably came here specifically to kill us both to silence me."

"Silence you?" Yuan Tu was taken aback.

Si Chou, following the script Lü Yang had written for him, continued:

"That’s right. It’s because I learned a great secret of his... The Pure Land’s Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva is actually a clone he sent into the Pure Land all those years ago!"

"Besides me, no one else knows this. You are the second... Remember, you must let this secret rot in your heart. Wait until your Cultivation and strength are sufficient before you decide what to do. If you’re not strong enough, don’t even think about it. After all, that is a secret on the True Monarch Level. It’s still too early for you..."

Hearing Si Chou’s earnest advice, Yuan Tu’s expression changed in an instant. His previous discontent was thrown to the far heavens, replaced by deep gratitude and sorrow. He hurriedly swore an oath, "Don’t worry, Senior, I definitely won’t act recklessly... When I achieve Major Mastery in my Cultivation, I will personally avenge you!"

"No need. I don’t expect you to get any revenge for me."

"Just stay safe."

As his voice fell, Si Chou shook his head and sighed softly, as if breathing his last. His already illusory figure dimmed completely, then shattered.

BANG!

In that instant, the Spiritual Space that had been so bright due to Si Chou’s presence plunged into darkness. Yuan Tu stood rooted to the spot, his expression filled with melancholy.

It was as if he had grown up in an instant.

However, before he could sort out his thoughts and accept the fact that his "senior had passed away," his vision was suddenly consumed by a brilliant Buddha Light.

"Amitabha!"

The Buddha Light solidified, reflecting a magnificent golden mountain in Yuan Tu’s eyes. On the mountain, high-ranking monks sat in silent meditation while Novice Monks chanted scriptures. Their faces and forms were all different, their numbers like grains of sand, as small as ants, impossible to count. Yet, hundreds of millions of golden rays cascaded down, illuminating the form of the golden mountain with perfect clarity.

Only upon getting closer could one see it clearly.

How was this a golden mountain?

It was clearly an elongated Buddha Head. It had simply achieved a Shixiu’s Golden Body and was so immense, with its seven orifices shut tight, that people mistook it for a mountain.

"Who’s there!"

Amid his shock, Yuan Tu didn’t forget his vigilance. He shot to his feet, shouting angrily, while secretly forming a Daoist Hand Seal, intending to flee immediately.

But he quickly discovered to his horror:

’I can’t escape? How can this be!’

His usually infallible Separation was now completely silent. No matter how much Mana he poured into it, there was no reaction; it couldn’t produce the slightest bit of an Ability.

Looking up again, he saw the golden mountain Buddha Head tremble slightly. The tightly closed seven orifices slowly opened, the five features relaxed, and a face was finally about to be revealed. For some reason, Yuan Tu’s gaze was completely fixed on the golden mountain, as if he simply had to see what this Buddha Head looked like.

Soon, he had his answer.

On the golden mountain, the five features—nose, eyes, mouth, and tongue—gathered, revealing the face of a handsome young man. It was his own face!

In that instant, a look of joy spread across Yuan Tu’s face.

In the moment the golden mountain Buddha Head’s face changed, an invisible Mighty Power reshaped Yuan Tu’s Dao Heart, pinching and molding his will into a new form.

"Ah... To think I am the incarnation of a Bodhisattva!"

Yuan Tu had finally attained Enlightenment.

Following that, the golden mountain Buddha Head finally retracted its Ability. A woman in white emerged from it, holding an Enchanted Bottle. It was none other than Bhumba Bodhisattva.

"With this, I have fulfilled my mission. The only Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Fruit of Rampart Earth in the outside world has now joined the Pure Land. This is enough to replace Fulong. From now on, we’ll have him prove the Fruit of Rampart Earth, and with the Bhagavat’s Enlightenment... the Earthly Buddha Country is within reach, and we will have a chance to advance further."

"Good, good!"

Bhumba Bodhisattva’s face was filled with satisfaction. After all, she had been secretly tailing Yuan Tu for quite some time before finally finding the chance to make her move.

Then, she looked toward Yuan Tu.

Soon, however, she noticed something was wrong. Yuan Tu had clearly undergone Enlightenment and become one of their own, yet he showed no reaction to her, a Bodhisattva.

The next second, Yuan Tu’s teeth began to chatter as he trembled in fear.

Seeing this, Bhumba Bodhisattva frowned. "Yuan Tu Arhat? What’s wrong?"

"Something big... something huge...!"

After Yuan Tu underwent Enlightenment and became an Arhat, his way of thinking changed drastically. As a result, the information Si Chou had given him earlier immediately became a world-shaking secret.

"Bodhisattva, please come closer."

Yuan Tu didn’t dare delay. He quickly moved to Bhumba Bodhisattva’s side and used his Divine Sense to transmit the entire story from beginning to end.

"...What did you say?"

At first, Bhumba Bodhisattva seemed somewhat nonchalant, but the longer she listened, the more solemn and grim her expression became.

’The Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva is actually a clone of Ang Xiao?’

’What kind of joke is this!’

Of course, she wouldn’t readily believe Yuan Tu’s claim, but if it were true... it would be something the Pure Land could absolutely not accept. They would have to make preparations at once!