Chapter 321: A Hot Potato
Lu Yang admitted that for a split second, he did panic.
But he calmed down very quickly because his Immortal Spirit main body hadn’t been grabbed by anyone yet, indicating there was still room for maneuver.
My main body shouldn’t have been exposed yet.
This wisp of [Shen Metal] Qi is likely problematic, eighty percent likely to be bait deliberately set to lure me out. What a lousy place…
Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn’t help but sigh.
Immediately after, he reached out and took Perfected One Qi He’s storage bag, opened it according to the method provided by Chen Xin’an, and then swept it with his Divine Sense.
The result instantly dashed all his fantasies.
A cluster of yellow mist was deposited at the very bottom of the storage bag. It had the meaning of boundlessness, yet also resembled a piece of stubborn, blunt metal lacking polish.
[Earthly Fiend] [Shen Metal]!
“Shen is the birthplace of water and earth. Although it is metal Qi, it incorporates the imagery of water and earth. Encountering fire, it is forged into swords and halberds; encountering water, it is quenched to gain a bright edge; if earth is heavy, it will be buried.”
Lu Yang sighed. His original intention in sending a clone to the Ten-Thousand-Man Pit was merely to probe the whereabouts of the [Shen Metal] Qi, observe the development of the situation, and then decide whether to fish in troubled waters and take the item. The result was that in this back and forth, the [Shen Metal] Qi landed directly in his hands, putting him in an awkward position.
I got the item.
But how to deliver it to the main body? The risk is simply too great. Maybe the moment I give it to the main body, someone will come knocking to send me to restart…
Ultimately, who was the manipulator behind the scenes?
Lu Yang also knew that revealing his desire for [Shen Metal] Qi through Hong Ju carried risks and made him easily targeted.
But the problem was this lousy place; he couldn’t just lay low.
Without taking some risks, Lu Yang couldn’t accumulate enough destiny to sense the [Shen Metal] Qi. So he was psychologically prepared when making the transaction.
Currently, there are at least two Perfected Lords watching me!
Sky-Shrouding, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue, and Hong Yun should also be watching me, but he doesn’t matter… The key is still Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue and Sky-Shrouding.
The scene of Sky-Shrouding silently following him in the past was still vivid in his mind. Although Perfected Lord Feixue didn’t seem like someone adept at this path, her realm was too high, making no difference to him. Monitoring him without being discovered would be incredibly easy.
But besides this, there is another possibility.
Jiangnan, Hidden Sword Villa.
Lu Yang’s Immortal Spirit main body raised its head, holding [Tribulation Wave]. Under the enhancement of the [Insight] divine wonder, he looked at the sky, a trace of solemnity appearing in his eyes.
This was a feeling that had lingered ever since he became an Immortal Spirit.
A bit like heavenly killing intent.
But unlike heavenly killing intent, this aura was more positive. As long as he had a thought, the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth would spontaneously surge into his body.
…Heavenly favor?
Lu Yang knew very well that even if his Immortal Spirit main body could hide from anyone, even Perfected Lords, it couldn’t hide from the heaven and earth that birthed and nurtured him.
It’s also possible that this wisp of [Shen Metal] is heaven helping me.
“After all, I am an Immortal Spirit now, arguably the favorite child of the Old Man of Heaven.”
But whether it’s the Perfected Lords or heaven, isn’t this a bit too rushed? It could have been done silently like moistening things, without letting me notice anything strange.
At least if it were him, he definitely wouldn’t do things so deliberately. Instead, he would intentionally set up layer upon layer of difficulties, making him go through untold hardships to silently obtain the [Shen Metal], making him think he successfully deceived everyone, before suddenly appearing and launching a shameless sneak attack…
Doing it so deliberately actually makes me wary… Why?
While pondering, Lu Yang was still checking Perfected One Qi He’s memories. Suddenly, his expression changed, then his brows furrowed tightly, and his face also turned gloomy abruptly.
“…What a Qi He!”
Previously, Lu Yang didn’t ask him the reason for betraying the Saint Sect, assuming he had defected to Jiangnan. However, this was still underestimating the lower limit of a Saint Sect Perfected One.
This person didn’t just betray the Saint Sect; he betrayed the whole world and defected to the [Mystic Spirit World Realm]!
As for the reason for betrayal, it was actually simple— longetivity.
In the [Mystic Spirit World Realm], the lifespan of cultivators is completely different from Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones. There is no [Bi Wind] whittling down the soul, and restrictions on lifespan aren’t many either.
Even the weakest Ghost Immortal had a lifespan of a thousand years!
And Spirit Immortals who received the offerings of a kingdom had lifespans exceeding ten thousand years, let alone Human Immortals, Earth Immortals, and the even higher Heaven Immortals above them.
Of course, this didn’t mean cultivators in the [Mystic Spirit World Realm] could rest easy.
In the [Mystic Spirit World Realm], once a cultivator becomes an immortal, there is the [Calamity of Dao Transformation]. Ghost, Spirit, Human, Earth, Heaven—the higher the cultivation, the easier it is to be assimilated by heaven and earth.
So although the lifespan is long, Ghost Immortals actually mostly don’t last past three hundred years. Spirit Immortals sink into degeneration in a thousand years. Human Immortals might last two thousand years, Earth Immortals three thousand, Heaven Immortals ten thousand… It’s actually just another form of [Bi Wind], just not as harsh as [Bi Wind].
Although there were flaws, it was already a huge temptation for Perfected One Qi He.
Moreover, he was dying soon anyway.
He was in the late years of his second life, having just broken through to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. The risk for the third life was huge; one slip and he might not be able to return.
In this situation, taking a risk was normal.
After all, Saint Sect Perfected Ones always put profit first and themselves before everything. As long as there were benefits several times greater than the cost, they dared to take any risk.
And this wisp of [Shen Metal] was his pledge of allegiance. An [Earthly Fiend] would definitely count as a great supplement to the [Dao Fruit] of the [Mystic Spirit World Realm].
No wonder!
In an instant, Lu Yang suddenly understood— This is the reason for so urgently delivering the [Shen Metal] into my hands—because this thing was about to be lost!
Besides this, the [Shen Metal] itself also had problems.
Lu Yang learned from Perfected One Qi He’s memories that he used a secret technique to leave a mark on the [Shen Metal], making it detectable by the [Mystic Spirit World Realm].
Seeing this, Lu Yang gritted his teeth in hatred— World traitor… and the secret technique he used to mark the [Shen Metal] came from the [Mystic Spirit World Realm]. It was originally used for tracking and marking. Only the casting method exists, no dispelling method. Now this wisp of [Shen Metal] is clearly a hot potato!
…
[Mystic Spirit World Realm].
As a [Great World Realm], the structure of the [Mystic Spirit World Realm] was extremely special. It was divided into upper and lower layers. Below were over a hundred mortal realms, and above was the location of the Heavenly Court.
The hundred mortal realms supported the Heavenly Court together. Whenever a cultivator reached the point of becoming an immortal, they could ascend to the Heavenly Court and become a Ghost Immortal, then serve as a celestial soldier or general in the Heavenly Court to accumulate benevolent merit. With enough benevolent merit, they could be conferred titles, bestowed a kingdom, enjoy incense offerings, and achieve Spirit Immortal status.
And the center of the Heavenly Court was the [Lingxiao Hall].
This hall was located at the very top of the Heavenly Court, the residence of the Supreme. When the Supreme was in seclusion, three Immortal Officials held power, overseeing all matters of the Heavenly Court.
And at this moment, inside the [Lingxiao Hall].
On the majestic throne, a man in luxurious robes was meditating with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a trace of surprise revealing itself in their depths—
“The [Shen Metal]… has changed owners?”
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