Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect-Chapter 199 - 1: Dumbfounded Hong Ju

The Sea of Clouds, Holy Fire Cliff.

To this day, few in the Stain Sect knew what had happened. Most just assumed one of their own Perfected Lords had gone mad and picked a fight with a Perfected Lord from the Sword Pavilion.

The only ones who truly understood the situation were the Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Zhenren.

Great Undertaking, for example.

PFFFT!!!

In a Quiet Chamber, Great Undertaking suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling a certain Divine Effect rooted in his bloodline dissipate at a visible rate.

"Impossible!?"

Great Undertaking stared blankly at the blood he had spat out. It should have been pale gold, but now it was a jarring, dark red.

’The Perfected Lord... is dead?’ Great Undertaking’s face was a mask of confusion. He was a Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Zhenren who had been personally created through the Enlightenment of the Perfected Fortune’s own blood essence—back when the True Monarch of Celestial Destiny was still in power. Because of this, a trace of the Gold Attribute had always remained in his bloodline.

But now, that trace of the Gold Attribute was gone!

There was only one explanation for this: the source of his Gold Attribute, the True Monarch of Celestial Destiny—the Perfected Fortune—had his soul utterly destroyed!

But how could that be possible?

’How hard is it to kill a Perfected Lord? Their Soul is protected by the Gold Attribute. Even if they fall from their Fruit, they can easily escape from other Perfected Lords through reincarnation.’

’Unless the two parties were not in the same Realm.’

’But how could that be? As far as I know, none of the other Perfected Lords in the Stain Sect had any grievances with my Perfected Lord, nor were their Realms high enough to overwhelm him.’

Besides, for a Perfected Lord, fellow cultivators were also very important.

That was why, even when Perfected Chong Guang appeared to compete with the Perfected Fortune for the Fruit, most of the other Perfected Lords had simply watched from the sidelines instead of intervening directly.

Except for...

’Xue Feihong!?’

Great Undertaking didn’t dare say the name out loud. This was Holy Fire Cliff, after all. If he actually spoke it, World Purger Fei Xue would surely sense him.

Still, he was certain of his guess. ’It’s the only possibility. Xue Feihong, that bitch! She was once a junior to my Perfected Lord, but ever since her last reincarnation and re-ascension to the Fruit, her Cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds. Now, she has even broken through to the Mid-phase in just a few short centuries!’

It was simply unbelievable!

At the Middle Stage of Golden Core, one achieved Grotto Heaven Permanence. Unless a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord intervened, their Grotto Heaven would no longer be in danger of collapsing, and re-ascending to the Fruit after reincarnation would be significantly faster.

It sounded simple.

In reality, however, countless Perfected Lords had gone through reincarnations for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, without ever breaking through to the Mid-phase, still living with the danger of their Grotto Heaven collapsing.

How could that step be so easy to take?

’That bitch! She must have used some filthy method...’

Great Undertaking abruptly cut off the furious roar in his mind.

Unbeknownst to him, patches of water had begun to appear in his quiet chamber of seclusion, and a yin energy was rising. Heaven and Earth were responding to the resentful thoughts in his heart.

GACK!

The next second, Great Undertaking violently vomited a mouthful of water. The spring water was cool, appearing as if from thin air, and it churned his internal organs into a complete mess.

COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!

Coughing, Great Undertaking hastily activated his Abilities to sever his karmic links. Then he took out the Tongming Yiyun Talisman Book and quickly wrote:

I have never held a disrespectful heart!

As the characters formed, another portion of Merit and Fortune flowed into the book. Only then did Great Undertaking stop vomiting water, halting the collapse of his Dharma Body.

’I can’t hate her. I have to smile...’

The Middle Stage of Golden Core was a completely different level!

Grotto Heaven Permanence, Fruit Position... their connection with Heaven and Earth was so intimate that it was almost unbelievable. If a mortal even thought of them incessantly, there would surely be a response!

Great Undertaking let out a bitter laugh.

Of course, he wasn’t laughing bitterly for the Perfected Fortune. As a Saint Sect Zhenren, the only thing that could make him laugh so bitterly and feel such despair was his own fate. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’I was created from a single drop of the Perfected Lord’s blood essence! My entire cultivation path is completely dependent on him. Even at Foundation Establishment Perfection, I have no hope of ever ascending to a Fruit of my own. Now that the Perfected Lord is dead, my own time is short. After just a few more years of pathetic existence, my Dharma Body will disintegrate, and I will follow him... I don’t even have a fucking Soul!’

No Soul meant no reincarnation!

If the Perfected Fortune were still alive, their connection through the Gold Attribute meant he wouldn’t have to worry about his lifespan. But now, he could only cling to life for another two or three years at most!

How could he resign himself to this?

At this thought, Great Undertaking began performing finger calculations again. His fingertips nearly rubbed out sparks as he became determined to find the true culprit behind the Perfected Fortune’s demise!

「A moment later.」

...

Great Undertaking fell silent.

His chiseled face was filled with bewilderment, his hands nearly rubbed raw. "How could this be... No... Yes, yes, yes... That’s not right, is it?"

No matter how he calculated it...

...it seemed he was the one who had gotten the Perfected Fortune killed.

’I must have calculated it wrong!’

’That naturally evil Chong Guang and Yuan Tu! They must have found a way to obscure the Karma Links and prevent me from finding the truth. I will never rest until one of us is dead!’

Great Undertaking lowered his hands, his eyes filled with hatred yet utterly helpless. He knew full well that the only reason he hadn’t been swatted dead already was because he still had some value. He was, after all, a Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Zhenren, and the Perfected Lords of the Stain Sect wanted him to die on the battlefield.

At almost the same moment, a streak of light flew into the hall.

Great Undertaking looked over dejectedly as the Spirit Light unfurled, transforming into a handwritten note with a single line of text on it: Help me ascend, and I will grant you a lifetime of glory.

"...Chong Guang?"

Great Undertaking froze, then shot upright. ’That’s right! If he ascends and takes control of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, he might be able to keep me from dying...’

At this thought, Great Undertaking’s world suddenly seemed to open up with new possibilities.

...

「Within Holy Fire Cliff, in another grand hall.」

Perfected Chong Guang was seated in the main seat, with Perfected Yin Shan standing attendance by his side.

Just then, Perfected Chong Guang’s eyes snapped open as if he had received some kind of reply. He squinted slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his gaze.

’This situation is much better than I had expected!’

Fortune’s death had eliminated his biggest problem, allowing him to make his arrangements more calmly. His hopes of Seeking Gold had just increased several times over!

Therefore, when a Divine Power Radiance flared within the hall and Lü Yang strode out from it, Perfected Chong Guang immediately let out a great laugh. He proactively rose from his seat, walked warmly to Lü Yang’s side, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yuan Tu, you’ve worked hard this time..."

"It was no hardship, for Martial Uncle’s sake."

Lü Yang shook his head and said solemnly, "Martial Uncle mentioned you had an important matter to entrust to me. May I ask what it is? Whatever this disciple can do, I would not shrink from it even if it meant ten thousand deaths!"

’Look at that. Now that’s what I call loyalty.’

’So dependable!’

Perfected Chong Guang showed no sign of displeasure at being interrupted by Lü Yang. Instead, his smile widened. "In that case, Yuan Tu, I won’t be polite."

With that said, the three of them sat down facing each other.

"Speaking of which, I don’t believe I’ve discussed this with you before, Yuan Tu." Chong Guang’s tone was relaxed. "I imagine you don’t yet know how one ascends to a Fruit and Seeks Gold, do you?"

Lü Yang’s heart stirred upon hearing this. ’Finally, the good stuff!’ he thought.

He wasn’t completely ignorant about Seeking Gold. After all, he still had Progenitor Tingyou in his Myriad-Soul Banner. However, Progenitor Tingyou’s methods were ultimately unorthodox.

Or rather, with the exception of the Four Great Forces, every other Sect followed an unorthodox path.

The only difference was in how unorthodox they were.

For example, some Sects with long histories also had a Perfected Lord presiding over them. In the eyes of the Stain Sect, such Sects could barely be considered followers of the Heterodox Dao.

But that was all.

Compared to them, Chong Guang, as a direct-lineage Perfected Person of the Stain Sect, definitely had a more systematic and precise understanding of how to ascend and Seek Gold.

Therefore, Lü Yang immediately sat up straight, cupped his hands, and said, "I ask for Martial Uncle’s guidance."