Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect-Chapter 218: Taking Refuge in Buddhism

「Within Dragon-Crushing Pass.」

During the previous battle, the Blood Filth Qi that Perfected Yin Shan had channeled into the array using Qi Refiners had been completely purged. The array was now restored to a state of Perfection.

As a result, the mood among the Perfected Persons had improved considerably—with the exception of Duo Bao Child.

He was being subtly ostracized. Although Five Elements Zhenren never said anything, he clearly still suspected Duo Bao Child was a spy for the Demon Sect.

’This left Duo Bao Child filled with pent-up frustration he couldn’t vent. He admitted he had a small part to play in the Dragon-Fishing Elder’s death, but wasn’t that just because the Demon Sect was treacherous and he’d let his guard down for a moment? How could he possibly be a spy? He’d been robbed by the Demon Sect years ago! He had a blood feud with them!’

Everyone understood his reasoning.

However, prejudice is like a mountain in the hearts of men; once an impression is fixed, no amount of explaining can move it.

In his dejection, he had no choice but to seek out the Profound Iron Sword Master.

After all, of all the Perfected Persons present, only the Profound Iron Sword Master was a recent arrival. He held no prejudice and wouldn’t ostracize him. At the very least, they could exchange a few words.

And when it came to dealing with Sword Cultivators, Duo Bao Child was quite experienced.

You just had to praise their sword.

"Fellow Daoist, may I touch your sword?"

Duo Bao Child got straight to the point and then expressed his admiration for the Upper Profound Sword Sect. With a bit of back and forth, he quickly struck up a rapport with the Profound Iron Sword Master.

"To be honest, I felt that Fellow Daoist Five Elements’s assessment was a bit one-sided," Duo Bao Child said with a smile. "That Yuan Tu may be formidable, but he’s not invincible. With your strength, Fellow Daoist—and as a Sword Cultivator, no less—you might not be his match, but lasting a hundred-some exchanges would be no problem at all."

These words immediately scratched an itch for the Profound Iron Sword Master.

After all, Five Elements Zhenren’s earlier speech had left him speechless. Now that he’d finally heard what he felt was a "fair assessment," how could he not be pleased?

He instantly started to warm up to Duo Bao Child.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist."

The Profound Iron Sword Master waved his hand dismissively. "If that Demon is truly as strong as Fellow Daoist Five Elements claims, then I fear only the Sect Leader of my Sword Sect would be able to fight him."

"Master Shangxuan?"

Duo Bao Child’s eyes lit up. He heaped on more praise before saying, "Speaking of which, I heard Master Shangxuan is attempting to break through to the Late Stage."

"Such an attempt is fraught with peril. The Celestial Thunder tribulation is incredibly difficult to overcome. Aren’t you worried, Fellow Daoist?"

"Hahaha!"

The Profound Iron Sword Master burst out laughing. "The ’breakthrough to the Late Stage’ was just a rumor we spread deliberately. How could the Sect Leader be so reckless?"

"The Sect Leader received backing from the Sword Pavilion to refine a Supreme Spiritual Sword. As soon as it’s complete, he will rush here to support us. That’s why I wasn’t worried about anyone launching a sneak attack on Profound Sword Mountain—the Sect Leader isn’t in closed-door seclusion for a breakthrough. He can intervene at any moment if a crisis arises!"

"I can even contact the Sect Leader if necessary."

As he spoke, the Profound Iron Sword Master produced a lamp from his sleeve. "Before I left, the Sect Leader specially refined this Soul Lamp and entrusted it to me."

"The lamp contains a wisp of the Sect Leader’s Divine Sense."

"Through this Divine Sense connection, I can contact the Sect Leader via the Soul Lamp at any time to check on the situation at Profound Sword Mountain. What’s there to worry about?"

As the Profound Iron Sword Master spoke, he realized something was wrong.

Duo Bao Child’s face had turned a ghastly white, his mouth was twitching uncontrollably, and he was pointing a trembling finger at him.

"Fellow Daoist?"

The Profound Iron Sword Master paused, confused. He looked himself over. ’My clothes are fine, the Soul Lamp is out, my Spirit Sword is intact—nothing seems to be wrong. What could be...?’

"...Wait."

The Profound Iron Sword Master froze.

In the next instant, he blinked. Then this immaculate, Mid-phase Foundation-Stage Cultivator did something unprecedented: he rubbed his eyes.

’I’m not seeing things... It’s out.’

’It’s out?!’

CLANG! The lamp dropped to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces, for the Divine Sense and Mana that sustained it had completely dissipated.

In that moment, the Profound Iron Sword Master wished his Sect Leader really had been attempting a breakthrough to the Late Stage. At least then he could have told himself that the Sect Leader had merely failed, causing the Soul Lamp to go out. But now, he couldn’t lie to himself. There was only one explanation for Master Shangxuan’s Soul Lamp being extinguished:

The Upper Profound Sword Sect had fallen! 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Impossible... Impossible!!!" The Profound Iron Sword Master’s eyes went dark as he muttered the words. Sword Qi erupted from his body—his Sword Heart was failing!

But in the next instant—

"SLAP!"

A full-force slap cracked across the Profound Iron Sword Master’s face, snapping him out of his daze. He stared blankly at the one who had hit him.

It was none other than Duo Bao Child.

Duo Bao Child’s own expression had changed. His face was a mask of terror, yet his eyes were sharp and clear, radiating an extreme, almost unnerving calm.

"Fellow Daoist, don’t panic," Duo Bao Child said in a low, urgent voice. "I just sealed the qi-trace; no one else knows what happened to the Upper Profound Sword Sect. This is our chance! We need to use this window of opportunity to slip away. There’s no point in defending Dragon-Crushing Pass anymore!"

Duo Bao Child saw the situation with perfect clarity.

The fall of the Upper Profound Sword Sect meant that Qing Country’s strongest reinforcements were gone. Dragon-Crushing Pass was now an isolated outpost, completely cut off from support.

In contrast, the Demon Sect’s morale was soaring.

’How could they possibly win this fight?’

"Staying in Dragon-Crushing Pass is a death sentence. We either find a new backer, or we run. Or perhaps you’d rather try your luck with reincarnation, Fellow Daoist Xuan Tie?"

Faced with a matter of life and death, the Profound Iron Sword Master came to his senses.

"Fellow Daoist... You’re right!"

’With the Upper Profound Sword Sect destroyed, Dragon-Crushing Pass has become a deathtrap. If we don’t run now, we’ll be trapped for good when the Demon Sect pushes south and attacks!’

But his resolve quickly crumbled into despair. "But even if we run... where do we go?"

’South? The Sword Pavilion is to the south. They backed my sect, expecting us to fight to the death. They would never allow me to desert my post.’

’East? Qing Country would certainly make an example of us.’

’North? Defect to the Stain Sect?’

At this thought, the way the Profound Iron Sword Master looked at Duo Bao Child suddenly changed.

’You little... you couldn’t really be a spy for the Demon Sect—no, the *Stain* Sect, could you?’

At the same time, Duo Bao Child noticed the Profound Iron Sword Master’s gaze—one that was half-suspicious, half-expectant—and instantly understood its unspoken meaning.

"I’m really not!"

Duo Bao Child looked resigned. At this point, he almost wished he *was* a spy for the Stain Sect, but he truly had nothing to do with those brutes from the North.

"I was talking about going west—to take refuge with the Buddhists!"

As he spoke, Duo Bao Child reached into his robes and produced a small, jade-carved Buddha Statue. "To be perfectly honest with you, the Pure Land once approached me."

He wasn’t a spy for the Stain Sect.

He was a spy for the Pure Land!

"A Great Arhat from the Pure Land promised me: the more people I bring over to the Pure Land during this war, the higher my future status will be, with the right to establish my own temples."

Duo Bao Child lowered his voice. "And you, Fellow Daoist Xuan Tie, are the first Perfected Person I’ve recruited. The benefits of joining now are immense. Later, you can recruit people too. The more people we bring in, the more resources we’ll have for our future cultivation in the Pure Land."

"..."

The Profound Iron Sword Master fell silent for a moment. But then he thought, ’My sect is gone. What’s there to hesitate about?’ He gritted his teeth.

"What do I have to do?"

Duo Bao Child was overjoyed. "Just place your hand on the Buddha Statue."

The Profound Iron Sword Master immediately reached out his hand.

The next instant, he felt a ray of Buddha Light emerge in his Spiritual Space. It was like a blazing sun slowly rising, instantly illuminating his mind.

Then, a white Lotus Platform emerged from the Buddha Light. Seated upon it was a Dharma Body possessing the thirty-two Perfect Appearances of a Buddha. It had the fleshy topknot of an enlightened one, held a Dharma Artifact, and radiated a Splendid Light. A compassionate smile graced its lips, and its every gesture exuded a transcendent aura far beyond that of an ordinary Foundation-Stage Cultivator.

"Amitabha."

The Buddha’s name echoed from the Dharma Body, instantly smoothing away the Profound Iron Sword Master’s panic and fear, replacing them with a look of serene tranquility.

He then brought his palms together and exclaimed with a sigh:

"Alas! Only today do I truly know who I am!"

"Amitabha!"