Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Moving the Mountain

Slaughter the Sect, wipe out its lineage!

Such a casual statement, spoken by a young man who looked more like a student on a spring outing, carried a strong sense of unreality.

The two Sword Sect disciples even thought they had misheard.

But they would have no chance to ask again.

SWISH!

A Sword Light flashed from its sheath, circling nimbly around their necks. Two heads promptly fell, and the stench of blood instantly alerted the Upper Profound Sword Sect.

”Who’s there?!”

”What scoundrel dares trespass against our Sword Sect?!”

Streams of Sword Light rose from all over Profound Sword Mountain, their owners’ voices a mixture of shock and fury. But the next second, their cries were choked off in their throats.

At the very peak of Profound Sword Mountain, the two Foundation-Stage Cultivators, the Profound Gold Sword Master and the Profound Silver Sword Master, were startled awake. Their Spiritual Sense screamed that a catastrophe was upon their home. The Profound Gold Sword Master, in particular, looked panicked. He rushed out of his Quiet Chamber and stared in the direction of the commotion.

The next moment, looks of disbelief spread across their faces.

”What... is that?”

Profound Sword Mountain was nestled among a range of peaks, and it should have been surrounded by flowers, grass, and trees. Now, however, all they could see was a vast, oppressive tide of white.

RUMBLE!

The monstrous white tide surged, and figures emerged from it one after another. Clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons, their numbers exceeded ten thousand.

Two people led them, a man and a woman.

The woman was peerlessly beautiful with a cold expression, a great hall roiling with Yin Fiend standing behind her. The man wore a long-suffering expression, standing atop a Yin Yang Great Dao Map.

Both were clearly Foundation-Stage Cultivators!

Yet at this moment, these two Foundation-Stage Cultivators stood with their hands respectfully at their sides, flanking a handsome, spirited Daoist in a Profound Cloak who held a Magical Sword in a reverse grip.

For a moment, the Profound Silver Sword Master’s eyes filled with horror. With his perception as a Foundation-Stage Cultivator, he could naturally tell that the oppressive tide of people below were not real living beings, but something akin to puppets... Nevertheless, it was undeniable that even as puppets, they represented a terrifying force.

Although the enemy was, in reality, just one person, his power was enough to rival the entire Upper Profound Sword Sect!

As this thought crossed his mind, the Profound Silver Sword Master was about to step forward and question them, but before he could move, his arm was seized in a death grip by the Profound Gold Sword Master beside him.

”Profound Gold...?!”

The Profound Silver Sword Master turned his head and froze. He saw that the Profound Gold Sword Master, who had always been so proud and confident, was now pale with a face full of panic.

”It’s him... It’s him!”

”He’s that Fierce Demon!”

At these words, the Profound Silver Sword Master’s expression changed as well. The Profound Gold Sword Master had fled back from the North, and his tales were filled with descriptions of this so-called Fierce Demon.

”Activate the Sword Array!”

The next second, the Profound Silver Sword Master bellowed the order. His reaction was incredibly fast. Within Profound Sword Mountain, ten thousand swords hummed in unison, and the brilliance of the array instantly illuminated the sky.

But Lü Yang was not the least bit flustered by the sight.

He was even smiling. ”Fellow Daoists, do you take me for the kind of fool who, unaware of his own stupidity, would openly charge your gates just because he thinks he’s powerful?”

”What...?”

Hearing this, the Profound Silver Sword Master froze. Before he could react, countless screams suddenly erupted from within Profound Sword Mountain, which was supposed to be protected by the Sword Array!

Looking out, they saw that the Mountain Protection Sword Array, which should have been used against external enemies, had turned on the disciples of the Upper Profound Sword Sect. Countless Sword Lights rained down in an instant. Except for the disciples at the Final-phase of Qi Refining, the rest were caught completely off guard and were pierced through by the Sword Lights in a flash!

In an instant, the entire Profound Sword Mountain was stained crimson.

”This is impossible!” the Profound Silver Sword Master shrieked, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. The Profound Gold Sword Master was simply stunned. ”How could this be? Why would the Mountain Protection Sword Array turn against us...?”

”Nothing is impossible.”

Lü Yang shook his head. ”The fact that the Upper Profound Sword Sect has a Mountain Protection Sword Array is no secret. Since I knew about it, how could I have come unprepared?”

He always planned meticulously before acting, preferring to show off in the most foolproof way possible.

’Why would I put myself in danger without a hundred percent certainty of success?’

Just yesterday, he had used [Star Concealment] to hide his Qi trace and, relying on his skills as a Sixth Grade Array Master, secretly modified the Upper Profound Sword Sect’s Sword Array.

”The very fact that I am here means this place is perfectly safe for me.”

Lü Yang smiled calmly. ”And when I said I would slaughter the Sect and wipe out its lineage, it was because the deed was already done... I only came up the mountain today to tie up some loose ends.”

”After all, there is one person in your esteemed sect who is rather troublesome.”

Lü Yang’s voice had barely faded.

CLANG! CLANG!

A clear sword hum rang out from the belly of Profound Sword Mountain. At first, it was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, but after a few breaths, it echoed both inside and outside the peak.

Immediately after, a tall, middle-aged man in a Daoist Robe appeared in the sky above Profound Sword Mountain. He had sharp, sword-like brows that reached his temples and a resolute expression. With a grand wave of his hand, he sent out thousands of Sword Lights to protect all the disciples. Only then did he turn his head to look down at Lü Yang at the foot of the mountain.

Their gazes met.

The next second, a Sword Light flared to life!

SWOOSH—!

Without a single word, a Sword Light slashed directly along the line of sight. Almost simultaneously, the Divine Power Radiance appeared on Lü Yang’s body.

Then, the Sword Light unleashed by the middle-aged man seemed to lose its aim completely, veering wildly off course. Instead of slashing at Lü Yang, it landed in the forest several hundred meters to his left. Though it felled a great number of trees, it didn’t harm the motionless Lü Yang in the slightest, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

”...Hmm?”

Seeing this, Master Shangxuan’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Lü Yang with a hint of surprise. ”You can actually evade my Sword Intent’s lock?”

His Sword Intent directly slashed at karmic links; ordinary methods could not evade it.

Even a cultivator of the same level, in theory, could only choose to face his Sword Light head-on. Yet Lü Yang had managed to avoid it, which showed that his Ability was anything but ordinary.

”Sword Intent... Truly impressive.”

Lü Yang remarked with a sigh. ”I’ve heard that you, fellow Daoist, received the inheritance of the Celestial Sword Pavilion. I imagine you must have a Secret Sword Technique or two from them on you, right?”

”What, you want them?”

Master Shangxuan was quite calm, his eyes seeming to dissect Lü Yang. ”That Ability of yours is very powerful, but it’s not in perfect harmony with your Innate self.”

”If I’m not mistaken, this Ability comes from an external object.”

”Your cultivation hasn’t reached Mid-stage Perfection yet, has it? It’s an empowerment, like an Official Position from the Dao Court. With an unstable foundation, you’re ultimately nothing but a clay chicken and a pottery dog.”

As he spoke, Master Shangxuan’s Sword Intent began to surge.

The familiar, needle-like pain made Lü Yang narrow his eyes. ”I’ve met another powerful Sword Cultivator. You’re about on par with him.”

Lü Yang was, of course, referring to Ye Xingfeng.

To date, Ye Xingfeng was the only person he had seen who could, at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment, defeat someone at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Perfection—in other words, challenge and win against someone of a higher level.

Although it wasn’t a challenge that crossed a major Realm, it was still a gap between having one Innate Divine Technique and two, which showed just how powerful Ye Xingfeng was. In comparison, while Master Shangxuan was inferior to Ye Xingfeng in aspects like Spiritual Treasures, Dao Foundation, and Abilities, he had already reached Mid-stage Perfection.

Being a level higher in his Realm was enough to erase all other differences.

’To be honest, if I were to fight him with my current strength, it would be a fifty-fifty match at best. And I wouldn’t be able to stop him from escaping or calling for outside help.’

Fortunately, he had come prepared.

At this thought, Lü Yang immediately began to perform a finger technique. At almost the same instant, Master Shangxuan merged with his Sword Light and slashed down at Lü Yang’s head from afar.

RUMBLE!

With a tremendous crash, the [Black Mantle of Hundredfold Wards] activated again. Lü Yang was completely unscathed, and his finger technique never paused. A splendid light blossomed at his fingertips.

This splendid light was but a spark at first, but it quickly grew into a raging wildfire, merging into the Grand Ward of Profound Sword Mountain that Lü Yang now controlled. In an instant, it enveloped the entire Divine Mountain, trapping Master Shangxuan, the Profound Gold and Profound Silver Sword Masters, and all the Sword Sect disciples within the array.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

During this time, Master Shangxuan did not stop. He unleashed three more sword strikes, all of which were once again blocked by the Divine Effect of Lü Yang’s [Black Mantle of Hundredfold Wards].

”I see... So it’s not about power, but the number of hits.”

Master Shangxuan had cultivated for several hundred years and was rich in experience. Although he had only struck three times, he had already figured out the characteristics of this Spiritual Treasure and immediately changed his tactics.

The next second, he slashed out over ten thousand Sword Lights!

Each Sword Light was weaker than before, but as long as they struck simultaneously, they could still break through the [Black Mantle of Hundredfold Wards] and injure Lü Yang’s Dharma Body!

But just then, Lü Yang moved.

”Perfected Yin Shan is attacking Dragon-Crushing Pass, using Blood Filth Qi to temporarily weaken its array’s power. This allows me to shift the void just a little over here...”

Before his voice had even faded, two Abilities flared to life!

[Separation]! [Commanding Mountain Shifting Technique]!

”I invite you all on a trip to the North!”

Lü Yang laughed heartily as the Splendid Light blooming from his fingertip filled everyone’s vision in the blink of an eye, swallowing them all.

When the Splendid Light faded, Master Shangxuan stood frozen in place.

The surroundings had changed.

Profound Sword Mountain was still there, but it was no longer surrounded by a dense forest. Instead, it stood on a flat plain, from which sky-piercing Qi traces rose one after another.

The leader was dressed in a black robe, his expression gloomy.

It was none other than Perfected Yin Shan!

Behind him were Huanxiang and Yu Chan, along with numerous other Foundation-Stage Cultivators who had been summoned by the Stain Sect this time—their numbers easily exceeded ten!

However, the faces of these Perfected Persons were also filled with astonishment. They stared in disbelief at Lü Yang, who stood with his hands behind his back. This was especially true for Huanxiang and Yu Chan, who finally understood why Lü Yang hadn’t appeared at Dragon-Crushing Pass earlier... They had assumed he was just launching a sneak attack on the Upper Profound Sword Sect.

Who could have possibly imagined that he would move the entire Profound Sword Mountain over here!

”Fellow Daoists, what are you all standing around for?”

The next second, Lü Yang’s voice drifted out ominously, ”We are demons of the Outer Dao. What’s the point of talking about honor and justice with a Sword Cultivator of the Righteous Dao? Everyone, attack with me!”

”Gang up on him!”

”Wait, there’s been a misunderstand—”

Before Master Shangxuan could finish, more than ten Foundation-Stage Cultivators simultaneously activated their Spiritual Treasures and Abilities, and he was instantly drowned in a torrent of splendid radiances!

Compared to fighting honorably one-on-one, this was the true style of the Stain Sect.

So what if he was at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Perfection? If bullying the weak didn’t work, then they’d just overwhelm the few with numbers! As long as there wasn’t a qualitative gap in power, they could bury him with a human wave!