Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 292: Chapter 292: The Terror of the Golden Talent

「Three days later.」

Lü Yang carefully savored the gains from his recent cultivation session.

”Excellent. It really worked!”

”Before, I was only after the Cultivation Technique, so direct torture was the way to go. But things are different now. Killing them outright would be far too wasteful.”

This was even beneficial for his Seeking Gold!

”The Fruit of Pomegranate Wood is the transformation of wood itself. It is pure gold yet belongs to the wood element, bearing countless seeds, each glittering brightly within its chamber... Therefore, my cultivation aligns with its fundamental imagery!”

Of course, this was just a coincidence.

The only reason Lü Yang chose the Fruit of Pomegranate Wood as his objective for Seeking Gold in this life was for the sake of his Dao path.

At this thought, Lü Yang turned back around.

He saw that Master Xiuxin had already regained consciousness.

As for Yun Miaozhen, she had been watching up until this very moment.

”Alright, both of you can get up.”

Lü Yang reached out and pulled Master Xiuxin up, who offered no resistance.

Then, Lü Yang conjured a wisp of Spiritual Fire, which vaporized every trace of what had happened. Once the scene was clean, he looked at the master and disciple and nodded with satisfaction.

”You are to forget everything that happened between us today.”

”And another thing—stop your plotting against Yun Miaqing. From now on, you two should be united as sisters.”

Yun Miaozhen and Master Xiuxin both nodded.

Watching them, Lü Yang felt a surge of accomplishment. ’No matter the process, at least I did a good deed this time, right?’

’I really am a good person!’

At this thought, Lü Yang turned to Master Xiuxin. ”Tell me about the Sword Pavilion’s recent movements. And has the Saint Sect been making any major moves in the North?”

He needed to confirm the timeline.

Yun Miaqing hadn’t yet fallen into the hands of the Saint Sect, so Lü Yang could only deduce that the starting point of this life wasn’t far from his first anchor point.

’It might even be the same time, just in a different place.’

’After all, judging from Yun Miaozhen’s actions, she was already setting a trap for Yun Miaqing to be abducted by a Saint Sect Disciple and turned into a living textbook for their Cultivation Technique...’

Just as Lü Yang thought of this, he heard Master Xiuxin say in a low voice:

”The Sword Pavilion is currently mobilizing personnel, organized by the Third Elder, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, to prepare an attack on the Mass Grave and uproot the Marvel entirely.”

”.....Oh?” Lü Yang’s eyebrow shot up when he heard this.

Jiangnan Mass Grave!

’If I recall correctly, the Saint Sect pushed into the South and established this Mass Grave after winning the Battle for the Dao. Later, the Sword Sect managed to seize it.’

The loss of the Jiangnan Mass Grave directly triggered the Saint Sect’s ”Death-Warding Skeleton bubble.” Then, the Saint Sect announced that their Sect Leader True Monarch had personally intervened to reclaim the Mass Grave and had reached a peace accord with the Sword Pavilion. The result was that all the Qi Refining Disciples were thoroughly fleeced.

At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal.

Looking at it now, however, Lü Yang realized there was something very fishy going on... The biggest issue was the claim that the Sect Leader True Monarch had personally taken action!

’A Saint Sect True Monarch barging into the South just to reclaim a Mass Grave?’

’Impossible!’

’A Mass Grave, while important, is ultimately just a Marvel on the level of Qing Country. It’s nothing more than a pawn for Perfected Lords to use in their grand strategies.’

The player himself entering the game just for a single pawn?

It was as unthinkable as the Daoist Court Emperor personally leading a northern expedition back when Minor Metal annihilated Qing Country.

And releasing the news just to fleece the disciples? That was even more unlikely. The Saint Sect’s Contribution Points were created specifically for talented Qi Refining Disciples and held no value for Foundation-Stage Cultivators. What would be the point of fleecing them for Contribution Points? At best, it would have been a convenient afterthought.

Unless—

’Unless... something that even a Perfected Lord would covet has appeared in that Mass Grave, and the Sword Pavilion simply discovered it first, got the jump on them, and seized it?’

At this thought, a contemplative expression appeared on Lü Yang’s face.

Judging by the final outcome—that the Saint Sect and the Sword Pavilion chose to negotiate—neither side likely suffered a loss. In fact, the Sword Pavilion might have even come out slightly ahead.

’There’s a secret behind this!’

Lü Yang’s eyes shifted, but he quickly calmed himself. Going there personally was out of the question. His goal for this life was already set.

He would grow his power in secret, then shock the world!

’I’ll lay low and use my Dharma Body to gather resources out in the world. I’ll use them to nurture my Immortal Spirit Body all the way to Foundation Establishment Perfection in one fell swoop. Only then will I emerge and immediately begin Seeking Gold!’

To do this, he needed a lot of puppets.

’The Puppet Talent Skill is perfect for this. The Jiangnan Mass Grave... I’ll have Master Xiuxin go for me and see exactly what secrets it holds.’

At this thought, Lü Yang looked at the two women again.

The next moment, with a sharp CLAP of his hands, he vanished from where he stood. Both Master Xiuxin and Yun Miaozhen shuddered violently.

”HSSS—!”

The two women swayed slightly and instinctively checked themselves over, but they felt nothing amiss. When their eyes met, their gazes were perfectly lucid.

”....Miao Zhen.”

After a moment of silence, Master Xiuxin suddenly shook her head. ”Let’s postpone the matter with Miaoqing for now. I’ve decided to accept the sect’s call to arms.”

”I will be heading to the Jiangnan Mass Grave soon.”

”How about we handle Miaoqing’s situation after I get back?”

Yun Miaozhen’s expression remained unchanged. She simply nodded. ”I understand, Master. Your orders come first. We can deal with Miaoqing anytime.”

Master Xiuxin nodded slightly upon hearing this. ”Good.”

From beginning to end, neither of them noticed anything wrong. Even their personalities hadn’t changed, yet they still made the decision Lü Yang wanted.

Hidden in the shadows, Lü Yang saw this and nodded with satisfaction.

”Just in case, I’ll test them for a few more days.”

”Once I’m sure there are no issues with the Puppet Talent Skill, I’ll have Master Xiuxin gather all her friends. I’ll lay the bait, then take control of them one by one.”

Although the Puppet Talent Skill has a cultivation limit—it can only control cultivators weaker than him—the more he accumulates, the more terrifying its potential becomes in the later stages.