Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 309: Chapter 309: The Secret of the Millennial Great Tribulation

As the words fell, the Primal Daoist’s voice echoed through the clouds like rolling thunder.

Lü Yang let out a deep breath. The moment the Primal Daoist finished speaking, a flood of memories surfaced in his mind.

These memories were not his own.

They had simply appeared ’out of thin air.’ He could even feel the bizarre sensation of the memories emerging from his mind, piece by piece, as he recalled them.

These memories were the rules of [No Heaven].

’There are five scenes within [No Heaven]. Each one corresponds to a Tribulation the Primal Daoist encountered five thousand years ago.’

’It’s because of these five Tribulations that the Primal Daoist was ultimately stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage.’

’This ”Breaking the Tribulation” means I must enter [No Heaven] and, assuming the identity of the Primal Daoist, overcome the challenges represented by those five Tribulations.’

’Overcome one Tribulation, and I’ll gain one of his Abilities.’

’Overcome all five, and I’ll be able to take control of [No Heaven]!’

A sudden realization dawned on Lü Yang. Breaking the Tribulation, taking control of the Fruit—those were secondary. The real key was that this was a Cultivation Method corresponding to the [No Heaven] Fruit!

’A Fruit is held high in the heavens, propped up by the many Cultivators below!’

Lü Yang immediately recalled the characteristics of a Fruit. ’Without Cultivators to prop it up, although the Fruit’s Mighty Power remains unchanged, it will retreat from the world, making it difficult to attain.’

’Just like [No Heaven] is now. With no one practicing its method, it has yet to truly reach Perfection!’

At this thought, Lü Yang couldn’t help but look toward the Primal Daoist, his heart filled with an indescribable shock. In the past, World Purger Fei Xue herself had said that attaining a Void Certificate was an illusory dream.

But from the looks of it, [No Heaven] possessed nearly all the characteristics of a Fruit!

’How did he do it?’

’Just with a [Fruit of Long-Flow Water]? Or by channeling a fraction of Mighty Power with a Daoist Remnant... If it were that simple to create a Void Certificate, how could it be that no one has ever succeeded?’

Moreover, the Primal Daoist’s Void Certificate was different. Lü Yang had heard World Purger Fei Xue say in his past life that even a Void Certificate from a First-Grade True Skill was, in essence, plundered from an external source, not created from thin air. But the [No Heaven] that the Primal Daoist had manifested was truly, in every sense of the word, created from nothing!

”Daoist, your reputation is well-deserved.”

Thinking this, Lü Yang cupped his hands in admiration and offered, a bit tentatively, ”You are truly worthy of being called the incarnation of the Millennial Tribulation.”

”...Oh?”

At these words, the Primal Daoist, who had been quite calm, suddenly raised his eyebrows. ”The incarnation of the tribulation... Is that truly what you think of me, Daoist?”

”It is what a Perfected Lord from my sect told me.”

”Oh, then that’s not surprising.”

At this, the Primal Daoist gave a cold sneer. ”A swarm of vermin. Selfish parasites who contribute nothing to Heaven and Earth. It’s only natural they would slander me.”

Lü Yang’s eyebrow twitched at his words.

’Slander? Does that mean the part about him being an incarnation of the tribulation is a lie?’

The next moment, the Primal Daoist looked at him and continued, ”Do you know what the Millennial Tribulation truly is?”

”I have a guess,” Lü Yang said, cupping his hands. ”I suspect the Millennial Tribulation is a period of war between our world and the various Outer Realms beyond the heavens.”

”...Hah!”

The Primal Daoist nodded. ”To have guessed that much... it seems the faction backing you truly has a Perfected Lord at its helm.”

Hearing this, Lü Yang cursed inwardly.

’No wonder he suddenly asked me that. He was testing me, trying to confirm whether I really have a Perfected Lord backing me.’

”This talk of war... you’re not far from the truth.”

The Primal Daoist continued.

”The Millennial Tribulation is indeed a time of war between realms. It is a grand campaign waged by all the Perfected Lords of our world, an effort to conquer and shatter other realms to devour their Fruits.”

”This should have been a good thing.”

”After all, by absorbing the Fruits of other Outer Realms, the Fruits of our own Heaven and Earth would constantly improve, and the power of the Perfected Lords would rise like a tide lifting all boats.”

”However... the Perfected Lords are all selfish creatures!”

As he spoke, a hint of resentment colored the Primal Daoist’s tone. ”They discovered that the spoils from conquering the Outer Realms didn’t have to be integrated into our Heaven and Earth.”

”They didn’t integrate the resources they seized from the Outer Realms into Heaven and Earth. Instead, they chose to absorb them into their own Grotto Heavens, allowing those personal domains to become eternal and unfalling. This, in turn, allowed them to completely monopolize the Fruits... The end result is that the spoils from every war against the Outer Realms have been hoarded by these Perfected Lords!”

”If they had just integrated those spoils into Heaven and Earth, the Fruits would have grown stronger, and they would have grown stronger along with them.”

”They’re nothing but a swarm of vermin!” The Primal Daoist flicked his sleeve. ”How can one properly manage Heaven and Earth when surrounded by such creatures?”

”...” Lü Yang said nothing.

Although the Primal Daoist spoke with righteous indignation, and his words sounded reasonable at first blush, Lü Yang found himself agreeing more with the Perfected Lords’ actions after a moment’s thought.

The reason was simple.

A Perfected Lord of the Golden Core realm only lives for a thousand years. While they retain their memories through reincarnation, a form of immortality, they are not the eternal masters of their Fruit.

’So, for a Perfected Lord, what’s the point of pouring resources into the Fruit? So what if they become stronger? It doesn’t increase their lifespan. Even if I fatten up the Fruit, once my time is up and I fall from my Position, what if someone else swoops in and takes it? Wouldn’t that be a catastrophic loss?’

’A lifetime of cultivation, all for someone else’s benefit.’

’Who could accept that?’

’Compared to that, integrating the spoils of war into one’s own Grotto Heaven might be a loss for the Heaven and Earth Fruit Position, but for the Perfected Lord, it’s a massive gain!’

’No wonder... I misunderstood before!’

’I used to think a Second-Grade Cultivation Skill was about merging the Fruits from other Outer Realms into one’s own Fruit. But now it seems they’re merged into one’s Grotto Heaven!’

’That must be why the defining characteristic of the Middle Stage of Golden Core is an unfalling Grotto Heaven!’

Lü Yang instantly understood and formed a new theory about the cultivation of Perfected Lords. For them, the Fruit was perhaps an important tool for maintaining their Position.

But it wasn’t their foundation!

A Perfected Lord’s true foundation was, and always had been, their own Grotto Heaven!

With this in mind, Lü Yang looked back to the Primal Daoist. ”Forgive my ignorance, but if this is a secret among the Perfected Lords, what does it have to do with you, Senior?”

”Because I am not like them.”

The Primal Daoist stated plainly, ”Since the Perfected Lords hoard the spoils of war, Heaven and Earth naturally needed someone else to help it. I am that someone.”

”The talk of me being an ’incarnation of the tribulation’ is plausible but not quite right. However, I do possess a measure of Heaven and Earth’s blessing, and I have Merit... that is why the Perfected Lords made their move!”

”After all, they had already monopolized the spoils from the other realms. Why would they allow another mouth to feed?”

”So they conspired against me, halting my progress at the Foundation Establishment stage. This way, even if I participated in the wars, I could only take away resources on par with my cultivation level.”

”As for the Fruits from the other realms, those would remain theirs to monopolize.”

Lü Yang finally understood.

’Damn, that’s insidious!’

At this point, the Primal Daoist suddenly slammed a fist into his palm. ”There was one Perfected Lord, from one sect in particular, who was the most disgusting of all! That damn Stain Sect...”

As the words left his mouth, he glanced at Lü Yang again. ”You’re not from the Stain Sect, are you, Daoist?”

”Of course not.”

Lü Yang didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately distancing himself. With a frank expression, he declared, ”I am a disciple of the Sword Pavilion! We are the current Leader of the Righteous Path. How could I associate with Demons?”

”Is that so...”

The Primal Daoist nodded, then glanced in other directions. He hadn’t just asked Lü Yang; he had posed the same question to everyone who had entered.

The answers he received varied.

Like Lü Yang, [Ang Xiao] chose to distance himself. ”Though I was once a member of a Demon Sect, I realized its wickedness and have long since defected.”

World Purger Fei Xue, however, planted her hands on her hips and laughed aloud.

”That’s right! I’m a Perfected Lord of the Stain Sect!”

”What are you gonna do about it?”

Withdrawing his gaze, the Primal Daoist’s expression was serene. ”...Whether you are or not, it matters little. This is the first time we’ve met, and perhaps it will be the last.”

’After all, our next meeting will have to wait until you have broken through the five Tribulations, Daoist.’

’At that time, we shall discuss the Dao together.’

As the words faded, his figure quietly dissipated. The clouds and mist parted, and Lü Yang felt his body, which had been floating as if he were an immortal, suddenly plummet.

BOOM!

The next moment, Lü Yang lost consciousness.