Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

To be honest, Lü Yang had never expected to meet Ang Xiao again in this lifetime, and certainly not in such a dramatic and abrupt situation.

‘This isn’t right, calm down.’

Lü Yang clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to flee: ‘The one exploring the 【Changyao Treasure Light Cave Heaven】 is Daoist Xiao Hai, what does that have to do with me?’

‘With the 【Puppet Strings】 as a barrier, he can’t see me!’

It was just an intimidation tactic!

Lü Yang was one hundred percent confident in this, as this golden talent was bestowed by the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】.

【Puppet Strings: Seize another’s fate, inherit their karma, and you can hide beneath their appearance, manipulating them like a puppet. No one can trace the origin.】

If it claimed no one could trace it, then no one could!

Stay strong!

The confidence from the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes forced Lü Yang to stabilize his emotions, continuing to use Daoist Xiao Hai’s line of sight to directly stare at 【Ang Xiao】.

In that moment, everything fell into absolute silence.

“.”

Even the rising Si Fire froze in mid-air. The sparks that should have danced around hung motionless, and though the surroundings should have been boiling hot, it now felt as frigid as winter.

Daoist Xiao Hai’s expression was frozen in that instant of terror, even his thoughts halted. The only thing moving within this fragment of Cave Heaven was the silhouette standing amidst the fire. He rested one hand on his cheek, the other folded across his chest, eyes blazing as he fixed his gaze on Daoist Xiao Hai.

His gaze was like a torch.

The fluctuations in Daoist Xiao Hai’s energy, his magical power, the dilation of his pupils, shifts in his sight, and the karma surrounding him—all were captured fully by that gaze.

【Ang Xiao】’s smile faded slightly.

“Which fellow Daoist?”

He spoke slowly, and his voice made the entire fragment of Cave Heaven tremble. The Si Fire resumed flowing, slowly creeping up Daoist Xiao Hai’s body!

In just a blink, dense serpents of flame engulfed Daoist Xiao Hai, crawling into his seven orifices, flooding his organs and spiritual sea. The roaring fire illuminated this pitiful Foundation Establishment Daoist, making his body nearly transparent—any anomaly was impossible to conceal.

Yet 【Ang Xiao】 found nothing.

‘An illusion?’

The vast Cave Heaven still held only himself. This result flashed a trace of confusion in his eyes, but that soon gave way to certainty:

‘Impossible!’

‘My senses aren’t wrong—someone is watching me, using this Foundation Establishment Daoist as a medium. But I can’t identify... who?’

In this world, there were few people he could call “Daoist.” After all, he monopolized five fruit positions on his own, leaving none for others. Such a feat was rare. As someone who had broken through to the late Golden Core stage with such a method, he was among the strongest—how else could he scheme against the Underworld?

‘Could it be... a Dao Lord watching me?’

【Ang Xiao】’s gaze turned cautious. He did know of one similar method: the Pure Land! That Venerable of the Groove liked using such means.

‘But it doesn’t make sense. What would make me worthy of a Dao Lord’s attention?’

His gaze grew colder as he sized up Daoist Xiao Hai. The man was strong, very strong—but far from enough to attract the attention of any of the four Dao Lords.

They were simply not on the same level.

If the mortal world was a vast sea of suffering where all beings sank, only a True Person could ascend by achieving the Fruit Position, using it as a boat to sail above the sea.

Then a Dao Lord had already transcended the sea, reaching the other shore.

The world and concerns in a Dao Lord’s eyes were already beyond the mundane, fundamentally different from anyone else’s—and certainly not focused on him.

‘Should I... kill him?’

【Ang Xiao】 frowned. This Li Clan of Sea Harvesting was a carefully selected pawn of his, used to conceal this fragment of Cave Heaven for many years.

But not to bury it entirely.

Rather, to leave some trace.

Because only in this way, when Daoist Hong Yun exhausted himself and finally found this Cave Heaven fragment, he wouldn’t suspect a thing.

Even the first two jade slips, 《True Explanation of the Internal Observation of the Void》 and 《Upper Radiant Golden Cup Jade Light》, were intact—otherwise, they couldn’t have fooled Hong Yun. The real tampering was not in this knowledge but in the Cave Heaven fragment itself!

Once Daoist Hong Yun absorbed this Cave Heaven and made it his own blessed land—

His scheme would be complete.

But if Daoist Xiao Hai died here, that would not be certain anymore.

‘Even though I used the Knowledge Barrier to make Hong Yun forget the cause of death and suspicion toward the 【Earth of the Stars】, even stripped him of his fallback for reclaiming the Fruit Position—’

‘He’s still a True Person.’

‘After five thousand years, even with the Knowledge Barrier, he must have realized something’s wrong. Now, Hong Yun is likely as skittish as a frightened bird.’

‘In such a situation, if this Foundation Establishment Daoist dies here, Hong Yun would certainly become suspicious, and that would birth many variables—no, from the moment this Foundation Establishment Daoist appeared here, my plan already had a variable!’

But where did this variable come from?

【Ang Xiao】 calculated with his fingers, but gained nothing. His brows furrowed deeply—this was the first time he felt a lack of control.

‘...Forget it, let the unchanging meet all changes.’

In the next second, 【Ang Xiao】 calmed down, stepped back, and his figure melted into the raging Si Fire once more.

Then time resumed.

Daoist Xiao Hai blinked. The previous terror vanished as if it had never happened, quickly fading—he’d already forgotten why he had been so terrified.

He hadn’t encountered anything major.

Nor found any great opportunity.

“What a pity.”

Thinking this, Daoist Xiao Hai couldn’t help but sigh, “Who would’ve thought this Cave Heaven was empty? Not a single treasure. Came here for nothing.”

As he spoke, he ignored the three jade slips on the table.

Next moment, he turned and decisively left the Cave Heaven. Behind him, 【Ang Xiao】 silently watched his back.

‘Unknown Daoist... interesting.’

A warm smile slowly spread across his face. After over five thousand years of solitary scheming, a bit of unpredictability was actually delightful.

‘Let me see what move you’ll make!’

“I’m outta here!”

Withdrawing his view from 【Puppet Strings】, Lü Yang patted his chest in lingering fear. “This lifetime, I’m not stepping near Gantang Dao again!”

That wretched place was too dangerous!

That said, a daring thought rose in Lü Yang’s heart: “But Uncle-Master Chong Guang would definitely be interested in that Cave Heaven...”

The method of creating a Cave Heaven blessed land!

The method of sensing 【Overturning Lamp Fire】!

At this point in time, Chong Guang probably hadn’t reincarnated yet. These two methods would be enough to spur him into action, and once he came, how could True Person Feixue not come too?

‘That 『Chronicles of Ming Light』 clearly records suspicion toward the 【Earth of the Stars】. If I can get Chong Guang to see it, he’ll be on guard, and I’ll also build goodwill. Later, I can obtain his reincarnated Immortal Spirit Body, and that Xin Metal Qi.’

【Pomegranate Wood】 was a fusion of Gengshen and Xinyou.

Since this life he planned to prove the path of 【Pomegranate Wood】, Xin Metal Qi was crucial. Planting the seeds early was wise.

Not to mention getting True Person Feixue to fight Ang Xiao!

If 【Ang Xiao】’s existence was exposed early, then the grand-scale gold-seeking campaign by Chong Guang in the previous life would be even more spectacular in this one.

That would be his chance!

‘Roughly a hundred years left.’

Lü Yang thought, a clear plan forming in his mind:

‘In a hundred years, I must nurture the Immortal Spirit Body to Foundation Establishment perfection, and ideally, connect with Suo Huan, letting him and Chong Guang go gold-seeking together.’

‘With those two elite talents drawing all attention—’

‘I can calmly lay my groundwork, emerging as a perfected Foundation Establishment Immortal Spirit, and when no one can stop me, directly achieve the True Person Fruit Position!’

Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds, Sacred Fire Cliff.

Inside a spacious grand hall sat a man not particularly handsome, but with a heroic sharpness between his brows, occupying the head seat.

It was none other than True Person Chong Guang!

In his hand was a radiant flying message—the one Lü Yang had previously sent with a spell, detailing the secret of the Jiangnan Mass Grave.

Additionally, Lü Yang described how he reincarnated into Jiangnan, acting as an undercover agent, remaining in the Sword Pavilion with his heart loyal to the Primordial Saint Sect. It made Chong Guang click his tongue in amazement.

Traitors to the Saint Sect were actually quite common.

After all, among the four great sects, only the Saint Sect had a worse environment—and the Pure Land allowed entry but not exit, so it had no risk of rebellion.

In comparison, the Sword Pavilion and Dao Court were much better.

So many ordinary True Persons with no future in their path chose not to return to the Saint Sect after reincarnation, instead changing identities to join the Sword Pavilion or Dao Court.

But of all who left, this was the first one to send back a message declaring loyalty to the Saint Sect.

“Interesting...”

True Person Chong Guang looked at the name signed at the end of the message and fell into a brief silence: “Yuan Tu... our Saint Sect still has such a loyal True Person?”