Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Who Wants to Kill Me!?

The Immortal Alliance Headquarters.

The Immortal Alliance had dominated the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm for three thousand years. Its systems and rule were deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people. As such, the scale of its headquarters was nothing short of magnificent.

Jade palaces and grand pavilions stood in splendor.

Here, cultivators at the Nascent Soul Formation, Refining Spirit, and even Returning to Void realms—sights rarely seen in the outside world—were commonplace. Yet at this moment, they had all gathered together as if by unspoken agreement.

Right now, these Great Cultivators, normally so lofty and aloof, wore looks of terror. They stared intently at the grand hall where the Great Cultivators of Unity used to enter seclusion. To be precise, they were staring at the figure standing in the center of the hall, hands clasped behind his back, sizing them up with an amused gaze.

Just then, Guang Ming took a step forward.

“We greet the Alliance Leader!”

His resonant voice echoed in all directions. Although no one recognized Guang Ming, with someone taking the lead, others followed. The scattered shouts quickly grew into a tremendous roar:

“We greet the Alliance Leader!”

Seeing this, Lü Yang swept his Divine Sense over them. He could instantly tell how many were merely feigning compliance and how many were sincere.

Lü Yang didn’t care what opinions the people of the Immortal Alliance held about him, however. In fact, when the Saint Sect governed its subordinate sects, it never cared about their opinions. After all, the Saint Sect’s reputation was well known; getting others to submit willingly was, if not entirely hopeless, then at least an absolute impossibility.

Besides, the Immortal Alliance had ruled for so long that it naturally had no shortage of die-hard loyalists.

That was why he had already conducted a major purge before summoning everyone. ’After all, if you make me unhappy, don’t blame me for giving you a quick end.’

Those who stood before him now were the ones who had given up on resisting.

This was the first step in how the Saint Sect controlled its subordinate powers: apply force. Use absolute strength to establish one’s position and eliminate the will to resist.

Next was the second step: state one’s intentions.

“The Immortal Alliance has undergone a great change, and the Great Cultivators have entrusted me to temporarily manage its affairs. However, I have no practical experience, so I will need everyone’s full cooperation.”

A single sentence set the tone.

’Don’t worry. I won’t touch your power or status, nor will I interfere randomly. The benefits that are yours today will still be yours tomorrow!’

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several Returning to Void cultivators visibly relaxed.

And now, it was time for the third step.

Any power is bound to have factions. Where there are factions, there are conflicts of interest. If there are no conflicts of interest, create them. Then, manufacture strife.

What Lü Yang had to do was cater to the interests of the different factions. He would make grand promises to each of them, ensuring those promises were mutually exclusive. In this way, they would start fighting amongst themselves for personal gain. Lü Yang could then serve as the referee and mediator, logically establishing himself as the true master of the situation.

So, after placating the crowd, Lü Yang met with the few Returning to Void cultivators one by one.

He had many bargaining chips. After all, most of the Immortal Alliance’s resources had previously been concentrated in the hands of the Great Cultivators of Unity. Now, they all belonged to him.

Perfect for making his grand promises.

Just like that, in a mere three months, the already disunited cultivators began to fight amongst themselves, each vying to prove their worth and win Lü Yang’s favor.

With this as the new foundation, it became very difficult for them to refuse any of Lü Yang’s demands.

Thus, in his third month of ruling the Immortal Alliance, Lü Yang made cultivation techniques publicly available.

He had even come up with a slogan:

“Equality for all, freedom in cultivation!”

The cultivation techniques of the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm required one to possess a Spirit Root to practice them. However, the techniques Lü Yang provided could be easily learned by anyone.

From then on, cultivators with Spirit Roots and those without would become natural rival factions. They would begin to vie for power within the organization. It didn’t matter if an idea was good or bad; if it came from the opposing side, it was to be vehemently rejected. Decisions were no longer based on merit, but purely on allegiance.

And in order to crush their rivals, they could only rally more staunchly around Lü Yang.

This was the Fourth Step, and the final one.

This step used systemic changes to spread the conflicts of the upper echelon throughout the entire organization. It would plunge the Immortal Alliance into total chaos, rendering it incapable of any further development or progress.

Lü Yang called it the Four Steps of the First Saint.

Any power that the Saint Sect had subjected to this set of tactics could never hope to rise again. It would be thoroughly reduced to a mere appendage of the Saint Sect.

…

「In a Quiet Chamber at the Immortal Alliance Headquarters.」

Lü Yang held his breath, his focus absolute. As the Immortal Alliance’s rule in the Chaotic Flow Sea was overthrown and rebuilt, he had finally managed to extract a hazy wisp of smoke through his Foundation Establishment Realm.

’…I did it!’

Although the smoke was hazy, it carried an unprecedented sense of weight, as if it bore the thoughts and aspirations of billions of living beings.

This was the Earth of Wu, the Fate of all things, the [Zhu Wei] of the Heavenly Stems!

As Lü Yang overturned the old system of the Immortal Alliance, this formless “great mountain” had finally manifested as a wisp of Qi, landing obediently in his palm.

’Unbelievably smooth…’

Lü Yang felt a surge of emotion. It had been a long time since anything had gone this smoothly for him. With the Earth Qi in hand, he could attempt to break through to the mid-phase whenever he wanted!

However, the [Yin Fire] one had to face when breaking through to the mid-phase was not to be underestimated.

Attempting a breakthrough rashly was too risky.

To be safe, it was better to first return to the Saint Sect and ask Perfected Chong Guang if there were any methods to evade the tribulation. A breakthrough would be much safer after making full preparations.

“In that case, you’ve all outlived your usefulness.”

Lü Yang took out the [Soul-Devouring Gourd]. With a gentle shake, the twelve Great Cultivators of Unity from the Immortal Alliance were tossed out, falling wretchedly to the ground.

Then, without waiting for them to wake up, Lü Yang directly brandished the [Abi Sword].

SWOOSH—!

Sword Light flashed, instantly severing the heads of the twelve Great Cultivators of Unity. Although their True Spirits had not dispersed and they might have been able to emerge from the Emperor’s Golden Seal of Tushita in time, all their Flesh and Blood True Qi from their Fake Foundation Establishment was drained completely dry by the [Abi Sword].

The next second, a look of delighted surprise appeared on Lü Yang’s face.

Twelve Fake Foundation Establishment cultivators! Although they couldn’t compare to a true Foundation Establishment, the effect of sacrificing them to the sword was the same. It had actually granted the [Abi Sword] another Divine Effect!

This new Divine Effect was named [Li Wei].

To Lü Yang’s surprise, however, it was not a Slaughter Divine Mysterious, but an Assistive Divine Mysterious. It allowed the sword wielder to sense a life-and-death crisis in advance.

’This is redundant with the Prophetic Orrery.’

Lü Yang’s brow furrowed. He had the Prophetic Orrery to protect him. Whenever any karmic links latched onto him, he would surely sense it. He had no use for the power of [Li Wei]…

Lost in thought, Lü Yang casually activated the [Abi Sword].

But the next second—

As the Sword Light of the [Abi Sword] shone upon his body, the [Li Wei] Divine Effect activated. Lü Yang felt his Heart Spirit suddenly begin to ascend.

Then, he saw what was above his own head.

[DANGER]!

A single, massive, crimson character floated above his head. It was not part of any karmic links, yet it hovered high above, instilling in him an unprecedented sense of immense crisis.

“What… is this!?”

Lü Yang had thought there were no dangerous karmic links attached to him, but the sight he now saw through the power of [Li Wei] made his expression change drastically.

That’s right, there were no fatal karmic links on his person.

Because the crisis originated from Heaven and Earth!

So-called karmic links were merely a product of the interwoven fates between people. When a person harbors killing intent, karmic links are formed. But when Heaven itself harbors killing intent, how could any person possibly detect it?

This was completely different from the heavenly punishment that had appeared when he blew up the lay line at the Skull Mountains.

Heavenly punishment was about punishment. It was Heaven and Earth’s declaration to all living beings about what must not be done. Therefore, it was grand and imposing, known to all, and could be predicted.

However, the Heaven’s killing intent appearing now lacked such grand portents.

Heaven and Earth are ruthless; they treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs.

It was like a species being eliminated from the food chain and going extinct. Heaven and Earth’s Killing Intent was the same—it was subtle and silent, and everything would simply fall into place.

Suddenly, Lü Yang felt something and looked up at the sky.

In a daze, he seemed to see a lamp flame. Its golden cup glowed, its jade stand radiated beauty. It outshone the sun and moon, illuminating what even Heaven and Earth left dark, hanging high in the dome of the firmament.

[Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire]

’…Fortune!?’

In an instant, Lü Yang finally understood.

Looking at the current world, the only person capable of mobilizing the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] was Fortune—the reincarnation of a Perfected Lord who had once held this very Dao Fruit!

’It has to be at least a Treasure of Fruit Position… and it must involve karmic links and fate. Otherwise, it would be impossible to catalyze such a specific Heaven and Earth’s Killing Intent aimed directly at me!’

’Fortune wants to kill me!?’

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