Chapter 316: Chapter 316: The Influence of No Heaven

The South, the Mass Grave.

As a [Marvel] the Saint Sect had established in Jiangnan, the so-called Mass Grave was no small place, but a territory that spanned thousands of miles.

Its scale was virtually identical to that of the [Qing Country].

It was named the Mass Grave because the entire territory was a gigantic, abyss-like pit, where dense Yin Evil Qi accumulated in layer upon layer.

The entire Mass Grave consisted of ten levels, and the Yin Fiend on each was stronger than the one above. These depths nurtured countless venomous insects and vicious monsters. Empowered by the Yin Fiend inside the pit, they could corrupt Spiritual Qi, making them thirty percent more powerful than they would be outside. Moreover, the Yin Fiend provided concealment, making it difficult to detect anything with Divine Sense.

Such a treacherous place was very much in the style of the Saint Sect.

Unlike the [Qing Country] established by the Dao Court, the Saint Sect had absolutely no intention of occupying the South. They simply wanted to antagonize their enemies, so they turned this area into a death trap.

That being said, it didn’t mean the place was deserted.

Quite the contrary, the very bottom of the Mass Grave was actually teeming with cultivators. In addition to the Saint Sect, there were sects of all sizes from the North, and even a large gathering of Loose Cultivators.

These cultivators had even joined forces to establish a Market.

The reason was simple: resources.

“The South is rich, after all. Under the rule of the Sword Pavilion, the Hundred Skills of Cultivation are incredibly advanced, which makes it perfect for speculative trading. It’s an extremely profitable business…”

Amidst the glow of an Array, Lü Yang strode out.

Of course, this wasn’t his true body. His main body was still inside Yun Miaqing, while the one that had traveled all this way was merely his Immortal Embryo Avatar.

After he passed the news to Minor Metal that the Sword Pavilion’s Demon-Vanquishing Perfected was about to attack the Mass Grave, Lü Yang had been given an opportunity to enter the pit. To his surprise, however, the Mass Grave didn’t seem to have entered a state of alert based on his intelligence, as if they were completely oblivious.

’…Interesting.’

Lü Yang strolled through the Market. Instead of rushing to find the [Metal Qi]—his main objective for this trip—he spread out his Divine Sense to observe his surroundings.

Soon, a torrent of voices flooded his senses.

As he expected, the most frequently and widely discussed topic was the recently expanding [No Heaven], which seemed poised to encompass the entire world.

After all, its allure was simply astonishing.

If you succeeded in Breaking the Tribulation’s trials, you would gain one of the Abilities. If you failed, you wouldn’t die; at worst, you would lose a bit of Merit and Fortune and recover after a few months of recuperation.

More importantly—

“That first trial is just too tempting!”

“The [Array of Celestial and Earthly Convergence of Dragon and Tiger Yin and Yang] from the Saint Sect’s Heaven Mending Peak… and the most top-of-the-line version, at that! The taste of over a hundred [Celestial Maidens] is really something else…”

“My martial grand-uncle has been completely hooked on it lately.”

“Tell me about it. My master is the same. He’s not even thinking about Breaking the Tribulation, just going in to experience how the Saint Sect does things. Too bad I haven’t reached Foundation Establishment yet…”

Lü Yang’s expression grew strange as he listened. It was obvious that for those with no hope of advancing on their cultivation path and insufficient willpower, the [Array of Celestial and Earthly Convergence of Dragon and Tiger Yin and Yang] was a direct blow to their greatest weakness. They were completely unable to withstand the trial. Over time, some even came to prefer staying inside rather than coming out.

Of course, the Foundation-Stage Cultivators who did so were a minority.

Most were Loose Cultivators.

As for the Perfected Persons with truly resolute Dao Hearts, even if they couldn’t overcome the [Array of Celestial and Earthly Convergence of Dragon and Tiger Yin and Yang], they wouldn’t allow themselves to become enthralled. Instead, they would rack their brains for a solution.

Thanks to this, Lü Yang noticed that the number of available Dual Cultivation Techniques had risen significantly.

’Where there’s demand, there’s a market, indeed…’

Lü Yang sighed, but a question also surfaced in his mind: ’Are all the True Monarchs just going to let [No Heaven] expand like this? Do they not mind at all?’

But soon enough, he overheard another conversation.

“That may be, but don’t get too comfortable with this [No Heaven]. My elders say it’s very likely a backdoor for a Primal Daoist’s resurrection.”

“A Primal Daoist?”

“The one from five thousand years ago… To put it simply, it seems several Foundation-Stage Cultivators have been warned not to complete too many of the tribulations in [No Heaven].”

“Think about it. You go through the tribulations as the ’Primal Daoist.’ When you come out at the end, will it still be you, or will it be him?”

“If you’re not careful, you could just become the vessel for that Primal Daoist’s rebirth! The methods of these Great Truemen are devious, far beyond what we can possibly imagine.”

“But, my friend, how do you define ’too many’? How many tribulations is that?”

“I reckon one or two tribulations is probably fine.”

“But once you get to three, or even four… the risk becomes immense, even though that Primal Daoist said you need to clear five tribulations to ascend to Perfected Lord.”

“But who really knows?”

“If it were me, I’d pad the number by one or two. Say five on the surface, but make it so that three is enough to succeed. It’d be the perfect way to trap the honest ones…”

“HISS… If I may ask, my friend, what sect are you from?”

“Just a humble Holy Sect Disciple.”

“Ah, well, that explains it…”

Conversations like this were spreading like wildfire throughout the Market, causing Lü Yang’s eyes to narrow. He knew someone had to be intentionally disseminating these ideas.

’The world is a vast place; you really can’t underestimate anyone. What I can figure out, others can too. This way, almost every Foundation-Stage cultivator will become wary of [No Heaven]. If that Primal Daoist hopes to resurrect himself through this method, his chances are looking slim.’

’Is this also why the Perfected Lords feel they can rest easy about him?’

’That must be it. Never mind that the Primal Daoist isn’t a Perfected Lord—even if he were, so what? In a world this vast, a single Perfected Lord can’t stir up any great storms.’

In this world, life as a Loose Cultivator was truly a path of hardship.

It was one thing at the Foundation Establishment stage, but reaching Perfected Lord was utterly hopeless. Summon and Innate were prime examples. If you didn’t have connections high up, how could you possibly advance?

’But… surely the Primal Daoist must have anticipated this?’

Lü Yang was skeptical. The Primal Daoist had been schemed to death by the Perfected Lords back in the day; he should have a fairly accurate grasp of their methods.

’Foundation-Stage Cultivators are a massive group, after all. Who’s to say someone, blinded by greed, wouldn’t brave the risk to complete all five tribulations? The Perfected Lords can’t possibly have complete control over every single Foundation-Stage Cultivator in the world. As long as the Primal Daoist is determined, he should still be able to find an opening.’

’Besides, the Perfected Lords aren’t a monolithic bloc.’

’For one thing, if Mu Changsheng were to compromise slightly and accept some restrictive measures, the Saint Sect, at the very least, would be more than happy to welcome a new Perfected Lord into its ranks.’

’This is… a gambit!’

A realization gradually dawned on Lü Yang. ’Primal Daoist Mu Changsheng… he’s playing a game against all the world’s True Monarchs, taking a desperate gamble to forge a path to the Golden Core Dao!’

Lost in thought, Lü Yang found he had stopped in front of a building.

This place was called [Secret Gallery Street].

As its name implied, this place was one of the Market’s shadier spots, a venue specifically for “fencing” goods. Only Foundation-Stage Cultivators were permitted to open establishments here.

However, for an entire street to be openly dedicated to fencing goods within the Market, there was naturally a Saint Sect backer. According to Lü Yang’s intelligence, this was a Saint Sect Zhenren at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment named [Qi He]. He was over five hundred years old and already in the twilight years of his second life.

BANG!

Without hesitation, Lü Yang walked directly to the shop at the very end of [Secret Gallery Street] and pushed the door open. Instantly, a mass of black light descended upon him.

Yet, Lü Yang’s expression remained unchanged.

The [Wan Jin Gong] technique activated, and a golden brilliance enveloped him like armor. He allowed the black light to wash over him, but it couldn’t leave the slightest mark.

Then, Lü Yang saw an old Daoist in the back of the shop.

He had white hair and a wizened face, his features etched with profound old age. Though he still possessed his Abilities, he had clearly been severely eroded by the [Weakening Wind].

As soon as Lü Yang entered the shop, he took out a Token and tossed it onto the table.

“I want all intelligence regarding the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches in the vicinity of the Mass Grave.”

This Master Qi He was the very agent Minor Metal had stationed in the Mass Grave. His daily duty was to gather intelligence from Jiangnan and the Mass Grave and report back to the Saint Sect.

This was also part of Lü Yang’s deal with Minor Metal.

He had informed Minor Metal of the Sword Pavilion’s movements, and in return, Minor Metal shared intelligence on the Mass Grave, allowing him to search for the [Metal Qi].

’Once I get the [Metal Qi], I’m leaving immediately!’

In his view, the Profound Spirit Realm, the Mass Grave, the Great War of Righteous and Evil—none of it mattered. What truly mattered was the cultivation progress of his Immortal Spirit Body in this lifetime!

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