Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Preying on the Fairy

Talismans and Arrays, though distinct in form, ultimately served the same purpose. As external instruments, both allowed cultivators to overcome stronger foes despite inferior personal strength.

A Ninth-Grade Array was enough to give Lü Yang a decisive edge in battle.

Even a Ninth-Grade Talisman—though inferior to a Ninth-Grade Array—was something Yun Miaozhen had to treat with full caution, never lightly dismissing its threat.

Yet now, with a casual wave of his hand, Lü Yang unleashed nearly five hundred talismans at once, activating them simultaneously. Their combined might was enough to make heaven and earth lose color.

Talismans, once activated, turned to ashes after battle and were inherently consumables. For most cultivators, this made them treasures to be hoarded and used sparingly. Lü Yang, however, was an exception. If he ran out, he could simply have the Banner Spirits work overtime to produce another batch.

Rumble!

Sword Qi tore through the sky as thunder roared. Countless talisman lights streaked forward like lightning, converging on Yun Miaozhen from every direction, as though a storm of blades were pressing down upon her.

Faced with this onslaught, Yun Miaozhen could only respond defensively.

In the next instant, Qi Light surged outward, swelling into a silver canopy that sealed her beneath it, temporarily blocking the flood of talismans.

But the reprieve was fleeting. The talismans consumed none of Lü Yang’s magical power, while Yun Miaozhen’s activation of “The Secret of the Golden Flower” demanded an immense and continuous expenditure. As the drain intensified, the Qi Light canopy shattered under the relentless assault, shredded by countless talismans until she was forced to rely solely on Essence Light to hold her ground.

“Slash!”

Lü Yang showed no trace of restraint. Sword Qi Talismans and Thunder Talismans descended together, instantly ripping apart Yun Miaozhen’s protective clothing.

In that moment, the clothing burst apart like shattered rain, scattering into fragments and exposing her slim body.

“Ah—!”

Yun Miaozhen’s delicate face flushed crimson with fury. Her lamb-fat, jade-like body trembled violently as she instinctively tried to cover herself—yet under Lü Yang’s relentless assault, she could not spare even a hand.

“Demon! You seek death!”

Her expression twisted in rage. Having reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining at a young age, mastering the Celestial Sword Pavilion’s Legendary Technique, standing as a Direct Disciple and a designated Foundation Establishment seed—when had she ever been reduced to such humiliation?

Lü Yang’s lips curved faintly.

“Daoist, you truly are a beauty…”

Though Yun Miaozhen struggled to conceal herself, it was little more than self-deception. Under Lü Yang’s eyes, nothing—whether it should or should not be seen—escaped his gaze.

Sensing his scrutiny, Yun Miaozhen grew even more frantic.

What enraged her further was the disdain in Lü Yang’s tone:

“In broad daylight, what a spectacle. Is this how a famed righteous sect conducts itself?”

Even as he spoke, Lü Yang continued to manipulate the talismans without pause. His words were meant solely to disrupt her mental state; his objective was singular—defeat the enemy.

As expected, the humiliation, compounded by her earlier advantage collapsing under Lü Yang’s reckless expenditure of resources, finally ignited a storm of emotions within Yun Miaozhen. A faint crack appeared in her Dao Heart.

“Now…!”

Lü Yang did not miss the moment her Dao Heart wavered and her focus faltered. He immediately formed a Daoist hand seal, and a circular radiance blossomed behind his head.

As the light expanded, Lü Yang’s vision transformed completely.

At the site where he and Yun Miaozhen clashed, countless Qi traces belonging to her suddenly became visible—residual imprints she had unconsciously left behind.

“Trace, and Kill…”

With a thought, the circular light swept forward, locking onto a cluster of Yun Miaozhen’s Qi trace and capturing them. Her enchanting figure was reflected within the radiance.

The next instant, Lü Yang brought his fingers together and slashed downward—vertically.

The circular light split in two. The image of Yun Miaozhen within it was severed as well. Immediately after, an invisible force struck her true body.

Crack!

A soft tearing sound rang out as a thin line of blood appeared on Yun Miaozhen’s snow-white, ivory-smooth forehead.

The blood mark began to spread.

“…Don’t even think about it!”

Yun Miaozhen’s pupils constricted violently. A crimson flush spread across her pale skin as her brows snapped upward, her beautiful eyes erupting with golden radiance.

In the next moment, she forcibly withdrew the “Divine Light” locked in stalemate with the Heavenfiend Lifeblood Offering Radiance. Then, gathering “Qi Light” and “Essence Light” together, she merged them with the remaining brilliance.

The three splendid lights united in a single instant, transforming into a dazzling golden radiance that surged skyward. Yun Miaozhen appeared like the Nine Heavens Profound Lady reborn.

Three lights as one—Golden Flower!

At that instant, Lü Yang felt Yun Miaozhen suddenly become “higher.” Not in physical position, but on an entirely different plane of existence.

’Is this… a Legendary Technique!?’

Before, Yun Miaozhen had merely been executing the constituent divine techniques of a Legendary Technique. Now, she was forcibly activating the Legendary Technique itself.

The difference was overwhelming.

Empowered by the Golden Flower, Yun Miaozhen seemed to transcend the mortal realm entirely, standing on a level far above Lü Yang.

One stood high.

One stood low.

The disparity was eerily familiar. Though far less terrifying than that day, it still sent a chill through Lü Yang—echoing the dread he had felt upon first encountering the Perfected Fortune.

Then Yun Miaozhen moved.

With a gentle flick of her slender hand, the Yin Curse afflicting her was redirected—forced onto another bearer of a similar Qi.

Her own sister.

Yun Miaoqing.

In the next instant, the blood mark on Yun Miaozhen’s forehead healed rapidly. Outside the Grotto Heaven, the unconscious Yun Miaoqing suddenly split apart.

“So ruthless. So decisive…”

Lü Yang mocked coldly. “Daoist, you act swiftly indeed. Faced with danger, you kill your own kin without hesitation. Is this the Righteous Dao of the Sword Pavilion?”

“This is Miaoqing’s tribulation. Do not distort the truth.”

Yun Miaozhen’s tone returned to icy calm. “You damaged her cultivation, causing her tribulation to fail and leading to today’s calamity. You are the true culprit.”

Lü Yang burst into laughter. “Daoist, you are truly shameless. You’re wasted in the Sword Pavilion—you should join our Stain Sect instead!”

Yun Miaozhen remained unmoved, but the killing intent in her eyes deepened.

“Sharp-tongued demon. Today, I will enforce Heaven’s justice!”

In the next instant, the Golden Flower collapsed forward, sweeping across Lü Yang and the hundreds of talismans effortlessly.

It was as if words on a page had been erased by an eraser.

No corpses.

No residual Qi.

Not a single trace remained—as though they had never existed at all.

Moments later, the Golden Flower dissipated, revealing Yun Miaozhen staggering in midair. The once-brilliant daughter of Heaven now looked ashen beyond measure.

“Pfft—ugh…”

As she landed, Yun Miaozhen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The splendid lights around her body shattered completely, dispersing without leaving even a trace.

“Gone… it’s all gone…”

Her lips trembled faintly. There was no joy of victory—only devastation. Forcing the Golden Flower into existence before reaching the final phase of Qi Refining had exacted a catastrophic price. Essence, Qi, and divine splendor all collapsed. Decades of cultivation were gone.

The once-clear path to Foundation Establishment was now cloaked in darkness.

Letting out a hollow sigh, Yun Miaozhen prepared to leave the space—

—only to see a figure appear before her.

“Daoist, the outcome isn’t decided yet. Leaving already?”

Lü Yang stood there, handsome and composed, his wide sleeves fluttering. Though his Qi was heavily depleted and his power nearly exhausted, his body bore not a single wound.

“Impossible!”

Color drained from Yun Miaozhen’s face. Her once-clear voice turned sharp. “That was the Golden Flower! How could you possibly withstand it?”

Naturally, Lü Yang offered no explanation.

If he relied solely on his own strength, he could not have endured even a single strike from the Golden Flower. Even a Legendary Technique carried the might of Foundation Establishment.

What protected him was a talent.

[Purple Talent: Skillful]

[Skillful: No matter how terrifying the attack you face, within your capability limits, you will manage it skillfully and easily, twice.]

In his previous life, after slaying the Master of Heaven Mending Peak in rage, he had gained this talent upon restarting.

If Yun Miaozhen could strike four or five times, he would undoubtedly perish—but she could strike only once.

Don’t blame him for cheating.

Twice was enough. Truly skillful—twice.

Lü Yang smiled calmly. He first grasped the Heaven Mirror, then approached Yun Miaozhen, its radiance freezing her body in place.

Yun Miaozhen struggled instinctively, glaring at him. “What are you going to do!?”

“To be honest, I’m very interested in the ’Secret of the Golden Flower’.”

“I won’t tell you anything!”

“Rest assured—you will.”

Lü Yang sneered. “I am a disciple of the Stain Sect…”

…

“…A pity. It’s incomplete.”

After sensing carefully, Lü Yang shook his head. “Only one third. The remaining parts are under restriction—truly inaccessible…”

He then looked back at Yun Miaozhen.

She bit her silver teeth, forcing a flattering smile, not daring to reveal resentment. “You’ve already obtained the Cultivation Technique. Isn’t that enough…?”

Lü Yang looked at her with cold disdain.

Boom!

Before she could finish, Lü Yang shook the Heaven Mirror. Amid roaring wind and thunder, that once-peerless figure was instantly reduced to powder.

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