Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect-Chapter 272: Tribulation Wave

Since they were in the same boat, Lü Yang and Suo Huan dropped the pleasantries. They had both been plotted against by a Perfected Lord, which even fostered a sense of shared misery between them.

"Regardless, at least we gained something," Suo Huan sighed. "Strictly speaking, Daoist, I didn’t forge this Magical Sword of yours. It was a natural creation. No wonder it has the divine ability to pierce illusion and see truth."

Lü Yang glanced at the Magical Sword in his hand.

This treasure was forged from his own Essence Soul, making it equivalent to a Famous Artifact bound to him. It recognized him as its sole master, and he understood its many Divine Effects with perfect clarity.

The quality of this sword even surpassed the Abi Sword. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After all, it had been forged by smelting and unifying all the Spiritual Treasures he possessed, including even the Quasi-Essence Artifact, the Emperor’s Golden Seal of Tushita.

’This Magical Sword... has a full five Divine Effects! Even among Superior Sentient Artifacts, this would be considered top-tier. It could even be called a Quasi-Essence Artifact. The next step up would be an impossibly rare True Treasure!’

’The first Divine Effect, of course, was Dongming.’

’This Divine Effect combined the Prophetic Orrery’s All Clear and the Abi Sword’s Li Wei. It allows me to see through Karma Links and keeps my mind perpetually clear.’

’The second Divine Effect is called Divine Blade.’

’It was formed from the combination of the Abi Sword’s Man Slaughterer and the Formless Sword’s Coiled Steel. It has the property of stacking Sword Power after killing an enemy and can cut through anything.’

However, what Lü Yang valued most was the third Divine Effect, named Empowerment. It was formed by smelting the support-type Divine Effects of the Emperor’s Golden Seal of Tushita and other Spiritual Treasures. While holding it, he could similarly evolve his next Ability in advance, raising his Cultivation by a level!

If he broke through to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Perfection, he could use this sword to feign the power of a Great Trueman!

Beyond that, the Magical Sword’s fourth Divine Effect was also a pleasant surprise for Lü Yang. It was an offensive Divine Effect used to secure victory, named Xuanwei.

’Xuanwei is described as: "When it moves, flood dragons weep and true dragons hide. When still, the moon vanishes and the stars sink."’

’Under the blessing of this Divine Effect, the sword either doesn’t move, secretly gathering power, or it strikes with astonishing force. Its light can pierce the heavens, a fatal technique for killing an enemy in a single blow!’

’If I could cultivate Sword Intent, its power would be even greater!’

Its only drawback was its immense Mana consumption. It could only be used once in a short period and required time to slowly recover afterward.

As for the fifth profound mystery, it was rather intriguing.

It was named Yuan Tu.

’This profound mystery combined the effects of Chi Long and Famous Artifact. First, it established me as the sword’s sole master; it cannot be loaned to another.’

’Second, it enhanced the Divine Effect of Chi Long that slashes Qi and Merit. In addition to cutting a person’s Qi, it added the wondrous effect of severing karmic links. In other words, when I kill someone with this sword, I won’t be tainted by any karmic links! No one will be able to divine my involvement afterward. It’s perfect for murder and robbery...’

Dongming, Divine Blade.

Empowerment, Xuanwei.

Yuan Tu!

Lü Yang weighed the Magical Sword in his hand, feeling utterly satisfied. He felt that being lured by the Perfected Lord and ending up Overseas had been worth it.

After all, he could just restart.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang laughed heartily. "From now on, I’ll call you Tribulation Wave."

It was a simple name, but it held Lü Yang’s hopes for his path on the Dao: to pass through waves of tribulation and achieve truth. He wished only to weather every storm, ascend to the stage of Seeking Gold, and become a Perfected Lord!

SHIING!

As his voice fell, the Magical Sword suddenly vibrated, letting out a clear ring. Lü Yang could sense the joy of the Sword Spirit within and promptly sheathed the blade.

Seeing this, Suo Huan smiled faintly.

"Congratulations, Daoist, on obtaining such a Supreme Treasure. Your path on the Dao is now full of promise."

"Senior, you flatter me."

Lü Yang shook his head, his expression gradually turning serious. "This venture Overseas is fraught with danger. Senior, please tell me clearly... what exactly are you planning to do?"

"I wish to engage in Seeking Gold."

Suo Huan’s expression also turned serious. "My Dao Lineage... as you can see, Daoist, is an Outer Heaven Strange Technique. To achieve Seeking Gold, I can only rely on borrowing the power of various factions."

At this point, Suo Huan decided to lay his entire plan bare. "I am borrowing the power of the Pure Land to perfect my Blessed Land with Supreme Dharma. I am also borrowing the power of the Dao Court to bolster my Cultivation with a First-Grade Official Position. And I am borrowing the power of the Saint Sect to have a Perfected Lord Great Power help me achieve the Sensing Fruit Position. Only by combining all three do I have a sliver of a chance at Seeking Gold."

As his voice fell, a shadow suddenly appeared in Suo Huan’s eyes.

"But now it seems that by bargaining with a tiger for its hide, I will ultimately be devoured by it!"

The sliver of a chance I gained by dealing with three different factions now seems like a castle in the air. It was said to be a chance at survival, but in reality, it’s probably a path to certain death!

That was why Ang Xiao made his move.

"I was deluded by the Perfected Lord, single-mindedly focused on Seeking Gold. If not for the Divine Effect of your Magical Sword waking me up, Daoist, I’m afraid I would have rushed headlong to my death over that Fruit."

Following that, Suo Huan began to pinch his fingers and perform a divination.

With the Dongming profound mystery, the karmic links that were previously a tangled mess to divine had now become much clearer. At the very least, he could sort out a single thread.

"The key to this endeavor... lies in the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain!"

Suo Huan’s expression was grave. "Daoist, you seek the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. That strand of Yin Wood Qi is on the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain, but it is not the Divine Mountain itself."

"What you need, Daoist, is actually just the Primordial Magnetic Power on the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain—the environment within the mountain. However, the Divine Mountain itself is the true Supreme Treasure... That’s it! It’s a fragment left behind after True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde fell and his Grotto Heaven merged with the Overseas Heaven and Earth!"

In an instant, Suo Huan’s eyes lit up.

’So that’s how it is...’

Lü Yang frowned. True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde was the Sword Pavilion True Monarch who had attained the Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth but was ultimately slain Overseas by World Purger Fei Xue!

’The Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain was formed from the fragment of his Grotto Heaven after his death?’

"Something formed from a Grotto Heaven Fragment is a natural place for Ascension. If I can support my Blessed Land within that Divine Mountain, I can save at least thirty percent of my effort!"

Suo Huan let out a long breath of Muddy Qi.

"However... the Four Seas Sect has long considered that Divine Mountain to be theirs for the taking. If I want to pursue Seeking Gold, I will inevitably clash with them, and a great deal of killing will be unavoidable."

"I understand! This is my use!"

Suo Huan sighed heavily. "The Perfected Lords of the various factions are using me to my death! They’re dangling the chance of Seeking Gold in front of me, but what they really want is for me to carry out a great slaughter Overseas!"

"They want to purge the Overseas region, but they aren’t willing to be tainted by the karmic links, so using an Outer Heaven Cultivator like me is the perfect solution!"

As Suo Huan finished speaking, a strange look appeared on Lü Yang’s face. "My quest for the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches involves a Tribulation that is certain to make me a target for the Four Seas Sect."

’So, I’m just the bait again?’

’First, they’ll use me as bait to chum the waters and lure in the Cultivators from the Four Seas Sect. Then Suo Huan will kill them all. From start to finish, the two of us will be the ones to bear the karmic links.’

’Rinima... Those bastards!’

Even as Lü Yang cursed furiously in his mind, he lowered his head... What made it even more unbearable was that even now that they were aware, they couldn’t escape!

Because this was a Perfected Lord’s scheme!

How could mere pawns like them possibly escape?

At best, because they had gained self-awareness, they now had some room to maneuver. They had a chance to seek more benefits for themselves, to find a path to survival.

’The grand tide is irreversible, but can the small currents be changed...?’

Thinking of this, Lü Yang’s gaze suddenly shifted as he looked out in the direction of the Overseas.

If it was truly as Suo Huan had divined, and the three factions were joining forces to make him purge the Overseas, then what about the Four Seas Sect? And what was the attitude of that Dragon Monarch from the True Dragon Race?

And what role, exactly, was Ang Xiao playing in all this?