Zhao Xuhe's words made Lü Yang feel as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.
In this lifetime, he had never even set foot on Panlong Island. All his cultivation techniques were memories carried over from his previous two lives. And yet Panlong Island had simply… vanished?
Because of so-called karmic links?
Because he had cultivated "Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis" too early—cutting off the karmic connection between it and Zhao Xuhe—Panlong Island had followed the shift and disappeared entirely?
This opportunity belonged to Zhao Xuhe alone. Lü Yang could neither seize it nor cultivate it. If he did, karma would expose him instantly.
Realizing this, Lü Yang's rage surged; he let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
"This world is so damn disgusting."
"Great powers peer ahead into fate, predetermining opportunities for their own disciples. When unexpected changes arise, they simply calculate the cause and forcibly correct the "strayed" karmic link."
"In such a world, when can ordinary people ever hope to rise?"
"They are fated only to kneel like sect slaves."
Take now, for example. It seemed on the surface that only Zhao Xuhe had come. But in truth, the one pulling strings was likely Zhao Xuhe's so-called "master" standing behind him.
Lü Yang was utterly certain—it had to be a Foundation-Stage Cultivator.
He lifted his head. In that moment, he recalled the Perfected Fortune of his previous life, and it felt as though a pair of eyes were gazing down at him from the endless blue sky.
"...Why force me?"
With that thought, his anger roared back to life, pushing him toward recklessness. A mocking smile curled the corner of his lips as he looked at Zhao Xuhe.
Almost at the same instant, someone at Zhao Xuhe's side stepped forward.
"Junior Brother, be careful!"
Swoosh!
A sword light streaked past. Zhao Xuhe saw only a blur, and when his vision cleared again, the fury boiling inside him was snuffed out by sudden terror.
The senior brother who had jumped out—a disciple who entered the sect three years earlier, who had cultivated Essence Exchange Cultivation Art to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, nearing the peak of Mid-phase, and whose Qi had been polished to the fifth-grade limit—someone markedly stronger than Zhao Xuhe…
Had vanished.
His flesh and blood had been wiped away by a burst of crimson divine light, leaving only a limp human skin drifting toward the ground.
A moment later, a light rose from the empty skin.
"Thank you, Daoist, for delivering me."
Within the light, a phantom appeared—not angry at having died by Lü Yang's sword, but faintly relieved, even grateful.
He turned his gaze toward Zhao Xuhe.
"Junior Brother, before this journey, the master judged my foundation shallow and my merit insufficient. He said achieving perfection in Qi Refining was impossible for me in this life, let alone reaching Foundation Establishment."
"I begged for his guidance. He instructed me to accompany you—save your life at a crucial moment. You've accumulated merit across three lifetimes and your chances of reaching Foundation Establishment rise to thirty percent. When you do, assist the cultivation of my reincarnated self to return the favor."
Finishing, the light soared upward and vanished.
Below, Lü Yang observed coldly.
"...So he's using me as karmic fodder for his disciple's rebirth? Treating me as someone who can't stir the tides, squeezing out whatever value I have left?"
His gaze swept across the disciples behind Zhao Xuhe—one after another Stain Sect disciple stepping forward, all at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, Mid-phase peak.
Only then did Zhao Xuhe finally react. Excitement lit his face as he shouted, "Senior brothers, if you help me capture this thief and reclaim today's opportunity, when I reach Foundation Establishment, I will repay you all—assist your reincarnations and help you attain the Final-phase of Qi Refining!"
The disciples nodded in unison.
"Rest assured, Junior Brother."
"Opportunities belong to the fated. This thief seized your destined chance—unpardonable. With the master watching, we'll certainly capture him this time!"
Hearing this, Lü Yang burst out laughing. "Dress it up however you want—it's just robbery."
"Stubborn."
A Stain Sect disciple stepped forward, shaking his head with cold disdain. "I am Lu Yuanchun. Since you refuse to surrender, don't blame me for being merciless."
He formed a Daoist hand seal, revealing the Qi of a Seventh-Layer Qi Refining cultivator—late-phase. A Golden Light Treasure Mirror rose into the sky, replacing the sun itself, showering thousands of golden rays like a torrential storm, engulfing Lü Yang.
Lü Yang frowned—and vanished.
A sword light erupted upward, splitting into countless blades, streaking left and right, but unable to escape the net of golden radiance. He could only withstand the flood head-on.
"The master foresaw the thief's swordsmanship. How could he not prepare the counter?"
Lu Yuanchun smiled proudly, then addressed Zhao Xuhe: "Junior Brother Zhao, the thief is trapped. He cannot escape with sword techniques."
"Urge the Seal and seize his flying sword for the final blow!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Zhao Xuhe bowed, then swiftly summoned a shimmering seal, which hovered overhead before crashing toward Lü Yang's sword light.
"This thing again..."
Lü Yang recognized it instantly—the "Primordial Magnet Metal Seal" Zhao Xuhe had used in the second lifetime, an Artifact that restrained flying swords.
He would not repeat the same mistake.
The Blood Sun Sword Pill moved at his will, slipping past the Primordial Magnet Metal Seal and twisting into endless Blood Transformation Divine Light, surging toward Zhao Xuhe.
Startled, Zhao Xuhe stumbled back in panic. "Senior Brother!"
"Steady. Just a trapped beast's last thrash."
Lu Yuanchun stayed composed. "Junior brothers, step forward."
Before his words had even faded, several Stain Sect disciples stepped out—with strange, serene smiles. They didn't wait for the divine light to land. They simply took their own lives.
Blood lights erupted from their corpses.
Like chains, they bound Lü Yang's Blood Transformation Divine Light, holding it in place, dulling the sharpness of his thoughts.
Zhao Xuhe and Lu Yuanchun had come fully prepared.
Especially Lu Yuanchun—given secret teachings beforehand, knowing many of Lü Yang's details, armed with tailored countermeasures.
Their battle plan was clear: restrict Lü Yang's speed so he couldn't flee, let Zhao Xuhe suppress his Sword Pill, then have the other disciples jointly bind the Blood Transformation Divine Light. No matter how skilled Lü Yang was, they meant to butcher him like livestock.
"Your tricks have run dry. The outcome is decided!"
Lu Yuanchun sneered, lifting the Golden Light Treasure Mirror again. Thousands of rays cascaded downward, aiming to burn Lü Yang alive.
Lü Yang exhaled softly.
"This is the power of having backing…"
In raw strength, Lu Yuanchun and Zhao Xuhe were no match for him. But their preparations were airtight.
Every move struck precisely at his weaknesses.
All thanks to Zhao Xuhe's mysterious "master"—deducing karmic links, calculating fate, targeting him with surgical accuracy.
Ordinarily, at this stage, he truly would have no path left.
"Fortunately... I have a cheat."
The Blood Sun Sword Pill had followed him through the Centome from his past life, untouched by karmic links—immune to all deduction.
Even if Zhao Xuhe's mysterious "master" foresaw his swordsmanship and Blood Transformation Divine Light, he could never grasp the true nature of the Blood Sun Sword Pill.
Lü Yang willed it.
Clang clang——!
The Blood Sun Sword Pill let out a long, resonant cry. The patterns on its surface flared to life, sealing the heavens and earth in an instant, swallowing everything within its boundary.
In a heartbeat, Lü Yang unfurled the great array he had forged over twenty years of study in his previous life.