Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 344: All Creation Competes for Freedom Under the Frosty Heavens

In No Heaven, above a vast Cloud Sea.

Minor Metal stood amidst the clouds, somewhat surprised. This time, he hadn’t taken on the identity of the Primal Daoist; instead, he had appeared here in his original form.

"Greetings, Daoist."

He looked up at the voice and saw the clouds part to reveal a white-haired, wizened old man smiling at him. "You are the first Daoist to make it this far."

Minor Metal didn’t answer. He continued to survey his surroundings before saying in a low voice, "I had assumed this final tribulation would be the scene of your past quest for Gold... Was I wrong, or do you, like before, wish to have a long chat with me before I officially begin?"

"A bit of both, I suppose."

The Primal Daoist smiled faintly. With a wave of his sleeve, the clouds transformed into a tea pavilion. He sat down first, and Minor Metal followed suit, taking the seat opposite him.

"Daoist, you have already passed through four tribulations. Can you tell me how you feel?"

The Primal Daoist’s tone was calm and unhurried, utterly composed. "My life has been filled with many tribulations. In your eyes, Daoist, what does it all look like?"

Hearing this, Minor Metal’s brow furrowed slightly.

But he quickly relaxed and said candidly, "Daoist, your life has indeed not been easy."

"The first of the four tribulations, the Essence of All Flowers, was a tribulation from your Qi Refining days. You were too young then, unable to control the desires of your heart. It was inevitable that you would be plotted against."

"The Guan Chou Sea was a tribulation from the Early Stage of your Foundation Establishment. With no hope for your Dao path, you fell into despair. It was truly remarkable that you overcame it and rediscovered your Dao Heart."

"Mist Crossing was when you were seeking the ’Void Certificate.’ You searched everywhere for other methods but found none. As a Loose Cultivator without the orthodox inheritance of an Upper Sect, the confusion that arose was a matter of innate background. It’s not your fault; one can only say you were born lacking a measure of Fate."

"As for the Long Hatred Song, that was the resentment you felt after understanding the truth."

At this point, Minor Metal offered a summary:

"Looking at your entire life, it has all been under the thumb of a Perfected Lord. The schemes started from the moment you began Qi Refining, leaving you no path to survival. To be honest, to have made it this far is a stroke of great fortune."

The Primal Daoist burst out laughing at his words. "Great fortune... great fortune... HAHAHA!"

"You speak the absolute truth, Daoist!"

"If not for great fortune, how could I have reached Foundation Establishment Perfection? If not for great fortune, how could I have found that Seed of Heaven and manifested No Heaven from it?"

"It was all great fortune..."

The next second, the Primal Daoist’s laughter died abruptly. "But a man like me, blessed with such great fortune, still cannot become a Perfected Lord. Does that seem reasonable to you, Daoist?"

"I know the rumors spreading in the outside world. Many Perfected Lords have come to my No Heaven to test me, believing I want to possess the Cultivators who enter. That I’m making them undergo the tribulations in my place, so that in the end, the one who completes all five will be the ’Primal Daoist,’ not themselves..."

At this, the Primal Daoist gave a cold smile:

"...A pity. In this world, that pack of Perfected Lords are all selfish creatures. I’ve told them everything plainly, yet they refuse to think about it."

"Hm?"

At these words, Perfected Chong Guang immediately narrowed his eyes. The previous conversations he’d had with the Primal Daoist flashed through his mind, and a sudden light flared in his eyes:

"Because you... have no Soul?"

The Primal Daoist laughed at his words and nodded. "Correct!"

At this moment, he was merely a consciousness existing within No Heaven. The true Soul of Mu Changsheng had long since been reincarnated. He had mentioned this before.

He said the same thing to everyone who entered No Heaven.

And yet, no one noticed. No one discovered the truth.

"The Gold Attribute required to become a Perfected Lord... is refined from the Soul! I don’t even have a Soul. With what am I supposed to seek Gold? With what am I supposed to ascend to that station?"

He had put the answer right on the surface of the riddle.

But no one ever found it.

Or rather, even if they discovered it, they wouldn’t believe it. After all, if not to seek Gold, if not to ascend, why would the Primal Daoist go to all this trouble?

Minor Metal’s expression gradually grew solemn. "So... Daoist, what is it that you truly seek?"

"To ’start over.’"

The Primal Daoist’s tone was calm. "This ’starting over’ is not for myself. It is so that the me who has already been reincarnated can truly start over."

Minor Metal’s eyebrows rose slightly. "Daoist, your Soul has been reincarnated. You have already started over."

The Primal Daoist shook his head. "The great figures are still in the Heavens, the Perfected Lords are still watching. Everything is an illusion. How can that be called starting over? It’s merely repeating the same mistakes!"

"On this point, you should have a very deep understanding, Daoist."

At this, the Primal Daoist’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "With your talent, Dao Heart, and Enlightenment, the position of a Perfected Lord should have been yours for the taking."

"But what was the result?"

"How difficult was your quest for Gold? And you were one of the lucky ones, running into that Mad Woman, Xue Feihong... which is how you ended up with a sliver of a chance at survival."

As the words fell, memories surfaced in Minor Metal’s mind.

It was the day before he was cast aside, the day before World Purger Fei Xue decided to support Fortune in Seeking Gold instead. He had been summoned before her.

"You are of no use to me anymore. Leave."

At the time, World Purger Fei Xue’s expression was placid, her tone without a ripple. "From now on, you’re on your own. It’s up to your own abilities. You should understand."

"If you die, it will only prove you’ve reached the end of your rope."

"If you achieve something, then one day I will call you Daoist."

Thinking of this, Minor Metal couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh bitterly, then affirmed the Primal Daoist’s point. "Indeed. To be valued by a Perfected Lord was my good fortune."

The Primal Daoist gave another cold smile at his words:

"And yet, even so, you still find it difficult to attain your Fruit. It’s clear that one or two people cannot change the grand tide of things. This corner of Heaven and Earth has become little more than a pool of dead water!"

"Even so, what do you intend to do, Daoist?"

In response to Minor Metal’s question, the Primal Daoist sat up straight and said solemnly, "I intend to reverse this grand tide, to overturn the Heaven that weighs down upon all the Perfected Persons in the world!"

"Impossible!" Minor Metal shook his head.

"In the long run, of course it’s impossible," the Primal Daoist said in a low voice. "But for a short period of time, the current No Heaven is sufficient."

"...What?"

Seeing Minor Metal’s surprised expression, the Primal Daoist suddenly smiled. "Actually, there is something very special about No Heaven, but no one has ever discovered it."

"Or, if they did, they didn’t care."

"And that is... No Heaven has no corresponding Dao Foundation or Cultivation Technique! Its foundation is built entirely upon other Foundation-Stage Cultivators!"

"In other words, No Heaven itself doesn’t actually cultivate the Foundation-Stage Cultivators needed to support it. Instead, it plunders Foundation-Stage Cultivators who have practiced other Fruits, making them support it... In this way, as No Heaven rises, the other Fruits will inevitably fall!"

Minor Metal was stunned by this revelation.

He understood the Primal Daoist’s plan: to use No Heaven to Deprive the world’s Perfected Lords of their subordinate Foundation-Stage Cultivators, thereby causing their Fruits to fall!

If this succeeds, every Perfected Lord in the world will be affected!

Because the lofty Fruits also need the Dao Foundations of the Foundation-Stage Cultivators under them to hold them up. If there are too few Foundation-Stage Cultivators, the Fruits will recede into seclusion.

When a Fruit recedes, it becomes difficult to attain.

And if there is still a Perfected Lord occupying a Fruit that has receded, then the Perfected Lord will also be constrained, finding it difficult to interfere with the Current World!

Even with the power of a Perfected Lord, using their own Grotto Heaven to raise the Fruit back into manifestation is not something that can be done overnight.

And that window of time... is the opportunity for all the Perfected Persons in the world!

An opportunity for the fish to leap, for the sea to widen and the sky to clear!

However, the architect of all this would inevitably become the enemy of every Perfected Lord in the world.

"Daoist, this is your fifth tribulation."

"Its name is: Competition for Freedom."

As his voice fell, the Primal Daoist extended his hand, a sphere of light appearing in his palm. "If you are willing, Daoist, you can begin the tribulation now."

"If you are afraid, there is still time to leave."

"..."

Gazing at the Primal Daoist before him, Minor Metal fell into a rare silence for a moment. Then, the corners of his mouth lifted, and a joyous laugh escaped from between his lips:

"Hahaha... Excellent, excellent!"

"Mu Changsheng, what a man you are, Mu Changsheng!"

Before the laughter faded, Minor Metal’s expression became one of sheer resolve. He snatched the sphere of light and instantly began Refining it. "All creatures under the frosty sky compete for freedom! How can this be called a tribulation? This is my opportunity for Attainment!"

BOOM!

The next second, Heaven and Earth convulsed.