Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 366: Moon Worshiping Pool

In the end, Long Yue yielded.

After all, the only reason she could act tough in front of Lü Yang before was ultimately because her Position as a Great Trueman gave her absolute power over him.

But things were different now.

Although it was just for an instant, Lü Yang had, after all, displayed the Qi trace of a Great Trueman. This meant he was in the same Realm as her, and if they were in the same Realm, the situation had to be re-evaluated.

A Sword Cultivator was practically invincible within the same Realm!

At least, to Small Sects like the Ten Thousand Poison Sect, they were definitely invincible. Even if Long Yue considered her own Cultivation to be higher, she was only somewhat confident in her ability to survive an encounter.

"After you, Daoist."

Long Yue took the initiative to move aside and even dismissed the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s Mountain Protection Grand Array, allowing Lü Yang to ride a streak of Sword Light and fly straight into the sect’s depths.

The moment he entered the Ten Thousand Poison Sect, Lü Yang immediately unleashed his Divine Sense, brazenly sweeping it across every inch of the sect’s territory. The faces of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s Elders turned ashen, as if their beloved goddess had been defiled. They wanted nothing more than to charge forward and fight Lü Yang to the death.

"What are you looking for, Daoist?"

Long Yue flew over, her expression composed. There was one thing Lü Yang had not been wrong about—the Ten Thousand Poison Sect had indeed sent people to abduct commoners from the South.

However, it wasn’t their own initiative.

They had been invited by someone from within the Sword Pavilion, who wanted to use those commoners as materials to test Gu Insects in exchange for some Spiritual Materials and Spirit Medicine unique to the Southern Border.

This business had been going on for over a century!

Otherwise, with the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s strength, they would have preferred to hide away in the Southern Border, staying as far away from the Sword Pavilion as possible. Why would they deliberately go to the South to stir up trouble with the Sword Pavilion?

That being said, Long Yue didn’t dare speak of this well-known transaction. She had heard of the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s methods even all the way in the Ten Thousand Poison Sect; he wasn’t like the other masters of the Sword Pavilion. She could only swallow her humiliation in silence and allow Lü Yang to investigate as he pleased.

A long while passed like this.

Seeing Lü Yang become more and more outrageous, searching past the surface buildings to even probe underground, Long Yue could finally no longer restrain herself. She asked in a suppressed voice:

"Have you investigated enough, Daoist?"

"Of course not!"

Lü Yang, his expression cold, lowered his Sword Light and walked directly into the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s Sect Leader residence, a grand hall. "Daoist Long Yue, I’d like to have a private talk."

At these words, Long Yue’s expression changed instantly.

’Could it be... he’s found out?’

As a Cultivator outside the Four Great Forces, the fact that she could reach the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment naturally meant she had a few tricks up her sleeve. Her greatest reliance was her physique.

It was called the Kanli Dao Miao Jade Body.

This physique possessed the marvels of both water and fire—cold on the outside, hot on the inside—making it extremely suitable for raising Gu Insects. After she advanced to become a Great Trueman, she had developed it to its Extreme.

On the other hand, this physique was also very suitable for Dual Cultivation. It was especially nourishing for Cultivators who had built a Gold Element Dao Foundation, particularly Sword Cultivators from the Sword Pavilion. This was the principle behind "water and fire tempering the blade’s edge." If a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Foundation was nourished by her physique, it could gain a significant boost in sharpness out of thin air.

This had always been her secret.

After all, if such an Upper Grade physique were to be exposed, the Sword Pavilion’s methods would surely be to capture her and make her a Furnace Cauldron for their own Refining Sword process.

At this thought, Long Yue’s pretty face grew even colder.

’In the end... there’s still no escape!’

Even so, she didn’t dare refuse. Firstly, because of Lü Yang’s strength, and secondly, because the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s grand plan had reached a critical juncture.

’Endure... a moment of impatience can ruin a grand plan.’

’As long as the Ten Thousand Tribulations Gu is refined, I can use it to achieve Foundation Establishment Perfection. When that time comes, I will repay the humiliation I’ve suffered today a hundredfold!’

’I’ll just endure him for now. I’ll just treat it like being bitten by a dog...’

With this thought, a resolute expression appeared on Long Yue’s face. Then, under the furious glares of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect members behind her, she walked into the grand hall.

BOOM!

The hall doors slammed shut.

........

"Come here."

Seating himself on the main throne as if it were his right, Lü Yang looked at Long Yue, who had followed him in. "I’m a person who likes initiative. It would be best if you were to speak up first, Daoist."

At these words, Long Yue’s expression turned even uglier.

He wants her to take the initiative? How outrageous!

But Long Yue quickly came to her senses. She was a Great Trueman, after all, not a fool. Her mind was just in turmoil, which had caused her to lose her composure for a moment.

’Wait... could his target not be me?’

’Could he have learned about the Ten Thousand Tribulations Gu from Dragon Centipede and Hui Gu? Impossible... Soul Searching a Foundation-Stage Cultivator is no easy feat...’

Thinking of this, Long Yue felt a sense of helplessness. The Ten Thousand Tribulations Gu was the key to her path of Cultivation and the Supreme Treasure in which the entire Ten Thousand Poison Sect had placed its hopes. She could never let someone else take it. To put it bluntly, compared to the Ten Thousand Tribulations Gu, she would rather Lü Yang just take her body!

Long Yue was silent for only a moment.

However, on the other side, Lü Yang, who was closely watching the changes in her expression, narrowed his eyes. Though his face remained impassive, doubt surfaced in his heart:

’This reaction... isn’t right.’

’Although my target for this trip is the Xin Metal, on the surface, as a Sword Cultivator, I have no use for it. This woman shouldn’t be so cautious.’

’Why is she hesitating?’

’Ultimately, from a logical standpoint, the Ten Thousand Poison Sect shouldn’t have anything worth my demanding. She should be acting open and cooperative with my investigation.’

At this thought, a conclusion naturally emerged:

’Unless... besides the Xin Metal, there’s something else of value in the Ten Thousand Poison Sect. Something so good she thinks even someone of my current Cultivation would surely become greedy for it?’

An unexpected bonus!

Just as Lü Yang’s mind was racing with a thousand schemes, Long Yue finally gathered her thoughts and said in a low voice, "I don’t know what you want me to say, Daoist."

Lü Yang pondered her words for a moment before raising an eyebrow and letting out a soft chuckle.

"The Moon Worshiping Pool, of course."

"...That is merely a Secret Realm of our sect, used to condense the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. It shouldn’t be of much use to a Sword Cultivator of your Cultivation, Daoist, right?"

Long Yue’s tone was calm, betraying no emotion.

Seeing this, Lü Yang nodded, a playful look deliberately appearing on his face. "I happen to enjoy admiring the moon. I’ve been fascinated by your sect’s Moon Worshiping Pool for a long time."

"Why don’t you lead me there for a visit, Daoist?"

"I promise I’ll just look from the outside. I won’t go in."

"This..."

What kind of person was Lü Yang? The instant Long Yue’s resolve wavered and she showed a hint of hesitation, he pinpointed it and came to a conclusion:

’Whether it’s the Xin Metal or the hidden treasure, they’re both inside that Moon Worshiping Pool!’

With that, his Heart Thought stirred.

’Divination Lottery!’

[Event: Explore the hidden opportunities and secrets of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect.]

[Great Evil: Your domineering and tyrannical ways finally infuriate Master Long Yue. She would rather destroy the divine object than hand it over to you. She musters the full power of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect and fights you to a standstill, resulting in mutual destruction. Although you ultimately win, you are left with grievous injuries for nothing.]

[Minor Evil: You obtain the "Xin Metal" at the cost of severe injuries, but still miss out on the Supreme Treasure.]

[Moji: You use a mix of hard and soft tactics, first managing to stabilize Master Long Yue and only turning on her after you get the "Xin Metal". Whether you can obtain the divine object remains a Variable.]

"..."

With this lottery draw, the Fortune Lü Yang had extracted from the entire Divine Martial Sect was almost depleted. The result, however, was quite surprising to him.

’This Ten Thousand Poison Sect really has a trick up its sleeve!’

After all, considering his clone’s combat power, the fact that Long Yue could fight him to a mutual-injury stalemate showed that even Small Sects should never be underestimated.

’After all, the Wu Ghost Sect managed to produce a Progenitor Tingyou...’

At this thought, Lü Yang drew the [Moji] fortune. He planned to assess the situation first; if things were truly impossible, he wouldn’t act recklessly.

However, in the very next second—

RUMBLE!

A violent tremor erupted from deep beneath the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s grounds, impossible to conceal. It made the once-composed Long Yue’s pretty face lose all color.

Lü Yang looked over and saw that her expression was a mixture of shock and joy.

The shock was naturally because Lü Yang had seen through her.

As for the joy, it was because...

’The Ten Thousand Tribulations Gu... has actually finished refining and been born at this very moment!?’