Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 386: The Advantage is Mine

The atmosphere in White Village, once as peaceful as a Peach Blossom Spring, was now incredibly tense.

"It’s a wolf pack! The wolves from the mountains are attacking!"

"Get all the men from every household! Grab your weapons and head to the village entrance!"

"Quick, send someone to get the temple priest... Don’t worry, everyone! With the temple priest here and the Earth God’s protection, a mere wolf pack can’t do anything to us!"

As Lü Yang cautiously extended his Divine Sense to observe, he was stunned to see over a dozen giant wolves, each the size of a calf, encircling the entire village. They bared their scarlet eyes, and their howls and roars sent the old, the weak, women, and children of the village into a panic.

The people’s hearts wavered.

’So that’s how it is. The foundation of Incense is the hearts of the people, which is why the Earth God Temple was shaking. If I don’t manifest my power, the Incense will dissipate...’

Mortals are very pragmatic.

They will only believe in you if you are useful. If you’re useless, they will naturally replace you with someone who is. When the people’s hearts waver, the Incense Divine Realm naturally becomes unstable.

After getting a clear picture of the situation, Lü Yang finally sighed in relief.

’Good, at least no one is plotting against me...’

After calming himself, Lü Yang felt a bit helpless. It was no wonder he was so jumpy; he was truly terrified... Just then, a voice suddenly drifted over:

"Lord Earth God, Earth God, protect our homes, keep us safe, and show us your divine Abilities..."

The voice pierced straight into the Earth God Temple, causing the Incense directed at the White Village Land God to surge, as if about to swarm outside.

Lü Yang looked out.

He saw an old Daoist, about fifty or sixty years old, standing before the Earth God Temple. He held three incense sticks and respectfully placed them in the incense burner.

’But the White Village Land God is currently incapacitated. How can someone use this Incense without his permission?’

’The temple priest...’

Lü Yang quickly found the old Daoist’s identity in the White Village Land God’s memories. The so-called temple priest was a low-level Cultivator within the Divine Dao System.

’They don’t gather Incense themselves, but instead attach themselves to an Incense Fire God. They use the "Summoning God" technique to obtain the Incense Fire God’s Mana and Abilities. Their strength depends entirely on the Incense Fire God they are attached to. If it’s a temple priest of the Capital City God, wouldn’t a "Summoning God" make them comparable to a Great Trueman at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment?’

At this thought, Lü Yang immediately summoned Progenitor Tingyou.

Progenitor Tingyou understood immediately and sent down a stream of Incense Divine Power, replacing the Incense of the White Village Land God and empowering the old Daoist outside.

"Hm...?"

The next second, the old Daoist, who had been mumbling incantations, faltered. A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes, but he quickly recovered his calm and composed demeanor.

The village’s safety was what mattered most; everything else was a minor detail.

"Thank you, Earth God!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the old Daoist squared his shoulders. Empowered by the Incense Divine Power, he strode out of the village like a meteor to resist the wolf pack’s assault.

’Though this isn’t aimed at me specifically, it’s clearly detrimental to White Village.’

Lü Yang pondered this, then raised his gaze toward a small mountain peak about a thousand li from White Village. Two figures were standing there.

Although the other party seemed to have concealed themselves, their methods were crude.

’Perhaps this is an opportunity. A chance to witness the methods of these Divine Dao Cultivators from Seven Luminaries Heaven, and to avoid capsizing in a gutter someday.’

As Lü Yang thought this, he began to make arrangements.

Long Yue at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, the Master of Heaven Mending Peak at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment, Progenitor Tingyou, the Dragon Girl’s Spirit, and more than ten Loose Cultivators and Demon Cultivators at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment...

The Myriad-Soul Banner and all its Foundation Establishment Banner Spirits would be deployed!

’If the enemy proves too strong and I’m no match for them, I’ll retreat immediately. I’ll have Progenitor Tingyou get me out of there, and leave the other Banner Spirits behind to cover our escape!’

......

On the mountain peak that Lü Yang had been watching.

Two Daoists were sitting cross-legged. In front of them, smoke drifted from an incense burner, which they continuously inhaled. A healthy flush appeared on their faces.

A moment later, both Daoists opened their eyes.

One of them formed a hand seal for a Magic Formula, and the longsword on his back flew from its sheath with a crisp ring. Billowing Incense transformed into sharp Sword Qi that radiated outward.

"...Senior Brother Lin, what amazing Abilities!"

The other Daoist couldn’t help but show his envy. "I have practiced this Evil-Breaking and Righteous-Displaying Sword Technique for years, but I still haven’t even mastered the basics..."

Lin Sheng smiled at his words, a hint of smugness hidden within his grin, but his expression remained gentle and refined as he said, "I’ve only achieved a little because I’m a few years older than you, Junior Brother Wang. As long as you work hard and diligently cultivate our White Lotus Teachings, you’ll catch up to me sooner or later."

"I hope your words prove true, Senior Brother..."

Hearing this, Wang Anping’s expression became much more spirited.

He then took out a copper bell he carried with him, poured all the Incense Divine Power in his body into it, and shook it vigorously.

This artifact was called the Beast-Calling Bell.

As its name implied, the artifact could command the beasts of the mountains. Empowered by Incense Divine Power, it had summoned the very wolf pack now besieging White Village.

"Senior Brother, if you ask me, why go to all this trouble?"

Wang Anping asked curiously as he activated the Artifact, "With our Cultivation, we’re no weaker than that White Village Land God. Would he really dare to defy us?"

"It would be even more troublesome if he did submit!"

Lin Sheng shook his head and sneered, "We don’t want an Earth God. We want White Village. We want this entire village’s Incense."

"If he submitted, how could we spread our teachings?"

Wang Anping still didn’t quite understand. "In that case, why don’t we just kill him? We can spread our teachings afterward. Who would dare to stop us then?"

"No one would dare to stop us, that’s true."

Lin Sheng’s voice was calm. "But if we come to spread our teachings right after the Earth God dies, how could these shrewd villagers not figure it out? Even if they converted, their faith wouldn’t be genuine!"

"The Incense gained this way would have too many impurities. It wouldn’t be pure enough."

"So the best way is to do as you have, Senior Brother: first, send a few demons to slaughter their way into the village, kill a few people, and shake the foundation of the Earth God’s Incense."

"Over time, as more people die, no one will believe in that Earth God anymore. We just need to wait patiently until the village is pushed to the brink, and then step in to save the villagers from their desperate plight. We’ll naturally win all their hearts and turn White Village of Taiyue Mountain into a stronghold for our White Lotus Sect."

Save them from the brink of disaster. Why were they on the brink? Don’t ask.

The very next second, however, the confident smile on Lin Sheng’s face froze. He saw that the battle between the men and wolves in the distance at White Village had taken a sudden turn.

It was the old Daoist, empowered by Lü Yang’s Incense Divine Power.

He looked like a god descended to the mortal realm. Charging into the wolf pack all by himself, he threw out both fists and easily crushed two of the giant wolves to death.

"It’s that Earth God’s temple priest."

"Hmph. He’s finally made his move, just as expected."

Lin Sheng’s expression turned cold. "No matter. We’ll strike from the shadows and seal his Earth God Temple. Then he’ll have no Divine Power to borrow, and the result will be the same!"

’He and his junior brother were both elites of the White Lotus Sect’s younger generation.’

’They were young, yet they had already earned the favor of a Divine Monarch. Though they were only temple priests, their power was no less than that of an Earth God. They could even hold their own against a County City God.’

’A mere White Village.’

’Could it possibly have a few County City Gods hiding inside?’

’The advantage is mine!’

"BOOM!"

With that thought, he mounted his Flying Sword, pouring a torrent of Incense Divine Power into the blade. In an instant, it transformed into a world-shaking rainbow of sword light that shot down toward White Village.

The two Daoists were currently concealed by Divine Power, invisible to mortals. In a flash, they appeared before the Earth God Temple. They then barbarically smashed through the entrance and burst inside, their voices booming like thunder:

"White Village Land God! We are... we are... we are..."

The voices of the two men stopped abruptly.

For what greeted their eyes was not the pitiful and helpless Earth God they had imagined, but a dense, terrifying mass of figures stretching as far as the eye could see.

And now, every single one of them was staring right at them.

In that instant, Lin Sheng and Wang Anping felt a bone-deep chill spread from their hearts through their entire bodies and right up to their skulls, making their teeth chatter.

In the end, all they could do was force a single sound from their throats:

"Ah?"