Being a talent in the Chusheng Demon Sect

Chapter 321 Hot Potato
Lü Yang admitted that he did panic for a moment.

However, he quickly calmed down, because his immortal spirit body had not yet been captured by anyone, which meant that there was still room for maneuver.

The true nature of the entity should not have been exposed yet.

'This aura of Shen metal is probably problematic; it's very likely a bait set up to lure me out. What a terrible place this is!'

Thinking of this, Lü Yang couldn't help but sigh.

Immediately afterwards, he reached out and took Qihe Zhenren's storage bag, opened it according to the method provided by Chen Xin'an, and then scanned it with his divine sense.

The result shattered all his illusions in an instant.

A cloud of yellow mist was settling at the bottom of the storage bag, seemingly boundless yet resembling a piece of dull metal, lacking polish.

Earthly Fiend [Shen Metal]!
"Shen is a place where water and soil are born. Although it is metal, it also combines the characteristics of water and soil. When it encounters fire, it is forged into swords and halberds. When it encounters water, it is tempered into a sharp edge. If the soil is too heavy, it will be piled up and buried."

Lu Yang sighed. His original intention in splitting himself to come to the mass grave was simply to find the whereabouts of Shen Jin Qi, and then see how things developed before deciding whether to take advantage of the situation and steal it. However, after all this back and forth, he ended up with Shen Jin Qi right away, which left him in an awkward situation.

'We got the item.'

'But how can I give it to the original character? The risk is just too great. I might give it to the original character the moment I'm done, and someone will come knocking on my door and send me back to start over.'

Ultimately, who is the mastermind behind all this?

Lü Yang also knew that by expressing his desire for the Shen metal energy through Hongju, he was actually taking a risk and could easily be targeted.

The problem is, he can't survive in this awful place.

Without taking some risks, Lü Yang simply couldn't accumulate enough luck to sense the energy of Shen metal, so he was mentally prepared for the risks when making the transaction.

'Right now, I have at least two True Lords watching me!'

'Ang Xiao, Qingcheng Feixue Zhenjun, and Hongyun are probably also keeping an eye on me, but he doesn't care. The key is Qingcheng Feixue Zhenjun and Ang Xiao.'

The scene of Angxiao silently following him in the past is still vivid in his mind. Although True Lord Feixue does not seem to be a person who is proficient in this way, his realm is too high. To him, it makes no difference. It is extremely easy for him to monitor him without being discovered.

However, there is another possibility.

Jiangnan, Hidden Sword Manor.

Lu Yang's immortal spirit body raised its head, holding the [Tribulation Wave], and looked at the sky with a solemn expression under the miraculous blessing of [Insight].

This is a feeling that has lingered in him ever since he became a celestial being.

'It's a bit like a murder mystery.'

However, unlike the killing intent of heaven and earth, this aura is more positive. As long as he has a thought, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will spontaneously flow into his body.

"Is Heaven and Earth favoring us?"

Lu Yang knew very well that even if his immortal spirit body could deceive anyone, even a True Monarch, it was impossible for him to deceive the heaven and earth that gave him birth.

'It's also possible that this [Shen Metal] is Heaven's way of helping me.'

"After all, I am now a celestial spirit, which can be said to be God's favorite child."

'However, both the True Lord and Heaven and Earth are acting a bit too hastily. They could have done it subtly and quietly, without me noticing anything amiss.'

At least if it were him, he certainly wouldn't have done things so deliberately. Instead, he would have intentionally set up numerous obstacles, making himself go through countless hardships to obtain the [Shenjin] quietly, so that he would think he had successfully deceived everyone, and then suddenly reappear to launch a shameless sneak attack.
'Why would doing something so deliberate make me wary?' While pondering this, Lü Yang was still reviewing Qi He Zhenren's memories when his expression suddenly changed. His brows furrowed, and his face darkened abruptly.

"What a wonderful Qihe!"

Lu Yang hadn't asked him why he betrayed the Holy Sect because he assumed he had defected to Jiangnan. However, this was a gross underestimation of the Holy Sect's true master's limits.

This person didn't just betray the Holy Sect, but the entire world, and defected to the [Mysterious Spirit Realm]!

As for the reason for the betrayal, it's actually quite simple: to prolong life.

In the [Mystic Realm], the lifespan of cultivators is completely different from that of Foundation Establishment cultivators. There is no [Bi Feng] to diminish their souls, and therefore fewer limitations on their lifespan.

Even the weakest ghost immortal has a lifespan of a thousand years!
Those deities who receive incense offerings from an entire nation live for over ten thousand years, not to mention the higher-ranking human immortals, earth immortals, and even celestial immortals.

Of course, this does not mean that the cultivators of the [Mysterious Spirit Realm] can rest easy.

In the [Mysterious Spirit Realm], once a cultivator achieves immortality, they face the [Calamity of Dao Transformation]. Among ghosts, gods, humans, earth, and heaven, the higher one's cultivation level, the easier it is for them to be assimilated by heaven and earth.

"Therefore, although lifespans are long, most ghost immortals don't actually last more than three hundred years, gods succumb to a thousand years of stagnation, human immortals might last two thousand years, earth immortals three thousand years, and celestial immortals ten thousand years—it's just another form of the 'Bifeng' (a type of celestial procession), only not as harsh."

Although it has its flaws, it is still a great temptation for Qihe Zhenren.

Besides, he was already close to death.

He was in the later years of his second life, and his cultivation had just broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. The third life was very risky, and if he was not careful, he might not be able to return.

In such circumstances, it's quite normal to take risks.

After all, the Holy Sect Masters have always put profit first and prioritize themselves above all else. They are willing to take any risk as long as the benefits outweigh the costs.

This [Shenjin] is his pledge of allegiance, a Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend, which is definitely a great tonic for his position in the [Xuanling Realm].

'No wonder!'

In an instant, Lü Yang realized: 'That's why they were so eager to hand over the [Shenjin] to me—it's about to be lost!'

In addition, the Shenjin (申金) element itself also has problems.

Lu Yang learned from Qi He Zhenren's memories that he used a secret method to leave a mark on [Shen Jin], making it detectable by the [Xuanling Realm].

Seeing this, Lü Yang was seething with hatred: 'A traitor! And the secret technique he used to mark [Shen Jin] originated from the [Xuanling Realm]. It was originally meant for tracking and marking, only having a spell-casting method, no unspelling method. Now this [Shen Jin] is clearly a hot potato!'

The Mysterious Realm.

As a great realm, the Xuanling Realm has a very special structure, divided into two layers: the lower layer contains hundreds of mortal realms, while the upper layer is where the Heavenly Court is located.

Hundreds of mortal beings together support the Heavenly Court. Whenever a cultivator reaches the level of becoming an immortal, he can ascend to the Heavenly Court and become a ghost immortal. Then, he can serve as a heavenly soldier or general in the Heavenly Court, accumulating good deeds. Once he has enough good deeds, he can be granted a kingdom, enjoy incense offerings, and become a god.

The center of the Heavenly Court is the Lingxiao Palace.

This palace is located at the very top of the Heavenly Court and is the residence of the Supreme Being. When the Supreme Being is in seclusion, it is overseen by three celestial officials who oversee all affairs of the Heavenly Court.

Meanwhile, inside the Lingxiao Palace.

On the majestic throne, a man dressed in magnificent robes was deep in thought with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a hint of surprise in them:
"【Shenjin】has changed hands?"

(End of this chapter)