In the end, Lü Yang finally understood.
"I can't leave!"
It wasn't Xiao Shiye's last-minute display that swayed him. It was the sudden, bone-deep realization that struck him like ice water.
"Why was I following Xiao Shiye in the first place?"
"I should have gone to find Zhao Xuhe and retrieved the missing half of the Third-Grade Foundation Method from my previous life, the 'Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis'…"
So how did things turn out like this?
Following Xiao Shiye to the Merit Pool out of simple curiosity?
He knew perfectly well that the grand prize at the Merit Pool could only be drawn once a year, and he had already used up his chance. Going there brought him no benefit at all.
Doing something utterly pointless?
That didn't make sense.
A chill raced down his spine as the thought hit him, leaving his limbs cold and numb. "Who's influencing me? Who's tampering with my thoughts?"
"No…"
The moment the idea surfaced, Lü Yang froze—then everything snapped into place.
Why had he accompanied Xiao Shiye to begin with? Because Xiao Shiye needed him. Otherwise, he would have been the one hunted down by a powerful enemy.
And now, he suddenly had an ally.
If Xiao Shiye was the Child of Destiny blessed with overwhelming fortune, then Lü Yang was the unlucky scapegoat destined to shoulder disaster in his place.
Trying to escape separately? That was nothing but volunteering to draw fire.
Lü Yang was absolutely certain: if they split up now, he would be the one caught and killed, while Xiao Shiye would escape harm completely unscathed.
"Too cunning…"
He exhaled a long, steadying breath. Any disciple of the Stain Sect would fall for Xiao's plan easily.
After all, within the Sect, no one was a good person.
They would shed a few crocodile tears, and retreat without hesitation.
But acting that way meant becoming Xiao Shiye's sacrificial pawn.
Unfortunately for Xiao Shiye, he had crossed paths with Lü Yang, who saw straight through his intentions.
So no matter how righteous Xiao sounded or how heroic he acted, Lü would assume Xiao was not a good person first, and then figure out what he was actually plotting.
In short, He was just making the facts fit his conclusion.
Because of that, he could pierce through the surface and catch what was truly wrong in time; otherwise, he would've been played horribly.
Meanwhile, Liu Xin, who had been chasing close behind, saw Xiao Shiye rushing straight at him while Lü Yang remained perfectly still nearby. He immediately concluded that Xiao Shiye, with his weak cultivation, would be easy to deal with—and that taking down Lü Yang first would be the safer choice…
Before Liu Xin even finished thinking, a sharp explosion split the air.
"Boom!"
A brilliant sword light tore through the Cloud Sea. Instead of retreating, it flashed forward and appeared at Xiao Shiye's side, leaving him stunned.
"Brother Xiao, we got along so well at first sight. How could I possibly abandon you?"
"Just a few mere thieves. What's there to fear if we face them together?"
Lü Yang spoke boldly.
Xiao Shiye stared, dumbfounded.
Had he misjudged him? Had he truly found a good person in the Stain Sect…?
"Impossible."
Xiao Shiye snapped back to reality. Lü Yang's posture looked protective on the surface, but he was clearly using him as a shield. Xiao Shiye's expression darkened.
A good person? This was absolutely a bad person.
"Brother Lü, earlier was all a misunderstanding."
Xiao Shiye forced a bitter smile. Realizing Lü Yang had seen through his scheme, he lowered his voice. "Since it's come to this, why don't we actually work together?"
"Work together? Sure."
Lü Yang sneered—and the next moment, he hurled Xiao Shiye straight toward the group approaching from behind. Xiao Shiye's furious shout echoed through the clouds: "You shameless Lü—"
Liu Xin burst into laughter. He didn't know what exactly had transpired between the two, but their discord was obvious and played perfectly into his hands. He had no reason to give his enemies any slack—and if they were already tearing themselves apart, he was more than happy to make things worse.
With that thought, Liu Xin immediately adjusted his plan and barked an order:
"You lot trap Xiao Shiye. I'll deal with Lü Yang."
He shot upward on a streak of light toward Lü Yang—only to notice a subtle smile curling on Lü Yang's lips.
…Something was wrong.
A heartbeat later, Lü Yang vanished.
Almost at the same time, a sword light erupted from within Xiao Shiye's encirclement, and Lü Yang stepped out of its glow.
Supreme Heaven Sword Mastery.
Liu Xin suddenly recalled Lü Yang and Xiao Shiye's earlier exchange. Their talk of cooperation hadn't been sarcasm—it had been tacit agreement.
They had understood each other perfectly, acting in flawless sync to mislead him. Their setup was impeccable: Lü Yang positioned among a group completely unprepared for impact, none of them above the Mid-phase of Qi Refining.
Liu Xin's face twisted. "Scatter—"
"Too late!"
Lü Yang grinned, and the Sword Pill flared open like a peacock's tail—but this time the sword light burst out dyed a deep, blood-soaked red.
He inhaled sharply, and his body blurred into a Blood Shadow that merged with the Sword Pill. A crimson curtain, like burning blood, erupted outward. The divine light radiated from Lü Yang and swept across the battlefield like wildfire, drowning everything in its path in an instant.
Heavenfiend Lifeblood Offering Radiance.
Though it was broad daylight, every cultivator struck by the blood light felt an icy terror seize their spine, as though plunged into a frozen abyss—then their awareness snapped.
When the divine glow faded, nothing remained around Xiao Shiye except empty human husks drifting slowly from the sky.
Their bodies had been completely consumed by the Heavenfiend Lifeblood Offering Radiance, and the Sword Pill in Lü Yang's hand gleamed with a deeper, more sinister crimson.
A tremor rippled through the Sword Pill, and a Blood Shadow emerged, reforming into Lü Yang.
He focused his gaze and spotted Liu Xin standing dazed in the distance, as though trapped in a waking dream. Lü Yang burst into laughter. "Oh? Senior Brother Liu."
Before he finished speaking, a streak of sword light cleaved forward.
The grudge from long ago—when he was merely expendable material to be refined—had not been forgotten. He was avenging the hatred of past lives.
Lü Yang surged forth with his sword. Liu Xin, having just witnessed the full force of the Heavenfiend Lifeblood Offering Radiance, paled and immediately tried to flee.
"Trying to run?" Lü Yang chased without hesitation.
Seeing this, Liu Xin shouted, "Qingchen, lift the restriction!"
The illusion sealing the surroundings shattered instantly, and a graceful figure emerged—none other than Qingchen.
The artifact that had sealed the Cloud Sea, her Nine-Grid Pattern Sealing Cloth, could create a Nine-Grid Pattern Grand array capable of expanding or contracting at will, locking heaven and earth. Originally meant to trap Lü and Xiao, it had ironically trapped Liu Xin instead.
At the sight of Qingchen, Liu Xin finally let out a breath of relief.
He flew to her side in a beam of light, standing shoulder to shoulder with her as Lü Yang and Xiao Shiye approached.
Both sides watched each other in taut silence.
After a while, Liu Xin finally spoke quietly.
"Can we reconcile?"