For Lü Yang, this was an unprecedented experience.
He was "ascending."
In a mysterious and profound realm, his position was constantly rising "higher," and everything in the mortal world seemed increasingly insignificant to him.
Is this the vision of a Foundation Establishment True Man?
Is this what ascension feels like!?
Lü Yang had an epiphany. No wonder Foundation Establishment True Men were mostly elusive and transcendent—perhaps this sense of "height" was one of the reasons.
At the same time, he recalled the "Taiyi Golden Flower" that Yun Miaozhen had used in her final battle. That great divine ability had given him a feeling similar to this moment, though not as "elevated." Looking back, that divine ability might have been a simulation of Foundation Establishment.
No wonder everyone said that mastering great divine abilities could increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment.
It was like the difference between "starting to climb a mountain from the base" and "starting from the midpoint"—different starting lines naturally led to different difficulties in reaching the summit.
The next second, Lü Yang's consciousness trembled violently.
Immediately afterward, he seemed to have landed in a place so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. It was a realm that appeared to encompass everything, yet felt utterly empty and desolate, making it difficult for his spiritual sense to expand.
But the situation quickly changed.
"Beasts! You pack of beasts!"
Accompanied by a furious roar, a burst of colorful light suddenly erupted from the mysterious place. Around the colorful light, towering black qi sealed off all directions. Both the colorful light and the black qi felt as heavy as mountains to Lü Yang, but judging by the scene, the colorful light was clearly pinned down by the black qi. As time passed, large swaths of the colorful light were being eroded, and the once-powerful roar grew increasingly weak.
This is... a Foundation Establishment battle?
Lü Yang was filled with doubt and uncertainty, realizing he was merely hitching a ride on the Hidden Mountain Sage's coattails and couldn't truly witness the battle between True Men.
However, drawing on his experience from past lives, he made a judgment.
That colorful light probably belongs to a True Man of the Divine Martial Sect. I understand! This is another scheme—only this time, the bait is all of Skull Mountain!
Thinking this, Lü Yang suddenly felt enlightened.
Everything before him resolved a long-standing question.
Clearly, the Hidden Mountain Sage had been fishing at Skull Mountain for the Witch Ghost Secret Realm, and judging by his words, it was likely related to his cultivation.
But from beginning to end, Skull Mountain had only one Foundation Establishment cultivator: the Hidden Mountain Sage himself.
Where was the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Divine Martial Sect?
Initially, Lü Yang thought the Hidden Mountain Sage was skilled enough to deceive the Divine Martial Sect's True Man in his scheme. But now, it seemed otherwise.
In fact, quite the opposite.
This Sage probably didn't hide anything at all. He openly manipulated cause and effect to lure out the Divine Martial Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivator!
The Hidden Mountain Sage used himself as bait at Skull Mountain.
The Holy Sect, in turn, used the Sage as bait across the entire Northern Frontier! Now the fish have taken the bait, and the Divine Martial Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators are all trapped!
Rumble!
In an instant, the entire world trembled. A Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Divine Martial Sect shouted, "Demonic Sect, do you truly intend to destroy the lineage of my Divine Martial Sect?"
"What else did you expect?" A cultivator from the Holy Sect sneered. "Let me guess—you might still be pinning your hopes on those lunatics from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, right? Let me tell you, they won't come!"
"Ten years ago, during the battle at the Jiangnan Mass Grave, our sect's supreme leader and the Sword Pavilion's leader reached an agreement: the Northern Frontier would belong to our sect, and the Southern Frontier would go to the Sword Pavilion. So today, if our Holy Sect destroys your Divine Martial Sect, the Sword Pavilion will destroy the Miaojiang Ten Thousand Poisons Sect in the future. It's a one-for-one exchange—neither side loses out."
"What... Impossible! Chongguang, you're lying to me!"
Facing the Divine Martial Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivator's angry rebuke, the cultivator Chongguang sneered. "Consider it a lie if you wish. Anyway, after today, there will be no more Divine Martial Sect!"
"Kill!"
In an instant, the colorful light surged, finally transforming into five dazzling auras. But instead of attacking together, they dispersed and fled rapidly in all directions.
"Scatter! All of you, escape! Try to make it back to the sect!"
"Escape? Wishful thinking!" It was still True Man Chongguang, this Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Holy Sect, who appeared particularly domineering at this moment, laughing loudly. "You can't escape anywhere—neither in heaven nor on earth!"
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Lü Yang lost all sensation and fell into unconsciousness. He didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly regained awareness, feeling as if he were in a dream.
"Awake?"
A voice came from beside him. Lü Yang's pupils contracted sharply, and he snapped fully awake. Looking around, he realized he was back in the forest of Skull Mountain.
Beside him, the Hidden Mountain Sage stood with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a half-smile.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Without a word, Lü Yang immediately bowed deeply.
"Rise." The Hidden Mountain Sage raised his hand and chuckled. "You made a great contribution in helping me seize the Witch Ghost Secret Realm this time. As such, I will give you a few pointers."
"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother." Lü Yang said respectfully.
"First, I forcibly elevated your destiny and helped you seize the destiny of others. Although this allowed you to make rapid progress in a short time, the consequences will be extremely severe." The Hidden Mountain Sage paused deliberately after speaking, observing that Lü Yang's expression remained unchanged—showing no sign of unease. He nodded slightly and continued, "Therefore, according to my calculations, your luck will be very poor for the next thirty years. It's best not to cultivate or go out, or you risk your life."
"I humbly accept your instruction." Lü Yang dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. After all, though he had lost thirty years of luck, the Hidden Mountain Sage had gained a witch ghost secret realm.
Without Foundation Establishment, one is ultimately a pawn. And a pawn dares to complain? That a Foundation Establishment True Man was willing to use him was already a blessing!
The Hidden Mountain Sage was even willing to offer guidance, which was already out of respect for Lü Yang joining the Three Rivers Society, making him, in a way, a subordinate.
Seeing Lü Yang's "sensible" attitude, the Hidden Mountain Sage was quite satisfied and smiled. "In any case, you helped me succeed, which is a great achievement."
"As the head of the Three Rivers Society, I always reward merit."
"Since you have already broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, your next step is simply Foundation Establishment. So, I will bestow upon you a rare Foundation Establishment treasure. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Yang's eyes widened instantly.
A rare Foundation Establishment treasure!?
So that's it. In his previous life, Zhao Xuhe most likely obtained his first Foundation Establishment treasure this way—only now, I've replaced him.
No wonder he'd been stationed in the market for so long, sending people to gather information every day, yet he hadn't seen a single Foundation Establishment treasure. Looking back, it must have been a rumor deliberately spread by Zhao Xuhe in his previous life to deceive those with ulterior motives and mislead the public.
Lü Yang's thoughts raced, filled with excitement and longing.
Yet, in the end, his expression gradually calmed. After closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Senior Brother, may I change the reward?"
"Oh?" This time, the Hidden Mountain Sage was genuinely surprised. "Are you certain? This 'Ascension Token' in my hand can increase the probability of Foundation Establishment by at least 10%."
"I'm certain." Lü Yang nodded. Foundation Establishment treasures were precious, but he knew very well that with his destiny damaged for the next thirty years, he couldn't keep such a treasure!
For him now, a Foundation Establishment treasure was not an opportunity, but rather a source of disaster—one that could lead to his untimely death. This was evident in Zhao Xuhe's fate in his previous life. So Lü Yang, with great willpower, forcefully suppressed his greed.
For me, there's no need to rush.
I've only just reached the Qi Refining Great Perfection stage. I still have much room for growth—great divine abilities, for instance. I can obtain a Foundation Establishment treasure in a few more lifetimes.
Lü Yang's certainty rendered the Hidden Mountain Sage momentarily silent.
To be honest, he hadn't initially intended to pay attention to Lü Yang. But seeing his breakthroughs across two realms, his ability to assess situations, and his membership in the Three Rivers Society, he had developed a slight interest in nurturing him.
After a moment, he spoke again. "What reward do you want?"
Lü Yang replied without hesitation. "I want a treasure to enhance my comprehension."
After all, his great divine ability, the Taiyin Metamorphosis Corpse Dissolution True Method, was still missing the Taiwei Imperial Edict Treasure Register—which relied heavily on comprehension.
No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't grasp it.
Therefore, without a treasure to enhance his comprehension, Lü Yang estimated it would be impossible for him to master this divine ability even across several lifetimes.