Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 640: Chapter 635: Master of Dao, Si Chou

Lü Yang had to admit, he’d panicked for a moment.

But he quickly regained his composure, certain of one thing: not even a Master of Dao could possibly read his thoughts with such ease. There had to be a key factor at play.

Lü Yang’s expression was calm. A soul materialized in the depths of his Spiritual Space, surveying its surroundings. His spiritual perception was now awash with the cultivation and knowledge of the Celestial Mansion Six Qi.

’Is it because of this knowledge? Forbidden knowledge belonging to the Master of Dao. As I grasp it, does the Master of Dao notice me through the connection this knowledge creates, allowing him to read my mind? Does this mean he’s already noticed me, and there’s no way to escape his control now?’

Lü Yang pondered silently.

He forced any thoughts of the Centome from his mind, erasing any trace of wishful thinking. He had to think purely from the perspective of this current life.

A moment later, the voice sounded again:

"Young friend, you seem quite wary of me... It seems you don’t intend to answer my question. This implies you know the First Saint, but are not his enemy."

The voice was weak, almost a whisper.

Yet it landed in Lü Yang’s ears with terrifying pressure, like a thunderclap amidst a raging storm. "In that case... you must be a disciple of the First Saint, then?"

’How do you know?’

Lü Yang calmed his thoughts and asked silently.

The voice continued to resonate:

"A guess. After all, most who know of the First Saint have a few choice words for him. But you... you don’t dare speak plainly of your connection to him. Your relationship must be quite profound..."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lü Yang ripped out the cultivation he had just obtained for Lesser Yin and Taiyin. He annihilated it all, along with the spiritual perception tied to it. Instantly, a pain that pierced his very soul made him grit his teeth. But the effect was undeniably significant.

The already faint voice quickly faded away.

’Just as I thought!’

Lü Yang let out a long sigh of relief. ’So it was the cultivation of the Celestial Mansion Six Qi. It deepened my connection to that Nameless Daoist Lord, allowing him to read my mind.’

Once the cultivation was incomplete, the connection was severed.

Then the other party could no longer read his mind. This made perfect sense. After all, if a Master of Dao could read anyone’s mind at will, he would’ve been killed long ago.

"Oh, really? Why is that?"

’Of course, it’s because... wait!’

Lü Yang’s train of thought screeched to a halt. In an instant, however, he suppressed the turbulent shock, his expression becoming a mask of utter calm and indifference.

At the same time, his mind was racing. ’It wasn’t the cultivation... So, the cultivation was just a trigger, an opening that allowed him to notice me. And now that he’s noticed me, it doesn’t matter if I have the cultivation or not. The problem must lie elsewhere.’

"Relax, young friend."

"I am not your enemy."

The voice drifted over again. "I mean you no harm. The only reason I can read your thoughts is because you hold the Path Opening Map, creating a karmic link between us."

"If you truly wish for me to stop, all you need to do is destroy the Path Opening Map."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yang immediately took out the Path Opening Map and crushed it with a single strike. He even severed the associated Void Certificate method from his own memory.

"Hmph!"

Intense pain shot through his shattered Divine Sense and struck his soul, but Lü Yang’s expression remained placid. He silently asked in his mind, ’Senior, can you hear me?’

This time, there was no reply.

’Senior?’

Lü Yang glanced around and called out again in his mind. After a moment of silence, the voice finally returned. "I assume you were just testing me?"

The voice sounded somewhat exasperated. "You people... you all inherited the First Saint’s demonic ways. So suspicious. Since I told you the method plainly, I naturally wouldn’t deceive you. I truly have no ill will. Now that I can no longer read your thoughts, you can speak to me directly."

At this, Lü Yang lowered his gaze and spoke in a low voice:

"May I ask, Senior Master of Dao, what is your name?"

As the words left his lips, he asked a completely different question in his mind, the thought forming almost simultaneously: ’May I ask, Senior, are you still alive?’

The voice answered without hesitation:

"I am Si Chou."

It only answered the question Lü Yang had spoken aloud, seemingly unable to hear his thoughts any longer.

Lü Yang nodded. He then opened his mouth again, but this time only mouthed the words without a sound, while asking the question in his mind:

’Then... are you still alive, Senior?’

"What are you saying?"

A hint of exasperation tinged the voice. "Why must you keep testing me? Mouthing words without speaking... still trying to see if I can hear your thoughts..."

The voice cut off abruptly.

Meanwhile, the corner of Lü Yang’s mouth twitched into a smile. "It seems you’ve realized the biggest flaw in your little act, Senior."

"You shouldn’t have tried to win my trust with that little trick about destroying the Path Opening Map. It was a clumsy attempt that backfired spectacularly. Frankly, a mistake that amateurish makes me doubt you’re the same Master of Dao who established the Celestial Mansion—the one I so deeply admire and revere."

His opponent’s mistake was simple:

Where was the Taiyin Immortal Venerable?

He had addressed the entity as ’Senior Master of Dao’. If the Taiyin Immortal Venerable were truly watching him, she should have revealed herself at that moment.

But in reality, the Taiyin Immortal Venerable did not appear.

’She isn’t watching me?’

’Impossible. My battle with the Jade Toad Immortal Monarch just ended. She would be watching me like a hawk. There’s no way she’d just ignore me.’

Which meant the answer was simple:

’From the moment you first spoke, I’ve been trapped in an Illusion Realm. Everything I’ve done—destroying the map, severing my knowledge—has been nothing more than a play of thoughts. In reality, my physical body is likely still meditating. Your "ability" to hear my thoughts is nothing more than you exploiting a moment of weakness to invade my Spiritual Space!’

Lü Yang had seen through it all.

Normally, not even a Golden Core Perfected Lord could forcibly conduct Soul Searching on a Foundation-Stage Cultivator with a sealed Spiritual Space, much less read their mind.

If that weren’t the case, Foundation-Stage Cultivators wouldn’t be considered "human" at all.

To date, only the Heaven-Mending Skill provided an unorthodox method to access the memories of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator. All other methods were merely inferior forms of the Puppet Technique.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

If a Foundation-Stage Cultivator were to voluntarily open their Spiritual Space, Mind Reading and Soul Searching would be possible. It’s just that no Foundation-Stage Cultivator would ever be willing to do so.

"The principle behind you reading my mind must be similar. When I first sensed that voice between Heaven and Earth, I focused my spiritual perception, deliberately trying to listen... In doing so, I must have unwittingly opened my own Spiritual Space, giving you the perfect opportunity to slip inside!"

At this thought, Lü Yang couldn’t help but curse aloud:

"’No ill will,’ my ass! It’s all a goddamn lie! You’re a Master of Dao, and you’re still pulling this bullshit on me? You think I was born yesterday?"

At that, a dead silence fell.

After a long moment, a sigh echoed from behind Lü Yang. He whipped around to find a tall, upright figure standing where there had been nothing before.

The figure was tall and male, with his hands clasped behind his back.

His face alone was a blur, as if pixelated, but even so, Lü Yang could feel the man’s gaze scrutinizing him.

A moment later, the voice spoke again:

"Disciple of the First Saint, let’s make a deal."

"You help me escape my predicament, and I shall pass the Nascent Soul Secrets on to you. If I’m not mistaken, no Nascent Soul Dao Practice still exists in the world today."