NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 21
Chapter 21: A Calamity Without Cause
“Junior Brother Xiao is indeed a man of remarkable appearance.”
Lü Yang, while adjusting his clothes, patted Xiao Shiye on the shoulder.
“I am Lü Yang. We should have entered the sect in the same batch, so I wouldn't consider myself your senior.”
“The same batch?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shiye looked surprised, then showed a respectful expression.
“In that case, Brother Lü must possess exceptional talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved such cultivation.”
“I don't deserve such praise.”
Lü Yang waved his hand.
He was well aware of his own abilities.
His talent was far from outstanding.
He relied on consuming pills for daily cultivation and used demonic techniques to break through bottlenecks.
If he had followed the standard cultivation path, he would probably still be stuck at the third level of Qi Refining.
After learning that Lü Yang was of the same generation, Xiao Shiye became less reserved and quickly became acquainted with him.
After some conversation, Lü Yang tentatively asked, “I just had a breakthrough and was planning to return to my cave dwelling to stabilize my cultivation. Brother Xiao, where are you headed next?”
“To be honest, Brother Lü, I plan to visit the Merit Pool.”
Xiao Shiye smiled.
“I heard that the Merit Pool tests one's luck. Recently, I've been experiencing some good fortune, so I thought I'd try my luck there.”
“Merit Pool.”
Lü Yang's heart stirred.
Suddenly, he had a sudden impulse.
“In that case, why don't we go together?”
He had already tried the numbers Xiao Shiye had chosen in his previous life.
So he was curious to see what choices Xiao Shiye would make in this life and whether there was any manipulation involved.
Meanwhile, in a sea of clouds outside the Myriad Treasures Peak.
More than ten figures stood silently.
At the forefront was a young man in white, looking elegant and handsome, surrounded by mist.
At that moment, one of them suddenly showed a joyful expression.
“Senior Brother Liu, that man named Xiao has come out.”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the handsome young man seemed to awaken from his meditation.
The mist dispersed, revealing a face Lü Yang would never forget.
It was Liu Xin!
At this moment, Liu Xin had also reached the late stage of Qi Refining.
Moreover, by primarily cultivating the 'Innate Dao Book,' he exuded an even more ethereal and immortal aura compared to ordinary cultivators.
“He finally came out.”
Liu Xin's lips curled into a smile.
At first glance, he didn't seem to possess the ferocity of a demonic cultivator.
Instead, he gave off a gentle and amiable demeanor.
However, when he activated his true qi and used the Qi Observation Technique to look in Xiao Shiye's direction, his smile suddenly froze.
“Late stage of Qi Refining?”
Liu Xin frowned slightly.
He clearly hadn't expected someone at the late stage of Qi Refining to be accompanying Xiao Shiye.
This was a variable significant enough to make him reconsider his plans.
At that moment, a soft exclamation came from beside Liu Xin.
Liu Xin turned his head in response and smiled gently.
“What's the matter, Qing Chen? Do you recognize that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator?”
Upon hearing this, the charming woman standing behind Liu Xin pursed her red lips.
“To be honest, Senior Brother Liu, I do recognize that late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.”
She then spoke with a tone of resentment.
“His name is Lü Yang. He joined the sect a few months ago. During the Substitute Death Yin Puppet incident, he left early and made a significant profit, earning at least Ten thousand contribution points! I suppose he used that fortune to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining.”
The charming woman was none other than Qing Chen Fairy, who had been by Zhao Xuhe's side in the previous life.
However, unlike the previous life, in this one, Qing Chen Fairy had a falling out with Zhao Xuhe early on and had already become Liu Xin's companion.
The reason for their falling out was simple: Zhao Xuhe had dragged her into speculating on Substitute Death Yin Puppets.
Zhao Xuhe went bankrupt, and naturally, Qing Chen Fairy was no exception.
Incidentally, Liu Xin had also speculated.
Moreover, the impact of the Substitute Death Yin Puppet incident in this life was far greater than in the previous one.
So after it collapsed, their losses were significantly more substantial than in the previous life.
Not only were they on the verge of bankruptcy, but they also accumulated a large amount of external debt.
Thanks to this, they had no choice but to engage in activities they hadn't done in their previous life—robbing fellow disciples—to compensate for the losses from speculating on Substitute Death Yin Puppets.
Over time, they even formed a team, consisting of disciples with certain backgrounds and influence in the sect, but who had gone bankrupt due to speculating on Substitute Death Yin Puppets.
As for their targets, they focused on those ordinary disciples who had little capital, left early, and made a significant profit.
Xiao Shiye was their recent target.
Now, after hearing about Lü Yang's deeds from Qing Chen Fairy, Liu Xin's eyes gleamed even brighter, clearly considering Lü Yang as a target as well.
“There's no time to lose. Let's act!”
With Liu Xin's command, everyone present let out sinister laughs.
Then, each of them activated their escape lights and flew towards Lü Yang and Xiao Shiye.
Just after leaving Myriad Treasures Peak and traveling a certain distance in the sea of clouds, Lü Yang suddenly frowned.
The sword pill between his brows pulsed as if warning him.
Following the direction indicated by the sword pill, Lü Yang's frown deepened.
He saw that, centered around him and Xiao Shiye, escape lights were flying in from all directions, forming a net closing in on their position.
Before long, a voice came from behind.
“Fellow Daoist, please stay!”
Upon hearing this, Lü Yang's face darkened.
Even saying something like that—clearly, the newcomers had ill intentions!
Lü Yang didn't look back, ignoring the voice behind him.
He focused on channeling his power, enveloping Xiao Shiye in sword light, and fled rapidly towards the Merit Pool.
However, the opponents were clearly prepared.
Lü Yang had barely escaped a short distance when he stopped, looking around.
He saw that the surrounding sea of clouds had somehow become thin, replaced by a vast mirage, bizarre and colorful, trapping him and Xiao Shiye at the center!
“Such a calamity without cause.”
Lü Yang's expression turned grim.
Using the Qi Observation Technique to observe from a distance, he gritted his teeth.
“One late-stage Qi Refining, seven mid-stage Qi Refining. The odds of winning are at most thirty percent.”
What to do?
While Lü Yang was contemplating countermeasures, Xiao Shiye suddenly spoke.