Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect-Chapter 61: He Must Be Eliminated

Upon hearing the sad news, Yun Zhiqiu dared not delay and hurried to a Quiet Chamber deep within the ancestral home.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, smoke swirled around a single candle lamp that burned slowly. At first glance, it seemed to radiate a bright light, but the oil in the lamp was nearly gone.

The next second, a light cough came from within the mist.

"Zhiqiu, come closer..."

As the voice faded, the smoke dispersed, revealing an old man in ornate robes. His face was ancient, but his back was still ramrod straight as he sat upright in a chair.

Yun Zhiqiu immediately bowed. "Greetings, Ancestor..."

"Rise," the Yun Family Ancestor said with a faint smile. "Do not worry. This is my second reincarnation. I have experience, so there shouldn’t be any issues."

"It’s just a pity that after I reincarnate, it will be at least twenty years before I can hope to return. The family will be without a guardian in the meantime."

"...I deserve a thousand deaths for my crime!"

Yun Zhiqiu grew even more dejected. He understood the Ancestor’s unspoken meaning... Yun Miaozhen, the most outstanding family member in nearly a century, a true prospect for Foundation Establishment!

Such a heaven-blessed prodigy, yet she died at the hands of that demon because of his negligence.

Because of this incident, his prestige within the clan had plummeted. The Yun Family also suffered an intangible loss of influence.

Over the years, Yun Zhiqiu had traveled to the Battlefield countless times, seeking revenge on Lü Yang, but to no avail. After careful inquiries, he learned that the coward had actually stayed in the Stain Sect for a full sixty years! Yun Zhiqiu was so enraged he couldn’t stop himself from cursing out loud.

"You don’t need to blame yourself so much."

The Yun Family Ancestor’s expression was calm. "The incident at the Skull Mountains sixty years ago was a demon’s plot that obscured destiny. In the end, the fault is mine for not foreseeing it."

"If it weren’t for that, I would never have allowed you and Miaozhen to go to the Skull Mountains."

"In any case, Miaozhen is dead, and our Yun Family must now find another path... Which is why, not long ago, I accepted a mission entrusted to me by the Sect Leader."

"What!?"

Yun Zhiqiu was shocked. "A mission from the Sect Leader... Could it be that he wants to use your reincarnated body to assassinate a Foundation Establishment Seed from the Stain Sect?"

Such things were not uncommon on the Battlefield.

The Yun Family Ancestor nodded. "If I can kill a Seed, it will surely bring Merit, which can serve as a resource for my future cultivation."

"But Ancestor, you’ve already reincarnated once..."

For a Foundation-Stage Cultivator, the first reincarnation would invariably be as a one-in-a-million Child of Destiny. Their Merit and Fortune would be unshakeable, and they would have the best chance of returning to the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, a second reincarnation was a different matter entirely.

Especially since, over the past three hundred years, the Yun Family Ancestor’s Cultivation hadn’t improved much, remaining at the Early-phase of Foundation Establishment. This added many more risks to his reincarnation.

"In life, one must always take a gamble."

The Yun Family Ancestor smiled faintly. "The Sect Leader recently performed a divination on karmic links and discovered that a change has occurred in the Demon Sect’s ’Simulation Realm,’ presenting a possible opportunity."

"The Demon Sect’s ’Simulation Realm’ has prevented hundreds of millions of souls from entering the cycle of reincarnation, something the Sect Leader has long been displeased with. This time, he will not only help me be reborn into it, but he will also personally obscure the Celestial Secret for me, ensuring no one can detect it. He will even allow me to awaken my memories at birth, bypassing the ’delusion of the womb’."

"This way, I can wait for an opportunity to break open the Secret Realm and allow those souls to return to the cycle of reincarnation."

At this, a look of anticipation appeared on the Yun Family Ancestor’s face. "If I succeed this time, it will certainly be a great act of Merit, which will also help me return to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Such a thing is possible? This is truly... a blessing for our Yun Family!"

After hearing this, a look of excitement finally appeared on Yun Zhiqiu’s face. The most dangerous part of a Foundation-Stage cultivator’s reincarnation was the first few years spent in the state of ’delusion of the womb.’

But with the Sect Leader’s help, their ancestor would be able to break through that delusion the moment he was reincarnated!

This increased the ancestor’s chances of returning to the Foundation Establishment stage by a great deal. Once the ancestor succeeded, the Yun Family could continue its glory for another three hundred years!

After that, the Yun Family Ancestor gave more detailed instructions, including how to create the illusion that he was still alive after his reincarnation to buy time for his return. He continued until the flame of the nearby lamp grew dimmer and was about to be extinguished completely. Only then did the Yun Family Ancestor wave his hand, as if still having more to say.

"Everything is ready. You may go."

Yun Zhiqiu immediately bowed again and said respectfully, "I wish you a successful reincarnation and a swift return, Ancestor!"

"..."

Yun Zhiqiu waited for a moment, but heard no reply from the Yun Family Ancestor. When he looked up again, the lamp was extinguished, and the Yun Family Ancestor had long since stopped breathing.

...

It was the dead of winter, and the world was blanketed in white.

Decades ago, the world was thrown into chaos by the appearance of the Celestial Book. However, because one of its volumes fell into the hands of the Haoran Academy, which revered Imperial Authority, the chaos was suppressed.

Afterwards, the fatuous emperor of the Great Zhou died suddenly, and a new emperor ascended the throne.

Ironically, because so many people had died during the turmoil, the population pressure was completely eliminated once peace was restored. As a result, an era of peace and prosperity emerged.

The new emperor was thus known as the monarch who revived the Great Zhou.

This could be seen in the Great Zhou’s capital, the Celestial Capital City. It was a place prosperous and peaceful enough that no one would pocket what was lost on the road and doors were left unlocked at night. Even after dark, the city was filled with song and dance.

In the northeast corner of the Celestial Capital City, deep within a certain mansion.

Before the door to the delivery room, a dignified and solemn-looking man paced back and forth anxiously. His pacing only stopped when a loud, clear cry suddenly rang out from within the room.

"Master! The baby’s here! The baby’s here!"

The next second, the delivery room door opened, and a maidservant hurried out, shouting, "Congratulations, Master! Congratulations! The mistress has given birth to a boy!"

Upon hearing this, the man threw his head back and laughed. "Heaven has not forsaken my Wei Family! We finally have a male heir! Excellent! Everyone will be rewarded today!"

The man’s name was Wei Tieyi. Twenty years ago, he had risen from humble origins, but he distinguished himself in the Great Zhou’s war to suppress the rebellion. For his glorious military achievements, he was enfeoffed as the "Duke of the North." He was quite famous throughout the Celestial Capital City, considered one of the great military vassals. Now that the Wei Family had a new male heir, a grand celebration was naturally in order.

However, at the same time, inside the delivery room, the newborn infant was still crying loudly, but no one could have perceived that within this frail body resided an immense soul.

’I succeeded...’

The Yun Family Ancestor’s reincarnation was a success. His memories and consciousness awakened in an instant. He did not, however, control his body’s instincts. Instead, he sat within his spiritual space and began to silently perform divinations.

’Great Zhou, the Celestial Book... Heh, so that’s how it is. It’s Theft to Sainthood.’

In an instant, the Yun Family Ancestor had already grasped part of the truth. After all, as a Foundation-Stage Cultivator of the Sword Pavilion, he was by no means unfamiliar with the various Cultivation Techniques of the Stain Sect.

Theft to Sainthood was one of its most stunning creations, so of course he recognized it.

This was the advantage of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator’s reincarnation.

Even if his Cultivation was gone after reincarnating, his powerful soul allowed him to easily perform divinations on karmic links and manipulate fortune. Against a Qi Refiner, this was a completely overwhelming advantage.

Soon, however, the Yun Family Ancestor frowned.

When he tried to divine who exactly was practicing Theft to Sainthood, he found only emptiness, as if the Great Net of Karma Links had been severed around that person.

’Interesting. A Secret Treasure that can obscure divinations?’

The next second, the Yun Family Ancestor’s brow smoothed. He had known long ago that Divination Techniques would be crucial after this reincarnation, so he had attached great importance to them.

As such, he had also brought a divination artifact with him.

’With the ’Celestial Research Device’ bestowed by the Sect Leader, no other divination veils will work...’

With a thought, a spherical Artifact appeared in the Yun Family Ancestor’s palm. Using it to divine, he instantly broke through the obscured karmic links.

The next second, the Yun Family Ancestor froze.

But soon, he couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. "Every cause has its effect! Every cause has its effect! So that’s how it is! Karmic links... this is truly just desserts!"

"Lü Yang...!"

Muttering the name of the man who had killed Yun Miaozhen, and who had still lived freely for sixty years, Yun Family Ancestor found he could hardly suppress his killing desire.

This was especially true after he operated the ’Celestial Research Device’ and uncovered a great deal of information about Lü Yang.

’Lunar Shedding Technique, Theft to Sainthood, Third Grade Qi, and the Bond of Devouring Fate... If he masters all of them, this boy will have a forty percent chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage!’

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in the Yun Family Ancestor’s eyes.

’This boy must not be allowed to live!’