Ch. 166
Chapter 166: Su Nu’s Endless Suffering
Chen Xinghai ultimately had no choice but to accept reality.
In his view, he was just unlucky this time, encountering an accident that was not covered by the Immortal Alliance's insurance.
However, for Lü Yang, who had experienced countless battles in the Primordial Saint Sect, this little trick of the Immortal Alliance was something he could see through at a glance, and it was not surprising at all.
“This so-called natural disaster insurance of the Immortal Alliance only covers marine disasters but not ghost clouds.”
“Yet, there are talismanic protections on the ship, making ordinary marine disasters powerless against it.”
This created a paradox.
You encountered a ghost cloud?
Why would a sailor like you venture into a ghost cloud?
Did the ghost cloud come to you on its own?
Where is the evidence?
No evidence?
Then you are committing insurance fraud.
You encountered a marine disaster?
Why was a marine disaster able to break through the ship’s talismanic protection?
That is clearly unreasonable, and you are still suspected of insurance fraud.
Don’t ask.
If you ask, they will simply refuse to compensate.
Of course, the Immortal Alliance would not be so blatant.
Lü Yang estimated that the Immortal Alliance probably paid compensation to a group of people every year and then heavily promoted it.
This style was all too familiar to Lü Yang.
For people like Chen Xinghai, and the millions of other sailors, the Immortal Alliance treated them like crops to be harvested from time to time.
After learning this mechanism, Lü Yang’s mind spun quickly, and he even came up with ways to further exploit it.
So far, the natural disaster insurance provided by the Immortal Alliance was extremely expensive.
Only a boat owner like Chen Xinghai, who had a large ship, could afford it.
The boatmen on the ship did not need to buy insurance at all, which was clearly wasting manpower.
In Lü Yang’s opinion, the Immortal Alliance could completely launch personal insurance for sailors to report their safety.
Of course, very few people would buy this kind of insurance.
After all, for sailors, surviving at sea was already a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
One careless mistake could result in being swallowed by the sea.
Even if they bought personal insurance, if they died, they would not receive any compensation.
Therefore, to promote sales, they could spread rumors that while personal insurance might seem useless, not buying it could result in being dispatched by the Immortal Alliance to dangerous sea regions.
Wouldn’t that boost sales?
In fact, this wasn’t even Lü Yang’s original idea.
On the battlefield between the righteous and demonic sects, there had once been a True Person from the Primordial Saint Sect who had done the same thing and made a fortune afterward.
Returning to his thoughts, Lü Yang looked again at the middle-aged man.
He waited patiently until the man finished talking with Chen Xinghai and flew away on his light escape before secretly following him.
After confirming that there was no one else within a thousand miles, Lü Yang made his move.
With a single grab, he instantly performed a soul search.
Chen Xinghai, being a low-level sailor, did not know much.
However, as a patrolling sea emissary of the Immortal Alliance, the middle-aged man was sure to know more useful information.
Under Lü Yang’s soul search, more information was unearthed.
“This place is the northwestern corner of the Chaotic Current Sea. The corresponding Immortal Alliance port is currently under the control of the ‘Divine Firmament Sect’, which even has a Foundation Establishment elder overseeing it.”
Seeing this, Lü Yang gasped sharply.
What kind of Divine Firmament Sect was this?
Its strength could actually rival that of the top sects beneath the Primordial Saint Sect in the Jiangbei region, having a Foundation Establishment True Lord overseeing it!
Although the memories were somewhat vague, referring to the elder as a Foundation Establishment ancestor, the core was still the same: a Golden Core cultivator.
Overseas and inland had different naming conventions, which was normal.
The only pity was that this person did not possess the complete inheritance of the ‘Divine Firmament Sect’ and only had the Qi Refining portion of the cultivation method.
“This person is named Situ Zheng, with cultivation at the Qi Refining… huh?”
At this point in the soul search, Lü Yang was suddenly stunned because in Situ Zheng’s memory, the so-called ‘Qi Refining’ actually had twelve layers!
“Why are there two extra layers?”
Lü Yang frowned deeply and decisively extracted the cultivation method from the man’s mind.
Fortunately, the opponent’s sea of consciousness did not have any defensive restrictions.
Soon, a cultivation method appeared before Lü Yang’s eyes.
『Ocean Treading Art』
“To successfully cultivate this method, one must possess a Water Spiritual Root and use the root to absorb seawater, thereby refining true Qi, and after twelve cycles, one can reach Foundation Establishment.”
As he read, Lü Yang gradually furrowed his brows.
According to the description in the cultivation method, only those born with spiritual roots could cultivate immortality.
This completely contradicted the common knowledge he had formed over the past century.
The difficulty of cultivation lay in the journey, but the entry itself was extremely easy.
As long as one was human, they could cultivate.
How could there be a distinction based on spiritual roots?
Not to mention the content of the 『Ocean Treading Art』, which used the spiritual root to absorb seawater.
What about the cultivator themselves?
Was this Qi Refining or Root Refining?
The more Lü Yang read, the more he felt something was wrong.
Especially after witnessing the behavior of the Immortal Alliance just now, he couldn’t help but become suspicious.
Could this so-called Biyang Cultivation World be a large-scale talent training base secretly established overseas by the Primordial Saint Sect?
With this thought, Lü Yang once again concealed his figure.
At the same time, he erased the memory of Situ Zheng seeing him.
He then took out the Myriad Spirits Banner and summoned Su Nu.
“Your servant greets Master.”
As soon as Su Nu appeared, she bowed gracefully.
She looked at Lü Yang with a hint of grievance, as if questioning why he had kept her sealed for so long without letting her out for some fresh air.
Lü Yang ignored her gaze and pointed at Situ Zheng.
“Follow him.”
The background of this ‘Divine Firmament Sect’ was unclear.
If there really was a Golden Core True Lord, it would be too dangerous for Lü Yang to follow personally.
Playing it safe was the better choice.
Let Su Nu scout ahead first.
“Your servant obeys.”
Su Nu asked no further questions, seemingly accustomed to being used as a tool by her master.
She immediately transformed into a breeze and followed behind Situ Zheng.
Situ Zheng remained completely unaware and continued flying on his light escape.
Before long, the clouds parted and the fog dispersed.
In Lü Yang’s vision, a vast and boundless island suddenly appeared.
Spiritual light surged on the island, and cultivators could be seen at every moment.
Situ Zheng flew all the way into the island and soon arrived in front of a pavilion.
Along the way, several cultivators greeted him.
However, they were all minor Qi Refining cultivators and naturally failed to notice Su Nu standing right beside him.
Next, Su Nu followed Situ Zheng around the island, searching and observing.
However, the more Lü Yang watched, the more he frowned.
“Why are they all at the Qi Refining stage?”
Through Su Nu’s perspective, Lü Yang had already grasped most of the situation on the island.
Yet, he found that there was not a single Foundation Establishment True Person on the island.
Where had the Foundation Establishment cultivators gone?
Just as Lü Yang was puzzled, the entire island suddenly trembled violently.
Immediately after, beams of spiritual light shot into the sky, forming a grand formation.
Soon after, countless figures appeared outside the island.
“Hahaha! Today shall be the day of your Divine Firmament Sect’s extermination!”
Among the crowd, the leader’s aura was immense, stirring the surrounding spiritual energy.
At a glance, Lü Yang judged that the person’s cultivation was around the late stage of Qi Refining.
Are you insane?
Lü Yang was utterly baffled.
The Divine Firmament Sect supposedly had a Golden Core True Lord overseeing it.
How could someone at the late stage of Qi Refining dare to shout about exterminating them at their doorstep?
However, Lü Yang quickly thought of the example of the Divine Martial Sect.
Didn’t the Divine Martial Sect suffer the same fate?
Its late Foundation Establishment Sect Master was lured away by True Person Yinshan, ambushed, and killed, resulting in the near destruction of the Divine Martial Sect.
In the end, Lü Yang himself wiped them out.
Perhaps the Divine Firmament Sect had encountered a similar situation?
That would explain why there were no Foundation Establishment True Persons left on the island.
At this moment, a beam of spiritual light shot up from a palace in the center of the island.
The cultivation was also at the late stage of Qi Refining, and the voice boomed:
“Qing Thunder Sect, your ambitions are boundless! Are you trying to violate the laws of the Immortal Alliance?”
As the voice fell, dozens to hundreds of beams of spiritual light rose from the island.
Lü Yang took a quick glance.
They were all mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
They looked imposing but were actually fragile, merely putting on a show.
“This might be my chance!”
In his view, the Divine Firmament Sect must have fallen into a crisis.
Most of its Foundation Establishment cultivators were likely dead.
But he did not believe they were completely wiped out.
After all, two had escaped from the Divine Martial Sect.
At most, they were seriously injured and temporarily hiding.
“If I help the Divine Firmament Sect now, I might be able to connect with the True Lord or True Person behind them.”
“This will surely be a great help in my search for the Heavenly Astral.”
Of course, Lü Yang would not act personally.
After all, if the Qing Thunder Sect dared to challenge the Divine Firmament Sect with a Golden Core True Lord, they likely had one themselves.
The risk of him taking action was far too great.
In comparison, Su Nu, as a spirit of the banner, was untraceable by cause and effect and could even self-destruct.
She was the perfect choice.
With this in mind, Lü Yang immediately made his decision.
Su Nu would have to suffer once again.
She would bear the karma.