Qin Yanyan had only just stepped into the mortal world, yet she already felt it was utterly unfathomable.
When she first arrived in Guhuai Town, she had seen her former father fooling around with female ghosts, while his two senior brothers indulged in even wilder antics.
Later, once the misunderstanding was cleared up, she heard rare news of the Nine Nether Cult across the jianghu. Fortunately, the father she had never met turned out to be the former cult master of the Nine Nether Cult.
What was more, behind her mother's and her backs, her father had run up astronomical debts for the sake of his career.
And in the end, she had become her own father.
At a mere seventeen years of age, she had already gone through experiences most people would never encounter in an entire lifetime.
Lu Yang: "..."
With things having reached this point, even if he claimed Li Haoran was Qin Haoran's reincarnation, the other side would hardly believe it, would they?
Lu Yang had felt his plan was quite thorough: first, use his vast ancient knowledge to raise a great banner, constructing an ethereal Heavenly Court Cult and placing Huang Doudou on the throne of Dou Tianzun.
He had even written the complete chronicles of the Heavenly Court Cult to ensure everything was airtight, so that no matter who examined it, not a single flaw could be found.
Next, he would find the wooden box and let Li Haoran open it as a matter of course, proving that Li Haoran was Qin Haoran's reincarnation and demonstrating that their Heavenly Court Cult possessed boundless influence and intended to support the Nine Nether Cult.
That way, they could establish a connection with the Nine Nether Cult.
With a bit of luck, they might even link up with the other two demonic cults.
After wiping out the Immortal Cult, Lu Yang had reflected on his actions many times. He believed he had been too aggressive before; there had been no need to destroy the Immortal Cult so quickly.
He could easily have followed the trail of the Immortal Cult to find all three major demonic cults and take them out in one fell swoop.
Still, it did not matter. Better late than never.
"Lord Mi's guess is correct. She is indeed the reincarnation of Cult Master Qin whom our Heavenly Court Cult has found. Having undergone the baptism of reincarnation, Cult Master Qin's soul has become an immaculate soul, shedding all acquired influences to return to the innate state, becoming a genderless entity.
"Afterward, Cult Master Qin reincarnated as a human, entering a female womb. Clouded by the confusion of the womb, she forgot her past memories. Only recently was she found by our cult's seniors using secret reincarnation arts, rekindling that spark of past spiritual light so her memories could gradually awaken!
"A surname is the very root of the soul. A soul that loses its surname becomes a rootless duckweed, drifting with the currents and gradually forgetting itself. Fortunately, Cult Master Qin's mastery of reincarnation was peerless, allowing the same surname to be preserved across past and present lives!
"Your Nine Nether Cult was deceived by this Qin Tian and took him for Qin Haoran's reincarnation—no doubt the shared surname was part of the reason.
"Unfortunately, your understanding of reincarnation grasps only a single fragment without the full picture. Otherwise, you would never have mistaken Qin Tian for Cult Master Qin's reincarnation."
Lu Yang gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Then again, reincarnation has yet to yield a complete Dao fruit. Who dares claim to have thoroughly comprehended the Dao of reincarnation? Not even Immortal Ying Tian and his peers could manage that."
Everyone present was thoroughly stunned by Lu Yang's grand speech. Li Haoran could not resist transmitting his voice to Meng Jingzhou to ask, "Senior Brother Meng, how does Senior Brother Lu know so much about reincarnation?"
"He doesn't know jack shit. Anyone can tell he's talking out of his ass," Meng Jingzhou replied, the most clear-headed of them all. Right from the opening words, he knew Lu Yang was inventing it on the fly.
Lu Yang took the wooden box and tossed it to Lord Mi.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lord Mi asked, bewildered. This was a treasure Cult Master Qin had gone out of his way to hide.
Lu Yang smiled with absolute confidence. "Cult Master Qin's possessions may be precious, but to our Heavenly Court Cult, they are ordinary at best. Take the wooden box back and let your upper echelons inspect the contents, so they know this was not forged by our Heavenly Court Cult, but truly belongs to Cult Master Qin."
In his tone, Lu Yang was already treating Lord Mi merely as a messenger boy, intending to speak directly with their leadership.
As an ancient, peerless genius, he certainly possessed the standing to do so.
"Furthermore, these three female ghosts look decent; they belong to me now." Without allowing room for argument, Lu Yang lightly tapped the foreheads of Xiao Qi and the other two ghosts. Lord Mi instantly felt his control over them vanish into thin air.
What kind of method was this?!
How could the soul restrictions he had taken such great pains to brand onto them be erased so effortlessly?
He was an entire major realm higher than Lu Yang!
Was it a long-lost ancient technique?
Or did it involve Reincarnation?
Cold sweat broke out over Lord Mi. He only felt that Lu Yang's group was unfathomably deep.
"If you are willing to cooperate with our Heavenly Court Cult, come find us at the barbecue shop in Yanjiang Commandery. If not, let the matter rest here."
The expressions of Lord Mi and the hidden Soul Formation cultivator shifted uncertainly. The other party hailed from ancient times, possessed complete heritages, and had surviving veterans of the Heavenly Court. If they entered into a cooperation, the Nine Nether Cult would be punching well above its weight.
"I will certainly convey this to the cult's upper echelons!" Lord Mi cupped his hands in salute, exceedingly polite toward Lu Yang and the other three.
With that, he took Qin Tian and departed Guhuai Town.
"What, you're not leaving?"
Lu Yang cast a seemingly casual glance toward the Soul Formation cultivator's hiding spot. The Soul Formation cultivator's heart skipped a beat, finally certain that the group truly had an expert concealed among them. Not daring to linger, he also left Guhuai Town.
"Well? Will they believe it?" Qin Yanyan asked, somewhat worried.
Lu Yang smiled, unconcerned. "Whether they believe it or not doesn't matter.
"The righteous path has suppressed the demonic path for so long. When a powerful ally suddenly emerges, even if they harbor doubts, they will still come to Yanjiang Commandery to verify the situation.
"Let's go, back we head. With just the few of us, the Heavenly Court Cult can't keep up the bluff forever. We need to return to the sect and recruit a few people to keep up appearances."
"Can I go to the Dao Seeking Sect too?" Qin Yanyan asked in surprise. In her impression, the Five Great Immortal Sects were unfathomable, aloof, isolated, and fiercely exclusive; outsiders could not easily enter.
"Of course you can. You're Junior Brother Li's former daughter, after all."
Lu Yang added, "Not just you—Junior Brother Li's ex-wife, Su Yiren, can come to the Dao Seeking Sect as well."
***
"Old Mi, we need to report this to the cult immediately!" the Soul Formation cultivator said solemnly. This matter had already exceeded their authority to handle.
Lord Mi nodded; he felt the same way.
Whether the Heavenly Court Cult was real or fake did not depend on what they thought, but on what the cult's higher-ups concluded.
***
"That is the full account of what transpired." Lord Mi and the Soul Formation cultivator reported with trepidation to the figure before them.
The man was clad in hemp robes, his frame gaunt, his face lined with wrinkles, and his eyes sunken and dark as though concealing bottomless secrets. He was none other than Shi Huagu, one of the three vice cult masters of the Nine Nether Cult.
Qin Tian's identity had been fabricated by him.
Shi Huagu sneered, sending a chill through the room. "Real or fake, we will know once we see whether the treasure in the box was truly left behind by Qin Haoran."
Other things could be forged, but Qin Haoran's possessions could not.
He opened the wooden box. Inside lay only a yellowed slip of paper bearing Qin Haoran's handwriting. On it was written:
*I, Qin Haoran, hereby execute this promissory note today, owing the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce one billion spirit stones. If not repaid by the due date, may I be struck by the five heavenly thunders.*
It was an IOU.
While Shi Huagu stared in dazed disbelief, the writing on the slip quietly shifted.
The name changed from "Qin Haoran" to "Shi Huagu."
The text of the note became:
*I, Shi Huagu, hereby execute this promissory note today, owing the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce one billion spirit stones. If not repaid by the due date, may I be struck by the five heavenly thunders.*
Shi Huagu looked up. Dark clouds had gathered overhead, terrifyingly gloomy, churning with frightful lightning.
He unconsciously swallowed hard.
Seeing this, Lord Mi and the Soul Formation cultivator turned on their heels and ran for their lives.
Chapter 306