Selecting someone to impersonate Young Cult Master Lu was no easy task.
He could not simply pull any random Golden Core cultivator off the street. No matter how powerful the command of the Dijiang Order was, an ordinary Golden Core cultivator could never measure up to Young Cult Master Lu's caliber.
At the very least, the candidate needed a solid foundation so there was room to work with.
Second, they had to be skilled with a sword.
Back when Young Cult Master Lu ran amok at the Dao Seeking Sect, his most striking technique had been his swordsmanship.
Furthermore, this person could not belong to any major faction.
If a disciple of a prominent sect went missing, it was prone to cause trouble.
For that reason, the Dijiang Clan elder had searched for half the day without finding a suitable candidate.
Then, he noticed Lu Yang carrying a sword on his back.
Ancient Dijiang had awakened as early as two hundred years ago. Although he appeared to have united most of the Demon Domain in a mere six months, that was actually the culmination of two centuries of meticulous preparation.
Over those two hundred years, the Dijiang Clan had secretly gathered all kinds of intelligence, which naturally included information on the contemporary prodigies.
Whether it was Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, Man Gu, Bai Ming of the Five Elements Sect, or Shi Chan of the Hanging Temple, they knew what every single one of them looked like.
This youth carrying a sword was not among the disciples the Dijiang Clan had documented. He had to be either a rogue cultivator or a disciple from some third-rate sect!
He was the perfect choice to impersonate Young Cult Master Lu!
As for the black-robed figure beside him, she appeared to be only at the Body Integration stage and posed no threat.
The Dijiang Clan elder laid out his plan in secret.
There were too many eyes and ears around to strike openly, so the elder patiently followed behind the two.
As a cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, no one could keep him in check unless a half-immortal stepped forward. There was no way he would be discovered.
"Why is someone following us the whole time?" The Immortal Fairy knitted her brows in displeasure.
Jiang Lianyi nodded as well. "Indeed, someone has been trailing us. Likely a Tribulation Transcendence elder from the Dijiang Clan."
"What does he want?"
"Who cares?"
"Fair point."
One human, one ghost, and one demon continued their stroll through Demon City.
"We're not allowed in here?"
Lu Yang arrived at the center of Demon City, where a hundred-meter-tall wall had been temporarily erected to block the area off. Great demons at the Body Integration stage stood guard, and no one was permitted inside without authorization.
"This is the Altar of Heaven to be used for the founding ceremony." Jiang Lianyi swept the area with her divine sense and instantly knew what lay inside.
"Looks like Zhu Tian paid quite a steep price." The main structure of the Altar of Heaven was forged from glazed white jade—a material exceedingly rare even in the ancient era. Jiang Lianyi did not possess any herself.
If she wanted some, she would have had to take raw materials like sand and stone to Immortal Suiyue, have the wind direction, temperature, and other conditions adjusted, and ask Immortal Suiyue to use the Suiyue Dao fruit to forge a piece of glazed white jade.
"Oh, then it's fine to see it during the founding ceremony," Lu Yang remarked. Peeking early would ruin the suspense.
"Shall we check out that street?" Lu Yang pointed to the other side of a narrow passageway.
"All right."
The human and the demon stepped into the passageway. The Dijiang Clan elder finally saw his opportunity, held his breath, focused his mind, and swiftly followed.
With a flash of movement, he soared through the air and landed directly in front of Lu Yang and Jiang Lianyi.
"Kid, I've finally caught my chance. You certainly kept me waiting!"
Just as Lu Yang began to react, the Dijiang Clan elder swiftly pulled out the Dijiang Order and channeled his essence blood. An illusory silhouette of Ancient Dijiang manifested, nearly solidifying as it bared fangs and brandished claws, piercing through Lu Yang's pupils and charging straight into his spiritual space to seize control of him.
Wielding the Dijiang Order was like the Ancient Ancestor arriving in person. Let alone a mere Golden Core cultivator, not even a Tribulation Transcendence expert could withstand it!
Inside the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy held the phantom of Ancient Dijiang by the neck with one hand, a bizarre expression on her face. What kind of trick was this?
The phantom struggled frantically like a living beast, thrashing its six limbs and beating its four wings, whipping up a tempest in the spiritual space.
Thump—
Without a second thought, the Immortal Fairy brought her other hand down upon the phantom's head, instantly interrupting its attack.
"A half-immortal level mental assault? Well, you do have a little skill."
The Immortal Fairy was utterly confident. Within Lu Yang's spiritual space, she was an invincible presence.
At the same time, light flickered across the walls of the spiritual space, and shifting talismans danced into view as though gathering power to strike.
This was a contingency left behind by Eldest Senior Sister to ensure Lu Yang's safety within his spiritual space.
Seeing that the Immortal Fairy had already intercepted the phantom, the talismans along the walls dimmed and melted back into the stone, as if they had never appeared.
With a slight squeeze of her right hand, the Immortal Fairy popped the phantom into nonexistence.
From beginning to end, the illusory beast had been entirely helpless.
Outwardly, Lu Yang had "tragically" fallen under the control of the Dijiang Order. His eyes went dull, his arms hung loose, his posture slumped, and all vigilance toward the elder vanished.
"You as well!"
The Dijiang Clan elder aimed the Dijiang Order at Jiang Lianyi, and she too was "controlled," showing no reaction whatsoever.
"What is your name, and which sect do you come from?" the elder asked, seeking to confirm once more that he had found the right subject.
"My name is Yun Yang, from the Tianmen Sect."
"Yun Yang? A nobody from a nameless sect..." the elder muttered, searching through his memory of the Great Xia geniuses. None of them went by Yun Yang.
"And what about the person next to you?" The elder turned his gaze to Jiang Lianyi, whose face remained concealed beneath her black robe.
"She is my master, Su Yiren."
"The reclusive Body Integration cultivator, Su Yiren? So it is her." The elder nodded in comprehension. Barely any Great Xia cultivators knew of Su Yiren, so naturally, she was unheard of in the Demon Domain.
"Are you skilled with a sword?"
"I am."
"The two of you are very fortunate. You have been chosen by our Ancient Ancestor to impersonate the Heavenly Court Cult at the founding ceremony two days from now."
"You are no longer Yun Yang. You are Young Cult Master Lu of the Heavenly Court Cult."
"Yes! I am Young Cult Master Lu!" Lu Yang declared with resounding conviction.
"A fine attitude." The elder nodded in satisfaction.
"As for you, Su Yiren, you are a Heavenly King Protector of the Heavenly Court Cult."
Beneath her hood, Jiang Lianyi rolled her eyes and ignored him.
The elder paid it no heed and continued, "Yun Yang, your job is to pose as the Heavenly Court Cult at the founding ceremony and battle a prodigy of our clan. After a fierce clash, you will be defeated by our clan's prodigy!"
"Understood! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
The Dijiang Clan elder channeled the Dijiang Order once more. "I command you to unleash every ounce of your potential at all costs! You must reach the level of Young Cult Master Lu in the shortest time possible!"
The moment he finished speaking, Lu Yang flushed bright red all over as if catching fire. He collapsed to the ground, curled into a ball, clutched at the fabric over his heart, and let out a bloodcurdling howl.
"It hurts... It's so hot... Power... The power keeps surging forth!"
All power came at a price. Unable to withstand this raw force, Lu Yang rolled on the ground as bean-sized drops of sweat poured from his forehead, soaking his hair in mere moments.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—
Lu Yang's body temperature climbed higher and higher, instantly vaporizing his sweat into hissing plumes of steam.
From the midst of the steam, Lu Yang slowly rose to his feet, having grown accustomed to the power.
The Dijiang Clan elder was overjoyed. As expected of the Dijiang Order bestowed by the Ancient Ancestor, its effect was truly magnificent.
"My lord, I have achieved the level of Young Cult Master Lu!"
Chapter 608