Chapter 382 : Is This Really a Fish Pond Trap?

Chapter 382: Is This Really a Fish Pond Trap?

Seven Luminaries Heaven—this was the name Lü Yang had given to this world.

Its structure resembled that of the Myriad Martial Realm: a round sky and square earth, with the vast land of the Divine Continent. Out of caution, Lü Yang did not move his true body but instead dispatched a Banner Spirit.

Chen Xin'an.

He chose a very remote location, avoiding the central continent of Seven Luminaries Heaven, and instead selected a small village nestled within dense mountain forests.

“This place... actually has no spiritual energy.”

Possessing Chen Xin'an's body, Lü Yang strolled through the forest, releasing his divine sense to probe the surroundings, only to discover that this realm lacked any spiritual energy.

‘This is quite unfriendly to Qi Refining cultivators.’

In the cultivation system of the Broken Realm, spiritual energy was necessary up until the late stage of Qi Refining. Only at that point did cultivators begin to generate their own spiritual energy.

‘In other words, if a cultivator below the late stage of Qi Refining were to come here, once the mana in their dantian was depleted, without external spiritual energy to replenish it, they would immediately become ordinary mortals! Body cultivators would fare even worse; without mana, their painstakingly tempered physiques might not even be able to move.’

Only those at the Foundation Establishment stage would be unaffected.

After all, once the Dao Foundation was established, it was no longer about adapting to spiritual energy but rather spiritual energy adapting to them. Although mana would still be consumed, they could be entirely self-sufficient.

“Rustle, rustle!”

Lü Yang formed a hand seal with one hand, a green light igniting at his fingertip. A surge of wood-element spiritual power burst forth, instantly sweeping over and enveloping the surrounding forest.

In an instant, vegetation grew wildly; trees blossomed, bore fruit, withered, and then flourished anew, as if experiencing spring, summer, autumn, and winter in a single moment. Seeing this, Lü Yang nodded in satisfaction. His divine abilities and mana were still usable—undoubtedly good news, ensuring he wasn't defenseless.

At that moment, Lü Yang's eyebrows suddenly twitched.

“Hmm? Someone's coming?”

In the next second, he decisively dispersed Chen Xin'an's Banner Spirit body, transforming it into a mass of innate Qi and concealing it, observing silently with his divine sense.

Soon after, an old man quietly appeared.

With his arrival, a faint scent of sandalwood suddenly wafted through the air.

He had white hair and a youthful face, a stooped posture, and simple attire, exuding a kind and benevolent demeanor. His eyes, narrowed into slits, swept over the scene Lü Yang had created.

After a moment, he frowned in confusion:

“Where did this wild fox Zen come from?”

“Daring to use spells so recklessly, most likely backed by some unruly wild deity. Alas, being outside the jurisdiction of the City God, chaos is inevitable.”

The old man carefully inspected the area again but found nothing unusual.

Worried, he departed.

However, Lü Yang still did not reveal himself, maintaining his state as innate Qi, patiently waiting. Who knew if the old man might double back?

One day passed.

Two days passed.

Not until the third day did Lü Yang cautiously reassemble his body, somewhat speechless: “He actually left? Didn't suspect someone might be hiding in the shadows?”

How unprofessional.

Lü Yang judged by his own standards; if it were him, he would have pretended to leave but secretly stayed behind, checking intermittently to ensure no one was present.

Yet the old man left without a second glance!

It had been a long time since Lü Yang encountered someone so straightforward.

“Moreover, that person is quite interesting; he actually possesses a status?”

Lü Yang stroked his chin. Although the status wasn't high—not even reaching Foundation Establishment, at most equivalent to a perfected Qi Refining cultivator with a major divine ability—it was still a status.

Just this alone rendered him immune to most mundane harms. And this was merely the most remote corner of Seven Luminaries Heaven.

‘Indeed, caution was the right approach.’

Lü Yang took a deep breath. Although, according to Hong Yun's memories, Seven Luminaries Heaven was a retreat he had specially prepared for himself and should theoretically be safe...

But five thousand years had passed.

Five thousand years were enough for many variables to arise. Even if a True Person hadn't appeared, just one perfected Foundation Establishment cultivator could be enough to kill him on the spot.

‘No rush; slow and steady wins the race.’

Lü Yang continued forward, using his divine sense to trace the lingering sandalwood scent left by the old man—left so blatantly.

Did cultivators in this world not know to erase their traces?

Or was it... bait to lure him?

Countless thoughts swirled in Lü Yang's mind, yet he remained unhurried. After all, it was merely a Banner Spirit body; at worst, he could afford to lose it. Thus, he boldly followed the trail.

Before long, a mountain village came into view.

From within the village, the faint sounds of bustling voices drifted out. There were about a hundred households, but at a glance, all were ordinary mortals, none possessing any cultivation.

The sandalwood trail ended here.

Lü Yang stood still, patiently waiting for a while... yet nothing happened. No traps as imagined—so peaceful it was unsettling.

Gazing into the distance, Lü Yang soon spotted a small shrine made of earth within the village, about the size of a doghouse. Inside was an incense burner with three long sticks of incense and several plates of fruit offerings. Amid the faint sandalwood aroma, a light and shadow faintly manifested.

It was the white-haired, youthful-faced old man.

He sat cross-legged within the incense flames, eyes closed, breathing steadily. His chest rose and fell as he inhaled the incense smoke, and his previously weak status had actually improved!

‘Almost reaching the level of a pseudo-Foundation Establishment...’

‘Goodness!’

Lü Yang finally understood. No wonder this world lacked spiritual energy yet still had similar cultivators—it turned out they didn't cultivate using spiritual energy!

“City God? Earth Deity?”

“Becoming a god through incense offerings?”

Numerous thoughts flashed through Lü Yang's mind. Unfortunately, observing from afar made it difficult to discern the details. To truly understand, soul-searching would be the simplest and most direct method.

‘But I can't just kill my way in.’

Lü Yang pondered: ‘Earth Deities, City Gods—they sound like cultivators with home-field advantages. If I rashly attack, the risk is too great.’

Moreover, who knew what other methods they might possess?

It would be best to lure the snake out of its hole.

With that in mind, Lü Yang immediately began setting up outside the village.

First, he found a valley and set up an array to isolate the inside from the outside, ensuring that anyone entering couldn't send out messages. Then he arranged trapping and killing arrays, adding a layer of concealment outside all the formations.

In addition, he applied various talismans to enhance the power of the arrays.

He also obscured the heavenly secrets.

After completing all this, Lü Yang reenacted his previous actions within the valley, using his mana to influence the environment.

“Hmm?”

To Lü Yang's surprise, almost as soon as he made a move, the old man in the shrine opened his eyes.

“Where exactly is this wild fox Zen from!”

Fuming with rage, he flew out of the shrine, releasing his full mana aura, and then dove headfirst into the trap Lü Yang had meticulously set...

‘Huh?’

For a moment, Lü Yang was stunned, completely unprepared for such recklessness.

Didn't he check first?

Wasn't he worried about traps?

Didn't he calculate the heavenly secrets?

In the next second, dozens of arrays activated. The old man, caught within, didn't even have time to groan before letting out a miserable cry and fainting with eyes rolled back.

Yet Lü Yang still did not reveal himself.

He stood outside the array, manipulating it to strike the old man a few more times from a distance.

Already suppressed by Lü Yang, these additional hits further weakened the old man's aura. He seemed barely alive, with more breaths going in than out.

Only then did Lü Yang, half-doubting, step out, manifesting a false body from afar to approach the old man, ready to counter any sudden attack.

However, nothing happened.

It was as if the old man had truly fallen into the trap and been subdued effortlessly.

“That's it?”

I haven't even exerted myself, and you're already down?

Lü Yang blinked, a long-lost, indescribable emotion welling up within him.

Was this really a fish pond trap?