Chapter 299: Qin Haoran's Buried Things

When Qin Yanyan first stepped into the mortal world, she was immediately struck by its unfathomable depths. Upon arriving in Guhuai Town, she witnessed her former father mingling with a female ghost, and his two senior brothers engaged in even more scandalous behavior. Later, the misunderstanding was resolved, and she heard news of the Nine Nether Sect, a rare sight in the martial world. Fortuitously, her biological father, whom she had never met, turned out to be the former sect leader of the Nine Nether Sect. Furthermore, unknown to her and her mother, her father had accumulated massive debts in pursuit of his ambitions. Ultimately, she found herself in her father's shoes. At just seventeen, she had already experienced things most people wouldn't encounter in an entire lifetime.

Lu Yang was speechless.

At this point, even if he were to claim that Li Haoran was the reincarnation of Qin Haoran, they probably wouldn't believe him, would they? Lu Yang believed his plan was quite elaborate: first, he would leverage his vast knowledge of ancient lore to establish a grand, albeit ethereal, Heavenly Court Sect, placing Huang Doudou in the esteemed position of "Bean Heavenly Venerable." He had even meticulously written the Heavenly Court Sect's complete chronicle, ensuring it was foolproof and that no one, regardless of their scrutiny, could find any inconsistencies. Next, he would locate the wooden box, arrange for Li Haoran to open it naturally, thereby proving Li Haoran was Qin Haoran's reincarnation. This would then demonstrate that their Heavenly Court Sect possessed vast connections and was willing to assist the Nine Nether Sect. This approach would allow them to establish a connection with the Nine Nether Sect. With a bit of luck, they might even establish ties with the other two demonic sects.

After annihilating the Immortal Sect, Lu Yang had repeatedly reflected on his actions. He felt his previous approach had been too aggressive; there was no need to destroy the Immortal Sect so hastily. He could have simply followed the Immortal Sect's trail to locate the three major demonic sects and then taken them all down in one fell swoop. However, it wasn't too late to fix the problem and make amends.

"Lord Mi's foresight was correct; she is indeed the reincarnation of Sect Leader Qin, whom our Heavenly Court Sect has located. Through the cleansing of reincarnation, Sect Leader Qin's soul has become pure and unblemished, shedding all acquired influences and returning to its primordial, genderless state."

"Later, Sect Leader Qin was reborn into a human, entering a female body. Influenced by the veil of birth, she forgot her past life memories. Our sect elders, however, used a secret reincarnation technique to find her and awaken a spark of her former self, gradually restoring her memories!"

"The surname is the root of the soul; a soul that loses its surname becomes like a rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly and gradually forgetting its true self. Fortunately, Sect Leader Qin's mastery of reincarnation is unparalleled, allowing her past and present incarnations to retain the same surname!"

"Your Nine Nether Sect was deceived by this person named Qin Tian, believing him to be the reincarnation of Qin Haoran. I presume the shared surname played a part in this misconception."

"It's a pity that your understanding of reincarnation is incomplete; otherwise, you wouldn't have mistaken Qin Tian for the reincarnation of Sect Leader Qin."

Lu Yang chuckled self-deprecatingly, "But then again, the full 'Dao fruit' of reincarnation has yet to manifest. Who can truly claim to have fully grasped the Way of Reincarnation? Not even figures like Ying Tianxian, I imagine."

Everyone present was utterly bewildered by Lu Yang's lengthy discourse. Li Haoran couldn't help but transmit a message to Meng Jingzhou, asking, "Senior Brother Meng, how does Senior Brother Lu know so much about reincarnation?"

"He knows absolutely nothing; it's clearly all nonsense," Meng Jingzhou replied, the most clear-headed among them. He knew from the outset that Lu Yang was simply fabricating it on the spot.

Lu Yang took the wooden box and tossed it to Lord Mi.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lord Mi asked, bewildered, knowing it was a treasure specifically hidden by Sect Leader Qin.

Lu Yang smiled confidently. "While Sect Leader Qin's possessions are indeed valuable, they are merely ordinary to our Heavenly Court Sect. Take this wooden box back and show its contents to your high-ranking members. This will prove to them that it is genuinely Sect Leader Qin's item and not a forgery by our Heavenly Court Sect."

In his words, Lu Yang clearly intended to communicate directly with their high command, treating Lord Mi merely as a messenger. As an unparalleled genius from ancient times, he certainly possessed that prerogative.

"Also, these three female ghosts are quite appealing; they're mine now," Lu Yang declared without further discussion. He gently tapped the foreheads of Xiao Qi and the other two ghosts, and Lord Mi immediately realized he had lost all control over them.

What kind of technique was this?! How could the soul restrictions he had so painstakingly branded be erased with such effortless ease? He was an entire major cultivation level higher than Lu Yang! Was it a long-lost ancient technique? Or did it involve reincarnation itself?

Cold sweat trickled down Lord Mi's back. He now perceived Lu Yang and his companions as utterly unfathomable.

"If you are willing to cooperate with our Heavenly Court Sect, come find us at the barbecue restaurant in Yanjiang County. If not, then this matter is concluded."

Lord Mi and the Spirit Transformation stage cultivator exchanged uncertain glances. The other party hailed from antiquity, possessed complete inheritances, and possibly included remnants of the Heavenly Court. If they were to cooperate, the Nine Nether Sect would certainly be reaching above their station.

"I will certainly report this matter to the sect's high command!" Lord Mi clasped his hands and spoke politely to Lu Yang and his three companions. With that, he took Qin Tian and departed from Guhuai Town.

"What? Aren't you leaving?"

Lu Yang subtly glanced in the direction of the Spirit Transformation stage cultivator, who was startled. He finally confirmed that the other party was indeed concealing a true master. Not daring to linger, he also left Guhuai Town.

"So, do you think they'll believe us?" Qin Yanyan asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Lu Yang smiled, unfazed. "Whether they believe us or not, it's irrelevant."

"The righteous path has suppressed the demonic path for so long that when a powerful new ally suddenly appears, even if they don't fully believe us, they'll still come to Yanjiang County to ascertain the truth."

"Come on, let's head back. Our Heavenly Court Sect needs more than just a few of us to be convincing. We'll need to return to the sect and bring some more people to make our facade more impressive."

"Can I go to the Dao Inquiry Sect too?" Qin Yanyan asked, surprised. In her mind, the five great immortal sects were unfathomable, aloof, solitary, and highly exclusive, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.

"Of course you can. After all, you're Junior Brother Li's former daughter."

Lu Yang continued, "Not just you; Junior Brother Li's former wife, Su Yiren, can also come to the Dao Inquiry Sect."

"Old Mi, this matter must be reported to the sect immediately!" the Spirit Transformation stage cultivator said grimly, recognizing that the situation was beyond their handling capabilities.

Lord Mi nodded, having reached the same conclusion. The veracity of the Heavenly Court Sect wouldn't be determined by their personal opinions, but by the assessment of the sect's high command.

"This is the full account of what transpired," Lord Mi and the Spirit Transformation stage cultivator reported tremblingly to the figure before them.

The figure before them wore a hemp robe, possessed a gaunt physique, and a face covered in wrinkles. His eyes were deeply set and shadowed, as if concealing countless secrets. This was none other than Shi Huagu, one of the three vice-leaders of the Nine Nether Sect. It was he who had fabricated Qin Tian's identity.

Shi Huagu let out a chilling sneer. "Whether it's true or false, we'll know as soon as we examine whether the treasure in the box was indeed left by Qin Haoran." Other things could be faked, but not Qin Haoran's personal belongings.

He opened the wooden box. Inside, there was only a yellowed slip of paper with Qin Haoran's handwriting, which read:

"I, Qin Haoran, hereby issue this promissory note today, acknowledging a debt of one billion spirit stones to the Landfall Money Guild. Should I fail to repay this debt on time, may I be struck by five divine thunderbolts."

It was an IOU.

As Shi Huagu stood dumbfounded, the writing on the note subtly changed. The name "Qin Haoran" transformed into "Shi Huagu." The content of the IOU now read:

"I, Shi Huagu, hereby issue this promissory note today, acknowledging a debt of one billion spirit stones to the Landfall Money Guild. Should I fail to repay this debt on time, may I be struck by five divine thunderbolts."

Shi Huagu looked up to find ominous, terrifyingly dark clouds gathering directly above him, crackling with a dreadful electricity. He instinctively swallowed hard.

Seeing this, Lord Mi and the Spirit Transformation stage cultivator immediately fled.