Chapter 474: Chong Guang’s Decisiveness |
Why was Hong Yun shocked by 【Heavenly Fire Above】?
The reason was simple. Just like 【City Head Earth】, 【Heavenly Fire Above】 had almost no corresponding cultivation methods circulating in the world, and thus remained hidden from the world.
However, the logic behind this was completely different.
【City Head Earth】 went into seclusion because the Zouyu Royal House that once controlled it had physically destroyed all cultivable techniques.
This was a man-made disaster.
Whereas 【Heavenly Fire Above】 naturally faded into oblivion.
Because the conditions for seeking Golden Fruition with 【Heavenly Fire Above】 were simply too harsh — "to govern the world" — such an absurd requirement was no different from a severed Dao path.
So, as time passed, fewer and fewer Foundation Establishment True Persons cultivated 【Heavenly Fire Above】, the methods gradually became lost, and eventually, they were completely extinct in the present age. After all, what Foundation Establishment cultivator didn't harbor some hope of attaining Golden Fruition? Without the chance to seek it, no matter how powerful, it was just a flower in a mirror, a moon in the water.
Yet one undeniable truth remained: 【Heavenly Fire Above】 was truly powerful!
‘【Sage-King Governance】.’
Lu Yang’s innate divine ability was rooted in this profound principle, and the derived 【Radiance of Domination】 stripped away all phenomena. With the empowerment of 【Emperor Command of Destiny】, it became even more mysterious.
After merely four rounds, Hong Yun had already lost two innate divine abilities, all his spiritual treasures, and vast magical power. His entire being was utterly drained, while conversely, Lu Yang reached peak state. With a focused thought, a divine ability landed on him.
‘【Thunder Draws Back】!’
Divine ability activated — lips parted, teeth moved — like Hong Yun before him, Lu Yang burst out thunderous sound from his throat, and blazing Yang fire surged forward like a storm.
Seeing this, Hong Yun nearly shattered his own teeth from clenching them.
That was his divine ability!
It got stolen!
Despite this, he dared not hesitate. With a single thought, his Dharma body exploded, instantly transforming into a brilliant crimson pillar of blood that shot into the sky.
He had self-detonated.
A soul bathed in radiant golden light instantly fled into the 【Netherworld】. Unless a mid-stage Golden Core True Lord was present, no one could intercept it.
Seeing this, Lu Yang was unsurprised. He simply stood in place, empowered himself with 【Rise and Fall Affairs】, and dispersed all residual explosion shockwaves into nothingness.
Strictly speaking, had Lu Yang not used 【Tribulation-Pass Wave】 to elevate his position to late Foundation Establishment, and fought Hong Yun with equal cultivation, while he could still win, it would certainly not have been this easy. This time's smooth success came mainly from catching Hong Yun off guard.
‘He didn’t know I cultivated 【Heavenly Fire Above】.’
Precisely because of that, he had used a Jia Wood divine ability against Lu Yang — only to be countered by his Noon Fire 【Palace of Returning Origin】, and once falling into disadvantage, he had no chance to recover.
It was a pity that Lu Yang could win, but couldn't stop Hong Yun from committing suicide.
Without 【Ang Xiao】’s help, even if he sent a 【String-Pulled Puppet】 to follow Hong Yun into the Netherworld, it would be difficult to locate him or lock onto his reincarnation.
‘Still, it can be considered a major success. From now on, Hong Yun shouldn’t dare return to this old lair. That retreat path is now cut off by me.’
Lu Yang withdrew his thoughts and looked at his own hand.
Under 【Sage-King Governance】, amid the golden radiance, the divine abilities, magical power, and spiritual treasures stripped from Hong Yun had fallen into a state of stillness.
As long as he didn’t release the mystery, these things would not escape.
‘However, the quota for 【Sage-King Governance】’s stripping is limited. Once full, it can no longer be used. Holding onto these would only waste my quota.’
‘Unless I truly attain Golden Fruition in 【Heavenly Fire Above】. Only then might there be no limit.’
At that thought, Lu Yang immediately released his grip on Hong Yun’s magical power and spiritual treasures, and also dispelled 【Thunder Draws Back】, leaving only one: 【Root of All Things】.
“Spiritual treasures don’t matter. Even if I release the mystery, with Hong Yun already reincarnated, these treasures are ownerless and will eventually fall into my hands. Magical power is even more meaningless. As for 【Thunder Draws Back】, this Jia Wood divine ability is decent, but I can counter it — it's not worth worrying over.”
The only thing of value — was 【Root of All Things】.
This was a Star-Earth divine ability. More importantly, unlike the current Star-Earth divine abilities of the world, as Hong Yun’s divine ability, this one had not been reversed!
It remained Yang Earth!
‘I’ll keep it. It may be of great use later. What remains now is that cave heaven fragment in Jiangnan.’
Lu Yang put away the divine ability and turned his gaze toward the direction of the Holy Sect.
He believed Uncle-Master Chong Guang would not let him down. He hadn’t forgotten how ruthless Chong Guang had been when he blood-sacrificed the entire 【Qing Nation】 with a single word.
Lu Yang even guessed what Chong Guang would do next.
After all, he had used the 【Book of a Hundred Lives】 to calculate Chong Guang. No one understood Chong Guang in this world better than he did — all it took was a bit of projection to figure it out.
‘The opportunity… must be the Mass Grave!’
In less than a month, the news arrived.
The Demon-Suppressing True Person of the Sword Pavilion personally went to the Mass Grave and expelled all Jiangbei cultivators, causing a massive fluctuation in the price of substitute death puppets within the Holy Sect.
Soon after, the Holy Sect responded.
Acting Sect Master Chong Guang took action personally. 【True Lord Qingcheng Feixue】 emerged from seclusion with great momentum, clearly signaling the onset of a righteous-demonic war between the North and South.
However, just as everyone thought the Holy Sect’s goal was to reclaim the Mass Grave, Chong Guang, upon entering Jiangnan, suddenly shifted course and went straight to Gantang Dao. In the next moment, the long-prepared True Lord Qingcheng Feixue struck forcefully — a stream of clear radiance abruptly descended from the heavens.
No one anticipated this upheaval.
Mass Grave? Jiangbei cultivators? Holy Sect disciples? Chong Guang ignored all of them, treating them as pawns — all to conceal his true objective!
Originally, the True Lords of the Sword Pavilion had long been prepared. This time, their layout at the Mass Grave was aimed at monopolizing the heretical Fruit Positions within the 【Profound Spirit Realm】.
If True Lord Qingcheng Feixue acted, they would act together to stop her.
Thus, all their attention was focused on the Mass Grave. When Qingcheng Feixue suddenly changed targets, they were half a beat too slow to respond.
Adding to that, another True Lord from the Holy Sect —【True Lord of Brocade Radiance and Colored Silks】— also made a move to hinder them, successfully creating a brief window for Qingcheng Feixue.
“Boom!”
In the next instant, the clear radiance descended into Gantang Dao. The massive Ganhai Li Clan didn’t even have time to react before being instantly vaporized.
“【World-Cleansing Light】!?”
A True Lord in the Sword Pavilion showed shock. For that beam of clear radiance descending in that moment was, in essence, the fundamental image of 【Water Beneath the Ravine】!
【Water Beneath the Ravine】 favored clarity — thus this radiance, as its name implied, could purify all worldly filth, restoring the turbid to clarity. As for what was considered turbid or clear, it all depended on the Fruit Position holder’s personal view. In Qingcheng Feixue’s eyes, naturally, enemies were turbid, allies were clear.
As the radiance poured forth, all phenomena fell silent in an instant.
The entire Gantang Dao — the first to vaporize were the people and items of the Ganhai Li Clan. In a blink, all buildings and formations on the ground vanished.
As if no such family had ever existed here.
Next, the vast sea water within Gantang Dao evaporated. A port transformed into a deep pit in a flash, revealing the true face beneath the waters.
Under the shining brilliance, the fragment of 【Changyao Radiant Cave Heaven】 could no longer stay hidden and was forced to appear. Yet even back when Hong Yun was still a True Lord, he couldn’t defeat today’s Qingcheng Feixue — let alone a mere Cave Heaven fragment. In moments, the fragment dissolved inch by inch!
Such a sudden turn naturally alarmed 【Ang Xiao】.
After all, this Cave Heaven fragment had been a trap he prepared for Hong Yun. And now, under Qingcheng Feixue’s indiscriminate assault, it was ground into powder.
【Ang Xiao】: “...Huh?”
What just happened?