Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: All Means Unleashed!
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Under the night sky, Lu Yang's gaze turned icy. Without waiting for Wu Cang's response, he clapped his hands together to form a seal, summoning a burst of golden light.
*How dare he!?*
Shock and fury flashed in Wu Cang's eyes. He was at mid-Foundation Establishment! For a junior at early Foundation Establishment to strike first?
But there was no time for further thought. As the golden light descended, in the blink of an eye, he found himself immersed in a vast golden cloud sea. All around him were illusory sun, moon, mountains, rivers, flowing streams, lakes, and seas formed from the auspicious clouds, with phantom dragon shadows weaving through them.
Boom!
The next instant, Wu Cang reacted without hesitation. With a flick of his sleeve, a black-gold shield flew out to guard his back, blocking the whistling sword light.
"Think you can ambush me?"
Wu Cang sneered triumphantly. He had already spread his divine sense throughout the area, and with Lu Yang still inside his formation, how could he possibly hide?
But before Wu Cang could finish speaking, the Lu Yang who had slashed with the [Avici Sword] exploded with a blaze of searing white light. At the critical moment, he shifted positions again, teleporting from behind Wu Cang to right in front of him. The sword tip instantly aimed straight at his brow!
Clang—!
An explosive clash rang out from between them. It was a black umbrella that Wu Cang had unfurled at the last second, and Lu Yang's sword struck it squarely.
Just as Wu Cang prepared to counterattack, the white light flashed once more.
By the time he recovered, Lu Yang had already pulled back to a distance, holding the [Avici Sword] inverted as he eyed Wu Cang thoughtfully.
*He has some strength.*
If Wu Cang were still at early Foundation Establishment, that strike would have wounded him. But mid-Foundation Establishment brought stronger divine sense, allowing him to dodge Lu Yang's slash.
Of course, Lu Yang hadn't unleashed the [Avici Sword]'s full power yet. He could clearly feel the trembling at the sword's edge, where the sword spirit girl child was excitedly shrieking,
"That's him! Kill him! Killing an early-stage against a mid-stage will let me recover at least fifty percent of my strength when I use him to temper the sword!"
"Don't rush. Your time to shine will come."
Lu Yang chuckled casually, sheathing the [Avici Sword] behind his back. Vast mana like a sea of smoke then surged endlessly from his body into the blade.
This superior spirit sword was truly a money pit.
No matter how much mana Lu Yang poured in, the [Avici Sword] devoured it all. The sword spirit girl child even yelled "Not enough!", like an endless abyss.
But Lu Yang wasn't in a hurry.
The more mana the [Avici Sword] absorbed and the longer it charged, the greater its power—enough to decide victory or defeat.
More importantly, that last strike had confirmed something for him.
[Fixed Kinship and Distance] still worked!
If it worked, it meant he wasn't truly trapped by the enemy's formation. With a single thought, he could escape. At least his safety was assured.
With a way out, Lu Yang grew far more relaxed. He no longer needed to think about fleeing; he could unleash all his means and have a proper fight with Wu Cang!
It was the perfect chance to test how far he still lagged behind mid-Foundation Establishment!
But while he was unhurried, someone else was.
Wu Cang's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected that despite his higher cultivation, he'd nearly been wounded by Lu Yang. It was utter humiliation!
The next moment, Lu Yang sensed the formation enveloping him activate. Countless branches descended in an instant, blooming into myriad flowers that merged with Wu Cang's aura, ultimately transforming into a colossal, world-spanning tree that towered to the heavens, its canopy blotting out the universe!
"You're courting death!"
As the words fell, one of the tree's branches flowered and bore fruit. In a blink, a tiny crimson fruit like a blazing ember formed.
The fruit then dropped.
The instant it fell, it turned into a roaring wave of red light surging forth. Wherever it passed, thunderous crackles echoed endlessly!
"An innate divine ability?"
Lu Yang's brows shot up. While continuing to channel mana into the [Avici Sword], he cast [Fixed Kinship and Distance] again, intending to send the red light away.
But this time, things differed. The light of [Fixed Kinship and Distance], which had always been infallible, shattered the moment it touched the crimson fruit. The fruit erupted in a ring of flaming red radiance with a deafening boom, breaking his divine ability. In a flash, it struck him!
Boom!
In that instant, a violent explosion and blaze engulfed Lu Yang, its power compressed by Wu Cang entirely within a few hundred meters.
Foundation Establishment cultivators wielded mana like dragons—vast or minute, freely transforming.
At full scale, it could span thousands of li, toppling mountains and seas. Compressed, it maneuvered within inches, turning world-shaking might into scattered sparks.
The latter was often even deadlier!
Yet gazing at the Lu Yang struck by the crimson fruit, Wu Cang showed no joy. Instead, he furrowed his brows, staring at the sea of flames.
The next second, the fire dispersed.
Lu Yang stood steadily amid the flowing embers, a divine ability light pinched in his hand. Rings of it rippled from behind his head like a canopy, firmly shielding him and isolating him from the embers. The two were clearly divided, never to touch.
[Distinguish Same and Different]!
Beyond evading causality, this divine ability was also a supreme protective art. Once held, no laws could touch him, his qi utterly pure!
*Two profound mysteries.*
Wu Cang's brows knitted tightly. Though he had some mental preparation, Lu Yang's displayed profundities still startled him. He no longer dared underestimate his foe.
Innate divine abilities varied in quality.
Most had only one profundity. Those with multiple were either blessed by fate or from superior techniques.
Wu Cang's background mirrored Lu Yang's on the surface. Both had gained the inheritance of a fallen major sect, leaping from obscurity to prominence, and entered the Primal Saint Sect by offering that inheritance. Though a loose cultivator, Wu Cang's cultivation and combat prowess were no joke.
So despite the trouble, Wu Cang remained confident.
*I've formed the [Coiling Dragon Divine Wood Dao Foundation], cultivated the innate divine ability [Coiling Dragon Treasure Fir Tree], and broken through to mid-Foundation Establishment, condensing three profundities.*
*Can this Yuantu surpass me?*
With that thought, Wu Cang looked at Lu Yang and smiled leisurely.
"Fellow Daoist Yuantu, this wood-born fire of mine isn't so easily dealt with."
Though Lu Yang had protected himself with [Distinguish Same and Different], the surrounding torrent of embers didn't fade. They clung to him like maggots in the bone. The moment he dropped the divine ability, they would pounce, incinerating his dharma body.
It had become a war of attrition.
If Lu Yang fought while enduring the embers, his mana consumption would be enormous. A few exchanges, and he'd be drained, at Wu Cang's mercy.
That was why Wu Cang seemed so composed and smug.
But the next moment, his expression changed.
Unfazed, Lu Yang calmly drew a universe-embroidered brocade pouch from his sleeve and opened it. Instantly, a sky-obscuring swarm of insects poured out.
Qi-devouring bugs!
A full one hundred and forty million of them. To store them, Lu Yang had specially refined a living-creature storage pouch named the [Centipede Bee Bag].
Now, with the [Centipede Bee Bag] open, the Qi-devouring bugs surged like tide and sea, blanketing the embers around Lu Yang and devouring them voraciously. Though born of Wu Cang's innate divine ability, they were ultimately mana-made, one of the myriad qis—and the Qi-devouring bugs ate all qi without fail!
In a blink, the embers were consumed clean!
Though it cost nearly ten million young bugs turned to ash, inside the Centipede Bee Bag, the Qi-devouring bug queen worked overtime to breed more.
Such losses were negligible!
*Worthy of the otherworldly species even praised by the patriarchs!*
Lu Yang smiled in satisfaction. It was worth the trip to the spell-refining secret realm to nurture them. At over a hundred million strong, they truly rivaled a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
(End of chapter)