Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, Sacred Fire Cliff
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Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, Sacred Fire Cliff.
With a dazzling burst of brilliant light flashing past, Lu Yang had just stepped out of the Tongtian Hall when he immediately sensed several divine senses landing on him.
"Yuantu, where is Miaoyin?"
A Perfected Being inquired.
Lu Yang immediately put on a sorrowful expression.
"We encountered an accident. The Boundary Heaven is perilous. Madam met a violent end, and this disciple was too late to save her."
"Oh!"
The several divine senses quickly withdrew. These should have been connections Miaoyin had accumulated in the past. Yet now, not one showed the slightest intent to pursue the matter of her death.
Lu Yang was not surprised by this. No one would care about a dead person. Moreover, with Miaoyin clearly dead and him emerging unscathed—without any sign of heavenly punishment descending—it showed his gains from this trip were enormous. By now, he was no longer someone a mere ordinary Perfected Being could provoke.
"People gone, tea cold—nothing more than that."
Lu Yang shook his head. The Primal Saint Sect's Perfected Beings were truly callous. They bore no resemblance to himself, who cherished old ties. Many events remained vividly etched in his memory even across several lifetimes.
"Speaking of which, Senior Brother Zhao from the last few lifetimes still owes me Contribution Points."
Pity the man was dead.
He could collect in the next life.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Lu Yang summoned an escaping light and returned to Luofeng Mountain, arriving at the quiet chamber where his main body was secluded. He then withdrew the consciousness from the immortal fetus avatar.
Deprived of Lu Yang's control, the avatar froze in place at once, its eyes going vacant and lifeless.
Lu Yang's main body, meanwhile, stretched lazily with pleasure.
This was the advantage of not splitting his divine sense: the avatar and main body were one and the same at root. There would be no drama of the avatar rebelling.
"At least it wasn't a wasted trip."
With a turn of his mind, Lu Yang immediately refined a spectral image from the immortal fetus avatar—a three-headed, six-armed figure with a green face and fangs—which he then absorbed into himself.
[Dry Heaven All-Encompassing Myriad Phenomena Dharma Body]!
This Second-Grade True Merit had reached Greater Completion. The dharma body was now preliminarily formed, functioning as both divine ability and spirit treasure, much like the [Nine Sons Mother Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword] in nature.
"This dharma body holds four profound mysteries!"
"All that effort was worth it. With these four mysteries layered on, it's nearly on par with an innate divine ability. For a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being, the enhancement is nothing short of transformative!"
That had been the case with Ye Guyue in the past.
Even with just her single [Nine Sons Mother Heavenly Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword], Lu Yang had struggled to win—after Chongguang drained her merit and qi fate, clouding her mind with tribulation qi, and he laid down a grand array to fight her.
Had she been at her peak back then—Foundation Establishment mid-stage at perfection, plus the sword—he surely would not have been her match.
"But I wouldn't have fought her in that case anyway."
"If I can't win, can't I just run?"
"After all, I only ever pick on the weak, the sick, and the old. That's the true essence of cultivation. What's the fun in matched fights? Crushing noobs is where the thrill lies."
With that in mind, Lu Yang turned his divine sense back to the dharma body.
"[Dry Heaven All-Encompassing Myriad Phenomena Dharma Body]—as the name suggests, its four profound mysteries are [Dry Heaven], [All-Encompassing], [Myriad Phenomena], and [Dharma Body]!"
[Dry Heaven] occupied the highest position. It could twist "heaven's will" within a limited range to favor the user, granting the cultivator under its boost heaven-and-earth qi fortune with every action. Their magic and abilities would flow effortlessly, while foes might easily suffer qi deviation with a single misstep.
"Sounds domineering, but it's not that practical."
Lu Yang shook his head. Heaven's will was not so easily bent. This mystery crushed Qi Refining cultivators without fail, but it fell short against Foundation Establishment.
"At best, it influences the early stage."
"Against mid-stage peers of equal position, [Dry Heaven]'s effect drops sharply. But it pairs perfectly with one of my natal divine abilities."
[Clarifying Right and Wrong]!
Among the four profound mysteries of Lu Yang's natal divine ability, [Clarifying Right and Wrong] saw the least use. It was a tool for bullying the weak, useless against equals. But things were different now.
"Boosted by the dharma body's [Dry Heaven], it might dramatically amplify [Clarifying Right and Wrong], making it viable even against peers!"
"Paired together, they produce a qualitative change."
Even so, no joy showed on Lu Yang's face. Instead, it grew grave as he continued examining the other three mysteries.
"[All-Encompassing], as implied, seizes souls and thoughts from afar. Incredibly effective against those with sturdy physical forms—bypassing their bodily advantages to yank out their souls directly. Good lord, it's all but naming Pure Land Buddhist cultivators! Clearly designed to target them!"
"[Myriad Phenomena] works as before: refining external objects to temper the dharma body."
"The final [Dharma Body] is a pure augmentation mystery. Its strength scales with the degree of damage—the worse the harm, the greater the boost."
"Up to double power at maximum!"
"In essence, with this dharma body active, the more wounds I take, the stronger my divine abilities and magic become. My peak is at the brink of death!"
After a moment's silence, Lu Yang withdrew the dharma body.
"Have to admit, this Second-Grade True Merit is a perfect match for [City Head Earth]. Was this technique deliberately sent my way?"
He could not help but suspect as much.
After all, the coincidence was too great. Having lived nine lifetimes in this decrepit Primal Saint Sect, Lu Yang knew full well: every sect opportunity came with a hook.
"Chongguang must have known—he delivered the technique personally. But he's dead now; can't ask him. Could it be the Zouyu descendants in the sect?"
With this dharma body in hand, if he succeeded in harvesting qi and pulled the Wanwu Realm's position into the main world to advance [City Head Earth]—then had [City Head Earth] subsume it—its power would surge. He might no longer be restrained by the Pure Land. And with the sect holding the Pure Land in check...
"There might actually be hope."
This thought led Lu Yang to suspect it truly was the work of Zouyu descendants. Reclaiming [City Head Earth] had always been their obsession.
Yet while he had claimed the benefit, that did not mean he had to follow through!
This matter warranted careful deliberation.
Next, Lu Yang produced a sachet.
It was Miaoyin's storage pouch, handed to him before her death. He had already scoured it once. Only one item had barely piqued his interest.
A faintly glowing pill.
An ordinary Perfected Being might mistake it for genuine medicine due to shallow insight. But Lu Yang, with his profound mastery of formations, saw through the ruse.
"What a formation!"
"Mustard Seed into Sumeru—what's sealed inside?"
His divine sense probed within. At once, he beheld a lake roiling with massive waves—and a towering true dragon, its face full of despair, apparently resigned to its fate.
Lu Yang froze.
"...Sui Ying?"
At nearly the same instant, Sui Ying sensed the intrusion and bellowed in fury.
"Suo Huan! If you mean to kill me, get it over with! Trapping me here to rot—what exactly do you want?"
"This true dragon king was Suo Huan's catch?"
Lu Yang's expression turned peculiar. A true dragon—horns, claws, scales, its entire body a treasure. Perfect for sacrificing into the [Dry Heaven All-Encompassing Myriad Phenomena Dharma Body]!
In that moment, Lu Yang's heart stirred faintly.
This journey had brought back vast quantities of Wanwu Realm essence. Not only had it covered the deficits from Miaoyin Perfected Being and the Earth Sha qi, it had even yielded a surplus.
Heaven had thus rewarded him handsomely with merit and qi fate—replenishing the third drained by Chongguang Perfected Being, with extra to spare. It had pushed him to the threshold for claiming Heavenly Gang Earth Sha. And now, guided by that qi fate, enlightenment dawned.
"My opportunity has arrived!"
"The second strand of Heavenly Gang Earth Sha I need for mid-stage perfection... it's tied to this dragon king. And overseas too?"