Chapter 336: The Righteous Path Declines, I Must Emerge!
Chapter 336: The Righteous Path Wanes—I Must Emerge!
In an instant, all sounds ceased.
The blood-written words left behind by this Earth Immortal were merely an outpouring of boundless hatred toward the shattered heavens—utterly despairing, yet fiercely resolute!
The next moment, the Mending Heaven Peak Master and Ye Guyue's bodies simultaneously stiffened.
Clearly, as the two strongest present, they were the natural targets of these lethal blood characters, which brooked no resistance.
Immediately after, an invisible crushing force descended like an executioner's blade from above, aiming to sever Ye Guyue and the Mending Heaven Peak Master's heads and extinguish the vitality within their physical forms. The vengeful strike of an Earth Immortal comparable to a Grand True Person at death's door was not something they could withstand!
Crack!
Distinct fissures appeared at their brows, threatening to tear apart their bodies. Yet, an unusual radiance simultaneously erupted from both of them.
For the Mending Heaven Peak Master, it was a jade token.
The [Imperial Decree Jade Token]!
Within the Saint Sect, only the masters of the four inner peaks were qualified to possess such a treasure. Crafted by a True Lord, activating it at the brink of death could preserve one's life.
In a previous lifetime, Lü Yang had once drawn upon Skeleton Mountain's Gold Core Sword Qi to slay the Mending Heaven Peak Master. Yet, the latter had relied on this very token to barely survive—though reduced to a shattered body, forced to engage in drawn-out battles with a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator while himself only at pseudo-Foundation Establishment, he had still clung to life.
This alone spoke volumes about its potency.
Naturally, the power of the Earth Immortal's blood characters paled in comparison to Gold Core Sword Qi. Thus, with a mere flicker, the [Imperial Decree Jade Token] effortlessly dispelled the attack.
Yet, the Mending Heaven Peak Master showed no trace of joy.
'To have expended it like this...'
This was his life-saving trump card, originally reserved for facing heavenly tribulations in the future—should enemies strike at a critical moment, it could still be used for protection.
Yet now, it had been wasted here!
And worse, wasted on a dead man!
A devastating loss!
Meanwhile, Ye Guyue on the other side staggered back, her delicate face deathly pale. Her condition was far worse than the Peak Master's—she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The Mending Heaven Peak Master glanced at her and understood. Both had been targeted by the Earth Immortal's blood characters and nearly perished simultaneously. Yet while he had the [Imperial Decree Jade Token] shielding him, Ye Guyue did not. With him unscathed and her gravely wounded, the scales had tipped decisively.
'This woman owes me her life.'
At this realization, a smile surfaced on the Peak Master's face. "Fellow Daoist, by the Sword Pavilion's standards, you now owe me karma."
"..."
Ye Guyue remained silent, turning to flee.
She had no intention of being bound by his words. Karma and fateful connections were tools for dealing with outsiders—within the Sword Pavilion, an entirely different interpretation prevailed.
What truly spurred her swift escape was the murderous intent lurking beneath the Peak Master's amiable tone. With her strength diminished by seventy percent from the Earth Immortal's blood characters, she stood no chance against him at full power. If she didn't flee now, she risked being drained to death through dual cultivation!
"Hmph, thinking of running?"
The Peak Master laughed heartily. "Everyone, stop her! Today, I shall taste what a Sword Pavilion fairy truly feels like!"
Instantly, chaos erupted within the [Heavenly Capital Palace]!
Brilliant lights of divine abilities clashed violently, surging spiritual energy like tidal waves reducing the palace's furnishings to wreckage.
With fortune within reach, all had been driven to madness.
Only the Yun Family Patriarch and True Person Xiuxin remained clear-headed. Far from joining the fray, they shielded each other as they retreated from the palace.
"Save me!"
Spotting this, Ye Guyue—trapped under the Peak Master's suppression—brightened with hope and urgently transmitted her voice toward them:
"I am the Ye Family's direct descendant! True Person Xiuxin, as a Ye Family retainer, you are duty-bound to act! Fellow Daoist Yun, your clan is in decline—if I escape alive, I swear a karmic debt that will ensure your Yun Family produces a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Both of you lack deep roots—dying for me would be your fortune!"
At these words, the two halted.
Seeing this, hope flashed in Ye Guyue's eyes as she mustered her remaining strength to resist the Peak Master's divine ability suppression, awaiting their intervention.
Yet the next moment—
"Ah!"
The Yun Family Patriarch and True Person Xiuxin turned away in unison, sighing deeply. Despite their differing appearances, identical expressions surfaced on their faces.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, why demean yourself so?"
"Your fate has arrived."
The familiar tone, the familiar lament—even with entirely different voices, Ye Guyue discerned a shadow behind these words.
'It's you... Lü Yang!?'
Him again!
How could it be him?
Even now, Ye Guyue couldn't comprehend how Lü Yang had achieved this—why the Yun Family Patriarch and True Person Xiuxin had become his puppets.
She only knew Lü Yang was the mastermind behind it all!
He had always been suspicious!
Ye Guyue's beautiful eyes widened, her delicate features twisting grotesquely—the only movement she could manage, with no time left to even cry Lü Yang's name.
The next instant, the Mending Heaven Peak Master's palm landed on her. The Mending Heaven True Scripture activated, reducing her to a withered husk in moments. At his level, the scripture was no longer bound by form—and as someone who valued face, he certainly wouldn't conduct dual cultivation publicly.
With Ye Guyue fallen, the remaining Sword Pavilion True Persons stood no chance.
Soon, several streaks of light fled the [Heavenly Capital Palace] without looking back—only the Yun Family Patriarch and True Person Xiuxin remained.
'The time has come.'
Lü Yang grinned, baring his teeth. He had no intention of pursuing the escapees—they were witnesses to prove Ye Guyue had died by the Mending Heaven Peak Master's hand.
"The demonic forces grow strong, the righteous path declines..."
Sighing, Lü Yang ceased hiding, striding openly toward the [Heavenly Capital Palace]. Arrays shimmered to life wherever he passed.
"...But fear not—I shall intervene."
Previously, both Ye Guyue and the Mending Heaven Peak Master had been his enemies, and the Earth Immortal's blood characters in the [Heavenly Capital Palace] had posed a genuine threat if he wasn't careful.
But now, everything had changed.
The Earth Immortal's blood characters and the Peak Master's [Imperial Decree Jade Token] had canceled each other out. Ye Guyue had been slain by the Peak Master, leaving only an unenhanced Mending Heaven Peak Master.
Lü Yang felt the time had come for him to emerge!
Upholding righteousness brooked no delay!
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Lü Yang arrived before the [Heavenly Capital Palace] gates. Simultaneously, the Mending Heaven Peak Master had just finished storing the [Dao Harmony Immortal Pill] from the cauldron, the [Six Ding Divine Fire] beneath it, and the [Immortal Root of Longevity Equal to Heaven] from the alchemy room—securing the bulging storage pouch at his waist.
Then, he spotted Lü Yang at the entrance.
"You?"
The Peak Master's face lit with delight before he burst into laughter. "Truly, a pillow arrives when one is sleepy! Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, I'll gladly accept—"
Unfazed, Lü Yang retrieved the Myriad Spirits Banner.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, I've come to reunite you with your son."
The next moment, the banner rippled as Chen Xin'an's figure emerged within it, his face grief-stricken as he let out a heart-wrenching cry: "Father!"
"...Xin'an!?"
The Mending Heaven Peak Master froze.
Seizing this instant, Lü Yang channeled the banner's mysterious might—the Law Holding divine wonder activating—as four dazzling beams of divine ability erupted!
Whoosh!
A presence utterly surpassing mid-stage Foundation Establishment descended, instantly suppressing all of the Peak Master's thoughts—until a single finger pressed against his forehead.
Thud!