Chapter 341
Chapter 341
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: The Triple Trap for Soaring Empyrean
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"This entire layout was prepared for Soaring Empyrean!"
At this moment, Lu Yang felt his mind clearer than it had ever been. Countless clues linked together, finally allowing him to understand the full sequence of events up to now.
"The trigger... was the Xuanling Realm!"
"To devour the Xuanling Realm, the Primal Saint Sect True Lord took the lead, with True Lords from other factions following suit. Many True Lords ventured beyond the skies and obliterated the Xuanling Realm."
Only one person had not received an invitation.
That was Soaring Empyrean!
"Stuck in the Netherworld, Soaring Empyrean naturally couldn't join the other True Lords in heading to the Xuanling Realm. He had no way of knowing what the True Lords were doing out there."
"If I'm right, the True Lords didn't just kill the supreme being of the Xuanling Realm. The Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord even took the chance to expose Soaring Empyrean's identity! That's what led to the Heavenly Court shattering into four pieces—these four fragments were bait to lure Soaring Empyrean!"
"And sure enough..."
"Soaring Empyrean fell for it. He entered a Heavenly Court fragment of his own accord. The strand of consciousness he used to observe the mortal world was sealed away, severing his connection to it!"
"Then..."
Lu Yang turned his gaze northward once more toward the Jiangbei region. He knew of Heavy Light's preparations to seek gold, but this timing was far too early for Heavy Light.
In other words—
"...Hongyun!"
To seek gold so brazenly in Jiangbei, he must have received the silent approval of Heavy Light and the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord. This was completely beyond Soaring Empyrean's expectations!
"This matter has three layers."
"The first layer is the trap laid by Heavy Light and the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord using the Heavenly Court fragments. Soaring Empyrean might have anticipated that much."
"So the second layer is the trap Soaring Empyrean set on top of theirs."
"That trap is most likely in the cave heaven fragment beneath the waters of Gantang Avenue. If Heavy Light and the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord assume they've trapped Soaring Empyrean's consciousness and strut right into that cave heaven fragment, they'll fall into it completely—not dead, but definitely skinned alive!"
"And above that comes the third layer."
At this thought, Lu Yang couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing.
"Heavy Light and the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord didn't just avoid that cave heaven fragment—they pulled the rug out from under it entirely, openly allowing Hongyun to seek gold!"
This was the killing stroke!
It offered Heavy Light no benefit whatsoever, but it struck a fatal blow against Soaring Empyrean—a pure act of self-sacrifice to harm another.
"But Soaring Empyrean must have sensed something was off."
"Unable to leave the South Heaven Gate, he detected the trap. That's why he was so desperate to connect with his true body outside."
"So he appeared before me."
Under the wondrous boost of Illumination, Lu Yang's thoughts sharpened even further.
"In all his words just now—probing me, proposing cooperation—his core goal boiled down to one thing: get me to kill him!"
"Whether stoking my anger or deliberately sparking my defiance, it was all just tactics. What he wanted was the outcome: my hand ending his life!"
The Netherworld's influence was inescapable.
Anyone who died in this world had their soul drawn inevitably into the Netherworld. That was the key to Soaring Empyrean's consciousness returning.
"But he probably can't kill himself."
This was Lu Yang's guess.
Otherwise, why go to such lengths to borrow his hand for a return to the Netherworld? Slitting his own throat would be far simpler. There had to be True Lord interference!
With that in mind, Lu Yang directed his clone inside the South Heaven Gate to tentatively reach out a hand.
"Urgh!"
His movement halted abruptly, blocked from any further action. Just moments ago, he'd intended to self-detonate—but that was forbidden.
"...Sure enough!"
Lu Yang looked up, as if beholding an invisible, colossal force like a vast net enveloping the entire South Heaven Gate. It manifested as a line of talismanic script:
[Suicide prohibited here!]
"This is... the mighty power of the Xuanling Realm's fruit position! A True Lord influenced it, imprinting this rule inside the South Heaven Gate!"
It sealed off Soaring Empyrean's path to suicide and return to the Netherworld!
This was no handiwork of the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord.
More crucially, the rule was concealed with exquisite depth. At least, Soaring Empyrean hadn't spotted it from outside—otherwise, he would've realized something was amiss.
And that concealment itself was a wholly different technique.
On top of that, the seal isolating the South Heaven Gate from the outside world didn't match the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord's style either. Clearly, someone else was at work.
"Three... at least three True Lords have acted here!"
"The whole world against him—truly, the whole world against him... Soaring Empyrean wasn't schemed by the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord alone. He was plotted against by True Lords everywhere!"
In that instant, Lu Yang felt boundless emotion well up.
"Every one of these True Lord figures is no saint. Take Soaring Empyrean—even he can capsize with one wrong move!"
Hongyun bore no Chen Soil shackles. If he succeeded in seeking gold and reclaimed Covered Lamp Fire, he'd dismantle every one of Soaring Empyrean's schemes, dropping him from late Golden Core. That was an irreconcilable grudge of the Great Dao! Soaring Empyrean would pay any price to stop it.
Could Hongyun succeed?
"Very unlikely."
Lu Yang shook his head inwardly—not from doubt in Hongyun, but faith in Soaring Empyrean. This late Golden Core powerhouse was simply too formidable.
But it was undeniable.
After this scheme, Hongyun had seized the initiative. Where seeking gold had once been hopeless, now he had at least a thirty percent chance!
"...Just one issue."
What about Heavy Light?
In this grand setup against Soaring Empyrean, the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord and Heavy Light had invested heavily. Yet Hongyun stood to gain the most.
What did they get out of it?
Jiangnan, Gantang Avenue, Changyao Radiant Glory Cave Heaven.
As Hongyun sought gold under the gaze of True Lords across the world, a man of ordinary looks but piercing sharpness in his brows arrived calmly.
Brilliant hues overflowed from his body.
Those myriad colors converged into a pure beam of divine ability light—like a bright yellow lantern flame, illuminating the lakebed and revealing the cave heaven.
"Looks like this is the place."
The man smiled faintly and stepped into the cave heaven without hesitation.
Within lay a colossal serpent formed of Si Fire, stretching languidly. The palace at its head stood with gates flung wide, exposing the interior.
The palace was starkly simple: a chessboard and two cushions.
An illusory figure already occupied the inner cushion. The man didn't pause, striding straight to the outer one and sitting with poise.
"Sir, Heavy Light greets you."
Heavy Light's face was serene, his eyes appraising the figure across the board—a silhouette shrouded entirely in mist.
"Impressive."
The mist churned. A voice emerged, androgynous and ageless, laced with admiration and lament.
"The Primal Saint Sect truly breeds endless talents."
Originally, Soaring Empyrean had lain in ambush here, waiting for Heavy Light and the Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord to bite. But then came the alert from his divided spirit in the South Heaven Gate.
Only then did he grasp the shifts outside.
He was undeniably caught between a rock and a hard place. He still had means to halt Hongyun's gold-seeking—but at enormous cost.
At the thought, Soaring Empyrean voiced the same doubt as Lu Yang.
"After all this effort to wreck my plans... only to empower Hongyun. What are you truly after?"
"Seeking the Dao alone."
Heavy Light remained composed.
"Covered Lamp Fire can no longer prove the Dao. Sir is late Golden Core, after all—if you truly wish to reverse this, you have ways."
"But Sir clearly aims higher, unwilling to pay the price."
"It all hinges on your choice, Sir. If you can find me another path to Golden Core fruition, I can naturally help you break this deadlock."
Soaring Empyrean fell silent for a moment, then pieced it together.
"Haha... hahaha! I see, I see! This isn't your scheme—it's Xue Feihong's! You've become the pawn she discards!"
The Clear Serene Flying Snow True Lord wanted only a Covered Lamp Fire True Lord. It didn't matter who.
It could be Heavy Light. Or Hongyun.
She'd dismissed Hongyun before because he'd failed to reclaim his position in five thousand years—no hope there. So she'd pinned her efforts on Heavy Light.
But now?
Hongyun had traded with Lu Yang for the True Explanation of Cavernous Void Internal Contemplation of Heaven and Earth and Supreme Bright Golden Cup Jade Light, reclaiming his foundation for ascension.
And crucially, no Chen Soil liability.
"Compared to you, Hongyun's odds of seeking gold are far better. No wonder Xue Feihong treats you as expendable. No wonder you come to me alone!"
Heavy Light cupped his hands.
"Sir sees true."
Heavy Light's expression stayed steady against Soaring Empyrean's barbs. The edge in his brows remained unbroken, sharp as ever.
"Nothing left but to rely on myself."