Chapter 365
Chapter 365
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: The Cicada Gu and the Prince's Resolve
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"Just this, and you dare to fight me?"
Lu Yang pressed down his sword light and reached out with one hand. He immediately fished two streams of light from the spiritual tide formed by the shattered dharma bodies of the two Myriad Poison Sect True Persons.
They were none other than their gu insects.
[Dragon Centipede Gu].
[Huigu Gu].
The former was clearly a divine ability gu akin to a dharma body. It allowed one to transform into the exotic dragon centipede species, possessing a modicum of true dragon might. But that was all there was to it.
The latter, however, was far more intriguing.
"Ephemerals see no solstice or equinox; cicadas know not spring from autumn."
Lu Yang held the [Huigu Gu] in his palm. At first glance, it resembled a delicate golden cicada. As he infused it with his magic power, it let out a chirping cry.
In an instant, Lu Yang's brows twitched faintly. Amid the cicada's cry, he distinctly felt a subtle decay creeping through his body. His magic power circulation accelerated, as though time itself was slipping away from him bit by bit. Even strands of frost-white appeared amid his originally jet-black hair.
"Hmph!"
The next moment, Lu Yang let out a cold sneer. With a flick of his fingertip, he unleashed a strand of [Sword Qi Thunder Sound] in a flash, instantly scattering the eerie chirp.
He looked back. Where was any sign of decay?
His jet-black hair remained unchanged. The wrinkles born of passing time and the decay had all vanished without a trace, as if the entire episode had been nothing more than a hallucination.
"Interesting."
Lu Yang rubbed his chin, discerning the profound mystery of this [Huigu Gu]. Its foundation lay not in magic power, but in a single thought from the victim.
"Form arises from the heart—believe, and it manifests; disbelieve, and it fades away. This gu weaves an illusion so lifelike it deceives reality itself. Should the victim buy into it, the false becomes true in an instant. Reject it, and it's but a fleeting dream. This gu far surpasses the [Dragon Centipede Gu]."
Its sole flaw was its woefully short lifespan.
Spring-born and summer-dead, summer-hatched and autumn-perished. It slumbered in dormancy at all other times, awakening only when called upon. It could not be used lightly.
'No wonder one of the three lots from the [Fate-Inspecting Lottery Draw] hinted I might fail to take them down.'
A well-played [Huigu Gu] wielded considerable power, after all.
Be it wounds sustained, magic power depleted, or any other bind, so long as the victim clung firmly to the illusion they conjured, they could effortlessly erase the peril.
'Pity it met me.'
This wondrous gu had scarce begun to unleash its might before Lu Yang unceremoniously obliterated them both, leaving its marvels with nowhere to shine.
"It's mine now!"
With a beckoning hand, Lu Yang stored the [Huigu Gu] away in his sack. The only regret was that neither bore the Myriad Poison Sect's methods for controlling gu insects.
"Of course. Such secrets are rarely carried on one's person."
At this thought, Lu Yang's movements paused ever so slightly.
Truth be told, if he wished, he could summon his [Dry Heaven Totality-Encompassing Myriad Phenomena Dharma Body] this very instant, bring forth the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner, and capture these two Myriad Poison Sect True Persons outright.
Any techniques or secrets they held would be his for the asking.
Yet after a moment's reflection, Lu Yang abandoned the notion.
'No need. My clone has already entered the Sword Pavilion—no trace linking it to my true body can be left behind. Better to sever ties cleanly.'
'And better safe than sorry for ten thousand years. For all I know, someone may be watching me even now!'
In the southern frontier, at the heart of a military encampment shrouded in layered clouds and bristling with spears and blades, the Dao Court's [Prince Who Pacifies the South], Wu Tai'an, calmly withdrew his gaze.
"He actually won."
Wu Tai'an rubbed his chin, surprise flickering in his eyes.
"Just reached Foundation Establishment, yet he recovered straight to peak mid-stage. This fellow's past life's roots run deep."
As scion of the Dao Court's imperial house—the current emperor his brother, the crown prince his nephew—his bloodline gifted him a pair of jade-green eyes. Innately attuned to peer into the Nine Heavens above and the netherworld below, they granted an unranked divine ability surpassing ordinary gifts. Scrying thousands of li away was child's play.
"The Sword Pavilion has birthed another formidable sword cultivator."
Wu Tai'an sighed with feeling, but his expression gradually darkened, his voice turning grave.
"Survey the world—heroes abound."
"The Primal Saint Sect shines brightest."
"A lone [Chaozhen Supreme Void True Lord] shattered the five-millennia stalemate, ushering in sixty years of great contention. What True Person under heaven does not owe him a debt of gratitude?"
"The Sword Pavilion yields to none."
"Demon-Quelling True Person Ye Guangji, the realm's paramount sword cultivator. In Foundation Establishment, who could even withstand three swords from him? His strength defies all reason."
"The Pure Land needs no mention—the Buddha Child's descent heralds the [Earthly Buddha Realm] at hand."
"Even overseas..."
Here, Wu Tai'an erupted in fury, slamming his palm on the desk.
"Even overseas, damn them—a formidable scattered cultivator from beyond the heavens has emerged!"
Primal Saint Sect, Sword Pavilion, Pure Land—all boast era-defining prodigies.
Even overseas, talents rise.
"But what of us?"
What of the Dao Court?
His words hung in the air. His deputy general could not help piping up cautiously.
"My lord, do we not have the regent crown prince...?"
Better left unsaid. At those words, Wu Tai'an scoffed outright.
"The crown prince? A throne-warmer, a spineless fool! His every thought is fixed on awaiting His Majesty's ascension, paying respects to the imperial ancestor, then claiming the throne as his birthright. That's the height of his ambition!"
"Guarding Chengdu taxes him already."
"To bid him expand our borders and claim a golden throne for himself? Far too much to ask! Forget a true golden throne—even a proxy one lacks the spine for!"
"As for the court nobles, one and all, unparalleled wastes!"
"Mired with such vermin, how to govern the east? How to strengthen the Dao Court?"
Wu Tai'an vented his spleen with relish.
His deputy, however, paled in terror, wishing himself deaf. He kept his eyes on his nose, nose to heart, feigning oblivion.
Yet the next instant, his face shifted.
For after his tirade, Wu Tai'an's demeanor abruptly serene.
"Long ago, the [Chaozhen Supreme Void True Lord] wrought sixty years of tranquility."
"Ten years have passed since."
"And yet the world endures unchanged—surging undercurrents, but none truly take that step. Do you know why?"
"Why?" the deputy murmured.
"Fear."
Wu Tai'an grinned wolfishly.
"Do the [Chaozhen Supreme Void True Lord]'s words ring true? Have the great lords truly secluded themselves? Might they harbor hidden hands?"
"All unknowns!"
"Some may even suspect a ploy among True Lords—to nurture the seedlings of five thousand years, then uproot them wholesale."
Wu Tai'an spoke on; sweat beaded on his deputy's brow.
Was it possible?
Of course!
No further proof needed—that [Chaozhen Supreme Void True Lord] hailed from the Primal Saint Sect. That alone sowed doubt in every True Person's heart.
But in the next breath, Wu Tai'an wheeled about.
"I say they are cowards all!"
"Waiting today, tomorrow—until doomsday? The earlier the hour, the greater the chance! Delaying the golden pursuit only courts greater peril!"
"After all, the [Chaozhen Supreme Void True Lord] is but a fledgling True Lord. Sixty years, he claims—yet who can say? To stand alone against the world's True Persons, thirty years would be feat enough! He may even teeter on death's edge, his end nigh!"
With that, Wu Tai'an rose.
"My lord..."
The deputy sensed what was coming and sought to dissuade him softly. But beholding Wu Tai'an's solemn, majestic visage, he bowed his head in silence.
"Primal Saint Sect, Sword Pavilion, Pure Land, overseas—how could the Dao Court stand absent?"
Wu Tai'an laughed boldly.
"The realm's True Persons watch and wait, none daring seek gold, all awaiting a pioneer. If so, let it be me!"
"Through the ages, ascension to golden thrones stems from martyrdom. With True Lords secluded, none perish seeking gold—thus the world stagnates. Let it begin with me!"