Chapter 369: Immortal Spirit Perfected, Sword Heart Clarity
The moment the words left Lü Yang's mouth, he regretted them.
Not because he regretted antagonizing the Myriad Poison Sect—but because he shouldn't have phrased it that way.
After all, as a True Person of the Sword Pavilion, how could he resort to such blatant plundering? And "exterminating the entire sect"—how brutal was that? That was the Saint Sect's rhetoric.
If he were speaking as a Sword Pavilion cultivator, he should have said: 'Today, I take the [Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Gilded Silkworm] and the [Xin Metal], incurring karma with you all. Since that is the case, I shall send you all into the cycle of reincarnation today. In your next life, I will guide you to join the Sword Pavilion, thereby repaying this debt of karma.'
—That would have been the proper way to phrase it!
But in a moment of carelessness, his true thoughts slipped out. The righteous indignation he'd intended instantly took on a bandit-like tone, making it easy for others to sense something amiss.
'Ah, my love for the Saint Sect runs too deep...'
The fleeting reflection vanished from Lü Yang's mind as quickly as it appeared. In the next instant, he had already struck. As for the fate of the Myriad Poison Sect? He couldn't care less.
From the very beginning, they had no chance of survival.
From a public standpoint—with the Northern Frontier's Divine Martial Gate already annihilated by the Saint Sect—if the Sword Pavilion spared the Myriad Poison Sect, they risked being surrounded by enemies from both north and south in the future.
From a personal standpoint—it was all about that Moon-Worshipping Sacred Pool.
'A feng shui treasure land, naturally formed and capable of nurturing [Xin Metal]—if I place my immortal spirit's true form within it, the incubation process will undoubtedly accelerate!'
There might even be hope to catch the last wave of this sixty-year grand era!
Compared to that, the [Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Gilded Silkworm] was secondary. Obtaining it would be ideal, but Lü Yang wouldn't lament missing it either.
"Clang! Clang!"
The sharp resonance of sword energy reverberated through the heavens and earth. Under the enhancement of [Law Holding], Lü Yang's aura instantly surged past the bottleneck, reaching the level of a Grand True Person.
[Brilliant Union with the Eternal, Upright Enforcement of the Sword of Gold]!
Without hesitation, Lü Yang summoned his sword foundation, unleashing a dazzling array of lights. With a sweep of his [Mind Entrapment] divine ability, he instantly drew Long Yue into its influence.
Long Yue merely furrowed her brows slightly, vaguely sensing something amiss. However, coming from a minor sect, her foundation was far inferior to Lü Yang's. Even if she noticed something wrong, she failed to realize she had already fallen under the sway of a divine ability, mistaking it for some soul-shaking technique.
"...Activate the formation! It's do or die!"
Long Yue's beautiful eyes hardened, all traces of her earlier maidenly demeanor vanishing. Only now did she finally exhibit the bearing of the Myriad Poison Sect's Cult Master, revered by all True Persons.
If Lü Yang intended to push things to the extreme—
Then she, too, dared to stake her life against him!
In the next moment, the sacred mountain where the Five Poison Sect resided trembled as its previously dormant formation reactivated. Beams of radiant light shot into the sky, severing the connection between the inner and outer realms.
[Five Saints Moon-Worshipping Profound Formation!]
As the formation took hold, heaven and earth instantly transformed—day turned to night, the moon hung low on the branches, and torrents of [Moonlight Essence] cascaded down like waterfalls!
Standing amidst the surging mystical radiance, Lü Yang remained upright and unshaken, calmly surveying his surroundings: 'They've vanished... I've had this nagging suspicion all along. Now it's clear—someone's been secretly watching me! Who? The Ye Family from the Sword Pavilion? Or that King of the South Suppression from the Dao Court?'
"[Heavenly Spider Prison], [White Snake Duke], [Reverse Horse Poison]!"
At that moment, Long Yue began chanting incantations, swiftly summoning a white serpent, a spider, and a scorpion in succession.
The Myriad Poison Sect's cultivation centered on gu insects.
Among them, five supreme gu insects reigned above all others, collectively known as the [Five Saints]. As the sect's leader, Long Yue naturally cultivated these five sacred gu.
"[Heavenly Spider Prison]!"
In the next instant, a vast white web unfurled, its silken threads not attacking Lü Yang directly but instead sealing the space around him.
Immediately, Lü Yang felt a heavy pressure descend upon him, as though a butterfly trapped in a spider's web—his thoughts and movements grew sluggish. His brows arched sharply as he unleashed a storm of sword energy. Yet Long Yue remained composed, continuously weaving layers of supple webs, binding Lü Yang in place.
Witnessing this, delight flashed in Long Yue's eyes.
Having neighbored the Sword Pavilion for so long in the Southern Frontier, the Myriad Poison Sect had naturally treated sword cultivators as hypothetical enemies, devising numerous countermeasures.
'Sword cultivators are formidable, but not without weaknesses.'
'Their greatest flaw lies in their greatest strength—their flying swords! Relying on the sharpness of their swords, they neglect their physical forms. Ordinarily, their unparalleled speed and offensive power render this irrelevant. But once those advantages are neutralized, they're left helpless...'
In essence—high offense, low defense.
By employing sealing and trapping techniques against Lü Yang, Long Yue aimed to suppress his speed and power, forcing him into a contest of physical endurance and mana!
'With my [Sun-Swallowing Toad], I can devour all external energies and injuries. The formation also shares my burden.'
'How could he possibly outlast me?'
Confident, Long Yue willed her remaining two divine gu—[White Snake Duke] and [Reverse Horse Poison]—to descend upon Lü Yang.
"Boom!"
A terrifying shockwave erupted within the sacred mountain, drowning out even Lü Yang's Sword Qi Thunder Sound as it completely engulfed his figure.
Heaven and earth became a tapestry of intertwining illusions.
Each strand of radiance was a manifestation of divine power—seemingly ordinary yet containing vast destructive potential. Had this clash occurred overseas, it would have been enough to obliterate entire islands.
Only after a long moment did a figure finally emerge from the chaotic brilliance.
Long Yue's lips curled into a smile—only for it to freeze as the silhouette grew clearer.
Because Lü Yang stood unharmed.
Around him, billowing black mist coalesced into a towering, three-headed, six-armed apparition wreathed in dark flames, shielding him from Long Yue's divine abilities.
[Qian Heaven's Omniscient Manifestation Dharma Body]!
The dharma body stood solemn and majestic—one hand firmly gripping the [Reverse Horse Poison], unflinching even as the scorpion's tail pierced its flesh. Another arm, thick and muscular, was coiled by the [White Snake Duke]'s serpentine body, its fingers clamped around the snake's vital point, allowing its venomous fangs to sink into its own form. With every passing second, the dharma body's injuries worsened.
Yet what terrified Long Yue was—
Despite the mounting damage, Lü Yang's aura showed no signs of weakening. Instead, it grew increasingly violent, climbing relentlessly toward some unfathomable peak!
'What in the world is this!?'
Even within the Saint Sect, Foundation Establishment True Persons who cultivated second-grade true arts were exceedingly rare. Long Yue, isolated in the Southern Frontier, naturally couldn't recognize Lü Yang's dharma body.
Someone like Prince Wu Tai'an of the South Suppression might have known.
But under the shroud of the [Five Saints Moon-Worshipping Profound Formation], the prince's gaze had been severed, preventing him from observing the battle unnoticed.
Of course, this was all within Lü Yang's calculations.
Otherwise, why would he have chosen to confront Long Yue within the Five Poison Sect's territory? Only in such secrecy could he unleash his full strength without reservation!
The next instant, Lü Yang opened his eyes.
The dharma body's profundity lay in its paradoxical nature—the more severe its injuries, the greater its divine power became. With a flip of his palm, a radiant sword materialized in his grasp.
"Zheng—!"
The sword's cry rang out once more. Where Lü Yang's gaze fell, time itself seemed to freeze, leaving him the sole existence between heaven and earth.
Even the thunderous roar of sword qi faded into silence.
All thoughts and distractions dissolved into nothingness as Lü Yang's mind and body entered an indescribable, wondrous state.
Around him, divine abilities manifested spontaneously.
[Lord of War], [Stubborn Gold Duke], [Solemn Profound Frost]... and one more, birthed from the mysteries of [Law Holding], yet leaving no visible trace—
Only the distant tolling of a bell.
[Resounding Heaven Bell]!
The four innate divine abilities now coiled around the dharma sword in Lü Yang's hand, merging seamlessly before finally fusing entirely into the blade itself.
'Tranquility leads to emptiness... Sword Heart Clarity—is this what it feels like?'
Understanding dawned in Lü Yang's heart.
The sword stroke that had once cleaved the seas in his past life surfaced in his mind.
Draw the sword.
'[Proclaiming Might]'
As the blade left its sheath, it instantly eclipsed all brilliance between heaven and earth, forcing Long Yue's gaze to fixate upon it, unable to look away.
This single strike from Lü Yang's true form had been charging for a long time. Empowered by the dharma body's peak-state divine abilities, augmented by the Sword Pavilion's [Sword Heart Clarity] method, and backed by the Grand True Person rank—every aspect of his arsenal represented the pinnacle of a major sect's resources. How could someone from a minor faction like Long Yue hope to withstand it?
"Swish!"
A beautiful head soared through the air.
The graceful body shattered under the residual sword light, leaving only the fleeing soul—intercepted by a banner before it could descend into the [Netherworld].
'A Foundation Establishment late-stage Banner Spirit...'
Mine now!