Chapter 371: Have I Been Too Lucky Lately?
'[Clarity]!'
As the clear divine light fell upon Lü Yang, his nearly unconscious mind instantly regained sharpness.
'Tranquility leads to emptiness's extremity.'
[Sword Heart Clarity]!
The second realm of the Sword Dao corresponded to Foundation Establishment True Persons. Compared to other cultivators, it was equivalent to possessing an additional innate divine ability—and now, it played a crucial role.
Of course, this alone wasn't enough.
What mattered more was—
'Purple-grade Talent: Some Skill!'
[Some Skill: No matter how terrifying the attack you face, as long as it lies within your limits, you can effortlessly respond twice.]
As a talent bestowed by the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, it didn't require active activation. Instead, when Lü Yang encountered an attack he couldn't normally block but had a theoretical chance of resisting, it would automatically activate, allowing him to effortlessly respond twice.
And now, it took effect.
Lü Yang had only just achieved [Sword Heart Clarity], with perhaps a one-in-ten-thousand or even one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance of recognizing the danger in that critical moment.
But [Some Skill] made it inevitable!
Seizing this fleeting moment of respite, Lü Yang reacted swiftly. As the divine wonder of [Clarity] enveloped him, he immediately activated another divine ability.
'[Mind Entrapment]!'
His consciousness linked with his Sword Dao avatar, and in an instant, the [Brilliant Union with the Eternal, Upright Enforcement of the Sword of Gold] in its hand erupted with radiant light, followed by a crisp cracking sound.
From the very beginning of his battle with Long Yue, Lü Yang had deployed [Mind Entrapment]! The entire sacred mountain of the Myriad Poison Sect was still within its range, not yet withdrawn. Now, as Lü Yang activated it, he sought to reverse his disadvantage and erase the unfavorable situation.
Crack!
The next moment, the world before Lü Yang shattered violently. Yet, to his dismay, this did not erase the reality of his main body stepping into the pool.
He was still inside the Moon-Worshipping Sacred Pool.
Only now, he had returned to the moment just after entering—his mind clear, the eerie drowsiness not yet creeping in. But the danger remained unresolved!
In fact, it came even faster this time!
The drowsiness descended more swiftly than before, and murmurs echoed in his ears, as if expounding the supreme principles of heaven and earth.
But this time, Lü Yang was prepared.
With a thought, he sealed his six senses. Under the enhancement of [Sword Heart Clarity], time seemed to freeze in his perception, allowing him to sit calmly within his mind.
This was another wondrous application of [Sword Heart Clarity]—entering a space where only his own consciousness existed. An eternity could pass here while only an instant elapsed outside. In moments of crisis, he could retreat here to contemplate solutions before returning to face them with ease.
'What exactly is happening?'
Lü Yang's eyes gleamed with divine light. Despite the peril, he grew increasingly composed, his spirit sharp as a sword, slashing away all negative emotions.
'Who is scheming against me—[Ang Xiao]?'
He began reviewing every experience since his rebirth, searching for anything irrational.
"Have I... been too lucky lately?"
Truly, when fortune favors, heaven and earth conspire to aid. Every danger he faced turned into opportunity, and after reincarnating into the Sword Pavilion, everything went smoothly without the slightest obstacle.
The result? His former caution seemed like a facade.
Encountering the enigmatic [Moon-Worshipping Sacred Pool], he hadn't inspected it carefully or surveyed it thoroughly—instead, he rushed in without hesitation!
Is this me? No, it isn't!
"This place is nurtured by heaven and earth, and I am a celestial spirit."
Naturally, a thought surfaced in Lü Yang's mind: "...Is heaven and earth trying to harm me?"
Why? Aren't celestial spirits heaven's most beloved children?
"Wait... I remember now."
Now that Lü Yang directed suspicion toward "heaven and earth," it was like finding the right key for a tightly locked door.
Had he ever doubted heaven and earth before?
Yes!
Back then, when he searched for [Shen Metal] in the mass grave and coincidentally obtained it, he had suspected something!
And then?
'Nothing more came of it... because after the mass grave, events like the [Mystic Spirit Realm] unfolded, and I naturally dismissed those suspicions!'
Was there anything else?
'Yes... Daoist Hong Yun!'
Ten years ago, he defied a Golden Core True Lord, refining Daoist Hong Yun's Golden Nature of Great Fortune with the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, thereby inheriting the accumulated foundation of Daoist Hong Yun's countless years of cultivation.
What an immense fortune!
But in reality?
'I barely used it—merely treating the Golden Nature as a shell. As for the rewards settled by the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, I hardly ever examined them.'
At this realization, Lü Yang felt as if plunged into an icy abyss, cold sweat dripping down his back:
'Exactly. Because Daoist Hong Yun, like me now, was once favored by heaven and earth. His connection to it was even deeper than mine. Yet, in the end, he chose to abandon this world. His memories... likely contained something heaven and earth didn't want me to know!'
This was a [Knowledge-Perception Obstruction]!
'Is [Ang Xiao] secretly targeting me? No, that can't be. If it were [Ang Xiao], I wouldn't have been able to kill Daoist Hong Yun and obtain his Golden Nature.'
Then why?
Both incidents occurred while he was dealing with [Ang Xiao]. This felt more like an influence exerted by [Great Forest Wood] itself.
'If so, perhaps heaven and earth can also mobilize the power of Fruit Positions?'
'True Lords aren't the true masters of heaven and earth's Fruit Positions!?'
At this thought, Lü Yang actually relaxed slightly: 'No... Heaven and earth must have its own limitations and can't act against me without restraint.'
Perhaps due to the presence of Dao Lords—predators lurking nearby—even if heaven and earth truly wished to deal with him, it would have to go to great lengths to set traps.
The bad news? He had already fallen into one.
'Wait... That still doesn't add up. Even if it wants to target me, isn't this timing too early? I haven't perfected my celestial spirit yet.'
He still lacked the final [You Metal].
Though Lü Yang could simulate the [You Metal] divine ability in advance through [Law Holding], a counterfeit was still a counterfeit—he hadn't truly obtained [You Metal].
Thus, his celestial spirit body remained incomplete.
'Even if heaven and earth truly harbors ill intentions, it should wait patiently until I obtain [You Metal] and achieve completion before acting...'
By now, Lü Yang understood heaven and earth's intentions.
Simply put, after Lü Yang spent the entire game farming and finally reached max level with full gear, ready to enjoy himself, heaven and earth said: "Hand over the controls."
'What a bastard!'
This was outright theft of his hard-earned victory!
But again—it was too early. He hadn't obtained [You Metal] yet. Unless there was a reason forcing heaven and earth to act prematurely?
Just then—
Boom!
A deafening explosion abruptly interrupted Lü Yang's thoughts, forcibly ejecting him from the [Sword Heart Clarity] state. Time resumed its flow.
The overwhelming drowsiness assaulted him once more.
Yet this time, Lü Yang effortlessly resisted heaven and earth's mental intrusion using [Tribulation Wave] and [Sword Heart Clarity].
[Some Skill]!
One response earlier, and now another.
The next instant, Lü Yang reactivated [Mind Entrapment], altering reality to erase disadvantage and restoring himself to full clarity.
This time, the murmurs in his ears finally changed.
And it wasn't just murmurs—interspersed among them were images. In these visions, Buddhist light filled the sky, reflecting a golden Buddha statue embodying boundless compassion.
Seated atop a six-tusked white elephant, the elephant held a white lotus in its mouth. The Buddha sat serenely, forming a demon-subduing mudra, his Prajñā light capable of eradicating all worldly greed and filth. Like a radiant sun suspended in a cloudless sky, flawless and dazzling, it nearly blinded Lü Yang.
Yet the next moment, all imagery dissolved.
The golden body vanished; the Buddha statue disappeared.
Before Lü Yang's eyes stood only a young monk with palms pressed together and a compassionate smile. His familiar features sparked sudden realization in Lü Yang.
'Guang Ming...'
Why was heaven and earth in such a hurry?
Because Guang Ming had arrived! Or more precisely, the [Buddha's Son] had come. And what was the Buddha's Son of the Pure Land if not the World-Honored One's spokesperson!