Chapter 373
Chapter 373
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Number]
Chapter Title: Guang Ming Arrives
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Guang Ming's appearance resolved the doubts in Lu Yang's heart.
Why was Heaven and Earth so eager to act?
Because the World Honored One had set his sights on him!
In that instant, Lu Yang nearly scared his soul right out of his body. After all, the World Honored One was the most absurd and shameless figure he had encountered across his ten lifetimes of cultivation.
A Nascent Soul Dao Lord striking down a Foundation Establishment great cultivator?
*But what virtue or ability do I possess to attract the World Honored One's attention?*
This made no sense at all!
Of course, in that instant, Lu Yang also suspected it might be a lingering threat from a previous life, where the World Honored One had nearly captured him during a rebirth.
But he quickly dismissed it.
Absolutely impossible!
*After all, that was several lifetimes ago. If it were true, the World Honored One would have grabbed me in the previous life and refined me on the spot.*
Sensing the urgency transmitted from Heaven and Earth, Lu Yang's eyes suddenly lit up as realization dawned. *Wrong. I had the cause and effect backward! It's not that Heaven and Earth acted hastily because the World Honored One targeted me. It's because Heaven and Earth has been supporting me all along that the World Honored One noticed!*
In short, it was all because of his status as an Immortal Spirit!
*I suspected the purpose of the Immortal Spirit before. To me, it seemed like something Heaven and Earth artificially birthed just to occupy a position in the fruits of karma.*
Now it seemed he had hit the nail on the head!
*If my guess is correct, the four Dao Lords are likely wrestling with Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth wants to nurture the Immortal Spirit, so the Dao Lords seek to suppress it!*
This speculation also cleared up another of his prior doubts.
Why did the Immortal Spirit also need to face tribulations?
As Heaven and Earth's most favored child, his cultivation should have been a smooth path of green lights, free of bottlenecks, with no additional demands on his Dao path from other cultivators.
But what happened?
Not only did he have to pass the [Heavenly Thunder Tribulation] at late Foundation Establishment, but also the [Five Declines of Heaven-Man] at peak Foundation Establishment. He hadn't skipped a single ordeal.
*Now it seems... these might not be from Heaven and Earth at all!*
*But from the Dao Lords!*
No wonder no Immortal Spirit had ever risen to prominence over the years. Probably ninety-nine percent had been secretly thwarted by the Dao Lords, or even recruited by them.
The Primal Saint Sect had a prime example: Chongguang!
*What natural-born Immortal Spirit? Total scam!*
*In the end, the Immortal Spirits Heaven and Earth painstakingly nurtured all ended up as bridesmaids for the Dao Lords, becoming talents under the four Dao Lords' banners.*
Rumble!
The murmurs in his ears grew increasingly intense. In the visions, Guang Ming was clearly racing toward the Myriad Poison Sect. Time was running critically short.
Enlightenment struck Lu Yang like a bolt. He understood this was Heaven and Earth urging him, reminding him. In human terms: *Don't worry, you're Daddy's favorite child. Everything just now was a misunderstanding. Daddy only wants to save you. Hurry and open your mind, so Daddy can help you ascend to the heavens in a single step.*
"I'd believe you if you were a ghost!"
Lu Yang remained utterly unshaken, steadfastly guarding that thread of clarity. Good to me? Wanting to save me? If that were true, it wouldn't have made me inexplicably drowsy just now!
In the end, it still wanted to harm me!
That said, Lu Yang couldn't help feeling a twinge of helplessness. Heaven and Earth ahead, World Honored One behind—like wolf and tiger, leaving no room to maneuver.
*Fine. Self-destruct it is!*
Fine, you win this round.
With a thought from Lu Yang.
But the next second, his expression stiffened slightly. His Immortal Spirit body was now firmly locked down by the [Moon-Worshipping Sacred Pool].
Unable to commit suicide!
This time, Lu Yang's expression truly changed.
If it were just ordinary inability to self-destruct, Lu Yang wouldn't care. As long as he guarded his mind, he'd find an opportunity eventually. But the World Honored One was right outside!
If he came knocking and Lu Yang still couldn't end it himself...
Then he was truly done for!
Not to mention, the World Honored One's goal this trip was most likely him—snatching meat from Heaven and Earth's mouth, all but certain to come and convert him!
—Absolute deadlock!
Without warning, no mental preparation. One second he had the aid of Heaven and Earth alike; the next, his fortunes reversed, a hero unbound no more.
Yet even so, his thoughts remained calm.
The murmurs from Heaven and Earth in his ears intensified, signaling the crisis, urging him to consider the bigger picture, trying to make fear arise involuntarily.
"Let the World Honored One come if he wants!"
The moment this thought arose in Lu Yang, the murmurs turned to thunderous roars. But he remained unmoved, a cold smile curling his lips instead:
"Stir away, stir away—you just keep stirring!"
"Stir until the World Honored One turns me into a Release Sect cultivator, stir until the Dao Lords descend personally and destroy the Immortal Spirit body. At worst, I'll drag you down with me!"
Did Lu Yang fear death?
Of course he did. But across ten lifetimes of cultivation, he knew well: the more you fear death, the more you must act unafraid! In this godforsaken place, you don't survive without going mad!
In an instant, all sounds ceased.
The murmurs vanished completely. Lu Yang sat quietly, his mind growing ever more crystalline and pure. The invading consciousness from Heaven and Earth was both peril and the finest whetstone, honing his newly forged [Sword Heart] to razor sharpness—like a blade of寒 light drawn from its sheath.
Then, the rumbling surged back like tidal waves!
But this time, Lu Yang smiled. He could feel the drowsiness it induced was far weaker than before!
Had Heaven and Earth compromised?
Impossible, of course. It simply had more pressing matters, forced to withdraw the power pinned on him.
*This is enough. This is enough!*
When two tigers clash, one must fall!
His chance for survival lay here!
The next second, Lu Yang felt a tremor beneath his feet.
"Amitabha!"
A grand Buddhist proclamation echoed across the distant heavens and earth. Guang Ming had arrived! Standing right at the Myriad Poison Sect's mountain gate, a compassionate smile on his face.
"Whoosh!"
Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang saw the three divine abilities he had painstakingly refined—[Soldier Armor Lord], [Stubborn Gold Duke], [Solemn Profound Frost]—fly out from his body in unison.
But [Calamity Wave] remained still.
This奇宝 from the [Book of a Hundred Lives] severed karma. Only Lu Yang could activate it; even Heaven and Earth couldn't influence it in the slightest.
Yet soon, Lu Yang witnessed a scene that left him dumbfounded.
A bell toll rang between heaven and earth. Without reason, a Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiend suddenly converged before him, finally forming a strand of white vapor drifting down.
[You Gold]!
A Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiend had formed!
Right before his eyes!
*This is what Heaven and Earth's true favored child looks like. If Heaven and Earth truly supported me fully, why would I waste time hunting Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiends?*
Lu Yang gnashed his teeth, glaring at the [You Gold] before him.
At the same time, he understood Heaven and Earth's intent. Why scheme against him? Because he was uncontrollable! Heaven and Earth needed a controllable Immortal Spirit!
*Heaven and Earth must have had enough of Hong Yun's betrayals. It finally propped Hong Yun up to True Lord status, only for him to sell it out immediately, sharing none of the benefits. No wonder it doesn't trust me... even equates me with Hong Yun. Doesn't it know I'm one of the good guys?*
The next second, [You Gold] merged with Lu Yang's main body.
The fourth innate divine ability emerged.
[Heaven-Sounding Bell]!
In a flash, no flashy divine light appeared—only a resonant bell toll echoing far and wide. The four innate divine abilities gathered, finally outlining a figure.
Then, that figure charged out of the Myriad Poison Sect's mountain gate.
Seeing this, Guang Ming—who had been about to shatter the sect's grand formation—stunned momentarily, then nodded in utmost satisfaction, smiling faintly:
"Benefactor, you and I are fated for master-disciple bonds."