Chapter 447
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: Unknown
Chapter Title: Clash of the Fruit Positions
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Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Lu Yang and the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord vanished from the mortal realm together. In their place, two stars blazed across the vault of the heavens.
[Wall Earth]!
[Covered Lamp Fire]!
In an instant, corresponding visions erupted across the four borders of the world. Countless homes and palaces suddenly burst into flames from the lamps within.
Some fires were swiftly extinguished.
Others raged ever fiercer.
Such scenes rose and fell without end, one after another. Each blaze's outcome triggered collisions and surges between the qi mechanisms of the two heavenly fruit positions.
Beyond that, every cultivator who practiced [Wall Earth] or [Covered Lamp Fire] had their eyes turn bloodshot. The clash of qi mechanisms from the two True Lords of the Dao lineages directly affected them, driving them into frenzied slaughter. Only Foundation Establishment True Persons could maintain their clarity amid such influence.
Yet all this was mere surface phenomenon.
Not even deliberately caused by Lu Yang or the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord—it stemmed solely from the collision of their fruit position visions, plunging the world into chaos.
Clang! Clang!
The sword light of the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord descended, bearing no shred of sharpness. Instead, it carried an oppressive weight like a mountain, indescribably heavy.
In that moment, Lu Yang's movements came to an abrupt halt.
The practitioner of [Wall Earth] had qi sealed and stagnant, forms concealed and hidden, shielding shapes and bodies, inner and outer realms unconnected. Its fruit position was itself the supreme sealing art!
The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's sword intent, derived from sensing his fruit position, was likewise thus: a sword without edge. Though lacking keenness, it held the weight of Mount Tai. It now crashed down upon Lu Yang, making his dharma body bear mountains and rivers, his magic power shoulder oceans and streams. For a time, he could not budge!
'Got him!'
In that instant, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's other hand had already pinched a spell formula, transforming into a golden point of light atop the sword edge, stabbing toward Lu Yang's brow.
'[Heavenly Cloud Day-Receiving Marvelous Art]!'
Clouds were the wu earth, settling into mountains—qi of floating, illusory soil. It now boomed into Lu Yang's crown, poised to suppress his consciousness as well!
Then, he would be at his mercy.
In a flash, Lu Yang's plight grew dire to the extreme. He stood virtually undefended before the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, utterly powerless to resist.
Yet precisely at this moment of utmost peril, a black dot suddenly emerged at Lu Yang's brow. It expanded in a flash, becoming a majestic hall that steadily blocked the sword edge, severing the dharma light of that [Heavenly Cloud Day-Receiving Marvelous Art].
[Yama Hall]!
In this instant, brilliant radiance flowed across Lu Yang's entire body, gorgeous and dazzling, making him seem like a god descended to the world, washing away all bindings upon him.
Crack!
With a crisp fracturing sound, Lu Yang staggered back a step. The seal imposed by the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord shattered with it.
Almost simultaneously, he too pinched his spell formula.
Hoo!
Lu Yang opened his mouth, and a blaze of light surged from between his lips and teeth. It swelled against the wind, instantly becoming a sea of flames blazing to utmost intensity.
Waves surged within the fiery sea, layer upon layer, infinite illusory colors stacking in that moment, piling high, finally condensing into a single point of sky-blue firelight. It gave the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord no chance to retreat or dodge. With a mere thought, it had already shone upon him.
'[Supreme Bright Golden Cup Jade Light]!'
The blue firelight seemed insignificant, yet it bore an imagery of indomitable might, exploding into a sky of brilliant colors across the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's dharma body.
Boom!
Amid their fierce clash, magic power no longer restrained, they roiled the thirty-six layers of astral clouds, even shattering some meteor fragments from beyond the heavens into debris.
In a moment, shooting stars rained down like tears, heavenly fire streaked through the void.
And the instigators of it all, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord and Lu Yang, had long withdrawn their divine abilities. They stood firm across a celestial river, each steadying their form.
The next second, both pinched their spell formulas simultaneously. Then, across the four borders, cultivators of [Wall Earth] suddenly had their magic power ignite spontaneously, their dharma bodies wounded. Those of [Covered Lamp Fire] found themselves inexplicably bound, immobile. In an instant, countless new slaughters arose.
This too was the way of True Lords.
Just now, both had distributed the damage from each other's fruit position visions through the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators under their Dao lineages.
Of course, this damage-sharing applied only to fruit position visions.
For instance, the sealing of [Wall Earth], the scorching of [Covered Lamp Fire]. Damage already inflicted as true wounds could not be transferred.
Seeing this, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's expression grew even darker.
'Such familiarity with True Lord combat methods—truly from Vast Fortune? No, more than that. He seems to know my techniques like the back of his hand.'
This was what baffled the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord. His sword intent synergized perfectly with [Wall Earth], often catching foes off guard for a massive loss, seizing advantage. Yet Lu Yang had clearly prepared, not only evading his killing blow but countering in turn.
'Fortunately, my cultivation is superior.'
The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord was accustomed to setbacks. Though his sword failed to claim victory, he felt no discouragement: 'False holding is no true Golden Core, after all!'
In this moment, radiant light shot skyward from his body.
A familiar sensation immediately welled in Lu Yang's heart, akin to [Knowledge Barrier]. Not the same thing, but a wonder of the same tier.
The unique wonder of [Wall Earth]:
[Rise of Palaces]!
In a flash, rolling clouds parted behind the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, revealing a resplendent, majestic palace of gold and jade.
What Lu Yang beheld: vermilion gates flung wide, golden nails dense as stars, gleaming brilliantly. Within, profound depths held layered corridors and walkways, towering corner towers. Pillars required several men to encircle, wrapped in red lacquer, painted with gold powder. The ground was laid with ink-black jade square tiles, mirror-polished. Layer upon layer built to a towering imperial throne.
The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord sat upon it.
The surrounding pavilions, towers, palaces, and jade halls shielded him at the center, repelling all external forces beyond the palace walls.
Boom!
Two escapist lights crossed. This time, Lu Yang's flesh and blood sprayed, his dharma body hacked away by more than half the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's sword as he staggered through the cloud sea.
On the other side, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, who should have taken Lu Yang's strike head-on without dodging, emerged unscathed. Lu Yang's magic power struck him, only to be drawn in a blink into the layered palaces around him, then reduced from great to small, small to nothing—simply vanishing!
'Similar to [Knowledge Barrier]!'
Lu Yang realized in his heart: this was the most fundamental wondrous imagery of heavenly fruit positions, of exalted station, drawable only through cavern-heavens from the fruit position itself.
'[Covered Lamp Fire] has one too, but I can't use it.'
Such was the limitation of false-holding a golden position. Without truly condensing a cavern-heaven, one could not unleash the true profundity of a heavenly fruit position.
Lu Yang circulated his magic power, reforming his dharma body.
His lips and teeth swelled again, unleashing another [Supreme Bright Golden Cup Jade Light]. Yet the result was the same: dissolved into nothingness within those layered palace visions.
"Useless. You've forced me this far—none of your divine abilities can touch me now. Defeat and death are your only path!"
Boom!
Another thunderous roar, and Lu Yang was struck once more by the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's sword. The foe could not only ward off all external invasions but seal his qi internally, hiding his form in illusory obscurity, making him hard for Lu Yang to sense. By the time he reacted, the strike had landed.
Crack!
Another sword slashed past, sending one of Lu Yang's arms flying skyward, exploding into balls of bloodfire to cover his true body's retreat and continued reformation.
Yet the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord pressed relentlessly, denying him any breath.
Clang!
Yet another sword came down, drawing fresh bloodlight.
But facing this, Lu Yang showed no fear—instead, joy. His lips curved in a grin as he bellowed, "Soaring Empyrean! Hurry and come aid me!"
Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord: "???"
Soaring Empyrean: "."
In that moment, Soaring Empyrean in the underworld actually cursed aloud. For as Lu Yang called for aid, he was simultaneously reversing [Chen Earth]!
Forcing his hand!
"Shameless!"
He cursed, yet Soaring Empyrean's actions dared not slack.
The next second, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord—who had held utter dominance and planned to press his advantage—froze in place. His mind held but one question:
'What was I just about to do?'