Chapter 448
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: Burning the Grotto-Heaven
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Just as the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord fell into a daze, Lu Yang struck again. This time, he directly manifested the light and shadow of the Yama Hall.
Then crashed straight toward him!
Boom!
This attack was no longer futile. The Yama Hall was still anchored to the Covered Lamp Fire at that moment, equivalent to a suicidal charge with his Dao fruit!
In an instant, the entire heaven and earth trembled violently. Blazing streams of fire evaporated the clouds for thousands of miles. The layered palaces encircling the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord were like they'd overeaten—no longer as composed as before. They shook for quite a while before finally resolving Lu Yang's impact.
Puff!
The next second, Lu Yang spat blood and retreated. The Yama Hall fell back into his brow. The terrifying backlash instantly pulverized half his body into minced meat.
Yet he was still laughing.
'In the end, he's only at early Golden Core. Not an insurmountable gap!'
If the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord were at mid Golden Core, or even late stage, then even if caught off guard by Lu Yang's hit, he could easily counterattack.
Unfortunately, he wasn't.
Not only that, his condition was at its absolute worst. Even if his divine abilities and magic power showed no depletion, the most crucial grotto-heaven was already riddled with holes.
Especially after that last impact—Lu Yang was gravely wounded, but the True Lord's grotto-heaven had been forcibly cracked open by him. In the end, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord had taken the bigger loss. After all, to a True Lord, physical wounds were utterly negligible.
Wounds to the grotto-heaven were the true Dao injuries!
"Keep going!"
Lu Yang spat another mouthful of blood. His sleeve robe fluttered, and a radiant treasure sword emerged, its sword light and magic power suppressed to the critical point.
The Rigidly Refined Dao Feather Nirvana Sword Art!
He'd endured blow after heavy blow, stacking enhancements to his sword intent and sword art with each one. At this moment, he had finally reached his current peak.
"Slay!"
Sword light erupted, infused with the myriad wonders of the Calamity Wave, slashing once more into the layered palaces conjured by the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord.
"Useless. Human strength has its limits. No matter how powerful your Dao arts or sword techniques, how can they compare to the might of heaven and earth? In a True Lord's domain, the Dao fruit is everything!"
The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's tone was icy.
But Lu Yang keenly noticed strands of frost-white appearing in his wind-whipped hair, wrinkles forming between his brows.
Clearly, he was far less composed than he appeared.
Thus, Lu Yang's strategy was simple: trade wounds for wounds, grind down the True Lord's dying grotto-heaven with his own life!
And just as the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord finally weathered the barrage of attacks, gathering his strength for a chaotic counterstrike to take Lu Yang down in one go—
"Ang Xiao!"
The sudden illusion made the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord halt abruptly.
"You bastard!"
In that instant, both the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord and Ang Xiao cursed almost simultaneously.
Below, in Jiangxi's Pure Land.
The Treasure Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva held a jade vase, from which a willow branch extended, sprinkling forth countless ribbons of light that merged bit by bit into the Earthly Buddhist Kingdom.
During this process, a figure shrouded entirely in smoke clashed against her. Vast power boomed and shook, attempting to tear apart the Earthly Buddhist Kingdom and rescue the trapped White Wax Gold. Centered on Xiang Ye, the two sides vied in a delicate balance.
"Ang Xiao..."
The Treasure Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva's expression was grave as she recognized the smoke-shrouded figure—it was unmistakably Ang Xiao's long-dormant Dharma Body Beyond the Law of the World for Reporting Merit!
He had once deployed this avatar to thwart Hong Yun's quest for gold.
But after Heavy Light verified the Heaven of Non-existence, causing True Lords across the world to seclude themselves, this avatar had also been sealed away, unable to be reactivated.
For thirty years, he had been trying to revive it.
He had originally planned to wait another decade or so to restore it without cost. But now, with the situation drastically changed, he had no decade to spare.
Boom!
Behind Ang Xiao, his majestic and vast grotto-heaven suddenly developed numerous fine cracks. One corner even burst into roaring flames!
Burning his grotto-heaven! With Ang Xiao's foundation, this level shouldn't shake his Dao base.
But there was that meddlesome bastard on the field he couldn't ignore.
"Ang Xiao!"
Lu Yang's voice boomed forth.
Each time it did, he had to divert some focus to help Lu Yang deceive the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, preventing him from further reversing the Chen soil.
'Damn beast!'
Ang Xiao itched with hatred. Without the Treasure Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva tying him down, seeing Lu Yang beaten so badly by the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, he wouldn't just help—he'd kick him while down, ensuring Lu Yang perished before he could even reverse the Chen soil.
But there was that Treasure Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva.
This Pure Land Bodhisattva knew full well that Lu Yang was the one stalling the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord. If Lu Yang died, she'd be the next to suffer.
So she cooperated too.
She neither let Ang Xiao free up power to kill Lu Yang nor stopped him entirely, forcing Ang Xiao to aid Lu Yang.
And as Ang Xiao expended power to help Lu Yang, the Treasure Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva gained the upper hand.
Unwittingly, Lu Yang had allied with the Pure Land.
While Ang Xiao, who should have been on the same side as the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, was coerced by Lu Yang with the Chen soil and forced to help him!
'What a shit-stirrer!'
In that moment, Ang Xiao felt both rage and admiration. Relying on this ploy, Lu Yang had become the biggest winner on the field!
Boom!
Another massive rumble. Lu Yang staggered back, reforming his dharma body. The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, poised to press the advantage, froze in place once more.
At this moment, this Sword Pavilion True Lord's face finally showed a trace of desolation and frustration.
"Not fair!"
Only he was taking the beatings!
Lu Yang clearly wasn't his match. In this fight, he'd had at least nine chances to slay him, yet each time Ang Xiao interrupted.
He'd paid a huge price, forcibly driving his already crumbling grotto-heaven to unleash Dao fruit wonders, yet he still couldn't take Lu Yang down. Instead, he was nearing his limit. His once-vigorous vitality waned, and the grotto-heaven behind him showed signs of disintegration!
Seeing this, Ang Xiao sighed inwardly.
'He can't hold on!'
"How can the Sword Dao fruit position acknowledge you like this?" In the final moment, the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord glared deadly at Lu Yang, his tone full of unwillingness.
Lu Yang laughed loudly in response. "Is Sword Dao such an inflexible thing?"
Other sword intents might indeed falter—after all, from start to finish, he hadn't bested the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord, relying purely on stubborn entanglement.
But he was different!
'My sword intent... is defiance itself!'
Temporary wins or losses meant nothing. The one who laughed last laughed best. Lu Yang's tactics perfectly matched his current sword intent!
Boom!
Lu Yang never scrupled to bully the weak, elderly, sick, or wounded. He summoned the Yama Hall once more and smashed forward, finally breaking through the overlapping palaces.
The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord vomited blood and flew back. His Jade Palace Treasure Scepter Grotto-Heaven was more than half shattered, barely held together by his vitality and spirit—mere moments from total collapse. By contrast, though Lu Yang was severely injured, his life was not in peril.
In this instant, hatred finally surfaced in the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord's eyes.
This man had slaughtered the Ye family and ruined his mission.
More importantly, Youyou was still by his side, already at peak Foundation Establishment. If he died here, he might not be able to re-ascend!
"Kill!"
The Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord roared. In that moment, the grotto-heaven behind him disintegrated and ignited, the released radiance nearly swallowing the bright sun and sky.
His final strike! For the sake of his reincarnated Dao path, he would slay Lu Yang!