Chapter 449: No Weak True Lords in the Saint Sect!
Chapter 449: The Saint Sect's True Lords Are No Pushovers!
The self-destruction of a Golden Core True Lord—even just the destruction of their physical form—was terrifying in its might. The shockwaves spreading outward seemed capable of overturning heaven and earth.
The originally clear sky abruptly turned blood-red, with crimson clouds hanging overhead as if an additional sun had appeared, continuously spewing blinding scarlet radiance. Alongside this was an overwhelming stench of blood. Had such an anomaly descended upon the earth rather than remaining in the sky, it would have undoubtedly resulted in widespread devastation!
Even so, screams erupted one after another across the land.
Countless Foundation Establishment True Persons who had been observing the battle with their spiritual eyes were instantly blinded by the brilliance unleashed by Lü Yang's self-destruction.
In that moment, all sounds ceased.
'Dead?'
[Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva]'s beautiful eyes flickered. She believed she had seized the perfect moment—after all, a mere pseudo-Golden Core holder, an External Path True Lord, dying was hardly surprising.
Boom!
The next second, the exploding bloodlight converged once more as if time had reversed, rapidly retreating from Jiangxi before coalescing into a humanoid form in the distance.
Lü Yang's figure reappeared, with the [Yama Palace] hovering above his head like a flickering lantern. Though its flame was weak, it stubbornly refused to extinguish. Yet [Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva] could tell he was at his limit—the flame was nearly spent, and soon he would plummet from his position.
"I will return!"
With those resentful words, Lü Yang turned and fled without hesitation, instantly concealing all traces of his aura and vanishing from sight.
But [Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva] no longer cared.
After all, Lü Yang's condition couldn't deceive her—he was grievously wounded and on the verge of losing his True Lord status. Even if he escaped now, his fate was sealed.
'This man is already out of the game!'
With that thought, [Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva] shifted her gaze, focusing her attention on the [Buddha Kingdom on Earth] and [Ang Xiao] before her.
"Amitabha."
"Patron Ang Xiao, why must you persist in delusion?" [Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva] clasped her hands together, confident in her imminent victory, her tone relaxed.
There was no denying that [Ang Xiao] was strong—exceptionally so.
Yet his constraints were far too many.
As fellow True Lords, she only needed to endure the blockade of the [Heaven of Non-Existence], burn her Dongtian, and pay the price of damaging her Dao foundation to forcibly manifest in the mortal world.
But what about [Ang Xiao]?
Not only did he have to contend with the [Heaven of Non-Existence], but also with the [Netherworld]! Under this dual suppression, he had been forced into this precarious situation.
Even so, he had held out until now—an achievement that genuinely made [Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva] wary. Fearing that this Great True Lord of the Saint Sect might still have hidden cards to play, she remained cautious despite her current advantage, even going so far as to attempt persuasion.
Yet [Ang Xiao] dismissed her with disdain.
"The outcome is still uncertain, bald donkey. Don't get ahead of yourself."
As he spoke, [Ang Xiao] imperceptibly glanced in the direction Lü Yang had fled. His instincts told him the man wouldn't simply bow out like this!
'Hong Yun has been scheming for so long—would he really retreat after gaining nothing but killing [Zheng De]? The Saint Sect's True Lords don't do thankless tasks!'
He must be plotting something!
That said, [Ang Xiao] wasn't concerned. Strictly speaking, he and Lü Yang weren't adversaries—in fact, they were allies in a certain sense.
With that in mind, far from warning [Precious Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva], he secretly activated his [Knowledge-Perception Obstruction], using her focus on him to make her overlook Lü Yang entirely!
'His target is the [Sword Dao Fruit Position], while mine is to destroy the [Buddha Kingdom on Earth]. We should be on the same side! So even if he has some scheme, it should be aimed at the bald donkey... Though his condition isn't faked—his pseudo-Golden Seat is indeed nearing its limit.'
Without True Lord-level combat power, any scheme would be useless.
'In that case, his retreat now must be to prolong the duration of his pseudo-Golden Seat... But I'm familiar with Ting You's pseudo-Golden Seat method.'
'Either gather Metal Essence from nine perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators, or use the Metal Essence of one True Lord.'
'What will he do?'
[Ang Xiao]'s thoughts raced. Gathering nine perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators was impossible now—that option was out. As for one True Lord... the recently fallen [Zheng De]!?
'[Netherworld]!'
[Netherworld]—the unknowable realm.
[Ang Xiao]'s original body leisurely rose, gazing with amazement and curiosity at the river of souls before him: 'He can interfere with reincarnation too?'
Indeed, he should be able to!
'Hong Yun pretended to be ambushed by me in the cycle of reincarnation back then. If he couldn't interfere with [Netherworld], he would have genuinely fallen for my trap.'
At the time, he had been quite pleased with himself—after all, among all the True Lords under heaven, who else could influence [Netherworld]?
But now it seemed Hong Yun had been acting all along.
If so, he must indeed be capable of interfering with reincarnation!
'A True Lord's reincarnation is theoretically impossible to track... But if Hong Yun wants to capture [Zheng De], he must follow his rebirth.'
With that thought, [Ang Xiao] suddenly stirred, unleashing a surge of immense power into the river of souls. Rather than disrupting the reincarnation process, he deliberately agitated it, forcing every soul to reveal its true form. The next moment, a golden light emerged among them:
"Demon!"
From the river of souls, [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue]'s soul emerged, glaring furiously at [Ang Xiao]. He had intended to keep a low profile!
But now, thanks to [Ang Xiao]'s interference, he had no choice but to activate his Metal Essence to protect his soul!
Though within [Netherworld], he wasn't worried [Ang Xiao] could threaten his life—yet he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of crisis.
'Would this Jiangbei demon act without purpose? He must have some scheme!'
'But the question is... where does the scheme lie?'
[True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] was utterly baffled, left only with the simplest solution: if he couldn't handle it, he could at least avoid it. The sooner he reincarnated, the better!
With that thought, [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] immediately withdrew, wasting no more time as he plunged into the cycle of reincarnation.
[Ang Xiao] watched before retracting his aura and sitting back down, pondering: 'I wonder if this will work? Is my guess correct...'
Meanwhile, in the mortal world.
"[Ang Xiao], you're too reliable!"
Lü Yang couldn't help but marvel. While facing the Saint Sect's True Lords as enemies was fraught with difficulties, cooperating with them was an entirely different experience—their dependability was truly reassuring.
None of them were pushovers!
Thanks to [Ang Xiao] suddenly stirring the river of souls and forcing [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] to reveal himself, Lü Yang had finally pinpointed the location of his soul.
[Ang Xiao] had even compelled [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] to reincarnate immediately!
Otherwise, with a True Lord's capabilities, he could have lingered in [Netherworld] for some time without haste—leaving Lü Yang in the dark.
'I already had True Person Xiuxin commit suicide and reincarnate simultaneously, using [Puppet on Strings] to monitor her. Right now, [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] should be at—'
The next moment, Lü Yang tore through the void.
Jiangnan, an ordinary household in a mortal kingdom. The reincarnated [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue], now an infant, opened his eyes, already planning his new life.
'I'll hide until the True Lords reappear—'
Boom!
Before he could finish his thought, a massive hand descended from the heavens, freezing all his thoughts into a single word:
"Ah?"