Chapter 472: The Tyranny of Heavenly Fire Above!
"Boom!"
Lü Yang spoke while simultaneously unleashing his divine ability—or rather, he acted first and spoke afterward, using his words merely to distract Daoist Hong Yun's attention.
Yet Hong Yun was a seasoned veteran. He paid no heed to Lü Yang's words. The moment he was discovered, the figure left behind was merely a decoy, while his true form swiftly retreated into the nearby formations, intending first to create distance before reassessing the situation.
But he had miscalculated one thing.
Lü Yang's understanding of the local formations was no less than his own.
"Thinking of running?"
With a swift hand seal, Lü Yang's divine sense surged forth like a tempest. Wherever it passed, Hong Yun was shocked to discover that the formations he had laid down were dismantled in an instant.
'Impossible!'
In a flash, not a single protective formation remained around Hong Yun. All he felt was sheer astonishment—such speed in dismantling formations was something even he could barely achieve!
How was this possible?
In that split second, Hong Yun dared not hesitate. His lips parted as a thunderous roar erupted from his throat, sweeping outward like a wildfire igniting on the spot. Rolling thunder and blazing flames coalesced into a storm, crashing down toward Lü Yang.
'[Thunder Draws Back]!'
Thunder is the exhalation of yang qi, emerging in mid-spring and gradually receding in autumn, akin to the growth of spring wood. Thus, it was a supremely yang and rigid Jia Wood divine ability.
Hong Yun had full confidence in it, believing it would at least buy him time.
Yet the next moment, a radiance akin to the sun burst forth from behind Lü Yang's head, spilling like quicksilver and flooding the heavens and earth in an instant.
'[Palace of Returning Origin]!'
Within the solar brilliance, towers of jade and palaces of gold rose from the ground, enveloping Hong Yun and even the surrounding formations entirely!
Hong Yun's expression twisted violently at the sight.
'Noon Fire divine ability!?'
And not just any Noon Fire divine ability! The ability to manifest solar imagery indicated that this technique was among the most orthodox of Noon Fire, perfectly aligned with its essence!
"Boom!"
The next instant, [Palace of Returning Origin] collided head-on with the storm conjured by [Thunder Draws Back]. Yet the divine ability Hong Yun had pinned his hopes on crumbled like a mouse meeting a cat—shattered upon contact. Thunder fell silent, yang flames withered, scattering as fragmented brilliance.
'It's countered!'
Hong Yun clenched his teeth. Had he known his opponent wielded such a pure Noon Fire divine ability, he would never have led with Jia Wood.
When Jia Wood meets Noon Fire, the flames flourish while the wood burns—doomed to turn to ashes!
Moreover, Noon belongs to Li Fire, which relies on Wood for birth. Wood is the mother of Fire, Fire the child of Wood. When the child prospers, the mother weakens—how could it not end in destruction? Jia Wood perishes at Noon!
What horrified Hong Yun even more was that the interplay between Jia Wood and Noon Fire involved profound cosmic principles. Cultivators lacking sufficient cultivation depth couldn't possibly grasp the intricacies, and without understanding, they couldn't manifest this countering imagery. Thus, this suppression was fundamentally rooted in the disparity of their cultivation depths.
In other words:
'This person's mastery of Noon Fire likely rivals mine in Jia Wood!'
But how could that be?
He was a True Lord! Though reborn, his cultivation depth and foundation as a True Lord remained intact. How could an ordinary Foundation Establishment True Person's comprehension compare to his?
At this realization, countless conjectures flashed through Hong Yun's mind, settling on the most plausible answer:
'...The Dao Court?'
Across the four realms of the world, the only force capable of enabling a Foundation Establishment True Person to rival a True Lord in single-element cultivation depth was likely the Dao Court's [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes].
Moreover, such individuals were exceedingly rare even within the Dao Court—only the Tian Wu imperial family, who could cultivate freely and wield the [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes] without restriction, might achieve this. Did that mean this person was of Tian Wu royalty? But why would he target Hong Yun when they bore no grudges?
At this moment, Hong Yun was drowning in confusion.
More critically, having failed to anticipate the elemental counter, he had lost the upper hand from the first move. One misstep led to another, and defeat loomed ominously.
'I must find a way to escape—'
Hong Yun's mind raced, all greed from earlier utterly vanished. The situation was too bizarre—his sole desire now was to flee and regroup.
But would Lü Yang let him go so easily?
His journey north of the river wasn't merely to pressure Hong Yun into fleeing to the [Seven Luminaries Heaven]—it was also to test the might of his newly cultivated [Heavenly Fire Above]!
With this thought, Lü Yang swiftly formed another hand seal.
'Let me show you true power—'
[Heavy Li Imperial Decree Mountain-Sea Diagram]!
Hong Yun looked up to find the surroundings rapidly receding, replaced by a vast landscape beneath a blazing crimson sun.
In an instant, the four profound mysteries of Lü Yang's innate divine ability were unleashed in succession.
'[The People Without Evil]!'
The first mystery governed rules—like an emperor decreeing laws with divine authority. The words Lü Yang spoke materialized as tangible script:
"[Do not move!]"
The more words a rule contained, the greater the divine mystery it consumed. Thus, Lü Yang was frugal—using only three characters to freeze Hong Yun in place for a single breath.
The next moment—
'[Materials Self-Refined]!'
The second mystery empowered [Palace of Returning Origin], engulfing Hong Yun in solar flames that scorched his magic power and physical form, causing his brows to furrow instantly.
Yet Lü Yang's assault was far from over.
'[Rise and Fall Matters]!'
The third mystery could target both friend and foe. Used on oneself, it embodied [Rise], warding off danger; used on enemies, it embodied [Fall], entangling them in tribulation!
At this moment, Hong Yun was still channeling divine abilities and casting spells, yet he encountered the rare predicament of botched hand seals, insufficient magic power, and malfunctioning techniques. Glancing at his own fortune, he saw what seemed like a colossal character for "[Fall]" looming over him like impending doom!
This relentless interference cost him his final chance to counterattack.
The fourth mystery of Lü Yang's innate divine ability, [Heavy Li Imperial Decree Mountain-Sea Diagram], combined with his innate divine ability [Emperor of Life Command], descended upon Hong Yun.
'[Sage-King Governance]!'
A brilliant golden light swept forth with unstoppable momentum. The moment it brushed over Hong Yun, his expression froze in place.
Only then did he realize with horror:
"[Heavenly Fire Above]... Oh no!?"
The next instant, he watched as his own innate divine ability, [Thunder Draws Back], was effortlessly stripped away and drifted into Lü Yang's grasp!
All under heaven is the sovereign's land; all within the realm are the sovereign's subjects!
As the name implied, [Sage-King Governance] embodied [Governance].
This mystery could divest others of their divine abilities, treasures, magic power, and physical forms, subjugating them under its rule. As Lü Yang's rank continued to ascend, the scope of [Governance] could expand to encompass fortune, thoughts, lifespan, space, time... even all of reality itself!
"This is mine."
A second divine ability was wrested from Hong Yun—a Chen Earth technique named [Root of All Things], which he had intended to use for escape.
"This is also mine."
Hong Yun poured forth his magic power, only to find it bending to Lü Yang's will under the golden radiance of [Sage-King Governance].
It even turned against him!
"All of it is mine!"
Hong Yun flicked his sleeve, releasing over a dozen spirit treasures in a desperate attempt to hinder Lü Yang. Yet they were snatched away instantly, like sheep thrown to wolves.
Hong Yun: "..."
Beast!
Forget Tian Wu royalty—is this bastard actually a True Person from my Saint Sect!?
Meanwhile, Lü Yang cradled the two innate divine abilities and dozen-plus spirit treasures he had seized from Hong Yun. His magic power, replenished from the divested reserves, left him thoroughly satisfied with his innate divine ability. [Heavenly Fire Above] lived up to its reputation as a Supreme Fruit Position.
Such unbridled tyranny!