Chapter 54: When Fortune Comes, Heaven and Earth Assist
Chapter 54: When Fortune Favors, Heaven and Earth Align
Outside the Skeleton Mountain market, within a temporarily excavated cave dwelling.
Multicolored mist swirled and billowed, and within that mist sat a woman of peerless beauty, meditating and regulating her breath. With each inhalation and exhalation, the mist seemed to gather toward her.
After a while, all the mist finally coalesced into one.
Then, the seven-colored radiance gradually fused, transforming into a pure, flawless white divine light that descended like a gentle shower.
"I've succeeded!"
As the white divine light solidified, the woman within the mist abruptly opened her eyes, her face alight with joy: "Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi—I've perfected Qi Refining!"
The technique she cultivated had been passed down by an Elder of the Saint Sect. The "Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi" appeared pure white, but in truth, it was formed by the fusion of seven hues: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Each hue represented a refinement, and after seven refinements, the resulting true qi reached the fourth grade!
"With this, I can hope for Foundation Establishment."
Fairy Feixia sighed softly. As for the fact that fourth-grade true qi barred her from Golden Core, it mattered little—she had never aspired to the Great Dao of Golden Core in the first place.
"Finding that Mist Gathering Stone was truly a stroke of fortune."
"Though it's a pity about Junior Brother Lü. Cultivation is defying the heavens—if he had left the market with me, perhaps he too would have had a chance to perfect Qi Refining."
Now that she had broken through, Fairy Feixia's thoughts had shifted.
Previously, she had submitted to Lü Yang because he presided over the market, his strength comparable to a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator. But now that she had broken through, Lü Yang no longer held the same importance.
After all, "comparable" was still inferior.
Without formations, Lü Yang's strength seemed lacking in her eyes.
Moreover, she harbored dissatisfaction toward Lü Yang's overly cautious behavior earlier, dismissing it as mere excuses born from his own inadequacy...
Boom!
At that moment, the ground suddenly trembled violently. Above, spiritual tides surged, rolling waves of spiritual qi sweeping forth, nearly knocking Fairy Feixia off her feet.
"What's happening!?"
Fairy Feixia hastily summoned her escape light, soaring into the air. She gazed into the distance toward the epicenter of the spiritual tide, and her delicate face abruptly paled.
"The market?"
Boom!
A second deafening roar followed, unleashing another wave of spiritual energy—as if someone had detonated a spiritual bomb. Fairy Feixia hurriedly shielded herself with her Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi.
Yet, compared to the overwhelming might of heaven and earth, her Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi lacked that crucial final step. Fourth-grade true qi struggled to hold firm, leaving her like a lone boat tossed in a tempest, her originally pure white divine light flickering back into seven colors...
"Is this... the aftermath of a battle?"
Fairy Feixia stabilized herself with her Mist Veil Parasol, her expression horrified: "To stir such phenomena... Who could be fighting so fiercely in the market?"
Did Junior Brother Lü die?
Her heart chilled, and she immediately flew toward the market. From afar, she saw a figure at the center of the spiritual tide, besieged by multiple attackers.
Three assailants surrounded him, and recognizing them, Fairy Feixia's shock deepened.
"Yun Zhiqiu, the 'Taiyi Sword' of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion; Ouyang Feng, the 'Heaven-Flipping Hercules' of the Divine Martial Gate; and Ming Chan, the 'Demon-Subduing Chan Master' rogue cultivator... They're joining forces!?"
Her gaze fixed on the scene above Skeleton Mountain Market. A crimson sword formation sprawled across the sky, countless blood rays coalescing into an eight-clawed true dragon, vivid and lifelike. It thrashed left and right, whipping its tail and thrusting its horns, before suddenly unleashing a dragon's roar—precisely the roar that had stirred the spiritual tides.
"Break!"
Each eruption of spiritual energy forced Yun Zhiqiu, Ouyang Feng, and Ming Chan to retreat momentarily, but they quickly regrouped and pressed forward again.
"Amitabha. I never imagined Benefactor Lü possessed such fortune... Third-grade true qi!"
Ming Chan clasped his hands together, his usually serene face betraying a flicker of astonishment. Third-grade true qi—this was already at the level of true disciples from major sects!
With this thought, his expression grew even more compassionate: "Benefactor truly shares a karmic bond with this humble monk. Today, as I send Benefactor into reincarnation, I shall inquire about your third-grade true technique. When Benefactor returns in your next life, this humble monk will return the technique intact, fulfilling our master-disciple bond."
"Bald donkey, seeking death!"
Lü Yang sneered. The great dragon formed by his true qi roared once more, while his Blood Sun Sword Pill emerged, its sword formation expanding explosively.
"Mercy, mercy... We act on heaven's behalf, Benefactor. Why resist in vain?"
Ming Chan did not engage head-on. Instead, he flicked his kasaya, and the seven treasures adorning it—the Ruyi Pearl, Mani Pearl, Dust-Repelling Pearl, and others—instantly radiated brilliant Buddhist light.
Shielded by this protective radiance, he retreated calmly, avoiding entanglement in Lü Yang's sword formation.
In truth, Lü Yang's ability to hold out this long owed much to the Blood Sun Sword Pill.
The grand formation within the sword pill ensured the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light would strike unerringly, its power immense. Whenever he found himself at a disadvantage, he could rely on it to turn the tide.
Of course, if he truly faltered, the Hundred Bones Return to Truth Grand Formation could still preserve his life, allowing him to regroup.
Beyond that, there was also the fact that none of the three were willing to go all out.
They fear my Profound Yin Form-Capturing Grand Art...
Lü Yang understood clearly. The fiercer the battle, the more likely their own qi mechanisms would leak. Once Lü Yang seized upon them, it would spell certain death.
Thus, Yun Zhiqiu and the others had a simple plan: wear Lü Yang down. After all, they were three Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators, each formidable in their own right. Against a mere eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, their victory was assured—even with Lü Yang's two grand formations as support.
"If I were truly only at Qi Refining eighth layer, that would indeed be the case..."
Lü Yang's gaze flickered. He glanced upward at the sky, and suddenly, a realization dawned upon him: Today—now—is the time to break through!
The next moment, Lü Yang threw his head back and let out a long cry.
His true qi erupted violently, surging toward the ninth layer of Qi Refining!
Witnessing this, Yun Zhiqiu and the others froze momentarily before bursting into mocking laughter: "Ignorant fool! Breaking through mid-battle? Have you read too many storybooks?"
Attempting a breakthrough during combat was tantamount to suicide!
Which cultivator didn't seclude themselves in meditation when breaking through?
During a breakthrough, true qi erupted uncontrollably, requiring complete focus. How could one possibly concentrate on breaking through while engaged in battle, with enemies harrying them?
Yet at that very moment, high above Skeleton Mountain—
At a place "higher than high," a gaze descended, surveying the figures below as if examining puppets on a sand table.
"Interesting. Bold... and knows how to assess the situation. Not bad."
True Person Yinshan chuckled softly, then extended a hand, plucking at the air as if strumming a zither. In an instant, the originally hopeless situation underwent a sudden shift!
This change was felt most keenly by Lü Yang.
Just moments ago, he had sensed his true qi in disarray, his forced breakthrough lacking preparation, teetering on the brink of qi deviation. Yet abruptly, everything changed.
His true qi's "disorder" aligned perfectly, as if by sheer luck, precisely matching the requirements for a breakthrough. The bottleneck, too, proved unexpectedly easier than imagined, crumbling beneath his assault. His state stabilized as if blessed by divine insight, his newly attained cultivation solidifying as if by "instinct."
Coincidence? Fortune beyond belief!
Was this the feeling of being a "Chosen One"? When fortune favored, heaven and earth aligned—he didn't even need to strive deliberately to achieve his desired outcome!
Boom!
The next moment, under the stunned gazes of Yun Zhiqiu and the others, Lü Yang shattered the barrier, mastering the final transformation of the Nine Transformations Dragon Art—the Flying Fish Transformation.
And the Flying Fish Transformation specialized in "breaking barriers"!
Thus, without pause, Lü Yang's freshly ascended true qi surged once more. Empowered by the Flying Fish Transformation, he charged toward the bottleneck of the tenth layer of Qi Refining!
And then... he "naturally" broke through again!
Nine Transformations Dragon Art—Qi Refining Perfection!
"Roar!"
A clear dragon's cry resounded across Skeleton Mountain! The sound swept over Yun Zhiqiu and the others, revealing faces frozen in shock and disbelief.
"Impossible... No! A True Person is manipulating karma!?"
Realization dawned upon Yun Zhiqiu and his companions, their expressions twisting into panic.
Lü Yang stood proudly in the air, then turned to the trio with a chilling smile: "Understand now? This is what it means to act on heaven's behalf!"
A single thought from a Foundation Establishment True Person could reshape heaven and earth!
To Qi Refining cultivators, Foundation Establishment True Persons were heaven. Whoever had a True Person backing them was the Chosen One—the one truly acting on heaven's behalf!
"Amitabha..."
In the next instant, Ming Chan wasted no words. With a flick of his kasaya, Buddhist light flared, and he vanished—the first to flee.