Chapter 70: Magical Duel!
The moment Lü Yang appeared and spoke in Tianjing City, the entire city turned monochrome. An indescribable ripple expanded outward in all directions.
Wherever this fluctuation passed, annihilation followed.
Buildings vanished. Pedestrians disappeared. Everything ceased to exist as if it had never been—whether a beggar by the roadside or a martial artist at the Heaven and Man Realm, all were treated equally.
"How can this be!?"
A Heaven and Man Realm martial artist screamed in terror, unable to accept what was happening.
Yet no matter their reactions—fleeing, standing dumbfounded, or descending into hysterics—they all quietly dissipated within that ripple.
The sole exception was the 'Saintly Scholar' Wang Boyuan. This peerless genius who pioneered the fourth step of martial arts remained unexpectedly calm, merely gazing at the sky with a hint of relief. "Observing fortune to comprehend the heavens... Hah, how can a frog at the bottom of a well speak of observing fortune or comprehending the heavens?"
Wang Boyuan had sensed something amiss ever since breaking through to the Heaven and Man Realm.
He created the "Three Talents Fate Observation Technique," using human calculations to divine the heavens. But when he exhausted his lifelong knowledge to peer into the cosmos, a tremendous anomaly occurred.
Because what he saw was a flawed world.
Exquisite yet inconsistent—as if meticulously crafted yet ultimately false!
He initially thought his calculations were wrong, that his technique remained incomplete. Yet no matter how many times he recalculated, the result never changed.
Was the world truly flawed? Was human existence but an illusion?
From that moment on, the once elegant and debonair 'Saintly Scholar' became an unkempt drunkard, idling away his days.
Now, he saw the truth.
Only at this moment did Wang Boyuan regain a trace of his former brilliance as the 'Saintly Scholar.' Gazing skyward, his relief mingled with regret.
"What a pity... To witness the true world would have been a joyous thing..."
In the next instant, his form dissipated.
Just like that, the entire Tianjing City vanished from the earth. All its inhabitants disappeared, leaving only the Yun Family Patriarch's residence and Lü Yang floating midair.
With a mere blink, Lü Yang used the secret realm's authority to erase Tianjing City entirely. Every living being was stored in the deepest part of the Refinement Secret Realm, awaiting revival by future disciples. Meanwhile, the space where Tianjing City once stood was compressed around the Yun Family Patriarch.
Thus, with space now hyper-condensed, the Yun Family Patriarch had no means to escape through dimensional gaps.
"Lü Yang..."
The Yun Family Patriarch's voice carried both wariness and frustration.
Wariness, because Lü Yang's current strength was no longer something he could underestimate. Frustration... because this situation was ultimately of his own making!
Without his interference, even if Lü Yang mastered the Saint's Theft, he could never have achieved such perfection!
How could he not feel frustrated?
Yet the Yun Family Patriarch quickly suppressed all negative emotions and said solemnly, "Erasing Tianjing City—aren't you afraid the Saint's Theft will collapse without the support of fate's breath?"
"Senior overestimates the situation." Lü Yang smiled faintly. "Now that the Saint's Theft has reached completion, worldly fate no longer concerns me. After all, if it's truly 'theft,' why would I return what I've taken? Rather than worrying about that, senior should focus more on his current predicament."
"...Are you threatening me?"
The Yun Family Patriarch's expression darkened further as his previously restrained aura began to radiate outward, brimming with killing intent. "You dare spout such arrogance before me alone?"
"A mere reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator—what's so impressive about that?"
Lü Yang met him head-on without backing down. "I happen to need the soul of a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator to research secret techniques. Senior's timely arrival will greatly aid my cultivation."
"You insolent brat!"
Amidst his fury, the Yun Family Patriarch analyzed the situation and even felt a flicker of relief that Lü Yang hadn't left the secret realm to report him—which would have meant certain death.
But by confronting him alone here, there might still be hope!
The Yun Family Patriarch channeled his magic power wildly. A brilliant golden light erupted above his head, splitting into three hues—gold, silver, and jade—instantly illuminating the sky.
Taiyi Golden Radiance!
Unlike Yun Miaozhen's half-baked version, the Yun Family Patriarch's Taiyi Golden Radiance was the fully refined, complete form—a true divine ability!
In an instant, the golden radiance surged forth like a tidal wave, commanding the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as it crashed down toward Lü Yang.
Immediately, Lü Yang's vision filled with golden light as if he'd been transported to another world. His vitality drained away; his body withered; his true qi dried up; his magic power waned; his divine will scattered; his spiritual senses dulled. His essence, energy, and spirit were all being stripped away by the golden radiance!
Yet in the next moment, Lü Yang stomped his foot.
Boom!
The entire secret realm trembled violently, as if someone had jumped from a great height and landed with an earth-shaking impact.
Simultaneously, the Yun Family Patriarch's spiritual senses quaked violently.
The previously condensed Taiyi Golden Radiance exploded apart the instant Lü Yang stomped, and all the stolen essence, energy, and spirit rapidly returned to Lü Yang's body.
Then Lü Yang moved.
With a cold smile, he flicked his sleeve. Countless wisps of smoke and fire swirled around him before detonating with a deafening blast that left the Yun Family Patriarch's ears ringing and eyes stinging. Looking up, he saw a majestic golden figure rising from the ground—towering like a mountain, wreathed in swirling smoke and flame.
"Stealing the world's fate to forge a saint's golden body!"
Only now did Lü Yang reveal the true power of his completed Saint's Theft. His 'method' borrowed fate's breath to materialize—taking the form of a 'Saint's Aspect'!
Seeing this, the Yun Family Patriarch urgently intensified his Taiyi Golden Radiance.
Golden radiance filled the sky, splitting into three lights representing essence, energy, and spirit—arranged like the sun, moon, and stars—each weighing as much as a mountain range as they plummeted toward Lü Yang.
Yet before the Taiyi Golden Radiance could land, the towering 'Saint's Aspect' stretched out a colossal hand—plump, rounded, and translucent like jade—before closing its fingers around both the radiant spectacle and the Yun Family Patriarch himself!
"Audacious!"
The Yun Family Patriarch grunted. The Taiyi Golden Radiance expanded violently, growing increasingly incandescent until it resembled a golden sun, straining to burst free from the 'Saint's Aspect's' grasp.
Meanwhile, Lü Yang formed hand seals.
His original body gradually grew illusory, while the 'Saint's Aspect' behind him became increasingly tangible—solemn, dignified, and impervious to external influences.
The Yun Family Patriarch's unleashed Taiyi Golden Radiance could at most strip away a layer of flesh, but no sooner was it peeled away than Lü Yang regenerated it anew. The battle devolved into a contest of attrition—one side consuming magic power, the other consuming vitality—with the Yun Family Patriarch gaining no advantage.
"Delay breeds disaster... I must subdue him quickly!"
The Yun Family Patriarch's thoughts raced. He understood that Lü Yang had obtained tremendous opportunities through their confrontation—his Saint's Theft now approached perfection, rivaling even a great divine ability.
To defeat him, only more formidable methods would suffice.
With this in mind, the Yun Family Patriarch produced a spherical magic treasure—the 'Heavenly Instrument' bestowed upon him by the Sword Pavilion's sect leader before his reincarnation.
He raised the spiritual treasure into the air and bowed respectfully.
"I beseech the Celestial Ruler to act."
As these words fell, the Heavenly Instrument began to rotate, twisting the surrounding space along with it—up, down, left, right, forward, and backward all became inverted!
Within the Heavenly Instrument's domain, all positional changes were scrambled. Forward became backward; left became up; up became forward... all dictated by the wielder's will. Now unleashed, the 'Saint's Aspect' immediately slackened, allowing the Yun Family Patriarch to break free.
He then aimed the Heavenly Instrument directly at Lü Yang.
Instantly, Lü Yang felt his entire body quake. The 'Saint's Aspect' seemed pinned by an immense force, unable to move—trapped in place.
The Yun Family Patriarch had distorted all of Lü Yang's movements into 'standing still.'
With the 'Saint's Aspect' immobilized, the Yun Family Patriarch continued his assault, relentlessly bombarding it with Taiyi Golden Radiance—clearly intending to dismantle it piece by piece.
"So strong... incredibly strong..."
Lü Yang smiled admiringly. The Yun Family Patriarch's strength was undeniable—after all, he was a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator wielding a supreme treasure like the Heavenly Instrument.
In terms of pure power, Lü Yang would likely lose a hundred out of a hundred confrontations.
Yet magical duels weren't decided by strength alone. Just as a chess player could defeat an opponent on the board, victory could also be achieved beyond it.
Simultaneously, outside the Refinement Secret Realm, Lü Yang's Primordial Qi avatar rushed without pause to the entrance of True Person Yinshan's secluded cultivation cave.
"True Person! I must report something!"
"There's a villain inside the secret realm!"