Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Dueling a Perfected Being!
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As the Yama Hall hung high in the sky, gusts of sinister wind instantly swept across the eight hundred miles of Skull Mountain. Mournful cries echoed without end, as if the place had transformed into a ghost realm on earth.
Caught within it, the Heaven Mending Peak Master's expression was incomparably grim.
"You think you can kill me with just these tricks?"
He was so angry he almost laughed. Whether Lu Yang was the reincarnation of a Perfected Being from the Primal Saint Sect or not, trying to kill him like this was looking down on him far too much!
On the other side, Lu Yang's expression was serene. Within his dantian, Su Nü, who had incarnated as a guardian deity, was drenched in sweat, unreservedly bestowing her spiritual authority upon him. It made his appearance seem all the more solemn and sacred, as if he had become the center of the eight-hundred-mile expanse of Skull Mountain.
"Just a humble attempt. I wish to witness your divine abilities, Senior."
Hearing this, the Heaven Mending Peak Master gave Lu Yang a deep look, then nodded. "Very well. Let me see which of my former colleagues you are!"
Clearly, he had already made up his mind about Lu Yang's identity.
He had to be the reincarnation of a Perfected Being from the Primal Saint Sect!
As for why he didn't say it outright, it was quite normal. Every single Perfected Being of the Primal Saint Sect carried some rather troublesome major karma.
For example, enemies, more enemies, and even more enemies.
Now that they had finally reincarnated, it was the perfect opportunity to shed the karma of their past lives. Who would willingly acknowledge their previous identity and take on their old karmic burdens?
As his voice fell, the Heaven Mending Peak Master bent down, picked up a handful of yellow earth, and circulated his magical power through it for a moment before letting it fall. The dust took root upon hitting the ground, instantly transforming into a large clod of earth. The Heaven Mending Peak Master's soul entered it, and in a flash, the clod of earth took on his appearance.
"Although it's a body of earth and stone, it will have to suffice."
The Heaven Mending Peak Master muttered to himself. As his lips moved, grains of sand continuously trickled out, but regardless, his soul finally had a temporary vessel.
Boom!
While the Heaven Mending Peak Master was casting his spell, Lu Yang wasn't just standing by. Within the Yama Hall, the sounds of slaughter rumbled as sorcerous ghosts materialized behind him.
These sorcerous ghosts were all armed with blades and halberds, clad in armor, revealing ferocious faces with green skin and sharp fangs. They were arranged in neat, orderly ranks, with Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals, their movements precise and disciplined. With a thought from Lu Yang, they immediately charged toward the Heaven Mending Peak Master.
"Mere phantoms and ghouls dare to approach my Dharma body?"
The Heaven Mending Peak Master sneered at the sight. A spiritual light then rose slowly from the top of his head, dividing into yin and yang, manifesting as black and white Qi.
Looking closely, it was a scroll painting.
He cultivated the Heaven Mending True Scripture, and the Dao Foundation he ultimately forged was named the "Grand Dao Diagram of Yin and Yang." The diagram had two sides: one of Absolute Yin, the other of Bright Yang. It used yin and yang to interpret all phenomena of the universe. No matter what divine ability one used, once it fell into the diagram, it would be broken down, refined, absorbed, and even turned to his own use.
At this moment, the scroll unfurled with the "Absolute Yin" side facing up.
The Yama Hall was primarily based on baleful yin, and the various sorcerous ghosts were also of the yin attribute, making them perfectly countered by "Absolute Yin." No matter how many came, it would be in vain.
In the next second, the scroll flipped over.
Absolute Yin turned to Bright Yang. A vast heavenly light instantly illuminated every corner of the Yama Hall. Wherever it passed, all the Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals were ignited, turning to dust in an instant.
However, at the same time, several streaks of black light, like bolts of lightning, struck the Yin-Yang Diagram, causing the Heaven Mending Peak Master to let out a muffled grunt. Cracks appeared on his body of earth and stone.
Nine Heavens Secret Devil Yin Thunder!
Ancestor Tingyou had once used this divine ability to counter Lu Yang's soul. Now, Lu Yang was using the same trick to deal with the Heaven Mending Peak Master's soul!
"You do have some skill."
The Heaven Mending Peak Master's expression was dark. In the brief exchange, although Lu Yang had undoubtedly suffered more severe injuries, he himself had also sustained some minor wounds.
The clash between Foundation Establishment cultivators was vastly different from that of Qi Refining cultivators.
When Perfected Beings dueled, they borrowed Qi to manifest phenomena, using their own magical power to manifest their respective Dao Foundations. As the Dao Foundations operated, countless divine abilities were being channeled every second.
Therefore, when the Dao Foundations of both sides manifested and clashed, it was equivalent to each deploying a grand army. Every soldier was a divine ability, and every clash was a battle between two forces. Whoever was routed and suffered losses in troops until they could no longer manifest their Dao Foundation would be the loser.
And this kind of dueling was an extreme test of one's calculation ability—in other words, their Dao attainment.
To put it bluntly, it was like military strategy: where to concentrate heavy forces, where to feign strength, where to send a lone army deep, and where to lay an ambush on all sides.
With high Dao attainment, one could anticipate the enemy's moves, arrange their forces calmly, and maneuver with ease.
With low Dao attainment, one would be played like a fiddle.
Thus, unless the power gap was immense, it was difficult to determine a winner and loser in a short time in a duel between Foundation Establishment Perfected Beings. And even if one won, it was very hard to kill the opponent.
Lu Yang's Dao attainment was undoubtedly no match for the Heaven Mending Peak Master's.
But he was in better condition.
The Heaven Mending Peak Master's physical body had been destroyed, leaving only his soul, and his Dao Foundation was already unstable. In contrast, Lu Yang's Yama Hall had just been formed and was at its peak.
It was as if Lu Yang commanded an army of a hundred thousand, while the Heaven Mending Peak Master had only ten thousand elites. The disparity in numbers was so great that Lu Yang didn't need any fancy strategies. He simply used the tactic of trading blow for blow, injury for injury. Over time, the Heaven Mending Peak Master would naturally be defeated.
Rumble!
Lu Yang gave the Heaven Mending Peak Master no chance to breathe. The Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals within the Yama Hall resurrected and once again swarmed towards him.
For a time, the crackle of thunder echoed above Skull Mountain.
The Heaven Mending Peak Master's face grew uglier. The cracks on his hastily made earth-and-stone body became more pronounced, as if it would completely disintegrate in the next moment.
"You want to take us both down?"
The Heaven Mending Peak Master stared at Lu Yang, a hint of suspicion in his heart. Compared to him, Lu Yang's condition was a little too good; he showed no signs of injury at all.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
'It's not me who's getting hurt anyway.'
Lu Yang glanced at his dantian and saw that the guardian deity Su Nü was now covered in wounds, her entire body fractured. Her state was clearly much worse than the Heaven Mending Peak Master's.
'...Not a big problem.'
Lu Yang remained calm and composed, continuing to ruthlessly exploit Su Nü's power. After all, she wasn't dead yet. And since she wasn't dead, he could use her to death.
Dueling was simply too dangerous. It was better to let someone else bear the risks.
Finally, the Heaven Mending Peak Master couldn't hold on any longer.
He had thought that a young Perfected Being like Lu Yang would cherish his life and his Dao Foundation more. Who would have thought Lu Yang would be so ferocious, practically seeking mutual destruction!
"I can't drag this on any longer!"
With this thought, the Heaven Mending Peak Master's mind raced. The Grand Dao Diagram of Yin and Yang immediately closed. Absolute Yin and Bright Yang converged, ultimately giving birth to a point of chaotic, void-like brilliance.
At first, this point of brilliance was no brighter than a spark, but as the Heaven Mending Peak Master poured his magical power into it, the spark instantly became a prairie fire, releasing an immeasurable light. Wherever it passed, whether it was Yin Soldiers, Ghost Generals, or the Secret Devil Yin Thunder, all were annihilated. It soared through the sky, even piercing through the Yama Hall!
Rumble!
For a moment, a chaotic color flowed both inside and outside the dome of the sky. Black and white merged into one, indistinguishable from each other. In a flash, it cleared away all the seething baleful yin.
Seeing this, the Heaven Mending Peak Master dared not delay and immediately flew up.
The technique he had just used was a grand divine ability called the "Yin-Yang Chaotic Void Divine Light." In the past, he had relied on this very ability to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, with the support of his new spiritual authority, his old grand divine abilities could produce many profound changes distinct from their Qi Refining versions. For example, the "Yin-Yang Chaotic Void Divine Light" he just used could only devour all phenomena during the Qi Refining stage. Now, it could extinguish spiritual essence in an instant, possessing the power to purify all corruption.
But with every gain comes a loss. Such a divine ability naturally consumed a massive amount of power.
If he were still at his peak, it wouldn't matter. But in his current state, once was fine, but three or more times would likely exhaust him.
Therefore, unleashing it now was purely to break the stalemate.
As long as he escaped the Yama Hall, he would be as free as a bird in the sky or a fish in the sea. Then, the Heaven Mending Peak Master could advance or retreat as he pleased, giving him room to maneuver.
However, just as he flew out of the Yama Hall, his expression changed dramatically.
Outside the Yama Hall, Lu Yang's figure had quietly appeared. But this time, the guardian deity Su Nü was not with him; she had remained in place.
"Two people!?"
The Heaven Mending Peak Master's pupils shrank, and he instantly understood. "An external avatar! You're not at Foundation Establishment yet! You just managed to refine a Foundation Establishment realm avatar!"
Lu Yang ignored him and silently raised a finger.
Normally, he could only duel the Heaven Mending Peak Master when he and Su Nü were merged as one. However, if limited to a single move, he was not without a trump card.
This move was taught to him by Ancestor Tingyou.
In the next second, Lu Yang began to break through to Foundation Establishment, ascending—and then plummeting!
Lu Yang's expression was serene, his aura shifting. Then, harnessing the majestic power of a failed ascension, of falling from the Foundation Establishment realm, he pointed a finger down at the Heaven Mending Peak Master—
"Heaven's Collapse!"
A shadow fell from the sky. Lu Yang's finger attack caught the Heaven Mending Peak Master completely off guard, halting his fleeing figure in mid-air!
Immediately after, the gates of the Yama Hall opened and closed once more.
Boom!
With a tremendous roar, the Heaven Mending Peak Master's eyes widened in fury, but he was helpless. He was struck down by Lu Yang's finger, falling back into the Yama Hall