Chapter 93: Do I Not Look Like a Good Person?
"Hmph!"
Upon re-entering the [Yama Palace], the Mending Heaven Peak Master's expression grew increasingly grim. His earthen body continuously shed sand and gravel, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Forcing me to this point...!"
The Mending Heaven Peak Master took a deep breath, swallowing his emotions along with the "Yin-Yang Grand Dao Diagram" that had manifested in the air, which then retreated back between his brows.
In the next instant, his lips parted as he exhaled with a thunderous voice:
"Geng Metal is the Great White of the heavens, carrying killing intent yet robust and vigorous. When vigor meets water, the qi flows clear; when strength meets fire, the qi becomes pure and sharp... This is called Upper Petition!"
The celestial voice resounded, instantly shaking heaven and earth. Lü Yang looked up to see the sky filled with vast golden light, so dazzling it was nearly impossible to gaze upon directly. Only by probing with his spiritual sense could he faintly discern a massive white tiger, towering like a mountain, its muscular and imposing form staring directly at him.
"Roar...!"
With a tiger's roar, rolling winds and sand descended from the sky—formless yet weighing tens of thousands of pounds, as if countless blades had simultaneously slashed down upon the [Yama Palace]!
Outside Skeleton Mountain, Daoist Hong Yun raised an eyebrow at the sight:
"So it's the [Mountain-Sitting Lord]. He cultivated [Upper Petition] among the Heavenly Gang positions?"
"That old monster Chen Taihe must truly be pushed to his limits. After hiding his Dao path for so many years, unwilling to reveal it, he's finally been forced to expose his hand!"
Only after Foundation Establishment does a cultivator truly enter the Dao. What follows is the long road to Golden Core attainment. Yet the heavens and earth have their limits, and so do the Fruit Positions. Each Golden Core Fruit Position is unique, and the 'Dao paths' leading to them are equally singular. Once revealed, others can immediately deduce one's intentions.
Thus, for cultivators, their Dao path is an absolute secret.
If exposed, others could devise countermeasures to obstruct their progress. Worse still, if the Fruit Position they seek is already occupied by a True Lord...
The Witch Ghost Path serves as a cautionary tale.
On the other hand, the 'Dao path' itself is also a Foundation Establishment True Person's lethal weapon, precisely because it is forged by absorbing the essences of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends.
Heaven is the stem, earth the branch.
Where stems and branches intersect lies the true attainment of the Golden Core.
To forge a 'Dao path,' one must gather ten Heavenly Gang and twelve Earthly Fiends, each divided into yin and yang, totaling four great medicines.
Obtaining one of the four marks the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment; obtaining three signifies the late stage. With all four medicines complete, one reaches Foundation Establishment Perfection—the Great Dao achieved, ready to seek the Golden Core Fruit.
"[Mountain-Sitting Lord] belongs to [Upper Petition] among the ten Heavenly Gangs. A Dao path beginning with [Upper Petition]... It seems Chen Taihe aims for one of these six Fruit Positions: [Roadside Earth], [Hairpin Gold], [Pine and Cypress Wood], [Pomegranate Wood], [White Wax Gold], or [Wall Soil]!"
Daoist Hong Yun's eyes burned with intensity as he silently calculated.
At that moment, a surge of dampness filled the air, accompanied by the sound of crashing waves, coalescing into a crimson-tailed mermaid with a human face and a voice like mandarin ducks. With a flick of its tail, it transformed the void into a tidal wave that crashed violently against the [Yama Palace], shaking the entire structure to near collapse. The Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals guarding it scattered in droves.
"It's [Red Ruo Scale]!"
Daoist Hong Yun immediately drew his conclusion: "Shen Metal meets the earthly branch, water and soil flourish in this palace... For the Earthly Fiend position, he seeks [Tuntan]?"
"Upper Petition, Tuntan—his goal is the [Pomegranate Wood] position!"
Boom!
Just then, a thunderous crash echoed as the Mending Heaven Peak Master finally broke through the Yama Palace once more, riding the human-faced, fish-bodied Red Ruo Scale and vanishing in an instant.
Yet his expression was darker than ever.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Though his aim was [Pomegranate Wood], he had kept it well hidden to avoid revealing his hand to other True Persons pursuing the same Dao path.
Now everything was exposed. From this day forth, every cultivator seeking [Pomegranate Wood] would see him as a thorn in their side. If any surpassed him on the Dao path, so be it—but those at the same mid-stage Foundation Establishment level would become mortal enemies.
The thought fueled his murderous intent.
Meanwhile, Lü Yang reappeared, sighing helplessly: "Pseudo-Foundation Establishment still falls short compared to the real thing."
Moreover, the gap between Foundation Establishment cultivators startled him.
Consider this: he faced the Mending Heaven Peak Master at full strength, while the latter's power was less than one-tenth due to the Gold Core Sword Qi. It was practically kicking a man when he was down.
Yet he still couldn't kill him.
Just when he thought victory was assured, the Peak Master's sudden display of [Mountain-Sitting Lord] and [Red Ruo Scale] opened Lü Yang's eyes to a whole new level of combat.
"But I can't just let him escape."
With a thought, Lü Yang expanded the shattered Yama Palace once more. Its gates swung open, ready to seize the fleeing Peak Master.
This was the wonder of the [Yama Palace].
Within eight hundred miles of Skeleton Mountain, no soul could escape its grasp. Had the Peak Master retained his physical body, capturing him would have been troublesome.
But a mere soul?
Easy prey!
Boom!
The sound of the gates opening and closing rolled like thunder through the sky. The Peak Master turned back, his face twisted with indescribable humiliation.
Without hesitation, he raised a finger and slashed downward.
Sssshhh—!
A sharp screech erupted from his soul as sparks and lightning flew. His soul split cleanly in two!
Lü Yang blinked. "Is this... the Thought-Severing Heaven-Seeing Silkworm Secret?"
But of course—the Thought-Severing Heaven-Seeing Silkworm Secret was the great divine ability mastered by Chen Xin'an. As his father, it made sense the Peak Master would know it too.
After the split, one half fearlessly charged the [Yama Palace], shielding the other's escape. His true self rode the human-faced giant fish transformed from [Red Ruo Scale], flickering out of Skeleton Mountain's eight-hundred-mile radius in moments.
"Cutting off a limb to survive? How decisive—truly worthy of a Saint Sect True Person..."
Frowning slightly, Lü Yang didn't hesitate. He activated the Yama Palace to suppress and gratefully accepted the Peak Master's self-sacrificing split soul.
Then, he fed it into the Myriad Spirits Banner.
Instant refinement!
"Pfft!"
The moment he escaped, the Peak Master—intending to recall his split soul—suddenly spat out a mouthful of soul essence. He turned back with venomous hatred.
Lü Yang paid no mind. Resuming his seat atop the [Yama Palace], he formed a hand seal. The spiritual veins of Skeleton Mountain churned, summoning rolling Yin Qi like nourishing rain. Wherever it passed, the Yama Palace's wounds healed visibly. Within months, it would be fully restored!
Such was the superiority of the [Yama Palace].
As Pseudo-Foundation Establishment relied on Skeleton Mountain's spiritual veins, its recovery speed far surpassed ordinary Foundation Establishment methods.
The Peak Master, meanwhile, fared far worse.
First, his physical body was destroyed. Then, after battling Lü Yang, his Dao foundation was damaged, his soul split. He wouldn't recover for thirty or forty years.
"The Mending Heaven Peak Master is still a Saint Sect True Person. Killing him outright would bring me no benefits... Inflicting heavy injuries and that finger strike earlier will suffice as interest."
Once I truly break through to Foundation Establishment, we'll settle the full account!
With this thought, Lü Yang relaxed. Leaning back against the [Yama Palace], he coldly observed the Peak Master and Daoist Hong Yun beyond Skeleton Mountain.
Soon, however, he noticed something odd about Daoist Hong Yun's expression.
The Daoist looked grave, gazing skyward with none of his usual composure. Between his furrowed brows burned intense hatred.
...Someone's coming?
The next moment, Lü Yang saw a ball of radiant light rolling across the sky, painting the clouds in vibrant hues as it revealed a stalwart figure clad in armor.
The man wasn't particularly handsome, yet he carried an undeniable presence—his brows bold, his demeanor sharp despite his middle-aged appearance. From his crown surged a beam of mysterious light: the manifestation of his Dao path, openly displayed with all four great medicines clearly visible.
"Chongguang...!!!"
Daoist Hong Yun gnashed his teeth. This was his greatest rival within the Saint Sect, for the [Overturned Lamp Flame] position Chongguang sought had once been his own.
A feud over the Dao admits no reconciliation!
What infuriated him more was that, after all these years, he had fallen from his Fruit Position and now stood no chance against this junior in a direct fight.
"...Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Daoist Hong Yun vanished, unwilling to face him. The armored man in the sky paid him no heed either.
His gaze swept first over the disheveled Mending Heaven Peak Master before settling on Lü Yang with an approving smile.
Then, a voice sounded in Lü Yang's ears:
"Dare I ask, fellow Daoist, which Saint Sect True Person has returned through reincarnation?"
Lü Yang: "........"
Really now, why does everyone assume I'm a Saint Sect disciple?
Do I not look like a good person?