Chapter 143: Guang Ming

Northern Frontier, Shenwu Sect.

In a gloomy hall located at the deepest part, a long rainbow pierced the sky and entered, falling into the hall before finally transforming into a burly man who collapsed onto the ground.

"Puh!"

As soon as True Person Huanwu knelt, he could not suppress the blood spraying from his mouth, yet his face was filled with heartache as he used both hands to cover his mouth and swallow the gushing blood back down.

After all, this "blood" was actually the essence of his Dao Foundation; normally, spitting out even a single mouthful required over ten days of recuperation, yet now it surged endlessly, impossible to stop, showing just how severe his injuries were, not to mention he had already abandoned his physical body, fleeing with only his soul remaining.

"Senior Brother!"

Just then, a young man walked out from within the hall; seeing True Person Huanwu in such a state, his face filled with anxiety, he hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

"Junior Brother Xuanwu... Medicine, medicine!"

True Person Huanwu urged repeatedly; seeing this, the young man dared not delay and immediately took out a jade elixir bottle, pouring out a small, crimson pill from within.

The next second, he used magic power to activate it.

The shattered pill fell onto True Person Huanwu, and in an instant, organs regenerated, flesh and blood recoalesced, and bones filled in, actually transforming into the appearance of True Person Huanwu!

Only after True Person Huanwu's soul entered this new vessel did he finally breathe a sigh of relief; his previously unstable Dao Foundation stabilized once more, and although his new physical body continuously emitted cracking sounds of fragmentation, clearly struggling to contain his soul, it was at least usable, preventing his soul from being left without support.

"It is good that Senior Brother is safe..."

Witnessing this scene, True Person Xuanwu finally breathed a sigh of relief, yet upon thinking of their sect's current predicament, a wave of sorrow suddenly rose in his heart.

"Senior Brother, perhaps we should just leave!"

Despite his deep affection for the Shenwu Sect, True Person Xuanwu gritted his teeth and spoke these words, his tone suggesting he no longer wished to concern himself with the Shenwu Sect!

"We are True Persons, after all, not mere Qi Refining mortals."

"If we abandon the Shenwu Sect's inheritance, take nothing, harbor no other thoughts, and simply flee overseas with single-minded intent, surely no one would pursue us."

True Person Xuanwu's words plunged True Person Huanwu into silence.

Indeed, if they truly abandoned the sect and fled now, although the Shenwu Sect would be finished, the two of them would certainly survive, yet how could he reconcile himself to that?

He, Huanwu, was already over one hundred and fifty years old; he had barely condensed his natal foundation and was waiting to use the sect's merit and qi fortune to help him find a Heavenly Gang or Earthly Sha to refine into an innate divine ability, thereby advancing his cultivation further, so that even when his three-hundred-year lifespan ended, his reincarnated self could more easily return to Foundation Establishment.

But what if the Shenwu Sect ceased to exist?

First, the merit and qi fortune would be gone, meaning there would be no hope of reaching the Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Second, with the sect destroyed, who would guide his reincarnated self?

Fleeing overseas would mean becoming nothing more than a lonely wandering ghost from then on!

What talk of a Dao path could there be?

Even reincarnation held no future!

Therefore, unless absolutely forced, True Person Huanwu truly had no intention of abandoning the sect and fleeing, yet this recent battle with Lu Yang left him feeling ice-cold at heart.

"That demonic fiend has acted ruthlessly; it seems the Jiangnan side has truly abandoned us."

For a moment, True Person Huanwu felt utterly lost.

However, just then—

"Amitabha."

A Buddhist chant rang out like the ding-dong of a clear spring, pouring down and instantly soothing the anxiety and panic in the hearts of the two True Persons, yet also startling them greatly.

"Pure Land? A Shi cultivator?"

True Person Huanwu raised his head to see a cloud of sandalwood fragrance drifting before him, and when he came to his senses, a youth with red lips and white teeth had appeared within the hall.

"This humble monk is Fu Long; I pay my respects to both benefactors."

Arhat Fu Long first pressed his palms together in a bow, then smiled and said, "Although the Jiange has no interest in the Northern Frontier, the Pure Land does not mind lending a hand."

"Are these words true?" True Person Huanwu suddenly rejoiced greatly.

Of course, they were false.

Arhat Fu Long sneered inwardly while his expression grew ever more compassionate: "Shi cultivators of the Pure Land do not speak falsehoods; this humble monk has come specifically to assist your sect."

In truth, this was merely Arhat Fu Long's private action, unrelated to the Pure Land; it was only because he had recently calculated karma and joyfully discovered that Lu Yang, who had hidden within the Sheng Sect for thirty years without stepping out, had finally emerged, that he had rushed here without stopping, wishing to seize this excellent opportunity to eliminate future troubles.

Thinking of this, Arhat Fu Long retrieved an object from within his kasaya.

This object was a golden statue, radiant with brilliant light; activated by Arhat Fu Long's magic power, it immediately assumed form and settled beside True Person Huanwu.

"This treasure is named the 【Golden Body of Renunciation】, formed from the voluntary sacrifice of a disciple from my temple."

"Compared to the dharma body condensed by your elixirs, this physical form is undoubtedly more sturdy; it should be sufficient to restore over eighty percent of your combat power."

"Many thanks, Holy Monk!"

True Person Huanwu did not stand on ceremony; he immediately released his soul to merge with the 【Golden Body of Renunciation】, and his previously waning qi mechanism began to rise once more.

Seeing this, Arhat Fu Long nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze toward the direction of Skeleton Mountain.

"He has sensed me as well."

Arhat Fu Long frowned slightly, speaking to himself: "This person possesses extraordinary talent, condensing his natal foundation in thirty years; if I wish to kill him, the difficulty will likely be considerable."

Speaking fairly, with his cultivation at the Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment, he had ten parts confidence in dealing with Lu Yang, or at least could not possibly lose, yet since a Foundation Establishment True Person can sense karma and possesses the ability to seek fortune and avoid disaster, if Lu Yang chose not to engage him and fled upon hearing the wind, he would actually have no good method to deal with Lu Yang.

Unless he could confine the battlefield to a single location.

Only by making it impossible for Lu Yang to escape could he seize the chance to slay him; the most ideal scenario would be to convert Lu Yang, which would benefit him the most.

For this purpose, he had made certain preparations.

However, whether they would prove effective depended on the methods of both parties; he believed Lu Yang equally desired to eliminate him, so it merely came down to whose calculations were superior.

While Arhat Fu Long was pondering, in another location within the Shenwu Sect, a monk with shifty brows and mouse-like eyes, yet pretending to possess a dignified and solemn appearance, was strolling about.

"Tell me, how did I become the Eldest Senior Brother of the 【Fu Long Temple】?"

Guang Ming had been living quite happily lately; with Guang Hai and Guang Hui both dying violently, he had saved the remaining Shi cultivators of the Pure Land, accumulating no small amount of connections.

"Life is impermanent~"

Guang Ming was filled with emotion, yet lacked some motivation for cultivation; after all, for a Shi cultivator who had reached his current stage, the path of cultivation was essentially at its end.

Because the 【Fu Long Temple】 already had a master.

As long as Arhat Fu Long did not die, no matter how high his own cultivation rose, he would merely be embroidering a robe for Arhat Fu Long; given that, why should he toil in bitter cultivation every day?

It was time to enjoy life!

Thinking of this, an image suddenly floated into Guang Ming's mind: the Battle for the Dao, the back view of Lu Yang as he killed Guang Hai and the others in one stroke.

"Hiss!"

Guang Ming immediately sucked in a cold breath: "Pah, pah, pah! Truly cursed by the plague; why did I suddenly think of that fierce fiend? Forget it, forget it quickly!"

Yet the more he tried to forget, the clearer that back view became in his memory.

In a daze, he seemed to return to the battlefield of the Dao struggle, trembling as he watched that person's back, watching him turn around and smile at him, saying:

"... enefactor Guang Ming, I hope you have been well since we last met."

From the ends of the earth to the corners of the sea, a single thought brings arrival.

【Determine Intimacy】!

"... h?"

Guang Ming woke as if from a dream, staring blankly at Lu Yang, who had suddenly turned to face him; he rubbed his eyes and pinched his own face.

It hurt.

'Oh my god!'

It's a True Person!?

The next second, with a loud thud, Guang Ming knelt directly on the ground, weeping profusely: "Senior Cultivator! This humble monk, this humble monk has missed you so bitterly!"

(End of Chapter)