Chapter 144: Guangming

Northern Frontier, Shenwu Gate.

In the deepest chamber of a gloomy grand hall, a long rainbow pierced the sky and plunged inside, finally dissolving into a giant man who collapsed onto the floor.

"Puff!"

As Huanwu True Person knelt, blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth, yet his face was filled with anguish as he cupped his hands and swallowed back the blood he had spat out.

After all, this "blood" was actually the essence of his Dao foundation; even spitting out a single mouthful would require weeks of recovery, yet now it surged endlessly, impossible to stem—clearly his injuries were dire, let alone that he had abandoned his physical body entirely, fleeing with only his soul.

"Brother!"

At that moment, a young man stepped out from within the hall, his face tense with worry; seeing Huanwu True Person's condition, he hurried forward to support him.

"Younger brother Xuanwu… medicine, medicine!"

Huanwu True Person urged urgently; the young man dared not delay, immediately pulling out a vial of pills and pouring out a small crimson pill.

The next instant, he used his magic power to shatter it.

The shattered pill landed on Huanwu True Person's body, and in an instant, organs regenerated, flesh and blood reformed, bones filled in—transforming into the very likeness of Huanwu True Person!

Huanwu True Person's soul entered the new body, finally exhaling a sigh of relief; his previously unstable Dao foundation stabilized once more. Though the new flesh body continued to emit cracking sounds, clearly struggling to contain his soul, it was at least usable—no longer leaving his soul without a vessel.

"As long as Brother is unharmed…"

Seeing this, Xuanwu True Person finally relaxed—but then, recalling the sect's current plight, a sudden wave of grief overwhelmed him.

"Brother, shouldn't we just leave?"

Though he held deep affection for Shenwu Gate, Xuanwu True Person gritted his teeth and spoke these words—his tone clearly indicating he no longer wished to care for Shenwu Gate!

"We are True Persons, not mere Qi Condensation mortals."

"If we abandon Shenwu Gate's legacy, take nothing, harbor no other thoughts, and simply flee overseas, surely no one will pursue us."

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

True—if they abandoned the sect now, Shenwu Gate would be finished, but the two of them would surely survive. Yet how could he bear it?

Huanwu was over one hundred and fifty years old, barely having condensed his life essence, waiting for the sect's merit and destiny to help him secure one of the Cheng Tian Gang and Di Sha, forging them into a innate spiritual skill to advance his cultivation—afterward, even if he died at three hundred, his reincarnation would more easily return to Foundation Establishment.

But what if Shenwu Gate vanished?

First, the merit and destiny would be gone—his chance at Foundation Establishment mid-stage was over. Second, if the sect fell, who would guide his reincarnated body?

Fleeing overseas, he'd become a wandering ghost forever!

What future was there in the Dao?

Even reincarnation held no hope!

Thus, unless utterly desperate, Huanwu True Person had no intention of abandoning the sect—but his battle with Lu Yang had left his heart icy.

"The demon lord means business; it seems Jiangnan has truly abandoned us."

For a moment, Huanwu True Person felt utterly lost.

Yet just then—

"Amitabha."

A Buddhist chant, like a clear spring gushing down, instantly soothed the anxiety and terror in both True Persons' hearts—yet also startled them deeply.

"Pure Land? Buddhist cultivators?"

Huanwu True Person looked up and saw a wisp of sandalwood incense rising; when he regained his senses, a fair-skinned boy with red lips and white teeth stood before him in the hall.

"This monk Arhat Fu Long greets you both."

Arhat Fu Long Luo Han first clasped his hands in greeting, then smiled: "Though the Sword Pavilion has no interest in the Northern Frontier, the Pure Land has no objection to lending a hand."

"Is this true?" Huanwu True Person's face lit up with sudden joy.

Of course it was false.

Arhat Fu Long Luo Han sneered inwardly, yet his expression grew even more compassionate: "The Pure Land's Buddhist cultivators never lie. This monk has come specifically to aid your sect."

In truth, this was Arhat Fu Long Luo Han's personal initiative, unrelated to the Pure Land—he had recently calculated karmic threads and joyfully discovered that Lu Yang, who had hidden within the Sacred Sect for thirty years, had finally emerged; he had rushed here immediately, seeking this golden opportunity to eliminate the threat.

Thinking of this, Arhat Fu Long Luo Han withdrew another object from his robe.

It was a golden statue, radiant with brilliance; as Arhat Fu Long Luo Han activated it with his magic power, it took form and landed beside Huanwu True Person.

"This treasure is called the 【Sheli Golden Body】, forged from disciples of my temple who willingly offered their bodies."

"Compared to the magical body you forged with pills, this vessel is far more resilient—it should restore over eighty percent of your combat power."

"Thank you, Holy Monk!"

Huanwu True Person did not hesitate; he immediately released his soul and merged it with the 【Sheli Golden Body】, his previously weakened aura beginning to rise again.

Arhat Fu Long Luo Han nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze toward Skull Mountain.

"He sensed me too."

Arhat Fu Long Luo Han frowned slightly, murmuring to himself: "This man's talent is extraordinary—he condensed his life essence in thirty years. If I wish to kill him, the difficulty will be immense."

Frankly speaking, with his Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation, he had a hundred percent certainty against Lu Yang—at worst, he wouldn't lose. Yet Foundation Establishment True Persons perceive karmic threads and possess the ability to avoid misfortune and seek fortune; if Lu Yang chose not to fight and fled at the first sign, Arhat Fu Long had no good way to catch him.

Unless he could confine the battlefield to a single location.

Only by leaving Lu Yang with no escape could he seize the chance to slay him; the ideal outcome would be to convert him—offering the greatest benefit to Arhat Fu Long.

To that end, he had prepared something.

Whether it would work, however, depended on their respective strategies—he believed Lu Yang also wished to eliminate him, and it would simply be a contest of whose calculations proved superior.

As Arhat Fu Long Luo Han pondered, in another part of Shenwu Gate, a monk with shifty eyes but a solemn, dignified demeanor wandered idly.

"How did I end up as the senior disciple of the 【Arhat Fu Long Temple】?"

Guangming's recent days had been pleasant—Guanghai and Guanghui both died suddenly, yet he saved the remaining Buddhist cultivators of the Pure Land, building considerable connections.

"Life is impermanent, eh~"

Guangming sighed with deep emotion, yet his motivation for cultivation had waned; after all, for Buddhist cultivators at his stage, the path was nearly at its end.

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

As long as the Crouching Dragon Arhat doesn't die, no matter how high his cultivation rises, it will only be making a wedding dress for the Crouching Dragon Arhat. Since that's the case, why should he keep cultivating diligently every day?

It's time to enjoy life a little!

Thinking of this, an image suddenly surfaced in Guangming's mind—the Battle of Dao-Snatching, and the back view of Lu Yang as he slew Guanghai and the others in one stroke.

"Hiss!"

Guangming immediately sucked in a sharp breath of cold air: "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—cursed luck, why did I suddenly think of that fierce man? Forget it, forget it, quick!"

Yet the more he wanted to forget, the clearer that silhouette in his memory became.

In a daze, he seemed to have returned to the Dao-Snatching battlefield, watching that person's back in fear and trembling, watching him turn around and smile at him:

"Fellow Daoist Guangming, long time no see."

To the ends of the earth, a single thought arrives.

【Distinguish Kin from Stranger】!

"Huh?"

Guangming woke as from a dream, but stared blankly at Lu Yang, who had suddenly turned around before him. He then rubbed his eyes and pinched his own cheek.

It hurt.

'Oh my!'

A True Person!?

The next second, with a thud, Guangming dropped straight to his knees on the ground, weeping uncontrollably: "Senior Cultivator! This little monk has missed you so terribly!"

(End of chapter)