Chapter 163: One Sword Cuts Dawn and Dusk!

Cloud seas reaching the sky, outside the Peak of Mending Heaven.

At first glance the sky looked gloomy and empty, yet in reality the Foundation Establishment realm was already packed with people, with seven or eight True Persons squatting in wait within it.

"Yo? You're here too?"

"Just here to join the fun."

"Together, together."

Several True Persons from the Holy Sect stood together, chatting happily, each wearing a warm smile on their face as if they were genuinely affectionate senior and junior brothers.

"How long has Wu Cang been inside?"

"About the time it takes to burn an incense stick. A mid-stage fighting a low-stage shouldn't produce any surprises; the formations are all set up. The moment he comes out, we'll knock him out cold!"

"He has truly offended Duanmu Yuan Tu this time."

"Once Wu Cang grabs the item and comes out, we'll snatch the True Person's handwritten manuscript back, sneak a few glances in the process, and then throw all the karmic consequences onto Wu Cang."

"If you ask me, Wu Cang is far inferior to Duanmu Yuan Tu. Although both joined the sect with prior skills, Duanmu Yuan Tu clearly obtained the true essence of our Holy Sect, whereas Wu Cang, a rogue cultivator by nature, simply cannot change his ways. He is wicked but not cunning; his life will be just like that, and the bitter days ahead are long."

The several True Persons of the Holy Sect chatted freely, appearing very composed.

Clearly, Wu Cang thought his actions were secret, but how could he possibly deceive those who were paying attention? Everyone simply needed a scapegoat.

However, just at this moment—

"Boom!"

A deafening roar caused the True Persons within the Foundation Establishment realm to look up, only to see the Peak of Mending Heaven tremble slightly, and a magnificent, iridescent glow was faintly projected from within.

"He actually managed to make a sound?"

Now, some of the Holy Sect True Persons were truly curious: "What is Wu Cang made of? A mid-stage fighting a low-stage, yet he managed to make someone make a sound?"

"Are rogue cultivators so pathetic?"

"Not quite. Although Wu Cang's scheming is average and he doesn't know how to manipulate karma, he does possess a level of magical combat skill, at least on the mid-stage line."

"So you're saying he isn't too weak?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Sect True Persons present fell instantly silent; their eyes shifted, and when they looked at the Peak of Mending Heaven again, they were filled with a bit more shock.

At the same time, inside the Peak of Mending Heaven.

Lu Yang held the 【Abi Sword】 reversed in one hand, still not stopping the flow of magic power, while his other hand channeled a divine ability, and a Daoist sound issued from his mouth:

"Insects devour Qi, annihilate ten thousand intentions!"

【Discern Right and Wrong】!

As this Daoist decree fell, the Qi-devouring insects all received a blessing; their mortal bodies inexplicably gained a bit of the profound mystery of the Foundation Establishment realm, and their power suddenly surged.

"Damn insects!"

Seeing this, Wu Cang frowned tightly. He was not afraid of these Qi-devouring insects; what did one hundred and forty million matter? By expending great magic power to activate his innate divine ability, he could still kill them all cleanly, but doing so would inevitably cost him much magic power and delay him significantly.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Lu Yang again.

More precisely, he glanced at the 【Abi Sword】 held reversed behind Lu Yang's back; his divine sense detected a threat from it that was enough to be fatal.

'I absolutely cannot be stalled!'

In an instant, Wu Cang had made his decision, forming a hand seal with one hand.

With this movement, a novel change suddenly arose within the Heaven-Supporting Great Tree formed by his Dao Foundation; a single spark of fire ignited within the tree's crown.

In the blink of an eye, that single spark of fire turned into a prairie fire!

The entire tree crown became a giant fireball; the crimson flames illuminated the sky, and even with formation support, their brilliance could hardly be concealed!

"【Do Not Flee South】!"

In an instant, wood died and fire was born, transforming heaven and earth into a single furnace; Lu Yang, standing within it, even felt that the air he breathed through his nose and mouth was mixed with a stinging pain.

'It is an innate divine ability!'

Lu Yang's Cheng Tian Gang rotated at his brow, and a treasure light shone through; in an instant, he comprehended the nature of the opponent's divine ability.

'It is very similar to the 【Fiery Dragon】 of the Dragon-Suppressing Luo Han. This is formed from the Qi of the Cheng Tian Gang position 【E Feng】, also known as 'Jia Wood', and is a pure Yang treasure tree.'

However, Wu Cang and the Dragon-Suppressing Luo Han were still different.

The 【Fiery Dragon】 of the Dragon-Suppressing Luo Han was obtained from the intersection of the Cheng Tian Gang 【E Feng】 and the Di Sha 【Zhi Xu】; the Cheng Tian Gang was dominant, and its essence was wood and earth generating fire.

However, 【Do Not Flee South】 was different.

This innate divine ability was a fusion of the Cheng Tian Gang 【E Feng】 and the Di Sha 【Dun Zang】, taking the meaning: fire relies on wood to be born; if fire is vigorous, wood must inevitably burn!

The imagery of the divine ability perfectly corresponded with Wu Cang's 【Coiling Dragon Divine Wood Dao Foundation】; at this moment, sacrificing wood to fire, the flames it unleashed were ferocious to the extreme, known as the "Heavenly Furnace Li Fire". Any wood-attribute divine ability or magical treasure under this flame would have only one result: complete annihilation.

Whoosh—whoosh—!

The sky-full of Qi-devouring insects almost forcibly endured this flame, instantly turning into ash in swaths, yet the towering fire seemed not to weaken in the slightest.

As Wu Cang pointed with a hand seal, the flames came through the empty air!

Almost simultaneously, the hand seal in Wu Cang's hand changed, and the 【Coiling Dragon Treasure Robe Tree】 behind him bloomed and bore fruit once more; this time the fruits were one green and one gold.

"Go!"

The next second, two fruits fell from the treasure tree, and two profound mysteries were born from them, joining with the "Heavenly Furnace Li Fire" to enclose Lu Yang!

These were the three profound mysteries of Wu Cang's innate divine ability 【Coiling Dragon Treasure Robe Tree】: the red fruit named "Fire Within Wood" could burn and kill the magical body; the green fruit named "Peach Pit" could fix form, making escape difficult; the gold fruit named "Dragon Scale Seed" could boost qi, greatly enhancing the power of divine abilities.

Innate divine ability, three profound mysteries.

One for main attack, one for main control, one for enhancement; none involved karma or heavenly secrets, and every goal was to maximize the lethality of the divine ability!

For a moment, heaven and earth displayed both brightness and darkness.

With Wu Cang as the dividing line, ahead was the "Heavenly Furnace Li Fire" burning clouds and piercing the sky, illuminating the six directions like high noon; behind was a moonless, windy night, deep in the dead of night.

Seeing this scene, Lu Yang finally sighed.

The next second, the Li Fire touched his body!

Then, something that left Wu Cang dumbfounded happened: Lu Yang merely flicked his sleeve, and his magic power, as if perfectly natural, actually flung the flames away!

This countermove was supremely elegant.

His manipulation of magic power was so exquisite it defied description, nearly stunning Wu Cang, who instinctively drove the flames at him again.

Then he casually shrugged them off once more.

'How is this possible!?'

Wu Cang refused to believe it and urged the flames forward to press the attack again, but this time Lu Yang could no longer maintain the composure of the previous two exchanges; in an instant, he became a human torch.

In a flash, Lu Yang's entire body was scorched by the "Heavenly Furnace Separation Fire" until his flesh and skin burst open, revealing bones as flawless as Bai Yu; his lungs and spleen were flooded with flowing fire, burning through his organs, and for a moment even the air he exhaled carried sparks—this strike had nearly crushed him with a single blow from Wu Cang!

Yet just then, a laugh emerged from within the flames.

"Heh!"

Within the surging torrent of fire, Lu Yang raised his head, his lips curling into a grin; his eyes, now ignited, stared straight at Wu Cang like two suns.

The 【Abi Sword】 in his hand trembled slightly.

This Gold-Swallowing Beast had been devouring his magic power since the battle began, and only now did it finally offer some response, as if it had at last eaten its fill.

Lu Yang looked up at Wu Cang and commanded with a decree: "Kill!"

【Discern Right from Wrong】 was activated; like the Son of Heaven speaking from a high hall, his words became law, and a brilliant golden radiance of divine technique instantly infused the Abi Sword.

The next second, Lu Yang had already summoned the 【Abi Sword】!

Bloodlight mingled with gold, splitting heaven and earth asunder, separating yin and yang; the sky, which had been dim and bright under the glow of the Separation Fire, was now cleaved in two by a single sword strike!

A single sword stroke that cut through dusk and dawn!

This strike was not merely a simple explosion of matter; it struck directly at the spiritual essence. The "Heavenly Furnace Separation Fire," severed by it, let out a burst of roaring noise, then shed its original spiritual refinement, instantly turning into ordinary fire that scattered away, revealing Wu Cang's figure hidden behind the flames.

Wu Cang's eyes were wide open, blood spraying from his mouth and nose.

And upon his body, a visible sword mark appeared across his waist and abdomen; flesh and blood gradually split apart as time passed, literally bisecting him at the waist!

(End of this chapter)