Chapter 165: True Persons Clash in Dharma Combat, A Million Corpses Lie Prostrate!

The voice of True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue rode the waves of the boundless Milky Way, spreading throughout the world; for a moment, it caused heaven and earth in all directions to fall into profound silence.

Who would dare to fight her?

In that instant, countless True Persons felt a resonance; one by one, they opened their eyes and gazed toward the overseas direction, their looks filled with inquiry.

Would they truly fight?

Some True Persons, not afraid of trouble, even felt a hint of anticipation; after all, the world had enjoyed peace for too long, and the last great calamity of a millennium ago dated back five thousand years!

Recalling those times, a single great calamity had claimed the lives of more than one True Person; the last to fall was True Person Tianyun Mingguang, now known as Daoist Hong Yun, when the 【Changyao Baoguang Grotto-Heaven】 shattered explosively, blood rain fell from the sky, and all creation mourned together—a spectacle unseen for many years.

Today, might they witness it once more?

"Amitabha!"

With a single recitation of the Buddha's name, the 【Baoping Shuiyue Bodhisattva】 of the Pure Land was the first to withdraw their qi presence, paying no heed whatsoever to True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue's provocation.

Seeing this, the other True Persons were not surprised.

As for the Bodhisattvas of the Pure Land, everyone knew that while they might hold sway within the Pure Land, they were somewhat weak outside; thus, choosing to back down was only natural.

Similarly, the Son of Heaven of the Dao Court was the second to withdraw his qi presence.

In that moment, the gazes of all the True Persons fell upon Jiangnan, landing on the young True Person atop Jitian Cliff in Jiange, whose lips were red and teeth white, with a hand resting on the sword across his knees.

The young True Person remained silent.

He lowered his eyelids and glanced at the long sword before his knees; this was his natal flying sword, with which he had once slashed his way all the way to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

Yet ever since he attained the Golden Core, this sword had never left its sheath; even when annihilating the Witch-Ghost Path, he had only unleashed a strand of sword qi without truly drawing the blade. Now, a thousand years having passed, could this sword still be unsheathed? Was it still sharp? Did he still possess the sword heart of old?

"Heh heh."

The young True Person suddenly raised his head, as if locking eyes with True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue far overseas, and then suddenly laughed: "Are you trying to stir my thoughts?"

"Xue Feihong, do you truly wish to fight me?"

To this, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue's response was simple and direct: "You do not act like a sword cultivator; you are far too indecisive. Do you intend to follow in Hong Yun's footsteps?"

"Come out and fight, and perhaps there is still a chance."

As her words fell, the young True Person fell silent once more; he glanced back at the Foundation Establishment True Persons behind him, then closed his eyes and sank into deep thought.

At this critical moment, he thought of another person.

"Ting You..."

He indeed did not act like a sword cultivator; had he been a true sword cultivator, he would not have sought the Golden Core before Ting You in days past, but would have directly fought Ting You to the death.

"... ever mind; one must always strive for a future life."

The young True Person opened his eyes, his resolve now firm.

The next second, this 【Chengtian Zhengde True Person】 vanished from Jitian Cliff where he had sat motionless for a hundred years, while high above the dome of heaven, a celestial star suddenly blazed with brilliance!

Witnessing this scene, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue threw back her head and laughed loudly.

"Well done!"

As her voice faded, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue also vanished; by now, both had withdrawn their sky-high, earth-spanning dharma bodies, revealing only their respective fruit positions.

The next moment, the sun hid and the moon sank, all stars dimmed, and only the two stars formed by their fruit positions radiated brilliant heavenly light.

Simultaneously, strange phenomena arose in both Jiangbei and Jiangnan; heavy snow fell in swirling flakes, mountain floods surged forth, and dwellings and ramparts everywhere came under assault.

Some dwellings were washed away, while others still stood firm.

This was no natural disaster, but a calamity wrought by humans; merely because the two True Persons were engaged in combat, heaven and earth naturally resonated, giving rise to these scenes defying ordinary logic.

This was limited only to the mortal world; at this very moment, throughout the world, all dao foundation cultivation techniques related to 【Wall Earth】 and 【Stream Water】 reacted similarly. Cultivators practicing the corresponding techniques felt an intense aversion toward each other in their hearts, along with a strange appetite.

Kill him! Eat it!

Instinct told them that slaying the opposing cultivator would cause their own cultivation base to leap forward immediately; this was the blessing of the fruit position, their own destiny!

In an instant, blood dyed the earth.

Except for the Sky-Touching Sea of Clouds of the Holy Sect, the Pandao Heavenly Abyss of Jiange, and a few major powers suppressed by True Persons, chaos erupted across the world at this moment!

Cultivators practicing 【Stream Water】 and those practicing 【Wall Earth】 could not control the murderous thoughts in their hearts; even kin, friends, and even husbands and wives turned against each other in this instant, killing recklessly without regard for life or death. Only Foundation Establishment True Persons could barely maintain a sliver of clarity.

When True Persons clash in dharma combat, a million corpses shall lie prostrate, and the world shall don white mourning!

Overseas, Lu Yang looked up in bewilderment.

If he could barely discern the changes when True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue slew everyone in a single breath, now he could see nothing at all.

It was not until a call sounded that he was roused from his stupor.

Lu Yang barely managed to withdraw his gaze, only to find that Patriarch Ting You had somehow appeared beside him, a smile of satisfaction now gracing his face.

"Zhengde... that old thing from Jiange is falling behind."

Hearing this, Lu Yang asked curiously: "Can Patriarch see their dharma combat clearly?"

"I cannot see clearly."

Patriarch Ting You shook his head: "It is merely that when I was alive, I cultivated 【Wall Earth】 to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment; even in death, I retain some slight resonance."

"I can clearly feel my strength weakening... this has nothing to do with my state, but rather that the master of 【Wall Earth】 is falling behind; the fruit position has transferred the pressure it suffers down to the Foundation Establishment True Persons below, reflecting upon us and causing our dao foundations and divine abilities to weaken..."

"But it is still too early."

Saying this, Patriarch Ting You shook his head again: "These are merely the aftershocks of True Person combat; to truly determine victory or defeat will likely take some time yet."

As his words fell, he glanced at Lu Yang once more and shook his head:

"It is a pity you do not cultivate 【Wall Earth】."

"Otherwise, at a time like this, finding a few Foundation Establishment True Persons who cultivate 【Stream Water】 and killing them would likely earn you the favor of the fruit position immediately, making a breakthrough in realm highly probable."

"However, if that happened, 【Wall Earth】 might reverse its declining momentum and suppress 【Stream Water】; although for a True Person such changes in the fruit position offer only a trifling improvement to oneself, in a life-or-death struggle, it might well become the final straw that breaks the camel's back."

"So that is how it is..."

Hearing this, Lu Yang suddenly attained enlightenment; so Foundation Establishment True Persons could serve such a purpose for Golden Core True Persons! No wonder they cultivated Foundation Establishment True Persons!

This was a doubt he had harbored long ago.

Since there were only thirty fruit positions in the world, why did the Golden Core True Persons who ascended not simply slaughter all Foundation Establishment True Persons related to their own fruit positions?

Would that not eliminate all competitors?

Otherwise, like Hong Yun, after falling from his fruit position and being suppressed by True Person Master Chongguang, he must have felt utterly humiliated; it was simply a disgrace for a Golden Core True Person.

Now it seemed there was indeed another reason.

No wonder it was said that only after breaking through to Foundation Establishment did one become a "true person," for Foundation Establishment True Persons could, to a certain extent, influence the struggles of True Persons!

However, relying on this alone seemed insufficient.

"Although they can influence True Person combat, could they not simply avoid fighting? There must be a deeper reason, a crucial reason pertaining to True Person cultivation..."

Thinking thus, Lu Yang dared not probe further.

Compared to those matters, the spoils from looting corpses delighted Lu Yang far more; filling a storage bag with radiant light, a sweep of his spiritual sense revealed four superior magic treasures!

"Truly, murder and arson lead to a golden sash!"

How rare were superior magic treasures on ordinary days? Marvelous and naturally formed, they were nearly equivalent to granting a Foundation Establishment True Person an additional minor innate divine ability, granting overwhelming advantage in dharma combat thereafter.

Before today, he possessed only 【Jiutian Instrument】 and 【Abaci Sword】 that could be considered superior.

After today, he had gained four more!

The wealthiest among them was Ye Xingfeng; besides his natal flying sword 【Star River Sword Pellet】, he actually carried two superior magic treasures on his person.

Ying Tongshou was slightly poorer, but still contributed one superior magic treasure.

Of course, all of these now benefited him, not to mention the half-true treasure left behind by the deceased Innate Dao Sin, 【Difu Jinzhuan Doushui Zhenchi】!

This bout of corpse-looting was simply a huge harvest!

(End of Chapter)