Chapter 168: The Bewildered Hong Ju

Where clouds meet the sky, at the Holy Fire Cliff.

To this day, few within the Holy Sect know what truly transpired, believing only that their own True Person had gone mad and thus emerged to fight a True Person from the Sword Pavilion.

Only a Great True Person at the peak of Foundation Establishment truly understands the situation.

Such as Hong Ju.

"Puh!!!"

Inside a quiet chamber, Hong Ju suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, feeling a certain marvel rooted in his bloodline dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Impossible!?"

Hong Ju stared blankly at the blood he had spat; originally, the blood should have been pale gold, yet now it had turned into a blinding crimson.

"The True Person... is dead?" Hong Ju looked utterly bewildered; he was Hong Yun Daoist, or rather, a Great True Person at the peak of Foundation Establishment who had been enlightened, shaped, and finally proven using the essential blood of the former 【Heavenly Fate Bright Light True Person】 while he still held his seat, and thus a sliver of golden nature had always remained within his bloodline.

Yet now, that sliver of golden nature had dissipated!

For this situation to arise, there was only one possibility: 【Heavenly Fate Bright Light True Person】, the source of his golden nature, Hong Yun Daoist, had suffered the destruction of his soul and spirit!

But how could this be possible?

How difficult is it to kill a True Person? With their souls protected by golden nature, even if they fell from their fruit, they could escape easily from other True Persons through reincarnation and transmigration.

Unless the two parties were not on the same realm.

But how could that be possible? As far as he knew, the several mid-stage and even late-stage Golden Core True Persons within the Holy Sect bore no grudge against his own True Person.

Furthermore, for Golden Core True Persons, fellow practitioners were also very important.

Therefore, even when a Master Chongguang True Person emerged to compete with Hong Yun Daoist for the fruit, most True Persons from various factions merely stood by with folded arms rather than intervening directly.

Except for...

'Xue Feihong!?'

Hong Ju did not dare to speak this name aloud, after all, this was the Holy Fire Cliff; if he truly spoke it, True Person Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue would inevitably sense him.

Nevertheless, he remained convinced of his guess... this was the only possibility: Xue Feihong, that bitch! In the past, she was merely a junior among True Persons, but ever since her last transmigration and re-attainment of the fruit, her Daoist cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and now, within merely a few hundred years, she had broken through to the mid-stage!

Simply inconceivable!

At the mid-stage of the Golden Core, the cave heaven becomes eternally stable; unless a Nascent Soul Dao Lord makes a move, there is no longer any danger of the cave heaven collapsing, and the speed of re-attaining the fruit after transmigration is also greatly accelerated.

It sounds quite simple.

Yet in reality, how many True Persons have undergone transmigration and reincarnation, spending thousands or even tens of thousands of years without breaking through to the mid-stage, still facing the danger of their cave heavens collapsing?

Is this step so easy to take?

'That bitch! She absolutely used some kind of underhanded trick!'

Hong Ju abruptly halted the roar of fury in his heart.

For at some unknown point, the secluded chamber where he was cultivating had begun to show spots of dampness, and yin qi was gradually rising; this was heaven and earth responding to the resentful thoughts in his heart.

"Ugh!"

The next second, Hong Ju suddenly vomited a mouthful of water; the spring water was cool, as if created from nothing, churning his internal organs into a complete mess.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

While coughing, Hong Ju hurriedly circulated his divine abilities to sever karmic ties, then took out the 【Fate-Sharing Luck-Changing Register】, quickly lifting his brush to write:

【I have never harbored any heart of great disrespect!】

As the characters were completed, another surge of merit and luck flowed into it; only then was Hong Ju's act of vomiting water halted, and the disintegration of his Dharma body stopped.

"Cannot hate, must smile..."

The mid-stage of the Golden Core is already vastly different!

With the cave heaven eternally stable and the fruit bestowing favor, the connection to heaven and earth has become tight to an unbelievable degree; if mortals dwell on them unceasingly, there will inevitably be an echo!

Hong Ju let out a bitter laugh.

Of course, he was not laughing bitterly for the sake of Hong Yun Daoist; as a True Person of the Holy Sect, the only thing that could make him laugh bitterly and feel despair was his own situation.

"I was created from a drop of essential blood of a True Person, my entire path of cultivation relies entirely upon the True Person; even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, I had no possibility of attaining a seat. Now that the True Person is dead, my days are also numbered; after muddling along for a few years, my Dharma body will collapse, and I will follow the True Person... Damn it, I don't even have a soul!"

Having no soul meant being unable to reincarnate!

If Hong Yun Daoist were still alive, connected by golden nature, he would have no worries about lifespan; yet now, he could at most muddle along for another two or three years!

How could he accept this?

Thinking of this, Hong Ju began calculating with his fingers again, rubbing his fingertips until sparks nearly flew, determined to find the culprit responsible for Hong Yun Daoist's demise!

A moment later.

"..."

Hong Ju fell silent.

Seeing his face, carved as if by knife and axe, filled with bewilderment, his hands nearly rubbed raw: "How could it be like this? No, no, no, no... it's not right?"

No matter how he calculated.

Hong Yun Daoist was killed by me?

It must be a miscalculation!

"The inherently evil Master Chongguang and Yuan Tu, they must have used some method to obscure the heavenly secrets and karmic causes, preventing me from finding the truth; I cannot coexist with them under the same sky!"

Hong Ju lowered his hands, his eyes full of hatred yet helpless; he knew very well that the only reason he had not been slapped to death yet was purely because he still had value to be used; ultimately, he was a Great True Person at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and the True Persons of the Holy Sect wanted him to die on the battlefield.

Almost simultaneously, a streak of light flew into the hall.

Hong Ju looked up with a dejected expression, only to see the spiritual light unfold into a handwritten letter, upon which was written a single line: Aid me in attaining the seat, and I promise you glory for one lifetime.

"... aster Chongguang?"

Seeing this, Hong Ju was momentarily stunned, then suddenly sat up straight: "Yes, if he attains the seat and takes control of 【Overturning Lamp Fire】, perhaps he can also preserve my life..."

Thinking of this, Hong Ju immediately felt as though the sea had widened and the sky had opened.

Within the Holy Fire Cliff, in another great hall.

True Person Master Chongguang sat at the head seat, while True Person Yinshan stood in attendance beside him.

Just then, True Person Master Chongguang suddenly opened his eyes, as if having received some reply; narrowing his eyes slightly, a trace of satisfaction flowed within his gaze.

The current situation was much better than he had anticipated!

With Hong Yun dead, it was as if his greatest trouble had been pruned away, allowing him to arrange matters more leisurely; the hope of seeking gold had simply increased several-fold!

Therefore, when divine ability splendor flashed within the great hall and Lu Yang stepped out from within it, True Person Master Chongguang immediately let out a loud laugh, actively walked down from his seat, and came affectionately to Lu Yang's side, patting his shoulder: "This time, you have worked hard, Yuan Tu..."

"For the sake of Senior Uncle, it was no hardship."

Lu Yang shook his head and said solemnly: "Senior Uncle previously mentioned having a major matter to entrust; I wonder what it is? As long as this disciple can accomplish it, I will not hesitate even in the face of death!"

Look, this is what loyalty is called.

So reliable!

True Person Master Chongguang felt not the slightest dissatisfaction at being interrupted by Lu Yang; instead, he smiled even more happily: "Since that is the case, I shall not stand on ceremony with you, Yuan Tu."

With that said, the three sat facing each other.

"Speaking of which, I believe I have not discussed this matter with you before, Yuan Tu." Master Chongguang's tone was relaxed: "You probably do not yet know how to attain the seat and seek gold, do you?"

Hearing this, Lu Yang's heart immediately stirred; finally, the real substance was arriving!

Regarding seeking gold, he was actually not completely ignorant, after all, there was still Patriarch Tingyou within the Myriad Souls Banner; however, Patriarch Tingyou was ultimately an unorthodox path...

Or rather, apart from the four major powers of East, South, West, and North, all other sects were unorthodox paths.

The difference lay only in which was more unorthodox and which was less so.

For instance, some sects with long lineages also have True Persons guarding them; such sects, in the eyes of the Holy Sect, could barely be called side doors and left paths.

But that was all.

Compared to them, as an orthodox True Person of the Holy Sect, Master Chongguang absolutely possessed a more systematic and precise understanding of the methods for attaining the seat and seeking gold.

Therefore, Lu Yang immediately straightened his body, cupped his hands, and said: "Please instruct me, Senior Uncle."

(End of Chapter)