Chapter 177

"Delay is not an option; we leave tonight!"

After withdrawing from the vision granted by the marvelous 【Treading Danger】 of the Abi Sword, Lu Yang immediately made his decision. Now that he had obtained the Qi of Earth, he could no longer stay in this overseas land!

Thinking of this, Lu Yang felt a bit of regret.

Pity his cultivation was insufficient, and the distance between the overseas lands and the mainland was too great; otherwise, he could have simply used 【Fixing Intimacy】 to return to the Holy Sect in a single step.

The next second, Lu Yang rode a beam of escape light and quietly left the Xian Alliance without alerting anyone. As for the aftermath in the Biyang Cultivation World and the Xian Alliance, since he had already obtained the Qi of Earth, he had no interest in managing it further; it would also allow him to get rid of Guangming, that hot potato.

Even the opportunity for Mahayana First Grade True Qi, Lu Yang chose to abandon.

'Not to mention this might be a trap set by a Preborn True Person; even if it isn't, given my current state of being locked by the Heaven and Earth Killing Intent, going there would mean more misfortune than fortune.'

Better to give it up!

At worst, once back at the Holy Sect, he would immediately report Daoist Hong Yun Daoist to Master Chongguang. If Master Chongguang ate the meat, he could at least drink the soup.

People, after all, are valuable for having self-knowledge.

Take off your shoes when crossing a river; wear pants that fit your butt.

On the third day after Lu Yang left, Guangming finally noticed something was wrong and came to request an audience, only to find that the secret chamber where Lu Yang had previously secluded himself was long empty.

"He ran?"

Guangming blinked, completely unable to understand Lu Yang's thoughts, but soon a wave of ecstatic joy surged into his heart. It was best that the great demon had fled!

After all, the Xian Alliance had already been slaughtered by Lu Yang until not a single He-Integration Great Cultivator remained, and now that Lu Yang had run, he, Guangming, was the number one person in the Biyang Cultivation World! Shouldn't he immediately open the temple gates wide and vigorously recruit a wave of disciples to fill the 【Arhat Fu Long Temple】, strengthening his own power?

For subordinate forces, different factions employ different methods of control.

Compared to Lu Yang's "Four Steps of the First Saint," the Pure Land's method could be described as simple and brutal: directly preaching the scriptures and forcibly converting people into Buddhist cultivators.

Among the four great powers, the Pure Land was also the most stable.

This was because the Pure Land's cultivation method emphasized the concept of "Oneness of Brahman and Self"; since they were one, everyone was "Self," so naturally, it was stable.

However, very soon, he received a report from someone within the Xian Alliance.

"At the port of the Turbulent Sea, another foreign cultivator has been discovered?"

Upon hearing this, Guangming was stunned; before he could react, a figure dressed in black robes had silently appeared in the originally spacious main hall.

"Hmm? Bald monk?"

The moment these words were spoken, Guangming immediately realized something was wrong.

Under the heavens, the Dao Court and the Pure Land have always been friendly, mostly addressing each other as "Venerable Monk." As for the Sword Pavilion, being the leader of the Righteous Path, they needed to save face; although they also disliked them Buddhist cultivators, they would not openly call them "Bald Monks," but rather grumpily refer to them as "Scripture-Chanters."

So who would call them "Bald Monks"?

It must be another True Person from the Holy Sect! Guangming couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Amitabha, truly just out of the tiger's den and into the wolf's den. How bitter!"

The next second, Guangming smoothly slid to his knees and said, "This humble monk is Guangming. May I ask the senior's name?"

"First Saint Sect, Wu Cang."

The black-robed Daoist's voice was cold and grim: "This place is somewhat interesting. Bald monk, since you are a Buddhist cultivator of the Pure Land, you must have methods to heal the physical body, correct?"

Wu Cang had not been having a good time recently. After fleeing overseas, he had been trying to find a place to recover his injuries, but although the overseas lands were vast and boundless, they were barren. He was also not skilled in divining the Heavenly Secrets, so it truly took him a great deal of effort before he finally found the Biyang Cultivation World.

The result was that after all this time, his injuries had not recovered at all.

To this day, a striking scarlet sword mark was still visible on his waist and abdomen; if he did not use magic power to seal it, blood qi would even seep out.

"Replying to the senior, this humble monk has a bottle of Vajra Liquid."

Guangming carefully handed over a porcelain vial. Wu Cang took it without hesitation and said, "You bald monks never rise early without profit."

"Speak. What opportunity exists in this place?"

Guangming's eye twitched slightly; he cursed inwardly but showed no trace of it on his face, continuing, "For this humble monk, the opportunity lies in the overseas cultivators of this place."

"However, the cultivation methods here possess a certain ingenuity, rooted in a strange treasure. This humble monk considers his strength too low to dare attract great karmic retribution, so I have never collected it. If the senior is interested, you may go and take a look—perhaps that treasure happens to have a karmic connection with you."

Guangming saying this naturally had other plans.

Although he did not know the origin of the 【Imperial Mansion Golden Seal of Tusita True Edict】, a treasure capable of allowing someone to falsely hold the Foundation Establishment stage must have roots beyond imagination.

It would be perfect to let Wu Cang handle it.

If it truly was an opportunity, Wu Cang would surely be delighted upon obtaining it and would definitely spare his life; if it was a trap, Wu Cang would die, and what did that have to do with him?

Wu Cang naturally did not understand Guangming's little schemes.

However, he did not care; after all, he was confident that even with his current injured body, he could easily suppress a newly promoted Arhat at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Very soon, under Guangming's guidance, Wu Cang arrived at the deepest sacrificial hall of the Xian Alliance. The moment he entered, the appearance of the 【Imperial Mansion Golden Seal of Tusita True Edict】 came into his view, like a sudden gust of wind scattering all his stray thoughts, leaving him standing there in a daze.

'What is this thing!?'

The next second, the seal characters of the 【Imperial Mansion Golden Seal of Tusita True Edict】 were seen slowly writhing, and suddenly, they outlined a face that was both real and illusory!

Golden eyes locked gazes with Wu Cang.

Immediately, Wu Cang was seen involuntarily opening his lips, and a hoarse, dry voice that instantly made Guangming behind him shudder with fear emerged faintly:

"Why... not Preborn?"

Whoosh—!

Without any hesitation, Guangming's figure vanished directly from the spot; in the blink of an eye, he was thousands of li away, and in another blink, he was back inside the hall.

"Ah!?"

Instantly, Guangming's entire body was drenched in sweat like rain, his heart turned ice-cold, and his expression stiffened as he turned his head, only to see the face formed by the 【Imperial Mansion Golden Seal of Tusita True Edict】 staring at him with great interest, while Wu Cang on the other side wore the same expression, staring straight at him.

'It's over!'

Guangming's Buddhist teeth trembled violently; he wished he could strangle the version of himself who had suggested Wu Cang come here to death. How had such a sudden, inexplicable change occurred?

He had come to see the 【Imperial Mansion Golden Seal of Tusita True Edict】 before.

But when he came before, the 【Imperial Mansion Golden Seal of Tusita True Edict】 had never produced such a change; who would have thought that the situation would change the moment Wu Cang arrived!

Why?

Just then, the pale golden face finally spoke again, but the voice came from Wu Cang's mouth and had even become fluent:

"Interesting, interesting."

"Not the legacy of that old villain 'Innate', yet it can stir the karma here, allowing me to revive. Is this great karma prepared specifically for me?"

As the words fell, Wu Cang himself began to change; his aura shifted from the initial ferocity to refinement, his voice gradually gained a measure of composure and calm, his injuries healed without medicine, his brows lifted slightly, his tendons tightened and bones lengthened—in the blink of an eye, he had already transformed into a completely different appearance!

"To borrow this body, one must bear its karma."

"【Wu Cang kills Lu Yang】?"

Wu Cang murmured softly, as if considering something; after a long while, he laughed loudly: "Very well, from today on, I am Wu Cang!"

(End of this chapter)