Chapter 285: How Could He Just Let It Go!

As Lu Yang had anticipated before entering meditation, the Pure Land, the Dao Court, and the Sword Pavilion—the major factions now overseeing the battle—indeed regretted their decision.

"If we'd known this would happen, we shouldn't have let him slaughter so freely!"

"That Jiangbei demon lord's spirit treasure—capable of harvesting souls and turning them into puppets—and Tingyou are far too troublesome; we'd have been better off letting Seeing Suo Huan kill him!"

"What do we do now?"

"If we intervene, we break the rules. Though the Mo Sect won't hold it against us, we'd gain an advantage—and Seeing Suo Huan's side would have to yield ground."

"Weimo Tuo has already acted. What else can we do? He already lost his Golden Body in the Kingdom of Qing. Had he not proven the Three Virtues of the Pure Land and been protected by a Bodhisattva, how could he have returned? This intervention was clearly ordered by a Bodhisattva—he acts out of necessity. We simply watch."

Within the Foundation Establishment realm, several divine senses exchanged thoughts.

In the mortal world, a white lotus platform hung in the sky, upon which sat a Dharma body, with fleshy curls and holding sacred implements, possessing the thirty-two perfect marks.

"Audacious demon! How dare you act so recklessly?"

Weimo Tuo roared in a deep voice; boundless Buddhist light crashed down as his hands moved in unison—one palm struck Lu Yang, the other struck Master Tingyou.

Boom—!

In the flash of an eye, Master Tingyou made no hesitation—he suspended the Yanmo Palace directly above Lu Yang's head to shield him from the Buddhist palm.

That single palm shattered the already ruined Yanmo Palace completely; Master Tingyou's aura plummeted sharply, and all the banner spirits composing the Yanmo Palace disintegrated, dissolving into white light and returning to the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner—unable to be summoned again for a long time!

"Obstinate and unyielding."

Weimo Tuo's face remained compassionate, yet his eyes brimmed with cold killing intent as he raised his palm again, this time engulfing both Master Tingyou and Lu Yang.

Seeing this, Master Tingyou could only sigh helplessly: "Alas, I've exhausted my strength."

At his current state, maintaining the illusion of Foundation Establishment mid-stage was already his limit—he could no longer sustain the status of a Foundation Establishment late-stage True Person.

Without this, how could he possibly lose to a mere Pure Land Venerable?

The next instant, Master Tingyou was crushed outright by the Buddhist palm; his true soul turned to white light and sank into the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner, clearly as severely wounded as the other banner spirits.

Yet at the same moment, Weimo Tuo's expression changed drastically!

". Where is he?!"

He lifted his palm—Lu Yang, who had been beneath the Yanmo Palace, had vanished. The corpse he'd just crushed was merely a shell.

Immortal Embryo clone!

This was the final act of Master Tingyou—he used a technique to mimic Lu Yang's 【Defining Kinship】, transporting Lu Yang's true body to another location.

Then he concealed it with the Immortal Embryo clone.

Lu Yang and his clone were two bodies with one mind, their auras nearly identical, and amplified by Master Tingyou's influence—this caused Weimo Tuo to momentarily overlook the deception.

Of course, imitation is imitation. Moreover, Lu Yang was still refining the Cheng Tian Gang and Di Sha on the Magnetic Divine Mountain; Master Tingyou could not have moved him far.

The next instant, Weimo Tuo's divine sense swept across and quickly located Lu Yang within the belly of the Magnetic Divine Mountain—he immediately raised his palm and struck again:

But—it was too late!

Zing! Zing!

In an instant, a grand, righteous sword light rose slowly from the mountain's core, like the sun rising in the east, cleaving straight through the descending Buddhist palm!

In that instant, Weimo Tuo's expression shifted slightly.

His Buddhist palm appeared ordinary, but it was in fact a supreme Dharma Body technique—within it lay the wonder of containing the universe in a mustard seed; no ordinary True Person could withstand it.

Yet now, he felt his palm strike a stubborn stone too hard to shatter. Though he still held firm control, he could not crush it—and the more force he applied, the more pain shot through his palm, dimming his Buddhist light significantly.

'How is this possible?'

Before Weimo Tuo could react, the sword light in his palm suddenly expanded like a gale, forcibly scattering all five of his fingers!

The Buddhist palm shattered, revealing what lay within.

There, in the forest, Lu Yang—who had been meditating moments before—had opened his eyes, risen with a sweep of his sleeve, and placed one hand on his sword's hilt.

Instantly, the Foundation Establishment realm erupted in chaos!

Not only did all the True Persons react, but even the True Lords high above turned their gazes downward, surprised, toward Lu Yang.

"He broke through?"

"Impossible! How could he refine the Cheng Tian Gang and Di Sha so fast? Unless his cultivation was already profound and he had long understood the secrets of the Di Sha 【Yin Wood】."

"Even then, it's still too fast!"

Lu Yang ignored the doubts, sighed softly, gripped 【Li Jie Bo】 in his hand—and the blade instantly rang with a joyful sword tone.

His rapid refinement of Cheng Tian Gang and Di Sha was due solely to the divine 【Chifa】 of 【Li Jie Bo】—this divine ability granted him early mastery of his innate talent 【Shi He Ci】, allowing him to advance without detours or bottlenecks, utterly unimpeded.

Boom!

The next instant, Lu Yang's body glowed with a series of divine techniques—besides his core talent, two additional glows swirled around him.

【Bao Shou Shan】!

【Shi He Ci】!

But it wasn't over—once 【Li Jie Bo】 in his hand activated again, after a brief pause, a third divine glow emerged upon the blade!

As a False True Person, his third innate talent!

Its name: 【Sha Dang Quan】!

Seeing this, even Weimo Tuo fell silent. True, Lu Yang had just broken through and still could not match him in direct combat.

But for survival—he had more than enough.

At this moment, unless a Foundation Establishment peak True Person intervened, or several Foundation Establishment late-stage True Persons joined forces, no one could kill Lu Yang!

Almost simultaneously, a piercing dragon roar echoed from afar across the seas.

All the True Persons turned their heads.

"Tian Qiu is defeated!"

"Seeing Suo Huan truly is effective—he won. He severed Tian Qiu's physical body; only the soul escaped, likely heading to the Underworld for reincarnation."

"Our enemy is dead. Seeing Suo Huan now seeks the Golden Core!"

Immediately afterward, the group of True Persons turned their gaze toward Lu Yang, standing with sword in hand—even Vimala Bodhisattva could not help but sigh, then withdrew his hand and stepped back.

"It truly came to pass—he managed to claw out a path to survival when all seemed lost."

Meanwhile, within the Divine Magnet Shenshan.

Lu Yang suddenly felt something stir within him, turned to his side, and saw a refined young man materialize silently; though half his body was stained with blood, his vital essence and spirit blazed to their utmost peak.

"Congratulations, friend."

Seeing Suo Huan appeared and bowed to Lu Yang with a smile: "One sword cleaved the sea, the Dharma Body seized the dragon, and that one named Tingyou—truly, their reputation is well-deserved."

Lu Yang returned the bow, solemnly saying: "Are you about to break through?"

Seeing Suo Huan nodded: "Now that things have come to this, I must risk all. When I carve out my own path, as you have done, I shall come to drink with you!"

"Before that—will you leave?"

Here, Seeing Suo Huan smiled faintly: "This place shall be my ground for seeking the Golden Core; all True Lords are watching. Staying here may still be dangerous for you."

Hearing this, Lu Yang's gaze flickered slightly, then he suddenly reached out and seized the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner in his hand—this supreme treasure now glowed dimly, all its banner spirits fallen into stillness; among them, Ancestor Tingyou was the most grievously wounded, perilously close to the dissolution of her true spirit.

Seeing this, Lu Yang pressed his lips slightly, then shook his head: "No need."

Seeing Suo Huan blinked in surprise: "You're not leaving?"

Lu Yang sheathed the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner, his expression icy: "If you want to kill me, come. If not, leave. You injured all my banner spirits—do you think this can end so easily?"

As he spoke, Lu Yang turned his gaze toward Vimala Bodhisattva.

This Pure Land Bodhisattva was in the worst condition; the wounds inflicted by Hongju in 【Qing State】 had not yet healed, and he was roughly equal to Lu Yang in strength.

At this point, he had nothing left to fear.

Perfect—he would make this man his first target!

"They started the bloodshed—but when it ends, I decide! Friend, don't concern yourself with me. I'll kill one True Person first, then leave—no hurry!"

(End of Chapter)