Chapter 352: The Buddha's Son of Guangming!? (Fourth Update!)

Above the vast sky, the sea of clouds churns.

This should be a place untouched by the four seasons, yet now a strange frost and snow drifts down; wherever the eye looks, all is dim and dark, and even the sound of the wind has stagnated.

A great silence.

In the center of the cloud sea, a youth in splendid robes sits cross-legged, hands forming a seal, holding aloft a wheel of bright white moonlight that casts threads of cold radiance.

This wheel of moonlight is the very heart of the world's wind and frost; cold light swirls around him, forming illusions of mist that, as they drift, give rise to images of laurel trees, jade plates, and ice toads, only to flash and vanish, then all return and gather, making this wheel of moonlight ever brighter, illuminating a silent face.

'Solemn Profound Frost!'

This divine art is Lu Yang's third, following 【General of War】 and 【Stubborn Metal Lord】, belonging to the 【Xin Metal】 aspect, and is the manifestation of 【Upholding the Law】.

It is now held in Lu Yang's palm.

Without any deliberate action, streams of moonlight flow forth, sensing the heavens and earth, and steadily press down upon a young monk in robes below.

"Where did a Saint Sect friend come from!?"

The Coiled Dragon Arhat raised his head and let out a sharp roar, utterly unable to imagine that while he was fishing for a Qi Refining cultivator by laying bait, he himself had been hooked!

The opponent's cultivation realm was clearly one step above his.

With this, setting traps and launching a sneak attack, plus the location being Jiangbei, there was no need to think for the Coiled Dragon Arhat to know this was surely a True Person of the Saint Sect at work!

Even more deadly was that this person's divine art was extremely counter to him!

'Xin Metal is frost; the heavens and earth are desolate; grass and trees wither and fall. Fortunately, my 【Fiery Dragon】 is Jia Wood, otherwise I would likely be dead by now!'

Thinking this, the Coiled Dragon Arhat dared not slacken even a fraction; his mouth opened and closed as he continuously spat out Xiong Xiong flames, which transformed into a dragon to resist the Profound Frost sky curtain descending from above. Yet these few flames were like a single bonfire in the depths of a harsh winter; though warm, they were bound to be extinguished eventually.

"Friend! Senior! Do we have any grudge?"

"If this is the Saint Sect's routine extortion, just say so directly; why resort to violence?"

The Coiled Dragon Arhat cried out even more shrilly; his pleas for mercy were laced with grievance, for he had always been kind to others and truly had no enemies in all his life until today.

Where had this come from?

Yet Lu Yang paid him no mind at all, merely observing him quietly for a moment before a stern smile suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Before, his cultivation was shallow, and he had not seen the truth.

Now, looking again, he saw that beneath the Coiled Dragon Arhat's seemingly brilliant Arhat exterior lay a man who was fierce in appearance but weak within, with hardly any real confidence.

The reason was simple.

"Your first innate divine art is actually 【Jia Wood】!"

The Coiled Dragon Arhat cultivated the 【Nine Transformations Dragon Art】, with a Dao foundation pointing directly to 【City Wall Earth】; his first innate divine art should have been 【Wu Earth】 to match the imagery.

Why was it 【Jia Wood】?

Lu Yang's mind turned, and he instantly understood the cause and effect: "Truly a lone cultivator, greedy for immediate progress, swallowing things whole, only to end up severing his own Dao path!"

If Lu Yang's guess was correct, the Coiled Dragon Arhat had likely, while still a lone cultivator, accidentally stumbled upon a 【Jia Wood】, and without a second thought had swallowed it. He was lucky, as 【Jia Wood】 and 【Yin Wood】 share similar natures, and his Dao foundation could accommodate it, thus he did not immediately explode from within.

Yet though he survived by sheer luck, his Dao path was severed.

'No wonder, when I killed him in the previous life, the Pure Land showed no reaction. Clearly the Coiled Dragon Arhat was a Buddhist cultivator, yet the Pure Land cared more about me.'

From the very beginning, the Coiled Dragon Arhat was a pawn to be discarded!

If not so, since the Pure Land wished to prove 【City Wall Earth】, why would it ignore the Coiled Dragon Arhat to such an extent that his cultivation was only mid-stage Foundation Establishment?

Having understood everything, Lu Yang immediately smiled:

"Friend Coiled Dragon, it seems that today no one will come to save you. In fact, some may even hope for your death so they can prop up someone else!"

As his words fell, the Profound Frost spread across heaven and earth, a scene of desolation; wherever it passed, the void was locked, spiritual energy withered, and all arts faded, truly a picture of the End of Dharma. The Coiled Dragon Arhat summoned his magic power several times, trying to break through this layer of Profound Frost, but only ended up smashing his head bloody against it.

"What exactly does Senior want!"

With matters come to this, the Coiled Dragon Arhat no longer harbored any hope of luck and bluntly said: "Anything this humble monk can do, this humble monk is willing to do; I only beg Senior to spare my life!"

"Heh."

Lu Yang lowered his eyelids at these words, and a voice drifted out softly: "I heard that within the Jiangbei wonder 【Su Heng Palace】 there exists a 【Xin Metal】; is this true?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The Coiled Dragon Arhat did not hesitate for a moment and hurriedly said: "That is a wonder established by the 【Vase Water Moon Bodhisattva】; indeed, there is a 【Xin Metal】 within!"

After speaking, he glanced at Lu Yang again, a flicker of doubt passing through his mind, for in his view, Lu Yang's 【Solemn Profound Frost】 was clearly already a 【Xin Metal】 divine art; if so, why seek another 【Xin Metal】? Could it be that he wished to refine a spiritual treasure compatible with his divine art?

Lu Yang naturally showed no trace, his expression calm as he said: "Can you fetch it for me?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The Coiled Dragon Arhat dared not delay, for the surrounding Profound Frost had completely crushed the flames around his body, tearing at his magical body as if with knives and lingchi torture.

Yet in his heart, he had another plan.

'First, I must survive this ordeal. Once I escape, I can simply hide in the Pure Land; I doubt this fierce man, no matter how powerful, can do anything to me then.'

Though he said this, Lu Yang guessed his thoughts: "Friend, empty words carry no weight; it is hard for me to trust you."

"This humble monk can establish a Law Pact!" the Coiled Dragon Arhat quickly said.

Lu Yang shook his head: "Who in the world does not know that your Pure Land loves nothing more than bullying the small, and fears nothing less than such restrictive measures?"

"Right now, it is clearly Friend who is bullying the small!"

The Coiled Dragon Arhat's mouth twitched; this person clearly had a higher cultivation than himself, yet set an ambush and launched a sneak attack, and still had the face to speak of bullying the small?

"How can that be the same!?"

Lu Yang, upon hearing this, decisively shook his head and said with righteous conviction: "Friend and I are both mid-stage Foundation Establishment; strictly speaking, we are of the same realm."

"I merely have one more divine art than Friend; how can that be called bullying the small?"

Upon hearing this, the Coiled Dragon Arhat's expression instantly became strange.

This feeling, the flavor is wrong.

After a moment of silence, he cautiously looked at Lu Yang and whispered: ". Sword Pavilion?"

Lu Yang: "."

"Stop wasting time!"

Lu Yang no longer delayed, saying bluntly: "It seems you still haven't thought it through. If so, you're of no use to me—let me send you to reincarnation."

"There's a way! There's a way!"

Arhat Fu Long Luo Han hurriedly said: "I have a disciple, clever and sharp-witted. I can send him to retrieve the 【Xin Jin】 and deliver it to you, Elder!"

"Disciple?" Lu Yang paused, startled.

Arhat Fu Long Luo Han, thinking he didn't believe him, quickly explained: "His dharma name is Guangming. You must have heard of him—he is the newly born Buddha-child of my Pure Land! I was his master, and he obeys me above all. With his status, retrieving a single strand of 【Xin Jin】 is effortless."

Listening to Arhat Fu Long Luo Han's description, Lu Yang slowly furrowed his brow.

'Guangming.'

Lu Yang would never forget that name. In his past life, this man had been deeply entangled with him—a Buddhist cultivator with cunning, talent, and a touch of fortune.

But the problem was—Buddha-child?

Due to psychological shadows from the Pure Land, Lu Yang's mind instantly brimmed with suspicions, even directly suspecting the World-Honored One of the Pure Land itself.

Yet the next instant, he calmed his expression.

"Boom!"

Without hesitation, Lu Yang retracted the 【Su Xuan Frost】, completely subduing Arhat Fu Long Luo Han, then sealed him within his sleeve and turned toward his side.

There, a figure suddenly materialized.

It was a middle-aged man with a face carved like chiseled stone, his expression stern, eyes like flickering lanterns fixed intently on Lu Yang.

Hongju.

Lu Yang showed no surprise. At this moment, he had already donned the golden shell of Daoist Hong Yun's nature; he had sensed Hongju's approach the moment he drew near.

The next instant, Lu Yang smiled slightly: "So, you don't recognize me?"

Before the words had fully left his lips, he released the aura of Daoist Hong Yun's golden nature. Upon sensing it, Hongju immediately relaxed his brow and bowed low:

"Hongju bows before my lord!"

Yet seeing this, Lu Yang's smile slowly faded.

'... Wrong.'

Though Hongju's words and actions were deeply respectful, Lu Yang, through his sensitivity to Daoist Hong Yun's golden nature, still detected subtle irregularities.

'His heart is doubtful—his thoughts are unsettled. Is he suspecting me?'

(End of Chapter)