Chapter 384: Suo Huan's Choice

Jiangbei, the Cloud Sea that touches the sky.

As a streak of escape light descended, Xiang Ye, Hong Ju, and Lu Yang landed one after another on the Sacred Fire Cliff; Lu Yang also took a long-overdue look at the scenery of the Holy Sect.

Just as he had expected, a glance revealed a scene of vigorous vitality and all things competing to flourish.

He even spotted an old acquaintance.

'Yinshan True Person.'

The Yinshan True Person was completely unaware of his gaze.

Seeing this, Lu Yang immediately felt a surge of emotion; the Foundation Establishment True Person who had once seemed unattainable now looked merely ordinary.

'And... a Pre-Heaven True Person!'

Lu Yang had not forgotten the scene he had witnessed earlier through 【Puppet Strings】; the Pre-Heaven True Person Mu Changsheng was still imprisoned in the Refining Law Secret Realm.

This fellow had been thoroughly tricked by the Holy Sect's Ancestral Master; after painstakingly creating 【No Heaven】, he had hoped to seek the Golden, but the most crucial soul was directly thrown into the Refining Law Secret Realm by the Ancestral Master's invisible hand, resulting in five thousand years of wasted effort, all for nothing.

'Hmm, I must stay far away from that unlucky fellow.'

Don't let blood splash on me.

While Lu Yang pondered, Xiang Ye was also sizing up this "Outer World Loose Cultivator," secretly laughing in his heart: 'What Outer World Cultivator? It's all a damn sham!'

Could he not see through it?

'This fellow entered the Cloud Sea that touches the sky as if it were his own home, and found the location of the Sacred Fire Cliff at a glance; if he weren't a True Person of the Holy Sect, that would be a ghost story!'

'He is trying to cut ties.'

Xiang Ye stroked his chin: 'But where exactly did such a Great True Person emerge from in our Holy Sect? It truly seems as if he sprang from a stone...'

Cultivation is never a solitary endeavor.

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Blessed Lands, Golden Nature... which one does not require resources? Which one does not require dealing with people? Which one does not require fighting others and snatching from others?

Lineage, Dao Companions, Enemies; in theory, for any cultivator, which one lacks these three? If it were early or mid-stage Foundation Establishment, it would be fine, as not many would pay attention, but late-stage or perfect Foundation Establishment, a proper Great True Person, would have a slight reputation across the world.

How could no one know him?

'This person... I must know him!'

Xiang Ye considered his own seniority to be quite great; even Master Chongguang was not as old as he, and looking over the current Holy Sect, only Hong Ju had likely lived longer than him.

'... Hmm?'

Suddenly, Xiang Ye's thoughts paused.

'If I don't know him, that's one thing, but Hong Ju is different... this person relied on that 【Heavenly Luck Bright Light True Lord】 and has lived for at least five thousand years.'

Perfect Foundation Establishment, five reincarnations, amounts to only fifteen hundred years.

In theory, Hong Ju has already seen off several generations of perfect Foundation Establishment True Persons of the Holy Sect; if a Great True Person of the Holy Sect had truly returned, how could he not know him at all?

Unless...

'He needs to hide?'

'Who could make him hide?'

Xiang Ye sorted through all his thoughts like peeling silk from a cocoon, and then a guess jumped out:

'... Hong Yun?'

Upon thinking of this, Xiang Ye's first reaction was:

'Impossible!'

The legend of Hong Yun was well-known among the True Persons of the Holy Sect; if the Holy Sect held an annual list of the top ten jokes, Hong Yun's experience would surely rank first.

Therefore, when Xiang Ye thought of "Hong Yun," he immediately and subconsciously rejected the thought, but soon, after ruling out a series of other impossibilities, he could not help but think: 'Could it really be Hong Yun? Hmm, after all, he is the reincarnation of a True Lord, I cannot underestimate him.'

Xiang Ye pondered in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged:

'Dao Friend, having just arrived and having just fought a great battle with that Buddha Disciple, you might as well stay here temporarily to recover, and then we can converse further.'

'Many thanks, Dao Friend.'

Lu Yang bowed, then arrived at the cave dwelling quiet room Xiang Ye had arranged for him, shifted his mind, and once again took out the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner.

As the banner fluttered, the figure of Suo Huan appeared.

'Greetings, my lord.'

Suo Huan respectfully bowed, his eyes vaguely showing some expectation.

Immediately, Lu Yang's face grew solemn, and he said gravely: 'Regarding the problem on your person, I have two solutions; it depends on which one you choose.'

'Please instruct, my lord.'

When he could keep his promise, Lu Yang always kept his promise.

Since he had said he would save Suo Huan in this life, he had naturally thought of a method long ago; moreover, in his current view, Suo Huan's problem was actually not difficult. Lu Yang held up two fingers: 'The first method: you abandon the 【Spirit Ruins Blessed Land】, I strip away your consciousness, then send your soul to reincarnate; after your soul's reincarnation ends and the traces of the Outer World are washed away, I will send your consciousness back, and at that time you can re-cultivate the Great Dao.'

This plan could be considered a permanent solution.

With 【Puppet Strings】 present, Lu Yang could completely lock onto Suo Huan's soul; even after the baptism of 【Netherworld】, he could quickly sense it.

And after 【Netherworld】 had washed it once, Ang Xiao would have no way to deal with Suo Huan.

Although stripping away consciousness also carried a high risk of failure, and a slight mistake could lead to immediate death, Lu Yang could use 【Fate-Weighing Lot】 to avoid it.

'Strictly speaking, I could even achieve soul immortality identical to a True Lord's reincarnation through this method without possessing a Golden Nature; if this were spread, who knows how many Foundation Establishment True Persons would be envious... Pity, this holds absolutely no meaning for me alone who possesses the 【Book of a Hundred Lives】.'

And—

'This subordinate chooses the second plan.'

Just as Lu Yang expected, Suo Huan discarded the first plan almost without hesitation; he could not abandon the hope of reviving the 【Huan Xu Jie】.

Even if there were problems, it was not allowed.

Lu Yang shook his head: 'The second plan: you can keep the 【Spirit Ruins Blessed Land】, but do not practice that 【Ten Thousand Spirits Return to Ruins Dao Scripture】 anymore.'

Upon hearing this, Suo Huan did not object, but only showed a look of worry: 'But without the 【Ten Thousand Spirits Return to Ruins Dao Scripture】, how can a mere Outer World Cultivator like myself seek the Golden?'

'Just change to another one.'

Lu Yang's mind stirred, and he quickly sorted out a cultivation method from his divine sense, handing it before Suo Huan.

"The Supreme True Immortal Dao!"

"This is..."

"This is the cultivation method corresponding to the fruit position of the 【Xuan Ling Realm】," Lu Yang grinned: "The True Lords have hidden themselves away; the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 is still sitting there, untouched."

Normally, given the efficiency of the Four Great Powers, the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 would have been completely digested by now, but Master Chongguang suddenly made a huge move, taking all the True Lords away, resulting in the digestion process of the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 being abandoned halfway, leaving only the shell there to this day.

Lu Yang's plan was very simple.

Abandon the "Ten Thousand Spirits Return to Ruin Sutra" which left a hidden hand by 【Ang Xiao】, and instead have Suo Huan swallow the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 to seek the Golden Ascension!

Hearing this, Suo Huan's eyes brightened: "Can it succeed?"

"There's hope!" Lu Yang looked certain, yet in his heart was another thought:

'Succeed my ass, it's doomed!'

If Suo Huan chose the first plan, he would be happy to fulfill it, but the second plan meant failing to break free from 【Ang Xiao】's layout and calculations.

Then there was no way.

After the journey to the Seven Luminaries Heaven, Lu Yang deeply realized: sometimes strategic retreat is needed; if one does not jump off the enemy's chessboard, one can never win.

So when Suo Huan chose the second plan, he assumed there was no hope for him.

But it didn't matter.

According to Lu Yang's estimation, as long as he restarted, using the 【Hundred Lives Book】 to wash Suo Huan's soul and the 【Spirit Ruin Blessed Land】 once, there should be no problem.

So why did Lu Yang propose the second plan?

The answer was simple: if Suo Huan did not seek the Golden, how could he fish 【Ang Xiao】 out?

'Daoist Suo Huan, after you choose the second plan, the opportunity lies in the next life; since that is the case, it shouldn't matter if you let me use it in this life, right?'

【Netherworld】, a place beyond description.

Inside the towering palace, 【Ang Xiao】 sat cross-legged, quietly looking down at the river of souls flowing past his door, as if gazing at something of supreme beauty.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, he raised his head.

Now he could not see the mortal world, nor could he even stretch his hand out of this palace, yet the sensation transmitted through the fruit position made his brows furrow slightly:

"The 【Obstacle of Knowledge and Vision】 has been broken? Suo Huan?"

【Ang Xiao】's expression turned slightly gloomy; Suo Huan was the key pawn in his plot to seize the fruit position and drag him into the 【Netherworld】, and originally, nothing should have gone wrong.

But he did go wrong; the feeling of this matter exceeding control made 【Ang Xiao】 feel quite uncomfortable. Although he had not done nothing in these thirty years, he still lacked a turning point, making it difficult to achieve merit... Just then, his gaze suddenly shifted.

Before the palace door, within the vast river of souls.

"Amitabha."

A Foundation Establishment soul that had died of old age suddenly jumped out from among them, the soul radiating Buddhist light, and he spoke in a booming voice: "Little monk Guangming greets senior 【Ang Xiao】."

(End of Chapter)