Chapter 54: When Fortune Rises, Heaven and Earth Join Forces

Outside Skeleton Mountain, inside a newly opened temporary cave dwelling.

Only to see seven-colored rosy light steaming and misting; within the rosy light, a woman of peerless beauty sat in meditation regulating her breath, and with each inhalation and exhalation, rosy light gathered in.

After a moment, all the rosy light finally merged into one.

Immediately, the colors of the seven-colored rosy light gradually blended, finally transforming into a purest, most pristine pure white divine light without any impure hues, shining down universally.

"I have succeeded!"

The pure white divine light condensed; the woman within the rosy light immediately opened her eyes, a look of joy appearing on her face: "Seven-colored Pure Light Qi, my Qi Refining has reached perfection!"

The method she cultivated was transmitted by an elder of the Holy Sect; the "Seven-colored Pure Light Qi" she forged appeared pure white, but was actually formed by the fusion of seven-colored rosy light in red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple; each ray of rosy light signified one purification, and after seven purifications, the true qi rank reached the number of Fourth Grade!

"Thus, it can be said that Foundation Establishment is within reach."

Flying Cloud Fairy sighed; as for the Fourth Grade true qi being unable to form a Jin Dan, it had no effect on her anyway; after all, she had never even aspired to the Great Dao of the Jin Dan.

"This time finding a piece of Cloud-Harvesting Stone can also be attributed to fate."

"It is a pity for Junior Brother Lu; cultivation goes against Heaven's will. If he had also left the market district with me, perhaps he too would have had some hope of reaching perfection in Qi Refining."

Once the breakthrough occurred, Flying Cloud Fairy's thoughts changed again.

Previously, submitting to Lu Yang was because he guarded the market district and could rival a Qi Refining Grand Perfection; but now that she had broken through, Lu Yang was no longer so important.

After all, "rivaling" was ultimately not equal to.

Putting aside the array formations, Lu Yang's strength in her view was simply not enough to look at.

Moreover, regarding Lu Yang's previously overly cautious conduct, Flying Cloud Fairy held dissatisfaction, feeling only that it was Lu Yang's excuse due to his extremely weak strength.

Boom!

Just then, the ground suddenly shook violently; above the sky, the spiritual tide surged, and rolling spiritual qi swept over, nearly causing Flying Cloud Fairy to stumble and fall.

"What is happening!?"

Flying Cloud Fairy quickly mounted her evasion light, flew into the half-sky, and gazed from afar toward the center of the anomaly where the spiritual tide surged; subsequently, her beautiful face suddenly changed.

"Is it the market district?"

Boom-boom!

The second loud boom was another wave of spiritual tide, as if someone had detonated a spiritual qi bomb; Flying Cloud Fairy hurriedly used her Seven-colored Pure Light Qi to protect herself.

However, compared to that vast power of Heaven and Earth, her Seven-colored Pure Light Qi ultimately lacked the most crucial step; Fourth Grade true qi could not hold firm, and for a moment she was like a small boat under wild winds and towering waves, constantly swaying, and the originally pure white divine light was beaten until it gradually displayed seven colors.

"This is... the aftermath of a magical duel!?"

While summoning the Perching Cloud Mist Net to stabilize her figure, Flying Cloud Fairy showed horror on her face: "Someone is fighting fiercely in the market district, capable of triggering such an anomaly?"

Could Junior Brother Lu be dead?

Flying Cloud Fairy felt a chill in her heart and immediately flew toward the market district; as a result, from afar she saw in the center of the spiritual tide a figure being surrounded and attacked by many people.

There were three attackers; after Flying Cloud Fairy recognized them, her expression became even more shocked.

"Yuchi Sword Pavilion's 'Taiyi Sword' Yun Zhiqiu, Divine Martial Gate's 'Sky-Turning Strongman' Ouyang Feng, and the unaffiliated cultivator 'Subduing Demon Chan Master' Ming Chan... They are cooperating!?"

Where her gaze fell, above the market district of Skeleton Mountain, a blood-red sword array covered the sky and earth; ten thousand blood lights transformed into an eight-clawed true dragon with distinct scales and claws, vivid and lifelike, charging left and right, whipping its tail and thrusting its horns, and finally suddenly letting out a dragon's roar; it was this dragon's roar that stirred up the spiritual tide.

"Break!"

Every time the spiritual tide erupted, it forced Yun Zhiqiu, Ouyang Feng, and Ming Chan to retreat temporarily; however, very soon the three would regroup and press forward again.

"Amitabha, I did not expect Disciple Lu to have such a fate... Zheng Zheng San Pin true qi!"

Ming Chan pressed his palms together, a hint of strangeness flowing across his usually calm face; Zheng Zheng San Pin true qi... this was already the level of direct disciples of the major sects!

Thinking of this, Ming Chan's expression became even more compassionate: "Disciple, you indeed have fate with this monk. This time, sending Disciple to reincarnation, this monk shall ask for Disciple's Zheng Zheng San Pin True Skill; when Disciple returns in a future reincarnation, this monk will also return the cultivation method intact to Disciple, fulfilling the master-disciple bond between us."

"Bald donkey, you seek death!"

Lu Yang sneered; the great dragon formed by his true qi roared again, and at the same time the Blood Sun Sword Pill emerged, upon which the sword array suddenly expanded.

"Excellent, excellent; we act on behalf of Heaven; why must Disciple struggle in vain?"

Seeing this, Ming Chan did not engage in a hard clash; immediately he shook his kasaya, and the Ruyi Bead, Mani Bead, Dust-Avoiding Bead, and other seven treasures upon it instantly radiated great Buddha light.

Relying on this body-protecting Buddha light, he retreated calmly without being swept into Lu Yang's sword array.

In fact, Lu Yang's ability to hold out until now was largely due to the Blood Sun Sword Pill.

After all, the great array within the sword pill could ensure the Heavenly Demon Blood-Shedding Divine Light would definitely hit, with extremely powerful force; whenever he fell into a disadvantageous position, he could use this to turn defeat into victory.

Of course, if he truly made a mistake, the Hundred Bones Return to True Great Array could also save his life, allowing him to make a comeback.

Besides this, there was also the reason that the three were unwilling to exert their full strength.

'This is because they fear my Profound Yin Form-Stealing Great Method...'

Lu Yang knew clearly: the more intense the magical duel, the more likely one's own qi mechanism would leak; once Lu Yang seized it, it would inevitably be a fatal strike.

Therefore, the plan of Yun Zhiqiu and the other two was very simple: just exhaust Lu Yang in this manner; after all, they were three Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivators, and their combat power was not bad; at this moment, with the three joining forces against a single Qi Refining Eighth Layer, the chance of victory was absolute, even if Lu Yang relied on two great arrays, it would be in vain.

"If I were only Qi Refining Eighth Layer, that would indeed be the case..."

Lu Yang's gaze shifted slightly; he looked up at the sky, and suddenly a realization arose in his heart: it is today, it is now, I should break through the bottleneck!

The next second, Lu Yang let out a long roar to the sky.

And at this very moment, his true qi also expanded violently, actually surging toward Qi Refining Ninth Layer!

Seeing this scene, Yun Zhiqiu and the others were momentarily stunned, then immediately sneered: "Ignorant fool! Breaking through during a duel? Have you read too many storybooks?"

Breaking through during a duel is no different from seeking death!

Which cultivator does not sit in seclusion with eyes closed when breaking through?

It is because when breaking through, true qi erupts, requiring full concentration; but if you are in a duel, with external enemies distracting you, how can you focus your mind on the breakthrough?

However, just at this moment, above Skeleton Mountain.

In a place "higher than high," a line of sight descended, looking down upon everyone within Skeleton Mountain, as if examining puppets on a sand table.

"Interesting, you have courage... and also know how to assess the situation; not bad."

Yinshan True Person chuckled lightly, then extended his hand; like plucking a string on a zither, he gave a gentle flick, and the originally certain-death situation suddenly changed!

Of this change, no one felt it more deeply than Lu Yang.

Just a moment ago, he had felt his true qi in disarray, his forced breakthrough lacking preparation, highly likely to trigger qi deviation—yet suddenly, everything had changed.

His true qi was "disordered" in just the right measure, as if by sheer luck it perfectly matched what the breakthrough required; the bottleneck was "unexpectedly" not as difficult as imagined, and he broke right through it in one push; and his state, as if blessed by sudden inspiration, stabilized his post-breakthrough cultivation as if by "instinct."

Coincidence—luck beyond belief!

Is this what it feels like to be a "Child of Destiny"? When fortune comes, all of heaven and earth lend their strength; he doesn't even need to do anything deliberate to achieve the result he wants!

Boom!

The next second, under the stunned gazes of Yun Zhiqiu and the other two, Lu Yang violently broke through the barrier and completed the final Flying Fish Transformation of the Nine Transformations Dragon Art.

And the Flying Fish Transformation specializes in "breaking through barriers"!

Therefore, without any pause, Lu Yang's freshly broken-through true qi swelled once more, and under the augmentation of the Flying Fish Transformation, he launched an assault on the bottleneck of the tenth layer of Qi Refining!

And then he broke through again, "as if it were the most natural thing in the world"!

Nine Transformations Dragon Art, Qi Refining complete!

"Ao!"

In an instant, a clear, bright dragon's roar echoed throughout all of Skeleton Mountain! As the sound swept past Yun Zhiqiu and the others, it revealed face after face of stiff, stunned expressions.

"Impossible—no! Is there a True Person tampering with karma?"

The next second, Yun Zhiqiu and the other two finally reacted, looks of alarm breaking across their faces.

They saw Lu Yang standing proudly in the air, then turn his head to look at the three of them, a sinister smile spreading across his face: "Understand now? This is what I call acting on Heaven's behalf!"

When a Foundation Establishment True Person so much as thinks it, heaven and earth are never the same again!

For Qi Refining cultivators, a Foundation Establishment True Person is heaven itself; whoever has a True Person backing them is the Child of Destiny, is the one acting on Heaven's behalf!

"Amitabha."

The next second, without a word of hesitation, Ming Chan shook his kasaya, Buddhist light flared explosively, and his figure was the first to vanish.

(End of chapter)