Chapter 70: Magical Combat!

The moment Lu Yang appeared and spoke, Tianjing City turned black and white, and an indescribable fluctuation expanded in all directions.

Wherever the fluctuation passed, everything in the ten directions was extinguished.

Buildings vanished, pedestrians vanished; everything seemed as if it had never existed. Whether you were a beggar on the street or a Martial Arts Heavenly Being, all were treated the same!

"How can this be!?"

A Martial Arts Heavenly Being roared in terror, unable to accept it.

Yet no matter how they reacted—whether fleeing, standing bewildered, or becoming hysterical—they could only quietly dissipate within that fluctuation.

The only exception was Wang Poyuan, the 'Sage-Heart Scholar.' This unparalleled genius, who had pioneered the fourth step of the Martial Dao, was surprisingly calm at this moment. He merely looked up at the sky, revealing a hint of relief: "Wangyun Guan Tian... Heh. What does a frog at the bottom of a well know of observing fortune or gazing at the heavens?"

Wang Poyuan had already sensed something amiss when he broke through to the Heavenly Being realm.

Wang Poyuan had created the 'Three Talents Fortune-Observing Art,' using human calculation to deduce the heavens. Yet when he exhausted his lifetime of learning to peer into heaven and earth, a massive anomaly arose.

For he perceived that heaven and earth were flawed!

Though exquisite, they were inconsistent, like a carefully crafted counterfeit!

He once thought he had miscalculated, that his Fortune-Observing Art was imperfect. Yet no matter how many times he recalculated, the result never changed.

Could it truly be that heaven and earth are flawed, and human life is but an illusion?

Since then, the once elegant and dashing 'Sage-Heart Scholar,' with his feather fan and silk headscarf, had become a slovenly man who drank all day and wasted his time.

Now, he had seen the truth.

Only at this moment did Wang Poyuan finally regain some of his former vigor as the 'Sage-Heart Scholar.' Gazing at the sky, his relief was mixed with regret.

"Pity... If only I could behold the true heaven and earth, it would surely be a joyous occasion..."

The next second, his form vanished into nothingness.

Thus, the entire city of Tianjing disappeared from the earth. No living soul remained in sight; only the courtyard where the Yun family ancestor resided and Lu Yang, hovering in mid-air, were left.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Yang used his Secret Realm authority to erase the entire city of Tianjing. All living beings were stored in the deepest part of the Dharma Refining Secret Realm, waiting for the next disciple to reopen them, while the secret realm space where Tianjing City had stood was compressed by him around the Yun family ancestor.

In this way, space became highly condensed, and the Yun family ancestor could no longer escape by fleeing through the void.

"Lu Yang..."

The Yun family ancestor's voice carried both dread and frustration.

His dread stemmed from the fact that Lu Yang's current strength was no longer something he could underestimate; his frustration arose because all of this was actually his own doing!

Without him, even if Lu Yang had perfected the Sage Thief, it could not have been so flawless!

How could he not feel frustrated?

However, the Yun family ancestor quickly suppressed all negative emotions and said in a deep voice: "Erasing Tianjing City, are you not afraid the Sage Thief will lose the support of worldly fortune?"

"Senior, you worry too much." Hearing this, Lu Yang smiled faintly. "Since the Sage Thief has already reached great completion, worldly fortune is no longer important to me. After all, since it is a 'Thief,' how could it possibly return what it steals? In comparison, Senior, you should concern yourself more with your current predicament."

"... re you threatening me?"

The Yun family ancestor's face grew increasingly gloomy. His previously restrained qi gradually leaked out, his killing intent piercingly cold: "With just you alone, you dare to speak such arrogance to me?"

"A mere reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator; what is so impressive about that?"

Lu Yang countered sharply, yielding not an inch: "I happen to lack a reincarnated Foundation Establishment soul to study secret techniques. Senior, you have arrived at just the right time to aid my cultivation."

"Brat, you seek death!"

Amid his fury, the Yun family ancestor also sorted out the current situation, even feeling a bit fortunate that Lu Yang had not left the secret realm to report him but had instead chosen to fight him directly.

If Lu Yang had left the secret realm to expose him, he would surely die without a doubt.

But now that Lu Yang had come alone, perhaps there was still hope for redemption!

The Yun family ancestor wildly urged his magic power. Immediately, a brilliant golden light rose above his head, blooming in three colors where gold, silver, and jade shimmered together, instantly illuminating the horizon!

Great Taiyi Golden Flower!

Unlike Yun Yun Miaozhen's half-baked version, the Yun family ancestor's Great Taiyi Golden Flower was a complete version that had long been successfully refined—a divine ability in the truest sense!

In an instant, the golden light surged massively. Wherever it passed, heaven and earth followed in its wake. Carrying the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it raised towering waves that crashed directly down upon Lu Yang.

Immediately after, Lu Yang felt nothing but golden radiance before his eyes, as if suddenly isolated in another world. Then came the loss of vital essence; his body withered, his true qi dried up, his magic power gradually weakened, his spiritual will scattered, and his spiritual sense lost its sharpness. His essence, qi, and spirit were all brushed away by the golden light!

Yet the next second, Lu Yang stomped his foot.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the entire secret realm seemed to tremble violently, like the shockwave inevitably caused when a person jumps from a great height and lands on the ground.

Almost simultaneously, the Yun family ancestor's spiritual sense shook violently.

The previously condensed Great Taiyi Golden Flower scattered and exploded the moment Lu Yang stomped his foot. The essence, qi, and spirit that had been brushed away earlier rapidly returned to Lu Yang's body.

The next second, Lu Yang moved.

He gave a cold smile, then swept his sleeve. Countless fireworks erupted around him, swirling and coiling, until a massive explosion rang out from within them. The blast caused the Yun family ancestor such severe pain in his ears and eyes that he looked up, only to see a magnificent Golden Body rising from the ground. Shaped like a mountain range, it was wreathed in swirling smoke and fire.

"Stealing the fortune of heaven and earth to forge a Sage's Golden Body!"

Only now did Lu Yang reveal his true capabilities after perfecting the Sage Thief. The 'Law' borrowed fortune to take form, actually manifesting a 'Sage Aspect'!

Seeing this, the Yun family ancestor urgently urged the Great Taiyi Golden Flower.

In an instant, golden flowers filled the sky, splitting into three lights of essence, qi, and spirit. Taking the form of the sun, moon, and stars, heavy as mountains, they crashed down toward Lu Yang.

But before the Great Taiyi Golden Flower could even land, the sky-piercing, earth-standing 'Sage Aspect' extended a magnificent large hand. The palm was full and round, crystal clear like jade. It simply descended to cover the heavens, and with the closing of its five fingers, it captured the myriad phenomena of the Great Taiyi Golden Flower, along with the Yun family ancestor, right in its palm!

"Bold!"

The Yun family ancestor grunted in pain. The Great Taiyi Golden Flower continuously expanded, growing ever more intense until it nearly became a ball of golden sun, trying to force the 'Sage Aspect's' palm open.

However, on the other side, Lu Yang also formed hand seals upon seeing this.

His original body gradually became illusory, while the 'Sage Aspect' behind him became increasingly real, solemn and dignified, and ever more unmoved by external forces.

When the Great Taiyi Golden Flower unleashed by the Yun family ancestor struck it, it could at most brush away a layer of flesh and skin. Yet as soon as it was brushed away, Lu Yang would instantly regenerate it. The result was a war of attrition where one side consumed magic power and the other consumed blood and vitality; the Yun family ancestor could gain no advantage whatsoever.

"Delay breeds change... I must subdue this person immediately!"

The Yun family ancestor's thoughts raced. He realized clearly that Lu Yang had gained a tremendous opportunity through his hands; the Sage Thief was nearly perfect and could already compare to a major divine ability.

To subdue him, he had to use more powerful methods.

Thinking thus, the Yun family ancestor immediately took out a spherical magic treasure. It was none other than the 'Sky-Exploring Instrument,' bestowed upon him by the Patriarch of the Sword Pavilion before his reincarnation.

The Yun family ancestor sacrificed this spiritual treasure into the air, then bowed deeply:

"I beg the Heavenly Lord to intervene."

As his words fell, the Sky-Exploring Instrument began to rotate, dragging the surrounding space along with it. Up, down, left, right, front, and back were all inverted in one breath!

Within the coverage of the 'Sky-Exploring Instrument,' all positional changes were thrown into chaos. Moving forward was actually moving backward; moving left was actually moving upward; moving upward was actually moving forward... All depended on the wielder's intent. Now that it was activated, the 'Sage Aspect' immediately lost its strength and slackened, allowing the Yun family ancestor to seize the chance and break free.

Immediately after, he held the 'Sky-Exploring Instrument' and cast it over Lu Yang.

In an instant, Lu Yang felt his entire body shake violently. The 'Sage Aspect' seemed pinned by a vast magic power, unable to move, forced to remain stationary.

It was clearly the Yun family ancestor who had scrambled the direction of all Lu Yang's actions into 'standing still.'

After immobilizing the 'Sage Aspect,' the Yun family ancestor did not stop. The Great Taiyi Golden Flower continued to brush down; he clearly intended to break it open using this method of death by a thousand cuts.

"So strong, incredibly strong..."

Seeing this, Lu Yang smiled in admiration. The Yun family ancestor's strength was beyond doubt; after all, he was a reincarnated Foundation Establishment cultivator and possessed a supreme treasure like the Sky-Exploring Instrument.

Judging by strength alone, if they fought a hundred times, he would probably lose a hundred times.

However, magical combat is not decided by strength alone. Just as a chess player might defeat an opponent on the board, there are also ways to win outside the board.

At the same time, outside the Dharma Refining Secret Realm, Lu Yang's Innate One Qi avatar traveled without stopping, arriving directly at the entrance of the cave dwelling where True Person Yinshan was in seclusion.

"True Person! I want to report a crime!"

"There are bad people inside the secret realm!"

(End of Chapter)