Chapter 652: Your Final Move, Across Three Thousand Years of Clash

"What is that?!"

"Mount Zhongnan? How can Mount Zhongnan of the Great Sui appear over Bianjing?"

Xie Yuan stood atop Yaoxian Tower, his gaze fixed intently on the towering mountain shadow in the night sky.

Its peak remained perpetually snow-capped; its Daoist temple flickered in and out of view—clearly Mount Zhongnan, ten thousand li away, now hanging upside-down over Bianjing like a mirage.

"Xie Yuan! Where are you going?" Xie Qiyue called from behind.

Xie Yuan descended the stairs without looking back: "I'm going to find Guan Di! Don't follow me!"

"Do you even know where they are?" Xie Qiyue took a few steps after him, her skirts swirling.

Xie Yuan's voice echoed from the stairwell: "Did you see that flash of light over Zhishui just now?"

"Guan Di must be there!"

Xie Qiyue stood frozen, watching Xie Yuan's retreating back, her eyes glistening with hurt: "Fourth cousin, look at Xie Yuan—he…"

Zhang Yunzhi gently patted Xie Qiyue's shoulder: "Let him go."

She gazed at the anomaly in the night sky, thoughtful: "Still… he said he's going to find Master Guan…"

Xue Hong watched Xie Qiyue's concern for Xie Yuan with a complex expression.

He looked up at the amber light dome enveloping Bianjing and the inverted shadow of Mount Zhongnan, murmuring:

"Tonight, Bianjing is about to turn upside down."

Li Shuwan leaned against the railing, her gaze shifting between the third and fourth floors.

Those powerful figures who usually commanded storms and winds now sat impassive, ignoring the anomaly above Bianjing.

Unless…

She looked toward the fourth floor, where the Third Master of the Academy and Su Xiang held their positions.

With these two present, who would dare act rashly?

The Qunfang Ban had gathered nearly every prominent figure from the Nine Great Clans—all together—and now this sudden event.

Had Su Xiang and the Third Master foreseen this?

Xie Qiyue looked down from the window and saw a dark sea surrounding the Qunfang Ban.

Armored soldiers stood in formation like a forest; behind them, the deep, ominous auras of cultivators flickered.

In the corners, dark-clad figures of the Demon-Slaying Bureau's covert agents stood motionless, their crimson fish-patterned robes radiating lethal intent.

At some point, the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Imperial Guard, Imperial Surveillance Corps, and Shen Yin forces had completely surrounded Yaoxian Tower.

All guests within the tower wore grim expressions; the air thickened with the oppressive weight of a storm about to break.

Su Shi's final dance upon the four-sided stage had ended.

Now, only the announcement of the Qunfang Ban's flower queen remained.

The cries of the people along Zhishui had gradually faded into uneasy silence.

A strange, uneasy atmosphere spread through the Qunfang Ban.

Outside, the army had blocked all access points along the riverbanks; the crowd exchanged uneasy glances, clearly frightened.

Only children perched on their parents' shoulders stared curiously at the inverted reflection in the sky.

Yet now!

Yaoxian Tower was sealed by the Xuanjing Bureau; a commanding voice rang from the fourth floor:

"By decree of Su Xiang and the Third Master, Yaoxian Tower is hereby sealed—no one may enter or leave!"

Li Shuwan exchanged glances with several young ladies; all saw unease in each other's eyes.

Outside the window!

Beneath the moon, the shadow of Mount Zhongnan grew ever more solid, as if ready to crush Bianjing beneath its weight.

At that moment!

A swordlight surged skyward like a comet, its crimson flame streaking across the heavens as if tearing heaven and earth apart.

The overwhelming sword intent came from the direction of the Academy.

The Third Master stood on the fourth floor, gazing at the swordlight, his face slowly twisting with pain and sorrow.

"Brother, why must it come to this?!"

Su Jing's expression was equally complex, filled with regret and awe as he whispered:

"Is this the will of Heaven? Did that man foresee this very moment?"

He looked up at the sky, his voice tinged with reverence: "Using Brother's sword to shatter the Jingshen Array…"

Yet!

The cracked blue glass dome, shattered by the swordlight, though split open, began healing itself almost instantly.

The Third Master frowned: "Even Brother's sword cannot break it?"

At that instant!

From the Xie Fu on Changning Street, a sharp sword intent erupted, piercing straight to the heavens!

That sword intent, like a dragon surging from the sea, instantly merged with the brilliant swordlight from the Academy.

The two sword intents intertwined—the heavens and earth trembled!

A low voice murmured, yet rang like a great bell across heaven and earth:

"Cut!"

The crack in the blue glass dome widened violently, as if torn by an invisible force, never to heal again.

"It's the Second Master!"

At the Qunfang Ban, everyone cried out in shock, chaos erupting.

The Second Master, who had lain ill on his bed for years, had just unleashed a sword strike that shook the world!

Su Jing stared at the crumbling blue glass dome, yet his eyes held no trace of relief.

The Jingshen Array was broken—but the Master still stood unshaken.

The Master remains the strongest under heaven.

"Even with the Second Brother wielding the sword, he is no match for the Master."

Su Jing whispered softly, his tone heavy with helplessness and sorrow:

"And the Second Brother's strike… he must be utterly drained now…"

He looked toward Mount Zhongnan, his eyes filled with gravity.

"The Master is invincible under heaven; the First Brother and the others remain in mortal peril."

"The outcome… cannot be changed—or perhaps that man still has another move."

"I cannot imagine who in this world could match the Master."

The Third Master stood atop the Academy's heights, gazing at the now even more majestic Mount Zhongnan after the Jingshen Array's collapse, his eyes flickering with complex emotion.

He murmured: "The Master's invincibility in this age does not mean he is the strongest of all time."

Before he finished speaking, a distant bell toll echoed from the peak of Mount Zhongnan.

That bell sounded as if it came from ancient times.

～

～

The Master withdrew his gaze and looked at Xie Guan, his eyes calm as a still well—nothing in the world could shake his spirit.

He spoke softly, his voice tranquil yet carrying a faint, imperceptible chill:

"Is this your final move? This time, I misjudged."

He paused slightly, his tone laced with quiet wonder:

"I never thought the Second Brother, in his current state, could still strike such a blow."

Dong Cheng suddenly smiled, a mocking edge in his expression: "But so what? Even if you shattered the Jingshen Array, you still cannot leave."

He raised his finger toward the sky, his voice tinged with triumph:

"Have you not noticed? The Jingshen Array above Bianjing has fully merged with the Grand Array of the Capital Dao."

Yu Ke frowned slightly and looked up at the sky.

The shattered fragments of the blue glass dome had not vanished—they had fused with the Capital Dao's Grand Array, forming a far larger, unbreakable barrier.

He tried to end 【Participate Personally】—but still could not.

Ending 【Participate Personally】 seemed possible only by defeating the Master.

Yu Ke heard the Master's words, nodded slightly, but gave no reply.

His gaze passed over the Master, fixed on Mount Zhongnan, now advancing like a black cloud over Bianjing.

Yu Ke understood now—why choosing 【Participate Personally】 would benefit the future.

Every choice was like a pebble dropped into a lake, sending ripples that eventually converged into the present storm, a tidal wave.

He had to admit—the Master's words about "Immortals" held truth.

Immortals act without trace, choosing only what is right.

They align with Heaven's will—appearing effortless, yet hiding profound mystery.

They play a move that shocks the world!

Mo Shi and the others had retreated behind Yu Ke; all four were gravely wounded, their auras faint.

The most severely injured was not Lu Hua, the weakest in cultivation, but Mo Shi—the demon master whose demonic arts were unfathomable and who mastered the Nine Demon Sect's secret techniques.

Xu Jiangxian had just used the Heavenly Demon Self-Destruction Technique, then had his heart shattered by the Master's palm strike; had Master Lianchi not saved him with the Nine-Turn Buddha Heart Pill, he would have collapsed long ago.

Even so!

His face remained as pale as paper, his breath chaotic, as if he might collapse at any moment.

The First Master's entire half-body was nearly destroyed, his robes soaked in blood, yet he still stood firm, his eyes filled with unyielding resolve.

Master Lianchi suffered severe depletion of both qi and blood, his cultivation base having plummeted from the Ninth Realm of Martial Path; his complexion was ashen, as if he had aged decades in an instant.

Lu Hua's left leg was pierced through by a gaping wound, blood gushing out and staining the green stone slabs beneath his feet.

She gritted her teeth and held on, cold sweat beading on her forehead, yet refused to fall.

The four of them exhausted every technique, yet still could not harm the Master even slightly.

The Master stood before them all, expression calm, his eyes regarding them as if they were ants.

The four were utterly incapable of continuing the fight!

The Demon Master looked up at the Master, his gaze cold yet tinged with despair.

The Master was simply too strong; even the thought of defeating him was hard to summon.

Such a blow had plunged the Demon Master, who had once ruled the world, into dejection.

Master Lianchi clasped his hands together and murmured softly: "Amitabha… All is cause and effect."

The First Master looked exhausted, his eyes dull and lifeless, as if he had spent every last ounce of will.

Yet Lu Hua looked up at the phantom of Mount Zhongnan in the sky, his gaze locked tightly upon the Daoist temple there.

He furrowed his brow, a faint unease stirring in his heart—this phantom Mount Zhongnan seemed slightly different from the one he remembered.

The mountain loomed more majestic, the temple grander, its aura more prosperous.

The phantom of Mount Zhongnan shifted again!

All stared without blinking, holding their breath, as if even their breathing had ceased.

The lives and deaths of the four hung upon this ever-shifting moment.

From the crack torn open in the Mount Zhongnan above,

A shimmering radiance spilled forth, illuminating the scene, revealing a faint, illusory figure.

It was a middle-aged man with faintly grayed temples and a weathered face, his eyes bright as stars, standing with hands behind his back.

Behind him stood the entrance to the Living Dead Tomb of Mount Zhongnan!

He could not manifest in this world!

Lu Hua's pupils contracted sharply, his heart surging with a tidal wave.

He knew that face better than any— it was the portrait enshrined at the very center of the Ancestral Hall, where he had performed his daily duties amid swirling incense.

"Ancestor Lu Chen!"

Lu Hua blurted out, his voice trembling with uncontrollable excitement and reverence.

The portrait of Ancestor Lu Chen had been passed down for a thousand years; disciples who ascended without knowing their Ancestor's true face were deemed unfilial.

That portrait had always rested at the center of the Ancestral Hall, worshipped by generations of disciples, yet no one had ever seen his true face.

Upon hearing this, the Master's eyes flickered with a trace of surprise.

Though this figure could not descend into this world, his aura was unlike anything Lu Hua had ever encountered—he felt no doubt.

Lu Hua bowed deeply: "Disciple Lu Hua of the Yun lineage of Mount Zhongnan, of the Tian Shi branch of the Three Truths, humbly pays homage to Ancestor Lu Chen."

The figure seemed to nod gently across the unreachable past, his voice soft.

"Shou De Chong Yong Fu, Yi Qing Ji Zu Zhen, Yang Su Shou Jian Zhi, Xu Ling Hui Ye Yun."

With a tone of quiet nostalgia: "Time flies—over a hundred generations have passed, yet the Three Truths still endure."

The Demon Master and Master Lianchi could no longer hide their shock.

The Three Truths—Lu Chen!

The Yan King who had passed away three thousand years ago.

How could this be possible!

The First Master also bowed respectfully: "Xu Xian pays homage to Ancestor!"

The Demon Master and Master Lianchi remained stunned.

Lu Chen smiled faintly, his gaze passing over them all to rest on the Master.

The Master's face darkened, then twisted into a sneer as he looked up at Lu Chen, his tone brimming with disdain and arrogance:

"You can only rely on the power of this world… I never expected you would summon Lu Chen. But what of it?"

His voice was low and icy, radiating unshakable confidence: "In the six thousand years since spiritual energy faded, I have reigned supreme for fifteen hundred years. Even if Lu Yu—the man once called invincible across the land, whose height no thousand mountains could match—were reborn, he would still be no match for me."

He paused, then fixed Lu Chen with a piercing stare: "Even if you, Lu Shenzhou, were reborn, I still have the confidence to defeat you. And yet—you are not even of this world, having crossed three thousand years to appear here…"

Lu Chen heard this, and merely smiled calmly, his eyes filled with nostalgia: "If Brother Yu were still alive, you wouldn't last fifteen hundred years—you wouldn't even survive sixty years of quelling demons."

The Master's face turned even darker: "I never thought the great Three Truths Ancestor would speak nonsense. Three thousand years ago, spiritual energy had just begun to return; even the greatest masters of that era could not compare to today's Upper Three Realms!"

Lu Chen smiled faintly and replied: "Is that so?"

At these words, the Demon Master and the others snapped back to awareness.

Three thousand years ago, when spiritual energy had just reappeared, even the greatest masters of that time likely fell short of today's Upper Three Realms.

Let alone the later-developed Primordial Spirit cultivation methods.

Though Lu Chen was renowned in this world, compared to the Master—who had reached the pinnacle of both Martial Path and Primordial Spirit cultivation, and had undergone five corpse liberation rites—he likely still lacked the strength to prevail.

But Lu Hua held no such thoughts; as a descendant of the Three Truths sect, he held boundless reverence for this Ancestor who had laid the foundation of their lineage.

The Master seemed unwilling to speak further, his voice cold: "Enough games. It is time to end this."

"Do you think Lu Chen alone can subdue me?"

The Master's aura surged higher and higher, his breath merging seamlessly with heaven and earth.

Behind him, a colossal phantom Bodhi tree emerged, its branches and leaves lush and swaying.

Within the Bodhi tree, a faint Buddha figure appeared, majestic and solemn, as if gazing down upon all beings.

Master Lianchi's pupils contracted sharply, his heart reeling.

He recognized this technique—it was the secret of the Eastern Holy Sect: The Scripture of Wisdom on the Origin of All Dharmas.

"Observe the three thousand dharmas as patterns on the palm; shatter the eighty thousand obstacles as dust in a mirror."

Master Lianchi whispered softly, his voice filled with unmistakable awe.

This technique, rooted in the Buddhist Prajna wisdom and grounded in the method of forgetting the self, required the cultivator to first sever the three poisons—greed, anger, and delusion—before forming the Bodhi tree of wisdom within the mind-sea.

Each inch the Bodhi tree grew allowed the cultivator to unravel the essence of one martial art; when perfected, it could integrate all martial arts under one principle!

And the Bodhi tree behind the Master was already lush and full—far more than three thousand techniques!

Each leaf shimmered with a different light, as if carrying the essence of a peerless martial art.

The Demon Master, upon seeing this, was also deeply shaken, his eyes filled with horror.

He had never imagined the Master's foundational technique was neither Confucian, demonic, nor Daoist—but rooted in Buddhism!

"So that's it…"

The Demon Master murmured softly: "The Master built his foundation on Buddhism, integrating three thousand dharmas… no wonder he is invincible across the world… Is there anyone left who can defeat him?"

Lu Chen watched this scene, his gaze still as calm as still water, and spoke slowly:

"If Brother Yu were here, he would be delighted—facing off against the world's greatest warriors and defeating them all was always his joy."

He turned his gaze to the Bodhi tree behind the Master and continued:

"But alas, across three thousand years, I can only strike once."

(End of Chapter)