Chapter 713 - 708: Join Forces with Ang Xiao?
Lü Yang’s expression remained utterly impassive.
His gaze didn’t waver in the slightest. He stared right at Ang Xiao, who stood ten meters away, as if he hadn’t noticed his presence at all.
’So fast!’
It wasn’t a surprise that Ang Xiao had appeared here. After all, Ang Xiao had left a lingering shadow in the Human World from a previous trial.
This meant that Ang Xiao knew about this place too.
’The problem is, it shouldn’t have been this fast. If Ang Xiao was dead set on going after Fortune, his first stop should have been the Seven Luminaries Heaven, right?’
’That’s the place with the strongest karmic links to Fortune!’
’Normally, Ang Xiao would first divine Fortune’s karmic links, which would lead him to the Seven Luminaries Heaven. He’d go there only to find nothing.’
’Then, he’d continue his divination but still fail to find Fortune. Only then would he think of the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness and come here to check. By that time, I would have already Refined Fortune, cleaned up all the loose ends, and even used the Cuckoo’s Nest to possess a Loose Cultivator from the Taihuang Realm and gone into hiding.’
But Ang Xiao had arrived too soon.
Not only that, but in the next moment, Lü Yang watched as Ang Xiao blinked his smoke-shrouded eyes and suddenly began to walk in his direction.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The heavy footsteps echoed through the Void Sea of Light, yet they didn’t cause the slightest ripple in the Duality of Life and Death Profound Light, as if they were merely an illusion.
And in fact, that was the case.
As far as the surrounding Duality of Life and Death Profound Light was concerned, Ang Xiao simply didn’t exist. He was an illusion that it shouldn’t have been able to perceive at all.
’Footsteps... No, wait!’
’He’s testing me. Am I supposed to be able to hear these footsteps? If I can, doesn’t that prove I can sense his presence?’
At this thought, Lü Yang’s expression grew even more nonchalant.
’He suspects me!’
’He suspects I’m connected to Fortune and the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire!’
After all, only the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, with its focus on "revelation," could pierce the Veil of the Trees. If Lü Yang could do it as well, it would be a dead giveaway in Ang Xiao’s eyes.
Thinking this, Lü Yang made a decisive, ruthless move.
His gaze remained calm, sweeping past Ang Xiao’s form as if it were nothing, and then he severed his connection to the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire.
Instantly, Ang Xiao’s figure vanished from his sight.
But a second later, Lü Yang’s expression changed.
The footsteps hadn’t vanished when he cut off his senses with the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire. Instead, they grew louder, reverberating through the Sea of Light.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
This time, Lü Yang could no longer maintain his composure.
’I’ve been exposed...’
He understood Ang Xiao’s gambit. The man hadn’t hidden the sound of his footsteps from the start. A normal person should have reacted with surprise.
But, out of guilt, Lü Yang had subconsciously forced himself to remain calm.
And that had exposed him. After all, if you could clearly hear footsteps but pretended not to, what could it be but a guilty conscience?
"...Sigh. You can’t guard against everything."
He let out a crisp sigh, dropped the act, and looked directly in Ang Xiao’s direction. Clasping his hands, he bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Senior."
As he spoke, Lü Yang activated his Past Dust Appearance and channeled the profound mysteries of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, its light piercing the gloom to reveal Ang Xiao once more.
Only then did Ang Xiao finally speak.
"In the presence of a fellow Daoist, I am unworthy of being called ’Senior’."
"After all, my fellow Daoist, you used Fortune to trip me up quite badly. Now that your cultivation has soared, it seems you’ve disposed of Fortune now that he’s served his purpose, haven’t you?"
Lü Yang tilted his head. "What Fortune?"
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Ang Xiao attacked. The entire Celestial Human Residual Consciousness trembled with his fury as a torrent of turquoise light burst forth.
As far as the eye could see, it was like a billion forest leaves.
The leaves unfurled, rustling as they swayed in unison. They clung to branches with the power to shake the wind and clustered around boughs that seemed tall enough to prop up the moon.
In that moment, Lü Yang’s vision was filled with nothing but the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood erupting before him. Every other thought, every distraction—be it the impulse to cast a spell or the will to fight back—was seemingly wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving him utterly captivated by the tree.
"The Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire only offers a slight counter to the Veil of the Trees."
"It is not an Emperor Fruit, after all. When it comes to a real battle of abilities, it’s still a far cry from what’s needed! Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been me who killed Fortune back then, but Fortune who killed me!"
Before he finished speaking, a palm had already landed gently on Lü Yang’s chest.
THUMP!
A dull thud resounded, and Lü Yang’s body trembled for a moment. But a second later, Ang Xiao let out a soft, questioning grunt.
Lü Yang was unharmed.
Mana potent enough to shatter a Golden Core Perfected Lord, enough to prevent even their Soul from reincarnating, had struck Lü Yang dead-on, yet it was as if it had plunged into a bottomless abyss.
And not only that—even the influence of the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood was severed in that instant. The dazed look on Lü Yang’s face vanished as he regained his senses. His vacant eyes refocused, and seeing Ang Xiao at point-blank range, he didn’t waste a word, simply raising a fist and throwing a full-powered punch!
BOOM!
Lü Yang’s punch was anything but ordinary. The brute force generated by his sturdy physique was so immense it was almost conceptual, crashing into Ang Xiao’s face with the force of a landslide!
Instantly, Ang Xiao’s head snapped back!
The punch was solid enough to disperse much of the smoke swirling around him, filling Lü Yang with a wild, disbelieving joy.
’I fought back?’
’Not only did I withstand Ang Xiao’s Veil of the Trees, I even had enough strength left to counterattack...’ At this thought, Lü Yang nearly shed tears of relief.
’My day has finally come! I’ve made it!’
The principle behind his escape from Ang Xiao’s technique was simple. His Rebirth Appearance had autonomously sensed the attack and redirected it entirely.
This was the profound mystery of his Dharma Body’s Three Lives Primordial Qi Technique!
All attacks land in the future.
’In the present, I am completely unharmed!’
Meanwhile, Ang Xiao, who had taken the full force of Lü Yang’s punch, floated back a few steps. He then stood his ground and began to size up Lü Yang.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Daoist, let us join forces."
"...Join forces?" Lü Yang’s mouth fell slightly open.
Ang Xiao, however, was perfectly calm. "That’s right," he said lightly. "After all, you, my fellow Daoist, are now a public enemy, much like myself. It is a perfect opportunity for us to join forces."
Lü Yang’s brow slowly furrowed at these words.
The feeling was strange.
How should he put it? Ang Xiao seemed incredibly calm. He wasn’t faking it, nor was he suppressing his fury. He was genuinely, truly calm, with almost no trace of anger.
’But he shouldn’t be this calm.’
’I plotted against him, causing him to lose the Netherworld and his Realm—it was a devastating blow, practically a decapitation of his future. If I were in his shoes, what mood would I be in to join forces with my mortal enemy?’
’Just choosing to fight to the death would be a calm reaction!’
’Ang Xiao’s reaction is all wrong!’
This wasn’t the reaction of someone whose path to the Dao had been completely cut off.
To see the reaction of someone whose path was truly severed, one only had to look at Exorcist Zhenren back in the day. Compared to that, Ang Xiao’s response was clearly abnormal.
It was almost as if—
’Could it be... he has a backup plan aside from the Netherworld?’