Chapter 663 - 658: Is This the Joy of a Bhagavat?
A surge of Blood Qi rushed to the heavens, and for a moment, the Positions of the Ten Emperor Venerable seemed to be on the verge of merging.
In fact, it was through their combined Position, along with the power of the Divination Lottery, that Lü Yang was able to remain hidden and circumvent the restrictions of the Path to Immortality.
Beyond that, Lü Yang had also made an unexpected discovery.
’Celestial Human Residual Consciousness...’
Lü Yang pondered. This was a piece of information from the Divination Lottery. The value of his Centome Talent Skill was undeniable; he knew he could trust it.
’What is this Celestial Human Residual Consciousness?’
’This place is clearly the Sword Pavilion’s private domain, so it must be related to their Master of Dao. This so-called Celestial Being... could it be referring to him?’
’But this entire shadowy region is supposedly a footprint left by some Great Power. If that’s the case, Celestial Being could also refer to that Great Power... Still, the term "residual consciousness" doesn’t sound very auspicious. Don’t tell me they’ve already suffered a violent death, just like Si Chou. Slain by the Sword Pavilion’s Master of Dao?’
Countless speculations sprouted in Lü Yang’s mind.
Meanwhile, he had followed the Ten Emperor Venerable to the very end of the Path to Immortality. They had easily crushed every obstacle along the way.
At the very end stood a complex of buildings.
With its exquisite pavilions and jade palaces, it resembled a once-vast palace. But now, only crumbling walls and ruins remained, sprawling across the end of the Path to Immortality.
"Is this the Immortal Realm?"
"Have I become an Immortal?"
One of the Emperor Venerable murmured, greedily absorbing the ambient Qi. He felt his lifespan instantly extend by several thousand years, and a look of ecstasy appeared on his face.
But another Emperor Venerable contemplated for a moment before shaking his head in disappointment.
"That’s not right. This isn’t extending our lives."
"It’s like the immortal light—it’s only delaying our deaths. Our power hasn’t increased at all. How can a change like this be worthy of the title ’Immortal’?"
Just then, a soft sound was heard.
CREAK—
As the sound echoed, the door to one of the pavilions in the palace complex was pushed open, and a white-robed young man strolled out.
"It’s him! The one who is supposed to slay us in the future?"
"He actually exists..."
The Ten Emperor Venerable were utterly shocked. The white-robed youth, on the other hand—or rather, Demon Subduing Zhenren of the Sword Pavilion—wore an impatient expression.
"Outer Heaven Wanderers..."
Staring at the Ten Emperor Venerable, Demon Subduing Zhenren almost believed the recent warning from his Sword Heart had been a false alarm. A group of Outer Heaven Wanderers could actually threaten *him*?
Absolutely impossible!
Before he could even speak, however, the Ten Emperor Venerable struck first. They unleashed all manner of Emperor’s Weapons, empowering them with Blood and Qi Divine Power until they erupted with boundless radiance.
Seeing this, the expression on Demon Subduing Zhenren’s face grew even darker. A group of Outer Heaven Wanderers... though they had some strength, they were nothing but Loose Cultivators in the end. And yet, upon seeing him, they not only failed to flee but actually dared to fight back? If word of this got out, his reputation as a Sword Pavilion Great Trueman would be utterly ruined.
SHIIING!
The next second, the cry of a sword rang out across Heaven and Earth. An unstoppable streak of Sword Light, wreathed by five Abilities, instantly shattered the Ten Emperor Venerable’s joint offensive.
"Insignificant rabble!"
As his voice fell, Demon Subduing Zhenren’s expression turned frigid. The five Abilities gathered, converging into a single, brilliant Sword Light that caused his aura to suddenly become deep and abstruse.
At this moment, his vision changed.
Reflected in the Sword Light, within a domain only he could perceive, he saw the figures of the Ten Emperor Venerable begin to shift, unleashing a variety of Divine Communication Techniques.
These weren’t illusions, but glimpses of foreseeable futures.
Each image represented a possible future, layered one on top of the other by the thousands, causing Demon Subduing Zhenren’s previously nonchalant expression to turn grave.
This would be a hard-fought battle.
In the visions, some Emperor Venerable were slain by his blade, others managed to fight their way to him, and some even inflicted significant injuries upon him.
’It seems I’ve underestimated these Loose Cultivators...’
Demon Subduing Zhenren mused to himself. There wasn’t the slightest hint of panic on his face; on the contrary, the corner of his mouth curled into a sneer as he began to activate his Innate Ability.
The next second, a phantom emerged from his body and merged with the visions of the future before him, beginning to battle the Ten Emperor Venerable. Relying on his foresight, he achieved victory every single time. And with each victory, he would slash one of the future visions out of existence.
At this moment, it was as if Time itself had been stretched out infinitely.
Thus, Demon Subduing Zhenren shattered the thousands of futures one by one. With each future he destroyed, he eliminated a possibility.
In the end, only one future remained.
In this final vision, Demon Subduing Zhenren, having completely grasped all the secrets and trump cards of the Ten Emperor Venerable, unleashed a single sword strike, and all ten of them were slain.
This was the only image.
And the only future!
Immediately after, the nearly stagnant flow of time resumed. Only then was the sword strike that Demon Subduing Zhenren had been holding in readiness truly unleashed. In an instant, Sword Light shot to the heavens!
This was the very essence of the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal.
Of course, as a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection, Demon Subduing Zhenren was not yet powerful enough to fully manifest its essence. He could only forge a subtle connection to it through his Innate Ability and his Fruit.
For example, one of the profound effects of Lü Yang’s Innate Ability from back in his Foundation Establishment days, Ming Monarch’s Rule, contained a portion of the Mighty Power of Deprive. It was the same for Demon Subduing Zhenren.
But even so, it was enough.
At this moment, Demon Subduing Zhenren’s expression was perfectly serene.
Before he even unleashed this strike, he had already eliminated every other possible future for the ten Outer Heaven Wanderers before him. Their only fate was to be slain by his blade.
Such is the power of the Emperor Fruit!
’What a pity...’
Demon Subduing Zhenren sighed internally. This was a strike of his full power, one he had originally intended to save for the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected. Unfortunately, he’d heard that his rival had already succeeded in Seeking Gold.
’No matter.’
’Ye Guangji... he’s merely one step ahead of me in cultivation. It won’t be too late to compete with him once I attain the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal.’
At this thought, Demon Subduing Zhenren couldn’t help but smile.
’Although the Sword Dao is certainly formidable, it was only just attained. How strong could it possibly be? No matter how strong, it couldn’t possibly surpass an Emperor Fruit, could it?’
’The advantage is mine!’
’In the past, when I was not yet fully fledged, I chose to lie low and bide my time. Now that I’m on the verge of the Seeking Gold Ascension Position, it’s time for me to emerge and make my name known to all of Heaven and Earth!’
He was a man of great ambition, after all!
’...Hmm?’
A moment later, Demon Subduing Zhenren froze.
’Something’s wrong. I’ve been lost in thought for this long... why haven’t I heard the dying screams of those Outer Heaven Wanderers? What’s going on?’
In a daze, Demon Subduing Zhenren thought he heard an anxious, furious roar:
’Fool! You fool!’
’Wake... up...!’
...
「Everything was perfectly still.」
Lü Yang walked calmly through the crowd with his hands clasped behind his back, as if on a leisurely stroll. Wherever he passed, everyone’s consciousness was frozen in an instant.
Demon Subduing Zhenren was no exception.
So what if it was the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal? As impressive as it was, it was still a power at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level. Its paltry Divine Effect was completely incapable of perceiving his presence, let alone affecting him.
Soon, Lü Yang walked up to Demon Subduing Zhenren.
The man’s thoughts were completely frozen. Under Lü Yang’s gaze, a Soul within his Spiritual Space could no longer remain hidden and slowly emerged.
"How is this possible...!"
The voice that came from the Soul was incredibly ancient, yet it was filled with utter disbelief. "A Perfected Lord... How did a Perfected Lord of the Golden Core realm infiltrate the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness?"
This isn’t fair!
"Well, this is an unexpected bonus."
A curious light entered Lü Yang’s eyes as he sized up the ancient Soul before him. He watched it tremble under his gaze before glancing around at the frozen scene.
"So that’s how it is... Is this the joy of a Bhagavat?"
How satisfying!