Chapter 740 - 735: Turning Hostile Again
Ang Xiao was faking it.
It was a joke. With his tens of thousands of years of experience and shrewdness, how could he ever wear his heart on his sleeve? If he had truly wanted to turn hostile, he would have gone all out against Lü Yang long ago.
His intentional outburst of anger was merely for show.
Even the surge of his Divine Sense and his attempt to reclaim control of the Earth-Walking Avatar were all part of the act, designed to lower Mu Changsheng’s guard.
The reason was simple.
’This deal... is actually doable.’
’Mu Changsheng also wants to sell us the information on the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness. He has to guard against the Old Dragon Monarch turning on him!’
’He’s thought this through quite clearly. He knew we would come for him, so he roped in the Old Dragon Monarch. His original intention was to have the Old Dragon Monarch and us keep each other in check. But if we can’t enter the Nourishing Life Master, then only the Old Dragon Monarch can accompany him. In that case, he’ll be the one with the headache.’
Thinking of this, Ang Xiao glanced at Lü Yang again.
’That bastard must have seen through this, right?’
’So he’s taking the opposite approach, putting Mu Changsheng in a bind to extort an extra benefit for himself. What deep calculations!’
For a moment, Ang Xiao couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.
If Mu Changsheng was on the first level of scheming, then Lü Yang was on the third.
’But... I’m on the fifth level!’
Ang Xiao sneered inwardly. His feigned anger just now was not only to confuse Mu Changsheng but also to deceive Lü Yang.
’As for Mu Changsheng, he’s likely trying to sow discord. My feigned anger must look like a success to him, causing him to lower his guard. And as for my mysterious ally, my angry display would seem like I’m playing along with his act, so he won’t be too wary of me either.’
However, this was just a facade.
He had already made up his mind: the moment Mu Changsheng handed over the coordinates and karmic links for the Nourishing Life Master, he would turn his act into reality and snatch them away!
’I alone am enough to enter the Nourishing Life Master!’
’My presence is more than enough to satisfy Mu Changsheng’s need to tie down the Old Dragon Monarch. With one less person to split the pie with, I’ll get an even bigger share!’
Ang Xiao remained calm inside, but his outward struggles grew even more violent.
At first glance, it seemed he was going all out, and it did make Lü Yang waver slightly. In reality, however, he was concealing most of his power.
But he had miscalculated one thing.
Lü Yang was genuinely trying to make a fair trade.
So when he felt Ang Xiao begin to struggle, trying to reclaim control of the Earth-Walking Avatar, Lü Yang didn’t lower his guard.
Instead, he grew even more vigilant.
After all, he and Ang Xiao had a history of turning on each other... Thinking of this, Lü Yang immediately focused his entire Heart Spirit, ready to rip out a heart at a moment’s notice.
"...So? Is it a deal?"
Lü Yang looked at Mu Changsheng with a solemn expression. At the same time, a wisp of Spiritual perception emerged from his fingertip, containing countless circulating Talismans—the coordinates to the Human World.
At these words, Mu Changsheng found himself in a bind. Ang Xiao had guessed his thoughts exactly, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
But he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Of course."
As he spoke, a wisp of Spiritual perception appeared on Mu Changsheng’s fingertip. "This contains the coordinates for the Nourishing Life Master, as well as the corresponding karmic links."
Lü Yang frowned upon hearing this. "What I want is the method you used, Fellow Daoist, to make the No Heaven produce the Profound Mysterious."
"I understand,"
Mu Changsheng nodded. "But the two are essentially the same thing. The Nourishing Life Master is crucial for elevating an Outer Dao Fruit Position."
"...Very well." Lü Yang nodded.
Seeing this, Mu Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Just as Ang Xiao had thought, he truly needed Lü Yang and the other to enter the Nourishing Life Master to tie down the Old Dragon Monarch.
’With their combined strength, they’re powerful enough to suppress the Old Dragon Monarch. This will force him to stand on the same side as me.’
’That’s the only way I’ll be able to fish in troubled waters.’
With this in mind, Mu Changsheng extended the Spiritual perception in his hand. On the other side, Lü Yang did the same, and the two wisps of Spiritual perception met in mid-air.
There was no need to verify their authenticity.
Because the coordinates for the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness were secondary; what truly mattered was the karmic link granting entry, and such a link could not be faked.
Therefore, everyone present was certain of one thing:
The coordinates were real!
The next second, in a flash, Mu Changsheng felt the Old Dragon Monarch behind him suddenly grab his hand and pull him back forcefully.
"Senior!?" Mu Changsheng almost thought the Old Dragon Monarch was about to turn on him.
But soon, the Old Dragon Monarch’s voice rang in his ear. "Young friend, you still don’t understand the Stain Sect well enough... Forget it, they’re about to fucking fight!"
Mu Changsheng: "Huh?"
BOOM!
An earth-shattering explosion interrupted Mu Changsheng’s thoughts. In an instant, all he could see was the Earth-Walking Avatar violently detonating!
At that moment, Lü Yang and Ang Xiao didn’t hesitate. They not only began fighting over the Earth-Walking Avatar, but their true bodies in the Human World also attacked. By the time Lü Yang came to his senses, Ang Xiao’s large hand had already pierced through his chest with practiced ease.
In response, Lü Yang just gave a savage grin.
"This trick again?"
Then, while using the Rebirth Appearance to transfer the damage, he spun around and unleashed a Tribulation Evil Profound Light. A torrent of dim, murky color surged forth!
This time, however, Ang Xiao was prepared.
"Right back at you."
Before he even finished speaking, he formed a Daoist Hand Seal. The Veil of the Trees had already concealed him, preventing the Tribulation Evil Profound Light from completing the first step of its karmic lock.
For a moment, the Tribulation Evil Profound Light hung suspended in mid-air, seemingly caught in a paradox. It neither fell nor dissipated... Lü Yang wasn’t surprised. With Ang Xiao’s level of Cultivation, making him fall for a trick once was hard enough; making him fall for the same one twice was nearly impossible.
’Tying up his Veil of the Trees is good enough.’
Lü Yang made a quick calculation in his mind. To evade the Tribulation Evil Profound Light, Ang Xiao had to devote most of the Profound Mysterious power of the Veil of the Trees to his own defense.
This was his advantage.
’Ang Xiao specializes in Fruits, and his mastery of the Veil of the Trees has reached the pinnacle of perfection. But conversely... without the Veil of the Trees, his power will plummet!’
As he mulled this over, Lü Yang took out the Magic Contract he had previously signed with Ang Xiao.
"Senior, you’ve breached the contract!"
The Magic Contract activated. In an instant, an immense karmic power descended, about to expel Ang Xiao’s true body from the Human World, never to return.
"What breach of contract? Did I sign anything?"
Ang Xiao wasn’t flustered in the slightest. Lü Yang then watched as the portion of the Qi trace on the Magic Contract belonging to Ang Xiao vanished in the blink of an eye.
Ang Xiao had used the Veil of the Trees to make himself forget ever signing the Magic Contract.
The act of signing the contract was thus erased.
What Magic Contract? It was just an illusion!
But Lü Yang’s expression remained calm, as this was also within his expectations. He had never expected Ang Xiao to actually honor the Magic Contract.
He wanted Ang Xiao to breach the contract.
’To breach the contract, he had to use the Veil of the Trees. This would further drain its Profound Mysterious power... At this level, I should be able to put up a fight.’
Lü Yang’s logic for this Combat against Ang Xiao was simple: since he couldn’t match Ang Xiao’s strength and had no way to rapidly increase his own power in a short time, he would take a different approach. Instead of strengthening himself, he would weaken Ang Xiao, dragging him down to his own level before they fought!