Chapter 715 - 710: An Unbreakable Alliance
After a moment of thought, Lü Yang continued, "Be that as it may, Mu Changsheng is hiding himself well. And I’m afraid it’s not convenient for either of us to just go searching all over the world right now..."
As for myself, it went without saying.
Barring any surprises, he wouldn’t be leaving the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness in this lifetime.
As for Ang Xiao, while he was a bit freer, his freedom was likely limited. In fact, he probably needed to keep an even lower profile right now.
At this thought, Lü Yang suddenly asked:
"Senior, your hiding in the Netherworld and using the Five Elements to seek the Nascent Soul realm... that’s not just a front, is it? After all, using the Pocket World Technique to seek the Nascent Soul realm has a success rate of ten percent at best."
At these words, Ang Xiao’s eyebrow shot up.
’This man... he even knows the secrets of the Pocket World Technique? Who told him?’
’Who in the world is he?’
’Come to think of it, he knows far too much about me. He knows almost all of my trump cards. It would be difficult to possess such Abilities without being a Master of Dao...’
As he pondered this, Ang Xiao’s smile vanished.
’The Dao of Arcane Body has reappeared, but that’s a Nascent Soul Great Dao. How could it reappear so easily? This man... could he be the Master of Dao who once presided over the Dao of Arcane Body!?’
’If so, how could he not know the characteristics of the Dao of Arcane Body?’
’Was he doing it on purpose?’
A chill ran down Ang Xiao’s spine at the thought.
After all, he still had his doubts about Lü Yang... because Lü Yang’s recent performance didn’t quite live up to the image he had formed in his mind.
In his eyes, his previous Combat with Lü Yang had been a duel of the highest caliber. They had both treated the world as their chessboard, each controlling their pieces. In the end, he had been outplayed by a single move, with Lü Yang gaining the upper hand. Though furious, he accepted his defeat and acknowledged Lü Yang as a formidable opponent.
But what about now?
Lü Yang was not only ignorant of the Dao of Arcane Body’s characteristics and had inexplicably provoked the Stain Sect’s old monster, but he had also failed to see through Ang Xiao’s initial test with the footsteps.
How to put it... he seemed a bit dim-witted.
This, however, was completely at odds with the image of the "opponent" in Ang Xiao’s mind. It left him confused, even utterly baffled.
But now, he understood.
’An act! It’s all an act!’
’That’s right. This man must be the Master of Dao who once controlled the Dao of Arcane Body. He’s been resurrected through some hidden measure and is now merely feigning weakness to his enemy!’
’Otherwise, none of this makes sense!’
’The man knew far too much information that someone at his level shouldn’t.’
’If I had been fooled by his recent act and underestimated him, I would have certainly fallen into his trap!’
Ang Xiao even took his reasoning a step further. Where had the thought of underestimating the man come from? Could it have been implanted by him?
It wasn’t impossible!
After all, it was the sort of thing he himself loved to do!
Judging Lü Yang by his own standards, the sense of dread in Ang Xiao’s heart intensified. His gaze, when it fell upon Lü Yang again, was once more filled with caution and vigilance.
Meanwhile, Lü Yang was also thinking.
’Ang Xiao... will he take the bait?’
From the very beginning, Lü Yang had prepared two personas for himself: Fortune and Si Chou. He used them to hide his true identity.
And now, his Fortune persona had been exposed.
It was time for the Si Chou persona.
This was the persona Lü Yang intended to project to Ang Xiao: the residual thought of a Master of Dao, once slain by the Stain Sect’s old monster, and now resurrected!
’I have the credentials for this part, too.’
True, Ang Xiao possessed a great deal of intelligence, but his knowledge was ultimately limited to the Immortal Pivot. There was information from beyond the Immortal Pivot that he wouldn’t necessarily know.
"...Why have you fallen silent, Senior?"
Lü Yang looked at the silent Ang Xiao, then chuckled softly. "But even if you don’t say anything, Senior, I can guess at most of the truth."
’He can guess?’
Ang Xiao’s heart grew heavier, but he was still skeptical. He did have another contingency plan, one that not even the Saint Sect Ancestral Master knew about...
"The Void Attainment Position, correct?"
Ang Xiao’s expression froze. If not for the hazy mist obscuring his face, Lü Yang would have seen it contort.
Because he was right!
"The Void Attainment Position. To be precise, it’s a Great Dao. You’ve hidden it quite deep, Senior. Surely you don’t still believe you’ve kept it hidden from the eyes of the one from the Stain Sect?"
Lü Yang’s words made Ang Xiao’s heart sink even further.
’So I failed to hide it?’
Ang Xiao’s silence was the best answer. Lü Yang pressed his advantage. "Dare I ask, Senior, are you aware that the Celestial Mansion that attacked the Immortal Pivot five thousand years ago is now ruled by a Saint Sect True Monarch? This person also has Great True Monarch Cultivation, has also attained a Great Dao through the Void Certificate, and is acting on the orders of the First Saint..."
Lü Yang laid out everything he knew about Taiyin Immortal Venerable.
Ang Xiao remained silent.
He knew of the Celestial Mansion and had once caught a fleeting glimpse of Taiyin Immortal Venerable, but he never imagined that the Immortal Venerable had actually achieved a Void Attainment Position!
’The Fruit of Money?’
’Taiyin... a Saint Sect Great True Monarch. He received the Ancestral Master’s approval and cultivated the Pocket World Technique, yet he achieved a Void Attainment Position. Is the Ancestral Master planning to use this person to keep me in check?’
In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Ang Xiao’s mind.
Before this, he had always believed he was the Saint Sect Ancestral Master’s favorite. After all, his quest to master the Netherworld had, in fact, received the Ancestral Master’s blessing.
But now, it felt as though that favor had vanished.
’Now, a Taiyin has appeared out of nowhere, who also received the Ancestral Master’s blessing to seek the Nascent Soul realm... What does this mean? What is the Ancestral Master thinking? What is his goal?’
Why had he previously believed the Saint Sect Ancestral Master was on his side? The two had communicated before, and the Ancestral Master had indeed expressed support. Of course, he couldn’t possibly trust a mere verbal promise. The key was that his mastery of the Netherworld was actually advantageous for the Saint Sect Ancestral Master as well.
The Netherworld needed a master for the cycle of reincarnation to reach Perfection.
Moreover, he was different from the original Lord of the Netherworld. The first Lord was so breathtakingly talented that allowing him to reach the Nascent Soul realm would have been counterproductive, destabilizing the entire situation.
But he was different.
If he mastered the Netherworld, he might, at most, pose a threat to the Bhagavat. It would be absolutely impossible for him to threaten the Saint Sect Ancestral Master. In fact, he could even become a powerful ally.
Given that, why wouldn’t the Ancestral Master support him?
Ang Xiao had measured the Saint Sect Ancestral Master by the Stain Sect’s logic and saw no issue. But now, Lü Yang’s words had shaken his conviction.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of bitterness.
’Right... I am, after all, just a Lower Cultivator...’
There was perhaps a fundamental difference between the Stain Sect mentality of a Lower Cultivator and the mentality of the Saint Sect Ancestral Master himself. This must be what led to his previous misjudgment.
But soon, Ang Xiao rallied his spirits.
It was as the old saying goes: the Great Dao has fifty aspects, but Heaven only manifests forty-nine, leaving one to escape. Heaven never completely seals a person’s path. Even in the most perilous predicament, there is always a sliver of hope!
At this thought, he raised his head and looked at Lü Yang.
At the same time, Lü Yang’s gaze met his.
Their eyes met, and both saw sincerity in the other’s gaze.
Ang Xiao had forced Lü Yang to recognize his predicament, and Lü Yang, in turn, had stripped Ang Xiao of his composure. Only now did they truly stand on equal footing.
Equal status, shared interests.
This was the foundation of an unbreakable alliance!
The next second, Ang Xiao took the initiative. "Mu Changsheng might have a second Celestial Human Residual Consciousness. Since it’s inconvenient for you, fellow Daoist, I’ll go find him."
"There’s no rush on that matter for now."
Lü Yang heard this and said bluntly, "The Sword Pavilion’s Demon Subduing Zhenren also knows the coordinates of this Celestial Human Residual Consciousness. He also carries a True Monarch’s Residual Thought called the Dragon Map, which might contain clues to other such Consciousnesses. We must find a way to eliminate him, or neither of us will be safe."
"...Is that so?"
Hearing this, Ang Xiao rubbed his chin. Causing trouble for the Sword Pavilion was a tireless joy for every Holy Sect Disciple, so he nodded decisively.
"Then I’ll take you in, fellow Daoist."
Hearing this, Lü Yang quickly said, "Be that as it may, there should still be some time before the Human World opens..."
"No matter."
Ang Xiao waved his hand. "I’ve been there before. I left a back door back in the day. We can get in directly."
At these words, Lü Yang couldn’t help but reflect, ’This naturally evil old beast has prepared so many disgusting contingency plans and trump cards.’
’But this particular plan does have its merits.’