Chapter 725 - 720: Alliance Broken, Falling Out
Of course, Lü Yang hadn’t expected Progenitor Tingyou and the others to actually stop Ang Xiao. The power gap between them was simply too vast; if they had somehow managed it, he would have been worried it was a trap.
Besides, he didn’t need them to truly stop Ang Xiao.
He only needed to delay Ang Xiao for a single instant. The moment it took to execute a profound technique was all the time he needed to finish his business.
Human World.
Lü Yang’s figure moved like a flash of lightning, instantly appearing inside the pavilion where he saw the still unconscious Zhu Xuanhao and Star Monarch of Qinghe.
Without a shred of hesitation, Lü Yang acted on pure instinct.
BOOM!
With a single palm strike, Lü Yang obliterated the two, turning them to fine dust. An endless stream of Illusionary Colors and Spiritual Qi burst forth, all of which he immediately collected.
At almost the exact same moment, another thunderous crash echoed.
Ang Xiao tore through space and arrived, only to see the last wisp of Spirit Light vanishing into Lü Yang’s palm and the Storage Bag that was already stuffed to the brim.
"Animal...!"
The next second, their eyes met.
Without a moment’s hesitation, in the instant their eyes locked, Ang Xiao struck. An infinite plume of smoke billowed from their body, instantly filling the space between Heaven and Earth.
The smoke was a manifestation of the profound mysteries of the Veil of the Trees. It carried a powerful obfuscating effect, descending indiscriminately upon the small space around Lü Yang and leaving him no room to escape. His eyes, usually swirling with a thousand thoughts, suddenly went dull, as if he had instantly forgotten what to do next.
The alliance shattered. A complete betrayal.
Ang Xiao’s hand snaked out, reaching for the Storage Bag Lü Yang had just seized. At the same time, Ang Xiao intended to wipe Lü Yang’s memory of the bag.
’And just like that, this Storage Bag will be mine!’
But in the next instant, Lü Yang’s eyes suddenly cleared. The Rebirth Appearance materialized behind him, absorbing all the effects of the Veil of the Trees.
’What do future injuries have to do with my present self?’
"Back off!"
His mind clear once more, Lü Yang lashed out with a kick, colliding squarely with Ang Xiao’s outstretched palm. For a moment, they both staggered.
’Hm?’
Lü Yang was inwardly astonished. ’Physical combat is my strong suit, and I held nothing back with that kick. I thought I’d at least send them flying.’
In reality, however, while Ang Xiao was at a disadvantage, they weren’t sent flying. Instead, their feet seemed rooted to the ground as they withstood the Mighty Power of his physical body. The webbing on their pale hand split open, but no bones were broken or tendons torn, and a second later, the Veil of the Trees erased the wound.
Fortunately, Lü Yang hadn’t been banking everything on that one kick.
The next second, he slowly extended his palm and formed a Daoist Hand Seal. Streams of light gathered on his outstretched fingers, continuously tracing arcane runes.
Myriad runes converged at his fingertip, forming a single point.
This single point of light was a dim, grayish-black, its luster obscure. Yet, the moment Ang Xiao’s eyes fell upon it, a powerful premonition seized them.
Utter annihilation! Absolute terror!
Though it was merely a point of light the size of a thumb, it caused the smoke around Lü Yang—the manifestation of the Veil of the Trees’ profound mysteries—to recede before weakening and collapsing entirely.
This was an irreversible change.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death; formation, stasis, destruction, and emptiness. Just as all people are fated to die and even the Outer Realm will one day perish, this point of light represented absolute annihilation.
Tribulation Evil Profound Light!
In a flash, Ang Xiao’s reaction was incredibly fast. The dispersed Veil of the Trees suddenly collapsed inward, converging upon their palm.
Lü Yang sensed it clearly. He knew what Ang Xiao would do next. It was the same tactic they had used against True Monarch Gangxing in his Previous Life: use the ultimate power of the Veil of the Trees to forcibly block his memory of the Tribulation Evil Profound Light, thereby erasing it from existence on a physical level.
Had he been unprepared, he would have suffered a devastating blow.
But since he knew Ang Xiao had such a trick up their sleeve, how could he be unprepared? He was already a step ahead!
His lips parted, and a resonant incantation boomed forth:
"A light that leaves sun and moon unlit! A dawn that leaves Heaven and Earth in darkness!"
The next second, a brilliant light erupted!
At that moment, another phantasmal figure emerged behind Lü Yang: the Past Dust Appearance. A lamp flame appeared on its fingertip, pulsing with vibrant light that pierced through the smoky haze!
Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire!
The timing of this move was perfect. It caught the exact moment Ang Xiao was retracting the Veil of the Trees, and the raging flames left them with nowhere to hide.
At almost the same instant, Lü Yang thrust forth the Tribulation Evil Profound Light in his hand.
This was a killing blow that could only be conceived after the Rebirth Appearance had shouldered a sufficient amount of damage. Its power was far beyond what could be measured in mere numbers.
It operated on a unique principle!
At that moment, Ang Xiao clearly sensed the dim light had locked onto them through their karmic links, forcing a vision into their mind’s eye.
It was a vision of their future.
The Rebirth Appearance represents the future. Therefore, the Tribulation Evil Profound Light it catalyzed wasn’t attacking the Ang Xiao of the present, but the Ang Xiao of the future!
’I can’t block it...’
In that instant, Ang Xiao understood everything. ’This is an attack from the future—what could possibly block it? Even if I erased it with the Veil of the Trees, when that fated moment arrives, this Tribulation Evil Profound Light will still follow my karmic links, manifest from nothing, and not rest until it strikes me down!’
In a sense, they had already been hit!
The clash unfolding before them was merely an insignificant formality. The final outcome was already set in stone: they would inevitably be struck by the Tribulation Evil Profound Light!
’My Fruit of Great-Forest Wood is not suited for dealing with this kind of technique... and he also has the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire!’
Ang Xiao’s thoughts raced. ’Every art has its specialty. To counter this kind of technique, the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal or the Fruit of Rampart Earth would be far more suitable.’
’The Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal could sever the future that has been targeted.’
’The Fruit of Rampart Earth could alter the karmic connection that has been struck.’
’But I am of the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood, and he got the first strike with the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, which has a slight advantage against me. Facing this attack, I’m in a rather tight spot.’
BOOM!
Guided by its karmic tether, the dim light completely submerged Ang Xiao’s figure. The boundless radiance kicked up a visible storm, shredding the smoke around Ang Xiao as if by a thousand cuts. Wherever it passed, the jade palaces and exquisite towers of the Human World began to collapse!
The transformation was terrifying to behold.
The Human World had once been a realm of sky-spanning Cloud Seas and countless Immortal Palaces. But now, the areas swept by the Tribulation Evil Profound Light were coated in a thick layer of dust.
It was as if countless eons had passed in a single instant. The once-resplendent golden buildings had decayed and crumbled, becoming nothing but a field of ruins.
And this was merely the aftershock.
The true focus of the attack was, after all, Ang Xiao. At this moment, the dim light was peeling away the billowing smoke, gradually revealing a slender figure.
Previously, Ang Xiao had been completely shrouded in smoke, revealing at most a pair of slender, pale hands. Now, however, as the smoke was stripped away, more of their form became visible: tall boots, the fluttering hem of a robe, and a jade belt at their waist.
But that was all.
The most important parts—their upper body and face—remained hidden. The androgynous robes that were visible still made it impossible to discern their gender.
The next second, the smoke reconverged.
"Haaa..."
The sound of a deep breath spread out slowly. The billowing smoke once again concealed Ang Xiao, but it couldn’t hide the dim, dark light that pulsed faintly from within!
’They’re injured!’
Lü Yang saw it clearly, and joy welled up inside him. Even the Veil of the Trees couldn’t erase the damage, which meant the wound from the Tribulation Evil Profound Light was far worse than expected!
’Did I win?’
As the thought crossed his mind, Lü Yang prepared to put away the Storage Bag in his hand. He subconsciously clenched his fingers, intending to feel its weight.
And then he froze.
His fingers had closed on empty air.
’My Storage Bag?’
He looked over and saw that, at some point, the Storage Bag had appeared in Ang Xiao’s hand. Their narrow eyes held a hint of a smile as they stared right at him.
’Are you kidding me? With my level of Cultivation and Abilities, if I hadn’t diverted some of the profound power of the Veil of the Trees to snatch the bag, did you really think I’d be helpless?’
’I might have been injured in the process, but so what?’
’A minor wound is nothing compared to the treasure!’
’Let’s see what you tried to hoard for yourself...’
Ang Xiao sneered inwardly and opened the Storage Bag. Their brow furrowed slightly. ’Is this... a piece of Five Elements Star Marrow and a drop of Sun and Moon Profound Juice?’
’They’re Rare Treasures, I suppose.’
’But... are they really *that* precious?’
At this thought, Ang Xiao looked up, only to see Lü Yang calmly and unhurriedly pull a much larger, fuller Storage Bag from his pocket.
Ang Xiao: "..."