Chapter 698 - 693: Ang Xiao
The Netherworld, a place beyond description.
Suddenly, Ang Xiao, who had been deep in Meditation, snapped open his eyes. He gasped, then subconsciously peered into the distance toward the Current World.
’Is someone trying to harm me again?’
’Something isn’t right... This time, it’s enough to make my heart pound in my chest. Fortune? Is the mastermind behind the scenes making a move against me again so soon?’
What kind of grudge is this?
At this thought, Ang Xiao grew even more certain that the so-called mastermind was Fortune. After all, only Fortune held such a deep-seated grudge against him.
The question was, what kind of scheme had Fortune prepared to actually give him a true sense of crisis? This wasn’t something a cultivator in the Early Stage of Golden Core should be capable of. It was clear Fortune’s plot had struck a vital weakness. But of all his backup plans, just how many did Fortune know about?
’He can’t possibly know about all of them.’
The moment this thought surfaced, Ang Xiao found it so absurd that he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But gradually, his laughter died down.
’Is it really impossible?’
’The setback Overseas was understandable. After all, Fortune had visited the Azure Sun Cultivation Realm before, so it was plausible he could lay that trap.’
But what about the others?
’Summon, the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva, and my Earth-Walking Avatar... of these three backup plans, Fortune couldn’t possibly know about the last two.’
Ang Xiao sat up straight and began to ponder seriously. ’In that case, it must be Summon. After all, Summon is Overseas, a place Fortune has also been. It’s not impossible... Regardless, I should always overestimate my enemy. For now, I’ll operate under the assumption that Fortune has intelligence on Summon.’
With that, Ang Xiao immediately formed a Daoist Hand Seal.
He needed to verify his suspicions.
Almost simultaneously, Overseas, within the Earth Fire Sea Heart Furnace, Summon—who had just finished absorbing the original body’s karmic links—suddenly looked up at Lü Yang beside it and said:
’Someone’s coming.’
Lü Yang froze for a moment, then his eyes widened in shock.
’Who? Ang Xiao?!’
He had to admire Ang Xiao’s vigilance. They had only just made their move, yet Ang Xiao had already sensed something was amiss?
’Stall him.’
Lü Yang gave a nod and faded from view. Summon, meanwhile, concealed its Qi trace, even hiding its Grotto Heaven inside the Righteous Banner for complete isolation. It lowered its own Position to that of the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, then held the Spirit Ruins Blessed Land in its hands and silently began to channel its power.
Soon, within the Spirit Ruins Blessed Land.
Ang Xiao’s consciousness descended noiselessly. He quietly observed Summon and, without a second thought, cast a Veil of the Trees over it.
Next, he scanned his surroundings.
’Nothing seems out of place. Everything is normal.’
It was as if his paranoid nature had simply gotten the better of him and he was overthinking things... Yet the more normal everything appeared, the more a sense of unease gnawed at Ang Xiao, impossible to placate.
’Something is still wrong!’
Ang Xiao rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had absolute confidence in his Spiritual Sense. There was no smoke without fire. Something had definitely gone wrong somewhere!
In that moment, he displayed the true style of a Saint Sect True Monarch.
He would disregard the facts.
Whether there was an abnormality or not, he would draw his conclusion first! ’I’ve decided the problem lies with Summon, and the very fact that Summon shows no signs of abnormality means the problem is incredibly severe!’
’The Fruit of Long-Flow Water... I may have to give up on it!’
Ang Xiao’s heart sank. The pawn, Summon, was the key to his plot to acquire the Fruit of Long-Flow Water, and now it might have been compromised. His mood soured instantly.
He could already feel the faint stirrings of a crisis.
’With the Fruit of Long-Flow Water compromised, what about the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire? If Fortune is truly the one orchestrating this, then there are bound to be countless new Variables affecting the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire too.’
’Should I... make my move early? Seize the Fruit of Pewter Metal and the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth first?’
’That way, at least I won’t suffer a drop in my Realm.’
Unconsciously, Ang Xiao’s train of thought was now overlapping with his self from his Previous Life. In both instances, startled by a crisis, he planned to launch a lightning strike to secure a safety net.
Indecisiveness would only lead to greater chaos.
In the next instant, Ang Xiao withdrew his consciousness and arrived at the Pure Land in the West, quickly establishing a connection with the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva.
However, this life was different from his Previous Life.
In his Previous Life, Lü Yang had been completely unaware of Ang Xiao’s trump card involving the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva, which was how Ang Xiao had succeeded. This time, however, he knew of the scheme.
Not only did he know, he had even used Yuan Tu to leak the information to the Pure Land!
The result was that when Ang Xiao projected his consciousness into the Pure Land, he was horrified to find that the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva had, at some point, been imprisoned!
’It’s been exposed!’
In that instant, despite his formidable Dao Heart, Ang Xiao felt a chill as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss. A single thought surfaced in his mind:
’Which Master of Dao is trying to harm me?!’
Yes, a Master of Dao!
Who else but a Master of Dao could have seen through his greatest trump card in advance? Could it be the Bhagavat? ’That’s right, the Bhagavat is the most likely culprit!’
After all, the Bhagavat was "universally acclaimed," as they say.
His own actions had been a constant dance on the edge of the Bhagavat’s tolerance. The possibility that the Bhagavat had simply lost patience and decided to wade into the pond to crush a small fry like him was not zero!
In fact, it was quite high!
But he soon came to his senses. If it were truly a Master of Dao, why would they resort to such petty tricks? A single great hand could have snatched him up and Refined him in an instant.
After a moment’s silence, Ang Xiao chose not to immediately possess the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva for a desperate struggle. Instead, he silently withdrew his consciousness.
"Calm down. The situation hasn’t hit rock bottom yet."
"When you get right down to it, it’s nothing much. It’s just... the Fruit of Pewter Metal, the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth, the Fruit of Long-Flow Water, and the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire have all inexplicably gone wrong..."
As his voice trailed off, a profound silence fell over the Netherworld.
"...FUCK!"
The next second, Ang Xiao slammed his palm on the desk before him, splitting it in two. Only then did he seem to vent the suffocating rage that had been building in his chest.
But his outburst did nothing to improve the situation.
After his outburst, however, Ang Xiao regained his composure. He began to seriously contemplate a way out of this predicament, sparks flying as he rubbed his fingertips together.
’Where is the breaking point?’
’Since even the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva was exposed, there’s no longer any doubt. I have to assume all of my most important backup plans have been compromised.’
’Under these circumstances, how can I possibly win?’
Gradually, a vicious glint surfaced in Ang Xiao’s eyes. ’The Earth-Walking Avatar. That’s my only trump card, the one thing my opponent can’t plan against.’
’Because the Earth-Walking Avatar isn’t a scheme or a calculation—it’s pure, unadulterated power. As long as I still have it, I have a chance to launch a final, desperate counterattack... Which means, if my opponent isn’t a complete fool, they will do everything in their power to force me to use it and thus secure their victory.’
The answer, then, was simple.
’Whether the person scheming against me is Fortune or not, there’s an eighty percent chance they’re from the Saint Sect. If so, they must be targeting me for the sake of some greater prize.’
’Targeting me is just a means to an end, a part of their process.’
’Therefore, what I must do is endure... No matter what the mastermind does, I must keep my cool and not be the one to use the Earth-Walking Avatar first.’
’Only when the mastermind reveals their true objective can I use the Earth-Walking Avatar for a decapitation strike... That is the only way I have any hope of turning the tables!’
At this thought, Ang Xiao actually smiled.
"How many years has it been? To think that I would encounter such a monumental crisis just as my grand plan was on the verge of success. One can truly never underestimate the people of this world."
He grew even more excited.
The old tension of dancing on a knife’s edge, of walking the line between life and death, surged through him once more. It reignited his fighting spirit, which had lain dormant for far too long, and brought it roaring back to life.
"Since it has come to this... bring it on!"
Ang Xiao rose to his feet, a fierce and powerful emotion churning in his heart, bordering on fanaticism. And yet, his gaze grew colder and more rational than ever.
"Let us see whose schemes are superior—yours, or mine!"