Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

“Can anyone tell me what’s happening? Why does Prodigy Lu’s aura feel stronger than before?”

The citizens of Muxue City couldn’t discern Lu Yang’s exact cultivation realm. They could only vaguely sense the shift in atmosphere.

The city’s garrison commander wore a grave expression, his voice quivering. “Hundreds of years ago, I once saw a great demon emperor from afar. It swallowed an entire city in one gulp. Later, I learned it was at the Intermediate Transcendent Tribulation Stage. But the danger I sense from Lu Yang far exceeds that of the great demon emperor.”

“Could he be at the Advanced... or even Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage now?!”

“That’s right! It must be that his cultivation happened to fluctuate to the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage.”

Meng Jingzhou gnashed his teeth as he watched from below. Bullshit. His cultivation fluctuating to the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage? When Old Lu charged into a bloody battle with Yang Kongtong, he simply seized an opportunity to execute the Animal Form Fist to borrow power.

Lu Yang rolled his shoulders, Qingfeng Sword in hand as he approached Yang Kongtong step by step.

“Senior Yang, you hit me pretty hard just now. Now it’s my turn to reciprocate the favor!”

Lu Yang transformed into a rainbow, and a brilliant light burst forth. In the next instant, he appeared behind Yang Kongtong and sheathed his sword.

Blood blossomed across Yang Kongtong’s chest.

He turned his head in disbelief to look at Lu Yang behind him. A single sword has pierced my chest. What kind of peerless sword technique is this?! Even Liu Ningxuan, the creator of the Silent Annihilation Sword Technique, was not better than this!

“Carefree Step!”

Yang Kongtong vanished from the spot. Having entered the heartless state, both his Killing Heart Scripture and the Carefree Step had ascended to new heights. There is no way Lu Yang can keep up with my speed.

Mu Baiyi and the other two turned pale. None of them had seen how Yang Kongtong vanished. If the three of them were in battle, their demise would be inevitable.

Yang Kongtong turned into a peerless assassin, appearing above Lu Yang with his aura concealed. With an ice dagger in hand, he aimed straight at Lu Yang’s crown.

To Yang Kongtong’s surprise, Lu Yang looked up and locked eyes with him, as if he had known all along that Yang Kongtong would appear there. Lu Yang thrust his sword again, shattering the ice dagger and penetrating Yang Kongtong’s right hand.

Yang Kongtong pulled back sharply. He activated the Heavenly Mountain Holy Land’s Snow Lotus secret art to heal his wounds rapidly, then vanished once more with the Carefree Step.

Is it a coincidence?

Yang Kongtong refused to believe it. He kept circling Lu Yang, seeking an opening, but Lu Yang raised his hand and unleashed another sword qi. Yang Kongtong abruptly halted in his tracks to dodge it, only for a second sword qi to follow, carving a wound so deep on his back that his bone was visible.

My prized Carefree Step is actually useless against Lu Yang!

Lu Yang’s spiritual consciousness was unprecedentedly powerful. He could see every move Yang Kongtong made. Although he couldn’t keep up with Yang Kongtong’s footwork, his sword qi moved with incredible speed.

Since the Carefree Step was ineffective, Yang Kongtong changed his strategy. He grasped the Ice Soul Great Spear, its thrusts mimicking a dragon as he executed the Shaohao Spear Technique.

Clang, clang, clang, clang.

Spear clashed against sword. Once again, Yang Kongtong felt that oppressive pressure from Lu Yang. The oppressive pressure I felt when Lu Yang’s cultivation surged wasn’t an illusion—it was my intuition!

Setting aside the Incipient Dao Fruit, Yang Kongtong himself was a peerless powerhouse at the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage. Furthermore, his repertoire of skills had drawn upon the strengths of countless schools, integrating countless renowned ancient moves into his style.

Yet now, I’m feeling pressure from a junior also at the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage. This is inconceivable.

No, wait. I’ve experienced this feeling of overwhelming suppression by someone in the same cultivation realm back in the ancient era. It was from those who had been unbeatable at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage and successfully became immortals!

What kind of joke is this?! Even if one’s cultivation rises, it must be matched with the corresponding combat experience. Increasing one’s cultivation without the skill to drive it is like a child holding a blade, unable to use even half its power.

But what’s the deal with this junior Lu Yang? It’s as if he is already familiar with Transcendent Tribulation combat methods. Facing him is like facing a veteran Transcendent Tribulation cultivator. His moves are measured, spells and sword techniques flowing seamlessly.

Even if his cultivation occasionally fluctuates to the Transcendent Tribulation Stage while he’s at the Void Refinement Stage, allowing him to gain combat experience, it still can’t produce such results.

But where did he gain such vast combat experience?!

Yang Kongtong had lived through the Battle of the Great Era in ancient times, where glorious prodigies abounded. In fact, he was one of the main characters. He thought he had gotten used to seeing all kinds of situations, yet Lu Yang’s circumstances still defied his understanding.

The citizens of Muxue City didn’t understand why Lu Yang had suddenly become so powerful, but even they could see that Yang Kongtong was now at a disadvantage. His wounds kept multiplying, and the Snow Lotus secret art couldn’t heal them as quickly as he sustained them.

With hope reborn from despair, Muxue City erupted in cheers, chanting Lu Yang’s name loudly.

Xue Shilou watched Lu Yang’s sword moves with a fiery gaze. Every sword strike left him spellbound, each surpassing his understanding.

“So this is what it means to be a sword cultivator...”

The rake and shovel techniques he had been comprehending earnestly surfaced in his mind. Xue Shilou felt a sudden spark of enlightenment, and his thoughts became more active than ever before.

“Junior, you may have had some fortuitous encounter that granted you Transcendent Tribulation combat experience, but the gap between the Transcendent Tribulation Stage and an Incipient Dao Fruit is beyond your imagination!” Yang Kongtong had assumed that Lu Yang’s cultivation had fluctuated to the Apex Transcendent Tribulation Stage by sheer chance, intending to stall until Lu Yang’s cultivation realm dropped again.

But at this rate, if I delay any longer, I’ll be the one dying!

A half-immortal held an absolute advantage over Transcendent Tribulation cultivators. Yang Kongtong had never cared about Transcendent Tribulation cultivators. The two vice-creed leaders of the Heartless Creed were at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage, and he had felt nothing when they were captured by Great Xia. He viewed them as expendable materials, less important to him than finding his left arm in the Extreme North.

“Sorrow.”

Yang Kongtong activated the Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit. An aura of sorrow spread, and before long, the city of Muxue below was filled with cries of lamentation. Mortals and cultivators alike wept. Even Mu Baiyi and the other two broke down in tears, losing all will to fight as they became lambs awaiting slaughter.

In contrast, Lu Yang’s eyes gleamed brightly, as if they harbored two swords within. He was completely unaffected by the Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit.

Lu Yang naturally wouldn’t be affected. The power he had borrowed came from his immortal body in the Buddhist Kingdom. He was now essentially a clone of that immortal body. Unless Yang Kongtong used the Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit, it couldn’t touch him.

“How is this possible?!” Yang Kongtong was so flabbergasted that he nearly slipped out of his heartless state.

Unlike the more straightforward attacks of the Space Incipient Dao Fruit and the Vajra Incipient Dao Fruit, the Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit was practically impossible to guard against. This had been proven many times in ancient battles, where more than one or two half-immortals had fallen to it. In fact, he could even make half-immortals fall in love with him.

“No, there’s someone else inside you!” Although Yang Kongtong couldn’t manipulate Lu Yang’s emotions, he could sense them. From what he had perceived, Lu Yang harbored two distinct emotions. The most likely explanation is that someone else resides within him!

Lu Yang looked at Yang Kongtong with a hint of surprise. The Seven Emotions Incipient Dao Fruit really shouldn’t be underestimated.

The corners of his mouth curled into a cruel smile. “Why do you have to know so much, Senior Yang? That means I can’t let you live anymore.”