novelraw Chapter 338: Third Meeting with Ang Xiao
Chapter 338: Third Meeting with Ang Xiao
Lü Yang admitted he had been flustered for a moment.
But the very next second, he regained his composure. It was like he always said: as long as his Immortal Spirit Body wasn’t the one being grabbed, any suffering was just his avatar’s problem.
"[Tribulation Wave]!"
That being said, Lü Yang still used the Divine Effect of [Dongming] to scan himself several times. He then took a few deep breaths before finally looking at Master Xiao Hai.
"It’s actually quite simple."
Without a change in expression, Lü Yang spun a lie, "I have some dealings with Mu Changsheng. He was willing to lend me his Abilities, so what’s so strange about that?"
"Is that so?"
Master Xiao Hai—or rather, Ang Xiao, wearing his skin—smiled faintly. He was clearly skeptical, all but saying the words "I don’t believe you" out loud.
"That [No Heaven] is certainly interesting, but that’s all it is. All True Monarchs will not allow Mu Changsheng to ascend his throne with it. Or rather, anyone can ascend but him. His path has been a dead end from the start, so why would you befriend him, fellow Daoist?"
Ang Xiao’s eyes were filled with appraisal.
He had long been curious about this fellow Daoist who had not only discovered his identity and plot, but had also crossed blades with him from afar and come out slightly ahead.
But Lü Yang did not answer.
’I’m not a Perfected Lord, so I don’t know many of these secrets at all. The more I say, the more mistakes I’ll make. Better to stay silent and play the part of a master!’
"Aren’t you going to answer, fellow Daoist?"
Seeing Lü Yang remain silent with that profound and composed expression, Ang Xiao also smiled. "Or is it that you don’t dare answer casually?"
Lü Yang smiled without a word.
"I previously thought you were a reigning Perfected Lord, but now it seems I overestimated you. Are you a reincarnated Perfected Lord, similar to that Fortune fellow?"
"Speaking of which, there is one more thing I’m curious about."
Ang Xiao was in no hurry. He slowly stood up, Lü Yang’s reflection in his eyes. "I’ve been watching you engage in Combat for some time now."
"From your fight with the Chengxian Human Immortal to your slaughter within the [South Celestial Gate], you have used [Guan Chou Sea], [Essence of All Flowers], [Master of Weapons], [Wan Jin Gong], two Void Divine Techniques, and two Innate Divine Techniques. And yet, in the end, you only managed a Fake Holding of a Great Trueman."
"This is very interesting."
At this, Ang Xiao narrowed his eyes, as if he had spotted prime prey:
"I didn’t realize it before, because I thought you were hiding your Innate Ability. After all, both the Second Divine Technique and Three Divine Techniques place one at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment, so there’s nothing strange about that."
"But now, something is wrong."
"If you had one more Innate Ability, on top of the four Abilities I just mentioned, then with the boost from Five Divine Techniques, you should be at Foundation Establishment Perfection."
"So where is your Realm?"
"Fellow Daoist, where is your Innate Ability?"
"As far as I know, there isn’t a single Dao Lineage under Heaven that refines its Innate Ability last. The only exception is a being born of Heaven and Earth..."
At this, Ang Xiao abruptly stopped, the smile of a predator who has cornered its prey spreading across his face:
"You aren’t an Immortal Spirit, are you, fellow Daoist?"
Lü Yang continued to smile without a word.
Even though Ang Xiao had exposed some of his secrets, he wasn’t flustered in the least. He had noticed that Ang Xiao was only attacking him with words.
’You’re a Perfected Lord. Where are your techniques?’
’Even if you won’t use Soul Searching, you could at least try to control me, right?’
He recalled how overwhelming Ang Xiao’s presence had been in his Previous Life. It was something he was completely powerless against. But the Ang Xiao of today was different.
’He’s strange, yes, but not strong enough... That’s right, what level is Master Xiao Hai? A mere Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. How could he possibly bear the True Monarch’s Mighty Power? The Ang Xiao from my Previous Life was so terrifying because he used the Chongguang Evil Corpse as a vessel. This time, he’s just a pewter spearhead that looks like silver...’
All flash, no substance!
Otherwise, why would he waste time with so much nonsense? He could just reach into my Dantian, grab the Myriad-Soul Banner, and instantly refine it. Wouldn’t that be far more direct?
Why hasn’t he done it?
Is it because he doesn’t want to?
’No, it’s because he *can’t*!’
Realizing this, Lü Yang grew even more composed. After a moment’s thought, he decided to drop a bombshell. "You came looking for me specifically, fellow Daoist, but you’ve fallen into someone else’s trap."
Chong Guang’s trap!
’There are no good people in the Stain Sect... Master Chong Guang... Ptooey! That old bastard Chong Guang! He told me to stay in the [South Celestial Gate] a little longer, but he was clearly setting me up!’
Lü Yang was a hundred percent certain that Chong Guang had used some method to predict that Ang Xiao would follow him. That’s why he deliberately made a deal, getting him to stay in the [South Celestial Gate] for a while and use him as bait. Now that Ang Xiao had taken the hook, Chong Guang had most likely already made his move.
However, to Lü Yang’s surprise,
After hearing his bombshell, Ang Xiao showed no sign of surprise. Instead, he laughed. "Fallen into someone’s trap? Are you talking about Xue Feihong, fellow Daoist?"
"Speaking of which, I haven’t settled the score with you over that matter."
"You telling Xue Feihong my identity has caused me quite a bit of trouble. We have no grudge against each other, which puts me in a difficult position."
Lü Yang continued to smile without a word.
Ang Xiao sighed at this, knowing that Lü Yang had seen through his tough facade. He really didn’t have many powerful techniques at his disposal right now.
’This body... is still too weak.’
It was already a great feat to hide his presence within a mere Early Stage of Foundation Establishment body using the Veil of the Trees. Any more exertion, and the Dharma Body would likely disintegrate.
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t even Lü Yang’s match right now.
Otherwise, why would he be wasting his breath here? Wouldn’t it be simpler to capture him first and interrogate him slowly, rather than probing with one sentence after another? He simply lacked the strength, though he had the will.
Realizing this, Ang Xiao stopped beating around the bush.
"Let’s make a deal. If I’m not mistaken, you want this body to attain the [Fruit of Pomegranate Wood] and break through to the Late Stage of Golden Core, correct? I can help you."
’He’s misunderstood...’
Lü Yang understood. In Ang Xiao’s eyes, he was undoubtedly a Perfected Lord. But if he was already a Perfected Lord, why would he be seeking other Fruits?
There was only one answer: the Late Stage of Golden Core!
Only the Late Stage of Golden Core required the support of other Fruits. Thus, in Ang Xiao’s eyes, he had become a Perfected Lord plotting to reach the Late Stage.
’It’s a logical conclusion...’
Thinking this, Lü Yang finally spoke. "And how do you plan to help me, fellow Daoist?"
Seeing Lü Yang break his silence, Ang Xiao smiled as well. "Besides the [Fruit of Pomegranate Wood], you also joined the Sword Pavilion. I assume you have your eyes on the [Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal] as well, don’t you?"
"However, that path is too slow, and the risks are too great."
Ang Xiao said softly, "The Early Stage of Golden Core and the Middle Stage of Golden Core both involve mastering a single element. To break through to the Late Stage, however, one must master two more elements."
"This is because mastering Three Elements allows for a cycle to form. If you only master two, the creation and destruction cycles will inevitably clash, leading to the destruction of your Grotto Heaven. But this is merely a Lower Grade method. The true Upper Grade method is to possess all Five Elements, which is the only way to glimpse the Realm of Perfection."
"But how difficult is it for one person to attain five Fruits?"
"Not only are there countless variables, but you also easily become the enemy of every other Perfected Lord. That is why, across the world, you can count the number of Great Perfected Lords at the Late Stage of Golden Core on one hand."
"And their methods are mostly peaceful."
"They don’t monopolize the Fruits. Instead, they cooperate with other Perfected Lords. Take Xue Feihong, for example... If I’m not mistaken, she must have used a similar method."
"After all, she is at the Middle Stage of Golden Core, and her Pocket World is Falling. If an ordinary Perfected Lord at the Early Stage of Golden Core were to cooperate with her, they could anchor their own Grotto Heaven to hers and gain the ’Falling’ effect. In the future, even if their thousand-year lifespan ends, they could quickly return and re-ascend with her help."
"However, how can cooperation between many people ever compare to the dictatorship of one?"
At this point, an arrogant look appeared on Ang Xiao’s face. "I don’t need to control all five Fruits myself. I just need to make it so that no one else can attain the other Fruits!"
"Reversing the [Earth of Chen] is my method."
"This way, without needing to attain the Fruits, I can still easily achieve Five Elements Perfection. I also won’t have to worry about partners betraying me. This is the true path of the Great Dao!"
Only then did he look at Lü Yang. "What do you think?"
"If you are interested, fellow Daoist, I can give you my reversal method for monopolizing the five Fruits. You only need to agree to one simple condition."
Lü Yang pondered for a moment. "...What condition?"
At this, a deep killing intent finally surfaced in Ang Xiao’s eyes. "I want to lure Xue Feihong into the [Netherworld] and kill her to eliminate any future trouble!"