Chapter 859 - 854: Lü Yang’s Trump Card
The Netherworld, an ineffable realm.
Before the River of Soul stood a towering palace, bringing a faint, spark-like vitality to this deadened wasteland where no life should exist.
At a glance, ordinary Cultivators and even Perfected Lords would only find this palace utterly unremarkable, devoid of anything special. However, only those with profound Cultivation would be shocked by its existence. Anyone below a Great Perfected Lord did not even possess the qualifications to appreciate its Profound Mysterious.
Why was this so?
Simply because it used the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood as its pillars and beams, the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth as its ramparts, the Fruit of Pewter Metal as its embellishments, and the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire to illuminate its chambers.
Finally, the Fruit of Long-Flow Water provided it with Mighty Power.
With the Five Elements complete, it achieved unfettered Perfection.
In all the world, only this Enlightenment Hidden Profound Mansion could dwell in the Netherworld and harbor the living. Anything else would be crushed by the Mighty Power of the Netherworld.
RUMBLE...
Right then, as if sensing something, the magnificent palace suddenly emitted the sound of shifting doors. Billowing Profound Light cascaded from its eaves.
The next second, the palace doors slowly opened. A figure shrouded in mist paced out and stood before the hall, looking up at the Current World. Soon, the great battle occurring in the Pure Land was reflected in those exposed, narrow eyes, as numerous scenes flashed past his gaze one by one.
"...Interesting."
Ang Xiao observed the changes in the Current World, his gaze shifting slightly. "The Dao of Arcane Body? No, it’s just a purely powerful Dharma Body... How did he do it?
"Is this... an Outer Dao True Monarch?
"Can a shallow pond really produce a True Dragon?"
As his thoughts raced, Ang Xiao’s eyes suddenly narrowed. "The current Pure Land... seems to only have the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadows left? Are the other Bodhisattvas tied up and unable to split their attention?"
This seemed to be an opportunity.
Regarding the Five Elements Fruit Positions, although he only controlled the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood, he had laid out plans for the other four element Fruit Positions. He just hadn’t found an opportunity to seize them.
Originally, his plan was to wait for the millennial Tribulation, when the Immortal Pivot, the Star Palace, and the Profound Wall would be locked in an inextricable battle. Once they were mutually crippled and powerless to stop him, he would take the opportunity to emerge, collect the four element Fruit Positions, and then make a bid for the position of Lord of the Netherworld... However, doing so inherently carried risks.
After all, collecting all four simultaneously was equivalent to fighting a war on multiple fronts.
Although he considered himself number one in the world, the possibility of a total disaster was not entirely zero. Thus, it would definitely be better if he could collect one or two Fruit Positions in advance.
He hadn’t done this before because there was no opportunity.
Since he was in the Netherworld, the strength he could exert was highly limited. However, with the Pure Land currently so empty and vulnerable... the situation was entirely different.
He pondered, "Should I give it a try?
"Although it will expose my identity, as long as the fact that I reversed the Earth of Chen remains unexposed, there won’t be any issues even if I collect a Fruit."
After all, as long as the Earth of Chen was not exposed, the others wouldn’t be able to determine exactly which Fruit Positions he was targeting. Consequently, they wouldn’t be able to set traps in advance to counter him. That way, he would still have plenty of room to maneuver... Compared to obtaining two Fruit Positions, exposing his identity was actually harmless.
He hesitated. "However..."
Ang Xiao frowned deeply and reconsidered, "Once I make a move, if someone later discovers the secret of the Earth of Chen, I might be put in a passive position."
If the Earth of Chen remained unexposed, he could safely sit back and watch from a position of absolute advantage.
But if his intervention exposed his identity, subsequently leading to the revelation that the Earth of Chen had been reversed, it would be a classic case of losing more than he bargained for.
He questioned himself, "Should I take the gamble?"
Ang Xiao fell into deep contemplation.
For a time, within the vast Enlightenment Hidden Profound Mansion, the lights and colors of the Five Elements rotated alternately, mutually generating and overcoming each other, transforming into a hazy spread of Illusionary Colors.
Meanwhile, in the Profound Spirit Realm.
The Vajra Realm Treasure-Born Tathagata stepped in, completely disregarding Lü Yang’s home-field advantage. Boundless Buddha Light spread out with him at the center.
In an instant, ancient temples and monasteries rose from the ground. Flocks of monastics and Novice Monks emerged in the Buddha Light, spreading like spilled quicksilver across the lands of the Profound Spirit Realm. As for the areas invaded by the Buddha Light, Lü Yang immediately lost his connection to them, as if they had sunk into the ocean like stones.
RUMBLE!
The agonized wails of the Profound Spirit Realm echoed in his ears. Clearly, the Vajra Realm Treasure-Born Tathagata was digging up the roots of the Profound Spirit Realm, intending to forcefully occupy it completely!
"It’s all my fault..." The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm had finally caught his breath. Slumped in front of the shattered palace of the Celestial Court, pain surfaced in his eyes. "I brought in the foreign enemy!"
Facing the forceful occupation by the Bhagavat, the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm was completely helpless. The Fate Fruit Position he once took pride in was completely useless. He could only watch helplessly as the Profound Spirit Realm was ravaged. This turned his eyes red. Finally, his gaze shifted to Lü Yang, who was surrounded by anomalies.
He prayed inwardly, "You have to do your best...
"Although I don’t know your exact background, you are the only one who can save the Profound Spirit Realm now!"
At the same time, Lü Yang made his move.
He spread his hands, and four starlight-like Illusionary Colors instantly appeared in his palms. Astonishingly, they were four Five Elements Star Marrows that could be used to elevate the Profound Mysterious!
He thought, "I exchanged for five of them back then, originally intending to use them on the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder. After all, the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder encompasses the Five Elements Imagery. Using one Star Marrow to boost each element would definitely yield extraordinary results... It’s a pity that the Wood Element is still incomplete right now. Elevating the other four elements alone might leave behind significant hidden dangers."
Among the Five Elements, the most important thing was balance.
Only through balance could a cycle be born, allowing them to mutually generate and overcome each other. If a single element was too strong or too weak, it would cause the cycle to collapse.
However, Lü Yang quickly made a decision.
He resolved, "I’ll strengthen it first and worry about the rest later! Hidden dangers can be remedied afterward. If I don’t go all out to improve right now, I’m afraid I won’t even get the chance to do so later!"
With this thought in mind, Lü Yang instantly tossed the four Star Marrows into the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder. Simultaneously, the blessings of the Profound Spirit Realm surged over, making this Fruit Position increasingly dazzling. Right then, Lü Yang seemed to see an illusory shadow of light within the Fruit Position, but it vanished in a flash, failing to truly take shape.
He wondered, "Was that... the Fruit Position Profound Mysterious?"
Lü Yang’s heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, as the Position of the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder grew higher and higher, birthing a Fruit Position Profound Mysterious was practically just a hair’s breadth away.
However, Fruit Position Profound Mysterious also varied in quality.
He concluded, "I must handle this matter personally. Otherwise, if I just leave it to the Five Elements cycle to naturally give birth to a Profound Mysterious, it might not meet my requirements."
For this reason, he had to secure the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood!
The next second, Lü Yang gripped the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder as if he had grasped the authority of Heaven and Earth. After all, this Fruit Position had now become the center of the Profound Spirit Realm.
He thought, "This is quite a timely coincidence."
Thunder was the pivot of Yin and Yang, the foundation that commanded all things. Empowered by the Profound Spirit Realm at this moment, All Phenomena within Heaven and Earth followed in absolute obedience, perfectly matching the imagery of the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder!
In an instant, thunder roared across Heaven and Earth!
"I wield Yin and Yang; the Tribulations of Heaven and Earth are in my palm!"
Lü Yang spoke with absolute divine authority. His Dao voice rolled through the air, accompanied by rumbling thunder wherever it passed. The territories invaded by the Vajra Realm Treasure-Born Tathagata instantly burst with flashes of lightning!
RUMBLE!
Myriads of thunderbolts poured down, immediately suppressing the expansion of the Buddha Light. However, seeing this, the Vajra Realm Treasure-Born Tathagata showed no signs of worry.
"Amitabha... Benefactor, why put up the desperate struggle of a cornered beast?"
He merely smiled slightly, showing no haste. Instead, he simply solidified the territories he had already occupied, actually shifting to fight a war of attrition with Lü Yang.
Seeing this, Lü Yang immediately furrowed his brows, "This won’t do. Under circumstances where I can’t go all out, the blessings of the Profound Spirit Realm are crucial to me. Once he completely occupies the Profound Spirit Realm, I’ll have absolutely no chance of winning... I have to find a way to break this deadlock, otherwise, I’m just sitting here waiting for death."
But the Vajra Realm Treasure-Born Tathagata was too steady.
He completely refused to come out and face Lü Yang head-on. He simply holed up in the mortal Buddha Country he had constructed, moving steadily and cautiously to slowly erode the Profound Spirit Realm.
However, Lü Yang quickly came up with a solution.
He thought ruthlessly, "You forced me to use my trump card."
At this thought, Lü Yang immediately calmed his mind and let out a resounding voice. However, it wasn’t directed at the Profound Spirit Realm, but at the Immortal Pivot. The content was extremely simple:
"Ang Xiao! Make your move!
"You don’t actually think nobody knows you secretly reversed the Earth Yin and Yang, do you? If you don’t act now, you’ll lose your chance to break through to the Nascent Soul!"
Meanwhile, in the Netherworld.
Within the Enlightenment Hidden Profound Mansion, Ang Xiao, who had been gleefully watching the chaos unfold from a safe distance, stumbled and nearly fell into the River of Soul.
"Huh!?"