Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

[Heaven and Earth Calm Dragon Tooth].

The Old Dragon Monarch had spent many years refining this technique, having already forged over three hundred Dharma Rings for it. It was a vicious move powerful enough to slice a Perfected Lord in two.

In Ang Xiao’s calculations, this was a checkmate.

However, Lü Yang had exceeded his expectations too many times. So, even though he was certain of Lü Yang’s demise, he did not let his guard down and continued to give it his all.

WHOOSH!

As the dragon teeth snapped shut, a billowing, ferocious aura surged from the massive jaws, whipping aside the tatters of Lü Yang’s robes and revealing his blood-soaked, mangled torso.

Yet even so, Lü Yang’s expression remained placid, without a ripple of disturbance. Even with his thoughts slowed several times over by Ang Xiao’s influence, his eyes showed no trace of anxiety. With a solemn expression, he parted his lips and uttered a single, resonant phrase, word by word:

"Heaven and Earth... have a righteous spirit!"

The calm voice echoed in everyone’s ears—soothing, far-reaching, and long, yet deep and powerful, as if someone were sounding an ancient horn.

Wherever the voice passed, all other sounds fell silent.

The roar of boiling Spiritual Qi, the clang of ringing swords, the patter of falling blood... at this moment, all were suppressed by that single voice.

Then, a light appeared.

At first, it was just a speck of the purest, most pristine profound-black brilliance. Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it spread out from Lü Yang’s body like a storm.

[Great Mighty Spirit Qi]!

The vast, surging light coalesced around Lü Yang, finally forming a Profound Ring covered in dense patterns and talismans, which shielded him securely at its center.

"AWOOO—!"

In an instant, the Old Dragon Monarch’s wretched howl echoed through the air. When his dragon teeth landed on the Profound Ring around Lü Yang, they had abruptly burst into flames!

Not only that, but his gums, tongue, and flesh all began to burn rapidly as if they had touched something unclean. They rotted under the black flames and scattered in the wind. Several of his once-perfectly-aligned dragon teeth even exploded, and in an instant, blood gushed forth like a fountain!

BOOM!

The next second, the Old Dragon Monarch’s head reared back. The interlocking upper and lower teeth, which had been like a guillotine, rapidly dissolved into a cloud of Illusionary Colors before dissipating completely.

At the same time, Lü Yang slowly exhaled.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

As he let out that breath, half of his body suddenly split open. Clearly visible holes appeared, gushing blood that rolled down his skin.

The Old Dragon Monarch had certainly taken a heavy blow from him, but he hadn’t escaped unscathed either. After all, he had only recently refined the [Great Mighty Spirit Qi]. In terms of raw power, it was actually weaker than the [Heaven and Earth Calm Dragon Tooth]. The only reason he’d managed to trade blows for a mutual injury was the element of surprise.

’But it’s enough.’

After clashing head-on with the Old Dragon Monarch, Lü Yang didn’t dare to pause for even a second. He immediately turned to face Ang Xiao, a slight smile finally gracing his lips.

World Purger Fei Xue had made her move.

Ang Xiao had originally planned to coordinate with the Old Dragon Monarch at the critical moment. Just now, however, World Purger Fei Xue had intervened to stop him.

"...Why?" Ang Xiao’s expression was cold.

"I should be the one asking you that," World Purger Fei Xue said coolly. "Helping that old relic from the Sword Pavilion return to the rank of Great Perfected Lord... what are you trying to do?"

"..."

Ang Xiao said no more.

His goal from the very beginning had been to kill Lü Yang, allow the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] to return, and subsequently become a Great Perfected Lord again. Everything else was disposable.

As for True Monarch Gangxing, even if he managed to solve his own problems and return to his Peak, Ang Xiao would also be a Great Perfected Lord by then. What was there to worry about? Even if True Monarch Gangxing truly did seize the position of Fire Element Supreme Venerable, Ang Xiao was confident he could cripple him all over again!

But that was only from his perspective.

For World Purger Fei Xue and the True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven, it was a different matter entirely. A Great Perfected Lord from the Sword Pavilion would only cause the Stain Sect’s situation to take a drastic turn for the worse.

As for Ang Xiao...

Would he care about the Stain Sect? Even if he claimed he would, his track record was right there for all to see. He was infamous for breaking his promises, so how could World Purger Fei Xue possibly believe him?

This was the ’opportunity’ Lü Yang had been waiting for.

"Hold them back!"

The next second, Lü Yang sent a telepathic message, "Hold back Ang Xiao and the Old Dragon Monarch! I can snatch the Fruit Position Book from True Monarch Gangxing!"

Hearing this, World Purger Fei Xue grinned. "...Alright!"

In that moment, Lü Yang felt a sense of delight from World Purger Fei Xue that he had never gotten from Ang Xiao. It was so much more comfortable dealing with straightforward people like her.

He hated shady schemers the most!

With that thought, Lü Yang shot forward, charging toward True Monarch Gangxing. Ang Xiao watched his retreating back.

The next second, a frost-colored light descended.

Lü Yang’s back was cut off from view, forcing Ang Xiao to turn his gaze. He saw World Purger Fei Xue, a charming smile on her face. "Great Senior, how about you spar with me?"

’A Supreme Domain...’

Ang Xiao could see it clearly. Although the [Fruit of Gully-Rill Water] was not a particularly powerful Fruit, it had undergone a Profound Mysterious sublimation in World Purger Fei Xue’s hands.

Of course, she was still no match for him.

But holding him back, he figured, would be no problem for her.

It was the same on the other side with the Old Dragon Monarch. The True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven was no match for him, but holding him back wasn’t an issue. The two were already entangled in battle.

Thinking of this, he looked toward Lü Yang again.

He still had another card up his sleeve and could launch one more fatal attack... but for some reason, an indescribable sense of unease lingered in his heart.

’Could it be... I’ve forgotten something again?’

For the first time, Ang Xiao felt a headache coming on. While it was satisfying to use the Veil of the Trees on others, it was rather annoying when it happened to him.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang had already arrived before True Monarch Gangxing.

"You want to kill me?"

True Monarch Gangxing looked up, his gaze icy. It was undeniable that among the three of them, his current condition was unquestionably the worst.

But he had one advantage that the others did not.

Ang Xiao wanted to kill Lü Yang, and the Old Dragon Monarch, having offended Lü Yang, was also eager to kill him and be done with it. However, it was clear that neither of them had achieved their goal.

But he had achieved his!

In other words... he didn’t have to drag this out. He could escape!

As for the Supreme Fruit Position Book, he had already sensed that he could take it out with him. It was just that after leaving the [Nourishing Life Master], it would be forcibly branded into his Spiritual Space. Not only would it be impossible to take out, but it would also be impossible to view. He would have to return to the [Nourishing Life Master] to take it out and read it again.

But no matter what, as long as he could take it with him, that was enough.

As for the other restrictions, he could deal with them after escaping back to the Sword Pavilion and healing his wounds. That was far better than fighting to the death right now, wasn’t it?

Enough said.

Break, Retreat, Ditch, Bolt!

SWISH!

The next second, under everyone’s surprised gazes, a Bright Light emanated from True Monarch Gangxing’s body. His figure grew illusory for a moment, only to abruptly freeze in place.

’Hmm!?’

True Monarch Gangxing’s expression changed slightly.

On the other side, however, both Lü Yang and Ang Xiao wore expressions that said, "just as expected." They had clearly anticipated his move long ago.

In fact, it was only human nature.

Had they been in his position, they would certainly have chosen to flee as well.

Therefore, both Lü Yang and Ang Xiao had long since set up their own measures to prevent True Monarch Gangxing from escaping the moment he saw things going south.

In a way, this could be considered the one and only time the two had ever truly cooperated.