Chapter 757 - 752: The Final Beneficiary
Choosing to flee was True Monarch Gangxing’s greatest miscalculation.
Did he think Lü Yang and Ang Xiao wouldn’t try to stop his escape? Of course not. He had anticipated it; after all, he’d already figured out there was a trap.
The problem lay in the method of his escape.
In his mind, if Ang Xiao and Lü Yang wanted to stop him, their only option was to set up an Array within the Nourishing Life Master, severing his connection to the outside world.
Therefore, his preparations were mostly aimed at countering that.
However, Ang Xiao had anticipated his anticipation. He didn’t make a move within the Nourishing Life Master at all, instead opting for a simpler, more direct method.
To leave the Nourishing Life Master, one first had to sense the Void Land, then select coordinates to enter the Outer Heaven Sea of Light. Ang Xiao’s preparations, however, were right there in the Void Land—a place that should have been absolutely safe, a place even True Monarch Gangxing would never have thought to guard against.
Yet, at that very moment.
Just as True Monarch Gangxing connected to the Void Land and prepared to escape, a beam of celestial light shone down from the supposedly safe realm.
’Direct hit.’
In that instant, the unprepared True Monarch Gangxing took a direct hit from the celestial light. His vision swam, the world spinning around him.
’Bastard!’
True Monarch Gangxing was no fool. It took him only a moment to understand what had happened. The problem wasn’t with the supposedly-safe Void Land.
His own senses had deceived him!
He thought he had sensed the Void Land, but he had actually fallen into an Array that Ang Xiao had prepared in advance. That was why he’d taken such a vicious hit!
Worse still, by the time he managed to dispel the fog in his mind and regain some semblance of clarity, he discovered that he had somehow "forgotten" how to connect to the Void Land! He could recall fragments if he concentrated, and the memories grew clearer with each passing moment.
But he had no time for that now.
Lü Yang was right in front of him!
In fact, because he had been so focused on escaping, Ang Xiao’s trap had cost him the precious moments he needed to mount a defense. It was too late to react!
RUMBLE!
In the next moment, a white light descended upon him. Like candlelight, it illuminated three spiritual lamps—one on each of his shoulders and one on his head—only to extinguish them all in a single breath.
Once the lamps were out, an abrupt darkness fell.
Night Exorcism!
A powerful ’Sealed’ Profound Mysterious effect washed over True Monarch Gangxing, nearly causing the Mana he was halfway through channeling to collapse.
Immediately after, Lü Yang closed the final distance. They were inches apart. In an instant, Lü Yang’s fists became a blur of afterimages. Each punch was like a world unto itself—an Outer Realm—and every blow landed with incomparable might as he unleashed a frenzied, ferocious assault!
BOOM!
The earth-shattering sound lasted only a moment. A careful listener might have noticed it was not a single noise, but a rapid succession of countless impacts, all blurring into one.
And Lü Yang had unleashed the power of every single punch to its absolute limit.
Countless phantom fists rained down, yet True Monarch Gangxing’s body didn’t move back an inch. It was clear that none of the force from the blows had been wasted on the surroundings.
It had all been driven directly into his body.
The result was that by the time Lü Yang pulled back his fists, True Monarch Gangxing’s body was a ruined wreck, just one step away from complete disintegration!
’So this is the Dao of Arcane Body!’
’First control, then strike. Up close and personal. In an age where the Dao of Arcane Body is all but extinct and the Dharma Bodies of most Perfected Lords are weak, it’s practically unstoppable!’
The next moment, True Monarch Gangxing spoke.
Blood gurgled from his ruined throat as his lips parted. With a wet, choking sound, he slowly spat out a syllable seething with hatred and rage:
"Ah... Ah...!!!"
This was no mere cry of agony, but a Spell. As the sound echoed, True Monarch Gangxing’s shattered body erupted in a Splendid Light.
Within the Splendid Light, the form of True Monarch Gangxing vanished. In his place was a straight-bladed Enchanted Sword. Its form was true, its surface etched with dense, interlocking Talismans that reflected a Sword Intent that soared to the heavens. The tip of the blade was aimed directly at Lü Yang!
At that moment, an intense sense of crisis welled up in Lü Yang’s heart.
True, True Monarch Gangxing was a spent force, but wasn’t he as well? His supposedly indestructible body was now covered in grievous wounds.
But he did not retreat because of this.
’So you want to take me down with you?’
Lü Yang gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood rising in his throat. Instead of being forced back by the blade that was once True Monarch Gangxing, he chose to press forward!
RUMBLE!
Since Lü Yang refused to back down, True Monarch Gangxing certainly wouldn’t either. The sword slashed out, and a tidal wave of Sword Light instantly subjected Lü Yang to a death by a thousand cuts.
And yet, in the next instant, as if time had reversed, all of Lü Yang’s wounds vanished. The only change was a figure that had just appeared behind him shattering once more.
Rebirth Appearance!
This phantom incarnation had been destroyed once before. It had only just managed to reform, but now it shattered with a boom as it absorbed Lü Yang’s injuries.
Because it had just reformed, its capacity to absorb damage was limited. About thirty percent of the Sword Light still struck Lü Yang, worsening his already miserable state. Even so, he didn’t retreat an inch. He slowly raised his ruined right hand, which reflected a gloomy, dark light.
Tribulation Evil Profound Light!
As he locked onto True Monarch Gangxing, Lü Yang sent a vicious telepathic message: "Hand over the Supreme Fruit Position Book, or we both die here!"
"Take it!"
True Monarch Gangxing didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately tossed out the Fruit Position Book he had just acquired, for he truly felt the looming threat of death.
His intuition screamed that if this Tribulation Evil Profound Light were to strike him, it would likely set off a chain reaction, detonating every hidden injury and weakness within him!
Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough to kill him.
The problem was the other powerful enemies lurking nearby. Ang Xiao, World Purger Fei Xue, the Old Dragon Monarch... any one of them could finish him off if he fell into such a state!
’Fine, fine. I’ll let him have this one.’
’Besides, I’ve already forcibly copied the Fruit of Celestial Fire with my Divine Sense. I didn’t have time to copy the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal, but it’s not a total loss...’
Meanwhile, Lü Yang had caught the five Supreme Fruit Position Books.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lü Yang teleported out of the Nourishing Life Master. He had long been wary of Ang Xiao’s schemes, so of course he wouldn’t fall for one.
Seeing this, however, Ang Xiao smiled.
’It worked!’
Almost simultaneously, the moment Lü Yang exited the Nourishing Life Master and his feet touched the ground, he was met with a brilliant light that filled the heavens and the earth—a light impossible to dodge or defend against.
A killing blow!
To deal with True Monarch Gangxing, his preparation was to create a false Void Land. To deal with Lü Yang, his preparation was in the Outer Heaven Sea of Light. He had clearly calculated that Lü Yang would choose to return to the Immortal Pivot and had therefore deliberately set an Array there. No matter where Lü Yang chose to enter the Immortal Pivot...
...he would ultimately fall into the Array!
The result was just as Ang Xiao had predicted. Lü Yang fled to the Immortal Pivot and fell precisely into his trap, and at a time when he was already a spent force!
RUMBLE!
There was no suspense. Lü Yang’s already-battered Dharma Body was engulfed by the Splendid Light, where it collapsed, disintegrated, and finally turned into a sky full of ashes.
At this moment, joy nearly spilled from Ang Xiao’s narrow eyes.
’Excellent... excellent... By dying within my Array, the Array will automatically extract the Profound Mysterious of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, allowing it to reawaken!’
’That saves me quite a bit of effort!’
In the next second, Ang Xiao also teleported out of the Nourishing Life Master. His Spiritual perception scanned Heaven and Earth, preparing to reverse the Earth of Chen and reclaim his position as a Great Perfected Lord.
But soon—he froze.
Because the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire had not reawakened. The Fruit Position Profound Mysterious remained dormant, completely unresponsive to him.
’...He’s not dead?’
Instantly, his aura flared violently. The look in Ang Xiao’s narrow eyes froze, then shattered like glass, revealing an irrepressible rage.
’How is he not dead!!!’
’Is it something I forgot...? But what could I possibly have forgotten?’ Ang Xiao was on the verge of madness.
After all, if Lü Yang wasn’t dead, then what was the point of all the painstaking effort he’d put into this scheme?
And if I remember correctly, that bastard is also carrying five Supreme Fruit Position Books!
So in the end, the guy I’d schemed against and pushed to the brink of death several times was the one who came out on top, while all my efforts were for nothing?
For a moment, Ang Xiao wanted to vent his rage just as he had roared at Fortune before. But just as he was about to, he realized he didn’t even know the man’s name.
He couldn’t just roar "Daoist," could he?
"BASTARD!!!"