Chapter 774 - 769: Reclaiming the Fruit of Celestial Fire
The safe location Ang Xiao and the Celestial Python had agreed upon—this strange, high platform above the Sea of Suffering—was the very site of his Void Test Dao.
He had already laid countless preparations for this moment.
Arrays, Secret Treasures, and a dense Veil of the Trees were all in place to suppress Lü Yang the moment he appeared, giving him no chance to escape.
’This time is different!’
Before, whether in the Human World or with the Nourishing Life Master, he hadn’t been on his home turf. Now, however, the battlefield was right on his Void Test Dao!
Besides, he was lying in wait, fully prepared. If he still couldn’t take down a treacherous, cunning junior under these circumstances, then his life would have been a waste... At this thought, Ang Xiao’s narrow eyes, visible beyond the smoke, curved slightly, revealing a hint of ferocity.
’A greedy brat, after all! It fits the style of my Stain Sect, though.’
A pity he didn’t know his own limits.
The Fruit of Celestial Fire... was that something he could covet? Didn’t he know that after achieving the rank of Perfected Lord through other Dharma Gates, one could no longer condense a Grotto Heaven?
And yet he still dreamed of snatching it.
Even if he did manage to snatch it, so what? Ang Xiao couldn’t even be bothered to stop him. After all, obtaining a Fruit didn’t mean you could achieve its Attainment.
As everyone knows, no one has ever successfully achieved Attainment with the Fruit of Celestial Fire since its appearance. The requirements were exorbitant, the necessary Magic Instruments even stricter than those for his Fruit of Great-Forest Wood. And as for how difficult his Fruit of Great-Forest Wood was to achieve... to put it bluntly, if not for the perfect alignment of time, place, and people, he never would have succeeded.
For a moment, Ang Xiao’s mind even began to wander.
He thought back to those magnificent years, to that soul-stirring Attainment that he still recalled to this day, though the details had become hazy.
There was one thing that many people didn’t know.
Throughout history, he was perhaps the only Perfected Lord who had already achieved a Golden Position, only to forcibly change his path and then go Seeking Gold all over again.
That’s right—his first Fruit was not the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood!
He had achieved the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood later!
But by now, he no longer remembered what his first Fruit was... He only knew that changing his path that time had been the masterpiece of his life.
Only by taking that step did he achieve the Emperor Fruit.
So what right did this animal before him have?
’Or could it be that he has a Supreme Fruit Position Book in his possession, and after reading the book on the Fruit of Celestial Fire, he thinks he can get lucky and achieve its Attainment?’
’Even if he really thinks that, isn’t he afraid I’ll stop him?’
Ang Xiao refused to believe the other party hadn’t considered the possibility of a trap. For him to come anyway could only mean he was overestimating his own strength.
’Does he not know how strong I am?’
’He knew it was likely a trap I had set, yet he still dared to come... Who gave him that courage? Did his lucky escape last time make him this arrogant?’
At this thought, Ang Xiao almost wanted to laugh.
From his perspective, no matter how he looked at it, the only way for Lü Yang to break this deadlock was to achieve the Attainment of the Fruit of Celestial Fire in an instant. Otherwise, his death was certain!
Ang Xiao dismissed his stray thoughts, a cold smile forming on his lips.
Then, he saw something that he simply could not comprehend.
......
「Above the Sea of Suffering.」
Time continued to flow slowly. From the moment Lü Yang appeared and willingly walked into the trap to take the Fruit of Celestial Fire, to the moment Ang Xiao revealed himself to spring it.
All of this took less than a second.
Yet within that single second, while Ang Xiao’s thoughts twisted and turned, Lü Yang performed a single, simple action.
He took out the Yellow Court.
And then shoved it into the Fruit of Celestial Fire.
The Yellow Court was a True Treasure he had refined in his Previous Life, using the Celestial Pillar Profound Grotto Heaven as its foundation. It could be said to possess all the characteristics of a Golden Core Cave Heaven.
The only difference was that a Grotto Heaven could directly sense a Fruit Position and then occupy the Fruit, which would not resist. In contrast, the Yellow Court, having been refined into a True Treasure, would sever its connection once removed from a Fruit. To restore that connection, the Yellow Court had to be placed back inside the Fruit.
This created a paradox:
To put the Yellow Court into a Fruit, I must first sense its Fruit Position. But if I don’t put the Yellow Court into the Fruit, I can’t sense its Fruit Position.
That was why in this life, Lü Yang had never considered re-attaining the Fruit of Celestial Fire.
However, even he had never imagined that so many "kind souls" would go to the trouble of delivering the sealed Fruit of Celestial Fire right to his doorstep!
At this moment, the sealed Fruit of Celestial Fire offered no resistance at all, allowing Lü Yang to shove the Yellow Court inside. A familiar feeling instantly washed over him, causing his eyes to flare with a dazzling fiery light. The re-established connection made a grin spread uncontrollably across his face.
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
Mana erupted!
The blessing from the Emperor Fruit’s Position was even greater than that of his current Dao of Arcane Body, causing immense Mighty Power to gush from his body like a geyser!
WHOOSH!
Ascension!
Without any hesitation, Lü Yang immediately activated the Golden Talent he had just obtained: Supreme Dao Transformation. His Heart Spirit, after soaring to its Peak, leaped once more!
"Ah..."
Lü Yang exhaled deeply. He looked around, feeling that his perception of the world had never been so clear, so minutely detailed. The waters of the Sea of Suffering, which had always seemed murky and chaotic, could now be vaguely analyzed to determine the specific ratio of the ideations within.
’Is this the world of the Founder?’
Lü Yang looked down, then glanced at the still-dazed Mu Changsheng and Celestial Python. He immediately frowned, as if he had seen something unclean.
’The Celestial Python... such an inferior Dao essence. What’s the difference between it and a monkey?’
’Mu Changsheng... slightly better. An ape, I suppose.’
Then, he turned his head and glanced at Ang Xiao, finally nodding slightly. ’Hm. This one, at least, finally looks like a person.’
At this thought, Lü Yang’s expression changed slightly.
’From the Founder’s perspective, appearance means nothing; only Dao essence and innate talent matter... In his eyes, I probably don’t even look human, do I?’
’That’s a scary thought!’
However, considering the limited duration of Supreme Dao Transformation, Lü Yang quickly dismissed his stray thoughts and refocused his attention on the Fruit of Celestial Fire.
With his experience from his Previous Life, Lü Yang felt that he had a relatively good understanding of the fundamental Profound Mysterious of the Fruit of Celestial Fire: the Engraving Laws. Formulating its various rules had been second nature to him. And yet this time, under the effects of Supreme Dao Transformation, a different understanding blossomed in his heart.
’Wrong... I’ve been using it all wrong.’
’How could I have been so stupid before? That’s not how the Engraving Laws are meant to be used at all! Rules, rules... How could I have only used them in the most literal sense?’
’Idiot!’
Lü Yang decided to mentally disassociate himself from his past self who had never used Supreme Dao Transformation.
Finally, a second passed.
Lü Yang chuckled softly, watching as, in the final moment of that second, the emotion in Ang Xiao’s narrow eyes shifted from amusement to astonishment, and finally to gravity...
"How interesting."
As his voice fell, Lü Yang raised a single finger.
’Now that I’ve used Supreme Dao Transformation, watch closely. And remember, I’m only going to show you once... This is how the Engraving Laws are supposed to be used.’
Almost simultaneously, all of Ang Xiao’s preparations came crashing down. Layer upon layer of Arrays sealed Lü Yang in, cutting off all escape routes, and the Veil of the Trees swarmed towards him.
"BOOM!"
Boundless Illusionary Colors erupted with a world-shaking bang, blasting a huge hole in the Sea of Suffering and causing the surrounding waters of ideation to pour back in.
—There was nothing there.
Lü Yang and Mu Changsheng had simply vanished.