Chapter 776 - 771: Right Now, I’m Terrifyingly Strong
Mu Changsheng was completely stunned.
He just stood there, watching as Lü Yang transformed into Ang Xiao right before his very eyes. He was already wondering when he’d been caught in the Veil of the Trees.
But he quickly came to his senses.
’Master can’t be Ang Xiao. My Fruit Position Book is still with him... So, is it a Transformation Technique? Or some kind of Fruit Position Profound Mysterious?’
Mu Changsheng had no way of knowing.
Meanwhile, Lü Yang was quite enjoying his current state. Just a moment ago, the rule he had engraved within his Dharma Body was actually very simple.
[I am Ang Xiao]
This was just a simple attempt, a probe, and the result was just as he’d expected—the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood had actually responded to him.
However, the transformation lasted only an instant. In the next moment, a powerful wave of resistance emanated from the other end of the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood, mingled with the fury of a third party. It was as if someone wanted to curse him out, but not knowing his name, they could only fume in silence.
Then, the smoke and dust dispersed.
Lü Yang’s figure reappeared. He lifted his hand, glanced at the wisp of smoke curling around his fingertip, and sighed, "As expected of you, Ang Xiao."
Ang Xiao’s control over the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood was simply too profound.
How strong was this control? So strong that the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood was devoted to him and him alone. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have actively withdrawn its Mighty Power upon sensing something was amiss.
’It’s not just Ang Xiao.’
’The Old Dragon Monarch, Fei Xue, Gang Form... these few First-class True Monarchs can probably all do the same thing—stop me from stealing the power of their Fruits.’
But only they could.
With this thought, Lü Yang immediately altered the rule within his body. The fiery light surrounding him shifted, weaving into rich colors before merging into his Dharma Body.
The next second, a short distance away, Mu Changsheng could only watch as his own No Heaven suddenly manifested. It then shot a beam of illusory light at Lü Yang, causing his form to flicker and turn ethereal. The Power of Fruit Position, which had belonged solely to him, was now being siphoned away by Lü Yang—half of it, gone, just like that!
No, even more!
This change filled Mu Changsheng with a growing sense of dread, because he could feel that No Heaven had been under his control the entire time.
He hadn’t lost control, nor had it been affected by any external influence.
And yet, the Fruit had inexplicably responded to Lü Yang’s call without the slightest resistance, just as it would normally respond to him.
How was this even possible?
Fortunately, Lü Yang had no interest in No Heaven. As Mu Changsheng watched, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets, Lü Yang toyed with the power for a moment before casting it aside like a worthless trinket.
Lü Yang opened his eyes, a flicker of realization in their depths. ’It’s still the Engraving Laws, but just by changing how I use it, it can have such a miraculous effect...’
If he wanted to borrow a Fruit’s power before, what would he have done? No doubt, he would have used the Engraving Laws to forcefully inscribe a rule. The result would have been twice the effort for half the gain; the Mighty Power he forcefully borrowed wouldn’t even be worth the energy spent.
Now, however, he had achieved his goal simply by modifying a piece of logic.
The cost? While not zero, it was negligible compared to the Mighty Power he gained.
’As expected, the easiest thing to change is oneself.’
The Engraving Laws inscribes the Profound Mysterious, directly imposing rules upon Heaven and Earth. It seems incredibly powerful at first glance, but the stronger the rule, the harder it is to impose.
However, imposing rules on oneself is different.
Not only is the difficulty universally lower, but even rules that clearly defy common sense can be forced into effect, so long as they apply only to oneself.
’The potential for development is still huge!’
’Right now, I’ve only mastered one application: modifying logic to equate myself with another Perfected Lord, thereby tricking their corresponding Fruit into responding to me.’
One should not underestimate this method.
Any orthodox Fruit, even if it isn’t an Emperor Fruit, still has its own unique advantages, just as the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire can counter the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood.
This method of Lü Yang’s was practically equivalent to controlling multiple Fruits. He could adapt to any situation, changing his abilities at will. When engaging in Combat under these conditions, his margin for tactical error was nearly infinite, as he could compensate for his weaknesses by wielding different Fruits.
’I’m terrifyingly strong now!’
Lü Yang felt the Mighty Power roiling within him and successively switched between several Fruits, from the Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth, to the Fruit of Sky-River Water, and then to the Fruit of Mulberry-Thorn Wood...
But how strong was he, exactly?
Lü Yang recalled the "True Monarch Fifth Grade" system he had once established. After some thought, he reached a conclusion: ’I’m probably still a little short of the first class.’
But not by much.
’In other words, I’ve just about reached the first-class level. And as luck would have it, there are two excellent benchmarks at this level.’
The Old Dragon Monarch and World Purger Fei Xue.
According to Lü Yang’s self-assessment, his current combat power shouldn’t be much different from the Old Dragon Monarch’s. He might even have the upper hand if he went all out.
As for World Purger Fei Xue, on the other hand, he estimated he could at best fight to a draw.
’After all, even among the first class, there are differences in power.’
’The Old Dragon Monarch’s strength lies in his Emperor Fruit, the Fruit of Vast-Sea Water. But his application of the Fruit doesn’t have the same feel as Ang Xiao’s or Fei Xue’s.’
’At best, he’s on par with my current self.’
’As for World Purger Fei Xue, their application of the Fruit of Gully-Rill Water has already reached the Supreme Domain. Unfortunately, the Fruit itself is Innately lacking; it is not an Emperor Fruit.’
This is what puts them on the same level as the Old Dragon Monarch.
At most, their superior Combat awareness and greater fighting spirit give them a slight edge, but there’s no truly significant gap between them.
Ang Xiao, by contrast, is different. With an Emperor Fruit plus the Supreme Domain, he’s basically maxed out for anyone below the rank of Great Perfected Lord. Lü Yang admitted to himself that he was still a step behind—the kind of gap where he could put up a fight, even stall for a very long time, but would ultimately lose in the end.
Still, this was an impressive feat.
Besides, the applications of the Fruit of Celestial Fire weren’t limited to direct combat. Sometimes, even if he couldn’t win, he could still run circles around his opponent with ease.
Right, Ang Xiao?
’And I’m still missing the final step... I haven’t taken that critical step to become a First-class True Monarch. Compared to Ang Xiao, I still have room to grow.’
In Lü Yang’s view, this step was the Supreme Domain.
To put it bluntly, whether one can sublimate the Fruit Position Profound Mysterious and enter the Supreme Domain is, without a doubt, the key criterion for becoming a First-class True Monarch.
’So, strictly speaking, only Fei Xue and Ang Xiao have truly achieved this qualitative leap. The Old Dragon Monarch and I are just scraping past the threshold by relying on the foundation of our Emperor Fruits. In truth, our mastery of our Fruits can be called pinnacle, but we have yet to break through the final boundary.’
Lü Yang also had a plan for this.
He had no hope of learning from Ang Xiao, but World Purger Fei Xue was another matter. If he could have a proper discussion about the Dao with them in the future, he might make some gains.
As long as he could find out how World Purger Fei Xue broke through the boundary, there was a possibility of replicating it.
Collecting his thoughts, Lü Yang turned to look at Mu Changsheng.
At this, Mu Changsheng’s eyes immediately lit up with a fervent, longing expression. He looked like someone who desperately wanted something but was too afraid of rejection to ask for it.
In the end, it was Lü Yang who spoke first.
"My apologies for the wait, Daoist."
Seeing the Celestial Being whom he revered so much speak to him so kindly, Mu Changsheng hurriedly shook his head. "Not at all, it was no trouble, no trouble at all!"
Seeing this, Lü Yang didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly unfurled the Righteous Banner.
He didn’t intend to take Mu Changsheng as a Banner Spirit, so he just called out the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, then opened the Sea of Suffering and summoned the Sword Dao.
"Thank you, Master!"
When Mu Changsheng saw the massive Enchanted Sword Lü Yang revealed, he practically lunged for it. A ravenous, drooling expression appeared on his face, as if he wanted to devour it in a single bite.