Chapter 198: Chapter 198: The Grotto Heaven’s Ruin, the Fruit Hangs Vacant

At that moment, it wasn’t just Lü Yang who felt it. Every mortal, Qi Refiner, and even Foundation-Stage Cultivator in the world sensed something and looked up at the sky.

Immediately after, a wave of sorrow washed over everyone’s hearts.

Mortals wailed uncontrollably, and Qi Refiners couldn’t help but shed tears. Only the Foundation-Stage Cultivators merely felt their eyes sting.

Then, the entire sky turned a deep crimson. Rain fell in a downpour, each drop crystal clear. Before it touched the ground, it was a torrential rain, but upon landing, it transformed into rolling red jade stones that merged with the Lay Lines, the Spiritual Qi, and all things in Heaven and Earth.

Heaven and Earth wept blood, and all of creation grieved as one!

Witnessing this, Progenitor Tingyou couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “A Perfected Lord has fallen. The Fruit responds, and even Heaven and Earth grieve the Perfected Lord’s demise…”

However, Lü Yang saw it differently.

’Something’s not right…’

As a Saint Sect Zhenren, he never shied away from considering the worst-case scenario.

Lü Yang looked around. After the bloody rain fell and merged into the world, it hadn’t caused the slightest harm. In fact, it was greatly beneficial.

In other words, this bloody rain following the death of a Perfected Lord was actually a good thing for the world.

’The world is crying because a Perfected Lord died?’

’It’s not just pretending, is it?’

Despite his thoughts, Lü Yang didn’t dare voice his suspicions. After all, what if he incurred heavenly punishment? Words can bring disaster.

Just then, another tremendous BOOM resounded. This time, it wasn’t in the Current World. Mortals and Qi Refiners felt nothing. Only Foundation-Stage Cultivators could perceive it. Lü Yang immediately shifted his consciousness into the Foundation Establishment Realm and looked up, only to see a vast region of it collapsing on a massive scale!

“What… is this?”

’The sky is falling!’

Lü Yang stared, dumbfounded, at the collapsing region. He then realized it wasn’t the Foundation Establishment Realm itself that was falling apart, but something *above* it.

The environment of the Foundation Establishment Realm was unique.

It had a clear up and down. Below was a sea of gloom where the Weakening Wind blew year-round, while above was a vast, ethereal expanse with no discernible end.

But now, the collapsing region revealed an “end.”

At that very end, myriad brilliant colors wreathed in auspicious energy began to descend, bit by bit, toward the Foundation Establishment Realm, giving Lü Yang an extremely familiar feeling.

It was just like—

“The Heaven-Crashing Technique?”

Beside him, Progenitor Tingyou voiced the same question, and it was like a revelation to Lü Yang. “That’s right! It’s the Heaven-Crashing Technique! The feeling is exactly the same!”

The Heaven-Crashing Technique was a method he had learned from Progenitor Tingyou back when he was still a Qi Refiner. One would first ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm and then deliberately fall, unleashing terrifying destructive power. And now, the feeling from the myriad brilliant colors falling from the sky was identical to that of the technique!

Something was falling!

Lü Yang strained his eyes to see, and within those brilliant colors, he saw jade pavilions and marble palaces, mountains and rivers, the sun and the moon… but also a vast mountain of corpses in a sea of blood.

The scene reminded him of the small worlds plucked down by the True Monarchs during the Battle for the Dao.

“What in the world is that?” Lü Yang couldn’t help but mutter.

The next second, a voice responded in his ear:

“That is a Grotto Heaven.”

The speaker’s voice was rhythmic and cadenced. “True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde has fallen, his Soul entering reincarnation. The Jade Palace Treasure Jade Cave Heaven has been cast down, its Fruit left vacant…”

At that moment, Lü Yang felt his limbs turn to ice.

But after recognizing the speaker’s voice, his tense body suddenly relaxed. He turned with a helpless look. “Martial Uncle, did you do that on purpose?”

“Hahaha,” Perfected Chong Guang boomed with laughter. “Were you scared?”

“No.”

Lü Yang said stubbornly, turning back to watch the gradually collapsing myriad colors. He sighed. “So, that Sword Pavilion True Monarch has already fallen?”

“It’s not that easy.”

Perfected Chong Guang shook his head. “For a Perfected Lord, one refines the Gold Attribute to ascend to a Blessed Land, and transforms it into a Grotto Heaven to attain the Fruit. The Grotto Heaven being cast down is merely the first step to falling.”

“Just like what happened to Fortune, with the Grotto Heaven cast down, a wisp of Gold Attribute protects the Soul for reincarnation. Although the Soul does not die and will never be affected by the ’mystery of the womb,’ he has lost the Mighty Power of a Perfected Lord. He cannot immediately return to his Fruit after reincarnating and can only waste away time, slowly waiting for a chance to reclaim his station.”

“Of course, he wasn’t going to live much longer in this life anyway.”

Lü Yang was moved by this. “So he didn’t want to die in his bed, and that’s why he left the Sword Pavilion to fight World Purger Fei Xue to the death?”

“Is that what you think?”

Perfected Chong Guang glanced at Lü Yang, a strange look on his face. “It seems you don’t have a very clear understanding of those sword-wielding lunatics from the South.”

“Ultimately, he was seeking karmic links.”

At this, Perfected Chong Guang glanced at Progenitor Tingyou beside them and said, “After all, this True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde’s Talent Skill wasn’t that great.”

“A thousand years passed, and he was still in the Early Stage of Golden Core.”

“So even if he hadn’t sought out combat and had chosen to turtle up, he still wouldn’t have been able to support the Jade Palace Treasure Jade Cave Heaven after his death. The outcome would have been the same.”

“So he took the initiative to fight, hoping to use the shattering of his own Grotto Heaven and his self-sacrifice to severely wound World Purger Fei Xue. By doing so, he could trade for a karmic link with the other True Monarchs of the Sword Pavilion, so that they would guide him back in the future and give him a chance to return to his Fruit… I suspect this was his true intention!”

Perfected Chong Guang’s assessment was blunt.

“Those in the South are all about karmic links. Nine out of ten of their disciples are reincarnated. Just you wait. In a few years, the Sword Pavilion will produce a peerless prodigy.”

Just then, a laugh like the chiming of silver bells suddenly rang out:

“Him? Hurt *me*?”

As the voice faded, Lü Yang subconsciously turned his head. His gaze was met by a pair of limpid autumn eyes, their pupils still flecked with crimson.

“He only managed to escape with his life by self-destructing his Grotto Heaven. A sliver of his Gold Attribute carried his Soul off to reincarnation, but right before he left, I bit off a third of it. He won’t be able to reincarnate for at least thirty or fifty years… As expected, the Gold Attribute of a reigning Perfected Lord is the most delicious!”

After speaking, the newcomer even stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, a look of savoring the memory on her face.

World Purger Fei Xue!

This Perfected Lord, known to outsiders as the “Mad Woman,” looked like a quiet, well-bred lady as long as she restrained her initial wildness.

“Perfected Lord, these are the Precious Materials this disciple has collected for you.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Lü Yang handed over the pile of Spiritual Treasures he had just looted from the corpse, including the Emperor’s Golden Seal of Tushita.

“Hehe…”

Seeing this, World Purger Fei Xue covered her mouth in a light chuckle, then waved her hand magnanimously. “Keep them for yourself. There’s no need to report such trivial matters to me in the future.”

“This time, I’ve taken on all your karmic links. Whether it’s the Pure Land or the Dao Court, as long as I don’t make my stance known, they shouldn’t give you any trouble before you reach the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.”

“Thank you, Perfected Lord!”

Only then did Lü Yang put away the Storage Bag. He breathed a sigh of relief, but didn’t take World Purger Fei Xue’s polite words at face value. ’She’s only saying this to show her magnanimity because I offered the items to her proactively. If I hadn’t, her attitude would likely have been completely different.’

’After all, she has the option to refuse the items, but I don’t have the option not to offer them!’

’If I offer them, she can grant them back to me. If I don’t, it becomes a matter of principle—of absolute loyalty. And then the iron fist of the Saint Sect would fall.’

Then, World Purger Fei Xue turned to face Perfected Chong Guang.

“Chong Guang, I’ve already killed Fortune.”

“He didn’t expect me to have broken through to the Middle Stage of Golden Core. Without the protection of a Grotto Heaven, his sliver of Gold Attribute was no longer enough for him to reincarnate and escape from my grasp.”

“Everything is ready. Prepare to ascend to your position.”

With that, World Purger Fei Xue vanished on the spot.

Meanwhile, an indescribable excitement finally flickered across Perfected Chong Guang’s usually composed face. He immediately turned to Lü Yang.

“Yuan Tu, return to the Cloud Sea at once. Come with Yin Mountain to see me at Holy Fire Cliff.”

“I have an important matter to entrust to you.”

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