Chapter 228: Chapter 228: The Fall

In that instant, a stir went through the lands in every direction—North, South, West, and East of the River!

“Who is it…?”

The first to rise to her feet was World Purger Fei Xue. A red light glinted in her beautiful eyes, and her once-stable Qi trace instantly erupted into a frenzy.

At almost the same time, astonishment flickered through the minds of the other Perfected Lords.

The next second, within the Foundation Establishment Realm and across the Current World, visions manifested and splendid light filled the sky. The first to appear was the silhouette of a colossal tree that reached from the earth to the heavens.

[Immortal Tree]!

It belongs to the Heavenly Stems, formed from Jia Wood Qi. As Yang Wood, it must be severed from root and branch to become Dead Wood. Only then, after being steeped in the waters of rivers, pools, and marshes, can it gain the foundation of eternal life!

Immediately after, the colossal silhouette of the tree quivered, its canopy shedding a torrent of raindrops over the vast lands North of the River. Each drop seemed to carry the weight of a mountain as it plunged directly into the soil. Carrying an extremely dense Yin Qi, the drops merged into the Lay Lines and spread in all directions, revealing themselves to be a convergence of water and earth qi.

[Shade Dragon Water]!

It belongs to the Earthly Branches, formed from the Earth Qi of Chen. It is the ultimate Yin earth, yet it is also the tomb of water. Therefore, though it is fundamentally earth qi, it manifests as water.

For a moment, countless Foundation-Stage Cultivators looked on in confusion.

“Did he… succeed? His Abilities are manifesting as a proclamation to the world?”

As Perfected Yin Shan pondered this, he glanced at Great Undertaking beside him. He saw Great Undertaking staring wide-eyed, his mouth slightly agape, his face filled with utter despair!

“This is wrong… this isn’t right… Why?”

Great Undertaking murmured to himself as an uneasy premonition seized his heart. As far as he knew, a successful breakthrough wouldn’t cause such a massive commotion!

Subtle and silent, like a nourishing rain—that was the true sign of a successful breakthrough!

This current large-scale manifestation, one that resonated with the entire world, was instead a sign that Perfected Chong Guang had already lost control of his own Qi trace!

The next second, another vision appeared.

The [Immortal Tree] that propped up the heavens suddenly burst with light, sprouting lush branches and leaves. Its canopy swayed, erupting with boundless life force.

[Fear of Cutting].

It belongs to the Heavenly Stems, formed from Yi Wood Qi. Unlike Dead Wood, this is living wood—Yin Wood, a perfect complement to the Yang Wood of Jia, achieving a Yin-Yang balance.

Atop the tree’s canopy, the figure of Perfected Chong Guang materialized. He paid no mind to the world around him, instead staring blankly at the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] above his head as if lost in thought. As he pondered, a spark ignited in his palm, then transformed into a blazing solar wheel!

[Steel Flame Furnace!]

It belongs to the Earthly Branches, formed from the Fire Qi of Si. It is the fire of a forge, a Yin Fire. At this moment, held in Perfected Chong Guang’s palm, it erupted with a thousand brilliant rays!

In that moment, all four of Perfected Chong Guang’s Talent Skills had manifested!

Then, the four visions began to collapse with a thunderous roar, all converging into Perfected Chong Guang’s palm and imprinting themselves upon an ancient, unadorned scroll.

The scroll seemed to contain a universe of fused images: landscapes, suns and moons, palaces—all delineated by dense, tadpole-like runes. At first glance, it was merely a painting. But upon closer, focused inspection, one could discern the profound truths of the Great Dao it explained, every character a pearl of wisdom.

His Innate Ability, the [Clear Flight Scenery Map]!

The four Talent Skills completed his Innate Ability, merging with his Dao Foundation to form the [Dongyang Blessed Land]. Everything was proceeding with perfect smoothness, without a single error.

But… why?

The next second, two streams of bloody tears flowed from Perfected Chong Guang’s eyes. “Why can’t I succeed? Why does the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] repel me!?”

Time itself seemed to freeze in that moment.

Across the land, all the Great Truemen who had reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, everyone short of a Perfected Lord, had already realized the truth. They let out a collective sigh, laced with desolation and helplessness.

“He failed…”

The next second, Perfected Yin Shan looked in horror toward Great Undertaking. The Great Trueman at Foundation Establishment Perfection simply shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips.

“Such a bitter end…”

As the words left his lips, a loud BANG echoed out. His Dharma Body exploded, dissolving into a sky full of brilliant light. His entire life’s cultivation, a castle built in the air, vanished in an instant!

At the same time, every Cultivator in the world whose Cultivation Technique or Dao Foundation was related to the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] felt a sympathetic backlash. Those with high Cultivation felt as if they’d been dealt a heavy blow and spat out mouthfuls of blood. Those with low Cultivation suffered immediate qi deviation, from which they would not recover for days. One by one, they stared at the sky in utter horror.

Then, they heard a long sigh.

In the sky, the apparition of light that was Perfected Chong Guang shook its head. A flicker of understanding mixed with deep resentment filled its eyes. Its lips moved, and it let out a guttural roar:

“This is not my fault! It’s not my fault…!!!”

Before the sound of his voice faded, his figure dissipated completely.

“BOOM!”

The brilliant light of the explosion filled the sky in an instant. The [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire] vanished once more. Within the Foundation Establishment Realm, a burning solar wheel plummeted from the heavens with a deafening roar!

“The Blessed Land is falling!”

Having personally witnessed the fall of a True Monarch Cave Heaven before, Lü Yang could see it all with perfect clarity. This wasn’t a fake-out, nor was it a deliberate ploy to bait a trap.

This was a genuine failure!

His bid for Golden Core had failed, causing his Blessed Land to fall and sending repercussions through all Cultivators connected to the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire]. Although the cosmic reaction wasn’t as intense as when a Perfected Lord perishes, it was still shockingly dramatic.

But Lü Yang simply couldn’t understand. ’How did he fail?’ Perfected Chong Guang’s preparations had been meticulous and complete. No one had even tried to interfere.

He had World Purger Fei Xue herself standing guard—a Middle Stage of Golden Core Perfected Lord still riding the momentum from having slain another Perfected Lord. His main rival for the breakthrough, The Perfected Fortune, was out of the picture. He had heavenly timing, earthly advantage, and human harmony. Everything that could be planned for had been planned for. In Qi Refining terms, this was the foundation for a Perfect Foundation Establishment.

How could he possibly have failed?

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Within the Foundation Establishment Realm, as the Blessed Land fell, the solar wheel drew closer and closer, and a sign of its descent appeared in the Current World: a brilliant arc of light.

The light was illusory, and reflected within it were countless jade palaces, trees, raindrops, and furnaces… All the visions of the abilities Perfected Chong Guang had previously displayed were contained within.

[Dongyang Blessed Land]!

In an instant, the gazes of untold numbers of Foundation-Stage Cultivators were locked onto it.

After all, this [Dongyang Blessed Land] contained all of Perfected Chong Guang’s lifelong treasures and insights. For a Foundation-Stage Cultivator, it was a monumental opportunity!

One whale falls, ten thousand creatures thrive!

At the same time, the Perfected Lords from all factions projected their Divine Sense onto the [Dongyang Blessed Land].

“Xue Feihong, you can’t stop us this time. Since Chong Guang has already failed, the Blessed Land he left behind should be handled according to our agreement.”

“That’s right. He failed his bid for Golden Core, so all our houses will share the spoils!”

From the Sea of Clouds that touched the heavens, World Purger Fei Xue replied. She showed none of the rage outsiders might have expected, her voice calm as she said, “Fine… Then let each house take what it can by its own merits.”

She was a Mad Woman, but she wasn’t a fool.

For the sake of Chong Guang’s bid for Golden Core, she had played a complex game of alliances to gain the Stain Sect’s support and withstand the pressure from the other three factions. But now, Chong Guang had failed.

A dead man was naturally not worth the Stain Sect expending any more effort. Although the Stain Sect was powerful, it couldn’t fight three other major factions at once, and it certainly wouldn’t do so over a Blessed Land left behind by a dead man. Thus, even with World Purger Fei Xue’s domineering nature, she had no choice but to compromise.

“However… the Great Truemen need not attend. Entry will be limited to those at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment.”

As her words fell, the other Perfected Lords exchanged glances. But World Purger Fei Xue was, after all, a cultivator at the Middle Stage of Golden Core. Though she had compromised, she still held significant authority.

And none of them wanted to completely enrage this Mad Woman.

Thinking this, the various Perfected Lords all nodded. “Agreed!”

The next second, a cold, clear voice—calm as the air before a storm—rang in Lü Yang’s ear. “Enter the Blessed Land. I want to know the reason for his failure.”

Investigate it thoroughly!

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