The ruins of the capital city of the Kingdom of Qing.

Lü Yang stood in a place amidst the clouds and sky, quietly gazing at the firmament.

Since True Person Chong Guang ascended in pursuit of gold and used the entire 【Kingdom of Qing】 as a sacrificial offering, this place had long since lost its former vitality and had become a land of deathly silence.

Adding to that, with True Person Chong Guang’s failure in seeking gold, the 【Dongyang Blessed Land】 was currently falling toward this place in the mortal world.

Although it had not yet fully manifested, even the slightest signs already brought scorching winds and radiant light carrying immense destructive power.

Mortals who approached would instantly turn to ashes.

Even cultivators in the early and middle stages of Qi Refining found it hard to get close.

Only cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining could briefly remain under such radiance.

Only those at the peak of Qi Refining with established ranks could ignore the influence of this place.

And as time passed, this influence continued to intensify.

According to Lü Yang’s estimation, once the 【Dongyang Blessed Land】 truly descended into the mortal world, even peak Qi Refining cultivators would likely be unable to approach this place.

“Yuan Tu.”

At that moment, a shadow with a gloomy expression rode a stream of light and swiftly approached—it was True Person Yinshan, though his expression looked rather unpleasant.

Seeing this, Lü Yang sighed softly, “Senior Brother, you are struggling as well.”

As soon as these words fell, they stirred True Person Yinshan’s emotions, making him sigh deeply as he clasped his hands and said, “I’ll be counting on you in the future, Junior Brother.”

After speaking, a dark and ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

“This is the only chance for the two of us.”

“We must seize it.”

“Otherwise, we will fade into obscurity and never regain our former glory.”

“You should know that many True Persons in the Primordial Saint Sect have their eyes on our positions.”

True Person Yinshan understood the situation very well.

With True Person Chong Guang’s failure in seeking gold, they had lost this powerful backer at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Though their status in the Primordial Saint Sect had not completely collapsed…

It was certainly no longer as prestigious as before.

Thus, they had to find a new backer.

Gaining the favor of True Lord Qing Cheng Fei Xue was of utmost importance to both of them.

And to gain the True Lord’s favor, they had to demonstrate their capabilities.

That said, True Person Yinshan’s expression was still far from optimistic, as this time they were not facing a mere Foundation Establishment True Person of the 【Kingdom of Qing】.

“The True Lord has decreed that the 【Dongyang Blessed Land】 shall be divided among all parties.”

“This is a rare and great opportunity.”

“In the past, even major True Persons would come for such an event.”

“Even with the True Lord’s restrictions, it won’t be easy to deal with.”

Just then, as True Person Yinshan’s gaze shifted, he saw a stream of light suddenly rise from the distant horizon.

Wherever it passed, spiritual tides surged.

As it drew near, it split into two streams, one still and one moving.

Surprisingly, they were a middle-aged man dressed in official robes and a handsome, well-armed young man.

As soon as the two appeared, they resonated with heaven and earth.

Above their heads, talismanic symbols shaped like tadpoles intertwined and finally transformed into two extremely striking, radiant official ranks that filled the sky.

Seeing this, True Person Yinshan’s gaze immediately sharpened:

“【Commander of the Dutian Department】 Hou Lan, and 【Minister of the Tongzheng Department】 Cheng Tinggui.”

True Person Yinshan spoke in a low voice, “Both hold official ranks of the third grade, equivalent to mid-to-late stage Foundation Establishment.”

“Though individually weaker than the other parties.”

“Dao Court and Pure Land have always colluded shamelessly and are known for teaming up against enemies.”

“With one in civil affairs and the other in martial arts, these two are likely well-versed in joint techniques—do not underestimate them.”

“Understood, Senior Brother.”

Lü Yang nodded, then looked in another direction.

There, the clouds parted and revealed a scene of an illusory Buddhist temple forest.

“Pure Land.”

In the next second, several figures emerged from the temple forest.

The leader pressed his palms together, wearing a smile on his face.

He was clad in a luxurious kasaya inlaid with gold and jade, and the prayer beads in his hands were plump, radiating a warm jade-like glow.

The moment he appeared, his gaze locked straight onto Lü Yang.

“Who is that?”

Lü Yang, having insufficient experience, only recognized that the man was a mid-to-late stage Foundation Establishment Arhat but did not know his background.

He could only listen as True Person Yinshan explained:

“That should be 【Hui Ku】.”

“He is a disciple of 【Bodhisattva Long She Pan Ying】 and is from the same lineage as Vimalakirti Venerable who previously attacked us.”

“But Vimalakirti Venerable has been beaten back to Pure Land, leaving his temple vacant.”

“This Hui Ku likely intends to take his place.”

“I see.” Lü Yang immediately understood.

No wonder Hui Ku was looking at him like that—he was aiming to rise in rank.

After all, everyone knew that Lü Yang was now the most coveted prize that Pure Land could not obtain.

“However, the real threat has yet to arrive.”

Neither Dao Court nor Pure Land was worth mentioning.

Not to Lü Yang, and not even to True Person Yinshan, who only felt slightly more cautious but did not regard them as their greatest enemy.

For the Primordial Saint Sect, there was only one true adversary.

“Clang clang!”

At that moment, a sharp sword hum suddenly echoed from the south.

It pierced gold and split stone, shooting straight into the clouds, instantly stirring the response of countless sword artifacts.

Seeing this, True Person Yinshan’s expression grew much more serious:

“Sword intent… that lunatic from the south has arrived.”

Lü Yang opened his third-eye spiritual vision at his brow, operating the Divination Instrument, casting a beam of Bing Fire light to clearly see the tall figure obscured by layers of sword light.

The figure stood with hands clasped behind his back, robes fluttering.

Above his head, a Sword Pill radiated the brilliance of sun and moon, continuously emitting sword qi.

Simply standing in the air, he seemed like a peerless killing sword.

Just like Hui Ku from Pure Land, the moment he appeared, his gaze locked directly onto Lü Yang.

But the Sword Pavilion was much more straightforward than Pure Land.

“Whoosh!”

In the instant their gazes met, a glaring sword edge had already slashed toward Lü Yang’s face, bringing with it bone-piercing coldness that reached between his brows.

Sure enough, a lunatic.

Lü Yang cursed inwardly but did not hesitate in the slightest.

The 【Hundred-Forge Danger-Subduing Black Cloak】 on his body fluttered, immediately blocking the incoming sword edge.

“Xing Feng’s spiritual treasure?”

Seeing this, the figure from the Sword Pavilion let out a muffled snort, his tone filled with fury.

The sword edge he had slashed suddenly burst into countless brilliant lights, each carrying lethal power.

They fell upon the 【Hundred-Forge Danger-Subduing Black Cloak】 and almost instantly broke through the treasure’s defense!

After all, this spiritual treasure originated from the Sword Pavilion.

Who else would understand its weaknesses better than the Sword Pavilion itself?

Even so, it still bought Lü Yang some time.

In just the blink of an eye, the light of 【Differentiating Intimacy and Distance】 had already fallen upon the opponent.

“Rustle rustle!”

The next second, the figure from the Sword Pavilion was pushed back a thousand meters, causing her to frown deeply.

However, she did not attack again but instead dispersed the sword light surrounding her body.

Looking over, it was actually a dignified woman.

At a glance, she appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, curved brows and a delicate forehead, and skin as white as jade.

She wore a green palace dress covered by a wide-sleeved gauze robe.

Seeing this, Lü Yang probed, “Someone from the Ye family?”

“Sword Pavilion, Ye Guyue.”

The valiant female sword cultivator sneered coldly, her expression as sharp as an unsheathed sword.

Her sword qi and killing intent were completely unrestrained, seemingly ready to attack Lü Yang again.

Seeing this, Lü Yang narrowed his eyes as well.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew tense, ready to explode.

However, at that moment…

A sound, like a mixture of zither, flute, and pipe, indescribable and ethereal, suddenly drifted from afar.

It dissolved the killing intent and instantly calmed the tense situation.

Immediately after, a graceful figure appeared in the distance.

She wore her hair in a celestial bun, with features as delicate as a painting.

Her appearance was exceptional, yet unlike the female sword cultivator.

She was dressed in plain white mourning attire, her demeanor as serene as an orchid in a secluded valley.

“Who is that?” Lü Yang asked curiously.

“She is from our Primordial Saint Sect.”

On the other side, True Person Yinshan lowered his voice and replied, “She is Senior Brother’s Dao companion. Now that Senior Brother has died, she naturally came here.”

True Person Chong Guang’s wife?

Lü Yang was taken aback and suddenly recalled:

True Person Chong Guang had a son!

He had even encountered him on the Dao Seizing Battlefield before, named Chong Ming.

In that case, it was not surprising for him to have a Dao companion.

In the next second, Lü Yang noticed that she too had turned her beautiful eyes toward him, staring intently.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep