Chapter 200: The Dumbfounded Hong Ju

Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, Sacred Fire Cliff.

To this day, few in the Saint Sect knew what had happened. They only assumed that their own Perfected Lord had gone mad, which was why she went out and fought with the Perfected Lord of the Sword Pavilion.

The only ones who truly understood the situation were the Great Perfected Ones at the Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

For example, Hong Ju.

“Pfft…!”

In a quiet room, Hong Ju suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He felt some Divine Wonder rooted in his bloodline dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“Impossible…!”

Hong Ju looked blankly at the blood he had spat out. Originally, the blood should have been pale golden, but now it had turned into a dazzling bright red.

“The Perfected Lord… died?”

Hong Ju’s face was filled with confusion. He was a Great Perfected One at the Perfection of Foundation Establishment who had been enlightened and shaped by Daoist Hong Yun—or rather, the [Perfected Lord Tianyun Mingguang] when he was still in Golden core position—using his own blood essence. Therefore, a wisp of Golden Nature always remained in his bloodline.

But now, this wisp of Golden Nature had dissipated!

There was only one possibility for this situation— the source of his Golden Nature, [Perfected Lord Tianyun Mingguang], Daoist Hong Yun, had had his soul scatter and spirit disperse!

But how was this possible?

How hard was it to kill a Perfected Lord? With Golden Nature protecting the soul, even if they fell from their Dao Fruit, they could easily escape from other Perfected Lords through reincarnation.

Unless the two sides were not in the same realm.

But how could that be? As far as he knew, the several Perfected Lords within the Saint Sect had no enmity with his own Perfected Lord, and their realms could not suppress his own Perfected Lord.

Moreover, for Golden Core Perfected Lords, fellow Daoists were also very important.

Therefore, even when Perfected One Chong Guang emerged to compete with Daoist Hong Yun for the Dao Fruit, most Perfected Lords from all sides only watched from the sidelines rather than intervening directly.

Except for…

‘Xue Feihong!?’

Hong Ju dared not speak this name aloud. After all, this was Sacred Fire Cliff. If he really said it, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue would definitely be able to sense him.

But he was certain of his guess… This was the only possibility. Xue Feihong, that bitch! In the past, she was a junior to the Perfected Lord. But ever since her last reincarnation and re-ascension to the Dao Fruit, her dao comprehension had advanced by leaps and bounds. Now, within a mere few hundred years, she had broken through to the Middle Stage!

It was simply unbelievable!

Middle Stage of the Golden Core, Grotto-Heaven eternal. Unless a Nascent Soul Dao Lord took action, the Grotto-Heaven would never again be in danger of falling, and re-ascending to the Dao Fruit after reincarnation would also be greatly accelerated.

It sounded simple.

However, in reality, how many Perfected Lords reincarnated, spending thousands or even tens of thousands of years without breaking through to the Middle Stage, still facing the danger of their Grotto-Heaven falling?

Was this step so easy to take?

‘That bitch! She definitely used some dirty tricks…’

Hong Ju abruptly stopped the roar in his heart.

Because at some point, the secret room where he was in seclusion had begun to show spots of water stains, and Yin energy was gradually rising. This was Heaven and Earth responding to the resentment in his heart.

“Ugh!”

In the next second, Hong Ju suddenly vomited a mouthful of water. The spring water was cool, appearing out of nowhere, churning his internal organs into a mess.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

While coughing, Hong Ju hurriedly activated his Divine Ability to sever karma. Then he took out the [Shared Fate Changing Luck Record Book] and quickly put pen to paper:

[I have never had a heart of great disrespect!]

As the words were written, another stroke of Merit and Fate poured into it. Only then did Hong Ju stop vomiting water and halt the disintegration of his true body.

“Cannot hate, must smile…”

The Middle Stage of the Golden Core was vastly different!

Grotto-Heaven eternal, favored by the Dao Fruit, the connection with Heaven and Earth was so tight it was unbelievable. If a mortal constantly thought of them, there would inevitably be an echo!

Hong Ju gave a miserable laugh.

Of course, he wasn’t laughing miserably for Daoist Hong Yun. As a Saint Sect Perfected One, the only thing that could make him laugh miserably and feel despair was likely for himself.

“I am formed from a drop of blood essence from the Perfected Lord. My entire Dao path is completely pinned on the Perfected Lord. Even at the Perfection of Foundation Establishment, there is absolutely no possibility of ascending to the position. Now that the Perfected Lord is dead, my days are numbered. Living a few more years, my True Body will disintegrate, and I will follow the Perfected Lord… I don’t even have a fucking soul!”

No soul meant no reincarnation!

If Daoist Hong Yun were still around, with their Golden Nature connected, he would have no worries about lifespan. But now, he could live for two or three more years at most!

How could he be reconciled to this?

Thinking to this point, Hong Ju began to pinch his fingers to calculate again. Sparks almost flew from his fingertips. He swore to find the culprit who caused Daoist Hong Yun’s fall!

A moment later.

“…”

Hong Ju fell silent.

His chiseled face was filled with confusion, and his hands were about to break from rubbing: “How could it be like this… No, no, no, no… That’s not right?”

Why, no matter how he calculated…

Daoist Hong Yun was killed by me?

Must be a miscalculation!

“Chong Guang and Yuan Tu, born evil! They must have found a way to blind the heavenly secrets and karma, preventing me from finding the truth. I will not share the same sky with them!”

Hong Ju dropped his hands, his eyes full of hatred, yet he was helpless. He knew very well that the reason he hadn’t been slapped to death yet was purely because he still had value. After all, he was a Great Perfected One at the Perfection of Foundation Establishment. The Perfected Lords of the Saint Sect wanted him to die on the battlefield.

Almost simultaneously, a streak of flowing light flew into the hall.

Hong Ju looked over dejectedly. The spiritual light opened up, turning into a handwritten letter with only one line of words on it— Help me ascend to the position, and I will grant you a lifetime of glory and wealth.

“…Chong Guang?”

Hong Ju was stunned upon seeing this, then suddenly sat up straight: “That’s right. If he ascends to the position and wields the [Overturned Lamp Flame], perhaps he can keep me from dying…”

Thinking of this, Hong Ju instantly felt a vast sky and open sea before him.

Inside Sacred Fire Cliff, another great hall.

Perfected One Chong Guang sat upright at the head seat, while Perfected One Yin Shan stood attending beside him.

Just then, Perfected One Chong Guang suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to have received some kind of reply. His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a trace of satisfaction.

The current situation was much better than he had expected!

Hong Yun’s death could be said to have eliminated his biggest trouble, allowing him to arrange things more calmly. The hope of seeking the Golden Core had simply multiplied several times!

Therefore, when the magnificent colors of a Divine Ability flashed inside the hall, and Lu Yang strode out from it, Perfected One Chong Guang immediately laughed loudly. He actively walked down from his seat, came to Lu Yang’s side affectionately, and patted his shoulder: “It has been hard on you this time, Yuan Tu…”

“For Martial Uncle, it is not hard.”

Lu Yang shook his head and said solemnly, “Martial Uncle said before that you had a great matter to entrust to me. I wonder what it is? As long as this disciple can do it, I will not decline even if I die ten thousand times!”

Look, what is loyalty?

Too reliable!

Perfected One Chong Guang showed no dissatisfaction at being interrupted by Lu Yang. Instead, he smiled even more happily: “Since that is the case, I won’t stand on ceremony with you, Yuan Tu.”

Having said that, the three of them sat facing each other.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t discussed this with you before.” Chong Guang’s tone was relaxed. “You probably doesn’t know how to ascend to the position and seek the Golden Core, right?”

Hearing this, Lu Yang’s heart moved slightly. Finally, the real stuff is here!

Regarding seeking the Golden Core, he wasn’t actually ignorant. After all, there was Patriarch Nether Whisper in the [Myriad Spirits Banner]. However, Patriarch Nether Whisper was ultimately from an unorthodox path…

Or rather, except for the four major powers of the East, South, West, and North, all other sects were unorthodox paths.

The only difference was which one was more unorthodox and which one wasn’t unorthodox enough.

For example, some sects with long inheritances also had Perfected Lords presiding over them. In the eyes of the Saint Sect, such sects could barely be considered unorthodox

But that was all.

Compared to them, Chong Guang, as a direct disciple of the Saint Sect, definitely had a more systematic and precise understanding of the method to ascend to the position and seek the Golden Core.

Therefore, Lu Yang immediately sat up straight, cupped his hands, and said, “Please instruct me, Martial Uncle.”

Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com