Chapter 237: Rebirth

“You people from Jiangxi and Jiangdong are going too far!”

Amidst thousands of dazzling lights, Chong Ming cursed angrily while clutching a green jade token in his hand. He urged his spiritual power frantically, propping up a brilliant fluorescent light.

This treasure was named the “Life-Prolonging Jade.” Keeping it close to one’s chest year-round could prolong life and resist Bi Wind. In battle, it could also dissolve life-threatening Divine Abilities. It was specifically bestowed upon him by Chong Guang for protection. Raised in the air now, it actually managed to withstand the siege of three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even so, Chong Ming’s expression remained ugly.

After all, he had been entangled with his pursuers for nearly an hour. Although he hadn’t been injured, he found it difficult to escape. If the fight dragged on, his fate would be unpredictable.

On the other side, his pursuers were in no hurry.

“Fellow Daoist Chong Ming, why put up a desperate fight?”

The three men were all dressed in official robes, wearing sabers and holding axes. Each had a halo of light above their heads, within which infinite talismans outlined and formed a Divine Ability title.

[Capital Skies Division Thousand-Household Commander].

The three were shockingly cultivators of the Dao Court. The Capital Skies Division was under the direct jurisdiction of the Son of Heaven of the Dao Court. A Thousand-Household was a rank-five official, equivalent to an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Perfected One in the outside world.

At this moment, the three held equal ranks. Supported by Divine Abilities, they formed a Three Talents Formation, drawing down infinite radiance. Their vast spiritual power locked down the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, pressing down on Chong Ming like a towering mountain. If Chong Ming didn’t have several superior Spirit Treasures on him, he would likely have been slain long ago.

However, the more Chong Ming persisted, the more excited his three pursuers became.

“Fellow Daoist Chong Ming, we won’t make things difficult for you. If you throw out all the treasures on your person, it’s not impossible for us to spare your life.”

“Bullshit!”

Chong Ming sneered upon hearing this. Give up wealth to save his life? In a time like this, giving up wealth would truly mean losing his life. Thus, he turned a deaf ear to these words.

“Hahaha, do you think someone is coming to save you?”

The leading Dao Court Thousand-Household Commander laughed loudly seeing this. “I’m not afraid to tell you— right now in the Saint Sect, there are probably some people who are eager for you to die!”

“Do you really take us for fools?”

“Nine out of ten descendants of Saint Sect Perfected Ones have issues! As Chong Guang’s son, you probably have a contingency left on you by Chong Guang too!”

“If we let you pass, Perfected One Chong Guang might actually be able to recover. So, our only target in entering the Blessed Land this time is you! As for the Saint Sect… Chong Guang is dead, and his position is vacant. The people waiting to ascend might not want to see you go and save Chong Guang back!”

“Like who? Yuan Tu? Hahaha!”

“You!”

Chong Ming didn’t care about the earlier words urging surrender, but this analysis made him grit his teeth, simply because it truly hit upon his hidden worries.

Would Father really do such a thing?

In his memories, his father—that proud and arrogant man who aspired to be the first Perfected Lord since the Great Tribulation—was definitely not the type of person who would possess his own children.

Back when the Peak Master of Heaven-Mending Peak used his own children as materials, only to be outmaneuvered by Lu Yang and struck dead by Heavenly Thunder, Perfected One Chong Guang had even mocked him with disdain. Therefore, Chong Ming found it hard to believe his father would do the same thing now. But undeniably, this did cast a shadow over his heart…

“An opening!”

Seeing Chong Ming’s mind waver, the eyes of one of the Thousand-Households Commander lit up slightly. A bronze gong appeared in his hand, and he struck it heavily with channeled spiritual power.

Clang—!

In an instant, a deafening sound wave exploded, crashing directly into Chong Ming’s mind. It shook his soul and scattered his protective treasure light by eighty percent.

I’m finished!

Dizzy and disoriented, Chong Ming felt a chill in his heart. He hurriedly bit down on a pill, preparing to tough out the opponent’s subsequent onslaught. But when he came back to his senses, he found that the three Dao Court Thousand-Households Commander surrounding him hadn’t advanced. Instead, they had stopped their actions, their expressions stiff.

What’s going on?

Chong Ming stood blankly on the spot. Following the gaze of the three Dao Court Thousand-Households Commander, he looked behind him and was nearly scared out of his wits in an instant.

Behind him, unbeknownst to him, an extra person had appeared.

The newcomer wore a mystic cloak, a sword suspended at his waist, and a warm smile on his face. In his hand, he held a massive head that still had remnants of Divine Ability brilliance.

“Hmm?”

Looking at the head in Lu Yang’s hand, the remaining two Dao Court Thousand-Households Commander realized that the Thousand-Household Commander who had been boasting just now had already turned into a corpse.

When? How did he do it!

A few Early Stage Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones naturally couldn’t understand the profundity of [Hidden Stellar Radiance]. At this moment, the area within a hundred miles was already securely covered by Lu Yang’s Divine Ability.

[Hidden Stellar Radiance] could mask karma and conceal forms. Under the shroud of the Divine Ability, what they could see and what they couldn’t see was entirely within Lu Yang’s control. Therefore, even though he had just beheaded a Dao Court Thousand-Household Commander right in front of everyone, the remaining two knew nothing about it until now.

“…Perfected One!”

Only then did Chong Ming react, almost weeping with joy, blurting out the honorific from the days of the dao seizing battle.

In the next second, the brilliant light collapsed.

The two Dao Court Thousand-Households Commander didn’t hesitate at all; they turned and ran. After all, who didn’t know of Lu Yang’s ferocity nowadays? He had slaughtered his way through the [Kingdom of Qing]!

And if one were to really talk about official ranks within the Dao Court system, these Thousand-Households Commander couldn’t compare to the King of Qing. Lu Yang had killed the King of Qing with a single sword stroke; killing them would be even less of a burden. Let alone two of them remaining, even if there were twenty left, fighting him would probably end with just one sword strike!

In an instant, two streaks of escape light fled in different directions.

Then, they were grabbed back by Lu Yang’s [Determine Intimacy and Distance]. Swish swish—two strokes of the [Formless Sword], and two more heads fell, eyes wide open in death.

“Perfected One…”

Looking at the three heads, then looking at Lu Yang who turned around, pressing his hand on the [Avici Sword] and smiling at him, Chong Ming’s expression gradually stiffened.

“Call me Senior Brother.”

Lu Yang grinned and said softly, “What ‘Perfected One’? Uncle-Master Chong Guang’s grace to me was as heavy as a mountain. As Uncle-Master Chong Guang’s only son, calling me ‘Perfected One’ makes us strangers. Besides, your father treated you quite well, didn’t he? He actually left you so many treasures?”

As Lu Yang spoke, he sized up Chong Ming.

He saw him wearing dharma robes, with talisman seals and jade pendants tied at his waist, dharma beads hanging around his neck, and precious bracelets on his wrists. The treasure light on his body alone was worth a Divine Ability!

“Replying to the Perfected One… you’ve misunderstood…”

Chong Ming said cautiously, “I found these inside the Blessed Land. It seems to be my father’s storage treasury within the Blessed Land, and I ended up benefiting from it.”

After speaking, he hurriedly added, “If the Perfected One has taken a fancy to anything, I am willing to offer it up.”

“Uncle-Master Chong Guang’s storage treasury?”

Hearing this, Lu Yang raised his eyebrows slightly. Then he pinched his fingers to calculate and laughed. “So that’s how it is. Junior Brother, you are mistaken. Those are things I left inside the Blessed Land; I forgot to retrieve them earlier.”

“Junior Brother, how can you offer my own treasures to me?”

“…Huh?”

Lu Yang’s shamelessly brazen words instantly stunned Chong Ming. When he reacted, his handsome face turned the color of pig liver.

However, before he could reply, Lu Yang had already thrown a [Determine Intimacy and Distance] onto him. In the next second, the treasure light and spiritual artifacts covering his body were stripped clean by Lu Yang, leaving only a set of inner dharma vestments. Their rank was too low for Lu Yang’s taste, so he specifically left them for him.

Whoosh…

At this moment, although he was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator who transcended the mundane, the blowing wind made Chong Ming feel a long-lost chill.

Bastard, bastard!!!

Lu Yang had actually stripped him bare!

But in the next second, his body froze on the spot. Because after stripping him, Lu Yang didn’t stop. instead, he stared straight at him.

A hint of killing intent actually appeared in his eyes!

Regardless of whether this person is a contingency left by Perfected One Chong Guang, since he’s fallen into my hands, I might as well get rid of him to avoid future trouble!

Clang—!

The [Formless Sword] brazenly unsheathed.

But in that very instant, a breeze suddenly blew past, accompanied by a deep sigh that melted into the wind and drifted faintly into Lu Yang’s ears:

“Yuan Tu… why must it be like this?”

The voice came from all directions, as if this piece of heaven and earth was speaking to him.

In a flash, Lu Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly. At the same time, he calmly retracted the [Formless Sword] that was resting on Chong Ming’s neck, just a step away from beheading him.

“Uncle-Master misunderstands. I was just joking with Junior Brother Chong Ming.”

A familiar voice, a familiar tone.

It was strikingly Perfected One Chong Guang!

(End of this chapter)

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