Chapter 342: Chong Guang's Calculation
As Chong Guang’s voice faded, the aura around him shifted abruptly.
Originally, when he perfected his Divine Ability, he had obtained the Ageless Chun Tree, Shady Dragon Water, Fear of Hewing, and Furnace Crucible Fire, pointing directly at the position of the Overturned Lamp Flame.
But now, his Divine Ability had changed.
The light symbolizing the Overturned Lamp Flame suddenly dissipated, like a lamp blown out by the wind, and was replaced by streaks of hazy, illusory colors.
“Essence of Myriad Fragrances, Sea of Sorrow, Ferry of the Lost, Song of Everlasting Regret!”
Seeing these four Great Void Divine Abilities, even Sky-Shrouding was somewhat surprised. “Every single one is top-tier. You aren’t afraid Mu Changsheng will directly possess you?”
“That depends on you, My Lord,” Chong Guang smiled faintly.
“Hahaha.”
Sky-Shrouding couldn’t help but clap his hands and laugh aloud.
Chong Guang’s choice was brilliant!
Because Wu You Heaven itself, like Sky-Shrouding, was taboo to the world’s Perfected Lords. They would not allow Mu Changsheng to truly use it to achieve Void Attainment.
Under these circumstances, no one should have helped him. Coupled with the fact that this path ran contrary to the Overturned Lamp Flame, even Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue, who had supported him most before, wouldn’t lift a finger. Only Sky-Shrouding, who was equally hostile to the world’s Perfected Lords, had the motive and ability to act.
After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
If Chong Guang sought Wu You Heaven at this moment, no Perfected Lord would even come to stop him, because compared to him, Sky-Shrouding was undoubtedly the more important target.
He’s using me as a shield.
Thinking of this, Sky-Shrouding wasn’t angry. Instead, he chuckled softly. “I indeed have a way to help you resist the possession of Mu Changsheng’s consciousness.”
Mu Changsheng was indeed brilliant.
However, in Sky-Shrouding’s eyes, he wasn’t an incomprehensible existence. How many brilliant and dazzling geniuses had he seen up to now?
They were all in the past!
Only by ascending to the position of Perfected Lord can one truly gain a foothold in this world… The last one was Feixue. This person is cut from the same cloth as her.
Will he be the next one?
Sky-Shrouding pondered internally, but his face revealed nothing. He continued to smile faintly. “I can help you, but young friend, what do you have to help me?”
“What My Lord lacks is nothing but time.”
Chong Guang directly pointed out Sky-Shrouding’s current dilemma. In truth, Sky-Shrouding didn’t fear Hong Yun’s attempt at Seeking Golden Core. The problem was that just before Hong Yun began, a part of Sky-Shrouding’s consciousness had been trapped inside the Southern Heavenly Gate, causing him to lose his observation of the present world and miss the optimal window to intervene.
By the time he reacted, it was too late.
Hong Yun had already passed the initial stage and begun to attract the gaze of the Dao Fruit. Having reached this step, there was no time left for Sky-Shrouding to lay out a counter-scheme.
This was precisely Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue’s calculation.
However, looking at it another way—
“As long as I can make up for this lost time for My Lord, I believe that without anyone else’s help, My Lord will have your own way to break this deadlock.”
As his voice fell, Chong Guang laid out his bargaining chip.
Light surged from his entire body, and immediately, Sky-Shrouding sensed the source of that radiance. “Overturned Lamp Flame… the corresponding ritual?”
“I take the meaning of the Overturned Lamp Flame and call it Reversal.”
Chong Guang said in a deep voice, “Hong Yun is deep in My Lord’s scheme. I will help him break a certain-death situation. This is the greatest Reversal, enough to attract the attention of the Dao Fruit!”
If Lu Yang were here, he would suddenly understand.
That transaction!
Before entering the Southern Heavenly Gate, Chong Guang had proactively proposed a trade to Lu Yang, asking him to stay inside the Southern Heavenly Gate to fish for Sky-Shrouding.
Undoubtedly, this transaction allowed Chong Guang to tangibly participate in the plot against Sky-Shrouding, even acting as a weight on the scale. Without this transaction, Lu Yang might have cleared the gate immediately, and Sky-Shrouding might have discovered something was wrong earlier, triggering a chain reaction.
This was the purpose of the trade between Chong Guang and Lu Yang!
On one hand, it was certainly to lure Sky-Shrouding into the trap. On the other hand, it was to add a bargaining chip for himself, demonstrating sufficient value.
“This naturally isn’t enough to make Hong Yun fail in Seeking Golden Core.”
“But with this, I am confident I can compete with Hong Yun for the attention of the Dao Fruit, stalling for at least an hour for My Lord. That should be enough for My Lord to act, right?”
Chong Guang was shrouded in magnificent light, his expression unreadable.
There was another key point to his chip— to maintain the ritual, he could not die. If he died, no one could continue to pin down Hong Yun.
The implication was clear— You’d better not try anything funny.
Sky-Shrouding sized up Chong Guang, his own emotions equally unreadable. After a moment, he suddenly said, “…If it’s just keeping you alive, I have plenty of methods.”
Chong Guang nodded. “My Lord can take a gamble.”
Gamble? What a joke!
Once Hong Yun succeeded in Seeking Golden Core, Sky-Shrouding’s schemes of several thousand years would instantly fail, and he would fall in realm. With his Dao Path at stake, how could he possibly gamble?
“…Remarkable.”
Looking at Chong Guang, Sky-Shrouding finally smiled and nodded slightly. “In all these years, you are the first person who has dared to threaten me. You truly have guts.”
“I have no irreconcilable conflict with My Lord.”
Chong Guang lowered his eyelids. “If My Lord helps me, and I achieve success, I can also help My Lord. This is a win-win situation. Everything depends on your choice.”
During their conversation, Hong Yun’s Seeking Golden Core continued. Time was limited, so Sky-Shrouding finally dropped his probing thoughts. Instead, he took out a candle lamp from his sleeve and ignited it with spiritual power. The dim lamplight illuminated the surroundings, carrying a spiritual aura that calmed the mind and clarified thoughts.
“This treasure is called the Sun-Obscuring Golden Lamp.”
“As the name suggests, it is the Dao Fruit treasure of Great Forest Wood. Before the lamplight burns out, you can borrow the wonder of ‘Sun-Obscuring’ to hide your own consciousness.”
“This way, Mu Changsheng will be temporarily unable to possess you.”
“However, I will only protect you for a time, not for a lifetime. By the time the lamplight burns out, I will likely have finished dealing with Hong Yun’s problem.”
“At that time, I won’t mind collecting another Wu You Heaven.”
Chong Guang immediately cupped his hands. “Many thanks, My Lord!”
As a veteran Perfected One of the Saint Sect, Chong Guang knew very well that for Sky-Shrouding to say such words meant he had already shown immense sincerity.
For the Perfected Ones of the Saint Sect, what was the most trustworthy transaction?
It wasn’t the credit of the parties involved, but rather mutual need and profitability. On this point, both of them had undoubtedly calculated perfectly.
The Dragon Lord in the previous life clearly hadn’t grasped this.
Although that was also because the Dragon Lord didn’t know Sky-Shrouding’s true goal, leading to a misjudgment, Chong Guang obviously wouldn’t make that mistake.
In fact, in this regard, he was even more seasoned than the Dragon Lord.
Because Sky-Shrouding’s current need was actually created by Chong Guang. After all, without him, Hong Yun might not have been able to ascend and seek the Golden Core so smoothly.
That was why Sky-Shrouding called it a “threat”!
To threaten a Great Perfected Lord of the Golden Core Late Stage while only at the Foundation Establishment realm… although he had guided the situation to his advantage, was seizing such an opportunity not a capability in itself?
In the next second, Chong Guang closed his eyes.
On his body, a magnificent light fully bloomed, shooting straight into the clouds and attracting the attention of the Overturned Lamp Flame, while his consciousness escaped into Wu You Heaven!
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