Chapter 945 - 940: Prelude to the Great Calamity

Chapter 945: Chapter 940: Prelude to the Great Calamity

Profound Spirit Realm, Celestial Court.

Inside the Cave Mansion, Lü Yang wore an apologetic smile as he respectfully offered a cup of tea to the smoke-wreathed figure sitting across the table. "Senior, this is excellent tea."

Ang Xiao just snorted, "HMPH!"

Over the past thirty years of time, Lü Yang had certainly not wasted his days. Relying on his Talent Skill, he had thoroughly mastered the Time Shifting World Changing Dao Fruit imparted by the Bhagavat.

He had truly relied on himself for this. It had cost him a full thirty years of time, and that was only because he possessed the True Monarch Dao Practice of the Fruit of Rampart Earth. Otherwise, it would have taken even longer. Regardless, he had finally mastered it.

On the second day after mastering the Time Shifting World Changing Dao Fruit, Lü Yang invited Ang Xiao over once more to discuss borrowing the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire.

Although this matter was of no real consequence to Lü Yang, doing absolutely nothing would inevitably arouse the Bhagavat’s suspicion. Thus, he still needed to keep up appearances. However, putting on an act was one thing; letting Ang Xiao use this opportunity to extort him was absolutely out of the question.

"Senior, I’ll just say this," Lü Yang said with a light chuckle, setting down his teacup. "This is a matter of mutual benefit. You just saw it for yourself. You should understand without me having to explain further."

He had already demonstrated the Time Shifting World Changing Dao Fruit to Ang Xiao. This Fruit Arcana was the greatest proof. Without Lü Yang needing to say a word, Ang Xiao instantly understood that this was a chess piece played by the Bhagavat. And the Bhagavat was standing on Lü Yang’s side.

In other words...

"Helping me is actually helping yourself, Senior," Lü Yang continued, putting on a look of utter conviction. "So, when I am here to help you, you actually have the nerve to ask me for benefits? You should be the one giving me benefits!"

Ang Xiao was speechless.

The logic was sound, but it was still infuriating! For a moment, Ang Xiao even hallucinated a trace of the Sword Pavilion’s overbearing style in Lü Yang’s words and demeanor.

"Fine," Ang Xiao suddenly said with a cold sneer after a moment of silence. "I agree to this matter. I can temporarily lend you the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire."

"That’s more like it." Lü Yang nodded, before smoothly shifting the topic. "Then what about my benefits?"

He mentally cursed him as a Sword Species. This time, Ang Xiao didn’t even have the interest to reply. Feeling that just looking at Lü Yang brought bad luck, his smoke-wreathed figure flickered and instantly vanished from the spot.

Watching Ang Xiao leave, Lü Yang gradually restrained the smile on his face. He sat as still as a stone statue. An unknown amount of time passed before a streak of Flying Light landed outside his door. The person who pushed the door open and entered was none other than the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm. However, the face of this Outer Dao True Monarch was filled with apprehension.

"Daoist, the Star Palace has sent someone again," he said.

"Many thanks, Daoist." Lü Yang looked up with an amiable smile. "You can put your escape plan on the agenda now. Leave this place of trouble as soon as possible."

Hearing this, the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm furrowed his brows tightly. Ultimately, he could not help but ask in a low voice, "Are you not fleeing as well, Daoist? The Sea of Light is vast; there is always a way out."

Lü Yang’s smile remained unchanged, but he shook his head. "I cannot escape."

If he truly wanted to escape, where could he not go? He could simply restart via the Centome, and even a Master of Dao wouldn’t be able to stop him. But his ambitions were set higher, which meant there was nowhere for him to run.

"Besides... I don’t want to run." Lü Yang flicked his sleeves and stood up. Thirty years of silent sitting had left not a single trace of time on him; he retained the same dashing, youthful appearance.

Lü Yang exhaled deeply. For a moment, his breathing grew rapid.

This was certainly not out of fear. In fact, it was the exact opposite—he was about to do something monumental. Excitement gripped him, causing his entire body to tremble slightly.

On the side, the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm was slightly stunned. His eyes met Lü Yang’s, and he saw a speck of scarlet in them—like a ball of fire that could erupt at any moment. The next second, Lü Yang brushed past him and walked out of the Cave Mansion.

Outside the Celestial Court, Hao Yuan Shangzhen stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He immediately spotted Lü Yang strolling over and was similarly taken aback before furrowing his brows.

Such heavy killing intent!

Indeed, the Qi trace radiating from Lü Yang’s entire being right now was fierce to the Extreme, completely unmaskable, like a desperado about to gamble everything he had. Or rather, he never had any intention of restraining himself.

"Daoist..." Hao Yuan Shangzhen said softly.

"Senior, there’s no need to say more. I know what I’m doing," Lü Yang said, waving his hand with a smile. "Is the Dao Weapon forged? If it’s ready, let’s depart immediately."

Hao Yuan Shangzhen fell silent upon hearing this. He thought, "Does he... already know?"

According to their agreement, after receiving the Overlord-level Dao Weapon this time, Lü Yang was to join the Star Palace in attacking the Celestial Mansion. On the surface, this appeared to be a simple transaction. In reality, however, there were hidden machinations at play.

Attack the Celestial Mansion?

Incorrect! Attacking the Celestial Mansion was just a smokescreen. What kind of place was the Celestial Mansion? It was formed from the remnants of Si Chou, the Daoist Lord of Dharma Body, and was currently controlled by the Stain Sect. How could they surrender it easily?

The Star Palace’s true objective was not to conquer the Celestial Mansion at all. Instead, they intended to use the momentum of the invasion to trigger the millennial Tribulation decades in advance! Since the Celestial Mansion was a location the Stain Sect was absolutely compelled to save, this maneuver would force the Immortal Pivot to abandon their home-ground advantage and deploy reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Star Palace would wait at their leisure, laying siege to the stronghold in order to annihilate the incoming relief forces!

This was the prelude to the millennial Tribulation!

At this crucial juncture, the one who stuck their neck out would be the first to die. That was exactly why the Star Palace demanded that Lü Yang lead the vanguard during the assault on the Celestial Mansion.

Did he really think an Overlord-level Dao Weapon would be so easy to take? Having accepted the Star Palace’s benefits, he naturally had to exert himself for them. At the same time, this was a scheme to completely sever Lü Yang’s ties with the Immortal Pivot, forcing him to stand firmly in their camp.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang glanced at Hao Yuan Shangzhen again and sneered inwardly.

Why would this Great Perfected Lord of the Dao of Arcane Power personally come to escort him to the Star Palace? He figured that if he were to go back on his word now and refuse the Overlord-level Dao Weapon, Hao Yuan Shangzhen would immediately turn hostile and eliminate a future problem right then and there.

Lü Yang thought, "The people in this Broken Place, the Void Sea of Light... they’re all the same! Their hearts are entirely black!"

"Fortunately, I have no intention of backing out," he continued to muse. "In fact, this plays right into my hands. If I don’t lead the vanguard, how can I ride the crest of the waves and subsequently gain the favor of the Tribulation?"

Besides, this was a Variable that he had introduced himself.

He thought to himself, "If I hadn’t provided a massive amount of Lifespan to those True Monarchs of Magical Power in the Star Palace, freeing them from their slumber, they wouldn’t have been this proactive.

"The millennial Tribulation is established by the Constant. However, by taking the initiative to attack the Celestial Mansion and triggering the millennial Tribulation early, the Star Palace can weaken the Constant’s momentum to a certain extent. This is likely beneficial for the struggles between the Masters of Dao. From this perspective, this is quite a brilliant chess move."

It was even more than that.

"Pushing things to this extent means that, at the very least, the Daoist Lord of Magical Power has decided to tear up his alliance with the Saint Sect Ancestral Master. Therefore... I can actually afford to be a bit more unbridled!"

Up until now, Lü Yang had been intentionally limiting his output. Even during his Combat with World Purger Fei Xue, he had only used the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder as his core. He had only revealed a portion of his Dharma Body, and he had not used a single True Treasure.

But now, things were different.

At this critical juncture where the Masters of Dao were falling out, he could afford to go all out. As for the pressure from the Saint Sect Ancestral Master, he could comfortably shift that burden onto the Daoist Lord of Magical Power.

After all, when it came to the matter of the Dao of Arcane Body, he was a thorn in the side of the Saint Sect Ancestral Master. However, to the two Masters of Dao representing the Dao of Arcane Power and the Dao of Arcane Arts, he was a highly sought-after prize. Furthermore, with the Bhagavat acting as a double agent on the inside, he was actually much safer than he had imagined.

"At this point, there is no need to hide the Profound Mysterious properties devoured by my Dharma Body; slightly masking them with the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder will suffice.

"I can also start using True Treasures. Even if a Master of Dao grows suspicious, they won’t personally make a move against me because of it. After all, I’m not even a Great Perfected Lord yet."

This time, the Void Sea of Light would bear witness to his full power!