Chapter 432: True Lord’s Manifestation, a Trace of Metal Nature!

“It’s you!”

If Lü Yang hadn’t appeared, it might have been fine—but the moment he revealed himself, Ye Shaoying’s gaze immediately shot toward him, and the face of the Ye Family’s Patriarch abruptly changed.

After all, as a so-called “Rogue Cultivator from Beyond the Heavens,” Lü Yang’s strength was now renowned in this era where the True Lords had all gone into seclusion. Even those at Foundation Establishment Perfection dared not claim certain victory against him. Ye Shaoying, as a late-stage Foundation Establishment True Person, could only rely on formation power to barely defend himself.

If Lü Yang were still outside, he might have had some confidence.

However, right now, Lü Yang had somehow managed to infiltrate the family itself—

the grand formation that should have barred all intruders had utterly failed to respond!

Yet the situation no longer allowed him time to think.

“Kill!”

At Lü Yang’s single command, the Myriad Spirits Banner (万灵幡) unfurled.

Aside from Ancestor Tingyou, all the Banner Spirits (幡灵) swarmed forth, instantly setting off a tempest of blood and carnage.

After all, Banner Spirits feared no death.

Seeing this, Ye Shaoying’s eyes instantly turned scarlet. If these Banner Spirits were truly allowed to slaughter at will, the great Ye Family might be completely annihilated!

With a furious roar, Ye Shaoying tried to mobilize the clan’s defensive formation to stop Lü Yang—but the moment he moved, a majestic surge of Incense Qi (香火之气) rolled out from within the Myriad Spirits Banner.

It pressed down like a colossal mountain, suppressing the entire family’s formation from within and without. At the same time, several Banner Spirits blocked his way.

“Out of my way!”

Ye Shaoying slashed his sword forth. The blade light struck the Banner Spirits—yet the glow of incense flared instead, erasing them into nothingness.

In that instant, a terrifying divine presence descended.

“Bang!”

Banner Spirit Longyue, Mother Wusheng, Ancestor Yan, and City God of the Capital—four Incense Deities—attacked simultaneously, almost making Ye Shaoying’s eyes bulge out of his skull.

“Foundation Establishment Perfection… four of them!?”

What kind of joke was this!?

Ye Shaoying desperately drew upon the power of the formation to reinforce himself.

Only because Incense Deities were relatively weaker was he not immediately crushed to death by those four gods.

Even so, the vast difference in strength between the two sides made despair well up within him.

For a moment, countless contingency plans flashed through his mind, only to be discarded one by one. As for his supposed backing—True Person Evil-Banishing (却邪真人)—he could barely save himself now!

In the end, there remained only one thought—

“Demon-Purging… Guang Ji!”

At that thought, Ye Shaoying cast aside all emotion and immediately took out the jade slip he had used to contact True Person Demon-Suppressing (荡魔真人) before, quickly infusing it with divine sense.

At the same time, on the borders of Jiangnan—

“...A call for aid?”

The Demon-Suppressing True Person suddenly halted mid-stride on his way toward Jiangxi, pulling out a jade slip.

Turning back, he sighed faintly.

“Master?”

Lü Yang, who had been using his Sword Dao avatar to monitor the True Person’s condition, was startled and quickly stepped forward respectfully to inquire.

But the Demon-Suppressing True Person soon withdrew his gaze.

In truth, there had been one thing Evil-Banishing True Person said correctly—he truly was a cold, heartless man.

Earlier, Evil-Banishing True Person had asked him which sword intent belonged to him—【Sword of No Killing (不杀)】 or 【All-Slay (皆斩)】—and he hadn’t answered.

Because perhaps the answer would surprise everyone.

The sword intent that truly belonged to him was 【All-Slay】,

while 【No Killing】—the intent he had used for most of his life—was merely the legacy of another.

‘Perhaps… I truly am not a benevolent man.’

The Demon-Suppressing True Person couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.

In his view, he had simply grown too accustomed to using 【No Killing】—habit had become nature, nothing more.

“It’s nothing.”

Coming back to himself, the True Person spoke lightly, then crushed the jade slip in his hand, paying no further heed to whatever might happen back at the Sword Pavilion.

“Hah...”

Meanwhile, Lü Yang—who had been tense and ready to flee at any moment—finally let out a sigh of relief, a flicker of excitement rising in his chest.

The Demon-Suppressing True Person would not intervene!

The grand game was decided!

At that thought, Lü Yang soared forward on his escape light toward the deepest part of the Ye Family. True Person Xiuxin had already secretly informed him of the location of the family’s treasure vault.

【Heaven-Bearing Hall (承天殿)!】

The moment he stepped into the Ye Family’s vault, an oppressive aura washed over him. Even with his current cultivation, Lü Yang felt a faint heaviness.

‘Residual Fruitional Power…’

He instantly understood—this treasury had once been sealed by True Lord Cheng Tian Zheng De (承天正德真君) using the power of his Fruit Position.

It was once impregnable. Only because most True Lords had long gone into seclusion—and their Fruitional Power had greatly dissipated—did he now have the chance to enter.

Otherwise, it would have been certain death.

‘This level of means even surpasses the Dragon Palace.’

Lü Yang was not surprised; the True Dragon Clan and the Sword Pavilion were leagues apart in heritage.

True Lord Cheng Tian Zheng De merely benefited from the Dao Lineage.

He proceeded deeper into the great hall.

Soon, a pitch-black and solemn gate appeared before him, upon which was carved a formation glowing with a faint blood-red hue in place of a door-ring.

Lü Yang frowned slightly: ‘Should I try again with 【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】?’

The next second, he dismissed the idea. Not only was 【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】 too destructive—one strike might demolish the entire vault—

but now the treasure itself refused his command.

‘【Profound Thunder Dao-Entering Cloud】 was refined by True Lord Han Guang Fu Tian, the one behind Xiang Ye. Now that the True Lords are all hidden away, even this treasure’s condition is poor.’

It had already forced itself to act once; now it needed long slumber to preserve its essence—it could not act again merely to help him rob a vault.

‘Fortunately, I came prepared.’

With a thought, Lü Yang threw out the recently subdued Ye Family True Person and used String-Pulled Puppet to control his body, step by step, toward the gate.

“Clatter... clatter!”

With the Ye Family’s bloodline as a key, the vault gate instantly responded and swung open, revealing a corridor. Lü Yang’s lips curled into a smile— 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Only to freeze a moment later.

Because behind that gate was not the radiant treasury he had imagined, but a dark, cold, lifeless chamber.

“This is…”

Lü Yang raised his head and saw on the dim walls countless lines of text—twisted, blurred, as if corroded by time.

It was a cultivation method.

Its name—『Ascension to the Mysterious Realm Observation Register』!

Lü Yang recognized it at a glance; he had seen a similar scripture—『Upper Radiant Golden Cup and Jade Light 』—in Hong Yun’s memories.

‘This is… a method to sense the Fruitional Position!’

‘Exactly. True Lord Cheng Tian Zheng De, nearing the end of his life, must have left behind this safeguard to reclaim his Fruitional Position after reincarnation.’

‘Through this scripture, one can sense 【Wall Earth】!’

As Lü Yang pondered this, a surge of danger suddenly swept through him. He instinctively retreated a step and looked again into the dark chamber.

“…No. Something’s wrong.”

How could such a grand treasury contain only one scripture?

And as for True Lord Cheng Tian Zheng De’s contingency—how could it be limited to a single sensing technique? Even Hong Yun had prepared several!

“Thud… Thud… Thud…”

Heavy footsteps echoed from the shadows within the chamber. Soon, a figure emerged—a sword-wielding youth with crimson lips and gleaming white teeth.

“Hiss!”

In that instant, Lü Yang gasped sharply.

But Ancestor Tingyou’s reaction was even stronger—his eyes turned blood-red, and he spat out his words through clenched teeth, filled with fury:

“【Zheng De】…!!!”

‘Impossible—no, this isn’t the original body!’

‘I understand now… just as Hong Yun created Hong Ju, True Lord Cheng Tian Zheng De must have left behind something similar—this is his manifested incarnation!’

The next instant, Lü Yang’s eyes shone brightly.

Because within the youth’s body before him, he saw a faint yet incomparably pure radiance—burning like flame.

‘Metal Nature!’

The Metal Nature of True Lord Cheng Tian Zheng De!!!

——

Shameful… feeling drained today. Only managed to write three pages. I’ll owe the rest for now, need a bit more recovery before continuing.