Chapter 444: Hong Yun! The Greatest Black Hand of Five Thousand Years!

Under the vast dome of the heavens, the starlight shone brilliantly.

【Long Flowing Water】 once again manifested in the mortal world, and the vast Fruitional Power poured down like a waterfall, intercepted midway by 【Ang Xiao】 before cascading entirely before Lü Yang.

Lü Yang looked on, somewhat dissatisfied. “Fellow Daoist, hurry up already. Haven’t you eaten?”

【Ang Xiao】: “.”

Beast!

Did you think seizing such an immense Fruitional Power was something so easily done? Back in the day, the Innate True Person Mu Changsheng spent five thousand years to accomplish such a feat!

Now that I personally took action — and it was even the 【Long Flowing Water】 linked with 【Earth of Chen】 — I condensed those five thousand years into five minutes! And you still dare to nitpick me here? Truly unfilial... Just you wait! I’ll endure you for now, but I don’t believe you can maintain your True Lord state forever!

Indeed, 【Ang Xiao】 had already seen through it.

‘False Golden Fruition Method! The secret technique once created by the Ancestor Tingyou of the Witch Ghost Path — it truly possesses feasibility! And now, Hong Yun actually managed to obtain it and put it into practice!’

He even guessed most of Lü Yang’s intentions.

‘Hong Yun is squeezing the last bit of value out of 【Overturning Lamp Fire】. Now that he walks the Outer Path, he’s planning to use 【Long Flowing Water】 to cultivate an External Fruition Position?’

‘A grave miscalculation!’

【Ang Xiao】 sighed inwardly. Even though he had paid attention to the famed Ancestor Tingyou back then, he hadn’t placed much concern on that so-called False Golden Fruition Method.

For a simple reason —

After all, the requirement of nine Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators was far too demanding. The entire world could not gather that number; if so, what meaning did the technique hold?

A mere chicken rib!

Never in his wildest imagination had 【Ang Xiao】 thought that one day he would personally witness this so-called False Golden Fruition Method — and even end up being completely played by it!

Soon, the Fruitional Power of 【Long Flowing Water】 condensed before Lü Yang, with ten thousand dazzling rays reflecting illusionary brilliance like flowing water. In the end, all of it merged into a single radiant pearl that quietly hovered above Lü Yang’s palm. He directly stored it away and sent it into the Myriad Spirits Banner.

“Buzz, buzz—”

Lü Yang’s action stirred a disturbance between heaven and earth. Yet, the present time was different from before; under the False Golden Fruition, such minor turbulence was instantly suppressed by him.

“The transaction is complete.”

【Ang Xiao】’s voice carried a trace of exhaustion, and then — without the slightest hesitation — he withdrew his consciousness, extinguishing the life of the Yun Family’s Old Ancestor.

Only a faint echo lingered at the spot:

“I will help you this once only. If you go back on your word, reverse the flow of 【Earth of Chen】, and ruin my Dao path, then I will descend into this world at any cost — and you shall be the first I slay!”

【Ang Xiao】, too, had his own plans.

Though Lü Yang currently held the upper hand and forced him to compromise because of 【Earth of Chen】, that did not mean he would willingly let himself be threatened and extorted.

He knew very well the Saint Sect True Lords’ bone-scraping, marrow-sucking disposition — showing weakness would only lead to further exploitation. Thus, after offering one last favor, he immediately adopted a stance of mutual destruction. By common reasoning, anyone normal would know to stop there.

However, Lü Yang was not a normal person.

‘I have the 【Book of a Hundred Lives】 — I was already prepared to restart everything. You think threatening me with mutual destruction will work? What a joke!’

That said, Lü Yang temporarily held back and did not fall out with 【Ang Xiao】 right away — for he still had other matters to attend to.

And only helping once?

Dream on!

Lü Yang sneered inwardly. ‘After all the trouble I went through to seize your weakness, you think one favor will settle it? This leverage — I’ll exploit you for a hundred lifetimes!’

With that thought, Lü Yang no longer paid 【Ang Xiao】 any mind.

Meanwhile, his steps did not stop. His qi surged ever stronger as he stepped into Jiangxi, standing high above the Pure Land Buddha Kingdom.

In that instant, all sound ceased.

Within the Pure Land, the manifestation of 【Shengyi Shengming Tathāgata World-Manifesting Aspect】 trembled violently, feeling an abyssal dread — as though an invisible mountain had been placed upon his shoulders.

‘This one… truly is a True Lord!’

At that moment, the heart of 【Shengyi Shengming Tathāgata World-Manifesting Aspect】 was filled with helplessness. The well-ordered 【Buddha Kingdom on Earth】 had now become like this…

‘Why are there still more experts appearing?!’

I had thought the Demon-Suppressing True Person was already exaggerated enough, yet another one even more terrifying has shown up!

Wasn’t this supposed to be an easy hunt for weaklings?!

World-Honored One, you’ve deceived me!

At the same time, Lü Yang paid no attention to the reactions of others. His gaze merely settled upon the 【Sword of No Killing】 left behind by the Demon-Suppressing True Person.

‘Master…’

Lü Yang sighed inwardly. The Demon-Suppressing True Person had indeed arranged everything with utmost clarity — even preparing a path of retreat for this Sword Dao clone of his.

‘If I hadn’t acted, letting the Pure Land and the Sword Pavilion fight it out — should the Pure Land win, they would eliminate the 【Sword Dao】. And, not wishing to offend the Sword Pavilion further, they would treat my Sword Dao clone kindly, offering good food and shelter, allowing me to return safely with the 【Sword of No Killing】.’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

‘If the Sword Pavilion won, then all the better.’

‘As the disciple of the Demon-Suppressing True Person, so long as I showed proper tact, I would at least inherit a remnant fortune — though seeking the Golden Core Fruition would be impossible, I’d still keep my life.’

Indeed, the Demon-Suppressing True Person was a good man.

‘What a pity.’

Lü Yang withdrew his thoughts. He respected such a person — yet could not be like him.

In the torrent of the mundane world, merely standing one’s ground was already arduous beyond words; to rise above others was harder than ascending to the heavens. He was still far from worthy of being a good man.

The next instant, Lü Yang raised his brows.

His gaze, calm as still water, fell upon the Evil-Banishing True Person and the King of Southern Suppression, Wu Taian — like a candle’s flame that instantly set their bodies ablaze.

There was no suspense.

Like a breeze brushing past, it lifted their eyelids, swept into their organs, and became sparks of fire that burned them from within. Their Innate Divine Abilities, Talented Divine Powers, and Third-Grade Dao Foundations — all became useless ornaments in that moment.

“Boom!”

A deafening explosion rang out. Two figures simultaneously burst apart, resplendent divine light flooding the heavens and earth, pouring over the vast Pure Land Buddha Kingdom.

Only then did Lü Yang retract his gaze.

Around the Great Mahāvīra Hall of the Pure Land, the surrounding monk cultivators staggered backward in shock. Having been severed from their connection with the World-Honored One, how could they possibly remain calm before a True Lord? The weaker ones even rolled their eyes and fainted from sheer terror.

Only that manifestation of 【Shengyi Shengming Tathāgata World-Manifesting Aspect】 remained relatively composed.

“True Lord of Heavenly Fortune and Radiant Light — do you truly wish to become the enemy of my Pure Land and bear enmity with the World-Honored One?”

A faint voice echoed from the Dharma-Aspect, its gaze toward Lü Yang filled with deep complexity, as though fully certain of his true identity.

True Lord of Heavenly Fortune and Radiant Light — Daoist Hong Yun!

Yes, it could be none other than him!

This man’s schemes ran as deep as the sea. Five thousand years ago, he had seemed to fall from the True Lord rank due to Ang Xiao’s machinations — but in truth, it was all a ruse, hiding one path while secretly advancing another.

He had taken part when Chong Guang attained 【Boundless Heaven】.

Even beside the Demon-Suppressing True Person, there had been traces of his involvement.

Now, he had even circumvented the constraints of 【Boundless Heaven】, becoming the foremost True Lord of the present age!

And, by some unknown means, he had even seized the body of the immortal spirit Shang Zhang… In other words, he possessed the potential to seize the entire 【Buddha Kingdom on Earth】!

If he truly succeeded in usurping it, he would become the next 【Ang Xiao】 — and even more terrifying than before. Worse yet, since the Evil-Banishing True Person had been used to construct the 【Buddha Kingdom on Earth】, if that kingdom fell to Hong Yun, Ang Xiao would lose the 【White Wax Gold】 and the debt of vengeance from the past would also be repaid!

At that realization, the heart of 【Shengyi Shengming Tathāgata World-Manifesting Aspect】 quivered in horror.

‘Hong Yun… this man is truly the greatest black hand of the past five thousand years!’