Chapter 591: Chapter 591: Steamroll Them
"Pushovers?"
The moment Lü Yang spoke, the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva’s expression turned icy. "Still resisting when death is at your door? Do you think this is like three months ago?"
In truth, the Pure Land could have won the great battle three months ago.
If World Purger Fei Xue hadn’t interfered, Bao Lian Hidden Buddha would have lost a bit of face at worst. He might have died once or twice, but killing Lü Yang would have been only a matter of time.
And now, they had painstakingly colluded with the Celestial Mansion to assemble a formidable lineup: one at the Middle Stage of Golden Core, two at the Early Stage of Golden Core, and one practitioner of the Outer Dao. Although Bao Lian Hidden Buddha wasn’t present, he was keeping a close watch on the Overseas, ready to intercept any rescue attempt from the Old Dragon Monarch.
An inescapable trap! Certain death!
Best of all, this place was located Beyond the Heavens. The Netherworld, unlike other Fruits, could not easily interfere here. Under these circumstances, if a Perfected Lord died, his Soul would have nowhere to flee!
The Pure Land had meticulously laid this trap for one purpose: a guaranteed kill.
And yet, Lü Yang remained utterly unconcerned, his expression serene. The Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva, naturally displeased, couldn’t resist taunting him.
"This time, no one is coming to save you."
"Or perhaps you intend to repeat your old trick and suppress us in the Sea of Suffering? Too bad. That move is only effective against me now."
This was why the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva was so confident. Lü Yang could no longer use his Engraving Laws to clear the field in one go, suppressing multiple Golden Core cultivators at once.
At most, he could only suppress him.
But the Engraving Laws was Lü Yang’s trump card. If it could only suppress one person without changing the overall situation, using it would be a pathetic waste.
"Why waste words on a dead man?"
Just then, the Lesser Yin True Monarch from the Celestial Mansion suddenly attacked. His lips moved, and he instantly unleashed a gout of flame.
Lesser Yin Monarch Fire!
The Lesser Yin: in Heaven, it is heat; on Earth, it is fire. Like the Sun, it governs both water and fire, but where the Sun is known for its cold water, the Lesser Yin is known for its monarch fire.
Thus, when the Lesser Yin Immortal Monarch unleashed this flame, it lacked any of the ferocious intensity one would expect. Instead, it rippled outward like water, shimmering gently. It appeared slow, but its speed was deceptive. In the blink of an eye, it reflected in Lü Yang’s pupils and began to burn from within his body.
"Hmph... A cheap trick."
Lü Yang, however, remained unhurried. He formed a Daoist Hand Seal, and the imagery of his Fruit of Celestial Fire manifested within him. He made a grasping motion toward the Lesser Yin Monarch Fire.
’Deprive!’
In that instant, the previously raging Lesser Yin Monarch Fire went still. Not only did it fail to harm Lü Yang, but he even turned it around and unleashed it himself.
BOOM!
The flames collided, instantly churning up massive waves in the Outer Heaven Sea of Light. The Duality of Life and Death Profound Light clashed violently, erupting in brilliant flashes.
The next second, however, the others attacked.
Empowered by the Buddha Light, the Celestial Mansion’s Dao Yan Immortal Monarch also unleashed his Profound Mysterious technique. The imagery of the Sun in the Spring, a state where all things become cold and still, instantly washed over Lü Yang.
For a moment, his Mana, Fruit Position Imagery, and even his Profound Mysterious techniques fell into a state of stillness, becoming difficult to command.
At the same time, the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva and the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva charged in. Pouring all their Mana into the attack, they sent two beams of Splendid Light crashing down.
DONG!
Taking the full force of the two Bodhisattvas’ attack, Lü Yang’s brow furrowed. His Dharma Body swayed, the intense shockwave from the impact even stronger than he had anticipated.
’It’s the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood...’
The Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva was merely a practitioner of the Outer Dao; his attack was negligible. The real damage came from the full-powered strike of the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva.
His Fruit was the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood.
The Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood: braving snow and frost, towering over the land, hiding beneath the Gold Attribute, and withering only after the coldest part of the year. Its nature was one of extreme resilience—a Fruit that purely enhanced one’s attributes.
And as his name suggested, the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva had specifically refined an aspect from the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood to forge a corresponding True Treasure: the Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle. This weapon pushed the attribute enhancements from his Fruit to their absolute limit. A single strike from it was almost too much for even Lü Yang to handle.
"What? Run out of tricks?"
The Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva didn’t stop talking, his voice booming like a Thunder Sound. "Or have you prepared some other trick to use against us?"
"After all, that’s what you did before, isn’t it?"
By now, every Perfected Lord in the world understood that Lü Yang had been the one orchestrating Progenitor Tingyou’s attainment of the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven, all so he himself could attain the Fruit of Celestial Fire.
It was impressive, using a thousand schemes to finally become a Perfected Lord.
But so what?
He still had to die!
The Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva sneered and pressed his attack. "Whatever trump cards or schemes you have left, bring them all out! Today, I will reduce them all to nothing!"
As he spoke, he even empowered his words with the Pure Land’s Life-taking Mantra Skill. He wasn’t trying to destroy Lü Yang’s Soul—it would be a success if he could simply disrupt his Heart Spirit and drain more of his energy. After all, even as they spoke, the Lesser Yin Monarch Fire that had entered Lü Yang’s body had already reignited.
It was all just trash talk.
Ultimately, the plan was to corner and kill Lü Yang, to erase this great Variable whom even the Bhagavat considered an eyesore, and who held a grudge against the Pure Land for severing his path to the Dao.
The next second, however, his eyes met Lü Yang’s.
Calm. Indifferent. As if Lü Yang were looking at a dead man. Even with his esteemed status as a Perfected Lord, the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva felt a bone-deep chill.
"Schemes? Plots?"
Lü Yang said coolly, "Back then, I had not yet become a Perfected Lord. Before I attained the Fruit of Celestial Fire, I had no choice but to take great risks, to find a sliver of hope in impossible situations."
’Before I attained the Fruit of Celestial Fire, I had to scheme constantly. I was terrified of every pitfall, afraid that the slightest accident would lead to my violent death once more.’
’But now I’ve attained the Fruit of Celestial Fire. I’ve become a Perfected Lord. And you think it’s still the same?’
’Are you looking down on Perfected Lords, or are you looking down on the Fruit of Celestial Fire?’
"I went through hell to attain the Fruit of Celestial Fire for one reason and one reason only: so that if anyone ever schemed against me again, I could crush them with pure power, without a second thought!"
RUMBLE!
In that instant, as Lü Yang’s voice thundered, his Dharma Body shot up, growing larger and larger until, in a flash, it had transformed into a towering, majestic giant that touched the heavens and stood firm upon the earth!
At this moment, the Array laid by the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva began to shake violently. Lü Yang carved one law after another without a moment’s hesitation. The Bodhisattva may have been trying to disrupt his mind with their little chat, but wasn’t Lü Yang also just stalling for time?
In an instant, the sky filled with laws, drawing down the light of Heaven.
Celestial Fire Body Burning Punishment!
Inside the Array, Lü Yang raised his arm. Outside the Array, the Celestial Fire struck. With this coordinated attack from within and without, a deafening BOOM resounded as the Array was torn to pieces!
"How is this possible...?!"
The Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva was stunned. The Lesser Yin Immortal Monarch raised an eyebrow as well, because Lü Yang was completely ignoring the True Fire still burning within his body.
In just a few moments, he was already breathing fire from his mouth and nose.
Half of his internal organs had been scorched to charcoal.
And yet, Lü Yang’s aura didn’t weaken in the slightest. On the contrary, it grew even more intense. The Unyielding Sword Intent surged in his chest, and his presence continued to soar.
"Stop him!"
At this moment, even the Lesser Yin Immortal Monarch, who had been holding back out of a sense of self-importance, was forced to act. If Lü Yang fought his way out, he might actually have a chance to escape.
He formed a Daoist Hand Seal and began to chant a decree.
"By the rule of the Lesser Yin Celestial Master, let Qi flow with Innate transformation! Let the Earth Qi be solemn and the weather of Heaven be clear! Let cold meet summer’s heat, and heat bring forth dryness! Let clouds race to the halls of rain, let dampness transform and move, let the timely rains descend! Let Gold and fire unite in virtue, corresponding to the firefly and the great white star! Let its rule be bright and its decrees be sharp! Let the grains be crimson and white, and let water and fire, cold and heat, be held in the exchange of all things..."
Minor Yin Celestial Ruling Technique!
RUMBLE!
In an instant, a vast torrent of water flowed from the void and fell upon Lü Yang. It merged with the fierce fire inside him, creating a cataclysm of annihilation.
A disaster of water and fire!
Lü Yang looked up to see nothing but a vast, churning ocean. The fire within his body surged in response, threatening to burn through his organs, melting his very flesh and bone.
"...Is that all?"
Lü Yang’s expression was glacial. The Engraving Laws between his brows activated, sketching out Flame Divine Text that coiled around his body, instantly nullifying the entire Water and Fire Tribulation.
A forcefully engraved law: [All attacks are nullified]!
The Lesser Yin Immortal Monarch: "???"
Seeing Lü Yang simply shrug off the Water and Fire Tribulation—a technique he considered a guaranteed kill—and proceed to fight his way out, the Lesser Yin Immortal Monarch’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
’What the hell is that?’
Mana, bound to his Soul Gold Attribute, drained away like water from a burst dam, but in exchange, Lü Yang’s Dharma Body became impervious to both water and fire. The Tribulation Wave finally materialized in his grasp.
SHING!
The Sword Light tore through the Sea of Light. With no flashy moves, Lü Yang simply cleaved the Buddha Country in two with a single strike. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he strode out, utterly composed!