Read Novel Full Chapter 535: Unwilling! Disbelieving! Defiant!
Chapter 535: Unwilling! Disbelieving! Defiant!
After a brief silence, 【Ang Xiao】 spoke.
“This truly is... a tribulation.”
The tone was flat, but the one speaking was not his fragmented divine sense — it was the soul of the 【Dragon-Serpent Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva】, currently held in Lu Yang’s hand!
In that instant, Lu Yang’s pupils slightly contracted.
But in the next second, the 【Dragon-Serpent Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva】 — or rather, 【Ang Xiao】 — moved. A dazzling golden radiance suddenly lit up on his body.
This golden radiance intertwined the lights of sun and moon, condensing the qi of yin and yang — it was the manifestation of 【White Wax Gold】.
However, this Fruit Position was countered by Lu Yang’s 【Heavenly Fire】. As soon as it was activated, instead of escaping, 【Ang Xiao】 found himself in an even more perilous situation.
But then, Lu Yang saw a second spectral radiance emerge, reflecting the shifting of valleys and mountains, the imagery of dragons and serpents coiling and vanishing — it was the manifestation of 【Soil Within Sand】. The two illusions intertwined, forming the symbolism of “Nourishing Fire Begets Metal,” turning what was originally counteraction into mutual reinforcement!
“Rumble—!”
A thunderous explosion rang out. 【Ang Xiao】 mounted a streak of escape light and, in the blink of an eye, slipped from Lu Yang’s palm, landing in the distance — he truly escaped!
Seeing this, even Lu Yang couldn’t help but fall silent, then shake his head with a chuckle:
“.What a sight to behold.”
This wasn’t a difference in cultivation, but in pure Dao attainment. 【Ang Xiao】 had actually managed to carve out a path to survival from a desperate situation purely through profound Dao comprehension!
‘I knew the turning point would lie with 【Ang Xiao】... truly worthy of being the World-Honored One.’
Lu Yang turned his head and saw that the previously world-reversing 【City Wall Earth】 was now dim, dissipating like smoke, and soon vanished from the world.
On the other side, 【Ang Xiao】 was stretching freely, the manifestations of 【White Wax Gold】 and 【Soil Within Sand】 intertwining into a radiant brilliance above his head. However, these two manifestations were not infinite — after all, their respective Fruit Positions currently resided in the Underworld. Once used up, they’d be gone.
Even so, 【Ang Xiao】 remained confident.
‘Strictly speaking, the power I can wield now is inferior to that of this demonic dragon... but I have the advantage in Dao attainment — enough to cover all my weaknesses.’
There was no doubt — he was currently very weak.
His true body was trapped in the Underworld. The 【Obstacle of Perception】 was nearly useless — it might still work against Foundation Establishment, but to a Golden Core it would only be a tickle. No hope of relying on it in real combat.
All he could use now were the external Fruit Positions of the 【Dragon-Serpent Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva】, and the limited manifestations of 【White Wax Gold】 and 【Soil Within Sand】. And those were only illusions, not true profundities. If he had access to the fundamental profundities of the Fruit Positions, he’d have a full ten-out-of-ten chance of winning — now, perhaps only six.
‘From this, it’s clear — even 【City Wall Earth】 has its limits…’
If it could truly rewrite karma at will and reverse the present, he could’ve just fixed a karma where Lu Yang suddenly died, and then waited for Lu Yang to drop dead. Simple.
Clearly, heavy restrictions applied.
What 【Ang Xiao】 could deduce, Lu Yang could too. In fact, having cultivated 【City Wall Earth】 himself, his deductions were even more accurate:
‘【Grasping the Past and Present】, changing the causes of the past to forge the effects of the present — this is a profundity that can rewrite history! But this shift in karma must meet certain conditions. Just like my 【Heavenly Fire】... and that condition likely lies with the witnesses — the more people who know, the harder it is to change!’
Lu Yang’s reasoning was simple:
‘【Heavenly Fire】 works the same way. Rules it sets cannot contradict one another. So the karmic changes made by 【City Wall Earth】 likely must follow the same principle!’
After all, the more people witnessed a karmic cause, the more solid it became — as unshakable as bedrock. If the altered karma conflicted with an existing one, unless a tremendous power could suppress the contradiction, the altered karma would ultimately be shattered.
“Hu—!”
With his thoughts thoroughly cleared, Lu Yang’s heart grew calm. He looked at 【Ang Xiao】 with a composed gaze, and then softly asked:
“Is senior really content to be at the command of the World-Honored One?”
“Not quite.”
【Ang Xiao】 shook his head. “You wish to reverse Earth of the Stars. You and I were destined to be enemies — it’s just that the World-Honored One made use of this karma.”
Lu Yang smiled calmly.
To be honest, things like Earth of the Stars and 【Ang Xiao】 had little to do with his current life. He had every reason to walk away.
After all, 【Ang Xiao】 had made it very clear — the karmic feud between them existed solely because Lu Yang sought to reverse Earth of the Stars. If he simply gave up on that goal, there would be no enmity — in fact, they could make peace, even if it meant letting Chong Guang suffer a bit more.
‘However… I am unwilling!’
Lu Yang shook his head. It wasn’t out of some lofty ideal — just a simple selfish desire: those who rule must always move forward.
Retreat would weaken the manifestation.
【Heavenly Fire】 was domineering — it never compromised. Even if none under heaven practiced it, it would never lower its standards for those seeking gold.
How could such a Fruit Position accept one who compromises?
In other words, though 【Ang Xiao】’s words seemed to offer a win-win, in truth they were laced with malice, aiming to ruin Lu Yang’s path to attaining 【Heavenly Fire】!
‘So be it… Let’s try it then.’
Lu Yang stepped forward.
He recalled the time back in the late Qi Refining stage, when he had faced the Master of Mending Heaven Peak and drawn his sword without hesitation. Now, that feeling had begun to fade.
‘Thinking back...’
This wretched place had long become stagnant. In his ten lifetimes of cultivation, he had seen many heroes — each a peerless figure of their age.
Ancestor Tingyou, Uncle Master Chong Guang, Master of Demon-Cleansing, Daoist Suohuan, the Innate True Person… To be blunt, their talent, temperament, and capability all exceeded his own — yet not one of them had succeeded in seeking gold. At most, they had attained external Fruit Positions like 【World Without Worry】.
It wasn’t a matter of ability, but of fortune.
Ancestor Tingyou endured a millennium in hiding, Chong Guang reincarnated with resentment, the Master of Demon-Cleansing sacrificed himself to his sword, Suohuan died full of regret, and the Innate schemer ended up with nothing. Not a single one met a good end!
Was it really that impossible to resist?
The lofty True Lords and Dao Lords of the heavens, the grand chessboard they laid out — was it truly unshakable? Must one be resigned to being a mere pawn?
‘I do not believe it.’
Lu Yang continued forward.
Flames began to blaze from his body, swirling into a ring behind his head, radiating a circular glow that cast half of Jiangxi in its firelight.
“...”
At that moment, 【Ang Xiao】 said nothing. He simply watched Lu Yang, meeting those calm eyes — yet from within them, he seemed to see burning flames.
Suddenly, he sighed:
“You're just like I was.”
Young and arrogant, unaware of the vastness of the world. A bit of talent, and he thought himself sky-high — only to later learn the harsh truth of reality.
He had matured, understood.
So he turned to seek out the 【Underworld】. Though once the first in the world to attain a Supreme Fruit Position, an unparalleled prodigy, he chose to feign death and fade into obscurity.
But Lu Yang did not.
‘There is no second 【Underworld】 for you to hide in. And yet, you insist on attaining 【Heavenly Fire】 — openly, in full view of the world.’
A path to death.
Even if you succeed, it would be like a meteor across the sky — a brief flash, gone in an instant. What meaning would it hold?
【Ang Xiao】 withdrew his thoughts, and the faint ripple in his eyes faded to calm once more. He had his own path to walk. A moment of sentiment wouldn’t sway his resolve.
“RUMBLE—!”
In the next second, the world quaked!
In Lu Yang’s heart, ten lifetimes of experience became kindling — igniting a raging fire. He took one final step — toward 【Ang Xiao】, toward the Pure Land, toward the world:
“I do not yield!”