At this moment, Hong Yun's mental state was crumbling.
Heaven knows what kind of emotional journey he had experienced during this period. Originally staying peacefully at home, he was suddenly attacked at his doorstep by a mysterious person.
In the past, he could have killed them with ease.
But now, let alone killing them—he was beaten so badly into fleeing with his tail between his leg. More importantly... his Innate Divine Ability was seized permanently by the other party!
What the hell was the point of seeking Golden Core now.
Just as Hong Yun prepared to secretly contact Hong Ju to find that shameless person who sneak-attacked him and get revenge, another piece of bad news struck:
Chong Guang led the way, and [Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue] acted. In the [Gantang Channel] of Jiangnan, the Grotto-Heaven fragment he had placed high hopes on—and only left uncollected for fear of traps—was destroyed.
This was equivalent to completely shattering his hopes of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, refining a Blessed Land, and even seeking Golden Core to return to his position.
Under utter despair, Hong Yun finally recalled the last trump card he once left behind, [Seven Luminaries Heaven], and helplessly chose to leave his native land.
However, he never expected—
"[Seven Luminaries Heaven] is gone???"
Outer Heavens, Sea of Light.
Hong Yun's expression was twisted, his aura fluctuated violently, and he nearly shattered a mouthful of teeth: "Who is it... who exactly is plotting against me?"
Thinking back to those years, how glorious was he?
Bearing the fortune of heaven and earth, attaining [Overturned Lamp Flame], and coinciding with the great tribulation of heaven and earth, earning a fortune. Even among Perfected Lords, he counted as outstanding!
Unfortunately, his luck ran out!
How did he end up like this today?
For the first time, Hongyun couldn't help but have the urge to reflect. It would have been better if he hadn't looked back, because once he did, he instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
How did I die?
For five thousand year; because of a certain [Knowledge-Perception Barrier], he completely ignored "how he died," single-mindedly focusing on seeking Golden Core to return to his position.
Now, under the great ups and downs of emotion, he finally reflected and look back. Only then did he realized, tearing apart the fog that had always covered his eyes: "Damn it! Someone harmed me! And I thought before that I just had bad luck after dying of old age... Turns out a villain was making trouble in the dark!"
"[Sky-shrouding]!!!"
It was him! He would absolutely never forget the terror of being crushed. That wretched [Great Forest Wood]... The other party not only didn't die but reached middle-stage Golden Core!
And his Dao comprehension was extremely high!
High Dao comprehension, high cultivation base, and a Supreme Dao Fruit. Yet he chose to take advantage of the chaos at the end of the millennial tribulation to ambush him, a mere early-stage Golden Core...
Bastard!
Hong Yun's hands were shaking with anger. The key was, what grudge did he have with [Sky-shrouding]? Everyone was a Saint Sect Perfected Lord; shouldn't they be on the same side?
Unless... its related to the Dao path!
Hong Yun's thoughts turned, and he already guessed most of it. After all, for Saint Sect Perfected Lords... what could make them turn against each other was only their own Dao path.
The next second, Hong Yun felt even more despair.
Because he had been killed by [Sky-shrouding] for five thousand years. If the other party really did it for the Dao path, then it was very likely that the other party had already succeeded now.
Middle-stage Golden Core? Too optimistic.
The current [Sky-shrouding] is probably already a late-stage Golden Core, a Great Perfected Lord!
I've spent five thousand years trying to regain my position, and maybe he's the one causing all this trouble!
And now, even his last retreat path was gone.
Hong Yun looked up, tears flowing silently.
A hero at the end of his road!
If not for my fortune dissipating and being targeted by that villain [Sky-shrouding], how could I suffer defeat after defeat, wasting five thousand years, reduced to a laughingstock among Perfected Lords?
For these five thousand years, I was secretly mocked by Perfected Lords, yet I persisted throughout.
I waited five thousand years, just waiting for an opportunity. I want to fight for my breath, not to prove I'm amazing, but just to prove that what I lost...
I must take back!
But now, let alone taking it back, even the retreat path was gone. The first half of his life was extremely glorious, but who expected the second half to be destitute and frustrated.
"Its not my fault..."
Hongyun sighed deeply, filled with endless sorrow!
The next second, as if suddenly thinking of something, his eyes turned fierce. Without a second word, he rode his streak of light, wanting to quickly return to the land of Jiangbei.
But just as he approached that wretched place, a thick golden light suddenly spread from all directions, sealing heaven and locking earth like a city wall, isolating him outside. Within the golden light, a figure emerged, standing firm in the [Profound Light of Life and Death Creation], a smile on his face:
"Senior Hong Yun, Junior has waited for a long time."
It was precisely Lu Yang!
But not the main body. His main body had returned to Jiangdong with Emperor Jiayou. What arrived at this moment was the Immortal Fetus Incarnation, looking at Hong Yun with burning eyes.
How did he track Hong Yun?
Actually, it was simple. After all, Hong Yun's Chen Earth Divine Ability [Root of All Things] was still in his hands. Using it as a guide, locking onto Hong Yun's location wasn't difficult.
Seeing this scene, Hong Yun showed no surprise at all, only feeling his mind was incredibly clear: "Disturbing my mind, cutting off my retreat, just to hook me to the outer heavens, a place the [Netherworld] finds hard to reach, leaving me nowhere to flee so you can kill me? [Sky-shrouding], you are ruthless!"
Lu Yang: "?"
Facing Hong Yun's angry rebuke, Lu Yang blinked but didn't refute, smiling faintly: "Senior's words are incorrect; Junior has no intention of harming people."
"No intention of harming people?"
Hong Yun nearly laughed from anger. He looked around coldly and mocked: "If so, why set up this inescapable net here waiting for me?"
Lu Yang stood with hands by his side, speaking freely: "Can that be the same?"
Before his voice fell, the [Myriad Spirits Banner] appeared behind him, fluttering in the wind:
"Moreover, Senior is truly slippery, which is why I resorted to this desperate measure. I only hope that Senior will enter my banner so that I can fulfill my duty as host."
Upon hearing this, Hongyun's eyes twitched.
This high-sounding yet extremely shameless rhetoric... from the [Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion]?
Wrong, isn't it [Sky-shrouding]?
For a moment, Hong Yun was a bit confused... But putting other things aside, he could still sense a heavy crisis from the [Myriad Spirits Banner] behind Lu Yang.
"Is it really a fight to the death?" Hongyun gritted his teeth.
"Senior flatter me."
Seeing Hongyun's bluster masking his weakness, Lu Yang smiled. "Senior, there's no need for your futile attempts to secretly break the formation."
Lu Yang's words exposed Hongyun's seemingly argumentative but actually covert search for an opportunity to break the deadlock.
Hongyun, seeing this, stopped pretending and took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a resolute look. A thunderous sound erupted from his mouth: "Very well, it's just a matter of seeing who's the best!" As soon as he finished speaking, thunder roared.
Instantly, the sea of light in the outer heavens shook. Wind rose from flat ground, gray and gloomy, dark and heavy. Within the wind, there seemed to be ghosts wailing and gods howling, thousands of steel knives grinding and colliding!
[Fear of Hewing]!
Clang!
Great wind rolled across the sky, overwhelming everything. Lu Yang understood in his heart with just one glance: Learned to be smart this time huh. Not using Jia Wood, but switched to Yi Wood?
What is [Fear of Hewing]?
Yi Wood is wind in the heavens and trees upon the earth—deep-rooted, lush-leaved, known as Living Wood. Living Wood fears Yang Metal's hewing as calamity; it fears autumn's descent, when growth is cut down and all things wither.
At this moment, the great wind transformed from that Divine Ability pressed down upon him. Instantly, it felt as though knives and axes had been laid across his body, weapons descending in relentless chops.
The divine brilliance surrounding Lu Yang stagnated—then cracked apart inch by inch. Vast swathes of divine light were shaved away, drifting through the air like scattered fragments of radiance, strangely beautiful, strangely magnificent.
Lu Yang frowned faintly.
Ultimately, he is a reincarnated Perfected Lord. With intelligence, aware of my orthodoxy, he possesses methods to restrain me—making him instantly far more troublesome. Fortunately… I already shaved away one of his Innate Divine Abilities.
However, the more it was so, the more resolute Lu Yang felt in his heart.
After all, Hong Yun's Golden Nature concerned his grand plan for the Dao path; he could not retreat.
Today, he must subdue this person!