Sky-shrouding was currently in a state of utter bewilderment.
To be honest, it wasn't as if he hadn't considered the possibility of his reversal of the Chen Earth being discovered. He had even made contingency plans and envisioned various scenarios.
For example, an exceptionally talented Foundation Establishment Perfected One might sense the Dao Fruit rejecting their divine ability while seeking the Golden Core. In such a situation, discovering the issue with the Chen Earth wouldn't be too difficult. However, most Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones who made this discovery would die violently from their failed attempt at the Golden Core before they even had the chance to speak of it.
But he never, ever expected this.
The secret of the Chen Earth, along with his own identity, was exposed in this manner. It was inexplicably broadcasted across the entire Immortal Nexus by an Unorthodox Perfected Lord!
Why is this happening?
Sky-shrouding's mind was filled with confusion; he was utterly baffled. Yet, his actions didn't hesitate in the slightest. He instantly shifted his gaze toward the Pure Land.
He seized control of Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow.
Since his identity was exposed and the secret of the Chen Earth was now public knowledge, securing his baseline was paramount. There was nothing more to say—first, he would seize the [Silted Sand Earth] and the [White Wax Gold]!
Instantly, the Pure Land bloomed with radiant light.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang's voice was still echoing throughout the Immortal Nexus. Upon hearing it, the expressions of Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao and Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue both changed drastically.
After all, each of them had a Foundation Establishment Perfected One under them connected to this matter. Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue, in particular, had placed high hopes on Chong Guang seeking the [Overturned Lamp Flame]. However, the moment the matter of the Chen Earth was exposed, she immediately realized that the [Overturned Lamp Flame] was now unattainable. Her usually steady aura instantly erupted in fury!
Without any hesitation, she charged straight toward the Pure Land!
The entire Immortal Nexus was instantly thrown into absolute chaos.
But none of this concerned Lu Yang anymore. He simply looked calmly at Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata before him. "Senior, let's make this a quick fight."
This was his killer move: dragging Sky-shrouding down with him!
I told you, I'll feast on your secret for a hundred lifetimes! Considering you helped me out of a tight spot this time, I won't charge you interest for this lifetime.
On the other side, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata frowned slightly.
"Benefactor... it seems your background is not so simple either."
According to the intelligence Ming Feng had shared with him, this person was merely an Unorthodox cultivator. Yet, being able to reveal Sky-shrouding's secret was something no mere Unorthodox cultivator could possibly explain.
This is not good.
Slowly eroding the Mystic Spirit World Realm, building sturdy camps and fighting a solid, grinding war—this was the tactic he had deduced to have the highest chance of success. However, that strategy relied on having a secure rear.
Now, his backyard in the Pure Land was on fire, and Sky-shrouding had made a move. This made things incredibly difficult for him. The problem wasn't Sky-shrouding himself; he had long known about the issue with Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow. The real problem was that with Sky-shrouding forcibly taking control of Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow, the Pure Land currently had no Bodhisattvas standing guard!
Under these circumstances, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue was also charging in.
With someone taking the lead, the other Perfected Lords certainly wouldn't be willing to sit back and watch Sky-shrouding successfully claim the Dao Fruits. It was only a matter of time before they joined the fray.
Therefore, the Pure Land was bound to become a battlefield for Golden Core Perfected Lords.
Given how shameless the Saint Sect, the Sword Pavilion, and the Dao Court are... if they don't reduce the entire Pure Land to ruins during the battle, it would be considered an act of mercy!
At this thought, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata could no longer sit still. He had to end the fight with Lu Yang as quickly as possible and return to reinforce the Pure Land, ensuring it wasn't destroyed. Realizing this, he finally changed his stance. He formed a hand seal, holding his hands like a blooming lotus three inches from his chest.
In an instant, rippling light and color spread across his entire body.
[Divinie Travel]
Here he comes!
Lu Yang was already fully prepared. The moment Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata formed his hand seal, Lu Yang raised his palm, and golden lightning exploded outward.
[Divine Firmament Thunder]!
The next instant, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata had traversed a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, stepping through the void without hindrance. The distance of the ends of the earth instantly became arm's reach. With a single step, he arrived right beside Lu Yang. Just as his broad hand was about to strike Lu Yang's chest to rip out his heart, a flash of lightning erupted.
Rumble!
The Divine Firmament Thunder, enhanced by the Star Essences, had clearly undergone a transformation. It had even seemingly transcended the concept of mere lightning, filling the eyes with nothing but blinding radiance.
His movement obstructed, the fleeting opportunity vanished. Having sensed the danger, Lu Yang had already pulled away again. Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata frowned slightly.
I see... a concept that responds to the thoughts in the mind?
Although he wasn't the World Honored One's main body, his Dao comprehension was equally profound. In just one exchange, he had already deduced the profound wonder of the [Divine Firmament Thunder] responding to the mind.
On the other side, Lu Yang was still reeling from the close call.
Damn it, why does this guy love ripping people's hearts out just as much as Sky-shrouding does?
If it weren't for the [Divine Firmament Thunder] responding to his mind, automatically locking onto the enemy and bypassing the intermediate processes to strike directly, he probably would have been hit.
Meanwhile, having understood the profound wonder of the [Divine Firmament Thunder], Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata also came up with a countermeasure. He reached into his robes and pulled out a purple-gold alms bowl. Throwing it into the air, he changed his hand seal. The purple-gold alms bowl instantly flipped over and descended toward Lu Yang!
Abandoning the ambush and shifting to overwhelming force to suppress me?
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, but he neither dodged nor retreated. With a thought, he concentrated the enhancement of the Mystic Spirit World Realm, bright golden light surfacing in his eyes.
[Upholding Heaven's Principles]!
Instantly, a muffled rumble of thunder rolled forth, echoing thunderously in the ears of every living being in the Mystic Spirit World Realm. It carried a sensation of intense, overwhelming fury.
Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata looked up at the sound.
Looking closely, at the very peak of the sky, the sea of clouds suddenly parted, revealing an expanse of boundless lightning. Endless destructive power was brewing within.
"The wrath of heaven and earth..."
Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata frowned slightly. Naturally, he wouldn't care about a mere Unorthodox world realm... The problem lay in the one controlling it.
The wrath of the Mystic Spirit World Realm, which originally posed no threat to him whatsoever, actually reached a level that somewhat startled him after receiving the enhancement of Lu Yang's high stature and manifesting its mighty power through the [Divine Firmament Thunder]. Furthermore, it was still continuously accumulating and growing, as if there were no end to it!
Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang finalized his hand seal, exhaled sharply, and declared:
"Heaven and Man Punishment, Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation!"
Before his Dao voice even faded, heaven and earth turned a blinding white!
His vision obstructed, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata's expression underwent a drastic change for the first time. He immediately deployed the [Divine Travel] again, wanting to create some distance first.
However, the lightning responded to the mind—there was absolutely nowhere to hide!
Seeing this, he had no choice but to quickly recall the purple-gold alms bowl and use it to cover himself, hoping to withstand the impending destructive thunder.
Rumble!
For a time, thunder and fire roared in unison, swallowing all myriad phenomena. A full eighty-one bolts of lightning poured down, shattering the purple-gold alms bowl in an instant!
Following that, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata rapidly formed hand seals and manifested his Golden Body. Yet, he still couldn't stabilize his posture. Swept up by the thunder and fire, he plummeted downward, smashing directly into the ground of the Mystic Spirit World Realm. He pierced through the crust and plunged deep into the core. A terrifying shockwave detonated deep underground.
The next second, the crust shattered!
The originally unified landmass of the Mystic Spirit World Realm was directly split in two. Fragments of the continent, trailing boiling magma, shot toward the sky.
A region spanning thousands of miles was torn to pieces!
Yet, this was only the residual shockwave. The vast majority of the damage was currently being dispersed by the Mystic Spirit World Realm and distributed among the countless minor realms under its jurisdiction.
Therefore, the aftermath of this collision extended far beyond this single area.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of world realms trembled because of this single strike. Some minor realms even had all connections to the Mystic Spirit World Realm entirely severed as a result.
By the time the eighty-one bolts of lightning dissipated, the region spanning thousands of miles had been reduced to a colossal crater. Endless seawater materialized from the void, pouring into the pit. Given time, this place would transform into a vast ocean, and the broken fragments of the continent would become islands within it.
Of course, that was a matter for the future.
Right now, from within a human-shaped crater at the very center of the devastation, a thoroughly mangled Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata slowly crawled out.
"Amitabha."
Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata exhaled deeply. With the chanting of a Buddhist name, his shattered Golden Body began rapidly mending, returning to its original state in mere moments.
Of course, this was only on the surface.
Compared to his pristine Golden Body, his overall spiritual power had visibly plummeted by sixty percent from the start of the battle. His life force was like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.
But even so, a compassionate smile still hung on his face. He simply looked up at Lu Yang and said softly, "You did your best, Benefactor."
"It's a pity, this poor monk still remains a cut above."