Chong Guang naturally did not have the ability to deal with Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde.
Even though his inner demon had reached major accomplishment and gathered all five divine abilities, a Perfected Lord was still a Perfected Lord. The difference in their statures dictated that there was absolutely no comparison between the two.
Therefore, his plan was very simple.
'A Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator overcoming a Golden Core Perfected Lord is impossible. If I want to turn defeat into victory, the only way is to let Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's own problems erupt.'
According to the instructions Lu Yang had given him beforehand, the steps for him to achieve the Inner Demon Perfected Lord position should be: first, trigger Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's inner demon; then, let it devour Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde; next, use his own inner demon to devour the opponent's inner demon; and finally, use his true self's consciousness to reverse-possess his inner demon.
However, Chong Guang had carefully weighed the options.
'While I can't say this plan won't work, the success rate against a Golden Core Perfected Lord is simply too low. No matter how weak Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde is, he is still a Perfected Lord.'
'Letting him be devoured by his inner demon?'
'Unrealistic.'
In truth, this was exactly the case. Despite being deeply troubled by his inner demon, Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde had always maintained absolute superiority and had never allowed the inner demon to gain the upper hand.
But things were different now.
'I will change the order. First, I will feed my major accomplishment inner demon, along with the five inner demon divine abilities it has refined... all of it, to Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's inner demon!'
This wasn't even an attack; it was sheer suicide. In just a brief instant, Chong Guang's inner demon leaped into Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's incarnation without hesitation. Subsequently, sensing the appearance of "delicious food," Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's inner demon spontaneously awakened.
"Hm...?"
The next second, Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde realized something was wrong. But it was too late. With Chong Guang's active cooperation, the inner demon's invasion proceeded incredibly smoothly.
"Jiejiejie..."
Instantly, sinister laughter drifted through Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's sea of consciousness. Boundless purplish-black smoke materialized out of thin air, coalescing into an illusory figure of light and shadow.
Soon, the light and shadow faded, and a figure stepped out from within.
"Nether Whisper!?"
Filled with intense shock, Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde instantly cried out in alarm. However, his reaction speed was incredibly fast; he immediately realized this was the inner demon's illusion.
"Wicked creature, don't even think about confusing my mind!"
Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's soul sat upright in the center of his sea of consciousness. A thunderous Dao shout burst from his lips. Simultaneously, he formed a sword incantation with two fingers and ruthlessly unleashed a streak of sword light.
Within the sword light, Golden Nature shone brilliantly.
Normally, if struck by this sword, no matter how capable the inner demon was, it would inevitably shatter on the spot and take three to five days to reform.
Yet this time, the inner demon—which had just condensed its appearance—showed absolutely no intention of dodging. Instead, it bared its teeth in a smile and actually unleashed a sword light identical to Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's! It held the same hidden Golden Nature, the same profound sword incantation... No, the opponent's was actually slightly more profound!
Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's mind was instantly shaken violently.
Because it was too similar. It was far too reminiscent of that secret battle he had with Patriarch Nether Whisper all those years ago. The opponent had perfectly replicated all of his methods just like this...
"Not right!"
Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde snapped back to reality again, only to discover that the Golden Nature sword light he had just unleashed was entangled by the opponent and completely devoured in a single bite.
'It is eroding my thoughts!'
'I don't know what it just swallowed, but this inner demon's divine abilities and methods have suddenly jumped several levels. It even faintly seems to possess a degree of sentience?'
At this thought, Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde made a prompt decision. His soul firmly guarded his sea of consciousness, directly sealing off all his senses and severing his seven orifices. On the outside, his main body even collapsed headfirst onto the ground... While this action appeared pathetic, it was actually exceptionally precise and the absolute best countermeasure.
Because he was not alone.
Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde had a very clear understanding of himself. He knew his skills were lacking and his wits were short. If he actively engaged the inner demon in combat, he was likely to outsmart himself and make a blunder.
So he simply chose not to fight.
I'll use the dumbest method and just hold my ground. No matter what methods you have, as long as I firmly guard my sea of consciousness, it definitely won't be a matter of an instant for you to take me down.
During this time, the other Perfected Lords of the Sword Pavilion will naturally come to my aid.
When that happens, I will naturally be saved!
In short: cling to a thick thigh.
Although the method was very dumb, it was indeed highly effective. Just as Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde collapsed in reality, divine senses had already swept over.
One of them possessed an aura as majestic as the heavens, carrying a lofty stature that was hidden but not released.
Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao!
In the blink of an eye, the three Perfected Lords of the Sword Pavilion had already arrived beside Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde. Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao's brow was tightly furrowed, and brilliant light permeated his eyes.
"...An inner demon?"
His gaze pierced straight through Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's sea of consciousness, locking onto the illusory figure formed by the inner demon. The latter also looked up at him.
Rumble!
Instantly, the [Ascendant Victor] Sword Intent erupted the moment their gazes met. Countless sword marks suddenly appeared all over the inner demon's body, nearly tearing it to pieces!
A howl that shook the soul instantly resounded. The inner demon's eyes shone brightly, swirling with purplish-black light. Its gaze toward Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao was filled with malice. However, it didn't dare be careless. It directly split apart along the sword marks on its body, transforming into streaks of purplish-black afterimages in an instant.
These afterimages scattered and took root on the ground.
Before long, a full several dozen figures of light materialized out of thin air. Every single one possessed a surging aura, looking as if they hadn't suffered the slightest injury!
[Incarnation Outside the Body]!
The fourth inner demon divine ability allowed the inner demon to split into thousands of incarnations. The inner demon had borrowed Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's stature to deploy this divine ability.
Seeing this, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao was momentarily stunned.
He knew what inner demons were. However, he never imagined that such a thing, which he considered unpresentable, could actually withstand the annihilating strike of his sword intent.
Especially when he saw that the inner demon was completely unharmed, while Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's aura inexplicably plummeted by a chunk. His frown deepened even further.
'This demon is inextricably linked to Zhengde's mind; it originates from Zhengde himself. The two are one entity. Unless Zhengde can attain enlightenment on his own, killing it is equivalent to killing Zhengde.'
This was extremely troublesome.
"Jiejiejie..."
Within Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's sea of consciousness, the inner demon also seemed to realize it was already in an invincible position, and it instantly let out a burst of sinister, evil laughter.
However, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao was highly experienced after all. In just a fleeting instant, he thought of a method: 'Not right. Although Zhengde has an inner demon, it has never lost control like this before. The karma of all this lies in Gantang Channel. Someone must have plotted against him. As long as we find the source, we can definitely turn danger into safety.'
This was a very correct judgment.
In fact, the foundation of the inner demon divine abilities still lay with Chong Guang. As long as he was killed, Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's inner demon would also lose the miraculous power it had obtained.
However, when it came to executing this judgment, an error occurred.
Because after that, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao did not choose to personally head to Gantang Channel to investigate. Instead, he instinctively chose the method Perfected Lords used most often.
Deducing the karma.
Yet, under the [Tribulation], karma was impermanent. Naturally, the deduction yielded absolutely nothing. Only then did Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao belatedly turn his gaze to examine Gantang Channel.
But it was too late; Chong Guang had long since departed.
Or rather, even before Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde fell into the trap, he was already on his way out of Jiangnan. What remained was actually only his inner demon.
And right now, he was already in Jiangbei.
'This scheme is mostly complete.'
Chong Guang pondered inwardly: 'Whether it succeeds or fails is entirely up to the will of heaven. As long as Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's inner demon can reverse-devour its original master, I will have the opportunity to seek the Dao!'
…
Meanwhile, on Extreme Heaven Cliff.
A full quarter of an hour passed, yet Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao's expression grew increasingly ugly. He had exhausted all his methods, yet could do absolutely nothing against a mere inner demon.
'Unless I restore my cultivation base and forcefully suppress its profound wonder.'
'But for the sake of a single Zhengde, do I need to go to such lengths? Forcefully elevating my stature carries severe consequences and will further deplete my already poor condition...'
Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao hesitated inwardly.
However, right at that moment.
The previously unconscious Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde suddenly opened his eyes. He stared fixatedly at Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao, then let out an inexplicable cold sneer.
"A tribulation... it truly is a tribulation."
"Three Fellow Daoists, take good care of yourselves!"
Before his voice even faded, Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde's dharma body trembled violently. Cracks surfaced all over his body, and then, with a deafening boom, he exploded!
(End of Chapter)