Mystic Spirit World Realm.
Although Chong Guang had already fled to the outer heavens, the Perfected Lords of the Immortal Nexus did not relax. After all, if he could leave, he could naturally come back.
At the same time, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue's words had awakened them from their dream.
Ultimately, the birth of the Inner Demons was entirely the handiwork of that [Immortal Lord Master of Tribulations and Ferryman of Karma] in the Mystic Spirit World Realm. Since that was the case, going straight to the source was indeed the most straightforward approach.
When it came to matters concerning their own interests, the Perfected Lords of the Immortal Nexus were always swift to act. Soon, streaks of spiritual light gathered outside the Mystic Spirit World Realm, resonating with Dao Fruits.
Unsurprisingly, they were the Perfected Lords from all the major factions. The Sword Pavilion, the Dao Court, and even the Saint Sect had sent people. Only the Pure Land showed no movement.
The Perfected Lords weren't surprised by this.
"The Pure Land probably doesn't care much about this matter."
On the Dao Court's side, Emperor Jiayou, clad in a dragon robe, looked calm. "After all, how could the World Honored One possibly have an Inner Demon? And that True Demon wouldn't dare provoke the Pure Land anyway."
"That's only one reason."
On the other side, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao also revealed his figure and smiled. "They just lost a fight, after all. They probably don't have the face to come see that Immortal Lord Master of Tribulations."
"Since when does the Pure Land care about face!"
Emperor Jiayou laughed upon hearing this. "If you ask me, it's more likely that they suffered a loss at his hands and haven't recovered yet. They're afraid of eating an even bigger loss."
Just then, another streak of spiritual light appeared, and Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue stepped out from it. Her appearance was a stark contrast to how she looked during combat; she exuded the classical beauty and grace of a noble lady. Without speaking, she merely swept her calm gaze over the surroundings and quietly stood to the side.
Unseen lines were drawn, placing these three as the leaders of the group.
Before long, several more streaks of spiritual light appeared sequentially, lining up in their respective factions.
Behind Emperor Jiayou stood the Three Excellencies of the Dao Court. With Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao were the remaining two Golden Core cultivators of the Sword Pavilion. On the Saint Sect's side was Perfected Lord Iridescent Brocade.
A full nine Perfected Lords.
With such a lineup merely standing outside the Mystic Spirit World Realm, the naturally exuded spiritual power fluctuations caused the world realm to groan, struggling to bear the weight of their stature.
However, right at that moment.
The groaning Mystic Spirit World Realm suddenly jolted, as if it had found a backer. The somewhat weakened world realm instantly perked back up.
Immediately after, the canopy of the sky opened.
Before the person even arrived, boundless purple qi rolled out like a mighty river, cleansing the universe. Radiant light overflowed from within, seemingly lifting a figure who gazed across the void at the crowd.
He's here!
Seeing that overwhelming purple qi, even with Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao's cultivation, he narrowed his eyes, his heart skipping a beat. This person has indeed reached the peak of the middle stage.
He's no different from Feixue... No, he might be even stronger!
The next second, the purple qi parted. Lu Yang strolled out, first offering a polite bow with cupped hands before smiling. "To what do I owe the pleasure of you all visiting my Mystic Spirit World Realm?"
His tone wasn't aggressive, nor did he intentionally unleash his aura. Yet, just standing there was enough to make the assembled Perfected Lords hasten to return his greeting. Even Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue returned the bow solemnly. This scene made the Supreme of the Mystic Spirit World Realm beside Lu Yang look on with irrepressible envy.
Thank goodness the Master of Tribulations is here!
The Supreme of the Mystic Spirit World Realm looked excited, feeling that Lu Yang's presence gave him a major boost in confidence. The facts proved it: a good Unorthodox Dao wasn't inferior to the orthodox ones!
After the formalities, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao finally spoke:
"Fellow Daoist Master of Tribulations, we have come today regarding the matter of the True Demon... After all, the True Demon was born from the dharma ritual you established. You cannot shirk responsibility for this."
Lu Yang tilted his head upon hearing this. "What True Demon?"
His expression made it seem like he genuinely knew nothing, looking so innocent it was sickening. For a moment, many people secretly glanced at Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue.
Look at that! And you say he isn't from the Saint Sect?
This is absolutely someone from the Saint Sect!
Facing these stares, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue also tilted her head, revealing a sickly innocent expression that was incredibly similar to Lu Yang's.
Seeing this, the corner of Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao's eye twitched slightly. But he couldn't just let them bluff their way out of this. He simply recounted the entire process of Chong Guang becoming a True Demon, then said coldly, "Because of you, a Perfected Lord of my Sword Pavilion died. You can't possibly refuse to acknowledge this."
"Acknowledge what?"
Lu Yang blinked, still looking innocent. "According to what you said, that True Demon is a disciple of the Saint Sect. I have absolutely no connection to the Saint Sect."
"No connection?"
On the other side, Emperor Jiayou finally couldn't hold back. "Why do you have to do this, Fellow Daoist? This matter has long ceased to be a secret. Anyone can figure it out with a little deduction."
"Do you have proof?"
Lu Yang's eyes narrowed slightly. "Fellow Daoist, you can't just say things irresponsibly. Accusing me of being a Perfected Lord of the Saint Sect without evidence to tarnish my innocence... that's slander."
Ptui!
Before his voice even faded, a Perfected Lord was immediately cursing internally. You already know that calling you a Perfected Lord of the Saint Sect is 'tarnishing your innocence,' yet you're still playing dumb with us?
Lu Yang actually knew that his words were a self-admission, but he didn't care. Completely ignoring everyone else's reactions, he continued on his own:
"As for that True Demon, you all possess profound methods. You are more than welcome to divine the karma and see if I'm pulling strings from behind. If you calculate that the karma is linked to me, I will immediately apologize and compensate you. If you can't... then this matter has nothing to do with me, and you've found the wrong person."
Hearing this, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao finally lost his patience.
To be honest, he hadn't actually suspected Lu Yang beforehand. However, hearing Lu Yang's rhetoric, combined with his suspected identity as a Perfected Lord of the Saint Sect...
Could he really be the one behind all this?
The more Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao thought about it, the more suspicious he became. But he really didn't have any proof. After turning it over in his head, he could only rely on the Sword Pavilion's traditional style.
His lips moved slightly, and the expression of Perfected Lord Gaishuang Lingfeng of the Sword Pavilion changed. The latter then took a deep breath and actively stepped forward, looking at Lu Yang.
"Regardless, you cannot escape involvement in this matter."
"You established the Inner Demon. For the sake of your own cultivation, you caused the True Demon to become a menace. Now, for the sake of the world, you must give us an answer!"
"...An answer?"
Lu Yang's eyebrows raised slightly at this, and a rather chilling smile curled his lips. "Sword Bastard, you want me to give you an answer?"
"Fine, I will give you an answer."
Before his voice even faded, Lu Yang attacked!
Almost simultaneously, Perfected Lord Gaishuang Lingfeng stepped back. The radiance of the [Rooftop Tile Earth] flashed, and he already had a profound wonder formed in his fingers, protecting his entire body.
[Covering Qian Palace]!
In an instant, a luminous glow centered on this Perfected Lord slowly unfurled, covering him from above like a canopy, projecting the illusion of a towering palace.
The [Rooftop Tile Earth] meant that qi formed the substance of the abode, matters were beautiful and complete, yin and yang were fully experienced, and power was attained within. Therefore, his body possessed an aura of 'perfection'. For anything related to yin and yang, or changes in spiritual qi, this profound wonder could check for leaks and fill the gaps. At the same time, it could form its own domain, making it difficult for external qi to invade.
However, Lu Yang completely ignored this.
Forming a hand seal with one hand, the brilliant golden lightning of the [Divine Firmament Thunder] surged at his fingertips. It locked directly onto Perfected Lord Gaishuang Lingfeng, then flashed abruptly.
Not good!
In the next second, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao—who had deliberately told Perfected Lord Gaishuang Lingfeng to speak out and test the waters so he could observe secretly—had a slight change in expression, revealing shock.
Because Perfected Lord Gaishuang Lingfeng disappeared.
Even the connection to the [Rooftop Tile Earth] was severed out of thin air, the profound wonder vanishing into nothingness.
A dignified Perfected Lord disappeared just like that, replaced by a clucking rooster, its beady eyes filled with unprecedented panic.
[Master of Great Tribulations]! Concept Modification!
When all the concepts that make up a Perfected Lord are modified and replaced with the concept of a rooster, is he still that high and mighty Perfected Lord?
The answer is no.
What Perfected Lord? At this moment, he was a chicken!