Seven Luminaries Heaven.
Although Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue refused to admit defeat and used every trick in the book during the final physical brawl, resisting to the bitter end, the disparity in their power was simply too vast.
In the end, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue's body was beaten to a pulp by Lu Yang.
Truly beaten to a pulp. Lu Yang felt no tender affection for women during such a duel; every punch he threw was backed by his full strength.
Therefore, when Chong Guang and Perfected Lord Iridescent Brocade descended into the Seven Luminaries Heaven and saw the final battlefield, they couldn't help but reveal expressions of horror. What was once a desolate, uninhabited deep mountain had now turned into a shocking, scorched earth covered in scattered flesh and blood.
In the center of the scorched earth, Lu Yang sat slumped on the ground.
She was quite tough to fight...
He had to admit, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue was indeed a master of physical combat. If he didn't cultivate a Dharma Body, combined with the continuous weakening effect of [Sever All Evil!]...
Perhaps he would have been the one to lose.
However, despite saying that, Lu Yang didn't feel his victory was unearned. Any complaints could be taken up with his innate talent.
A full breath of time passed just like this before the mangled Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue finally showed signs of movement. The scattered flesh and blood gradually began to glow. Then, like ice and snow melting, it transformed into a melodious crimson wind that blew across the heaven and earth. The wind then intertwined, finally sketching out a graceful figure.
"Oh." Lu Yang raised his eyebrows at the sight.
He hadn't held back just now; he had truly beaten Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue to death. He originally thought she would have to flee back to the Immortal Nexus to reincarnate and resurrect.
However, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue was now displaying an unexpected method.
This is similar to how I used the rules of the [Inscribing Heavenly Chapters] toresurrect back when I first took control of the [Heavenly Fire]. What concept profound wonder is this the result of?
Soon, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue's figure fully materialized.
"...Hmph."
Having reformed her Dharma Body and reassembled her flesh and blood, a profound black chalice appeared between her eyebrows. It seemed tiny, yet it contained a bottomless abyss.
Lu Yang sensed it briefly and felt its concept was similar to the [Ravine Stream Water], taking the image of a "deep valley." However, its momentum was far more majestic and grandiose. It seemed to have also borrowed the concept of "Yang emerges, Yin descends; water qi reaches downward," using the deep valley to gather water from all directions, acting as the source of all waters.
What an exquisite True Treasure!
Lu Yang stared intently at the profound black chalice between Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue's eyebrows, overjoyed inwardly. So that's how it is. No wonder Feixue hasn't used it all this time.
This is a treasure for attaining the Dao.
Of her five True Treasures, this one should ultimately act as the core for Void Attainment. Therefore, this treasure isn't meant for dueling and absolutely cannot sustain the slightest damage...
Perhaps because he was staring for too long, the newly revived Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue raised her eyebrows slightly. "It seems Fellow Daoist is very interested in my [Abyssal Return Tide Chalice]. Unfortunately, I have yet to attain this Dao Fruit via Void Attainment. Otherwise, my cultivation would certainly rise another level, and by then, Fellow Daoist might not be my match."
Still acting tough.
Lu Yang blinked upon hearing this, looking at Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue with a half-smile. That's not what you were saying when I beat you till your eyes rolled back just now.
"Ahem!"
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue coughed and casually glanced toward Chong Guang and Perfected Lord Iridescent Brocade. She felt a bit of regret letting those two follow them.
Did she not care about face?
Although she actually wasn't afraid of losing, and even held a hint of anticipation for it, losing in front of others—and losing so miserably at that—was another matter entirely.
Thinking of this, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue couldn't help but look at Lu Yang again, feeling helpless internally. This person's dueling style simply lacks any room for operation.
The adaptability of the [Pine & Cypress Wood] combined with his damage-absorbing Dharma Body, and it seems he even has many methods to transfer injuries... it's a perfect match. Even a Great Perfected Lord, relying on stature to forcefully suppress his various methods, couldn't realistically beat him to death in one strike. They would need at least three strikes to have a chance.
Although to a Great Perfected Lord, there was no difference.
One strike or three strikes, in the end, it was all just a matter of raising a hand. But for cultivators below the Great Perfected Lord stage, the difference between one strike and three strikes was worlds apart!
How do I win?
Out of habit, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue subconsciously pondered methods to deal with Lu Yang. However, after thinking it over, she could only helplessly admit the truth:
I can't win!
In a way, this person is also extremely pure. The only way to beat him is to suppress him with pure power. Anything else is nonsense!
These numbers could be maximum spiritual power output or stature. However, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue believed she had already reached the absolute pinnacle of maximum spiritual power output. Even if others had methods that could rival hers, they couldn't surpass her. If she couldn't beat Lu Yang, others certainly couldn't either.
"Fellow Daoist, what are you still spacing out for?"
Seeing Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue still in a daze, Lu Yang finally spoke up: "Regarding the secrets of the four peaks from our previous trade, does Fellow Daoist plan to renege on the debt, or fulfill the agreement?"
"...Renege? What a joke!"
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue snapped out of it and chuckled lightly. "I always keep my word. Forbidden knowledge... since Fellow Daoist truly wishes to know, I will naturally tell you."
—Lu Yang, of course, didn't believe such nonsense.
After all, 'always keeping one's word' could mean keeping a promise when said, or reneging on a debt when said. It all depended on how Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue spun it.
The reason she chose to keep her promise this time was ultimately because of the strength Lu Yang had displayed, and because she indeed needed his help this time.
"However, regarding the first-generation Peak Masters, the information I know is not much."
At this point, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue no longer spoke openly. Instead, avoiding Chong Guang and Perfected Lord Iridescent Brocade, she transmitted her voice: "Which ones does Fellow Daoist wish to know about?"
"All of them!" Lu Yang didn't hesitate.
"...I only know three pieces of information."
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue paused before continuing: "The first is that when the first-generation Beast Taming Peak Master opened the Netherworld, the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] he used was [Carefree Wander]."
"The second is the first-generation Heaven-Mending Peak Master. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day."
"But as far as I know, the current profound wonder of the [Pomegranate Wood] Dao Fruit is named [Mending the Heaven's Flaw] (Bǔ tiān quē). This Dao Fruit hasn't been attained by anyone for many years."
"The third is the first-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master."
"Among the four Peak Masters, this person is the most mysterious. I have read the manuscripts he left behind. Before he disappeared, it seems he was trying to refine an immortal pill."
"Whether he succeeded or not is unknown."
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue revealed three pieces of forbidden knowledge in succession, almost causing Lu Yang's brain to crash. The impact of the forbidden knowledge on his thoughts left him recovering for quite a while.
Following that was deep horror.
The profound wonder of the [Pomegranate Wood] Dao Fruit is called [Mending the Heaven's Flaw]? Isn't that the first-generation Heaven-Mending Peak Master's name?! Did he stuff himself into the Dao Fruit?
Recalling his previous conversation with Bu Tianque, Lu Yang instantly started cursing internally: And you said you hid something inside the [Pomegranate Wood]. You fucking hid yourself inside it! No wonder you said that if I went to attain the [Pomegranate Wood], it might attract the attention of the Saint Sect's old monsters.
It would be a ghost if it didn't attract attention!
Huh? Wait...
Suddenly, Lu Yang realized something else: If that's the case, why did he tell me? Wouldn't keeping it a secret make it easier to trick me?
No!
Lu Yang shifted his perspective and immediately realized the key point: On the contrary, Bu Tianque... that guy DOESN'T want me to attain the [Pomegranate Wood]!
The reason he said he buried something in the [Pomegranate Wood] and that it might attract the attention of the Saint Sect's old monsters was actually to dissuade him. After all, any qualified Perfected Lord of the Saint Sect harbored a deep-seated fear of the old monsters in their very bones. Why would they look for trouble?
Besides that, there was the Netherworld.
The Netherworld used the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] as its foundation, specifically [Carefree Wander]... Does this mean there's actually more than one way to enter the Netherworld?
[Sky-Shrouding]'s method was the most difficult, relying entirely on execution.
However, there was another way: clearing the other stages of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] to obtain the coordinates of [Carefree Wander], and using that to enter the Netherworld!