Lu Yang was actually not surprised by the child's existence.
After all, this place was simply too perfect for imprisonment. The level of restriction was only slightly better than what [Sky-shrouding] and that group of stone-carved Great Perfected Lords in the Star Palace experienced.
And the result was just as he expected.
This child serving in the secret realm was surprisingly also a Great Perfected Lord at the Late Stage of the Golden Core. However, as a Death Spirit, his stature was highly unusual.
It pulled downward.
However, this didn't mean he was weaker than a mortal. On the contrary, the moment Lu Yang circulated his spiritual power and clashed with him, he realized something was wrong.
Because his own stature was plummeting—like encountering a natural predator, his immense stature actually dropped right past Great Perfected Lord after colliding with the other party. It continued to plummet: Golden Core, Qi Refining... finally stopping just barely at the Qi Refining level!
Of course, the child opposite him was in the same boat.
But compared to Lu Yang, he was clearly much more accustomed to his current state. He sneered, "What's the matter? Is it your first time fighting a Death Spirit like me in the mortal realm?"
Lu Yang ignored him, simply pondering inwardly:
Is this the stature of the Netherworld?
Instead of strengthening oneself, it clashes with the mortal realm to drag down the stature of others... Tsk, tsk. If a Great Perfected Lord can do this, a Dao Lord definitely can too, right?
Equality for all living beings?
No wonder the Saint Sect's Ancestor didn't want a Dao Lord to emerge from the Netherworld.
Thinking of this, he looked back at the child:
"The First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak? No, that's not right."
"Just a child tending to the furnace. Interesting. Transformed into a Death Spirit yet still retaining memories from when you were alive. What is your relationship with the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master?"
His relaxed tone instantly enraged the child.
His master had left and never returned. He had waited here bitterly for countless years. Were it not for his Death Spirit body freeing him from the shackles of lifespan, he would have likely reincarnated long ago.
Now that the "medicinal catalyst" had finally arrived with great difficulty, he couldn't be bothered to waste words. He immediately formed a hand seal. Instantly, iridescent halos surfaced behind his head. Each halo carried terrifying spiritual power fluctuations, protecting him while simultaneously imposing a terrifying coercion on the surroundings.
"Hmm?"
Seeing this, Lu Yang raised his eyebrows slightly. Under the clash of their auras, both were left with only a Qi Refining stature, yet the method the child displayed right now did not fall under this restriction.
"[Incarnation Outside the Body]?"
"Exactly."
The child sneered, "Back then, I cultivated the Dharma Body Dao and refined nine Dharma Bodies. But when Dao Lord Sisui fell, the Dharma Body Dao shattered, and I almost died as well."
"In the end, it was Master who saved my life, transforming me into a Death Spirit. He then refined my former nine Dharma Bodies into [Incarnations Outside the Body] and returned them to me. He even specially preserved my Great Perfected Lord stature from when I was alive, making them independent from the Netherworld's Death Spirit Dao. Taking your life will be more than easy!"
Before his words even fell, the child attacked.
From the halos behind him, one fiercely separated. Its radiant light condensed into a form, transforming into a towering figure that descended above Lu Yang.
Boom!
Without the slightest deviation, the fist, carrying a terrifying mighty force that suppressed everything, landed squarely on Lu Yang's glabella. In an instant, it blasted him—who had been reduced to a mortal—into absolute nothingness.
"Huh?"
Seeing that his highly anticipated "medicinal catalyst" was actually reduced to ash, the child was instantly stunned. He had absolutely no intention of killing Lu Yang outright. At most, he wanted to knock him out, suppress him, and throw him into the [Heaven and Earth Precious Cauldron] behind him to be properly refined into a Golden Core capable of bringing the dead back to life.
How did he just die?
"No..."
The next second, another halo detached from behind the child, transforming into another towering figure that wrapped its arms around him, fiercely protecting his entire body.
Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang's figure surfaced.
Boom!
Two fists collided. Peerless mighty force instantly surged, transforming into a visible hurricane that swept through the entire secret realm, instantly extinguishing the luster of all things.
This was a battle between those of the Dharma Body Dao. There was no flashy nonsense; strong was strong, and weak was weak. A single punch was all it took to determine the victor. Just a simple collision nearly caused the volcano beneath the child to erupt. The towering precious cauldron shook violently, even tilting slightly.
The two remained locked in a stalemate for a split second before abruptly separating.
Lu Yang casually shook his hand, stretching his five fingers and instantly dispelling the slight numbness. On the other side, however, the child's face looked terrible.
I lost?
Behind him, the Dharma Body that had just exchanged a punch with Lu Yang had reverted back into a halo. However, it was densely covered in cracks, its light no longer intense.
Unless it was sent back to the furnace to be reforged, this Dharma Body was ruined.
Are you kidding me!
How did he cultivate a Dharma Body of this level? The Dharma Body Dao was severed; there shouldn't be anyone in the current world capable of competing with my Dharma Body head-on.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang clenched his fist for a second time.
"Interesting, again!"
Lu Yang was growing increasingly interested in the child. After all, the other party was clearly an ancient Dharma Body cultivator, and his cultivation path was noticeably different from the [Precious Life Perfect Form Scripture].
The next second, the second punch was thrown. It remained devoid of any flashiness, coming straight at him. In an instant, an iron fist was reflected deep in the child's eyes, continuously magnifying as time passed. It invaded his field of vision and divine sense, as if it were striking not just his physical body, but also the soul within his sea of consciousness!
How can this be?
My Netherworld Death Spirit stature is still silenced, which means this person has already neutralized my stature. Does he actually have an [Incarnation Outside the Body] at the Great Perfected Lord level too?
The child was inexplicably shocked.
One had to know, his Master had expended countless efforts back then just to help him retain his nine Dharma Bodies and further refine them into usable [Incarnations Outside the Body].
Every single incarnation was a Great Perfected Lord.
Although they couldn't fight prolonged battles and required constant reforging to maintain their combat power, for a short period, he alone was equivalent to ten Great Perfected Lords!
Not to mention he also possessed the Netherworld stature.
By utilizing the characteristic of the Netherworld stature clashing with the mortal realm, he had always believed himself to be invincible in one-on-one combat. Below Dao Lords, no one could be his match.
Yet in his very first battle, he encountered a tough opponent.
"Dharma Bodies manifest! Protect my body, strike!"
Activating the technique, three halos were successively shaken loose from behind the child's head. They then transformed into three towering Dharma Bodies, simultaneously throwing punches to meet Lu Yang.
This time, Lu Yang couldn't crush them effortlessly. His body swayed slightly, and he was forced to take a step back. The three Dharma Bodies also took a step back, but they were no longer severely damaged. Instead, they steadily received Lu Yang's punch, allowing the child to smile once more.
"Hmph, nothing more than this."
"Although it took three Dharma Bodies to match you alone, I have nine Dharma Bodies. How many can you possibly have? Just obediently surrender without a fight and let me refine you."
Feeling that he had seen through Lu Yang's depths, the child was brimming with confidence.
No matter how you looked at it, the gap between the two sides was nine to one.
The advantage is mine!
Then, he saw Lu Yang give him a faint, unreadable smile before taking a step forward—and just this one step instantly altered the situation.
Because with this single step, Lu Yang surprisingly produced a dense cluster of afterimages. As he stepped out, the afterimages behind him also stepped out, moving either left or right. In the blink of an eye, Lu Yang, originally alone, split into dozens of people. At the same time, they were also stepping and splitting, their numbers continuously multiplying!
[Floating Light Realm Sea Great Immortal Art]!
The child's eyes instantly widened.
Because in his senses, although Lu Yang's numbers had split, his aura hadn't diminished in the slightest. Without exception, they were all still Great Perfected Lords!
What the hell is this thing?
The scene before him had completely exceeded the limits of the child's imagination. Utterly terrified, he stood frozen in place. Then, his first reaction was—
I see. I've been hit by an illusion...
How precious were [Incarnations Outside the Body]? Especially incarnations that inherited more than half of the main body's cultivation! How much had he suffered to refine them back then?
[Incarnations Outside the Body] were exactly this kind of rare treasure.
Even if this person has monstrous fortuitous encounters like me and also refined [Incarnations Outside the Body], it's impossible for him to surpass me. I only have nine Dharma Bodies!
But how many did the person before him have?
Hundreds... No, thousands.
Thousands?
They're still multiplying!
It was precisely because this scene was far too shocking, completely exceeding his Dao comprehension and understanding, that the child firmly believed—This is absolutely an illusion!
You can't scare me!
Thus, when so many Lu Yangs threw punches in unison, he had absolutely no intention of defending. Instead, he focused his mind and shouted loudly at Lu Yang—
"A mere illusion, break for me!"
Boom!
(End of Chapter)