"BOOM!"
Almost the instant the words fell, Lu Yang struck. The towering light and shadow of the [Heavenly Palace] surfaced, crashing toward the Sword Lord with thunderous force.
There were no flashy flourishes.
With his opening move, Lu Yang activated the Investiture of the Gods Method, unifying the majestic power of the entire [Tianhuang] and smashing it ruthlessly into the depths of the Dark Void.
"This again..."
Watching the [Heavenly Palace]—which contained infinite power and far exceeded her in sheer mass—loom close at hand, the Sword Lord's cool eyes suddenly brightened.
What beautiful eyes they were.
As the cold exterior faded from her pupils, it was replaced by scenes of wind, flowers, snow, and the moon; of desire, affection, and sorrow—as if she were gazing upon a lifelong, cherished soulmate.
"The mortal world is a vast sea of bitterness."
The Sword Lord's voice was no longer cold and indifferent; instead, it carried an intense, burning heat that could make one's heart itch uncontrollably.
"The word 'affection' makes one unable to forget through three lifetimes and three worlds, promising oneself for generations. Mortal beings, drifting through life, are but endless silken threads of sentiment—friendship, kinship, love... countless people are tethered and hindered by these feelings, finding it difficult to advance on the path of the Great Dao."
"This is the Barrier of Affection, and also the Tribulation of Affection."
"It is said that Heavenly Tribulations are easy to pass, but Human Tribulations are hard to guard against, and the Tribulation of Affection is unstoppable..."
As she spoke, a layered illusion appeared before Lu Yang's eyes. Threads of sentiment wound around his fingers like soft silk, slowly wearing away his profound and majestic power.
'What technique is this?'
Lu Yang's brow furrowed slightly. He stood with his hands behind his back, remaining as steady as a mountain. He ceased his active attacks and sat in place, adopting a posture of firm defense while waiting for an opening.
The Sword Lord was in no rush. She continued to gaze at Lu Yang with those affectionate and deep-seated eyes, her coldness completely gone. She drove the sky-filling threads of sentiment to coil around Lu Yang's body. Under their soothing influence, Lu Yang felt his profound aura become "lethargic," like a hero falling into a "tender trap."
Correspondingly, the Sword Lord's aura began to climb. As if receiving some form of nourishment, she showed signs of gradually catching up to him.
Furthermore.
The way Lu Yang looked at the Sword Lord began to change. He felt that the already peerlessly beautiful Sword Lord was becoming even more stunning, and he seemed on the verge of becoming intoxicated by those moving eyes.
This was known as—[Deep Affection Does Not Endure].
Only at this moment did the Sword Lord finally reveal her true methods. This was not the [Destiny] she had attained later, but her original foundation of existence.
'What a peculiar wonder.'
Lu Yang felt strange. Although he was inexplicably feeling more and more fond of the Sword Lord, it was well-known that he was not actually a lustful man.
Thus, he maintained a degree of reason and could still analyze the Sword Lord's methods in his mind.
'It feels somewhat like dual cultivation.'
'But essentially, it is not the same thing. Otherwise, my [Dual Cultivation Prodigy] talent would have been triggered. This wonder does not seem to involve the physical body...'
Dual cultivation seeks physical interaction. Later, under the development of the Heaven-Mending lineage, it evolved to involve the resonance of aura and profound wonder. However, the Sword Lord's method was different.
What she displayed seemed to be a resonance of the spirit.
'I understand.'
To maximize his combat strength, Lu Yang was currently equipped with the Light of Wisdom from Dao Tianqi. With his extraordinary comprehension, he instantly grasped the essence of the wonder.
'The sea of silken sentiment... this wonder does not actually reduce my power. What is truly weakening my power is myself. This thing can influence the thoughts of my Primordial Spirit, making me voluntarily abandon my own majesty and spontaneously gift it to the Sword Lord. That is why she is growing stronger.'
How insidious!
Upon reaching this realization, Lu Yang instantly snapped awake. As stated before, he did not crave female charms; playing around was fine, but giving away his "money" (power) was absolutely out of the question!
"Heaven's Bane Sword, strike!"
Instantly, Lu Yang's Primordial Spirit erupted with brilliant light. The Heaven's Bane Sword, specialized in severing the Dao Heart, whistled into the air, shredding the silken threads of sentiment wrapped around him in a heartbeat.
Yet, in that very instant.
A powerful sense of crisis swept through his entire body. Looking out, he saw that the shredded threads had not dissipated; instead, they began to emit the clanging resonance of sword cries.
"Do you think the Tribulation of Affection is something you can sever or divide whenever you wish?"
The Sword Lord's voice rang out again, accompanied by an increasingly grand sword resonance. This caused the sense of crisis in Lu Yang's heart to surge to its peak.
In the next heartbeat, Lu Yang formed a hand seal. His physical form remained motionless, but his aura leaped upward, breaking away from his original stature as if he no longer existed in this world. He had utilized the wonder of [Heavenly Destiny Reckoning], raising his stature to evade the technique—a fruit of his ten years of cultivation.
Previously, [Heavenly Destiny Reckoning] did not have this function.
Before this, Lu Yang's only use for the wonder of raising stature was to enhance his lethality; to put it simply, it was trading a method for raw power.
Now, however, he had re-annotated [Heavenly Destiny Reckoning].
'The change of stature lies in the distinction between higher and lower. Since I occupy the [Higher Position], no matter how grand the power of a [Lower Position] technique may be, it cannot harm me in the slightest...'
For a moment, Lu Yang's figure seemed to have achieved transcendence.
Manifold causes and effects and all the red dust of the mortal world could not touch him. Even the sea-like, sky-filling threads of sentiment missed their mark, seemingly unable to coil around his body any longer.
"This is..."
Seeing this, a look of realization flashed deep in the Sword Lord's eyes: 'As expected, it is [The Great Dao Responds to Me]... has he already stepped onto this path?'
Although he had not yet achieved full success, he had at least reached the introductory level.
In only ten years?
The Sword Lord parted her red lips and continued to chant the Dao: "How can the word 'affection' be so easily betrayed? How can a heartless person face their past love without shame?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Yang felt that all the knowledge and understanding he had just gained regarding the threads of sentiment had instantly transformed into sharp sword light. It slashed at his Primordial Spirit, soul, and sea of consciousness, dividing his power and forcibly extracting a portion of it to fall toward the Sword Lord!
This was known as—[Great Wisdom Leads to Harm].
'I see. Once one is tainted by the threads of sentiment, seeking to sever them means one must sever the tainted portion as well, gifting it to the Sword Lord as repayment...'
Repayment for the sentiment the Sword Lord had "given"!
In other words:
'If you are tainted by this thing, you will be slowly squeezed dry by the Sword Lord until you wither. If you wake up and realize it, you will be cut down swiftly, and your power will be forcibly divided.'
Enlightenment continued to spring up in Lu Yang's heart. However, under the influence of the wonder of [Great Wisdom Leads to Harm], all these insights transformed into Wisdom Swords, wearing down his Primordial Spirit. The escape technique he had used previously showed no reaction, for this was not an external force—it was using Lu Yang's own power to slay himself!
"Good, very good..."
Lu Yang silently endured the strikes of the Wisdom Swords. He could not escape this major loss, simply because he had not expected the Sword Lord to possess such a trump card.
However, he could afford this loss.
With the backing of [Tianhuang] and the sheer volume provided by the Investiture of the Gods Method, Lu Yang had prepared from the start to take a few hits to probe the depth of the Sword Lord's capabilities.
At least now he knew one of her hidden ultimate techniques.
Deep Affection Does Not Endure, Great Wisdom Leads to Harm?
He had to admit—
"What a fine sword!"