As his words fell, Lu Yang withdrew from his state of evasion.
Since that maneuver could not block the Sword Lord's [Great Wisdom Leads to Harm], Lu Yang ceased wasting his energy. He decisively severed the connection, allowing the shredded threads of sentiment to carry away his power.
He soon felt a sensation of lightness.
This was the feeling of the threads being completely shorn away, as if a heavy burden had been lifted—though along with it, a portion of his mental intent was also removed.
Simultaneously, he saw the Sword Lord standing nearby. Within the light radiating behind her, a sharp, golden brilliance had appeared—specifically, the [Metal Element] of the [Five Elements]. Lu Yang immediately sensed his own condition, only to find that he had lost the [Metal Element] out of thin air.
Of his thirty Five Elements Dao Fruits, six had vanished without a trace.
'Six Metal Element Dao Fruits, including the [Sword Edge Gold], have been used to repay the sentiment. It isn't just the fruits; even the corresponding Dao comprehension is gone...'
It was utterly insidious.
'Both involve seizing power, but this move is even more revolting than dual cultivation. At least with dual cultivation, you get some pleasure; this thing provides nothing but spiritual resonance...'
Lu Yang lamented inwardly, then saw the Sword Lord continue without pause. Her beautiful eyes stared directly at him once more as the previously severed threads of sentiment resurfaced. They fell in layers, clearly intended as a repeat performance to drag him back into the Tribulation of Affection!
'It never ends.'
Extorting him once wasn't enough; she intended to use this singular successful trick to bleed him dry until he was completely withered and had nothing left to divide.
At this thought, Lu Yang's brow furrowed tightly.
These cursed threads of sentiment could neither be touched nor avoided. No matter how he responded, he would be in the wrong; the only choice was between a slow death or immediate destruction.
'I cannot continue like this.'
If he kept trying to find a way to counter these threads, he would only fall further into the Sword Lord's rhythm and eventually be played to death.
To break the deadlock, there was only—
'A mutual downfall!'
'I'll ignore these threads and meet her attack with my own. I'll use my strongest methods to counterattack, relying on the massive volume of my foundation from the Investiture of the Gods Method to trade injuries with her.'
'I don't believe she'll dare to trade with me.'
'Besides me, she has to guard against Cang Hao and Myriad Laws. She doesn't just need to defeat me; she must do so while ensuring her own state isn't too heavily damaged.'
With that realization, Lu Yang immediately formed a hand seal and summoned limitless spiritual power. Dharmic light surged behind him; first, a single spark of fire appeared, which then exploded in mid-air. In an instant, it transformed into a prairie-clearing blaze—a vast red tide that smashed toward the Sword Lord's position with the force of an overwhelming deluge.
[Fate Revolution]!
This wonder also possessed the ability to seize divine properties. As long as it hit, he could reclaim the [Metal Element] the Sword Lord had just stolen.
Seeing this, the deep affection in the Sword Lord's eyes momentarily froze.
A mutual destruction?
No, his volume was greater. If he didn't care about severing the threads of sentiment and only let them slowly erode him, she would be the one to suffer if she didn't dodge this blow.
In the spark of a flint, she made her decision.
However, just as she prepared to evade, she looked back only to find herself encompassed within a palm that spanned both Heaven and Earth.
[Heaven within Palm]!
Above and below, all was within a single palm. Where could she hide?
"BOOM!"
In the next heartbeat, the red tide crashed down, melting myriad phenomena. The Sword Lord's figure rapidly faded into nothingness. Infinite colors swirled within the Dark Void like a rainbow of splashing blood.
It was a long time before the gray-dark hues of the Dark Void resurfaced like the ebbing tide.
The figures of Lu Yang and the Sword Lord reappeared in the gloom. One was covered in threads of sentiment, while the other had a smear of crimson appearing at the tip of a snowy-white finger.
On Lu Yang's side, he continued his slow descent toward death.
On the other side, the Sword Lord had not only lost the [Metal Element] she had just seized, but a small portion of her true body had been forcibly taken by [Fate Revolution].
Though it was currently only the tip of one finger and seemingly insignificant, as time passed and more parts were seized, her control over her true body would weaken. If she eventually lost control entirely, she would be forced to discard her physical form and escape with her Primordial Spirit, at which point her majestic power would plummet.
Thinking of this, the Sword Lord couldn't help but frown.
She then parted her vermillion lips and took that crimson-stained finger into her mouth, her face revealing a look of "pity me."
And yet, the gesture was laced with charm.
Almost simultaneously, Lu Yang sensed the number of threads of sentiment coiled around him begin to skyrocket, and the subtle weakening of his state accelerated.
"Vile woman!"
Lu Yang's eyes remained clear, entirely unaffected by the sentiment. Instead, he cursed loudly and continued to drive his wonder, discarding all defense to force a counterattack.
Watching from nearby, the World Honored One frowned. "If this continues, it will likely become a war of attrition. But in the end, Nian Yao will win... her method of sentiment, if accumulated to a certain limit and then detonated, has the power to heavily wound even a Primordial Spirit."
On the other side, Sisui was also somewhat surprised.
"Using affection as a scabbard and wisdom as a sword—an integrated offense and defense that leaves one with no way to strike. This was Nian Yao's sword from back then; I thought she had forgotten it."
It seemed that was not the case.
Judging by the aura the Sword Lord displayed now, her [Sword Dao] remained robust—perhaps even stronger than it was 129,600 years ago.
At this thought, Sisui suddenly looked away.
He looked toward Cang Hao, who was also watching the battle in silence.
'...Is it you?'
Meanwhile, Lu Yang—utilizing the Light of Wisdom from Dao Tianqi—gained an increasingly clear understanding of this [Threads of Sentiment] method through his clashes with the Sword Lord.
'Though this method is not dual cultivation, it shares a similar wonder. To hone it to such a degree, she must have had a Dao companion or a cauldron to help.'
The answer was self-evident.
Cang Hao!
He had been inseparable from the Sword Lord since the ancient era, assisting her to this day. The Sword Lord had likely been using this Dao companion to practice her sword all along, resulting in this specific wonder!
'In other words, Cang Hao, this Dao Lord, was likely snared by the Sword Lord's [Threads of Sentiment] long ago. The two are joined in glory and ruin... No, given the Sword Lord's insidiousness, that would be too kind to Cang Hao. It's more likely the Sword Lord can act as she pleases while the consequences are borne by Cang Hao.'
Could Cang Hao proactively sever these [Threads of Sentiment]?
'I'm afraid it would be very difficult.'
Lu Yang reached a conclusion. Unlike himself—who had only clashed with the Sword Lord this once and would be fine regardless of how many threads he touched—Cang Hao had accompanied her for hundreds of thousands of years!
He had probably been "polished" by the Sword Lord's [Threads of Sentiment] until he was smooth. If he chose to sever them, his lifelong cultivation would likely be divided and gifted to the Sword Lord.
It would be no different from suicide!
"Hmph..."
In the next second, Cang Hao, watching from the sidelines, suddenly groaned. His aura plummeted, and what followed validated Lu Yang's suspicion.
[Lu Yang]!
Within the infinite light, the Sword Lord suddenly looked up. She pointed her fingers like a sword, using them as a brush to slowly write Lu Yang's name in the void.
Cang Hao's [Fortune]!
By writing the name and degrading his [Fortune], Lu Yang's originally massive volume suddenly declined, and the scales of victory tipped sharply toward the Sword Lord!