Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

Though he had grand ambitions, Lü Yang was still self-aware.

To compare himself with 【Ang Xiao】, he would at least need to reach the late Golden Core stage with the help of 【Heavenly Fire Above】—and even that might not be enough. That was the vastness of the gap.

‘No rush, you eat a meal one bite at a time.’

‘Besides, 【Ang Xiao】 made an early move. Though it seemed impressive, it came with consequences. At the very least, it’s likely that he can no longer interfere with the current world!’

At this very moment, the True Lords across the land might still be immersed in awe at how 【Ang Xiao】 faced many alone and overwhelmed the masses. However, to Lü Yang, who was familiar with 【Ang Xiao】’s trump cards, it was different.

Indeed, 【Ang Xiao】’s power was shocking, but the more shocking it was, the easier he was to deal with.

‘He is ultimately trapped in the 【Netherworld】.’

Or rather, 【Ang Xiao】 had willingly imprisoned himself in the 【Netherworld】 for the sake of his own Dao path. Under such circumstances, he was almost fated never to emerge from it.

And now, his 【World-Delivering Extra-World Body】 had been detonated.

The innate Dao sin had established 【Boundless Heaven】, the hidden danger within Suohuan had been extracted, Uncle-Master Chong Guang had yet to seek Golden Fruition, and Hong Yun had already died violently.

What did 【Ang Xiao】 have left now?

‘The one truly in dire straits... is him!’

‘After this round of glory passes, the only remaining window he has to connect with the present world is that small fragment of Cave Heaven I have currently sealed.’

Very soon, Lü Yang had organized his thoughts.

Certainly, 【Ang Xiao】’s decisiveness had prevented him from ending up with a total loss in the future—but it had only bought him a fallback plan.

‘【Sand Within the Earth】 and 【White Wax Gold】 were snatched into the Netherworld by him, forming a triad. With that, even if I reverse the Chen-Earth again, he won’t drop from the late Golden Core stage. While the reversal of Chen-Earth can still be used to threaten him, he now has leverage to negotiate.’

If he were to fall from the late Golden Core stage, 【Ang Xiao】 would certainly die.

He survived in the Netherworld entirely by relying on the cultivation of late-stage Golden Core and the supreme Fruitional Rank 【Great Forest Wood】. Without that cultivation, he’d never remain hidden.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang felt somewhat regretful.

After all, this could have been a bloodless way to swiftly deal with 【Ang Xiao】, but now it had been ruined by his decisiveness.

‘In this sense, 【Ang Xiao】’s realm is actually unstable.’

How did other Golden Core True Lords break through to the late stage?

By finding like-minded Daoist friends, matching multiple Fruitional Ranks—in essence, it was collaborative.

But 【Ang Xiao】 ruled alone.

He reversed 【Chen-Earth】, preventing others from attaining the corresponding Fruitional Rank, thereby monopolizing it. One had to admit this was a highly clever tactic.

All other late Golden Core cultivators needed trustworthy allies.

If those allies ever betrayed or ceased to support them, their cultivation would plummet immediately. But what if one followed 【Ang Xiao】’s method?

The answer: insoluble!

To reverse Chen-Earth, one must attain the corresponding Fruitional Rank. But to attain that Fruitional Rank, one needed unaltered Chen-Earth—a logical paradox, an impossibility.

A late-stage Golden Core achieved in this way had no flaw at all!

—Yet plans could never keep up with changes.

【Ang Xiao】’s method was perfect, yet one person had left a stain on his blueprint—and created a flaw.

Hong Yun.

‘Though to call it a flaw may be incorrect. With regards to Hong Yun, 【Ang Xiao】 likely had him firmly under control. He just hadn’t expected a wild card like me to intervene.’

The flaw left by Hong Yun was insignificant.

Yet Lü Yang’s existence, combined with Ancestor Tingyou’s False Golden Fruition Method, had torn that flaw wide open—into a wound that could be fatal.

With that thought, Lü Yang took out the fragment of Cave Heaven from the banner.

But after some thought, he didn’t unseal it immediately. Instead, he first selected a scapegoat and used 【String-Pulled Puppet】 to turn him into a puppet.

Then, Lü Yang retrieved the Myriad Spirits Banner.

“You all, go with him.”

One after another, nine Banner Spirits stepped out. Boosted by the incense of 【Seven Luminaries Heaven】, their ranks surged, instantly transforming into nine perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators, who landed behind the scapegoat.

Afterward, Lü Yang had the scapegoat hide the nine incense gods and depart from Jiangdong.

‘After all, it’s 【Ang Xiao】—better to be cautious.’

Only once the scapegoat had entered the Jiangnan region did Lü Yang manipulate him to temporarily unseal the Cave Heaven fragment, intending to have a talk with 【Ang Xiao】.

“Clang clang!”

In the next second, Lü Yang immediately sensed a deadly crisis—like a sword hanging above his head, about to fall and decapitate him.

However, that sense of danger abruptly paused.

“Hmm?”

He heard a puzzled “Eh?”, followed by silence.

Then, from within the Cave Heaven fragment, the image of 【Ang Xiao】 appeared.

His face was full of helplessness:

“Young friend, aren’t you being overly cautious? Was that necessary?”

In that instant just now, had Lü Yang stood in front of him—even if it were only a clone controlled from afar—【Ang Xiao】 could have killed him directly!

The source of that danger was precisely the sword strike once unleashed by the Sword Pavilion’s 【True Lord of Rigid Form Dao-Preaching】. Back then, 【Ang Xiao】 had hidden the strike, not destroyed it.

As long as 【Ang Xiao】 wished, he could make that sword reappear in the present world, and wield it!

A single strike from a late-stage Golden Core True Lord—it went without saying how powerful it was.

Even a clone, if struck, could lead to the severance of the main body through the connection. 【Ang Xiao】 had prepared this sword for the hidden enemy plotting against him.

But alas, Lü Yang had been too cautious.

The puppet controlled via 【String-Pulled Puppet】 had no karmic link with his true body. Even if it were cut down, it wouldn’t matter to Lü Yang.

【Ang Xiao】 noticed this.

He hadn’t detected the 【String-Pulled Puppet】 technique, merely that the puppet wasn’t connected to Lü Yang’s real body—hence, he aborted the attack at the last moment.

On the other side, Lü Yang sneered inwardly:

‘Ha! I knew it!’

This old crook really did try to ambush me—good thing I’m smart!

The next second, Lü Yang used the 【String-Pulled Puppet】 to control the puppet and said in a low voice, “Senior’s divine might is peerless—in front of you, no amount of caution is too much.”

As the words fell, their gazes met.

‘Crafty little fox!’

‘Vile old beast!’

Their eyes shifted subtly, neither willing to speak first—both aware that the one to break the silence would be at a disadvantage.

But Lü Yang didn’t wait idly. He silently summoned the nine incense gods he had brought along.

Then, he combined them. Moments later, the nine gods formed into a towering temple rising from the ground—none other than the 【Yama Palace】, exuding a crushing aura.

‘This is...’

In an instant, 【Ang Xiao】’s expression changed. With his cultivation and experience, merely seeing the 【Yama Palace】 was enough to deduce the rest.

“.It’s you.”

The next second, 【Ang Xiao】 let out a deep breath: “It was you who killed Hong Yun. His Golden Nature is in your hands. Can you now falsely wield the Overturning Lamp Flame?”

【Ang Xiao】 finally understood.

And he also felt a bit of relief—fortunately, he had acted quickly. Otherwise, if the other truly managed to falsely wield the Overturning Lamp Flame, he would’ve been doomed!

‘So that’s it... that’s what triggered my sense of danger.’

Thinking this, 【Ang Xiao】 suddenly felt a strange sense of amazement. Lü Yang had accomplished this much—he could see it clearly:

‘There is no True Lord backing this man!’

‘He’s just a Foundation Establishment cultivator who, for reasons unknown, managed to uncover my secrets—he nearly ruined my thousand-year plan while still in the Foundation Establishment realm!’

But how could this be possible?

A mere Foundation Establishment—how could he pierce through his 【Obstruction of Knowledge and View】? How did he even know that Suohuan was his hidden pawn?

After thinking it over, the only possibility—

The next moment, 【Ang Xiao】 suddenly grew cautious.

He carefully glanced at Lü Yang, whose expression was like a still pond, and then lowered his voice, adjusted his tone, and tentatively asked:

“World-Honored One?”