Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

Although the decision had already been made, the crisis had not been resolved.

The reason was simple:

“More time is needed.”

Patriarch Ting You’s expression was solemn, the light of spiritual brilliance in her eyes nearly overflowing from her pupils, her fingertips almost sparking with friction—it was to the point even Lu Yang couldn’t comprehend.

Yet, it was still not enough.

“【Celestial Mansion】... it’s too far. Even with the calamity of water and fire upon you serving as causal coordinates, it is still extremely difficult to deduce.”

“That location is constantly shifting as well, like surging waves. Only at the moment the wave rises can positioning be completed. If the wave falls, even the slightest deviation becomes a fatal miscalculation—one could accidentally fall into a certain death trap.”

Lu Yang was not surprised upon hearing this.

After all, 【Celestial Mansion】 was only slightly inferior to the most desolate realms—a super Realm Heaven. Possessing such a level of defensive barrier was perfectly normal.

In fact, for Patriarch Ting You to be able to even lock onto the position of 【Celestial Mansion】 under these conditions, albeit needing more time, was already a feat of astonishing wisdom.

“How much longer is needed?”

“We’ll need to return to the Void Daze Realm once more,” Patriarch Ting You said in a deep voice. “In other words, you must survive another ambush from the enemy.”

“Alright.” Lu Yang nodded readily.

At that moment, Suo Huan also rose and came to Lu Yang’s side, his expression calm: “Then I’ll leave Huànxū Heaven to you, Fellow Daoist, for now.”

Lu Yang likewise nodded.

In the next second, a pure and radiant light slowly emerged from Suo Huan’s palm—the fundamental profundity of 【Water from the Spring】 had been pushed to its utmost limit.

【Sharing the Drink】!

To many True Lords, 【Water from the Spring】 was not a powerful Fruit Position. Its nature as a support role was too strong, and its core profundity was hardly impressive.

But only Lu Yang knew how truly valuable this Fruit Position was. It might only have a single “injury-bearing” effect, but the key lay in this: he could bear all injuries. Regardless of the type, nature, or profundity of the wound—he could perfectly take it upon himself.

And it wasn’t limited to a single person.

So far, what had truly restricted Suo Huan from unleashing the profundity of 【Water from the Spring】 was his cultivation level. If he died at early-stage Golden Core, he had to start all over again.

But what if he made a breakthrough?

At mid-stage Golden Core, with an undestroyable Cave Heaven and infinite resurrection, he could bear others’ injuries without limit!

How was that any different from being invincible?

A top-tier support role!

In the next second, cracks began to appear across Suo Huan’s Dharma body, water and fire light shimmering—yet the fissures on Lu Yang’s body rapidly faded away.

Immediately after, a visible wound appeared on Suo Huan’s neck. In just a few breaths, he had transferred all of Lu Yang’s injuries onto himself, and even poured all of his Dharma power into Lu Yang, fully restoring Lu Yang’s vitality!

“Crack!”

With a crisp sound, Suo Huan’s head nearly fell from his neck, but he caught it just in time, blood slowly trickling from all seven orifices.

“No matter, I’m not dead yet.”

Suo Huan smiled slightly, with not a trace of pain. Compared to the hundreds of years of torment chasing the Golden Core in vain, this was nothing.

He bore it gladly.

As his words fell, Suo Huan’s figure swiftly dimmed and sank into the depths of the Banner of Enlightening the Righteous Dao. Lu Yang did not delay, immediately formed a hand seal and shook the banner.

In an instant, surging purple qi roared in from all sides of the banner, engulfing Suo Huan to suppress and stabilize the transferred injuries, maintaining his Dharma body and preventing his Cave Heaven from collapse—this was the final of the three new profundities Lu Yang had added after refining the banner into a True Treasure.

【Upholding the Righteous】!

As the name implied, this profundity was specifically meant to safeguard the banner spirit. With its suppression, Suo Huan would at least not perish right now.

After completing all this, Lu Yang finally took a deep breath.

At this moment, Patriarch Ting You was still meditating in divination, seemingly completely unaware of the outside world. Empress Xiao let out a sigh and then approached Lu Yang.

“You’ve really ruined me this time, my troublesome man.”

Lu Yang chuckled lightly: “I can’t accept that blame—back then, it was clearly Your Majesty who begged me, and quite eagerly too.”

Upon hearing this, Empress Xiao beamed: “That’s not wrong either. These past few days have indeed been far more joyful than the few hundred years before.”

“Enough, enough.”

With those words, Empress Xiao gently raised both hands into a lotus-holding posture, manifesting the incense-based Fruit Position of 【Seven Luminaries Heaven】 and handed it to Lu Yang.

“As an outsider to the orthodox path, I can’t help you much.”

“After careful thought, this True Lord’s Dharma body is all I can offer. The incense divine power might still have some use. Keep the Fruit Position True Spirit for me—don’t let me truly die.”

Lu Yang nodded and stored it using the Banner of Enlightening the Righteous Dao.

At that moment, the Void Daze Realm began to tremble—Lu Yang recognized it as a silent warning. If he didn’t return to the real world to recover, he would surely die staying here.

“. Go!”

In the next second, Lu Yang put away the banner, left Patriarch Ting You to continue divining, and together with Empress Xiao, plunged into the Sea of Light Beyond the Heavens.

In a flash—sword light had already struck.

Just as Lu Yang suspected, the moment they entered the Sea of Light Beyond the Heavens, 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 was right before him, as though he had been waiting all along.

“Boom!”

“Clang clang!”

Two thunderous sounds erupted. The first was Empress Xiao’s immediate self-detonation. The second was the sword cry of 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】.

Though Empress Xiao was only an External Dao True Lord, barely at the fifth grade, she still held that title. Her self-detonation carried considerable might—enough to stall the sword light of 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 for just an instant, buying Lu Yang precious time to respond.

『Enlightenment!』

The banner billowed, and the powerful enlightening force swept forth like a fierce wind. In essence, it was a kind of 『Deprivation』—

But what it deprived was will, the mind.

However, 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 was, after all, a Great True Lord. Previously caught off guard, now he would not fall for it again.

『My heart is as a sword, crystal-clear and radiant!』

The sword light did not falter in the slightest. It cleaved through the aftermath of Empress Xiao’s self-detonation and still aimed straight for Lu Yang’s throat.

The three-foot sword tip—【Throne-Seizing】 gleamed brilliantly.

In that instant, 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】’s Fruit Position even began to soar. With this single slash, he seemed to enter a transcendent state.

Fruit Position ascended!

To ensure this strike would kill Lu Yang, he not only unleashed the full might of his title sword intent, but also forcibly elevated his position back to the level of a Great True Lord!

That single action crushed all of Lu Yang’s preparations.

Had 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 remained at first-grade True Lord level, Lu Yang—now restored to full strength—could have endured it and survived.

But this was different.

The Fruit Position of a Great True Lord descended with force. The moment the sword aimed, the 【Heavenly Inscription Seal】 on Lu Yang’s forehead was extinguished, its profundity completely unusable!

Clearly, 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 had realized Lu Yang had recovered—Empress Xiao’s self-detonation confirmed it. He understood he had fallen behind, that Lu Yang had caught his breath. But as a Sword Bastard, how could he give his enemy another chance?

“Die!”

The sword light flashed, on the verge of killing Lu Yang—his Cave Heaven would collapse, and 【Heavenly Flame Above】’s image would also be damaged, completing the grand scheme—

“Zheng!!!”

At the final moment, a third sword cry rang out through the Sea of Light Beyond the Heavens, triggering two simultaneous changes that disrupted the seemingly inevitable conclusion.

The first change: 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】’s Throne-Seizing Sword Intent—

Without any warning, the once-lethal sword intent abruptly collapsed, its imagery crumbling, the profundity to kill Lu Yang lost.

The second change: Lu Yang’s Unyielding Sword Intent—

In stark contrast, this sword intent surged immensely, allowing Lu Yang to hold on in the instant the sword light struck.

As one waned and the other surged—

“Boom!”

Lu Yang staggered back, one hand clutching the top of his head. Half his skull had detached from his neck—but he managed to hold it in place.

He didn’t die!

On the other side, 【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 stood motionless, his expression darker than ever, quietly staring at the source of the disruption.

“Drip.”

Blood dripped, spreading across the Sea of Light Beyond the Heavens.

Where his gaze landed, he saw only a sword, a person—

—someone who, by all calculations, should not have been here.

“Demon-Subduing… Ye Guangji.”

【Sturdy Path-Preaching True Lord】 let out a faint sigh: “Why must you do this? You could’ve just stayed in Jiangnan and been the【Guardian Sword Sovereign of Demon-Subduing and Saint-Aiding】… wasn’t that good enough?”

What answered him—

—was a pair of blazing white eyes, calm and resolute.