Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

Chapter 540: Chong Guang’s Magnanimity, The Hidden Variable!

Lu Yang gave Chong Guang no time for doubt. As soon as he spoke, the 【Yama Palace】 had already fallen into his palm, once again blooming with dazzling divine light.

“Boom!”

Though ten years had passed, the moment this radiant light rose to the sky and ignited the starlight, it still drew the attention of countless Foundation Establishment True Persons.

The brilliance descending from the fruit position fell from the heavens, sweeping away all gloom wherever it passed, suppressing countless streams of qi. In that moment, the five domains of heaven and earth all sank into silence, making it clear to all that the sun which had hung above everyone’s head for ten years still shone brightly and majestically today.

Almost simultaneously, within the Netherworld.

【Ang Xiao】 abruptly opened his eyes, sensing the turbulence of the karmic web and the intense malice directed at him. His face turned ashen:

“So it’s finally come.”

Thinking of this, 【Ang Xiao】 couldn’t help but let out a long, heavy sigh. His five-thousand-year scheme had ultimately been foiled by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He had many speculations about Lu Yang.

Yet there was only one guess he deemed most likely:

‘He might have come from the future.’

After all, that place was the site where the World-Honored One had proven the Dao. It still endured to this day. Though seemingly illusory when compared to the current world, it was not entirely disconnected.

‘Only then could it be explained why he strikes at my weak points with such precision, and knows me inside out—because he’s already experienced it once in that place. It’s just that, like that shrew, he received the favor of fate… No, maybe not fate, perhaps someone was guiding him.’

The more 【Ang Xiao】 thought, the more his head ached.

Because if someone powerful truly could pull people from ‘that place’, then the only one he could think of… was the enigmatic Patriarch of his own Holy Sect.

After all, that was the World-Honored One’s restricted domain.

But the problem was—why would the Patriarch bring someone like that out… just to oppose him?

Could it be… he was no longer the Patriarch’s most trusted disciple?

Clearly, back then—

‘Stop.’

【Ang Xiao】 suddenly halted his thoughts, then activated the 【Obstacle of Perception】, smoothly erasing that portion of his thoughts. Then he shifted his intent:

‘Forget it, forget it.’

Raising his head, 【Ang Xiao】 looked beyond the Netherworld. He had already foreseen the changes to come, yet he felt no despair—on the contrary, a faint smile appeared on his lips:

“You have the upper hand for now… When the True Lords of the world re-emerge, I’ll play a new round with you.”

The next second——

“Boom!”

In the current world, Lu Yang didn’t hesitate in the slightest. With the imagery of 【Overturning Lamp Fire】, he reversed the flow with a bang, pulling the Celestial Earth back into the domain of yang!

But that alone wasn’t enough.

After all, Chong Guang had done the same thing before.

The real key lay in 【Ang Xiao】’s Celestial Earth—that was the true source of the reversed Celestial Earth across the land. It had been hidden by 【Ang Xiao】 in the deepest depths of the Netherworld.

And now, that very source of Celestial Earth began to change!

Its originally dense yin energy quietly dissipated at this moment, and just like light emerging after the dust settles, an extremely pure, masculine, and rigidly strong mystical imagery surged forth!

Celestial Earth Returned to Yang!

【Ang Xiao】 could only sigh. After all, Lu Yang was setting things right, gaining twice the result with half the effort. Whereas his own reversal of Celestial Earth was defying the heavens—twice the effort, half the result.

It couldn’t be stopped!

In the next moment, 【Ang Xiao】 watched as the mighty powers that once belonged to 【Flowing Water】 and 【Overturning Lamp Fire】 were rapidly stripped from his body.

“Boom!”

Deprived of the support of those two fruit positions, the palace where 【Ang Xiao】 resided trembled violently, as an indescribable terror descended upon him with a crash.

At that critical moment, 【Ang Xiao】 quickly formed a hand seal before his chest and chanted:

“An illusion! There are no living beings in the Netherworld!”

“You’re seeing wrong!”

“Stop looking!”

The terrifying 【Obstacle of Perception】 rode his Dao sound like a veil of silk, enveloping 【Ang Xiao】’s dwelling. In an instant, it was as if it had never existed.

Even so, the intangible terrifying pressure continued sweeping over 【Ang Xiao】’s location, as though in suspicion. It was only after several passes revealed nothing that the pressure slowly faded, and the previously frenzied Netherworld returned to silence.

“Whew!”

Seeing this, 【Ang Xiao】 finally let out a breath of relief. Just a little more—if his 【Obstacle of Perception】 had only been at the mid-Golden Core level, he would have been discovered!

‘Thankfully, I still control both 【White Wax Gold】 and 【Soil Within Sand】. The three elemental alignments are still enough to maintain a late-Golden Core position. Otherwise, with the Celestial Earth’s return to yang and all fruit positions abandoning me, I’d have instantly dropped to mid-Golden Core, exposed in the Netherworld—and possibly lost my life!’

Thus, it was fortune amidst misfortune.

Looking at the palace now significantly smaller than before, 【Ang Xiao】 couldn’t help but smile bitterly. But soon he composed himself and began to regulate his breath and recover his condition.

As for the rage of losing the Celestial Earth, the helplessness of a fallen realm, the disappointment of a failed plan… all those negative emotions were firmly buried deep within his heart.

Seeking the Dao was a path fraught with setbacks.

As long as he wasn’t dead, there was still hope. Dwelling on the past would only bring confusion—his eyes would forever be set on the farthest reaches of the future.

And so, after a long time——

“Damn it!”

At last, a furious roar of suppressed rage echoed through the Netherworld.

“What kind of face is 【Ang Xiao】 making right now?”

Lu Yang rubbed his chin, a little regretful that he couldn’t see it. Then he activated the 【True Method of Position-Swapping Between Kan and Li】, transforming into a Pseudo-Bearer of the Heavenly Fire.

Next, he reached into his robe and drew out a golden light.

【White Chi Golden Nature】.

At this point, Lu Yang had long become the Dragon Race’s de facto leader. The Dragon Palace treasury was naturally open to him, and a single essence of gold was hardly a big deal.

【Stripping】!

Lu Yang merged this golden nature to replenish what the pseudo-state had consumed from the Fortune Gold Nature. Only then did he withdraw his aura and disperse the pseudo state.

Turning around, he saw Chong Guang standing solemnly:

“Many thanks, Daoist friend, for opening the path to my gold-seeking.”

As he finished speaking, Chong Guang reached into his robes and produced a jade box and a jade slip, solemnly handing them to Lu Yang.

“Though I, Chong Guang, am ruthless in conduct, I’ve never owed anyone a favor.”

“Those who harm me—none shall escape. But those who aid me—I’ll never forget. Daoist friend, let these two items repay your great kindness.”

At these words, Lu Yang was momentarily stunned.

He had helped Chong Guang reverse the Celestial Earth with no ulterior motives—he simply wanted to pursue his Golden Core, and so intended to fulfill his promise first.

No schemes involved—he was a good man!

Though he hadn’t yet pinpointed what that “final step” he lacked was, waiting further would only waste time. He still had the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】 after all, giving him room for trial and error. Worst case, even if he failed, as long as he could find out what step he lacked, it wouldn’t be a loss.

Still, he hadn’t expected such an unexpected reward?

Lu Yang accepted the jade box. A sweep of divine sense caused his eyes to flicker: the box contained a massive amount of energy from a foreign fruit position!

‘This is… the energy of the Myriad Martial World!’

‘And it’s immense—likely not obtained in just one attempt. If I absorb it, my 【Qiantian’s Dominion over All Phenomena Dharma Body】 will surely be perfected!’

In an instant, Lu Yang understood Chong Guang’s original plan: if he hadn’t helped reverse the Celestial Earth, Chong Guang would have used this harvested energy to seek a fruit position in the Myriad Martial World. Though external Dao True Lords fell short in many ways, they were still True Lords—this would have been Chong Guang’s fallback route.

But now that Lu Yang had helped him reverse the Celestial Earth—

The path of 【Overturning Lamp Fire】 was cleared, and Chong Guang, in a grand gesture of reciprocation, had gifted him the hard-won energy from the 【Myriad Martial World】!

‘The 【Myriad Martial World】’s fruit position also overlaps with the imagery of the 【Heavenly Fire】.’

‘So if I refine this celestial energy and turn the 【Qiantian’s Dominion over All Phenomena Dharma Body】 into a 【Heaven】, it will benefit my gold-seeking as well!’

This was indeed a generous gift!

What about the other one?

Lu Yang turned his gaze to the jade slip Chong Guang had handed him and began to read its contents… but soon, his brows furrowed deeply:

‘How could this be?!’

‘【City Head Earth】, descendant of the Zouyu bloodline.’

The contents of the jade slip were simple, yet they made Lu Yang’s eyes shine:

‘A Zouyu descendant within the Holy Sect… I understand! I know what step I was missing!’

The final variable in seeking the Golden Core—the problem lay with the Zouyu descendant in the Holy Sect!