Chapter 156: What a Peerless Demon Lord!
Chapter 156: What a Peerless Demon Lord!
Three months later, news spread from Heaven-Mending Peak.
The Heaven-Mending Peak Master intended to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation to vie for the "True Monarch" position and had invited the Holy Sect's True Men to witness the event.
The announcement immediately sparked discussions.
"Old Chen plans to face the Heavenly Tribulation to break through to Foundation Building's late stage? He's had that third Celestial Vanguard and Terrestrial Sha for so long—finally decided to act?"
"He must fear assassins. Publicly breaking through ensures protection."
"Pfft, wouldn't you worry too?"
"Don't kid yourself—wouldn't you strike first?"
Meanwhile, the Holy Sect's Cloud Sea rippled with radiant qi as Foundation Building's late-stage cultivators, hailed as "Great True Men", stood as the first-tier power beneath True Monarchs.
Even within the Holy Sect, such a breakthrough was momentous—not quite enough to summon a True Monarch, but certainly meriting attendance from Foundation Building True Men. Observing the Heavenly Tribulation's might could offer valuable insights for their own future breakthroughs.
Yet safety remained paramount.
The Heaven-Mending Peak Master could secretly ascend, but if his timing or location were divined, no one would rescue him mid-cataclysm.
Better to proceed openly.
The Holy Sect's doctrine: if undetected, it never happened. Assassinations and ambushes were permissible—until exposed, when punishment became merciless.
Paradoxically, transparency ensured survival.
At Heaven-Mending Peak's summit, clouds parted to reveal its master, Chen Taihe, standing with hands clasped behind his back. A radiant halo shone from his crown, materializing his Dao Foundation.
The light displayed his cultivation of the Yin-Yang Grand Dao Diagram, a cosmic tapestry of wonders: white tigers perched atop mountains, human-faced fish singing like mandarin ducks, their interplay mesmerizing.
The gathered True Men felt unease.
Especially Lv Yang, who now floated on golden auspicious clouds atop Luofeng Mountain, gazing toward Heaven-Mending Peak with rare astonishment.
"So powerful..."
Though he'd once fought Chen Taihe and nearly killed him, Lv Yang had never fully grasped his might. Now he realized the true devastation his past Golden Core Sword Qi had wrought—not just physical destruction, but shattering Chen's Dao Foundation so thoroughly that even Life-Bound Divine Abilities had failed him then.
This was Chen Taihe in his prime.
Rumbling—Cloud Sea churned, moon waned, sun rose, whipping Chen's robes as his aura soared to its zenith.
He retrieved a porcelain vial.
Uncorking it, moonlight flowed like molten silver—a Celestial Vanguard known as Chongguang.
Chongguang: in heaven, sun and moon; on earth, metal and iron—the essence of eight sacred stones.
Chen glanced toward Holy Flame Cliff, sensing a tranquil gaze.
"Chongguang... Hmph! Chongguang!"
Schooled his thoughts, swallowed the Chongguang essence, and instantly, stars shifted. He plunged into the Foundation Building Stage!
The Holy Sect's True Men, including Lv Yang, followed suit.
Meanwhile, Chen Xin'an and Chen Shuqian already waited within the Foundation Building Stage, their divine consciousnesses restrained, eyes vacant.
"This brute uses human pills—his own children as ingredients?"
A young True Man recoiled. "These are his descendants! Even tigers spare their young—how monstrous!"
"Naive", scoffed an elder True Man. "The Holy Sect's methods are vast and varied. When he cultivated these two, I suspected his plan. Last time Yuan Tu broke through to Foundation Building, the spectacle was immense. Why did these two remain hidden?"
He gestured to Chen's children.
"Because everyone knew they were Chen's ultimate investment—centuries of resources poured into them."
The youth shuddered. "So even True Men become expendable..."
"Not necessarily", the elder countered. "This is risky. Even two True Men wouldn't resist fate? Why seal their consciousnesses?"
"To prevent them discarding their bodies to escape karmic chains, ruining his substitution technique."
The elder counted off fingers: "I've lived three lifetimes in the Holy Sect—800 years. Recognize his method: the Bloodline Lifespan Transfer Art. Uses bloodline karma to redirect calamities."
"But if the sacrifice abandons their body, how can they substitute?"
"So if these two have the will and fortune to break free, they might yet survive."
Within the Foundation Building Stage, Chen Taihe manifested his Dao Foundation, summoning the first Heavenly Tribulation lightning. It struck his soul, draining half his vitality.
No turning back now.
Lv Yang relaxed, descending Luofeng Mountain openly toward Heaven-Mending Peak.
"Yuan Tu", True Man Yinshan warned, "whatever your intent toward Chen Taihe, don't act under everyone's gaze."
"Senior Brother, I'm no fool", Lv Yang replied. "I wasn't crashing the peak. I was invited by someone within Heaven-Mending Peak."
Yinshan paused. "Invited?"
A silken voice echoed from the peak: "True Man Yinshan, cease your doubts. This one invited Yuan Tu herself."
The peak's gates swung open.
Lady Ruoxiang, in crimson robes, smiled seductively, pulling Lv Yang into her embrace.
"..."
Inside the Foundation Building Stage, Chen Taihe spat blood, glaring at Lv Yang and Lady Ruoxiang in disbelief.
The Holy Sect fell silent.
Every witnessing True Man stared wide-eyed. The young one whispered, "Senior, seen this before?"
The elder choked.
Invading Heaven-Mending Peak during Chen's life-or-death Tribulation, brazenly with his wife...
Absolutely unprecedented!
When did they conspire? How? Choosing this precise moment—deliberate?
A dual strike to body and soul!
The Holy Sect's True Men now regarded Lv Yang with awe, fear, and grudging respect.
Seeing through illusions, unbound by morality—what a peerless demon lord!
"We're merely corrupt. You, Yuan Tu, are the true beast!"
(End of Chapter)
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