Before Ang Xiao could even finish speaking, Lü Yang had already reacted.

'He misunderstood!'

This was beyond Lü Yang's expectations. He had no idea what line of reasoning led Ang Xiao to mistake him for Fortune.

But that didn't stop Lü Yang from reacting.

His expression shifted, hard to read. After a long moment, he finally heaved a deep sigh and looked at Ang Xiao. "I must ask, Senior, how did you see through it?"

"It's simple."

Seeing this, Ang Xiao smiled. "All things have their karmic origins. How could a Great Power Cultivator just appear out of thin air?"

"Back when Minor Metal took all the Perfected Lords away, you, Fortune, were not among them. With your means of reincarnation as a Perfected Lord, you should have challenged for the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire long ago. I even prepared numerous countermeasures for you... but instead, you vanished without a trace for thirty years, as if you'd evaporated from the face of the earth."

"I almost thought you were dead."

"And what a coincidence it is that the Daoist who played against me at the South Celestial Gate also vanished from this world at the same time as you, Fortune."

"Only for that same Daoist to burst back onto the scene years later."

"A visitor from beyond the heavens. How very interesting."

At this, Ang Xiao's expression filled with interest. "Although you've hidden it well, Daoist, you and I have crossed blades many times. I'd say we know each other inside and out."

"You might be able to hide your Gold Attribute from others."

"But you can't hide it from me!"

Ang Xiao's tone was utterly certain. Hearing this, Lü Yang narrowed his eyes, a thought dawning on him: 'So that's it. It's the Hongyun Gold Attribute's fault.'

Ang Xiao had sensed the Hongyun Gold Attribute!

'If everything else was just circumstantial, the Hongyun Gold Attribute was the smoking gun. After all, who would have thought that I'd spawn-camp Fortune right after he reincarnated and kill him against all odds?'

With this thought, Lü Yang simply shut his mouth, saying nothing more.

'The more I say, the more I risk messing up.'

'This is the time to keep my mouth shut and act profound!'

Meanwhile, seeing Lü Yang's silence, Ang Xiao shook his head. "Daoist, there's no need to be so wary of me. There's no conflict between us anymore."

"After all, it seems you've given up on the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire and are now seeking a Fruit from beyond the heavens. Your previous involvement with the Sword Pavilion... could it be you're interested in the Fruit of Sword Dao? I underestimated you, Daoist. You're decisive enough to cut your losses and move on, a true prodigy. A pity your luck is always a bit lacking..."

In an instant, realization dawned on Lü Yang.

He had keenly picked up on something in Ang Xiao's words:

'He thinks I'm aiming for the Fruit of Sword Dao, yet he says my luck is bad... Does that mean he doesn't think the Fruit of Sword Dao can actually be attained?'

'Why?'

Lü Yang chose his words carefully. After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice:

"You believe I cannot obtain the Fruit of Sword Dao, Senior?"

Ang Xiao, harboring no suspicion, chuckled at his words. "Obtain it? How? The Pure Land is doomed to fall into chaos today. The Fruit of Sword Dao? It's nothing but an illusion, like grasping for the moon's reflection in the water!"

Lü Yang's mind raced. He said in a grave voice:

"The Pure Land has been plotting for years. Demon-Vanquishing Perfected has walked right into their trap. As I see it, the Fruit of Sword Dao is practically in their grasp. How could it be an illusion?"

As he spoke, he let a hint of indignation show on his face, right on cue.

This performance further cemented Ang Xiao's suspicion. He believed "Fortune" was simply unwilling to accept the truth and was questioning it out of denial.

At the same time, Ang Xiao was thinking to himself:

'That Buddha's Son from the Pure Land is clearly up to no good; there's no future in cooperating with him. This Fortune, on the other hand, is much more capable than I thought. And he's all alone, which makes him easy to manipulate... Now that he's no longer competing with me for the same Dao, if I can win him over, he could be quite useful...'

With this thought, Ang Xiao smiled.

"If the Bhagavat himself were overseeing this, there would naturally be no unexpected variables. However, the Buddha's Son is not the Bhagavat. The Pure Land is still a bit too naive."

Lü Yang's brows rose slightly at his words. "...Naive?"

"That's right."

Ang Xiao shook his head and said something that took even Lü Yang by complete surprise: "The Pure Land has gravely underestimated... that Demon-Vanquishing Perfected."

'Underestimate Demon-Vanquishing Perfected?'

'What does he mean?'

Lü Yang's Sword Dao Avatar was right beside Demon-Vanquishing Perfected at this very moment. He was perfectly aware of the Perfected Person's current predicament—he was utterly surrounded and isolated.

'He can still turn this around?'

In the face of Lü Yang's confusion, Ang Xiao merely chuckled.

As a fellow member of the Stain Sect, he knew all about so-called "good guys." 'The better the reputation, the more ruthless the methods. He's definitely got something nasty up his sleeve!'

......

RUMBLE!

In the Pure Land, inside Shengyi Shengming Temple, Buddha's Son Guang Ming shot to his feet. Behind him, the towering Golden Buddha Statue slowly opened its palm.

Instantly, a myriad of golden lights emerged from that full Buddha's Palm, manifesting countless images: a Celestial Capital Jade Fortress, a Dragon Coiling Golden City, courtiers offering counsel, armies of armored cavalry... It was a panorama of the mortal world, a divine kingdom on earth, held in the palm of the Buddha, its form constantly shifting.

'HSSS...!'

The sight struck Lü Yang like a physical blow. Tumultuous waves surged through his Spiritual Space, and an irrepressible greed welled up from the depths of his being:

'It's the Fruit of Rampart Earth!'

'The only Fruit in the current age to be imprisoned in a single location, the very core of the Pure Land's Earthly Buddha Country, was now held right in the palm of Guang Ming's hand!'

'So that's how it is...'

At such a close distance, Lü Yang's current level of cultivation was enough for him to discern a few clues. He was finally beginning to understand how the Pure Land had managed to contain the Fruit of Rampart Earth.

'The Fruit of Rampart Earth is a foundational artifact for establishing a nation. It controls the hearts of men, but is in turn constrained by them. The Pure Land must be relying on the inherent Unity of its Monks to forcibly lock the Fruit of Rampart Earth within Jiangxi. Under these circumstances, no one but a Monk could ever hope to attain it...'

'...But why now?'

Now, as he watched Buddha's Son Guang Ming suddenly produce the Fruit of Rampart Earth and felt its mighty power brazenly radiate outwards, Lü Yang instantly realized something had changed.

'Why take out the Fruit of Rampart Earth now? Is he about to activate the Earthly Buddha Country?'

'Did his intuition tell him something was wrong? Is he worried that delays could bring trouble?'

At that thought, Lü Yang immediately glanced beside him.

And then he saw him. Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, who had been completely silent since entering the Pure Land, finally rose slowly to his feet and spoke his first words:

"Listen well to my sword's cry."

Only after he finished speaking did Lü Yang realize the words weren't meant for Buddha's Son Guang Ming or the other Monastics. Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had been speaking to him. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

That single sentence intensified the uneasy premonition in the heart of Buddha's Son Guang Ming.

'Something... is not right!'

'How can this be?'

SHING! SHING!

The next second, a clear sword cry rang out from Demon-Vanquishing Perfected's body. It grew louder and more intense, until it finally thundered over the sound of the Giant Bell echoing throughout the Pure Land!

"Are you going on a killing spree?"

Buddha's Son Guang Ming was stunned for a moment, but then he actually sighed in relief. This was within his expectations; he didn't care how many people Demon-Vanquishing Perfected killed.

But Demon-Vanquishing Perfected shook his head. "I am not here to kill anyone today."

The Non-Killing Sword left its sheath.

Demon-Vanquishing Perfected looked calmly at Buddha's Son Guang Ming and said softly:

"The Monks of the Pure Land share a Unity of mind, but you are all puppets of the Bhagavat... You are, and so was my old friend. I have come today to save you."

"Save... me?"

Buddha's Son Guang Ming was stunned.

Then he saw a flash of Sword Light radiate out from Demon-Vanquishing Perfected. It spread rapidly in all directions, yet not a single person died where it passed.

'This sword-strike... It's severing karma, not people!'

CRACK!

A crisp, cracking sound echoed, on and on.

It was the sound of "connections" being severed. Buddha's Son Guang Ming's head snapped up, and he looked in terror at the Victorious Life Tathagata's World Appearance behind him.

In that instant, the connection between him and his Dharma Appearance had been severed!

It wasn't just him. Every Arhat, Novice Monk, and Monk present had been severed from some kind of deep, fundamental connection, and a dazed look appeared on their faces.

In that moment, the Monks—who had previously shared the same expressions, the same movements, and the same thoughts with perfect Unity—suddenly displayed thousands of different emotions. Some were terrified, others enraged, some fearful, some relieved... The hallowed ground of the Buddhist Sect had instantly devolved into the chaotic, emotional world of mortals!