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As Lu Yang's words fell, an instant silence enveloped the surroundings.
Inside the shop, Qi He True Person, who had been fiddling with the formation disk in his hand, suddenly halted his movements. He slowly raised his head and cast a deep glance at Lu Yang:
"As expected of a True Person from our Sacred Sect."([Vatican City][1])
Lu Yang accepted the compliment calmly.
To judge a person's character, one should not focus on their thoughts or words, but rather on their actions. In this way, many matters become clear.
Although Qi He True Person had said many things, appearing to have Lu Yang's best interests at heart, what were his actions? He had used a formation to seal off the entire shop. While his excuse was plausible—using the formation to trap the rogue cultivators of the Secret Pavilion Street—it also served to trap Lu Yang himself.
If Qi He True Person truly had sincere intentions,
then he should not have set up the formation alone. Instead, he should have invited Lu Yang to do it together. But he did not. To Lu Yang, this indicated ulterior motives.
"Such a pity."
At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the shop. A burly man walked in, his body exuding a strong aura of blood and brilliance.
"Since you've already seen through it, why expose it?"
The burly man laughed heartily: "If you had fled without a word just now, we might not have been able to stop you in time."
"Kui Gang, do not be careless."
A soft and charming voice accompanied by a fragrant breeze followed, as a beautiful woman in palace attire stepped into the shop, saying: "After all, this person is a True Person of the Sacred Sect."
"No need for you to say that, Gou Yue."
The burly man sneered coldly, blocking Lu Yang's escape route along with the palace-attired woman. At the same time, the surrounding formation's brilliance grew brighter.
'Two at the early Foundation Establishment stage.'
Lu Yang shifted his gaze and looked at Qi He True Person, suddenly grinning: "Daring to besiege me, it seems you've advanced to the mid-stage?"
"Ah, fellow Daoist, your insight is accurate."
Qi He True Person sighed upon hearing this, then slowly straightened his previously hunched body. A dazzling brilliance of divine power suddenly appeared on him. Ř𝘼ＮȮBĚș
As Lu Yang had expected, mid-stage Foundation Establishment!
Seeing this, Lu Yang shook his head and said: "Fellow Daoist's breakthrough to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment must be thanks to this Secret Pavilion Street. Such a good place, what a pity."
He did not even ask why Qi He True Person had betrayed him.
After all, in the Sacred Sect, betrayal was commonplace. It was nothing unusual, and he did not care about the reasons. In fact, he considered it a pleasant surprise.
'I had intended to pay for the items.'
'But now, it seems that not only will I not pay for the many spiritual items I just purchased, but I might even profit from this. Consider it a generous donation from kind-hearted people.'
Thinking this, Lu Yang became even more composed.
On the other side, Qi He True Person did not become complacent just because Lu Yang had fallen into his trap. Instead, he grew more vigilant: 'This person remains calm despite being in a desperate situation. Could he have some hidden trump card? After all, he was sent by Chong Guang; it's normal for him to have some means.'
In truth, he had not wanted to act against Lu Yang.
As a True Person of the Sacred Sect, no one knew better than he how troublesome a True Person with a proper background could be, and how strong their desire for revenge was.
But many things were beyond his control.
'It's a pity. If I had more time, I could have brought in other Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Secret Pavilion Street. Now, only two are available.'
Despite this, the arrow was already on the string and had to be released.
With this thought, Qi He True Person no longer hesitated and shouted: "Take action!"([UNSD][2])
Before his voice had faded, the burly man, Kui Gang, and the palace-attired woman, Gou Yue, simultaneously formed hand seals and chanted incantations, each unleashing their innate divine abilities.
"Watch my fist!"
Kui Gang clenched his five fingers, and a brilliant divine light enveloped his arm, flowing with his movements. He launched a punch towards Lu Yang from a distance.
[Dragon Coils and Contracts]!
Kui Gang's innate divine ability was quite unique. Normally, he would accumulate spiritual power, storing it up for a burst of power when needed, resulting in a force far beyond the usual.
In an instant, Lu Yang felt a tremendous force coming at him. If it were not contained within a single punch, its release might have shattered an offshore island.
At the same time, Gou Yue's innate divine ability also fell upon Kui Gang.
[Enhancing Profound Beneficial Talisman]!
As the name suggests, this innate divine ability was not suited for combat but could greatly amplify others' divine abilities and spells, further increasing the power of Kui Gang's punch.
To be fair, the combined power of their divine abilities was impressive. However, Lu Yang remained indifferent, as both of their innate divine abilities reminded him of the past rogue cultivator Wu Cang, who did not value cause and effect, focusing only on the strength of divine abilities. While powerful, they ultimately lacked adaptability.
Of course, this did not mean there was a problem with this approach.
The issue was that rogue cultivators had limited inheritances. As a result, even if one pursued high values, the final result might not be significant. What was the point then?
"Just these people to kill me? Fellow Daoist, you underestimate me."
Lu Yang spoke the truth, and a blazing mysterious fire ignited behind him. A towering phantom rose from the ground—it was the [Heavenly Firmament All-Encompassing Dharma Body]!
In the next moment, Lu Yang neither dodged nor avoided.
With the protection of the [Stubborn Gold Duke] and the support of the Dharma Body, he also threw a punch. Though his fist appeared much smaller, it collided head-on with Kui Gang's punch.
"Boom!"
Upon impact, Lu Yang remained unscathed, his golden light still dazzling. In contrast, Kui Gang's bones and tendons broke instantly, and he exploded into a mist of blood.
Seeing this, the palace-attired woman, Gou Yue, turned pale: "Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"
The next moment, she gritted her silver teeth: 'Scoundrel!'
The gap between early and mid-stage Foundation Establishment was vast. If Lu Yang had revealed his cultivation level, she and Kui Gang would not have dared to act recklessly. They would have turned and fled.
But he had deliberately concealed it!
Not only that, but he also avoided fighting Qi He True Person, who was also at the mid-stage, choosing instead to ambush them at the early stage. Truly shameless!
Even Qi He True Person's expression changed.
He had also failed to see through Lu Yang's cultivation, assuming he was at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Confident in his higher cultivation, he had set up the formation to besiege him.
He had even been cautious enough.
Not only did he set up the formation, but he also called in two early Foundation Establishment cultivators to assist.
Initially, he had them attack first, suspecting that Lu Yang might have some hidden trump card, allowing them to test the waters. He had not expected such an outcome!
What was more troublesome was that he was confident in dealing with an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But a mid-stage Foundation Establishment?
Even with the formation's assistance, Qi He True Person had no confidence in killing him. At most, he could inflict serious injuries, which made his expression even more grim.
"Fellow Daoist... can we reconcile?"
Qi He True Person showed a helpless expression: "Kui Gang is dead. His possessions can serve as compensation. I will also offer the spiritual items you previously requested."
"If fellow Daoist insists on a fight to the death..."
At this point, a sharp glint flashed in Qi He True Person's eyes:
"I am not made of clay. How confident are you that you can keep me here? My time is limited. If you can't kill me, I will entangle you to the end!"
"Entangle me to the end?"
Lu Yang laughed upon hearing this: "Then tell me, fellow Daoist, do you recognize who I am?"
"...Uh."
Qi He True Person's expression froze. Only then did he realize that Lu Yang had never revealed his background, and he had never seen his face before.
The only thing he knew was that he came from the Sacred Sect and held Chong Guang's token.
Identity? Name?
"Not recognized..."
In an instant, Qi He True Person felt a chill in his heart.
Unable to determine his background or recognize his identity, even if he failed to kill him, Lu Yang could simply change his identity and leave. How could he be deterred?
In contrast, Qi He True Person himself...
He did not want to die!
With this thought, Qi He True Person no longer hesitated. He activated a talisman in his hand, and his figure flashed, immediately riding a beam of light to escape from the shop.
He was fleeing!