Chapter 161: One Sword Cuts Dawn and Dusk!

Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds, outside Mending Heaven Peak.

At first glance, the gloomy sky appeared empty, yet in reality, it was already filled with people in the Foundation Establishment Realm, with seven or eight True Persons lying in ambush among them.

“Yo? You’re here too?”

“Just joining the fun.”

“Together, together.”

Several True Persons of the Primordial Saint Sect stood together, chatting happily, each with an enthusiastic smile on their face, as if they were truly affectionate senior and junior brothers.

“How long has Wu Cang been inside?”

“About the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. A mid-stage against an early-stage, nothing unexpected should happen. The formation has also been set up. The moment he comes out, we’ll strike him down with a sap!”

“He has completely offended Yuan Tu this time.”

“Once Wu Cang grabs the item and comes out, we’ll snatch the True Monarch’s handwritten letter back. We’ll sneak a few glances at it during the process, and then throw all the karma onto Wu Cang.”

“If you ask me, this Wu Cang is far inferior to Yuan Tu. Though both entered under a master with some skills, Yuan Tu clearly obtained the true essence of our Saint Sect. Wu Cang, on the other hand, could never shed his rogue cultivator nature—vicious but not cunning. That’s about all he’ll amount to in this life. There are still long years of hardship ahead of him.”

The True Persons of the Primordial Saint Sect conversed casually, appearing extremely composed.

Obviously, Wu Cang thought his actions were secret, but how could they possibly escape the notice of those with keen intentions? It was just that everyone happened to need a scapegoat.

However, at that moment—

“Boom!”

A loud explosion sounded, and the True Persons in the Foundation Establishment Realm all raised their heads, only to see Mending Heaven Peak slightly trembling, faintly projecting a magnificent rainbow-colored light.

“He actually managed to stir up a commotion?”

Now, some of the True Persons of the Saint Sect were genuinely curious. “What’s Wu Cang doing? A mid-stage versus an early-stage, and he actually let the other party make noise?”

“Are rogue cultivators this pathetic?”

“Not necessarily. Although Wu Cang’s scheming is mediocre and he doesn’t understand manipulating karma, his combat skills are decent, at least at the level of a mid-stage cultivator.”

“So it’s not that he’s too weak?”

At these words, the True Persons present instantly fell silent, their expressions shifting as they looked toward Mending Heaven Peak again, now with added shock.

Meanwhile, inside Mending Heaven Peak.

Lü Yang held the 【Abyss Sword】 in reverse with one hand, still continuously channeling his mana, while his other hand activated a divine ability, uttering a Dao decree:

“Worms devour Qi, annihilate all intentions!”

【Discern Right and Wrong】!

As the Dao decree fell, all the Qi-devouring insects received its blessing, their mortal bodies inexplicably gaining a hint of Foundation Establishment profundity, their power surging dramatically.

“Damn bugs!”

Seeing this, Wu Cang furrowed his brows tightly. He was not actually afraid of these Qi-devouring insects—what did fourteen hundred million matter? Even if he had to expend great mana to activate his innate divine ability, he could still wipe them out completely. But doing so would surely cost him significant mana and waste considerable time.

Thinking of this, he glanced once more at Lü Yang.

More precisely, he glanced at the 【Abyss Sword】 that Lü Yang held behind him in reverse, sensing from it a threat potent enough to kill.

‘Absolutely must not be delayed!’

In an instant, Wu Cang made his decision, forming a hand seal with one hand.

With that motion, his Dao Foundation, manifested as a towering tree, suddenly underwent a strange transformation—a tiny spark ignited at the treetop.

In the blink of an eye, the tiny spark turned into a raging wildfire!

The entire treetop transformed into a massive fireball, its crimson flames illuminating the sky, so intense that even the formation’s barrier could barely contain its brilliance!

“【Flee Not South】!”

In an instant, life sprang from death, transforming the world into a furnace. Lü Yang, standing within it, even felt a burning pain mixed in his every breath.

‘An innate divine ability!’

Lü Yang’s Celestial Instrument at his brow spun, radiating divine light, and in that instant, he comprehended the nature of Wu Cang’s divine ability.

‘It’s very similar to Arhat Fulong’s 【Blazing Fire Dragon】... This is the Qi of the Heavenly Gang position 【Yan Feng】, also known as ‘Jia Wood’, a pure Yang treasure tree.’

But Wu Cang and Arhat Fulong had their differences.

Arhat Fulong’s 【Blazing Fire Dragon】 was formed by the convergence of the Heavenly Gang 【Yan Feng】 and the Earth Fiend 【Zhi Xu】, with the Heavenly Gang as the primary, essentially generating fire from earth and wood.

However, 【Flee Not South】 was different.

This innate divine ability was formed by the union of the Heavenly Gang 【Yan Feng】 and the Earth Fiend 【Dun Zhang】, signifying: fire relies on wood to live, but when fire prospers, wood must burn!

The imagery of the divine ability perfectly complemented Wu Cang’s 【Coiling Dragon Divine Wood Dao Foundation】. At this moment, he offered wood as fuel for fire, unleashing flames of utmost ferocity, known as the “Heavenly Furnace Departure Fire.” Any wood-based divine ability or magical treasure would be reduced to ashes beneath this flame.

Whoosh whoosh—!

Countless Qi-devouring insects were almost instantly incinerated by this flame, turning to ashes in large swaths, yet the overwhelming fire showed no signs of weakening.

With a flick of Wu Cang’s finger, the flames surged through the air!

Almost simultaneously, Wu Cang’s hand seal shifted again, and the 【Coiling Dragon Treasure Fir Tree】 behind him blossomed and bore fruit once more, producing one green and one gold fruit this time.

“Go!”

In the next moment, the two fruits dropped from the treasure tree, each giving rise to its own mystical power, combining with the “Heavenly Furnace Departure Fire” to target Lü Yang!

This was the three mysteries of Wu Cang’s innate divine ability 【Coiling Dragon Treasure Fir Tree】: the red fruit called “Fire Within Wood,” capable of burning flesh and bone; the green fruit called “Coiling Peach Pit,” capable of binding form and restricting escape; the golden fruit called “Dragon Scale Seed,” capable of amplifying Qi and greatly enhancing the power of divine abilities.

An innate divine ability with three mysteries.

One for offense, one for control, and one for amplification, completely unrelated to karma or heavenly secrets, all focused on maximizing the killing power of divine abilities!

In an instant, the world displayed both brightness and darkness.

With Wu Cang as the dividing line, ahead was the “Heavenly Furnace Departure Fire” blazing through the clouds and sky, illuminating all directions like midday; behind was moonless, windy darkness like the dead of night.

Seeing this scene, Lü Yang finally sighed.

In the next second, the departure fire touched him!

Then, an unbelievable sight stunned Wu Cang—he saw Lü Yang flick his sleeve, his mana flowing seamlessly, actually flinging the flames away!

This response was beyond graceful.

The control over mana was refined to an indescribable degree, almost making Wu Cang gape in astonishment. He instinctively urged the flames to charge at Lü Yang again.

But once again, Lü Yang effortlessly flicked them aside.

‘How is this possible!?’

Unwilling to accept it, Wu Cang pushed the flames toward him once more, and this time, Lü Yang could no longer remain as composed as before—he was instantly engulfed in fire.

In an instant, Lü Yang was burned all over by the “Heavenly Furnace Departure Fire,” his flesh splitting open, revealing flawless white jade-like bones. His lungs and organs were soaked in flowing fire, burning through his viscera. Even his exhaled breath carried sparks. This strike had almost fatally wounded Lü Yang!

However, at that moment, a laugh echoed from within the flames.

“. Heh!”

Amid the surging fire, Lü Yang raised his head, the corners of his mouth curving upward. His already burning eyes, like two suns, stared directly at Wu Cang.

The 【Abyss Sword】 in his hand trembled slightly.

From the start of the battle, this gold-devouring beast had been continuously consuming his mana, and only now did it finally show a hint of response, as if it was finally full.

Lü Yang looked up at Wu Cang and decreed: “Kill!”

【Discern Right and Wrong】 activated, as if in a grand hall where the emperor spoke, his words became law. Brilliant golden divine radiance instantly blessed the Abyss Sword.

In the next moment, Lü Yang already raised the 【Abyss Sword】!

A blood-red light mixed with gold, splitting heaven and earth, separating Yin and Yang. The sky, illuminated by the departure fire, appearing as dawn and dusk, was suddenly cleaved apart by a single sword!

One Sword Cuts Dawn and Dusk!

This sword was not merely shattering the visible scene but struck directly at the spirit. The “Heavenly Furnace Departure Fire,” split by this sword, erupted with a loud bang before losing its mystical nature, instantly turning into ordinary fire and scattering away, revealing Wu Cang’s figure hidden behind the flames.

Wu Cang’s eyes were wide open, blood spurting from his mouth and nose.

And on his body, a clearly visible sword mark stretched across his waist and abdomen. As time passed, his flesh gradually split apart, and just like that, he was severed at the waist!