Chapter 1048: Self-Detonation
Silence fell. No one had expected that the Timekeeper Divine Lord, wielder of a temporal Incipient Dao Fruit, would be defeated by a mysterious immortal as effortlessly as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
The imperious Timekeeper Divine Lord hadn’t even had a chance to strike back. The contrast with his earlier demeanor was like night and day.
Lu Yang held the Qingfeng Sword in his left hand and the Heaven-Splitting Axe in his right. Wielding two immortal weapons of slaughter, his killing intent soared to the heavens.
The Timekeeper Divine Lord must be brought back, but bringing him back alive will be troublesome. It’ll be easier to cut him down, store his corpse in the Qingfeng Sword’s small world, and lock his soul in the mental space. That wouldn’t hinder anything.
Just as Lu Yang was about to act, a magnificent divine talisman appeared on the Timekeeper Divine Lord’s brow. The talisman transformed into an emperor who ruled the world.
“Always leave yourself some leeway. Why must you be so relentless, Honored Sir?
“Why not grant me face and spare Timekeeper? Whatever he has done wrong, I will offer an apology on his behalf.”
“Midheaven Emperor-Lord?” Lu Yang’s eyes narrowed. It seems the Midheaven Emperor-Lord had placed a failsafe on the Timekeeper Divine Lord. If the Timekeeper Divine Lord encounters danger, an incense clone of the Midheaven Emperor-Lord will step in.
“So he is the legendary Midheaven Emperor-Lord?” The crowd outside Xitian City grew restless. No one had expected even the Midheaven Emperor-Lord to intervene.
“A mere clone is qualified to apologize on his behalf?”
Seeing that Lu Yang refused to grant him face, the Midheaven Emperor-Lord dropped all pretense, hardening his attitude.
“Honored Sir, you said earlier that you were acting despite overwhelming karmic consequences. I believe you are entangled in karmic ties, and rash actions would lead to karmic punishment. Do you truly believe you can defeat my clone with certainty under such circumstances?”
Lu Yang’s gaze turned icy, looking at the Midheaven Emperor-Lord as if he were a corpse. “This esteemed one has commanded the winds and clouds for tens of thousands of years. Never has anyone dared to threaten me!”
“Then let us battle!”
“Battle!”
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone fused with the Timekeeper Divine Lord, devouring the Epoch Incipient Dao Fruit, and leaped into the air.
“Whale Devours Heaven and Earth!”
In an instant, heaven and earth changed color. All the spirit energy above Xitian City was devoured, but this was only the beginning. This move could consume everything, including Xitian City below.
Lu Yang rebuked, “Let’s just see how great your appetite is—Buddhist Kingdom in Palm!”
A pair of colossal hands appeared, as if grasping the sun, moon, and stars, encompassing the Dao of the cosmos and time. One hand was in the heavens, the other on the earth, and the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone was caught between them.
The hands were so enormous that they exceeded the limits of what the Devouring Incipient Dao Fruit could swallow.
Boom!
The hands pressed together, like a collision of countless stars. The resulting shockwave blew even distant mountains away. In the Immortal Dao field, mountains were no different from pebbles.
Sensing the danger, Master Mingyu unleashed the Acalanatha Dharma Manifestation to protect the crowd.
The more people he wanted to protect and the stronger the enemy, the more powerful his Acalanatha Dharma Manifestation would become. But there was a limit. His dharma manifestation had yet to reach a level that could step into the realm of “immortal.”
“Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!”
“Emperor Fist!”
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone performed his unique Emperor Fist. It was fearsome as thunder and swift as lightning. As it clashed with the Qingfeng Sword, the sky was filled with golden talismanic runes and resplendent sword qi, making it impossible to discern who gained the upper hand.
“Go, devour!”
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone conjured over a dozen devouring black holes in rapid succession, tearing and distorting space in a grotesque sight. Even a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator who encountered a single one would be swallowed without a trace.
Even with his immortal body, Lu Yang dared not touch them recklessly.
“Let’s see how you handle this!”
However, to the Midheaven Emperor-Lord clone’s surprise, Lu Yang’s offensive momentum didn’t wane. Fierce and domineering, he pressed forward without any fear of the devouring black holes.
The moment a black hole touched Lu Yang, it vanished. He was completely unharmed.
“How is this possible?” the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone questioned.
Even an immortal body formed from incense should still be devoured by the black hole, then have the lost parts regenerated with incense!
“But so what? Can you even hit me?!”
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone now possessed the Epoch Incipient Dao Fruit, allowing him to foresee the future. Although Lu Yang’s sword was swift and ruthless, once its trajectory was predicted, it ceased to be a threat.
This was the most troublesome aspect of temporal Dao Fruits. Once the future was foreseen, many attacks became ineffective.
“Oh no, it seems the Midheaven Emperor-Lord has gained the upper hand!” Master Minghuai cried out anxiously. He noticed that the clone had dodged several of Lu Yang’s clever attacks.
“Three Heads Six Arms!
“Emperor Fist!
“Primordial Unity Core!
“Taiyi Divine Lightning!”
Pressing his advantage, the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone used Three Heads Six Arms to unleash three different types of attacks simultaneously. He refused to believe Lu Yang could emerge unscathed.
Any one of these three techniques alone would be considered a trump card, capable of shattering heaven and earth and reshaping the cosmos, much less the combined power of all three.
Even great cultivators like Mingyu and Minghuai, who had never seen these moves before, sensed the terrifying power emanating from the clone and felt that a catastrophe was impending.
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone laughed arrogantly. “I’d like to see what other tricks you have...”
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Lu Yang sheathe his sword and sigh.
“I hadn’t planned on using this move.”
Before the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone could register what Lu Yang meant, a brilliant light appeared before his eyes.
An immortal’s self-detonation?!
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion broke out above Xitian Temple, reducing it to ruins in the blink of an eye.
The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone staggered out of the explosion, battered and bruised. It was the first time he had encountered such a suicidal fighting style. Fortunately, my superior skill allowed me to survive.
“Haha, so what if you self-detonated? In the end, victory is mine...”
Then he saw Lu Yang emerge from the explosion, completely unharmed.
Lu Yang flashed a grin at the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An immortal’s self-detonations went off in succession.
Before the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s clone could figure out what was happening, he was struck by the multiple self-detonations and died.
Even if he could survive one self-detonation by sheer luck, he couldn’t survive them every time.
“Tsk. His body was completely obliterated. What a pity.” Lu Yang examined his spoils and found that the Timekeeper Divine Lord’s physical body had been reduced to ashes, leaving only his soul.
“Still, it’s something.” Satisfied, Lu Yang stored the Timekeeper Divine Lord’s soul in his mental space.
“Come to think of it, self-detonation is really useful.” Lu Yang smacked his lips. The Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s flashy attacks indeed couldn’t compare to self-detonations.
“Did he win?” Master Minghuai asked uncertainly. The sudden chain of self-detonations had caused his heart to pound with apprehension. He couldn’t imagine the power at the explosion’s epicenter.
“It seems so.” Master Mingyu wasn’t sure either. This battle is beyond my realm of understanding.
Mustering his courage, Master Mingyu flew into the sky and pressed his palms together to thank the unknown immortal.
“Thank you for your assistance, Immortal Venerable.”
“This esteemed one has some connection with Buddhism. It was a trifling effort.”
Suddenly, Lu Yang felt something within his robes grow warm. He took out the three immortal-searching tokens and realized that the one inscribed with “Epoch” was heating up!
