Chapter 1006: Coincidentally, We Have Someone Here Who Can Be Your Opponent

"It is Lu the Sword Immortal!" At first, the medicine shop manager and his companions, saved so abruptly by the sudden burst of sword qi, were utterly astonished.

But upon discerning Lu Yang's appearance, their shock transformed into ecstatic joy.

"It was Lu the Sword Immortal who saved us!"

"What, not fully awake yet?" Lu Yang saw Tang Chuanwu's dazed gaze and teased him with a smile.

"I am awake, I am awake." Tang Chuanwu was finally certain that everything from the previous cycle was no illusion; it was real, and someone else besides him retained the memories of the loop—someone who was on his side.

Lu Yang lifted the sand wolf king, its skull pierced through, and examined it closely; he recalled that on his way to Kaihuang City, he had casually disposed of a pack of sand wolves and a wolf king, so how had another one appeared?

"Of course, wolf packs are territorial; since the last pack was wiped out by Old Meng and me, a pack from another region naturally migrated to take its place."

With two consecutive packs dying near Kaihuang City, no wolves should dare claim this territory for the time being.

"Though I truly never expected your time reversal to be triggered by death." Lu Yang being forced to endure hundreds of loops meant Tang Chuanwu had actively or passively experienced death hundreds of times.

"Fairy, if death can serve as a condition for reversing time, how was the Immortal of Time assassinated back then?"

"Who knows? No one knows the full capabilities of the Dao Fruit of Karma. Perhaps it temporarily severed the connection between the Immortal of Time and the Dao Fruit of Time, or perhaps it inverted cause and effect, anchoring the definitive outcome of 'the demise of the Immortal of Time'?"

"Fair enough."

Returning to the present, Lu Yang pulled out several wooden swords and spoke to the camel caravan.

"Chuanwu and I share a bit of fate, so I am taking him back to Kaihuang City. I heard you were heading to Lotus City to procure medicinal materials; if you still intend to go, you may take these wooden swords as protective talismans..."

"We are going back," the medicine shop manager said hurriedly, having just walked back from the brink of life and death; he had absolutely no heart for procuring materials now and only wished to return home to steady his nerves.

"Very well, then stay safe on your journey back." Lu Yang gifted the wooden swords to the manager, pulled Tang Chuanwu up onto the Sword-Washing Pond, and dashed straight toward Kaihuang City.

The two landed at the gates of Kaihuang City, and Lu Yang put away the Sword-Washing Pond: "You mentioned before that a Golden Core cultivator had set his sights on Cui Que'er and intended to abduct her by force?"

"Yes."

"Do you still remember what he looks like?"

"I could never forget!"

"Come, lead me to identify him."

It was not yet the appointed hour, and the Golden Core cultivator who had previously abducted Cui Que'er had not arrived at the slums; Tang Chuanwu searched around the periphery of the slums and finally spotted a stealthy figure, seemingly looking for someone.

"That is him!"

"Fang Wudi?" Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, surprised that the Golden Core cultivator in Tang Chuanwu's account was actually Fang Wudi, ranked ninety-fifth on the Earth Rankings.

Barring any accidents in this grand tournament, he would be the champion.

Could it be that when Tang Qiaoqiao and Cui Que'er passed by the arena, Fang Wudi had taken a liking to her?

"He likely took a fancy to Cui Que'er's Mysterious Yin Physique," the Immortal Essence Fairy remarked. "Though this fellow named Fang possesses some Inherent Supreme Physique, it is actually just an inferior variant of the Pure Yang Physique. A physique like this must either follow the path to the very end like the Meng family lad to achieve something respectable, or use the method of balancing Yin and Yang to suppress the internal Yang qi, which usually leads to a mediocre future."

The Mysterious Yin Physique, born in a Yin year, Yin month, and Yin day, was considered a special physique; Lu Yang had seen a Foundation Establishment cultivator with this trait during the Qingzhou Celebration, and her cultivation speed was not slow, being only one major realm behind him.

Lu Yang had always regarded Cui Que'er as an ordinary person, never imagining she possessed such a physique.

Since the future Fang Wudi dared to abduct Cui Que'er for his cultivation, it proved this was definitely not the first time he had committed such a deed.

"Fang Wudi."

"Who calls me!" Fang Wudi turned in surprise, only to find a large hand gripping his throat.

"Who are you!" Fang Wudi released his Golden Core pressure; within his dantian, a plump Golden Core floated, unmistakably a Supreme Golden Core among those of the first grade.

To his horror, Fang Wudi found that the Golden Core he took such pride in was like a stone ox submerged in the sea, utterly unmovable, and his so-called Golden Core pressure could not even leave his body.

Fang Wudi, whom Tang Chuanwu could not harm in the slightest despite deploying a thousand methods in the previous loop, was easily subdued by Lu Yang, crushed as effortlessly as an ant.

"Lu Yang." Lu Yang coldly announced his name, and Fang Wudi's eyes instantly widened to circles, his face filled with utter disbelief.

Fang Wudi was, after all, ninety-fifth on the Earth Rankings and held a special status; handing him over to Master Duanchen might put the master in a difficult position.

But it mattered not; Lu Yang had a more suitable candidate in mind.

Lu Yang calculated the time; before setting out, he had briefed Old Meng about the hidden dangers in Kaihuang City, so Old Meng should have captured everyone and brought them to the Kaihuang Temple by now, as they had agreed to meet at the temple gates.

Sure enough, when Lu Yang arrived at the temple gates with Tang Chuanwu and Fang Wudi, he encountered Meng Jingzhou just stepping outside.

"You are back. What did you rush off to do in such a hurry?"

"Here, take this person." Lu Yang tossed Fang Wudi to Meng Jingzhou.

"Who is this?"

As this cycle had just begun and the tournament had not yet reached Fang Wudi's appearance on stage, Lu Yang had urged Meng Jingzhou to handle the trouble immediately, so Meng Jingzhou did not recognize him.

Yet the moment he caught Fang Wudi, Meng Jingzhou sensed the uniqueness of his physique.

"His name is Fang Wudi, likely the champion of this tournament, possessing the Inherent Supreme Physique. Like your Single Yang Root, it belongs to the Yang physiques. To balance his Yin and Yang, he has likely coerced quite a few people."

"It just so happens that Master Duanchen invited the two of us to serve as judges and guide the top eight; you can give him some advance guidance now."

"Oh?" Meng Jingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the trembling Fang Wudi as a cold smile curled his lips. "Leave him to me then."

"I have business with Senior Brother Dai, see you in a bit."

Lu Yang led Tang Chuanwu into a guest room of Kaihuang Temple, telling him to wait quietly on the side.

Then Tang Chuanwu watched as Lu Yang lay upon the bed, suddenly losing all breath, then suddenly returning to life, after which a spatial portal opened, and Lu Yang stepped through it and vanished. After a brief moment, the portal opened once more, and Lu Yang emerged carrying the Green Peak Sword, returning in high spirits.

Just like the sixth cycle, after the Unfeeling Poison erupted, Lu Yang notified Master Duanchen to take charge of the situation while he and Old Meng acted out their play before the public eye, the Bodhi clone self-detonating to make the populace hold their breath.

Two figures ascended into the sky, looking down coldly at Lu Yang and his companion.

"Your Meng family has rooted out our arrangements in the Buddhist Kingdom one by one, making it impossible for us to remain. If we do not do something before we leave, wouldn't it make our Unfeeling Sect appear too weak?"

Lu Yang looked at the two with great interest: "Oh, from what you two imply, you not only intend to harm the citizens of the city, but also deal with the two of us?"

"The two of you caused our sect's whereabouts to be exposed; you are the chief culprits. Instead of hiding back in the Great Xia, you swaggered about and remained in the Buddhist Kingdom. You truly do not know how the word 'death' is written."

Lu Yang looked at the two elders of the Unfeeling Sect with a half-smile: "Both of you are in the mid-stage of the Soul Conjunction Realm, while Old Meng and I are merely in the mid-stage of the Deity Transformation Realm. How could we possibly be your match?"

"But as it happens, we happen to have someone on our side who is qualified to be your opponent."

Lu Yang raised the Green Peak Sword vertically, and a man dressed in azure robes stepped out from the miniature world within the blade.

"Senior Brother Dai, you must exact justice for us brothers; it was the people of the Unfeeling Sect who sought us out first."