Chapter 1229: The Power of the Behind-the-Scenes Mastermind

"Die!" Inside the Fengdu space, a great sun hung in the sky. Meng Jingzhou had a breakthrough during the battle; his boxing technique was completely transformed, truly recreating the invincible stance of ancient times and sweeping all before him. With a single punch, he shattered his shadow self during the fistfight.

Many ghost shadows huddled together, trembling at this sight. Meng Jingzhou's vibrant Yang energy was too overwhelming, making him their natural enemy.

"Finally, it's done," Meng Jingzhou said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It's really troublesome without a nascent Dao Fruit; it took so long to deal with a mere opponent."

"Senior Brother Meng, are you alright?" Mang Gu asked, coming over with concern for Meng Jingzhou and handing him a towel.

Meng Jingzhou gave a casual smile. "What could possibly happen to me? I wonder what's going on with Old Lu outside; he hasn't returned after so long. I'll go out and check."

Meng Jingzhou opened the door to the Fengdu space and poked half his body out. Zhongshan County was devastated, with debris everywhere, and overwhelming waves of fierce killing intent swept towards him.

He saw two immortals locked in fierce combat in the sky. One immortal looked exactly like the legendary Qilin, while the other was completely shrouded in black mist, their identity unknown.

Traces of their battle were everywhere, both in the sky and on the ground. Space was shattered, fierce winds raged, and there were claw marks and bite marks.

Meng Jingzhou was speechless. "What on earth happened?" he wondered. "Shouldn't Old Lu and Divine Lord Si Heng be fighting outside?"

Just as Meng Jingzhou was about to pull back into the Fengdu space to clear his head, he saw three figures rushing towards him from not far away. They were running as if their lives depended on it. The shockwaves exploded around them, directly sending all three flying, but they regrouped and continued to run.

"Wait, let us in too!" shouted the King of Thieves, who was carrying Divine Lord Si Heng and Divine Lord Si Shi. He was overjoyed to see Meng Jingzhou and quickly ran towards him.

Zhongshan County had been blasted beyond recognition; they couldn't even tell where the original entrance to the Fengdu space was. Fortunately, Meng Jingzhou had opened the door.

For the first time, the King of Thieves felt that the nascent Speed Dao Fruit was incredibly useful; it was truly life-saving.

The King of Thieves and the two Divine Lords rushed headlong into the Fengdu space, knocking Meng Jingzhou off his feet.

"There's no way to repay this life-saving kindness. I support you becoming the head of the Meng family!" The King of Thieves collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, truly having snatched back his life.

Meng Jingzhou grabbed the King of Thieves by his collar. "Who cares about the family head? What happened outside?"

The King of Thieves shook his head. The two Divine Lords had similar reactions: "We don't know."

Originally, they had obeyed Qilin Immortal's orders and honestly hid far away. They dared not look or listen to what was happening with Qilin Immortal.

Not long after, they heard intense sounds of battle coming from the sky. Qilin Immortal seemed extremely furious, appearing as if he could devour someone. Divine Lord Si Shi had never seen his teacher display such an expression since he became his disciple.

The three didn't bother to think further and fled frantically. They certainly didn't dare run towards Lu Yang; it was even more dangerous there.

At this moment, Lu Yang was running wildly around Zhongshan County with the Qingfeng Sword on his back. The sapling and the nascent Samsara Dao Fruit had been placed into the Qingfeng Sword's mini-world.

If he hadn't possessed the nascent Undying Dao Fruit, he would have been covered in wounds from the shockwaves by now.

Although Qilin Immortal was exceptionally furious, practically seeing red, it was clear that anger couldn't increase his combat power. He was being completely suppressed by the mastermind.

Emperor Zhongtian was nowhere to be found. It was unclear if he had seized the opportunity to escape or was hiding somewhere.

The mastermind's target was the nascent Samsara Dao Fruit. So, wherever Lu Yang fled, the battlefield shifted there. This meant Lu Yang dared not flee into the Fengdu space nor leave the confines of Zhongshan County, as if the battlefield moved to any other location, it would bring about a cataclysm there.

Lu Yang wasn't idle either; he continuously cast "Foresight." Impossible futures appeared before him, confirming that the mastermind hadn't used the Timeline Dao Fruit.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang turned to look at the Qilin Immortal, who was covered in wounds but still roaring. The rate at which he was being wounded far exceeded his self-healing speed. The mastermind didn't need to use Dao Fruits; they could crush Qilin Immortal relying solely on pure strength.

"Qilin Immortal Senior, he's provoking you! Don't fall for it!" Lu Yang transmitted with his divine sense. As soon as the mastermind appeared, Qilin Immortal couldn't suppress his temper. After being provoked, his fury burned even hotter; his vital energy boiled, filling the sky and engulfing Zhongshan County, a truly suicidal fighting style.

This also matched Lu Yang's impression of the mastermind: powerful, yet preferring to use schemes. Apart from when Immortal Fairy Undying fell and the mastermind couldn't escape in time, forcing him into battle with the Four Ancient Immortals, the mastermind's other actions were never done personally.

Strange, why did he act personally this time?

Hearing this, Qilin Immortal calmed down and adjusted his breathing. Indeed, he was already inferior to his opponent; if he were to be led by the nose by the opponent, it would be even worse.

"Shatter Mountains and Rivers!" Qilin endured the pain and stomped on the land and mountains, crushing them with immense power. Although he had calmed down, each strike still brimmed with murderous intent and was utterly merciless.

Even if he were to perish today, he would still take a chunk out of his opponent!

"Heh." The mastermind let out an almost imperceptible sneer. With his cultivation level, he naturally heard Lu Yang's transmitted message. But what could a mere Qilin do, even if he calmed down? A defeated opponent remained a defeated opponent.

Boom— The mastermind raised a hand to catch Qilin Immortal's hoof and abruptly pulled it downwards. Qilin Immortal lost control and plummeted to the ground, creating a crater of unknown depth.

The opponent didn't even use any spells or divine abilities; they could suppress Qilin Immortal with just their fists and feet, giving no chance for the Survival of the Fittest Dao Fruit to be unleashed.

Qilin Immortal opened his storage ring and stuffed various immortal treasures and rare medicines into his mouth as if they were worthless. His injuries rapidly recovered.

His Qilin horn glowed, and runes flickered on it. This was his innate divine ability. Even in the Golden Core stage, he could shatter mountains with his Qilin horn. When sparring with Immortal Ying Tian, even Immortal Ying Tian had to avoid its edge.

He burst through the ground and charged at the mastermind. In a flash, the mastermind seized his Qilin horn and backhanded him to the ground, making Qilin Immortal vomit blood profusely. Dull thuds came from his body, and an unknown number of bones were broken.

Suddenly, the situation changed drastically. The Evil-Dispelling Divine Lightning descended with a roar, striking fiercely towards the mastermind.

An immortal avatar, who controlled heavenly tribulations, descended into the world. His gaze was like a torch, radiating sacred majesty.

Immortal Ying Tian's avatar scanned the surroundings. He saw the heavily wounded Qilin Immortal, Lu Yang desperately fleeing, and that unforgettable figure shrouded in black mist. He instantly understood what had transpired.

"Couldn't you have found a different way to summon me instead of cursing me!"

This thought flashed through his mind. Immortal Ying Tian's attention immediately shifted to the black mist figure. As always, they were difficult to deal with; his Evil-Dispelling Divine Lightning couldn't even split the opponent's black mist.

"Damn it, a single avatar can't deal with the mastermind."

"Ying Tian!" Seeing his old friend, Qilin Immortal, lying in the crater, shouted excitedly. Among the Four Ancient Immortals, he and Immortal Ying Tian had the best relationship.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Immortal Ying Tian retorted. "We can reminisce later. Can you get up?!"

"Yes!" Qilin Immortal braced himself, reignited his aura, and flew into the sky to fight alongside Immortal Ying Tian.