Lu Yang didn't give Chong Guang time to question. As soon as his voice fell, the [Yama Hall] had already landed in his palm, blooming a dazzling brilliance.
Boom!
Although separated by ten years, when this brilliant light rose into the sky, igniting sparks, it still attracted the attention of countless Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones.
The radiance from the Dao Fruit descended from the heaven. Everywhere it passed, it cleared all haze, suppressing thousands of auras. For a time, the five regions of heaven and earth fell into silence, making everyone understand that the sun hanging over everyone's heads for ten years was still bright and magnificent today.
Almost simultaneously, inside the Netherworld.
[Sky-Shrouding] opened his eyes abruptly, sensing the turmoil of the great web of karma and the intense malice directed at himself. His face instantly turned livid:
"Ultimately, it still comes..."
Thinking of this, [Sky-Shrouding] couldn't help exhaling a deep breath of turbid air. His five thousand years of planning were finally defeated by a mere Foundation Establishment.
Regarding Lu Yang, he had many guesses.
However, only one guess among them, he thought, had the highest probability:
He might... come from the future.
After all, that place was the World Honored One's place of enlightenment. It continued to this day. Although seemingly right but actually wrong compared to the present world, it wasn't completely without intersection.
Only this way can explain why he can hit my vital points everywhere and knows me like the back of his hand... Because he has already experienced it once in that place. It's just that like that shrew, he got lucky with heavenly fortune... No, not necessarily. Perhaps someone is guiding him.
The more [Sky-Shrouding] thought, the more his head ached.
Because if there really was a great master who could rescue people from 'that place,' the only one he could think of was his own Saint Sect's mysterious and unfathomable Ancestor.
After all, that place was the World Honored One's personal posession.
But the problem was, why did the Ancestor rescue such a guy to oppose him? Could it be that I am no longer the Ancestor most trusted disciple?
Back then, he clearly said...
Stop.
[Sky-Shrouding] stopped thinking abruptly. Then he activated the [Knowledge-Perception Barrier], smoothly erasing this train of thought. Then he change his mind:
Forget it, forget it.
Looking up, [Sky-Shrouding] looked outside the Netherworld. He had already foreseen the upcoming changes, but he wasn't discouraged. Instead, he revealed a smile:
"You're one step ahead. Wait until the Perfected Lords of the world re-emerge; I will come again to play a new game with you..."
The next second—
Boom!
In the present world, Lu Yang didn't hesitate at all. With the concept of [Overturned Lamp Flame], he reversed everything, turning the Chen Earth of the world back into Yang attribute!
However, this alone wasn't enough.
After all, Chong Guang had done the same thing before.
The key lay in [Sky-Shrouding]'s Chen Earth. That was the source of the world's Chen Earth being reversed, yet it was hidden in the deepest part of the Netherworld by [Sky-Shrouding].
And at this moment, this source Chen Earth also changed!
Its originally intense Yin Qi dissipated quietly at this moment. Like dust settling and light emerging, a profound concept of supreme yang and strength surged out from it!
Chen Earth returning to Yang!
[Sky-Shrouding] could only sigh. After all, Lu Yang was setting things right, achieving twice the result with half the effort, while he reversing Chen Earth was going against heaven, achieving half the result with twice the effort.
I couldn't stop it!
The next second, [Sky-Shrouding] saw that on his body, the mighty powers originally belonging to [Eternal Flowing Water] and [Overturned Lamp Flame] were rapidly drawn away.
Boom!
Losing the support of two Dao Fruits, the palace hall where [Sky-Shrouding] resided trembled violently. Some indescribable terrifying pressure suddenly crashed down .
In the nick of time, [Sky-Shrouding] formed hand seals in front of his chest and uttering a Daoist sound:
"Illusion! The Netherworld has no living people!"
"You saw wrong!"
"Don't look!"
The terrifying [Knowledge-Perception Barrier] rode the Dao sounds, wrapping [Sky-Shrouding]'s dwelling place like a layer of thin gauze, making it seems as if it had never existed.
Even so, that invisible terrifying pressure still constantly swept over [Sky-Shrouding]'s location, seeming suspicious. Only after several sweeps yielded no discovery did this terrifying pressure gradually dissipate. The Netherworld, which originally went berserk as if stressed, returned to a silent state again.
"Phew!"
Seeing this scene, [Sky-Shrouding] heaved a sigh of relief. Just a little bit more…If his [Knowledge-Perception Barrier] were only at the middle stage of Golden Core, he would have been discovered!
Fortunately, both [White Wax Gold] and [Silted Sand Earth] are controlled by me. Three elements can still prop up the stature of late-stage Golden Core. Otherwise, with Chen Earth returning to Yang and the Dao Fruits leaving me, I'm afraid I would immediately fall to the middle stage of Golden Core. And being exposed inside the Netherworld, I fear even my life might not be preserved!
Thus, it was already a great fortune amidst misfortune.
Looking at the palace hall, which was smaller than before, [Sky-Shrouding] couldn't help smiling bitterly. But soon he reorganized his expression, starting to regulate his breath to recover his state.
As for the anger of losing Chen Earth, the helplessness of falling in realm, the loss of plans coming to naught... many negative emotions were all suppressed by him at the bottom of his heart.
The pursuit of the Dao was inherently full of twists and turns.
As long as he wasn't dead yet, there was still hope. Focusing on the past would only make people lost; his gaze would always look towards the future.
Just like this, a long time passed—
"Dammit!"
Finally, an uncontrollable, cathartic roar echoed from within the Netherworld.
…
"What expression does [Sky-Shrouding] have now?"
Lu Yang touched his chin, somewhat regretful he couldn't see it. Then he executed the [Kan-Li Correct Position Phase Shift True Technique], transforming into false holding Heavenly Fire.
Immediately, he reached into his robes, taking out a golden light.
[White Chi Golden Nature].
Things having come to this, Lu Yang had long become the talker of the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Palace treasury was naturally at his disposal; a single Golden Nature counted as nothing.
[Deprivation]!
Lu Yang merged this Golden Nature, filling the consumption of false holding on the [Daoist Hong Yun] Golden Nature, only then restraining his aura again and dispersing the false holding state.
Turning around, he saw Chong Guang looking solemn:
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist, for opening the path for seeking the golden core for me."
As his voice fell, Chong Guang reached into his robes, then actually took out a jade box and a jade slip, handing them solemnly to Lu Yang.
"Although I, Chong Guang, am ruthless in doing things, I have never owed favors."
"Those who harm me—not a single one can escape. But those who helped me, I similarly won't forget... Fellow Daoist's great kindness, let these two items offset it."
As soon as these words came out, Lu Yang was stunned.
He had helped Chong Guang reversed the Chen Earth without any ulterior motive. He was just purely preparing to seek the Golden Core, so he planned to fulfill the promise before doing it.
He really wasn't scheming; he was a good person!
Although he hadn't figured out what that missing "final step" was, continuing to wait bitterly would only waste time. Anyway, he still had [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]; there was room for trial and error. At worst, risk it once. Even if failed, as long as he could test out which step was missing, he wouldn't count as losing.
But he didn't expect there was an unexpected gain?
Lu Yang took the jade box. Divine sense swept it, and his gaze flickered—simply because what was stored in the box was a huge amount of outer heaven Dao Fruit Qi!
This is... [Myriad Martial World Realm]'s Qi!
And extremely vast. It probably not gathered just once. If I absorb it, the [Qian Heaven All-Governing Myriad Phenomena Dharma Body] will definitely reach perfection!
In an instant, Lu Yang understood Chong Guang's original plan—If he didn't reverse the Chen Earth for him, he would probably use the gathered Qi to turn to seek the [Myriad Martial World Realm]'s Dao Fruit. Although an Unorthodox Dao Perfected Lord was much inferior, it was still a Perfected Lord, counting as a way of retreat Chong Guang prepared for himself.
But now Lu Yang reversed the Chen Earth for him.
With [Overturned Lamp Flame]'s Dao path unobstructed, Chong Guang was also quite generous, gifting the painstakingly gathered [Myriad Martial World Realm]'s Qi to him in return!
The Dao Fruit of [Myriad Martial World Realm] actually has overlapping parts with the concept of [Heavenly Fire].
So if I refine this outer heavenQi, turning the [Qian Heaven All-Governing Myriad Phenomena Dharma Body] into a [Heaven], it will also be beneficial for attaining the Golden Core!
Thus, it counted as a generous gift!
Then what about the other one?
Lu Yang's gaze turned, looking at the jade slip handed by Chong Guang again, reading the content within... However, his brows gradually furrowed:
How could this be!?
[City Rampart Earth], Zou Yu descendant...
The content in the jade slip was very simple, yet made Lu Yang's eyes shine brightly: Zou Yu descendant within the Saint Sect... I know! I know which step is missing!
The final variable of seeking the Golden Core, the problem lay with the Saint Sect's Zou Yu descendant!