The wind was calm, the waves still.
As Daoist Hong Tian's voice faded, the world seemed to sink into a tranquil silence. Immediately after, layers of illusions were born from the void.
Inside Lone Heart Island, Lu Yang smiled.
In the next second, interwoven dark gold and phantom colors condensed above his head, transforming into a divine ability phenomenon. It was none other than the first divine ability corresponding to the [Heavenly Fire]:
[Imperial Controller of Fate]!
This divine ability manifested as an imperial crown with twelve tassels, glowing with the luster of pearls and jade. It made the current Lu Yang appear incredibly solemn, like a monarch ruling the world.
However, on the other side, Daoist Hong Tian also manifested the same divine ability. The ceremonial crown hovered above, and rising brilliance clustered around both of them. Soon, images of pavilions, towers, palace gates, and red steps emerged, causing the seawater below to boil, sending columns of white steam rushing into the sky.
[Palace of Returning Boundaries].
Two divine abilities appeared in succession, eroding and warring against each other, cycling through birth and destruction, until finally, they vanished in turn, dispersing into two faint glimmers of primordial chaos and profound darkness.
[Heaven and Earth Union]!
Within the faint light, one could vaguely see two towering ancient trees standing tall, dispelling disasters, seeking fortune while avoiding misfortune. In the span of a finger snap, infinite karma flowed through them.
[Coiled Dragon Root]!
Various concepts interwoven together, directly shrouding the sea area surrounding Lone Heart Island.
Only after a long time did these concepts collapse with a crash, revealing the figures of the two men once more. However, Lone Heart Island and the sea beneath their feet were gone.
Rumble!
Beneath their feet, all myriad phenomena had ceased to exist. There remained only a gigantic, bottomless void left after the seawater was evaporated by their divine abilities. Seawater from further away surged in continuously, pouring back into this void, the resulting monstrous waves emitting thunderous roars.
"This poor Daoist is Hong Tian."
The Daoist clasped his hands and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist indeed also cultivates the [Heavenly Fire], similar to this poor Daoist. It truly brings joy to one's heart."
After speaking, he asked again, "May ask for this Fellow Daoist's name?"
"This humble one is... Lu Yang."
Lu Yang simply used his real name. The name carried no karma here anyway, and even if someone who knew him heard it, they would only think he made it up on the spot.
More than that, he was concerned about something else—
This Hong Tian... he actually cultivates the [Heavenly Fire] divine abilities, not the [Overturned Lamp Flame]!
It must be known that Hong Tian, like Hong Yun, started as a perfected lord of the [Overturned Lamp Flame]. Even if he reincarnated, the divine abilities he once attained shouldn't change.
Why did Hong Tian's divine abilities change?
Compared to Hong Yun, just how different were his experiences?
Also, he actually spoke directly about the 'outside world'... Does he know that the place he resides in is a [False History]? Who told him such a thing?
[Sky-Shrouding]?
Lu Yang was suspicious internally, but his face remained unmoved. Instead, he deliberately played dumb. "What outside world? What does Fellow Daoist Hong Tian mean by this?"
Hearing this, Hong Tian smiled even more happily.
"I see. It seems that in the outside world, Fellow Daoist must be a perfected one of my Demonic Path."
Lu Yang: "..."
Hong Tian shook his head and spoke frankly, "Fellow Daoist need not overthink it. The so-called outside world is merely a speculation this poor Daoist made based on my experiences over the years."
"Back when I was still a perfected lord of the [Overturned Lamp Flame], I was killed by a mysterious perfected lord who appeared out of nowhere. Before dying, I lifted his protective smoke and saw his true face, only to discover he looked exactly like [Ling Xiao] of my sect. Yet, his attained Dao Fruit, cultivation base, and Dao comprehension were entirely different."
"More importantly, what he attained was the [Great Forest Wood]."
"As far as I know, from ancient times to the present, no one has been able to attain a supreme Dao Fruit. At that time, I wondered where exactly this [Great Forest Wood] perfected lord came from..."
Hong Tian was in high spirits, speaking with fervor.
Lu Yang listened while secretly sighing in his heart: I knew it. This is all [Sky-Shrouding]'s fault. That naturally evil old thief of the Saint Sect!
"My final conclusion was the outside world."
"There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. Clearly, there is another world outside this one, and both that mysterious perfected lord from the past and you, Fellow Daoist, likely come from there!"
"Because that mysterious perfected lord attained the [Great Forest Wood], a supreme Dao Fruit. To date, he is the only person from the outside world I have found. So I guessed that perhaps only by attaining a supreme Dao Fruit can one touch the outside world. That is why I resolved to change my Dao path and seek the [Heavenly Fire]."
At this point, Hong Tian's voice stopped abruptly.
The next second, he looked at Lu Yang and chuckled lightly. "Do you know, Fellow Daoist, how others reacted when I told them these things before?"
Lu Yang: "..."
Miscalculation!
He deliberately said so much, even embedding intelligence about [Sky-Shrouding], all to bait him!
Sure enough, Hong Tian's voice continued, "They were either impatient or perfunctory. Not a single one had such steady fluctuations in thought as you, Fellow Daoist."
As his voice fell, Hong Tian stared straight at Lu Yang.
"Before, I only felt that the karmic aura on you, Fellow Daoist, was similar to that mysterious perfected lord. But now... I think my guess should be correct."
"Well? Does Fellow Daoist have nothing to say?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yang no longer remained silent.
Without any hesitation, Lu Yang's figure vanished directly from the spot. He had absolutely no intention of continuing the conversation, which actually stunned Hong Tian.
A second later, Hong Tian sighed.
"Shouldn't a normal person be bluffed by my speech and continue communicating with me? Running so fast... it seems he really is a disciple of my Demonic Path, no mistake."
Before his voice had even faded—
Boom!
Above the dome of the sky, the [Wall-Top Earth] shone brightly. A boundless mighty force descended, sealing off qi and locking down space, encompassing all phenomena, instantly blockading half of the overseas.
This mighty force lingered for a long time before gradually dispersing.
Daoist Hong Tian looked regretful. He had notified the perfected lord at the fastest speed possible, but the other party still escaped in the nick of time.
Clearly, very experienced.
However, just as he thought his efforts had fallen short and was preparing to leave, a voice drifted over eerily: "Fellow Daoist, now we can talk."
"Hm!?"
This time it was Hong Tian's turn to be surprised. Looking back, he saw the [Immortal Court Ocean Pacifying Commissioner] who had previously come to meet Suo Lan standing with his hands behind his back, revealing a smile.
[Marionette]!
This person was naturally left behind by Lu Yang before he fled. With his own safety guaranteed, he didn't mind having a talk with this counterpart of Hong Yun from a different time and space.
At the same time, he had also figured out part of this Hong Tian's background.
I actually didn't realize before that the difference between this Daoist Hong Tian and Hong Yun is the Heavenly Lord!
In the present world, Hong Yun was favored by the Heavenly Lord, his fortune like a rainbow. However, in this [False History], there was no Dao Lord, and naturally, there would be no Heavenly Lord.
In other words—
Hong Yun was actually held back by the Heavenly Lord!
Or rather, his own innate talent and potential were one in a hundred million to begin with. He was naturally a favored child of heaven; otherwise, he couldn't have been chosen by the Heavenly Lord.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, even without the blessing of fortune, Hong Yun could have become a perfected lord on his own. On the contrary, the Heavenly Lord's blessing of fortune spoon-fed him everything, depriving him of tempering. It spoiled him rotten—at least compared to the Hong Tian before me, he is inferior by more than a notch!
Ling Xiao is the counterpart of Ang Xiao (Sky-Shrouding)