Above the Foundation Establishment Realm lies the boundless Sea of Bitterness.
The moment Lu Yang stepped out of the [Star Plucking Tower], an illusory figure suddenly appeared above the endless Sea of Bitterness that seemed to encompass all things.
Lu Yang...
The illusory figure gradually solidified; it was none other than Patriarch Nether Whisper. His gaze carried a hint of worry as he looked toward the present world, as if trying to pierce through the Sea of Bitterness.
But in the next second—
Boom!
Several streaks of brilliance formed by Dao Fruit mysteries swept across, instantly engulfing Patriarch Nether Whisper. Yet when the light faded, he remained unharmed.
"Damn void-reality Dao Fruit."
In the Sea of Bitterness, a handsome youth holding a sword emerged. His gaze toward Patriarch Nether Whisper was filled with killing intent, but beneath that intent lay a deeply hidden dread. It was [Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde]; he was the first to launch the attack on Patriarch Nether Whisper just now.
This wasn't the first time.
In fact, they had been hunting Patriarch Nether Whisper for a full thirty years. Yet every time, Patriarch Nether Whisper evaded them using the [Wu You Heaven].
The [Wu You Heaven] was not good at offense, nor defense.
But it excelled at "hiding" to the extreme. With the blessing of Patriarch Nether Whisper's worldly wisdom, its Dao Fruit characteristics were brought to their peak.
At least in a one-on-one situation, neither early nor mid-stage Golden Core cultivators could do anything to him. Only encirclement by a group was effective. But of the only two late Golden Core cultivators in the world today, [Sky-Shrouding] was trapped in the Netherworld and couldn't act, while [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] was in poor condition and unwilling to act.
As a result, he had actually managed to survive until now.
"What, is Fellow Daoist worried about that demon dragon?"
"Speaking of which, Jiayou, you were nearly mad with anger when you first ascended. Who would have thought that with the passage of time, even a demon dragon could seek the golden core?"
"And seeking the [Heavenly Fire] at that."
"What exactly happened in the present world? Was the Dao Court usurped?"
While conversing, the perfected lords had already set up a great formation, trapping Patriarch Nether Whisper firmly in the center. Seeing he had no way out, they finally showed relaxed expressions.
"Today, you will be crippled if not dead!"
"No rush. As long as we can heavily injure Nether Whisper and loosen the blockade of the [Wu You Heaven], we can break through the obstruction and observe the present world."
Surrounded by perfected lords, Patriarch Nether Whisper's expression yremained calm. He pushed the mysteries of the [Wu You Heaven] to the limit, completely hiding himself in the void.
My deliberate appearance this time has drawn all these perfected lords over.
Especially those four from the Dao Court. With them here, entangled by me via their Dao Fruits, it will be difficult for them to lend power to the present world. This should give Lu Yang a bit more assurance.
Thinking of this, Patriarch Nether Whisper became even more resolute.
I hope that child doesn't push himself too hard. There will always be chances... I will fight for time for him!
Above the [Star Plucking Tower], Lu Yang suddenly felt something. He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the Foundation Establishment Realm to the vast and boundless Sea of Bitterness above.
...Patriarch?
Lu Yang's gaze was like lightning. The brief connection had already been cut off, but he understood: The Patriarch was above that Sea of Bitterness, perhaps fighting endlessly.
Everything was for his sake of seeking the golden core!
Lu Yang raised his eyebrows and looked around. Wherever his gaze landed, without needing to release his aura, the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws] spontaneously emerged, expanding his authority.
His foundation was deeper than Hong Tian's.
After all, Hong Tian was only the Grand Preceptor of the Immortal Court, not the number one person. But now, with perfected lords not coming out and Dao Lords not showing themselves, he was the sole supreme ruler in the five regions under heaven!
In the next second, Lu Yang formed a hand seal in front of his chest and spat out thunderous sound:
"Aligned with the supreme, the Xuandu is hidden; standing above all, its sacred authority is everlasting!"
[Xuandu Blessed Land]!
Instantly, Lu Yang opened the heavenly gate atop his head, triggering thousands of scenes within the [Xuandu Blessed Land]. Pavilions, palace gates, and ten thousand houses manifested one by one!
Compared to Hong Tian, he didn't even need to manifest divine abilities one by one. Instead, he kneaded them all into a mass, gathering them in his palm into a brilliant color that seemed to condense ten thousand Daos. Then it exploded with a boom, mixing with his golden nature, elevating the mysteries, lifting the Blessed Land, and crashing into the Foundation Establishment Realm in a single step!
The progress of all this was extremely fast!
When Hong Tian sought the golden core back then, he had to manifest divine abilities and condense steps one by one, fear of wasting golden nature and spiritual power. But Lu Yang did not.
Boom!
With a loud noise, a magnificent golden light rose beneath Lu Yang's feet, transforming into a golden bridge that extended directly from his feet into the [Heavenly Fire]!
The smooth road to heaven, accomplished in one move!
Lu Yang's eruption came too suddenly, without any buildup. By the time the foundation establishment cultivators of the world reacted, he had already stepped onto that golden bridge.
Wherever the golden bridge passed, the Foundation Establishment Realm trembled. Lu Yang's figure was extremely brilliant. The sun and moon rotated around him, and the fortune of the world converged at this moment. Its scale was so huge that it even transcended illusory forms, manifesting as real light and shadows of True Dragons, Vermilion Birds, Black Tortoises, White Tigers, and more...
Everything came naturally.
Lu Yang strolled on the golden bridge as if walking in a courtyard, not forgetting to look around and overlook the world, like a traveler observing the scenery on the road.
At the same time, the entire Foundation Establishment Realm was in resonance.
Mountains and rivers, sun and moon, living beings, palace gates, the brilliance of all land under the heaven seemed to concentrate on him alone, making him appear transcendent and unworldly, as if ascending to immortality.
On the other side, the [Heavenly Fire] also reacted.
Without guidance, without attention, the sun and moon fell from the sky. The originally high and mighty [Heavenly Fire] actually took the initiative to fall toward Lu Yang's direction!
The speed was fast, extremely fast!
In just a few blinks, Lu Yang had arrived in front of the [Heavenly Fire]. Without saying a word, he drove the Blessed Land and smashed toward the Dao Fruit.
Clang—!
A huge trembling sound resonated through the Foundation Establishment Realm. Some weaker cultivators who had just achieved foundation establishment even vomited blood directly, their fragile Dao foundations crumbling.
But in front of the [Heavenly Fire], Lu Yang sighed deeply.
"It still too late..."
Directly in front of him, an invisible great net separated him from the [Heavenly Fire], hindering his entry while simultaneously falling onto the [Heavenly Fire].
It was precisely the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws]!
Looking at this rare treasure that had helped him so much but was now blocking his path at the final moment, a hint of disappointment appeared on Lu Yang's face.
Just a moment ago, he actually wanted to take advantage of everyone's inattention to launch a surprise attack and directly enter the Dao Fruit. After all, having discussed the Dao with Hong Tian and then settled for another ten years, his dao comprehension was long complete. If he could catch the Dao Court off guard with this, everyone would naturally be happy.
"...A pity."
Lu Yang restrained his emotions, and the disappointment on his face quickly returned to calmness. "But this is fine too. Then let's have a fight and settle these karmas thoroughly!"
With that said, there was no more gloom on Lu Yang's face.
Instead, he laughed loudly.
Amidst the laughter, he took another step forward. The golden bridge beneath his feet gathered thousands of concepts, merging them all into one mass at this moment, and crashed into the great net with a boom!
"I've been annoyed with this thing for a long time!"
When a butterfly falls into a spider web, even if it luckily escapes with its life, the spider web remains there, unharmed, ready to launch a second hunt at any time.
Thus, his thoughts were not clear.
He wanted to tear it apart!
In the next second, Lu Yang held the [Trial-Passing Wave] in his hand. With the blessing of [Unyielding Sword Intent], sword qi pierced through the present world, shattering thirty-six layers of astral clouds, emitting rumbling thunderous sounds:
"KILL—!!!"