Inside Feixue's bedchamber, Lu Yang had been sitting cross-legged for a day and a night. The calculation between his fingers never stopped, and his handsome face became haggard at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Amidst his originally jet-black hair, a few strands of white had even appeared.
This was extremely rare to see on a foundation establishment perfected one.
Let alone Lu Yang, who was a perfected one at the peak of foundation establishment, the strongest under the Golden Core Realm. For him to become this haggard showed just how great his consumption was.
Throughout this day and night, he tried to deduce a way to break the deadlock, but the result remained pitch black. In the face of absolute power, all his calculations seemed meaningless, like an ant trying to shake a tree. Unless he gave up the [Heavenly Fire], committed suicide to restart, and chose an ordinary Dao Fruit to try again.
Undoubtedly, that was a much easier path.
Lu Yang even had a plan—restart, choose [Pomegranate Wood], then as a perfected lord, gather various resources. Once he had full assurance...
Come back and attempt to attain the [Heavenly Fire].
A very perfect plan. If he followed this path, aside from wasting a few more pages of [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], the hope of success should be greater than now.
However, in the next second, Lu Yang slew all thoughts of restarting.
Admittedly, attaining an ordinary Dao Fruit was an easier path, but only a supreme Dao Fruit was the cornerstone of the Nascent Soul. Ordinary Dao Fruits were just a waste of time!
As for becoming a perfected lord first and coming back to attain a supreme Dao Fruit after accumulating enough... meaningless. After all, no matter how sufficient your preparations, can you surpass a Nascent Soul Dao Lord? In the end, you still have to gamble on that sliver of a chance. As long as you attain a supreme Dao Fruit, you will inevitably enter the Dao Lords' field of vision and inevitably face tribulation.
I cannot retreat!
Lu Yang was certain that this moment, this life, was his best chance. His phenomenon perfectly matched the [Heavenly Fire]. Even in a desperate situation, he still had ambition!
But if he retreated and chose to restart...
Perhaps others wouldn't know, but he himself knew that his phenomenon would inevitably decline then, and his chances of attaining the [Heavenly Fire] would actually be lower!
Lu Yang stood up and paced toward the bedchamber door.
In the next second, the world spun, and smoke and clouds suddenly rose around him. A familiar beautiful figure walked out from within, her beautiful eyes fixing straight on Lu Yang.
"...Not bad, very good."
Seeing Lu Yang's mentally and physically exhausted appearance, Perfected Lord Feixue actually smiled. She was stunningly beautiful, yet carried an erasable dash and heroism.
Lu Yang smiled bitterly upon hearing this. "How can looking like this be considered good?"
"Looking like this is exactly what's good."
Perfected Lord Feixue nodded, her face solemn. "Because this is the proof that you haven't given up on yourself... Exhaust everything to find a way out."
"Cultivators of my generation only fear having no path ahead; why fear the dangers on the Dao path?"
As her voice fell, the smoke and clouds surged again.
When he came back to his senses, Lu Yang was already standing outside the bedchamber. Turning around, he found that Feixue's bedchamber had gradually faded away within the smoke and clouds.
In the next second, a streak of light landed.
Chong Guang walked out from it. His gaze fell on Lu Yang immediately. First he was stunned, then a look of understanding appeared on his face. "...Does Fellow Daoist need anything else?"
"...None for now."
After a moment of silence, Lu Yang clasped his hands. "I've made a fool of myself in front of Fellow Daoist."
Chong Guang waved his hand, looking at Lu Yang solemnly. "You and I are fellow Daoists; why say such things... I will wait for you to seek the golden core first. Once you are done, I will ascend to the position."
This wasn't some so-called mutual appreciation between heroes, but purely a consideration of interests.
Unlike Lu Yang, after reversing the chen-earth, Chong Guang was almost 100% certain of attaining the [Overturned Lamp Flame]. However, the fundamental crisis hadn't been resolved.
[Sky-Shrouding]!
Relying on himself alone, even with the help of Perfected Lord Feixue who had achieved the late Golden Core stage, facing [Sky-Shrouding] would be extremely strenuous. But if there was another perfected lord who had attained a supreme Dao Fruit, it would undoubtedly greatly affect the balance of power between the two sides, protecting the Dao Fruit he had obtained with such difficulty.
So, for both public and private reasons, Chong Guang hoped for Lu Yang's success.
"...Fellow Daoist is thoughtful."
As a Saint Sect perfected one, Lu Yang was only slightly stunned before understanding the implication behind Chong Guang's words. While acknowledging it, a small flame suddenly ignited in his heart.
Thinking hard has no end. Let's act first, step by step.
Lu Yang took a deep breath. After bidding farewell to Chong Guang, he stepped into the sea of clouds. Dark golden brilliance flowed around him as heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers pushed him into Jiangdong.
Traveling without stopping, he landed inside the Tianwu Hall.
Of course, it had to be called the Huanming Hall now.
Almost simultaneously, a streak of light flew over swiftly. Then, Empress Xiao's curvaceous and graceful figure walked out, revealing a faint smile:
"You're back?"
Lu Yang nodded, taking a deep look at Empress Xiao. She had long chosen to enter the banner; for him, she was undoubtedly someone he could absolutely trust.
...Follow me. I have a treasure to show you.
The two entered the inner palace. Another day passed. When someone emerged again, it was only Lu Yang alone; Empress Xiao remained in the deep palace, not showing herself for a long time.
At first, as the existence in the Dao Court under only Lu Yang and above ten thousand people, Empress Xiao's sudden disappearance might have attracted the attention of the Dao Court officials. However, upon learning that Lu Yang had returned and the two had spent a day together in the palace, everyone instantly dispersed, indicating this was very normal.
Of course, there were also die-hard loyalists of the Tianwu Imperial Family cursing privately:
"Adulterous pair!"
However, regardless of the reaction, no one cared about Empress Xiao's disappearance anymore. Everyone continued to work step by step. A demon dragon, having a bit more stamina was normal.
But many people didn't expect that from then on, Lu Yang would vanish.
He would only appear in the world once every year or two, and every time he appeared, he would head straight for Empress Xiao's bedchamber. After finishing his business, he would vanish immediately, and Empress Xiao would rest for several months.
Just like that, ten years passed in a flash.
During these ten years, the originally stable Dao Court finally began to see rumors spreading, claiming that the demon dragon of the puppet dynasty didn't have much time left.
In response, the loyal cultivators of the Imperial City Department naturally wouldn't let rumors spread unchecked. Under Empress Xiao's order of "These are no longer ordinary unruly subjects; we must strike hard!", the scale of the Imperial City Department expanded directly to the entire Jiangdong, leaping to become the largest department in the Dao Court.
However, the more they suppressed it, the more intense the rumors became.
"I think that demon dragon is done for... And have you noticed recently that the Dao Fruit is loosening? Don't forget, His Majesty and the Three Excellencies will return eventually!"
"That demon dragon definitely wants to seek the golden core."
"You must be joking. A mere demon dragon wants to attain the [Heavenly Fire]? Impossible!"
"He's courting death!"
"A pity. Actually, this demon dragon can be considered exceptionally talented. He's just too arrogant and doesn't know his place, insisting on attaining the [Heavenly Fire]."
The rumors quickly expanded to Jiangnan, Jiangbei, and overseas.
Thus, the Imperial City Department further expanded its recruitment. For a time, the number of spies in the Imperial City Department even exceeded the Dao Court officials as they began banning rumors across the world.
Under such forceful suppression, the rumors gradually died down.
The world returned to peace.
However, beneath this peace, all foundation establishment perfected ones could feel an undercurrent surging. Those with exceptional insight checked the sky daily.
Because above that dome of the sky...
The "Huanming Emperor," whom countless people badmouthed, believing his rule was already in decline—the [Heavenly Fire] favoring him had not dimmed in the slightest.
Instead, it was brighter than ever before.