Rumble!
Above the dome of the sky, rolling thunder echoed. Boundless phantom colors arrayed in formation, resonating with the heavenly stars above and the earth veins below, reflecting a vast and boundless light and shadow.
[Heavenly Pillar Profound Governance Grotto-Heaven].
Lu Yang didn't get arrogant. He directly opened his Grotto-Heaven, spanning across the horizon, while he himself sat in the center of the Grotto-Heaven atop a divine mountain that reached the sky and rooted in the earth.
Facing this scene, [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] didn't hesitate and barged directly into the Grotto-Heaven. The Dao Court's Three Excellencies followed closely behind. This wasn't recklessness, but a prudent choice made by [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] after carefully weighing the strength gap between the enemy and themselves.
Because in a battle between perfected lords, the key to victory lay only in the Grotto-Heaven.
To a perfected lord, a damaged Grotto-Heaven meant defeat; a destroyed Grotto-Heaven meant death. All divine abilities and profound wonder were pinned on the Grotto-Heaven.
Undoubtedly, the Grotto-Heaven was the perfected lord's vital point.
However, on the other hand, the Grotto-Heaven was also the perfected lord's strongest asset because it isolated itself from the universe, forming an independent order, almost impenetrable from the outside.
This could be seen from the battle between Perfected Lord Feixue and Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde in the past. One was a mid-stage Golden Core known as the number one in combat for five thousand years, while the other was a weakling among perfected lords. Even so, Perfected Lord Feixue spent quite some time to shatter the opponent's Grotto-Heaven.
But the Grotto-Heaven itself wasn't without weaknesses.
Although extremely difficult to destroy from the outside inward, if attacked from the inside out, the Grotto-Heaven became much more fragile, no longer impregnable.
Of course, there were risks.
Once inside the Grotto-Heaven, it was equivalent to entering the opponent's home field. With the opponent's advantage and one's own disadvantage, there was a danger of being killed.
Therefore, entering another's Grotto-Heaven to fight was also a risky move for a perfected lord.
The reason [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] dared to do so was purely because there were four of them. Like Mount Tai crushing eggs, she believed Lu Yang had no possibility of fighting back.
But soon, she stopped thinking that way.
Because the moment the four stepped into the [Heavenly Pillar Profound Governance Grotto-Heaven], Lu Yang also moved. His expression was solemn, and the talisman on his brow suddenly expanded.
[Inscribing Heavenly Chapters]!
Flames wrapped around Lu Yang, making his appearance indiscernible just like [Sky-Shrouding]. Only a figure of light and shadow walked between heaven and earth, solemnly proclaiming—
"Let there be light!"
Instantly, the entire [Heavenly Pillar Profound Governance Grotto-Heaven] seemed to be ignited. Every inch and corner began to burn, releasing endless light. Then they intertwined and connected, finally forming a magnificent array diagram that suppressed all four people beneath it as it operated.
Seeing this scene, [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] immediately formed a hand seal.
[Hidden Gold Boudoir]!
Golden light shone brilliantly, carrying a strong concept of demotion and suppression. It instantly shattered the array diagram falling around her, transforming into a dazzling brilliance.
She actually intended to demote Lu Yang!
If any other early-stage Golden Core perfected lord were here, their Dao Fruit profound wonder would immediately be demoted to a concept, and the concept directly demoted to nothingness!
However, facing this light of demotion that made even perfected lords pale, Lu Yang stood with hands behind his back and chuckled, showing no intention of blocking it.
A mere ordinary Dao Fruit, demoting a supreme one.
"Impudent!"
Lu Yang scolded lightly and reached out to grab. The surging brilliance within the Grotto-Heaven instantly gathered, forging a giant hand that propped up the sky, slapping down with a boom!
Instantly, everything in the Grotto-Heaven moved!
Looking around, stars shifted, mountains and rivers bowed in submission. It was as if Lu Yang's condensed giant hand was pushing heaven and earth to suppress the enemy along with him!
Just the mighty power contained in this palm... if it landed in the present world instead of this Grotto-Heaven, even with Empress Xiao protecting Jiangxi, the result would inevitably be shattered land and billions of casualties. Unless one could escape the area covered by the giant hand instantly, they could only take it head-on.
Even more insidious was—
[Deprivation]!
As the palm fell, [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer]'s originally composed face changed slightly because she discovered her [Hidden Gold Boudoir] was actually draining away!
Even I can be deprived?
Not only that, the stolen [Hidden Gold Boudoir] actually turned back to demote her stature, allowing Lu Yang to easily plunder even more [Hidden Gold Boudoir]...
You must be joking!
In just a short moment, [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer]'s expression changed several times. For the first time, she felt the oppression brought by a supreme Dao Fruit.
What is a supreme Dao Fruit?
His stature is higher than mine out of thin air. His Dao Fruit concepts can affect my Dao Fruit profound wonder. If he uses his Dao Fruit profound wonder, wouldn't it be even more exaggerated?
Despite this, [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] didn't panic. The gap between mid-stage and early-stage Golden Core wasn't just about an undying Grotto-Heaven and infinite resurrection. Even among early-stage Golden Core cultivators, there was an insurmountable gap between the strong and the weak.
"Amitabha!"
[Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] chanted the Buddha's name. Simultaneously, her slender jade fingers pinched lightly, and a golden light no more than three feet long appeared at her fingertips.
The golden light bloomed slowly at the end.
Immediately, this golden light transformed into a golden lotus jade cup, clear as colored glass. [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] deployed it in the air, shrouding down toward Lu Yang.
As this golden lotus jade cup touched the sky-propping giant hand condensed by Lu Yang, it made no sound at all. Like a clay ox entering the sea, the entire giant hand, and even the [Deprivation] concept Lu Yang imbued within it, were all swallowed by that single golden lotus jade cup!
Then the jade cup drifted down.
The originally clear jade cup turned murky and dark after swallowing Lu Yang's giant hand, losing its previous divine wonder.
But regardless, it had worked.
Incredible...
Lu Yang sensed clearly that a part of his [Deprivation] divine wonder fell silent along with that golden lotus jade cup, unable to be operated no matter what.
What method was this?
Lu Yang formed his fingers to calculate, then raised his eyebrows slightly: "This item is named [Containing Origin Precious Lotus Cup], a True Treasure extracted from the [Ornamental Gold]?"
All along, Lu Yang hadn't taken True Treasures too seriously. After all, the only True Treasures he had seen so far were [Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde]'s [Chengtian Mystic Realm Visualization Sword] and the old Dragon Lord's [Sea-Ordering Conch]. They couldn't be called useless, but their utility was indeed limited.
But now, Lu Yang's view changed.
The reason the [Chengtian Mystic Realm Visualization Sword] was useless was mainly that [Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde] refined it, and his means were insufficient.
As for the [Sea-Ordering Conch], it was because it wasn't in the old Dragon Lord's hands!
Actually, thinking carefully, the [Sea-Ordering Conch] wasn't useless. Lu Yang had relied on it to block [Sky-Shrouding]'s sword strike back then.
True Treasures are the true divine ability means of a perfected lord!
If Dao Fruit concepts and profound wonder are resources inherent to the Dao Fruit, then True Treasures are the tools to utilize these resources and exert their power.
However, refining a True Treasure wasn't easy.
It required not only sufficient talent but also the polish of time.
A perfected lord usually had only two or three True Treasures with them. If their comprehension and aptitude were a bit poor, they might only have one True Treasure in their lifetime.
That's why the True Body Tathagata didn't bring out more powerful means back then. Having just descended to the world without Dao Fruit support, He couldn't refine True Treasures at all. As for Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow... just an unorthodox path, a thing without even Dao Fruit profound wonder, simply didn't have the conditions to refine True Treasures.
While Lu Yang was deducing karma and gaining enlightenment...
[Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] didn't pause at all. She reached her delicate hand behind her head and gently removed a hairpin from her hair bun.
Instantly, three thousand strands of green silk lost their restraint, cascading down like a waterfall.
A faint fragrance arose between heaven and earth, making people involuntarily indulge in it, their souls upside down. It was clearly a charm technique refined to the extreme.
However, Lu Yang remained unmoved.
In the next second, the hairpin removed by [Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer] turned into a streak of golden light, soaring up and arriving at the center of Lu Yang's brow in the blink of an eye!
Boom!