In the critical moment, Lu Yang maintained his calm.
After all, he had experienced similar situations too many times during his Foundation Establishment. Now, such a small crisis was nothing; at least he still had methods.
At this point, he had also thought things through.
That damn World Honored One!
It was definitely him.
Although he didn't know how he connected with the Sword Pavilion or how he got [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] to act, it was definitely him pulling the strings in the dark.
The problem lay in [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao]'s motive.
After all, he had no grudges with the Sword Pavilion. Even considering the existence of Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, there was some friendship between the two sides. Theoretically, they shouldn't be enemies.
Could it be because I used the sword dao fruit?
Impossible.
Lu Yang shook his head, rejecting this guess. After all, the sword dao fruit had long been washed by [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] and had no karma. He had also hidden it inside the [Myriad Spirits Banner], which was also washed by [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. No one could trace its origin; at most, they would know he had another [Unorthodox Dao Fruit].
But if it wasn't for the sword dao fruit, then what was it for?
Lu Yang put himself in [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao]'s shoes and thought about it. He felt that the other party's biggest demand was probably to solve the problem of dao fruit compatibility.
Could he help him?
No. Dao fruit compatibility should be irreversible. Once wrong, there's no turning back. Otherwise, he would have swapped [Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde] in long ago.
The Sword Pavilion's current four dao fruits:
[Placer Gold in Sand], [Furnace Crucible Fire], [Rooftop Tile Earth], [Wall-Top Earth].
[Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao]'s problem arose from the conflict between [Furnace Crucible Fire] and [Rooftop Tile Earth], which forced him to live in seclusion in the Sword Pavilion for years.
This was a problem with his great dao foundation.
If he could casually swap compatible dao fruits, why would he be so distressed? Wouldn't swapping [Rooftop Tile Earth] for [Wall-Top Earth] solve it directly?
However—
If he could manage to change the concept of either [Furnace Crucible Fire] or [Rooftop Tile Earth], perhaps he could find another way to solve this problem.
After all, the conflict between these two dao fruits was a conflict of concepts. If one side's concept changed and no longer conflicted, the problem would naturally be solved.
So how to change the concept?
...Supreme dao fruit!
In an instant, Lu Yang saw the truth as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun. That guy... does he want [Furnace Crucible Fire] to replace [Heavenly Fire]'s position?
It wasn't impossible!
If [Furnace Crucible Fire] became a supreme dao fruit, [Rooftop Tile Earth] would naturally be completely suppressed by it and would no longer conflict with it.
In this way, [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] can not only restore his peak but also hold a supreme dao fruit like [Sky-Shrouding], putting the Nascent Soul within sight! Such a plan couldn't have been made overnight; he has likely been plotting in secret for many years.
Of course, letting [Rooftop Tile Earth] be the supreme dao fruit would also work.
However, the Earth Element Supreme was currently [City Rampart Earth], which involved the World Honored One... Compared to snatching meat from the World Honored One, [Heavenly Fire] was undoubtedly the better choice.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang thought of another matter:
The inheritance of [Heavenly Fire] was almost extinct in the current era!
The reason was that [Heavenly Fire] was hard to attain. It sounded reasonable... but looking at it now, with countless capable people in the world, would no one try to attain it just because it was hard?
Besides, the Foundation Establishment of [Heavenly Fire] was truly strong.
Maybe this [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] also intervened behind the scenes, deliberately exterminating the [Heavenly Fire] inheritance to make this dao fruit disappear from the world!
After all, only when the dao fruit was ownerless could he manipulate it easily.
If that's truly the case, my attesting [Heavenly Fire] probably ruined his years of planning. That explains his motive for ambushing me...
Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh.
This wretched place truly no one can be underestimated.
Take [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] for example. His style of conduct was like a precious sword hidden deep in its sheath.
He remained unmoved by outside rumors.
But when unsheathed, he killed!
At this moment, Lu Yang deeply felt [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao]'s killing intent. He knew the other party would never stop. From the moment he attained [Heavenly Fire], seriously speaking, he and the other party were already Dao enemies! Only when one side fell could it truly end.
"Hu!"
After figuring everything out, Lu Yang sighed deeply, feeling waves of dizziness in his head. The bloody line imprinted on his neck had expanded again at some point.
Having fought bitterly until now, he was at the end of his life.
He could persist until now only because he had swallowed the [Myriad Martial World Realm]'s [Unorthodox Dao Fruit], improved his dao comprehension, and refined a true treasure. Otherwise, he would have died a violent death long ago.
Suddenly, Lu Yang felt a chill in his heart.
A divine sense of impending disaster and certain death emerged, causing him to look up in the dark void, realizing: That sword bastard has locked onto me!
If he left now and fell into the outer heaven light sea, [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] would at the same time appear in front of him, within three feet. Once a sword cultivator with far superior cultivation got that close, life and death would no longer be up to him, but at the other party's whim.
I can only gamble.
Lu Yang didn't want to restart, so he immediately formed a seal. The [Righteous Dao Enlightenment Banner] appeared behind him, with Suo Huan, Patriarch Nether Whisper, and Empress Xiao standing side by side.
"I entrust this to you three," Lu Yang bowed.
If there was any miscalculation on [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao]'s part...
Perhaps it was them.
Except for Empress Xiao, both Fellow Daoist Suo Huan and Patriarch Nether Whisper have been washed by [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. The previous karma existed because they wore the skins of their original bodies in this life.
However, as long as the karma of the original bodies was stripped away.
They would revert to banner spirits with no karma and no way to be calculated. Therefore, [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] definitely hadn't included them in his calculations!
From the beginning, Lu Yang roaming in the outer heaven light sea, entering and exiting the dark void, and calculating anchor points were just bait to confuse [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao].
In fact, Patriarch Nether Whisper and Suo Huan on the other side were calculating a completely different anchor point.
Returning to the [Immortal Nexus]... is impossible. The road back is blocked, and no result can be divined. And in other places, the other party will also chase me down.
To survive, he had to go to a place [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] dared not chase.
There was only one answer—
The [Celestial Court]!
Lu Yang still had the water and fire disaster left by [Immortal Lord Shaoyin] on him. By drawing karma from it, the coordinates of the [Celestial Court]'s location could be calculated.
As a super world realm, [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] definitely wouldn't dare barge in rashly.
After all, a Late-Stage Golden Core Great Perfected Lord was too conspicuous. But, as an Early-Stage Golden Core, if he disguised himself a bit, he would have room to maneuver.
"Must it really come to this?"
Inside the [Righteous Dao Banner], Patriarch Nether Whisper looked worried. "You and I have little intelligence on the [Celestial Court], and they are hostile to us. It will inevitably be fraught with danger."
"And Jiangxi... are you abandoning the Righteous Dao you just founded?"
Lu Yang shook his head upon hearing this, his tone firm. "Preserve the land but lose the people, and both land and people are lost. Preserve the people but lose the land, and both people and land can be regained... In all things, one must give to gain something!!"
"Besides, it doesn't necessarily mean abandoning it."
"The Righteous Dao disciples can stay, serving as a means of contact between me, the [Immortal Nexus], and the Saint Sect. Anyway, I can summon them with the [Righteous Dao Banner] at any time."
"This time is merely a temporary strategic transfer. As long as I find a chance to catch my breath, recover my condition, and deal with these injuries on my body... worst comes to worst, I'll commit suicide once and revive directly from [Heavenly Fire]. I should be able to return then. At that time, I'll settle the score with those sword bastard in the Sword Pavilion!"
Speaking of this, Lu Yang gritted his teeth secretly.
If it were just simply fleeing back to the [Immortal Nexus], he could still think of a way. But with [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] eyeing him covetously, returning would still mean nine deaths and one life.
As for Perfected Lord Feixue?
Heaven knows if she'll make another deal with the Sword Pavilion and sell me out... Didn't she use me as bait this time?
Saint Sect perfected lords cannot be trusted!
I still have to rely on myself!
So after thinking it over, Lu Yang felt it was better to venture into the [Celestial Court].
At least the concepts of those dao fruits in the [Celestial Court] were great supplements for [Heavenly Fire]. If handled well, it might also be an opportunity for his rapid improvement.
This was his struggle to survive!