Overseas, on a remote small island in the Emerald Sun Cultivation World.
It has really started...
Lu Yang had a calm expression, raising his head to look at the sky. His aura was extremely restrained, making him look almost no different from a mortal at first glance. Only his heart swirled with countless thoughts.
Mu Changsheng's motive was very simple.
Eksposing [Sky-Shrouding], exposing the secret of Chen Earth in advance. Using this to make [Sky-Shrouding] the public enemy of the world, thereby buying enough winning chances for himself.
—All within his expectations.
Using Mu Changsheng's hand, I revealed part of [Sky-Shrouding]'s secrets, making him a target for all. At the same time, I concealed my own existence.
After all, the decision to expose [Sky-Shrouding] wasn't made by him, nor was there any hint given beforehand. All actions were entirely Mu Changsheng's own ideas. No matter how one calculated, they would only calculate Mu Changsheng's karma. Apart from that, there was nothing else; it was impossible to trace back to him.
This is a true mastermind!
Fight, fight, all of you fight... Fight until the sky collapses and the earth splits. Force [Sky-Shrouding] to take out more trump cards so I can settle everything with one blow.
Inside [Wu You Heaven].
[Sky-Shrouding] stood with hands behind his back, his expression cold. Around him was an ocean formed by memory scenes, wrapping him layer upon layer.
"Ten thousand feet of mortal dust, refine!"
Outside the ocean, Mu Changsheng formed hand seals and chanted incantation, immediately triggering changes in the ocean. Countless scenes surged madly into [Sky-Shrouding]'s divine soul thought.
These were all Mu Changsheng's own experiences, summaries of his long life. There were mundane moments, passionate moments, anger, sorrow, despair... Every scene contained extremely intense emotions. While merging into [Sky-Shrouding]'s divine soul thought, they were also influencing his emotions.
Gradually, [Sky-Shrouding]'s expression changed.
These scenes were like sharp blades, precisely cutting his emotions, removing his consciousness, and wiping this divine soul thought of his blank.
This was another usage of [Wu You Heaven].
At the same time, it was also a usage many people had once guessed: stuffing "Mu Changsheng's" memories into another's consciousness sea, transforming them into another Mu Changsheng.
In previous lifetimes, Mu Changsheng had never used this method.
Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't—his Dao Heart didn't support him using it. However, now, Lu Yang had patched up the defect in his Dao Heart.
And with the possession method recorded in the Zhaomu Order Scripture, Mu Changsheng simply gave up on the soul snatched away by the Saint Sect Ancestor. Instead, he targeted [Sky-Shrouding]'s divine soul thought. The latter's quality was actually stronger than his own soul; maybe the future prospects would be even better!
Lu Yang's plotting was certainly involved in this.
But Mu Changsheng couldn't say he rejected it much. Basically, he went with the flow, struggling a few times for show, making a gesture before complying.
However, soon, Mu Changsheng's expression changed.
He had calculated perfectly—using the Primordial Dao Sin to fish, locking down with the power of [Wu You Heaven], and finally wiping [Sky-Shrouding]'s divine soul thought blank.
From beginning to end, there were no mistakes.
Only one problem: he underestimated [Sky-Shrouding].
Although he asked himself to anticipate the enemy leniently and overestimated [Sky-Shrouding] greatly, his "overestimation" was still far from enough for [Sky-Shrouding].
"Refining the heart with the mortal world, huh."
"A petty trick!"
Amidst the infinite memory scenes, [Sky-Shrouding] spoke slowly. His demeanor was peerless, and his strong will added infinite oppression to his voice.
The memory ocean created by [Wu You Heaven] was actually quite terrifying. For a Golden Core Perfected Lord, perhaps they could forcibly endure it relying on the Golden Nature. However, for a cultivator without a Perfected Lord's Golden Nature, this memory ocean was a sure-kill. Once tainted, one might never break free in a lifetime.
However, [Sky-Shrouding] marched forward indomitably.
Countless scenes, memories full of emotions—he stepped over them with a single stride. A Dao Heart cleared of dust and born of light, immovable as a rock.
What he sought was the Nascent Soul, the Great Dao.
Besides this, whatever seven emotions and six desires, whatever worldly entanglements, would only be left far behind by him, simply insufficient to block his path.
Seeing this, Mu Changsheng's expression changed slightly. Immediately changing his hand seal, he instantly altered the content of the memory scenes. This time, countless hardships and dangers emerged.
Fairly speaking, as the Heavenly Lord's backup plan, Mu Changsheng had been challenged by Perfected Lords of the world across levels. It wasn't an exaggeration to describe his cultivation path as fraught with difficulties. Now manifesting them one by one to impact [Sky-Shrouding]'s divine soul thought, he clearly intended to shake his Dao-seeking heart.
However, [Sky-Shrouding] remained unwavering.
Those dilemmas and despairs etched in Mu Changsheng's heart were disdained by him, treated as if they were merely chickens and dogs, trampled directly underfoot.
He even had the spare energy to chuckle: "Junior, you exposed yourself... Dao Heart cultivation method. Interesting. Did that mastermind give it to you? Did you see his appearance or hear his voice?"
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng's heart moved.
However, before he could organize his words to deceive [Sky-Shrouding], he saw [Sky-Shrouding] shake his head: "No, with his caution, he definitely wouldn't make a mistake."
"You definitely didn't see him."
"Even if you did, it should be an illusion deliberately shown to you to mislead me through you. Asking you here is meaningless."
Mu Changsheng: "..."
Wait, why do you sound like you've been spiritually communicating with that mysterious Saint Sect Perfected Lord for a long time? The person fighting you fiercely right now is me!
Mu Changsheng gritted his teeth and didn't speak.
At this moment, he also saw that [Sky-Shrouding] had actually reached the level of a perfect Dao Heart. His True Self was firm and wouldn't be affected by his methods at all.
However—he still won.
Rumble!
The next second, the sound of surging currents like a flood rang outside [Wu You Heaven]. Vast and mighty, making [Sky-Shrouding] sigh involuntarily.
"It's that shrew..."
[Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue]!
The change of Chen Earth involved Chong Guang's gold-seeking. Now that Mu Changsheng had spread it to the world, how could Perfected Lord Feixue not come to cause trouble in her fury?
And with Perfected Lord Feixue disrupting the situation, he naturally couldn't continue to tangle with Mu Changsheng.
This was also Mu Changsheng's plan. If he couldn't forcibly possess [Sky-Shrouding]'s divine soul thought, then delay. Delay hard, delay until he actively gave up!
"...Tsk."
[Sky-Shrouding] stopped his steps and no longer attacked the memory scenes created by Mu Changsheng, because it was meaningless. Perfected Lord Feixue was about to arrive.
If given another stick of incense's time, he could slaughter his way through [Wu You Heaven] and destroy Mu Changsheng's consciousness in return!
A pity he didn't have this time.
Thinking of this, [Sky-Shrouding] nodded, his tone frank: "I lost this time. Fellow Daoist's methods are impressive; let Fellow Daoist win a round first."
He admitted defeat.
Of course, strictly speaking, he could still turn the tables. But in that case, the cost and gain wouldn't be equal. Compared to that, it was better to concede decisively.
"But next time, it will be my turn to lay out the plan."
As his voice fell, [Sky-Shrouding] immediately withdrew his consciousness actively, leaving the blank divine soul thought to Mu Changsheng while preparing to close the Netherworld portal.
However, before leaving, he looked at the sky inexplicably.
Regarding the mastermind who plotted against him this time, he had many guesses. But the opponent understood him too well, so well that he hadn't expected it.
But who could understand him so well?
Generally speaking, people who could understand him so well were either his close friends or people pitted miserably by him... And the former were mostly pitted miserably by him too.
After thinking it over and over—
"The so-called mastermind... Hong Yun, is it really you?"