Dark Void.
Hong Yun, who should have been full of ambition upon returning to the Perfected Lord position, was now incredibly bewildered. His hands were even groping randomly on his own body meaninglessly.
However, no matter what he did, the fact lay right before his eyes.
[Overturned Lamp Flame] was gone.
Clearly, he could use the Dao Fruit's concept and profundities, yet he just couldn't see the Dao Fruit. This made Hong Yun's heart inevitably give birth to some panic.
What on earth was going on?
Hong Yun immediately thought of Lu Yang.
That mysterious Perfected Lord... was there a problem with the cultivation method he gave me? Bastard! If not for confusing me with divine abilities, how could I have practiced it without suspicion at that time...
That drowsy, eerie feeling where he clearly remembered what he did but completely couldn't understand why he did it at the time... like in a dream, almost exactly the same as [Sky-Shrouding]. He even suspected if [Sky-Shrouding] had disguised himself and come to toy with him!
"No, calm down..."
Hong Yun took a deep breath, trying hard to calm his mood. But after calming down, his expression became even uglier, and his body trembled slightly.
The reason was simple.
...I can't run away.
With his true intentions, the best thing to do right now was to flee directly to the ends of the universe and not return to the Immortal Nexus. For example, going to the Seven Luminaries Heaven would be quite good; at least he could be a local tyrant.
But the problem was that he was now targeted by [Sky-Shrouding]. And [Sky-Shrouding], who had walked out of the Netherworld without restrictions, possessed divine abilities and methods absolutely beyond what he could contend with. Maybe the person was squatting for him right now in the sea of light, waiting for him to come out and then slap him to death with one palm!
My only choice is to go to the coordinate that guy gave.
Out of the tiger's den, into the wolf's lair!
Hong Yun exhaled a deep breath. Recognizing reality, he calmed down instead. Matters having reached this point, it was nothing more than soldiers blocking the enemy and earth blocking the water.
Risk it!
The next second, he sank his thoughts and descended from the boid. Before long, a giant shadow shaped like a footprint came into his view.
[Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness].
Outside the Supreme Imperial World, Lu Yang, who had arrived early, was also awakened by the vibration of the light sea. Then he stood up calmly, watching a figure manifest from nothing.
Placed anywhere else in the sea of light, one probably couldn't escape [Sky-Shrouding]'s gaze. Only here, [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] isolated karma and sight. Unless like the World Honored One's incarnation, directly infiltrating with a distraction, otherwise even a Dao Lord couldn't possibly detect this place.
A perfect hiding place and hunting ground.
Lu Yang's large sleeves fluttered. Stretching out a hand and pointing, the just landed Hong Yun was immediately wrapped by countless formation patterns, falling directly into a sealing and trapping formation.
"Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar!"
Lu Yang urged his spiritual power, his aura and stature climbing rapidly. Looking at Hong Yun in the formation was like looking at a delicious piece of meat after frying, stir-frying, cooking, and deep-frying.
[Life Form Body] perfected.
Of course, a simple [Life Form Body] wouldn't listen to his command. He still needed to display his methods and subdue it to thoroughly turn it into his own use.
Thinking of this, a smile instantly appeared on his face:
"Fellow Daoist, long time no see."
"Hehe..."
Hong Yun looked around, not surprised that he fell into prison as soon as he arrived. Although he expected it, such a battle array still made his heart sink slightly.
But soon, he had no mind for these, speaking directly: "Fellow Daoist, I can no longer sense [Overturned Lamp Flame] now, but I can still use its concept and profundities. Even the stature hasn't fallen at all, and even rose quite a bit. Is there a problem with the cultivation method you gave me?"
"Oh? Really?"
Hearing this, Lu Yang's eyes lit up, pondering in his heart: So that's it. It seems the [Life Form Body] swallowing the Dao Fruit isn't instantaneous, but gradual.
This is actually not bad!! If it were instantaneous, it would be too easy for people to discover and too conspicuous. On the contrary, gradual progress, boiling the frog in warm water, is not easily discovered by outsiders.
Especially hiding in [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]; even if really discovered, it doesn't matter.
No, only the Pure Land has risk.
Lu Yang frowned tightly. With the Pure Land's [One Mind], if Buddhist cultivators entered [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], the World Honored One would also sense it and directly lock onto the location here.
This is troublesome.
Looking at it this way, harvesting Yuan Tu, this [Life Form Body], will probably have certain difficulties when the time comes... unless I can cut off the Pure Land's [One Mind] first.
With this thought, Lu Yang's brows instantly unknitted.
Master Vanquishing-Demon... he can cut off [One Mind] in a short time!
Of course not Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon inside the Righteous Dao Banner. After all, doing so carries great risk and is also easy to be targeted by the petty World Honored One; he can't bear to part with him.
Better let the Vanquishing-Demon of this life do it.
Lu Yang thought in his heart and didn't act. Hong Yun, however, dared not pause at all. Before his voice fell, he had already begun trying to break the formation, killing a bloody path out.
And as this thought of his emerged, suddenly, countless profundities flowed out from his consciousness sea. Then organized into chapters, it was shockingly an incarnation method. Moreover, this method was like an instinct he was born with; he didn't need to bother learning it at all and could master it instantly.
The next second, Hong Yun immediately formed hand seals, uttering a word from his mouth: "Strike!"
In an instant, Hong Yun's body disappeared from the spot. Replacing it was a dazzling brilliance, bursting brightly, exploding into clusters of illusory colors.
Before long, the illusory colors condensed into a dharma body.
It was dressed as a Daoist, with pale gold skin, sixteen feet tall, wearing a black robe. The niwan palace opened, and rolling black smoke turned into a celebration cloud hanging high above the head.
Inside the cloud was chaotic and hazy. A bright lamp could be vaguely seen. The lamp reflected over a thousand brilliant lights. On each brilliant light bloomed a golden flower. There were also jeweled necklaces and hanging pearls, covering and fixing the Daoist's whole body. Clearly looking breakable with a wave of hand, yet approaching close gave birth to a feeling majestic as a mountain.
Even Hong Yun, who manifested this dharma body, was stunned.
This is me?
He looked blankly at himself at this moment, feeling incredibly unfamiliar. But the surging power in his body, far surpassing his peak period, couldn't be faked.
More importantly, this power was very "real".
Previously he had no concept of this, but now truly experiencing it, he suddenly felt the power he once relied on from the Dao Fruit was somewhat "hollow".
For a time, Hong Yun was even somewhat mesmerized.
"Fun, isn't it?"
Hong Yun nodded subconsciously.
"Know how to use it?"
"Never played before, right?"
As the voice fell, Hong Yun woke up instantly. Looking at Lu Yang with a face as calm as water, he said, "You think you've got me? Just with your little cultivation?"
After returning to the Perfected Lord position, Hong Yun could also see Lu Yang's reality. At most, it was just the level of falsely holding, maybe a bit higher, but that was all. No comparison with orthodox Perfected Lords. Moreover, he was now even surpassing his peak period. What could a mere Lu Yang do to him?
Then he saw Lu Yang take out the Righteous Dao Banner.
Immediately after, purple Qi floated on the banner. Figures walked out from it one by one: Suo Huan, Patriarch Nether Whisper, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, and even Empress Xiao.
"This, this bastard! Fight me one-on-one if you have the ability!"
Hearing this, Lu Yang chuckled: "Fellow Daoist, aren't you fighting us one-on-one right now?"
Hong Yun: "..."
The ending had no suspense at all.
Half an hour later, Hong Yun was subdued by everyone after a miserable scream. Then Lu Yang slashed with his fingers together, instantly extinguishing his soul.
And after losing the soul's domination, the [Life Form Body] he managed to refine with great difficulty also turned into an empty shell, sinking into the light sea. If this dharma body was ignored, allowed to be impacted by the [Two Polarities Birth and Destruction Profound Light], in another few hundred thousand years, maybe it could even transform into a World Realm!
"Finally done!"
At this moment, Lu Yang exhaled deeply, full of emotion.
Using the world as a chessboard and living beings as pieces, playing chess across space with the world's number one Perfected Lord, and finally winning by half a piece... Now it was finally time to harvest!
The next second, he took a step forward.
His Dao Body turned into a phantom, merging into the [Life Form Body]. Then shaking his shoulders slightly, he merged with this powerful dharma body into one.
Immediately after, a new soul emerged within the Dharma Body, matching his consciousness.
Only at this moment did he regain a fleshly body, soul, and even consciousness sea. Moreover, everything was autonomous; the Perfected Lord position was unaffected by the Dao Fruit.
Just like in the ancient era, those Golden Core Perfected Lords before the Grotto-Heaven Method appeared.
Ancient Method Golden Core, achieved!