[Nourishing Life Master].
Inside the colossal pagoda, amidst layers of bookshelves, the Old Dragon Lord was immersed in a sea of knowledge, constantly flipping through the vast collection of Dao Fruit books.
However, right at this moment, his heart suddenly stirred.
...Is it my imagination?
Just a moment ago, he discovered that the Jade Slip he had hidden most deeply, intended for contacting [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] only when necessary, had suddenly trembled.
But looking at it again now, it seemed nothing had happened.
As if it were just an illusion.
But soon, the same sensation arose again. He subconsciously began to deduce the karma. For a Perfected Lord, this was the most covert way to communicate.
If the great web of karma was a massive database, Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones possessed junior permission to view a small portion of the data, and Golden Core Perfected Lords possessed senior permission to view most of the data, then there was a top-tier permission that allowed one to call up data and leave messages directly within the database.
Only a cultivator with the stature of a Great Perfected Lord could achieve this.
In other words, the person who could leave a message on the great web of karma, even anchor the karma so that he could calculate it, must be a current Great Perfected Lord.
Aside from [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao], who else could it be?
Hmm? No, wait, there seem to be others... Oh right, right, there's no one else. Sigh, it seems I'm truly getting old; I'm having more and more distracting thoughts recently.
The Old Dragon Lord's eyes were cloudy. Faint mist permeated the air, yet he remained unaware, and it went unnoticed by others. He continued to focus his mind on the matter before him.
A single leaf blinds the eyes; this was exactly it.
Soon, a piece of information surfaced before the Old Dragon Lord's eyes:
[Meet at Dragon Palace]
Seeing this information, the Old Dragon Lord's heart, which had been suspended, instantly settled back into place. He chided himself for being too cautious, nearly missing an important matter.
Overseas, Dragon Palace.
As the Old Dragon Lord's consciousness descended, a dragon-shaped statue located deep within the Dragon Palace suddenly came to life, its jade eyes becoming spirited.
Sigh, it's a pity my true body can't come out.
The Old Dragon Lord sighed inwardly. [Sky-Shrouding] and Lu Yang were guarding him strictly, clearly not allowing him to run around. He could only make do with an incarnation for now.
"Fellow Daoist, it has been a long time."
"...Hiss!"
The sudden voice made the Old Dragon Lord suck in a breath of cold air. He appeared extremely unadapted, cursing inwardly that the quality of the incarnation was poor and its sensing ability too weak.
If his main body were here, it would be absolutely impossible for someone to get this close without him noticing. For example, when Lu Yang came to the Dragon Palace before, even with the [Driving Night] profound wonder masking his figure, the Dragon Lord had still discovered the clues. However, the incarnation was clearly lacking in this aspect.
Immediately, he turned around.
What entered his vision was impressively a middle-aged man with a refined appearance. His face had a sickly look, yet the sword intent on his body made the Old Dragon Lord look sideways.
It was precisely [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao].
Seeing this, the Old Dragon Lord hurriedly bowed: "Greetings, Fellow Daoist... It is inconvenient for my main body to appear right now. Dare I ask why Fellow Daoist summoned me?"
"For [Nourishing Life Master]!"
[Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] smiled coldly: "[Sky-Shrouding] came to find me earlier. Regarding the opportunity in [Nourishing Life Master]... I heard you are also inside, Old Dragon Lord?"
At these words, the Old Dragon Lord was instantly greatly alarmed.
So fast!?
The efficiency of the Saint Sect's actions was simply too high. He was still hesitating about whether to turn traitor and how to do it, yet they had already begun implementing their plan!
Thinking of this, the Old Dragon Lord hesitated no longer. After all, defecting to the Sword Pavilion was a choice he had made after deep deliberation. Thus, he hurriedly said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist, do not be deceived. It is true that there is an opportunity within [Nourishing Life Master], but it is also a trap set by [Sky-Shrouding] to ambush and kill you!"
"Besides him, there is another mysterious Saint Sect Perfected Lord, the one who controlled the Dharma Body Dao earlier..."
"No need to say more; I already understand the situation."
[Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] said faintly, "However, this is an overt plot. I must go... If not for this, why would I come specifically to find you?"
The Old Dragon Lord immediately understood:
"Fellow Daoist, rest assured. My heart has always been with the Sword Pavilion. I still retain the inheritance of [Heavenly Fire] to this day, just waiting to exert myself for Fellow Daoist!"
"Very good."
Only then did [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] nod, saying coldly, "Since that is the case, I want you to launch a sneak attack on that madwoman Feixue at the critical moment."
"The specific timing... I will give you a hint through the great web of karma."
"...Sneak attack Feixue?"
The Old Dragon Lord frowned tightly upon hearing this, seeming to fall into deep thought. After a long time, he nodded solemnly: "Fine, I will act according to the situation."
Following that, the two sides discussed details for a while longer.
A moment later, the Old Dragon Lord dispersed his incarnation, while [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] floated away, traveling all the way to a remote island.
Whoosh!
In the next second, the refined man originally filled with sword intent exploded apart, transforming into rolling smoke and revealing the appearance of the [World-Retribution Incarnation].
"I underestimated Fellow Daoist!"
[Sky-Shrouding]'s tone carried a hint of amazement as he looked Lu Yang up and down. "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist to also possess sword intent. It made this trip much easier."
"A small matter, not worth mentioning." Lu Yang's tone was calm. "It was still Senior's methods that were superior. Both were incarnations, yet Senior could use the [World-Retribution Incarnation] to display divine wonders almost at full power, while the Old Dragon Lord's divine sense perception was greatly reduced. Were it not for this, it would have been impossible to deceive him so easily this time."
After speaking, he took a deep look at [Sky-Shrouding].
"[Knowledge-Perception Barrier] truly lives up to its reputation. Senior's development of it can be called the peak of perfection. Dare I ask, Senior, how exactly did you do it?"
The Old Dragon Lord was no small figure.
[Sky-Shrouding]'s cultivation had now fallen to the Middle Stage of Golden Core. Yet even so, he could actually influence the Old Dragon Lord's judgment out of thin air.
If I didn't control the profound wonder of [Overturned Lamp Flame] which is highly targeted, could [Sky-Shrouding] also easily influence my judgment of events?
Facing Lu Yang's admiring yet wary gaze, [Sky-Shrouding] simply smiled.
"Fellow Daoist praises me too much."
He didn't answer Lu Yang's question. Instead, he changed the subject: "Previously, I asked Fellow Daoist to go to the Saint Sect to invite Feixue and Hanguang. Did they agree to act?"
"All settled."
Lu Yang didn't press further, smiling faintly. "The opportunity of [Nourishing Life Master]... no Perfected Lord would miss it. They can join the ambush at any time."
"Good!"
[Sky-Shrouding] nodded. "In this way, everything is ready. We only lack Gangxing entering [Nourishing Life Master] and obtaining the Supreme Dao Fruit books."
Dark Void in the Light Sea.
The real [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] found a small World Realm and recuperated for a full three months before finally recovering from his sickly state.
"Phew! Finally..."
[Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] exhaled deeply. Never before had he felt that his current restricted state could drive him near madness.
Before, when there was no other way, he had even gotten used to this half-dead, crippled state. But ever since learning of the existence and opportunity of [Nourishing Life Master], he could no longer endure it. Continuing to stay in this Middle Stage of Golden Core for even a minute was torture to him.
[Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], Dao Lord opportunity...
[Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] sensed the void and quickly locked onto the location of [Nourishing Life Master]. The Gatekeeper's Seal on his body also brought enlightenment to his heart:
I lack nothing now!
Karma, coordinates, everything was ready. With a single thought, he could enter [Nourishing Life Master], obtain the Supreme Dao Fruit books, and solve all his troubles!
Dangers abound.
Although hope was right before his eyes, he remained clear-headed, knowing that inside [Nourishing Life Master], a siege trap targeting him had already opened its jaws—
Just waiting for him to jump in.
But just as Lu Yang judged, this was an overt plot. He had to go to [Nourishing Life Master], and he had to step into the trap. Life and death would depend on their respective methods.
Forget it.
Thinking of this, [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao] calculated the karma for a while longer, then chuckled lightly: "Who is the prey and who is the hunter is yet to be known!"
In the next second, he took a step forward.
Entering [Nourishing Life Master]! The grand drama begins!