Jiangbei, Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea.
Just as [Sky-Shrouding] and the Old Dragon Lord stepped into the Sword Pavilion, Lu Yang quietly arrived at the Sacred Fire Cliff, landing before the gates of Perfected Lord Feixue's palace.
Four figures had been waiting there for some time.
The leader was naturally Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue, flanked by Perfected Lord Hanguang Futian on the left and Perfected Lord Iridescent Brocade on the right. Beside them stood a fourth figure—a woman.
She possessed peerless beauty, her skin delicate as pearls and jade. She appeared as a sculpture come to life, regarding Lu Yang with a gentle smile.
"This lowly one greets the Perfected Lord."
Her voice was soft, evoking an involuntary sense of tenderness... More importantly, Lu Yang recognized her.
Great Sage Ming Zhu...
Instantly, Lu Yang shifted his gaze to Perfected Lord Feixue. She wore a faint smile, her aura seemingly unchanged.
If I remember correctly, Great Sage Ming Zhu cultivates [Abyssal Sea Gold]... Hiss! Could this madwoman Feixue have already gathered three elements and broken through to Great Perfected Lord?
Lu Yang pondered internally, though his expression remained steady. However, his posture, originally upright, subtly shifted to one of respect.
"...Greetings, Senior." Lu Yang cupped his hands.
He was no naive junior. Since Great Sage Ming Zhu was present, and Perfected Lord Feixue had a chance of breaking through, he had to assume she had already succeeded.
Yet, he felt no panic.
The Sword Pavilion is likely in a similar state. Gangxing and the Old Dragon Lord have no hope, but [Sky-Shrouding] has absorbed Tian Qiu; there is an eighty percent chance he has broken through.
In this scenario, Feixue could trade blows with [Sky-Shrouding]. But without my help, the Saint Sect is powerless to stop Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao and the Old Dragon Lord.
It was precisely because Lu Yang saw through this stalemate that he decided to openly bring his talents back to the Saint Sect.
As for whether Feixue would sell me out?
Impossible. Because if I die, Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao can degrade [Heavenly Fire] and eventually return to the rank of Great Perfected Lord.
Where would that leave the Saint Sect?
Moreover, the Old Dragon Lord and his [Vast Ocean Water] are also essential for Perfected Lord Feixue. Considering this, she has no choice but to join forces with me.
With these thoughts, Lu Yang grew increasingly calm.
Seeing his composure, a smile gradually surfaced on Perfected Lord Feixue's face. She raised her hand. "No need for formalities. I have long admired Fellow Daoist."
"You praise me too much..." Lu Yang waved his hand.
Perfected Lord Feixue immediately changed the subject. "Speaking of which, there should be another Fellow Daoist, correct? I wonder if he has accompanied you?"
"Naturally, he has come."
Lu Yang smiled. "However, that Fellow Daoist has a reclusive nature. Furthermore, he comes from a rogue cultivator background and is not a disciple of my Saint Sect, so he did not join us this time."
It was an excuse, of course.
Lu Yang simply did not intend to let Patriarch Nether Whisper reveal himself in non-combat situations. Now that the storm was coming, the more mysterious one remained, the safer they were.
However, as his voice faded, Perfected Lord Feixue looked at him with a faint smile. "Where does Fellow Daoist, this Saint Sect disciple, hail from?"
"I wonder if you might offer a Daoist title?"
"..."
Lu Yang smiled but remained silent.
What a joke. In this life, I have no official identity as a Saint Sect Perfected Lord. He had merely claimed it verbally; if asked for proof, there was certainly none.
But he wasn't afraid of Perfected Lord Feixue exposing him. After all, Saint Sect Perfected Lords often disregarded formal identity in favor of style. Over the years, countless Saint Sect Perfected Lords had reincarnated, faked their deaths, or cut ties with their past selves to go elsewhere.
What difference did one more make?
Seeing his silence, Perfected Lord Feixue's expression became intriguing. "Fellow Daoist is unwilling to give a title; it seems you lack sincerity."
"Is it important?" Lu Yang asked.
Perfected Lord Feixue shook her head. "Of course it is not important. But since Fellow Daoist has attained [Heavenly Fire], it makes a difference... To be honest, someone wishes to meet you."
Holy shit?!
Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat instantly. Someone wants to meet me? Who? It couldn't be the Saint Sect Old... Ancestor, far away on the Paramita, could it?
A bit panicked!
However, on the surface, he maintained his calm, chuckling, "Oh? I wonder who it is."
"He has already arrived."
As Perfected Lord Feixue spoke, Lu Yang saw the massive Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea suddenly churn, and dense formation patterns quickly surfaced.
[Thirty-Three Heavens Vertical and Horizontal Go Grand Formation]!
Seeing this, Lu Yang stood with hands clasped behind his back. While concentrating his divine sense on the panel of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], ready to restart at any moment, he revealed a calm smile.
Immediately after, infinite cloud qi converged toward the Sacred Fire Cliff. If the Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea was the chessboard, then the Sacred Fire Cliff was [Tengen]—the center point and hub of the main formation. However, upon closer inspection, an anomaly appeared.
Within the Sacred Fire Cliff, there was another formation!
It was a formation within a formation!
In the next second, as the cloud qi gathered, a palace hall shockingly materialized within the Sacred Fire Cliff like a rising sun, seeming to breathe, inhaling and exhaling the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.
If the Sacred Fire Cliff was the center of the Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea, then this palace hall was the center of the Sacred Fire Cliff.
Lu Yang looked up to see a golden jade plaque hanging high above the main gate of the palace.
There were only three characters on it:
[Heaven-Reaching Hall]
It was the gateway used by the Saint Sect to travel to the myriad World Realms under its rule. Rumor had it that, like the Refining Arts Secret Realm, it was a supreme treasure left by the Saint Sect Ancestor!
Soon, the gates of the [Heaven-Reaching Hall] swung open. A handsome Dao Child with lips like vermilion and teeth like white jade, his eyes containing myriad phenomena, walked out. With a single breath, he absorbed all the gathered cloud qi into his body. During this process, his expression shifted, tenderness turning into maturity.
For a time, inside and outside the Sacred Fire Cliff, golden light shone brilliantly, and phenomena appeared in profusion.
However, these phenomena seemed to exist in a completely different dimension. Clearly astonishing, yet they did not attract the attention of the countless Saint Sect disciples.
Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment—they perceived nothing.
Only Golden Core Perfected Lords could see this scene, as if only they were qualified to witness it. This caused Lu Yang to narrow his eyes.
Very astonishing... but no hindrance.
Admittedly, the handsome Dao Child walking out of the [Heaven-Reaching Hall] clearly had extraordinary origins, most likely having a close relationship with the Saint Sect Ancestor. His background was simply bigger than the sky.
But it wasn't the Saint Sect Ancestor himself, after all.
This allowed Lu Yang to breathe a secret sigh of relief. His demeanor became even calmer as he watched the Dao Child float down and stand before him.
"It really is [Heavenly Fire]..."
The Dao Child stared straight at Lu Yang, sizing him up, then sighed leisurely.
"Not attained by the new dharma ritual, but attained in the past. The Grotto-Heaven did not shatter, but remained instead... It seems you really have returned."
Hearing this, Lu Yang's expression didn't change.
Returned? Who?!
Hasn't [Heavenly Fire] never been attained by anyone? I confirmed this news repeatedly. Theoretically, it shouldn't be wrong.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Yang didn't pretend; he shook his head decisively.
"Forgive me, I am not the person Fellow Daoist speaks of."
Sometimes, it is best not to wear an identity that shouldn't be worn—especially one that looks like it carries heavy karma. It is better to keep a respectful distance.
"Not him?"
Hearing this, the Dao Child laughed instantly. "No, you are. It is simply that you do not remember. But you will remember eventually... [Perfected Lord Brilliant World Joyous Light]."