Lu Yang's main body left the Mystic Spirit World Realm without a second thought.
True, he had enjoyed his time messing around with the Mystic Spirit World Realm earlier, but when it came to major life-and-death matters, he always drew a very clear line.
Besides, I'm not running away.
It's a strategic retreat.
Only by positioning myself outside the Mystic Spirit World Realm can I advance or retreat at will. If things succeed, I can immediately press the advantage; if they fail, it's easier for me to pull out and leave.
Fortunately, the [Inevitable Fate] established by the Saint Sect Ancestor for the Immortal Nexus seems to target world realms, not individuals. As long as you realize it, you can still escape. If even individuals couldn't escape, that would be true despair... However, without a sufficient Dao Heart cultivation, it's hard to even realize it's happening.
He traveled far away from the Mystic Spirit World Realm.
It wasn't until he confirmed no enemies were pursuing him and there were no sudden gazes from Dao Lords that Lu Yang finally patted his chest, letting his suspended heart settle.
Good thing I'm cautious.
The one sent to the Star Palace was merely an incarnation. His main body had been securely hiding behind the Mystic Spirit World Realm the entire time, masking its karma with the profound enhancement of [Driving Night].
Even though my Incense Offering incarnation was exposed right under the World Honored One's nose, at the end of the day, that's only a fragment of the World Honored One, not his true self residing on the [Paramita]. His mighty power is limited, and his stature isn't high enough. It's impossible for him to directly trace the connection between my incarnation and my main body to catch me.
Of course, just to be safe.
After leaving the Mystic Spirit World Realm, Lu Yang still slipped into the [Nourishing Life Master]. He only felt truly safe within the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], a place Dao Lords couldn't interfere with.
Having done all this, he shifted his focus back to his incarnation in the Star Palace.
While Lu Yang's main body was stressing out, his Incense Offering incarnation was having the time of its life.
Thanks to a generous wave of Exalted One Hao Yuan's hand, he had practically grabbed a copy of every single item produced by the Star Palace. The Righteous Dao Banner was bursting at the seams.
However, there were priorities.
Most of these resources could only serve as reserves for now. Without the specialized technology of the Star Palace, he couldn't actually convert them into usable artifact-formations.
The reason Lu Yang hoarded them was to prepare for refining his own Star Chart in the future. Stockpiling materials in advance was never a bad idea.
Of course, two items were immediately useful.
One is the Five Elements Star Essence. It can be used to mend the Great Dao and elevate profound wonders. It's perfect for the [Divine Firmament Thunder], so I grabbed five portions of it.
Although this item was considered rare in the Star Palace, it wasn't so scarce as to be priceless. Basically, every Star Lord had some in stock, and certain large families hoarded quite a bit. Combined with the Star Palace's own reserves, when Lu Yang asked for five portions, Exalted One Hao Yuan even thought he was asking for too little.
The other item is a Dao Soldier.
However, unlike the Radiant Spirit God used by the Chamber Sun Rabbit Star Lord earlier, the Dao Soldier provided by Exalted One Hao Yuan was on a vastly different scale.
"The Radiant Spirit God is merely a tactical-level Dao Soldier."
"To put it bluntly, it's used to boost the combat power of the Star Lords' servants, allowing them to hold out a bit longer when fighting the Perfected Lords of the Immortal Nexus in the future."
"True strategic-level Dao Soldiers share the same security clearance as the Twenty-Eight Star Charts. Only us old fossils have the authority to use them."
Led by Exalted One Hao Yuan, Lu Yang arrived at a remote region of the sea of stars. There, he beheld a colossal steel structure.
Just how big was it?
Without exaggeration, its scale was practically on par with the Mystic Spirit World Realm. Inside the structure, a dense array of artifact-formation constructs were actively operating.
"This is Factory One."
Exalted One Hao Yuan explained, "Back in the day, our Twenty-Eight Star Charts and all strategic-level Dao Soldiers were produced right here."
After saying this, he led Lu Yang to a corner of the factory. There, a planet composed almost entirely of steel floated silently in the void. Its gray-iron luster and symmetrical design exuded a beauty of pure order. Its surface was covered in intricate formation patterns.
"Here it is."
Exalted One Hao Yuan's divine sense rippled slightly. "This is my personal backup strategic-level Dao Soldier. Considering your situation, I am specifically lending it to you."
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
"What is the purpose of this Dao Soldier? Forgive my bluntness, but with my current cultivation base, the minor boost a Dao Soldier provides is negligible."
"This one is different."
Exalted One Hao Yuan chuckled. "This strategic-level Dao Soldier is called the Sun-Shooting Bow. Its role differs from the Radiant Spirit God; it's not meant for head-on combat."
"Oh? Then how is it used?" Lu Yang asked curiously.
"It's designed for long-range strikes."
Exalted One Hao Yuan explained, "Simply put, it can gather momentum to launch a long-range strike at a target far beyond the reach of a Perfected Lord's divine sense."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yang instantly understood.
Over-the-horizon strike capability!
But soon, he frowned. "If that's all it does, it doesn't seem that impressive. It hardly lives up to the 'strategic' label."
"What if I told you it can elevate your stature?" Exalted One Hao Yuan smiled.
"...Explain in detail," Lu Yang's expression turned serious.
"This Dao Soldier isn't meant to be fired in the real world. It needs to be taken into the [Sea of Bitterness]. From there, it draws upon the endless waters of conceptual imagery for enhancement."
"Therefore, firing a single shot with it is akin to an inversion of the [Sea of Bitterness]. If you charge it long enough and draw enough of the [Sea of Bitterness]'s waters, it can even elevate the stature of the attack by a minor tier. Given your cultivation base, Fellow Daoist... pushing a single strike close to the realm of a Great Perfected Lord is entirely possible."
Holy crap!?
As Exalted One Hao Yuan's words fell, Lu Yang was engulfed in sheer shock. Was he saying this thing could unleash an attack bordering on the Great Perfected Lord level!?
With weapons like this, how was the [Star Palace] still losing to the Immortal Nexus?
"Don't think too highly of it, Fellow Daoist."
Noticing the change in Lu Yang's expression, Exalted One Hao Yuan quickly clarified. "While its power is immense, the wear and tear is equally massive. They are essentially single-use spiritual treasure."
"Once fired, it's gone."
"Furthermore, the usage requirements are incredibly harsh. It requires an unimaginably vast reserve of spiritual power to activate. Only us old fossils can barely meet the demands."
"As for those Star Lords, they lack the capability."
Hearing this, Lu Yang frowned slightly. "To be honest, Senior, while I am confident in my spiritual power reserves, compared to you Seniors, I'm afraid I still..."
"You don't need to worry about that, Fellow Daoist."
Exalted One Hao Yuan smiled. "This Sun-Shooting Bow I'm giving you has been modified. It doesn't require spiritual power; it requires the physical might of a Dharma Body."
"With your cultivation base, Fellow Daoist, you more than meet the requirements."
Lu Yang finally nodded. "That's good then..."
He then took another serious look at the nearly assembled planetary Dao Soldier in the factory, pondering inwardly.
It really is single-use.
The materials used are mostly common goods. There are no high-end materials. It's more accurate to say its original design philosophy was to be a disposable item.
With this thought, Lu Yang suddenly grew curious. "May I ask who designed such a Dao Soldier?"
"Uh..."
Exalted One Hao Yuan, who had been speaking eloquently just moments before, suddenly choked on his words.
After a moment, he replied, "It was an old artifact-formation master named Star Soul."
"You actually know him, Fellow Daoist."
"...I know him?" Lu Yang's eyes flickered.
He only knew two artifact-formation masters: Ming Feng and the old professor from the tutorial. There was no reason for Exalted One Hao Yuan to be so tight-lipped if it were Ming Feng.
Did that mean... it was that old professor who said he had no talent and was only fit to cultivate the Dharma Body?
At this thought, Lu Yang couldn't help but muse.
To think that old professor was so outstanding. He might just be the perfect talent to refine into a Banner Spirit.
Of course, this wasn't him being petty.
He just truly cherished talent.