The Mystic Spirit World Realm.
After dispatching the spiritual light to the Immortal Nexus, Lu Yang returned to the [Arctic Exorcism Court] with a thought. What met his eyes were the Banner Spirits toiling away diligently.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction, feeling like an old farmer watching the seedlings thrive in his vegetable patch.
To be honest, by this point, he didn't actually care much about the Banner Spirits anymore. His state of mind was entirely different from when he had just attained the [Heavenly Fire].
'Compared to back then, my moral standards have risen considerably.'
'This time, I didn't even turn the Righteous Dao Banner into the mountain gates of the Righteous Dao, forcing every disciple who joins to voluntarily become a Banner Spirit...'
Of course, this leniency only applied to ordinary Righteous Dao disciples. To enter the [Arctic Exorcism Court], one still had to voluntarily become a Banner Spirit. After all, the [Arctic Exorcism Court] was of paramount importance; only his brothers were worthy of trust. But if you weren't even willing to become a Banner Spirit, it was very hard for him to treat you as a brother.
"Patriarch, how is the Dao Soldier design coming along?"
"Still not there."
Faced with Lu Yang's inquiry, Patriarch Nether Whisper, who was directing a group of Banner Spirits, shook his head. "At best, we can only replicate something on the level of the [Sun-Shooting Bow]."
"Taking it a step further is extremely difficult."
"It can go a step further?"
Lu Yang was taken aback. The [Sun-Shooting Bow] was a Strategic-Level Dao Soldier. When powered by his full strength, it could even unleash an attack at the level of a Great Perfected Lord.
How could it possibly improve upon that?
"The Star Palace actually held back," Patriarch Nether Whisper said with a bitter smile. "At least from my perspective, there are higher and lower tiers even among Strategic-Level Dao Soldiers."
"And the [Sun-Shooting Bow] is undoubtedly in the lowest tier."
"I found combinable components in the design blueprints for the [Sun-Shooting Bow]. The blueprints for this Strategic-Level Dao Soldier have obvious signs of being incomplete."
"Simply put, it should just be the firing mechanism for an even larger-scale Dao Soldier. According to my estimation, the complete version should be an entity resembling a city. It would have an entire assembly line inside, ensuring that even if the [Sun-Shooting Bow] is scrapped, it can be rapidly repaired and reassembled."
Speaking of this, Patriarch Nether Whisper also felt somewhat helpless.
It was true that he possessed heaven-shaking wisdom. But as the saying goes, different trades are separated by mountains. If there was existing, ready-made technology laid out before him, he could quickly master it.
However, expecting him to master something he had absolutely zero prior contact with was asking a bit too much of him.
Lu Yang wasn't surprised by this. He casually replied, "Then forget it, it's not a big problem. We'll just find a way to extort it from the Star Palace later."
The current status of the Mystic Spirit World Realm was very delicate.
Although it had been captured by the Immortal Nexus, because of his existence, it hadn't been completely carved up by the Perfected Lords of the Immortal Nexus. Instead, a sort of stalemate had formed.
This was highly advantageous for the Star Palace.
At least from the Star Palace's perspective, the current Mystic Spirit World Realm could absolutely serve as their bridgehead to attack the Immortal Nexus when they launched the Thousand-Year Great Tribulation in the future.
And to maintain the existence of this bridgehead, as well as to forge ties with a powerhouse like him, the Star Palace would have to increase their investment in him.
"The fact that they haven't sought me out yet most likely means they haven't figured out how to cooperate with me. Once they make a decision, they'll naturally come knocking."
"The good days are still ahead!"
With a light chuckle, Lu Yang proceeded to the main hall of the [Arctic Exorcism Court]. Inside, the clear mirror hung high, and the seven massive cauldrons stood tall.
Lu Yang lowered his gaze and saw a brilliant, golden radiance within the seven [Cauldrons of Responding to Origin]. A strong scent of sandalwood permeated the air—it was undeniably the power of incense. Furthermore, through these seven cauldrons, he could sense the thoughts and intentions of all Righteous Dao disciples.
'This is how the World Honored One controls the Pure Land.'
Lu Yang stroked his chin.
Of course, he didn't possess the divine ability to modify Dao Hearts, so at most, he could only sense the thoughts of his disciples. He couldn't force them to spontaneously start chanting "Alas!"
"...Patriarch."
After a long silence, Lu Yang spoke again. "Why do you think all the Dao Lords establish their own Dao lineages instead of just acting as lone wolves?"
This was a highly intriguing phenomenon.
Sects, dynasties, religions... every single Dao Lord was supported by a massive Dao lineage. But did a Dao lineage actually hold any meaning for a Dao Lord?
He hadn't forgotten the outcome of his previous life: all the Dao Lords' true bodies descended to the mortal realm to fight over the Netherworld, resulting in the instantaneous death of every cultivator in the sea of light who laid eyes upon them. It was a near-apocalyptic ending. Given how decisively the Dao Lords acted, it was very hard to imagine they genuinely cared about a bunch of lower-tier cultivators.
"My previous hypothesis was that a Dao lineage is useful to a Dao Lord."
"That's why I founded the Righteous Dao—to uncover the secret behind it... But after trying twice, I haven't actually found any meaning in it."
Thinking of this, Lu Yang felt his scalp itch.
Back when he was still at Foundation Establishment, he learned that sects could concentrate providence to assist in elevating one's cultivation realm, so he assumed that was the purpose of a sect's existence.
Looking back on it now, it was simply laughable.
"It might matter for Foundation Establishment, but at the Perfected Lord level, providence hardly has any major impact anymore. Let alone Dao Lords—why would they care about providence?"
"Besides that, I also hypothesized that the existence of a Dao lineage might elevate a Dao Lord's stature, which is why it's so important to them... But in reality, since I founded the Righteous Dao until now, let alone elevating my stature, to put it bluntly, these lower-tier disciples are nothing but dead weight to me."
Having said that, Lu Yang sighed again.
Seeing this, Patriarch Nether Whisper pondered for a long time before frowning. "Perhaps our hypothesis has been heading in the wrong direction from the very beginning."
Lu Yang's eyes lit up. "What does the Patriarch mean?"
"The dead weight itself... might be the actual goal."
Patriarch Nether Whisper continued, "Perhaps the reason the Dao Lords leave behind Dao lineages is precisely to have a batch of lower-tier cultivators drag them down?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yang blinked blankly.
"...Huh?"
Dao Lords left behind Dao lineages not to elevate themselves, but conversely, to drag themselves down? Was cultivation too easy, so they wanted to up the difficulty?
"I don't know either," Patriarch Nether Whisper shook his head. "It's just a guess. After all, since even with your current cultivation base you can't perceive the use of a Dao lineage, perhaps that's just the reality of it. It's better not to aim too high. Not being able to guess it is normal; our perspective is limited, after all."
"What the Patriarch says makes sense... Hm?"
Lu Yang nodded and was about to say something else, but suddenly his heart stirred. He seemed to sense something, and his expression instantly turned peculiar.
"What's wrong?" Patriarch Nether Whisper asked with concern.
"Nothing, just a bit surprised."
Lu Yang shook his head, then let out a sigh that sounded like a lament. "An ill-fated bond... truly an ill-fated bond. To think that Senior Uncle would actually choose me this time."
Following that, he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"The Inner Demon Tribulation as a Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual previously had significant flaws. I needed to constantly deploy the profound wonder of the [Master of Great Tribulations] to maintain it."
"Perhaps this is an opportunity."
"Senior Uncle Chong Guang... back then, you nurtured me so I could help you seek the Golden Core. Now that our roles are swapped, let's have you contribute to my cultivation base instead."
At this thought, Lu Yang let out a sinister "Jiejiejie" laugh.
For Chong Guang, it all happened in a fleeting instant.
After being enveloped by the stream of light, his vision blurred, and he found himself entering an indescribable sea of concept. For a moment, he lost himself in a daze.
When he snapped back to reality, ground made of interwoven black and gold had already materialized beneath his feet. Looking around, he realized he had landed inside a majestic, expansive palace.
'Where is this!?'
'That boundless ocean just now... could it have been the [Sea of Bitterness]? The legendary secret realm that only Perfected Lords can roam. To think I actually had the fortune to lay eyes upon it...'
Chong Guang felt a chill in his heart, but he didn't dare dwell on it.
After all, actively accepting the recruitment of Immortal Lord Du Ye, Master of Tribulations—to put it nicely, was seeking a new path. To put it bluntly, he was gambling with his life.
It was just that his Dao path was now severed; he had nothing left to lose. That was why he decided to risk it all. Besides, the other party was, after all, an outsider.
How badly could he be screwed over?
It couldn't possibly be worse than the Immortal Nexus, right?