Lu Yang currently had no interest in paying attention to what was happening in the outside world.
At this moment, he had already returned to [Responding to Emperors], the fragment of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] that he had used as his safe house at the end of his previous life.
Inside the spacious pavilion, there was not a single person to be seen besides him. Looking around, golden tiles covered the roof, jade pillars supported the beams, and bright windows on all four sides let in the dawn. Light poured in from all directions, illuminating every speck of dust. The tables, chairs, and utensils were all arranged in perfect order, as if someone had been living here just recently.
Tap... tap... tap...
Lu Yang walked slowly through the pavilion, his footsteps echoing faintly. Previously, he had only dared to wander around the periphery, never daring to truly enter the center of the pavilion.
The reason was simple: he was afraid of dying.
"According to my experience with the [Nourishing Life Master], the rewards obtained from the previous trial of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] play a crucial role in the subsequent trial."
"For example, the Dao Heart obtained in [The Mortal World] could be used to carry the knowledge from the Dao Fruit books in the [Nourishing Life Master]. If the Dao Heart wasn't perfect, one couldn't read the Dao Fruit books, or they would become saturated after reading just a few. In that case, it would be impossible to use the World Realm Seed to weave concept."
"[Responding to Emperors] is most likely based on the same logic."
If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have waited until he had finished weaving the [Divine Firmament Thunder] and even successfully completed the Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual before coming here to challenge this stage.
Soon, Lu Yang arrived at a desk in the center of the pavilion.
The desk was completely empty. Behind it sat a large, ancient grand armchair. It seemed deliberately placed, hinting for the visitor to sit upon it.
[No traps, safe to use.]
Lu Yang subconsciously scanned it with the [Immortal Nexus Survival Guide]. Ever since obtaining this talent, he would scan literally anything before interacting with it.
Seeing that there were no problems, he slowly sat down.
However, the moment he sat on the chair, he was startled to find his vision gradually covered by an inescapable, boundless darkness.
In the blink of an eye, the world spun around him.
By the time he regained his bearings, he realized he was no longer in the pavilion. He had landed in a dim, bizarre realm of empty space, very similar to the dark void.
"..."
'I can't speak?'
Lu Yang instinctively tried to look around, but the feedback from his senses was incredibly bizarre—his body seemed to have suddenly vanished.
There was no sensation of having a head. His eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—his seven orifices were completely sealed. The darkness before him wasn't because something was covering him, but simply because he couldn't see. All his senses were cut off. Only his divine sense remained connected to some unknown place. He hurriedly extended his divine sense toward it.
Snap!
The next second, the moment he extended his divine sense, like a shattering dream, all the darkness faded away. Lu Yang stood blankly inside the pavilion.
Behind him was the very ordinary chair.
Before him was the empty desk.
He had stood up... the moment he left the grand armchair, he escaped from the darkness. However, the moment he sat back down on the grand armchair—
The darkness returned.
'I see. It's some kind of safety mechanism. It seems that place of darkness is the trial of [Responding to Emperors], and the divine sense connection is the method to escape.'
At this thought, Lu Yang found it somewhat unbelievable for a moment.
Because this was simply too humane. It was hard to imagine that a secret realm in a dreadful place like the sea of light would actually provide a safe method of exit.
Soon, Lu Yang began observing the place of darkness again.
'What does it want me to do?'
'Right, the ultimate reward of the Dao Fruit [Nourishing Life Master] was a Pseudo Void Attainment Dao Fruit cultivated using a World Realm Seed, which could ultimately even evolve into a Great Dao.'
'The method to break this situation must lie within it.'
At this thought, Lu Yang immediately began sensing the [Divine Firmament Thunder]. Soon, a hazy sensation surfaced in his mind, though it felt as if it were separated by a layer of veil.
'It's because of this place of darkness. It seems to be able to partially block my connection with the [Divine Firmament Thunder]. It's a good thing the designer was somewhat decent and allowed me to connect to the outside world using my divine sense. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't even be able to sense the [Divine Firmament Thunder] and would be trapped here until I died.'
Gradually, Lu Yang's mind stirred.
'I see it.'
Within the previously pitch-black place of darkness, a brilliant golden light suddenly lit up, tearing through the void. It was the manifestation of the mighty power of the [Divine Firmament Thunder].
However, the next second, the golden light shifted.
Rumble!
Accompanied by a loud boom in his ears, the scene before Lu Yang's eyes changed once again. The place of darkness, where he was previously unable to make a sound, was abruptly filled with noise.
"This is..." Lu Yang realized he could speak again.
Not only that, but the [Divine Firmament Thunder] also responded to his call. At this moment, it was already pulsing in his palm, its golden lightning spreading out like a spider web.
'Something's not right.'
Lu Yang frowned slightly. His attainments in the Dharma Body Dao were extremely high, and his perception of his own body was crystal clear. Even though he seemed to have returned to normal at this moment, within his perception, whether it was the [Divine Firmament Thunder], his true body, or his other items, they all felt somewhat illusory.
Fortunately, it was easy to verify.
'Patriarch?'
Lu Yang immediately tried to sense the Righteous Dao Banner. However, this time, there was absolutely no response from within the Righteous Dao Banner, as if there had never been any Banner Spirit inside it to begin with.
'As expected, it's fake.'
Right at that moment, the sound of footsteps rang out. Subsequently, a figure walked out, wearing a black robe and a black mask, with their hair tied up by an ink-colored ribbon.
The figure stood with their hands behind their back, the eyes behind the mask as calm as the ocean, quietly observing Lu Yang. However, to Lu Yang's great surprise, a Dao Fruit also floated between the other party's eyebrows. Pitch-black lightning spread outward from that Dao Fruit, an awe-inspiring sight.
'The [Divine Firmament Thunder]!?'
Lu Yang was confident he wasn't mistaken; that was indeed the [Divine Firmament Thunder]. Although the color of the lightning was different from his original version, the profound concept was almost identical!
The next second, a wave of realization flooded his mind.
It was a response from [Responding to Emperors], containing only a single sentence: 'Only by defeating the opponent before you can you open a passage within [Hundun].'
[Hundun]... was that the name of this place of darkness?
Lu Yang wasn't in a hurry to attack. Instead, he instinctively pondered the meaning of the prompt from [Responding to Emperors], and the black-robed figure didn't attack either.
Subsequently, he carefully observed the other party.
Then, as if he had discovered something, he confidently walked toward the black-robed figure. Only when he had closed the distance to a certain point did the black-robed figure finally speak:
"Oh ho... You aren't running away, but actively approaching me? Commendable courage."
On the other side, Lu Yang also revealed a smile.
'Mm... not a big problem.'
'As expected, [Responding to Emperors] and the [Nourishing Life Master] are connected, but that's the extent of it. This person before me only replicated my [Divine Firmament Thunder].'
'It seems it only tests the Dao Fruit. He hasn't replicated my Dharma Body Dao or my True Treasures at all. Yet, those two are my actual trump cards; the [Divine Firmament Thunder] is mostly just my experimental project, a mere sidekick... Under these circumstances, what difference is there between fighting me and seeking death?'
Even Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue was played to death by me once!
At this thought, Lu Yang's confidence soared. He possessed absolute confidence that his current self was invincible within the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. It didn't matter who came; they wouldn't stand a chance.
'I'd win!'
TN: In xianxia, Hundun (混沌) represents "primordial chaos"—the formless, undifferentiated state of the universe before the separation of Heaven and Earth.