The sudden mutation in the Pure Land spread through the circle of Golden Core Perfected Lords almost instantly. After all, that exclamation of "Primordial Heavenly Demon" was essentially directed at them.
As for the Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones and lower-tier cultivators, they at most saw a myriad of strange phenomena occurring in the direction of Jiangxi. They speculated inwardly but struggled to understand the concrete truth. Furthermore, because the Primordial Heavenly Demon had already eroded every Buddhist Cultivator in Jiangxi, and even the mortal believers, there was no way to learn the specifics of the situation.
For a time, all the Perfected Lords felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
However, just when all the Perfected Lords thought the Primordial Heavenly Demon would immediately go on a rampage and ignite a Heavenly Demon disaster, they saw the entity suddenly offer a relaxed smile.
Then, he vanished.
Instantly, it was as if the demonic qi had never appeared. The Arhats, Buddhist Cultivators, Bodhisattvas, and believers who had been overtaken by inner demons all returned to normal.
The Primordial Heavenly Demon was nowhere to be found.
However, this didn't soothe the worries in the Perfected Lords' hearts. Instead, they grew even more tense. Nearly ten majestic surges of divine sense swept out, beginning to scan the entirety of the Immortal Nexus.
Some also attempted to contact Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer and Bodhisattva Precious Vase Water Moon, who appeared to have returned to normal. Yet, all divine sense transmissions sank like stones in the ocean. Even though they were currently preaching the scriptures to the Arhats, they had absolutely no reaction to the outside world, as if they had been reduced to functioning machines.
It was simply terrifying.
Within the Mystic Spirit World Realm, deep in the Heavenly Court, Lu Yang withdrew his gaze. The brilliant golden lightning of [Divine Firmament Thunder] continuously gathered at his fingertips, sinking into the boundless radiance.
After a long time, he finally squeezed a voice through his gritted teeth:
"The World Honored One... is stealing my fortune!"
[Tribulation].
Undoubtedly, the Pure Land suddenly producing this so-called Primordial Heavenly Demon was aimed squarely at the [Tribulation]. Was the World Honored One trying to swoop in and snatch the prize?
How shameless!
All I did was stitch together your Dharma methods, plus that time I intentionally shifted the blame and framed the Pure Land. Setting aside the facts, are you saying you're completely blameless?
Of course, he didn't dare speak these words out loud, only daring to think them: 'Not good. I haven't even finished improving the inner demon cultivation method on my end, and the World Honored One has already brought forth something new. This Primordial Heavenly Demon is clearly unaffected by the [Master of Great Tribulations], otherwise, I wouldn't have been completely in the dark beforehand.'
'But the inner demon was born because of me, after all.'
The more Lu Yang thought about it, the uglier his expression became:
'In other words, as long as I exist and the [Master of Great Tribulations] exists, eighty percent of the tribulations caused by the inner demons will ultimately fall upon me.'
'Why would the World Honored One allow such a thing?'
'If he truly wants to steal the opportunity and vie for the [Tribulation], then the Primordial Heavenly Demon's first target must be me. Only by killing me does he have any hope!'
That being said, Lu Yang wasn't panicking.
The reason was simple. Although the Primordial Heavenly Demon had already manifested, judging from that brief, fleeting glimpse, the opponent did not seem to have become a Great Perfected Lord.
'This is normal. That [Tathagata Ratnasambhava of the Vajradhatu] fused the mighty power of the Pure Land's three Bodhisattvas, and the result was still only Middle Stage Golden Core. Now they are missing Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory, and Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow is a mere Unorthodox Dao cultivator. Add a bunch of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and it's impossible to fill that gap.'
'In other words, it might be even weaker than the [Tathagata Ratnasambhava of the Vajradhatu] right now.'
'The World Honored One's descent to the mortal realm is ultimately limited, especially concerning the [Tribulation]. If he wants to use the inner demon to snatch the prize, he must play by the inner demon's rules.'
'So, it needs time.'
Lu Yang quickly deduced the Primordial Heavenly Demon's next step: 'It definitely inherited the inner demon's characteristic of growing stronger by devouring cultivators.'
'Therefore, its next step must be to eat people!'
'Who will it eat?'
'A Great Perfected Lord? No. Even though an inner demon can breakthrough to the Great Perfected Lord realm by eating one, even Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao wouldn't be that easy to devour.'
'Its teeth aren't sharp enough yet.'
'So, it will definitely go for a little appetizer first. As long as it eats a sufficiently strong Middle Stage Golden Core, it might gain the courage to make a move against me.'
Lu Yang quickly reached a conclusion.
Although he was indeed slightly lacking in comprehension, his talent for scheming and engaging in a battle of wits with others was absolutely maxed out.
'There actually aren't many Middle Stage Golden Cores in the current world. Let's not even talk about the old Dragon Lord; no one knows where he's hiding right now, and even divinations of heavenly mysteries can't locate him. As for the rest, whether it's the two Great Sages of the Demon Race or Perfected Lord Hanguang Futian, they have all hidden inside the Primordial Saint Sect. With Feixue holding the fort, they are absolutely safe.'
Thinking of this, Lu Yang suddenly felt quite fortunate.
'Thank goodness I had Martial Uncle Chong Guang force those two Great Sages to join the Saint Sect earlier. Otherwise, they would be the Primordial Heavenly Demon's dinner on a platter!'
Both Great Sages were at the Middle Stage.
If the Primordial Heavenly Demon ate them, its strength would inevitably skyrocket. While it might not breakthrough to a Great Perfected Lord, it would definitely be hard to find a match for it at the Middle Stage Golden Core.
'But it probably won't be a match for me.'
'After all, I have even mastered a Dao Fruit Secret Method now. My strength severely exceeds the normal parameters of the Middle Stage Golden Core. As long as the Primordial Heavenly Demon doesn't become a Great Perfected Lord, it will have a hard time competing with me.'
'And it doesn't know this yet.'
In an instant, Lu Yang's eyes lit up as he realized the key: 'This is an opportunity! An opportunity to nip the Primordial Heavenly Demon in the bud ahead of time!'
Although the Primordial Heavenly Demon wasn't his match, given the inner demon's bizarre and unpredictable nature and life-preserving abilities, it would be difficult for Lu Yang to pose a lethal threat to it. Moreover, if he went all out and the opponent became wary, it probably wouldn't appear in front of him again until it had broken through to the Great Perfected Lord realm.
'I must first feign weakness.'
'Deliberately show only a portion of my strength, leading the inner demon to misjudge me. Then, launch a sneak attack when its guard is down. This might just solve the problem once and for all!'
Lu Yang quickly sorted out his thoughts.
The [Tribulation] was his primary goal in this lifetime, and he absolutely would not allow anyone to snatch the prize. So what if it was the Primordial Heavenly Demon? It wasn't like the World Honored One's true body had descended.
If the World Honored One really went that far, then Lu Yang would just accept it and concede this lifetime.
But as long as it hadn't reached that point, he would fight for it!
As for the Primordial Heavenly Demon's target, he had also deduced it:
'Emperor Jiayou!'
Because of him, the overseas granary had been moved into the Saint Sect, and the Sword Pavilion had no Middle Stage cultivators. Therefore, the Primordial Heavenly Demon's target could only be the Dao Court.
The question was: How would it strike?
Lu Yang sat high in the Heavenly Court, gazing down at the Immortal Nexus, his eyes fixed in the direction of Jiangdong. He pondered internally: 'Although the Dao Court's Golden Cores are famously weak.'
'That is only limited to the Three Excellencies.'
'At least for Emperor Jiayou, he is a genuine Middle Stage Golden Core, and his Dao comprehension is actually quite high. He also has the augmentation of the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws].'
'Not to mention he almost never leaves his palace.'
'Situated in Jiangdong, residing within the Imperial City, even a Great Perfected Lord might not be able to kill Emperor Jiayou quickly. What methods will the Primordial Heavenly Demon pull out to deal with him?'
Just as Lu Yang was deep in thought.
Suddenly, deep within his sea of consciousness, the True Treasure [Yellow Court] he had refined in the past abruptly trembled. The world before his eyes blurred for a moment.
"Hm!?"
Lu Yang's pupils instantly shrank.
In the current world, there was only one thing that could elicit a resonance from the [Yellow Court]—the Supreme Dao Fruit hoarded by the Pure Land, which had never before appeared in the world.
[City Rampart Earth]!
"Damn it!" Lu Yang cursed out loud.
'[City Rampart Earth] clearly has no corresponding Perfected Lord, yet its profound wonders are being used as if it were nothing. This is definitely the World Honored One interfering. So shameless!'
Lu Yang immediately stood up from his seat.
The Primordial Heavenly Demon didn't bother hiding in the slightest, yet not a single Golden Core Perfected Lord in the entire world noticed a thing, simply because this anomaly did not exist in the present world.
Only he, relying on the special perspective granted by the [Yellow Court], was able to see clearly everything that was unfolding at this moment. The usually mysterious and unfathomable karmic net descended at this very instant, covering every single "effect" of all things in heaven and earth with its corresponding "cause." The accumulated history was plainly manifest.
'It's coming!'
The fundamental profound wonder of the Earth-Element Supreme Dao Fruit, [City Rampart Earth]—[Commanding Past and Present]!
(End of Chapter)