Myriad Martial World Realm, Lu Yang withdrew his Dharma Body and quietly descended.
At this moment, he was at the edge of this towering mountain range, standing next to a cliff face as smooth as a mirror. Upon it was a distinct, long, and narrow crack.
This was something Lu Yang had deliberately left behind.
After all, if he sealed it completely, without the nourishment of the spiritual qi from heaven and earth outside, even a Heavenly Demon would gradually weaken and eventually vanish into formlessness.
This crack was the "ventilation shaft."
And peering through the crack deep into the mountain wall, one could vaguely see a mass of black shadow dispersing like water, unable to even condense into a human form.
It was exactly the Primordial Heavenly Demon.
'This is rather surprising.'
Lu Yang looked up at the sky. To tell the truth, he had originally thought that at the final moment, the old undying freak of the Saint Sect would intervene and use [Inevitable Fate] to save the Heavenly Demon and send it to the Celestial Court.
However, the result was that no one cared.
The World Honored One didn't act, and the old undying freak of the Saint Sect didn't act either. They just sat by and watched the Primordial Heavenly Demon get suppressed, as if they had already severed ties with him.
'Abandoned, huh.'
'No, not entirely... Part of the reason is probably the timing.'
A realization dawned on Lu Yang: 'The World Honored One descended to vie for the [Tribulation]; would the other Dao Lords have no objections? The Dao Court has already been entirely wiped out by him.'
'The World Honored One sending the Primordial Heavenly Demon to the Celestial Court to assist in eradicating the Dharma Body Dao was, at most, an agreement made with the Ancestral Master of the Saint Sect. The Dao Lords of the Sword Pavilion and the Dao Court might not necessarily buy it. This is the balance between Dao Lords. When the Primordial Heavenly Demon destroyed the Dao Court, the Dao Court Dao Lord didn't interfere at all.'
'It's probably not that he didn't want to interfere, but that he was blocked by the other Dao Lords.'
'The same goes for now. When I suppressed the Primordial Heavenly Demon, it's not that the World Honored One and the Ancestral Master of the Saint Sect didn't want to act, but that they were blocked by the other two Dao Lords.'
The Dao Lords were not of one mind!
To some extent, this could be considered a rare glimmer of vitality in the Immortal Nexus, giving lower-tier ants like them a slight chance of survival in the cracks.
Right at this moment.
"Ah ah..."
Within the mountain, the Primordial Heavenly Demon seemed to have finally recovered. The dispersed black shadow coalesced back into a black-robed young man, roaring with indignation.
Instantly, demonic might surged. Even though suppressed, the Primordial Heavenly Demon was ultimately an inner demon comparable to a Middle Stage Golden Core, possessing an incredibly high stature. If it were an ordinary mountain range, he would have already caused it to collapse and tear apart by now. Yet currently, all auras of destruction were confined deep within the mountain.
"Fellow Daoist, you'd better not waste your efforts."
Lu Yang shook his head. He hadn't just conjured up this massive mountain casually; it was formed after he used the [Master of Great Tribulations] to modify the concept of his palm.
The mountain was merely the surface appearance.
Fundamentally, it was one of his hands pressing down here. Furthermore, it was augmented by the [Mountain-Bearing Dao Fruit] he had condensed, further strengthening its profound wonders.
With the augmentation of the Dao Fruit Secret Method, the seal of this mountain would only grow stronger. The more times the Primordial Heavenly Demon attacked the seal, the more indestructible it would become.
In addition to this, he had also extensively "communicated" with the Myriad Martial World Realm using the [Penetrating the Void and Pacifying Karma Jade Scripture], mobilizing the power of the entire World Realm to reinforce the seal.
A triple layer of insurance.
Let alone the fact that the Primordial Heavenly Demon was currently heavily injured, even if he were at his peak, he still wouldn't be able to escape. He could only obediently remain suppressed here!
A moment later, the Primordial Heavenly Demon finally regained his clarity of mind.
More accurately, the immense pressure coming from the mountain forced him to regain his clarity. He felt that if he didn't sober up, he might be crushed into meat paste.
"Ha ah..."
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, wanting to regulate his breathing. However, the terrifying oppression from the mountain made even basic breathing and meditation a hundred times more difficult than usual.
But he was already standing on the brink of annihilation. No matter how difficult it was, he couldn't give up. So, he desperately tried to sense the spiritual qi. After a long time, he finally managed to swallow his first mouthful of spiritual qi. Circulating it with his Heavenly Demon body, a slight touch of color returned to his pale face.
But that was it.
He stopped speaking and just stared blankly ahead. Countless emotions churned in his heart. A Heavenly Demon ironically giving birth to an inner demon was actually causing his aura to rise.
"Hm?"
Lu Yang naturally noticed the changes in the Primordial Heavenly Demon, a look of surprise immediately surfacing in his eyes. "A Heavenly Demon body can actually birth an inner demon?"
How was that possible?
At this rate, as long as there was a tiny bit of spiritual qi supply, the Primordial Heavenly Demon could recover his peak state simply by devouring the inner demon he birthed!
"Heh heh..."
Hearing this, the Primordial Heavenly Demon sneered immediately. "Why wouldn't a Heavenly Demon birth an inner demon? You were the one who established the concept back then, Fellow Daoist: all things can birth inner demons."
"Fair enough." Lu Yang nodded.
"So, what exactly caused Fellow Daoist to birth an inner demon?"
"What's done is done. What does it matter if I tell you?"
The Primordial Heavenly Demon let out another sneer. Then, as if throwing a broken pot, he directly spilled out the entire reason, and subsequently fell back into a daze.
He had shut himself away.
On the other side, Lu Yang couldn't help but shake his head, sighing inwardly: 'The Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus truly live up to their reputation. Even a Heavenly Demon birthed an inner demon after dealing with you!'
Immediately after, his brow furrowed slightly.
'This won't do. Inner demons exist because of obsessions. If he completely shuts himself away, does that still count as an obsession? If this continues, the Primordial Heavenly Demon will probably suffer a backlash from his Heavenly Demon body.'
'When that happens, although the Primordial Heavenly Demon will still exist, it will only be a mindless thing that only knows how to slaughter. Even if Martial Uncle Chong Guang eats it, the effect will be drastically reduced. Factoring in the gains and losses, wouldn't I have gone through all this trouble to catch it just to earn less?'
How could that be allowed!
To Great Immortal Lord Lu, earning less was the same as taking a loss!
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately formulated a plan, then smiled. "Actually, Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so despairing. This time might actually be an opportunity for you."
The Primordial Heavenly Demon didn't answer.
Lu Yang didn't mind and continued, "In fact, Fellow Daoist, you should also know that I have a True Demon under my command, who was formed through reverse refinement by a human cultivator."
"The reason I suppressed you this time was precisely to let him devour you."
"However, if Fellow Daoist has the capability, even if you turn the tables and devour him instead, it would still be a great opportunity for you. It would be enough for you to recover to your peak state."
"...Heh heh."
The Primordial Heavenly Demon finally laughed, but it was filled with disdain. "What's the use? I am no longer favored by the World Honored One and have been reduced to an abandoned piece, and it's all thanks to you!"
"Who said that?"
Lu Yang shook his head. A subtle light flickered in his eyes, and his tone turned eerie, like demonic whispers entering the ears. "Fellow Daoist, you were only abandoned by the World Honored One, nothing more."
The Primordial Heavenly Demon was instantly stunned.
A second later, Lu Yang spoke softly, "I have a plan, and I need you."
"Your obsession, to put it bluntly, is just a desire not to be abandoned by the Dao Lords in the sky. You call yourself the Primordial Heavenly Demon, yet is your view of the world really so small?"
"Don't you want to take revenge on them?"
"Fellow Daoist, you should be doing something big! Something big!"
Clearly, one was an inner demon and the other was a cultivator, yet their roles seemed to have been reversed. The cultivator was earnestly coaxing and tempting, while the inner demon revealed a look of struggle.
"Don't you want to see those exalted figures in the sky fall?"
"Don't you want to see them flying into a rage out of humiliation?"
"Compared to your previous petty squabbles, this is the true [Tribulation]... Since your goal is the [Tribulation], you should understand the principle behind it."
"Join forces with me, and let's do something big!"
As his words fell, Lu Yang extended a hand towards the Primordial Heavenly Demon within the mountain, his tone calm: "I need you as my chess piece."
(End of Chapter)