Forbidden Knowledge capable of making a Great Perfected Lord self-detonate.
Hearing this, Lu Yang, who had been full of interest a moment ago, immediately waved his hand in refusal. This reminded him of his final memories from his past life.
'The descent of a Dao Lord!'
'When the Dao Lord descended to the mortal realm to vie for the Netherworld, all cultivators who looked directly at his body—whether they were Great Perfected Lords or ordinary Perfected Lords—died instantly.'
'And after I restarted, I actually couldn't even remember what the Dao Lord looked like. This is clearly abnormal. If this so-called oldest Forbidden Knowledge is on the same level as a Dao Lord's true body, it means I cannot listen to it, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to record it.'
Therefore, Lu Yang decisively changed the subject:
"You just mentioned that an Overlord-Level Dao Soldier can unleash effects equivalent to the Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual. Is this the same for a Supreme Dao Fruit?"
Hearing this, Exalted One Hao Yuan's expression stiffened, and he subtly gestured toward Star Soul with the corner of his mouth.
Why ask me? Ask him. He's the professional.
Lu Yang immediately looked at Star Soul. The old professor took up the mantle without hesitation and smiled, "What exactly do you think a Supreme Dao Fruit is, Fellow Daoist?"
What else could it be?
"A Dao Fruit with a stature one tier higher than an orthodox Dao Fruit," Lu Yang stated directly.
Star Soul nodded upon hearing this. "As expected of someone cultivating the true body. Fellow Daoist's understanding of the Great Dao is as straightforward and direct as the Dharma Body Dao itself. It is truly admirable."
Lu Yang: "???"
Is he being sarcastic and mocking me?
Before he could speak, Star Soul continued, "The so-called Supreme Dao Fruit is fundamentally a law used to expound the origin concepts of the sea of light."
"For example, the Five Elements Supreme of the Immortal Nexus, or the Taiyin and Taiyang of the Celestial Court. This is the principle behind them. Conversely, our Star Palace's Supreme Star Chart merely picks up what others have left behind. It fundamentally hasn't reached that level. I can only say that the one who originally designed the Star Chart was very ambitious, but unfortunately, his ambitions were higher than the sky while his fate was thinner than paper—"
Rumble!
Before Star Soul could finish his sentence, Exalted One Hao Yuan interrupted him with a drastic change in expression. Lu Yang also subconsciously took a step back, putting distance between himself and the old man.
Damn it, if you want to court death, don't splash your blood on me!
Who was the designer of the Star Chart?
The first-generation Master of Myriad Treasures Peak of the Saint Sect. It was almost certain now that this was the World Honored One himself, who had already ascended to Paramita. This entity was notoriously shameless in meddling with those beneath him.
And you dare speak ill of him?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately looked at Exalted One Hao Yuan standing nearby. The latter wore a helpless expression, looking as if there was absolutely nothing he could do.
Star Soul, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered. He said indifferently, "As for what can be called an origin law, I have researched this for many years and have gained some insights... In my eyes, the origin laws can be summarized in a few words: Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Three Foundations, and the Five Heavenly Destinies."
Hearing this, Lu Yang was instantly stunned.
"...Five Heavenly Destinies?"
He reacted almost instantly. His initial wariness towards the World Honored One was thrown completely out the window, and he stared at Star Soul with burning eyes.
"Explain in detail! What are the Five Heavenly Destinies?"
"Naturally, they are Inevitable Fate, Variable, Fortune, Destiny, and Tribulation!" Star Soul said matter-of-factly. "If Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements expound upon all things..."
"...and the Three Foundations—Spiritual Power, Dharma Body, and Dao Arts—expound upon cultivators..."
"...then these Five Great Heavenly Destinies expound upon the fundamental operation of all phenomena and events. That is why the four Dao Lords of the Immortal Nexus stand a head above us."
"Because among these three types of origin rules, the Three Foundations are the weakest. They have the most restrictions and are limited only to the group of cultivators. They only gained the status of origin laws because cultivators are the protagonists of the light sea. Next are the Dao Fruits like Yin and Yang and the Five Elements."
"Because they expound upon all things."
"However, whether it is cultivators or all things, their very operation is encompassed within the Five Great Heavenly Destinies. Therefore, the Five Great Heavenly Destinies are superior to the rest."
Star Soul's words caused Lu Yang to fall into silence.
To Exalted One Hao Yuan, this knowledge was garbage knowledge, because Star Soul was merely explaining why the Dao Lords of the Three Foundations failed to defeat the Immortal Nexus back then.
Fuck me, do I need to know this?
What I need is a method to win!
Therefore, in Exalted One Hao Yuan's view, Star Soul was a classic example of an armchair critic—only pointing out the problem without offering a solution.
However, Lu Yang was different.
He knew too much. Thus, Star Soul's words were like a jigsaw puzzle piece that instantly completed many of the truths that had previously troubled him.
'What exactly is the Dao cultivated by the Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus?'
'Previously, I suspected they all used Void Attainment. But this wasn't quite right, because logically speaking, their era simply lacked the conditions for Void Attainment.'
During the golden age of cultivators, the Dao of the Three Foundations flourished immensely, and Dao Fruits emerged in an endless stream. Compared to Void Attainment—which was complex, difficult to understand, and offered no way out in the short term—it was only natural for cultivators to seek existing Great Daos. Besides, was Void Attainment definitely stronger? Not necessarily; it was just more unique.
Or to put it more bluntly:
'Void Attainment itself might just be a symbol of one of the Five Great Heavenly Destinies—creating something out of nothing, attaining it out of thin air. Isn't this exactly the [Variable]!'
Lu Yang continued to ponder deeply:
'Among the Five Great Heavenly Destinies, no one has attained [Tribulation], and the same should be true for [Variable]. However, [Inevitable Fate], [Destiny], and [Fortune] are a different story.'
After all, the Ancestor of the Saint Sect had clearly attained [Inevitable Fate]. He strongly suspected that eighty percent of the remaining [Destiny] and [Fortune] had also been attained by the Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus. Out of the four Dao Lords, three had attained Heavenly Destinies. There might only be one Dao Lord who hadn't attained any of them and had ascended through a different path entirely.
'It must be the World Honored One.'
'No wonder he covets the [Tribulation] so much. If he can attain the [Tribulation], he might be able to stand on the same starting line as the other Dao Lords.'
'Looking at it this way, he probably won't give up.'
Thinking of this, Lu Yang's heart suddenly chilled:
'The Primordial Heavenly Demon was merely a casual chess piece; since it failed, he just abandoned it. But he is absolutely determined to obtain the [Tribulation]. I fear he will have other methods in the future.'
'On top of that, this is also an opportunity for me!'
'[Tribulation] is also an origin law. So, as long as I have the augmentation of [Tribulation], my [Divine Firmament Thunder] can gain the stature of a Supreme Dao Fruit!'
This point was especially crucial.
Because in his [Project: Collapse Paramita], a certain Supreme Dao Fruit was indispensable. Yet, he couldn't obtain it no matter how hard he tried, so he had to substitute it with [Divine Firmament Thunder].
Now, the method had appeared.
'As long as I find a way to gain the favor of the [Tribulation] and allow [Divine Firmament Thunder] to advance to a Supreme stature, I will be able to perfectly unleash the profound wonders of a Supreme Dao Fruit!'
If he additionally gained the augmentation of the Overlord-Level Dao Soldier...
And going even further, if he devoured [Pine & Cypress Wood] himself and advanced to a Great Perfected Lord of the Dharma Body Dao...
With this entire set of augmentations, he would be equivalent to a Great Perfected Lord who wielded a sublimated Supreme Dao Fruit. Even if [Sky-shrouding] arrived in person, they would be about evenly matched, right?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately strengthened his tone:
"Fellow Daoist, you still haven't clearly told me. Is the Overlord-Level Dao Soldier useful on a Supreme Dao Fruit or not?"
Hearing this, Star Soul finally stopped talking. He frowned slightly, like a teacher displeased with a student interrupting his lecture. Then, he nodded faintly:
"Of course it's useful."
With these words, Lu Yang felt greatly encouraged.
The mysterious veil of the Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus, the fundamental secret of the world's operation—now, a corner of it had finally been lifted by him, allowing him a glimpse of the scenery at the summit.
However, while one doubt was resolved, another doubt subsequently emerged:
'Just who exactly is this Star Soul?'
A genius? Stop joking. Whether it was being able to remember Forbidden Knowledge that could cause a Great Perfected Lord to explode, or his recent summarization and conclusion of the origin laws.
This could absolutely not be summarized with the word "genius."
No matter how much of a genius you were, could you be as much of a genius as Patriarch Nether Whisper? These things couldn't be explained by talent; it was knowledge that could only be grasped if one's background was immense enough!
This was the underlying logic of this wretched place.
You have great talent? What the hell is the use of great talent? To cultivate in this wretched place, you must have profound origins and a powerful background. Otherwise, you're just a little nobody.
"Senior, what exactly is this person's background?"
Lu Yang turned around and looked at Exalted One Hao Yuan. He didn't hold back, directly sending a voice transmission to ask his question. The latter merely gave him a bitter smile.
"I knew you would ask this question."
"The answer is actually very simple. I can make you understand instantly with just one word." Exalted One Hao Yuan sighed, then softly uttered a single word:
"Alas..."
(End of Chapter)