"Stop talking, stop talking!"
Lu Yang was nearly scared out of his wits by Exalted One Hao Yuan, ready to escape into the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] right then and there. Exalted One Hao Yuan, however, smiled with a wicked sense of humor:
"Now you should understand."
Hearing this, Lu Yang grew even more tense. "Senior means this old man Star Soul is actually an incarnationof the World Honored One? And the Star Palace actually has the guts to use him?"
"How could that be possible."
Exalted One Hao Yuan shook his head. "Everything infected by the World Honored One, whether person or object, is transferred to the home planet and quarantined on a physical level."
"High concentrations of the World Honored One's pollution is currently a major issue that the entire Star Palace society is focused on. How to clean the pollution, how to respond if infected, and what measures to take in daily life to avoid it—these are all critical hurdles the Star Palace is currently trying to overcome. How could we let an incarnation of the World Honored One run around freely?"
"Then what about him?" Lu Yang glanced at Star Soul.
"He is different."
Exalted One Hao Yuan sighed, "Star Soul... Fellow Daoist, did you really not pick up anything from this name? We originally placed great hopes on Star Soul."
Lu Yang paused upon hearing this.
Star Soul, Star Soul, the soul of the Star Palace? What did that mean? Who could bear such a grand title? That was practically looking down on the Dao Lord of the Spiritual Power Dao...
'Hm?'
Instantly, a flash of realization hit Lu Yang, and he subconsciously lowered his voice: "Star Soul... is related to the Dao Lord of the Spiritual Power Dao? An entity enlightened and brought to life by him?"
At this moment, Lu Yang recalled the youth he had met in the Saint Sect during his past life, the one who had informed him of the title [Perfected Lord Brilliant World Joyous Light]. That youth was a treasure left behind by the Ancestor of the Saint Sect, the artifact spirit of the [Heaven-Reaching Hall]. He clearly knew many secrets and had a close relationship with the Ancestor.
Was Star Soul an entity of the same caliber?
He quickly got his answer.
Exalted One Hao Yuan first revealed a slightly surprised expression, then nodded slightly. "Correct. It seems you have also seen a similar spirit, Fellow Daoist."
"That's not right."
Lu Yang frowned instead. "If that is truly the case, why did you treat him with such an attitude earlier? That didn't look like an attitude one would have toward a senior."
Exalted One Hao Yuan sighed again upon hearing this.
"That is exactly the problem."
"Star Soul was enlightened by the Dao Lord back then, specifically meant to govern the Star Palace and research formation-artifact. He is a crucial figure who allowed the Star Palace to develop to where it is today."
"After all, the path of formation-artifact... as you well know, Fellow Daoist, none of us dare to research it. Only Star Soul, with his profound background, has fewer misgivings in this regard. Thanks to his research, we gradually cultivated a group of formation-artifact masters who wouldn't be polluted by the World Honored One simply by acquiring formation-artifact knowledge."
"Unfortunately, it is impossible to guard against everything."
Speaking up to this point, Exalted One Hao Yuan gritted his teeth. "Whether it was us or the Dao Lord, we all underestimated the terrifying extent of the World Honored One's pollution at the time."
"Star Soul delved too deeply into the Dao of formation-artifact and was ultimately influenced by the World Honored One. He fell into an erratic, almost completely unpredictable state of half-madness."
"That oldest Forbidden Knowledge used to forge Overlord-Level Dao Soldiers was also obtained during that period of time."
"With our help, he can regain his clarity for short periods, just like he is now. But over a long period, he still loses control of himself."
"In the end, even when he is in a clear state of mind, the knowledge he spreads can cause people to suffer cultivation deviation and exhibit symptoms of the World Honored One's infection. Left with no choice, we had to lock him up. The result was that the Star Palace's formation-artifact technology has stagnated for many years since then..."
Lu Yang couldn't help but shake his head as he listened.
No wonder the Star Palace had a collective mental breakdown when he threw the [Time-Reversing World Divine Instrument] over to them earlier. It turned out they had been suffering from the troubles brought by the World Honored One all this time.
Sigh, why is the World Honored One so evil?
He then took another look at Star Soul. The old professor seemed to sense something and suddenly smiled, "Don't listen to his nonsense, I'm not crazy!"
It seemed the infection was already quite severe.
Similar symptoms were extremely common in the Pure Land. Everyone infected by the World Honored One claimed they weren't the World Honored One, yet the World Honored One still hijacked their accounts whenever he pleased.
"This isn't right, is it?"
Lu Yang frowned deeply, continuing to send voice transmissions: "You're letting this guy forge an Overlord-Level Dao Soldier for me? If the World Honored One leaves a backdoor in it when the time comes, what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Saying this, Lu Yang's eyes looked rather unfriendly.
Is the Star Palace trying to screw me over?
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist!" Exalted One Hao Yuan hurriedly explained. "We will conduct multiple tests in this regard to ensure that the final product is clean and pollution-free."
"It better be."
Lu Yang nodded slightly, not overly worried. After all, with the [Immortal Nexus Survival Guide] in hand, if there really was a trap, it was impossible for him not to notice it.
Following that, he chatted with Exalted One Hao Yuan for a bit longer. Finally, with a very firm attitude, Hao Yuan confiscated the Star Gate he had previously gifted to Lu Yang. Furthermore, because Star Soul's symptoms were becoming increasingly obvious—he would suddenly let out a weird "Alas" mid-sentence—both sides quickly concluded the meeting.
"Forging the Dao Soldier won't take much time."
Before leaving, Exalted One Hao Yuan said in a deep voice, "Within thirty years, the Overlord-Level Dao Soldier will be completed. When the time comes, please come and retrieve it [in person], Fellow Daoist."
The underlying meaning was no incarnation allowed.
"After that, you must immediately head to the Celestial Court with us to fulfill your promise, Fellow Daoist... After all, originating from the Saint Sect, you should understand."
Lu Yang's brow furrowed tightly upon hearing this.
"How many times do I have to say it? I have absolutely zero relationship with the Saint Sect..."
"Oh!"
Exalted One Hao Yuan swaggered off, leaving Lu Yang to sigh helplessly. He really didn't understand. Was his Saint Sect aura really that obvious?
He completely couldn't understand.
I am clearly so kind-hearted. I'm even willing to supply the Star Palace with demon-breaking thunder talismans for free. Why can't these people see my kindness?
After lamenting for a while, Lu Yang turned around to head back to his cave abode. And then, he saw a figure that was both unexpected yet perfectly within reason.
"Fellow Daoist, it has been a long time."
What met his eyes was a hazy cloud of smoke, faintly outlining a humanoid figure. Narrow, elongated eyes looked at Lu Yang with a hint of scrutiny and appraisal.
[Sky-shrouding]!
At this exact moment, Lu Yang's first reaction was: Could this old ghost have overheard my entire conversation with Exalted One Hao Yuan and Star Soul just now?
In a flash, countless memories of the past flooded his mind.
But very quickly, he regained his composure: 'Absolutely impossible. That old thief's [World-Retribution Incarnation] hasn't reached the level of a Great Perfected Lord in the present world!'
Exalted One Hao Yuan was, after all, a Great Perfected Lord of the Spiritual Power Dao. Even if it was [Sky-shrouding], and even with [Great Forest Wood], without the stature of a Great Perfected Lord, he couldn't just mess around freely in front of Exalted One Hao Yuan. So he definitely hadn't heard the contents of their conversation; at most, he was hiding in the distance peeping.
'You evil old ghost, trying to bluff me?'
Lu Yang was already so familiar with [Sky-shrouding] that he couldn't be any more familiar. If [Sky-shrouding] stuck out his ass, Lu Yang knew exactly how loud he was going to fart.
Therefore, he quickly adjusted his mindset and smiled:
"My apologies for making Senior wait so long."
"Oh, right. I have already resolved Senior's problem. Hong Yun is now at Senior's disposal, and Feixue has made another choice and will no longer interfere."
"You've worked hard, Fellow Daoist." [Sky-shrouding] narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"It was indeed very hard work." Lu Yang nodded, then spoke with a similarly ambiguous smile: "After all, it took me quite a lot of effort to persuade Feixue."
"Now that the deed is done, where is my reward?"
When negotiating with [Sky-shrouding], one had to seize the initiative in the conversation. Thus, Lu Yang asked decisively, "Senior promised to answer my questions back then."
(End of Chapter)