Rumble!
Lu Yang stood atop the Heavenly Court of the Mystic Spirit World Realm and extended his palm. In an instant, it spanned the sky and covered the earth. As it descended upon the overseas regions, the entire ocean seemed to shudder.
"Immortal Lord Master of Tribulations and Ferryman of Karma."
"How is it him again..."
In an instant, across the vast overseas, every living being trembled with fear. Feeling an unparalleled suppression of stature, almost all of them knelt and prostrated themselves.
Such a display made even Golden Core Perfected Lords feel a sense of horror.
It wasn't because they couldn't do similar things—bullying lower-tier cultivators was a specialty of the Immortal Nexus Perfected Lords—but rather because of the nature of the method Lu Yang displayed.
'That wasn't condensed from spiritual power; that palm was a Dharma Body of actual flesh and blood. He didn't tear through the void, either; he literally reached out from the Mystic Spirit World Realm and into the Immortal Nexus. Just how large is his Dharma Body? Has he really not mastered the Dharma Body Dao? Where are the Dao Lords? Why aren't the Dao Lords coming out to stop this?'
'Who the hell can stand against this?'
At this moment, the sky over the ocean turned black.
The gargantuan palm blotted out the sun and sky, encompassing both Suo Huan and the [Eternal Flowing Water] within its center, severing karma and preventing anyone from prying inside.
"Master of Tribulations!"
In an instant, beside Suo Huan, boundless smoke billowed out, tearing open a rift to reveal the figure of [Sky-shrouding]: "Do you truly intend to become my enemy?"
The entrance to the Netherworld!
This was no longer the [World-Retribution Incarnation], but [Sky-shrouding]'s true body. Across the barrier between the Netherworld and the present world, he stood in a direct standoff with Lu Yang!
"Senior, you misunderstand."
Lu Yang smiled kindly: "I benefited greatly from our previous discussion on the Dao. Why would I choose to become Senior's enemy at a time like this?"
You damn well know you benefited greatly, don't you?
[Sky-shrouding]'s gaze darkened. Thinking about how he had just been freeloaded by Lu Yang, his aura fluctuated violently, but he ultimately endured it.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Just saving someone," Lu Yang answered plainly.
"...What?"
This time, [Sky-shrouding] truly couldn't maintain his composure. His tone hitched for a rare moment, almost suspecting he had misheard Lu Yang's words.
Saving someone? Is that something a Saint Sect Perfected Lord is supposed to do?
However, Lu Yang didn't care what [Sky-shrouding] thought. Furthermore, he wasn't lying; this time, he acted truly because he just wanted to save someone.
Save Suo Huan.
'Back then, in the overseas regions, [Sky-shrouding] used both Fellow Daoist Suo Huan and me as chess pieces. At that time, the only thing I could do was self-detonate to ensure his failure.'
But things were different now.
He had become stronger and now had the ability to master his own destiny. Even [Sky-shrouding] had to treat him as an honored guest and was unwilling to turn hostile to his face.
But what about Suo Huan?
'Fellow Daoist Suo Huan is, after all, a rogue cultivator from the outer heavens with a weak foundation. Being able to attain the Golden Core was a stroke of heavenly luck; he has almost zero hope of going further.'
Even now, the Suo Huan within the Righteous Dao Banner only false held a Middle Stage Golden Core state.
And the path ahead was hopeless.
Meanwhile, the Suo Huan of the present world was still following the old path in his memory, being used by [Sky-shrouding], and was on the verge of death while filled with grief and indignation.
—He could have ignored it, of course.
After all, this wasn't the good brother inside the Righteous Dao Banner. The present-world Suo Huan and the Banner Spirit Suo Huan were no longer the same person. Why should he offend [Sky-shrouding] by meddling in others' business?
Moreover, even if he did meddle and saved the present-world Suo Huan, how would he handle it? In the end, he would still have to merge him with the Banner Spirit Suo Huan—how was that any different from saving him just to kill him? Furthermore, he might further irritate [Sky-shrouding]. It was a thankless task in every sense.
Yet, Lu Yang did it anyway.
'The Fellow Daoist Suo Huan who was schemed against alongside me that day... can never truly come back. Consider this a way to satisfy a bit of my own self-indulgence.'
As for [Sky-shrouding]... so what if I offend him?
'I have painstakingly cultivated and struggled through over a dozen lifetimes to reach my current achievements. If I couldn't afford to offend people before and I still can't afford to offend them now, haven't I cultivated for nothing?'
It's just saving a person, not taking his life.
I trust he won't dare to turn his back on me!
With my current overpowered strength, as long as a Great Perfected Lord doesn't interfere, I fear no one. So why be timid? I'll do whatever the hell I want!
"Fellow Daoist, I am here to guide you!"
Rumble!
In the next second, Lu Yang closed his palm, instantly severing the connection between Suo Huan and the [Eternal Flowing Water]. He then took out the Dao sin left by Mu Changsheng in the Overseas Immortal Alliance and placed it in Suo Huan's position. After all, Mu Changsheng had also cultivated [Eternal Flowing Water] in the past, so the Dao sin could still resonate with that Dao Fruit.
"Hmph."
Seeing this, [Sky-shrouding] finally let out a sigh of relief. Just as Lu Yang thought, unless absolutely necessary, he really didn't want to turn against him.
After all, the other party's ambition was clearly not small.
When it came time for him to seek attainment in the Netherworld, Lu Yang could very likely become a powerful external aid and draw a wave of firepower from the Dao Lords on his behalf.
However, there was one point that still surprised him.
And that was Lu Yang's motive.
'...Really just to save someone?'
Seeing that Lu Yang truly didn't linger and withdrew his palm immediately after rescuing Suo Huan, [Sky-shrouding]'s expression gradually became strange.
If it were anyone else, [Sky-shrouding] would definitely be suspicious. After all, how could a qualified Saint Sect Perfected Lord have such a luxurious thought as "saving someone"? The mortal world is a [Sea of Bitterness] where everyone struggles to cross; one has to put in a thousand times the effort just for self-salvation, let alone saving others.
So rather than "saving someone," [Sky-shrouding] was more inclined to believe there was some ulterior motive.
But the person Lu Yang saved was Suo Huan. And [Sky-shrouding] had already scrutinized Suo Huan countless times through the knowledge-perception barrier, knowing full well the secrets he held.
There was nothing worth a Perfected Lord's attention.
At least, [Sky-shrouding] couldn't think of any benefit Lu Yang could gain from Suo Huan. So, after thinking it over, "saving someone" really was the only explanation.
'...I can't see through him.'
At this thought, [Sky-shrouding] fell silent instead. His memories seemed to leap across the torrent of the secular world, seeing himself back when he had just joined the Saint Sect.
The past came flooding back.
At that time, he was still a youth, struggling within the Saint Sect—from his initial enthusiasm, to caution, to despair, and finally to his current indifference.
Friends, family, mentors, Dao companions.
He had lived too long and struggled for too long. Over tens of thousands of years, he didn't just have regrets; he had many—so many he couldn't count them all.
But so what?
"...Heh."
A second later, [Sky-shrouding] suddenly chuckled softly, his gaze returning to tranquility: "Interesting. To think such an anomaly exists among the Saint Sect Perfected Lords."
"No wonder he cut ties through reincarnation."
"Regrettably, I am different from you... Tens of thousands of years have passed. Today, I live only for myself."
As his words fell, [Sky-shrouding] sliced away all superfluous emotions. With a wave of his hand, the [Overturned Lamp Flame] and [Eternal Flowing Water] crashed into the Netherworld.
Almost simultaneously, Hong Yun failed to seek the Golden Nature and died with deep resentment.
[Sky-shrouding] watched this scene, his gaze turning colder: 'The Netherworld has a master. If I cannot break this deadlock, the Hong Yun of today is the me of the future!'
Beneath the Dao Lords, all are equal—all are ants.
'The World Honored One could break his shackles and go against the flow. Why can't I? Even if hope is slim, I must fight with all my might. If I must die, I shall die on the road!'
(End of Chapter)