Lu Yang tried his utmost to keep his expression tense as he locked eyes with the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu]. The compassionate smile on the latter's face gradually faded.
"Fellow Daoist, you have quite a lot of courage."
'Don't be afraid! He's not here to beat me to death.'
Lu Yang gritted his teeth: 'He's not that powerful right now. To remain hidden, his true body far away on Paramita hasn't cast its gaze over; this is merely an incarnation!'
As the old saying goes, opportunity knocks but once; the bold die of overeating, while the timid starve to death. This was the time to take a gamble. He was gambling that he had bargaining chips for cooperation with the World Honored One. If he won the bet, he could extort a massive sum from the World Honored One. If he lost, the worst-case scenario was just restarting.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang grew even more silent.
He didn't speak, just stared wide-eyed straight at the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu], looking completely impervious to persuasion and ready to face death without flinching.
Just three words written all over his face: Where are the benefits?
Seeing this, the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu] shook his head and said faintly:
"It seems Fellow Daoist has stayed in the Saint Sect for too long. Clearly a body born of the obsession for revenge, yet you've turned into this state. But perhaps, this too is a variable..."
'What?'
Lu Yang's expression didn't change a bit, but he was stunned inwardly: 'A body born of the obsession for revenge? What exactly did the World Honored One misunderstand? Did [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] concoct this?'
Obviously, the World Honored One had misunderstood his background. In fact, it might not just be the World Honored One; the other Dao Lords very likely thought the same. This was why they let him wander around freely. This was clearly the result of restarting with [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], making his appearance seem logical and justified... Sure enough, having a cheat is the way to go.
However, a question arose.
Lu Yang pondered inwardly: 'What kind of background did [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] exactly concoct for me? A body born of the obsession for revenge... Whose revenge? And whose obsession is it?'
That being said, Lu Yang didn't hesitate and naturally carried on the conversation:
"I do not understand what Senior means."
He wasn't lying. Lying in front of a Dao Lord was meaningless; it was better to be sincere. The highest state of lying was selective sincerity.
Immediately after, the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu] sighed:
"Fine, fine."
"I see that although you have many methods, Fellow Daoist, you still lack a Dao Fruit Secret Method corresponding to [City Rampart Earth]. How about we use this for our transaction?"
Hearing this, Lu Yang sighed inwardly.
He really had been exposed.
That's right, the Supreme Dao Fruit he needed to borrow for his [Project: Collapse Paramita] was precisely [City Rampart Earth]. Previously, he had been lamenting that its strength wasn't enough.
An Overlord-Level Dao Soldier to substitute for the Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual.
[Tribulation] to provide the stature of a Supreme Dao Fruit.
If he could add a Dao Fruit Secret Method corresponding to [City Rampart Earth] on top of that, he could undoubtedly push the power of [City Rampart Earth] to its absolute limits!
'The World Honored One truly refuses to take a loss. He is giving me benefits, but he is also aiding my plan. But speaking of which, is my Project: Collapse Paramita actually beneficial to him? He is even actively facilitating it. Why? If Paramita collapses, he will be the first one to suffer...'
That being said, Lu Yang didn't overthink it.
"Deal!"
Never mind anything else, secure the benefits first!
A second later, the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu] slowly raised his hand, extracting a strand of divine sense. Without a word, Lu Yang immediately activated his talent scan.
[Immortal Nexus Survival Guide]! Scan it for me!
Given the World Honored One's personality, how could he not leave a backdoor?
At this moment, Lu Yang had practically planned to immediately denounce the World Honored One for digging a massive pit for him, showing absolutely zero sincerity in cooperating, right after finishing the scan.
And then he froze.
[No hidden traps. Safe to use.]
'Holy shit!?'
Looking at the text floating on his interface, Lu Yang almost thought the talent of [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] was broken. However, after thinking for a moment, he somewhat understood.
'Is the World Honored One trying to wash his hands clean of this?'
'That makes sense. I will be using this Dao Fruit Secret Method to overturn Paramita. If the World Honored One laid a trap, that would be a concrete karmic tie.'
If he merely handed over a Dao Fruit Secret Method, the World Honored One might still find a way to cut ties. But if he planted traps within it, even a fool would notice something was wrong, let alone hiding it from the Dao Lords. And once the other Dao Lords discovered the World Honored One's handiwork in the collapse of Paramita... the World Honored One would probably be in deep trouble.
In other words, this Dao Fruit Secret Method was free for the taking!
"Thank you, Senior!"
Lu Yang respectfully accepted the divine sense, his expression incredibly sincere. Following that, his divine sense swept over it, and several bright, shining words surfaced in his heart:
'[Time-Reversing World Dao Fruit]!'
The specific proportioning was [City Rampart Earth] + [Overturned Lamp Flame] + [Pine & Cypress Wood]... The moment he saw this, Lu Yang almost couldn't maintain his expression.
'How does he know I have the profound wonder of [Overturned Lamp Flame]!?'
Fortunately, the World Honored One's next words allowed him to regain his calm:
"This method can initially unleash the mighty power of [City Rampart Earth]. However, obtaining one of the Dao Fruits within it requires you to cooperate with [Sky-shrouding], Fellow Daoist."
"...What?"
Before the voice faded, Lu Yang had already adjusted his emotions. His face turned alternating shades of green and white, his eyes bulging as if they were about to split: "What does Senior mean by this?"
"Cooperate with [Sky-shrouding]?"
"[Sky-shrouding] seeks to attain the Netherworld, while my goal is to shatter it. How could he possibly cooperate with me? Even if we did cooperate, the initiative wouldn't be in my hands!"
For a moment, his eyes turned red, and he said angrily:
"I simply cannot use this method!"
"You worry too much, Fellow Daoist." Hearing this, the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu] smiled and said, "You can just deceive him, Fellow Daoist. As long as you want to do it, there is always a way."
Hearing this, Lu Yang almost burst out laughing, hurriedly following up with a cold snort to cover it up.
At the same time, he finally grasped the motive behind the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu] seeking him out for cooperation: 'It's probably for [Sky-shrouding].'
'Deliberately giving me this Dao Fruit Secret Method, yet handing the initiative over to [Sky-shrouding].'
'He probably never expected me to actually overturn Paramita from the very beginning. He just wanted to borrow my hands to draw enemy fire on behalf of [Sky-shrouding].'
'Once I actually approach success, as long as [Sky-shrouding] withdraws the [Overturned Lamp Flame], all my efforts will instantly go up in smoke.'
Looking at it this way, the World Honored One truly cared for [Sky-shrouding].
At the very least, he genuinely hoped [Sky-shrouding] would attain the Netherworld to alleviate his pressure. This suggested his situation on Paramita was probably not good.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang wasn't angry; instead, he felt relieved:
'Now this feels right!'
'Although the Dao Fruit Secret Method itself doesn't have a trap, that's just the surface. In reality, it's still digging a deadly pit for someone. Now this fits the style of the Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus!'
Unfortunately for them, I have a cheat.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang's expression grew even "uglier," while his heart blossomed with joy.
'I don't need [Sky-shrouding]. I possess the profound wonder of [Overturned Lamp Flame] myself. At the critical moment, I can totally use this trump card to give them a huge eye-opener!'
The World Honored One hadn't lied; he truly was a good friend to lower-tier cultivators.
An angel investor!
(End of Chapter)