In an instant, heaven and earth were turned upside down.
Up until now, Lu Yang had been to quite a few [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousnesses], but this one gave him a feeling completely different from the previous ones.
Although the previous [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousnesses] were vast and empty, they remained well-preserved, with all functions operating normally. Even Dao Lords couldn't interfere. They were like utopian sanctuaries independent from the outside world; the moment Lu Yang entered, he would feel a genuine sense of security. But this time was different.
"This..."
Lu Yang appeared within [Mark of Fulfilling Virtue], his pupils shrinking slightly. What met his eyes was not the towering, magnificent palaces he had imagined.
It was ruins.
Massive swathes of pavilions and terraces had collapsed. Glazed tiles were shattered, gold and stone were snapped, as if an unimaginable, world-shaking battle had taken place here.
Even the radiance that should have never extinguished was dim here. All profound wonders seemed to have been crushed in the great battle, making Lu Yang almost suspect that this [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] was already scrapped. It wasn't until he spotted a light as faint as a candle flame within the ruins that he let out a sigh of relief.
'At least it's not completely empty...'
Lu Yang hurried forward and quickly found the source of the rising radiance. It was a dilapidated palace; the golden tiles and crimson steps had long been shattered into countless fragments.
The pillars of the corridor had also collapsed.
A large section of the roof over the entire palace had slanted downwards. The main hall was filled with broken sculptures, faintly revealing just how glorious this place must have been in the past.
Lu Yang proceeded inward and soon arrived at the deepest part of the palace. There, a half-destroyed throne sat. No figure occupied the seat; there was only a jade slip densely covered with profound patterns. It reflected a streak of pure white light, which separated into seven colors circulating around it.
"...Hm."
Watching the concept of pure white light evolving into seven colors, Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of familiarity. After a moment of recollection, he remembered:
'It's the World Honored One!'
The spiritual light radiating from the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu] earlier had been exactly like this: first pure white, then displaying seven colors, looking extremely profound and miraculous.
'Is it related to karma?'
Lu Yang pondered inwardly. When [City Rampart Earth] connected to the great karmic net, what it condensed was iridescent light, but that was clearly not the full power of [City Rampart Earth].
'To take a step further and achieve true altering of causes and shifting of effects, perhaps one needs to condense the iridescent light into one, transforming it into the purest, most flawless, incandescent white spiritual light... If that's the case, this jade slip actually contains methods left behind by the World Honored One? Related to karma? How is this old dog everywhere?'
Lu Yang rubbed his forehead, feeling somewhat helpless.
He could only say that the World Honored One truly lived up to being a good friend to lower-tier cultivators; he was far too shameless in meddling. The pressure he exerted on Lu Yang was even greater than the Ancestor of the Saint Sect.
[Immortal Nexus Survival Guide], scan it for me!
Soon, the result of the scan popped up on the interface:
[No hidden traps. Safe to read.]
Only then did Lu Yang let out a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, picked up the jade slip, and swept it with his divine sense. Instantly, a familiar voice rang in his ears.
Just like the black-robed man in [Responding to Emperors], it was the voice of the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak. The voice carried exhaustion, and even a bit of weakness.
"Defeated..."
A faint sigh that broke the listener's heart.
"I desired to seize the destiny of heaven but fell short at the final step. Not only did I fail to achieve greatness, but I caused the collapse of the secret realm, losing the virtuous legacy left by my predecessors. Truly, no sin is greater..."
"Left with no other choice, I can only make slight amends. I leave my life's painstaking work here and set up a forbidden method. This secret realm can only be accessed by one person; the method shall not be passed to a third ear... The one holding the karmic coordinates must be the strongest in combat among Middle Stage Golden Cores. Only then can they take this item..."
The voice came to an abrupt halt.
Lu Yang narrowed his eyes, pondering: 'Interesting. This item hasn't been taken away, meaning Perfected Lord Feixue didn't meet the requirement?'
The strongest in combat among Middle Stage Golden Cores—this was the condition to take the jade slip.
'Perfected Lord Feixue is number one in combat for five thousand years, yet she doesn't meet the condition. This shows that the so-called "strongest in combat" is just a front meant to fool people.'
Quickly, Lu Yang's eyes lit up:
'It's [Responding to Emperors]!'
'[Responding to Emperors] can significantly boost the combat power of a Middle Stage Golden Core. What the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak truly wanted was someone who had been to [Responding to Emperors]!'
Like himself, for example.
Through [Responding to Emperors], he had mastered Dao Fruit Secret Methods while still at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core. Although there were his own unique reasons, strength was strength.
'I fear only a cultivator who has cleared [Responding to Emperors] and obtained the [Nascent Light Sea] can take this jade slip and read its contents. As for Perfected Lord Feixue... number one in combat for five thousand years... I've always wondered why she used this specific matter as her Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual...'
Looking at it now, someone must have instructed her!
Someone wanted this jade slip, and Perfected Lord Feixue was merely that person's white glove... Thinking of this, the answer had already surfaced in Lu Yang's mind.
'The old undying dog of the Saint Sect!'
After all, given Perfected Lord Feixue's personality, who under heaven could force her? After much thought, Lu Yang felt this person could only be the Ancestor of the Saint Sect.
"What a pity."
Thinking of this, a look of regret couldn't help but surface on Lu Yang's face. "I failed to clear [Responding to Emperors]. I'm afraid I have no fate with this jade slip."
However, right at this moment, an unexpected change occurred.
Click!
In an instant, accompanied by a soft sound like a mechanism operating, the jade slip suddenly opened. The incandescent white spiritual light lingering upon it inexplicably parted to the sides!
Lu Yang was stunned.
That's not right. I didn't clear [Responding to Emperors]. I even crashed it by drawing the consciousness of the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak...
Hm? Wait.
Past memories flooded his mind, giving Lu Yang a faint realization: "Is it because of the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak? He seemed to have glanced at me back then."
Was it at that moment?
Regardless, the jade slip was now embracing Lu Yang with open arms. It would be foolish not to take free stuff, so Lu Yang immediately probed his divine sense into the jade slip.
"This is..."
Lu Yang froze.
A second later, his hand trembled as if holding a red-hot branding iron. He almost threw the jade slip away but then abruptly squeezed it tight with all his might.
As if holding a peerless treasure.
"Good... very good!"
At this moment, in a realm unseen by ordinary people, tempestuous waves surged within Lu Yang's sea of consciousness. Those were the "weight" brought by the knowledge.
And this was even after it had been processed.
'It's the incandescent white spiritual light left by the World Honored One. This spiritual light not only protected the jade slip, but when the knowledge inside flowed out, it was also washed by him first. Did it sever the karma? Or use some other method... In any case, it whitewashed this knowledge!'
If that weren't the case, this knowledge would be taboo!
And not just ordinary taboo. Lu Yang had no doubt that if it hadn't been whitewashed, just the sheer weight of this knowledge could have exploded his head, causing him to restart and reincarnate on the spot!
Because—
"This is... the Netherworld!"
Lu Yang rubbed his brow, feeling the howling knowledge within his sea of consciousness. He was in pain yet filled with joy.
The Ghost Gates, the Yellow Springs Road, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Home-Viewing Terrace, the Three Lives Stone, the Four Directional Ghost Domains, the Palace of the Netherworld Lord... This was the original blueprint of the Netherworld!
"Hm? Wait..."
If [Mark of Fulfilling Virtue] contained something this important, even if Perfected Lord Feixue couldn't obtain it, she should have occupied the spot and prevented others from getting it.
Yet she traded it away.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang suddenly froze, his expression changing drastically:
'Not good!'
It seems the Saint Sect's old undying dog is scheming against me again!
(End of Chapter)