At this moment, Lu Yang only felt that he was extending.
His physical body had vanished, and his formless consciousness, having lost its restraints, continuously expanded and stretched, encompassing the entire karmic scene.
Omniscience and omnipotence.
Although using these two words to describe it might be somewhat inappropriate, at this moment, Lu Yang truly developed a sense of omnipotence, as if he stood above all things.
Every life—whether human, demon, or plant, whether their lifespan was short or long—from the moment they were born, Lu Yang seemed to stand beside them. He accompanied them through their long lives, until finally watching them die and be buried, like a silent bystander.
He was a bystander to the life of every living being.
In this state of observation, Lu Yang's thoughts became increasingly indifferent. His eyes were icy cold, with only a sliver of rationality remaining deep within them:
'Something's not right...'
Before his rationality could finish its thought, a steady stream of more thoughts flooded into his mind. His consciousness was still expanding, and the lives he was observing were increasing in number.
He was the myriad, and he was the one.
He knew the thoughts, experiences, and emotions of every life like the back of his hand; there was nothing he didn't know—therefore, he was every life in the world.
[One Mind].
"Fuck your mother!"
Rumble!
An angry roar instantly shattered this indescribable bystander perspective. Like a beam of light tearing through a dark abyss, Lu Yang opened his eyes.
What met his sight was shockingly the boundless light sea. And in the very center of the light sea stood a golden-robed monk with a compassionate face, Buddhist light flowing over his entire body, and the sound of Zen chanting permeating the air around him. Right now, the other party was staring straight at Lu Yang, his eyes filled with irrepressible regret:
"Little Friend... your Dao heart cultivation is truly high."
Lu Yang: "..."
At this moment, he only felt fortunate—thank goodness my Dao heart is perfect. That strike just now was the most massive [One Mind] I've ever encountered!
I was almost enlightened!
'I knew the World Honored One harbored ill intention. So, he was waiting for me here!'
'If it was his incarnation that came here, then everything would be fine. But if not, he would try to enlighten them, turning them into his incarnation regardless!'
After a long silence, Lu Yang finally spoke faintly:
"How should I address you, Senior?"
He hadn't forgotten that the last time he met the World Honored One, he couldn't even say the words "World Honored One" aloud. Would it be the same this time?
At the same time, this sentence was also a hint.
"Oh?"
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, a look of surprise instantly surfaced on the monk's face. Then he smiled, "It seems this isn't the first time I've met you."
"Not bad, not bad. Since that's the case, for you to be able to arrive here, it must have been with my consent. I must have a very high opinion of you, little friend."
"Senior is perceptive. It's just that your opinion is a bit too high... to the point that you gave this junior quite a big surprise just now," Lu Yang replied with cold eyes.
Hearing this, the monk blinked innocently.
Following that, he continued as if nothing had happened: "In this place, I have no other name. You may address me as [Perfected Lord Brilliant World Joyous Light]."
'Hm?' Lu Yang's eyes flickered.
Such mental fluctuations couldn't be hidden from the monk at this distance. The other party immediately raised an eyebrow: "What, you has heard this name?"
Lu Yang paused, then nodded straightforwardly: "I have."
"Where have you heard it?" the monk pressed.
Lu Yang tilted his head innocently in response.
"...Haha!"
In the next second, the monk finally couldn't hold back his laughter: "A Saint Sect disciple. That makes sense. Only a Saint Sect disciple would dare to do such a thing."
Lu Yang didn't answer, but instead changed the subject: "Senior, my trip here..."
"Wait!"
Before he could finish, the monk suddenly interrupted him: "You don't need to tell me what you want to do. The more I know... the easier it is to be detected."
Lu Yang immediately understood:
'Detected by the Ancestor of the Saint Sect?'
Following that, the monk continued: "Just say it straight. Which era do you want to go to?"
Lu Yang spoke cleanly: "The era when the Netherworld was newly established. Preferably before the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak forged the [Yellow Springs Road]. Leave a little time buffer for me."
"Alright."
The monk's answer was very straightforward. Clearly, he didn't put any thought into the information contained within Lu Yang's words—thinking too much made it easy to guess the truth.
Seeing this, Lu Yang also felt somewhat curious. Although the World Honored One had previously said he could let him hitch a ride to trace back to ultra-ancient karma, he hadn't explicitly stated how. Now it was finally going to be revealed. This was his first time observing a Dao Lord's methods up close.
"Does you know what state I am currently in?" the monk chuckled lightly.
"Please enlighten me, Senior," Lu Yang cupped his hands.
The monk smiled upon hearing this, then spoke faintly: "Since one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years ago, I have traversed the mortal dust and possessed a total of three identities."
"In the past, I was the [First-generation Master of Myriad Treasures Peak]."
"In the present, I am [Perfected Lord Brilliant World Joyous Light]."
"In the future, I will be the [Deep Bliss Pure Land World Honored One]!"
With every word spoken, Lu Yang felt an intense distortion appear around him. It was the anomaly born from Forbidden Knowledge!
"[Perfected Lord Brilliant World Joyous Light] is the foundation of my Dao attainment. From then on, my present incarnation severed its karma with the present world and plunged into the false history. It naturally operated along with the flow of time in the false history, ultimately being completely buried at this current point in time. Here, all karma is severed; in heaven and on earth, I alone am honored one."
The monk's voice grew increasingly resonant, echoing like thunder:
"The only ones capable of reaching this place are those who wield [City Rampart Earth]. If an incomer can defeat me here, they can make me fall from my supreme throne on Paramita."
He just said it outright!
Lu Yang was stunned. He completely hadn't expected the World Honored One to be so straightforward, revealing his biggest flaw during their very first meeting.
However, he quickly recovered:
'Wait, that's not right!'
'One has to kill him to make him fall from the position of Dao Lord. But this present incarnation of his has long been invincible below the Nascent Soul realm... Isn't this fucking bullshit?'
Lu Yang instantly understood why the World Honored One was so casual about revealing his flaw. The design of the World Honored One's Dao attainment was not the massive flaw he had imagined. In fact, it was quite the opposite: he had done it flawlessly. His present incarnation was sent outside of karma, reachable only by [City Rampart Earth], and possessed incredibly formidable strength itself.
Below the Dao Lord level, no one could make his realm fall!
Even if a Nascent Soul Dao Lord wielding [City Rampart Earth] came here, they would inevitably face interception from the World Honored One. Finding this place was harder than ascending to heaven.
'My ability to find this place is likely due to the World Honored One's tacit approval.'
'This is only because the Ancestor of the Saint Sect forcibly kept the [false history], creating a slight flaw for him. But it's only a slight flaw...'
Lu Yang finally achieved a sudden realization.
At the same time, he also detected intense karmic fluctuations, as if a door leading to a new world had opened, with rumbling Dao sounds coming from behind it.
Forbidden Knowledge wasn't just empty talk.
Undoubtedly, this was a Dharma Ritual.
By narrating the karmic relationship between the [First-generation Master of Myriad Treasures Peak], [Perfected Lord Brilliant World Joyous Light], and the [World Honored One], he was clearing the karmic path connecting these three incarnations!
"Little Friend may set off now."
The monk smiled faintly: "I have already cleared the karmic thread related to the [First-generation Master of Myriad Treasures Peak]. You may follow the karmic thread and trace it back yourself."
"As for the karmic fluctuations caused by your tracing back through time, they will be masked by the karma of my Dao attainment and will not be detected by anyone."
"You are quite lucky. The era you are going to is roughly sixty thousand years away from the era of the [First-generation Master of Myriad Treasures Peak]. The Dao Lords have already ascended to Paramita."
"One final piece of advice for you, Little Friend."
Speaking up to this point, the monk's expression suddenly turned solemn: "Do not approach Beast Taming. Only he is constantly being watched; no one can alter his karma."
"This greatest variable in the history of the light sea has long been grasped in the hands of [Inevitable Fate]!"
(End of Chapter)