Although bewildered for an instant, Lu Yang quickly regained his calm. At the same time, he smoothly shifted his thinking and began considering coping strategies.
There was no other reason—he was numb to it.
Plans failing to keep up with changes had long been a common occurrence in his life. In his eyes, the present upheaval was nothing out of the ordinary—merely another turn in an all-too-familiar cycle.
Moreover, as things stood now, whether it was the [Yellow Springs Road] or the [Bridge of Helplessness], it didn't really matter anymore. The Ancestor of the Saint Sect had shot the arrow first and drawn the bullseye later, making it clear he had his eyes fixed on the Netherworld. Under these circumstances, no matter what methods Lu Yang employed, it was nearly impossible to escape his eyes.
What should he do?
Giving up wasn't in Lu Yang's nature. Unless his Dao heart collapsed due to [One Mind], or he was caught by the Ancestor of the Saint Sect, he would continue to struggle.
Besides, he still had an angel investor.
That was the World Honored One!
'Forcing me to accept [One Mind] is certainly him wanting to take advantage of my misfortune. But the execution of my plan itself is the key reason he invested in me.'
'Therefore, [One Mind] is definitely useful.'
'The World Honored One cannot be the kind of short-sighted person who forsakes the root to pursue the branches. Compared to enlightening me, the realization of the [Project: Collapse Paramita] is far more important.'
In this regard, Lu Yang trusted the World Honored One.
'From this perspective, the hope of breaking the deadlock might lie within this conversation between him and the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak, which he shared with me through [One Mind].'
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately focused his mind and calmed his breath, continuing to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Meanwhile, inside the monk's quarters, the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak took out a jade slip. With a flick of his finger, he projected an image into the void.
Lu Yang recognized this thing.
'The Netherworld blueprint... but compared to the one in the [Mark of Fulfilling Virtue], it's still far from complete. There are even errors and omissions in some details.'
Following that, the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak said:
"Senior Brother Myriad Treasures, what do you think?"
Hearing this, the World Honored One fell silent for a moment before saying faintly: "The design of the [Bridge of Helplessness] itself has no issues. The problem lies in the integration."
"You haven't integrated the [Yellow Springs Road] and the [Bridge of Helplessness]. The two don't interact with each other and haven't formed a unified whole, which is why problems arise. As for the method of integration... it's actually quite simple. It merely requires a piece of Forbidden Knowledge—Forbidden Knowledge related to [Paramita]..."
The voice came to an abrupt halt.
Because the image and sound of the conversation had been cut off. Lu Yang's vision suddenly plunged into pitch black, only recovering a moment later.
'Fuck me!' Lu Yang cursed angrily in his heart.
Stingy World Honored One!
Lu Yang, who originally thought he could get a piece of Forbidden Knowledge for free, instantly grumbled inwardly. Although he understood that the World Honored One doing this wasn't truly because he was stingy.
It was because if this Forbidden Knowledge were transmitted outward and he heard it, he would inevitably expose a flaw. This would allow the Ancestor of the Saint Sect, who was constantly watching this place, to detect the anomaly, so the transmission had to be cut off. However, understanding was one thing; it didn't stop Lu Yang from cursing the World Honored One in his heart.
After all, this was a helpless move.
If he didn't curse a few more times in his heart, he was worried he might utter an "Alas..." In fact, he was even starting to feel that the World Honored One had delicate features and was a very kind person.
'The illness is worsening...'
Although his perfected Dao heart was still operating, maintaining the [One Mind] state for a prolonged period meant the high concentration of the World Honored One's pollution was still affecting Lu Yang somewhat.
Lu Yang roused his spirit and continued eavesdropping.
"I see, I understand now. Many thanks, Senior Brother Myriad Treasures!"
The first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak had an excited expression. Clapping his hands, he laughed: "With this Forbidden Knowledge, I can fuse all the components of the Netherworld into one entity!"
"Ah, but..."
Speaking up to this point, the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak suddenly changed the topic: "Besides the [Bridge of Helplessness], there is one other matter I wish to consult with you about, Senior Brother."
"Speak your mind," the World Honored One smiled.
"Actually, the suggestion previously proposed by the Dao Lords—to overlay the Netherworld upon the present world to temporarily mitigate Paramita's tilting—is a good method."
"But I have a new plan."
Saying this, the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak's expression grew incredibly excited: "I feel that overlaying it upon the present world can only temporarily mitigate Paramita's tilting."
"This won't solve the problem; it only delays it. But I have a method... If the Netherworld is built beneath the present world, creating a reverse stature, and combined with my design, I believe I might be able to completely eradicate Paramita's problem!"
The first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak explained excitedly.
Before him, the World Honored One listened with a smile. However, beneath that compassionate face, deep within those eyes overflowing with Buddhist light, lay endless coldness.
'You shouldn't have said that.'
'Why did you have to say it? Beast Taming, do you really think Primordial Saint, do you really think our Saint Sect is some faction filled with great love, considering the myriad living beings of the light sea?'
'Simply foolish.'
'Beyond saving.'
He stared straight at the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak, until finally speaking a single sentence: "A good idea. But what does this have to do with me?"
"Of course it does!"
The first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak said forcefully, "Although I want to build the Netherworld beneath the present world, my capabilities are limited. I truly lack the method to implement it."
"But you are different, Senior Brother."
At this point, a look of reverence even surfaced on the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak's face: "Back then, wasn't it you, Senior Brother, who created the Foundation Establishment realm?"
It struck like a thunderbolt.
Just this single sentence almost made Lu Yang, who was secretly eavesdropping, lose his composure: 'The Foundation Establishment realm, the dimension above the present world, was actually created by the World Honored One!?'
Meanwhile, the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak was still sighing with emotion: "Once the Foundation Establishment realm was established, cultivators of the world no longer needed to step directly from the present world into the [Sea of Bitterness] to enter the Dao. Instead, they could first head to the Foundation Establishment realm, then go to the [Sea of Bitterness]. The difficulty of sensing Dao Fruits and Great Daos was drastically reduced."
"Besides that, the Foundation Establishment realm also fortified the present world, preventing Paramita from tilting. It's been a full sixty thousand years now, right? Senior Brother Myriad Treasures' merits can be said to be immeasurable."
"It's simply a great undertaking!"
In the end, the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak smiled: "When you achieved such a feat back then, Senior Brother Myriad Treasures, it even took the Dao Lords by great surprise."
"...It's nothing strange."
The World Honored One's tone was indifferent: "Given time, you could comprehend it yourself."
"But isn't it because I lack time?"
The first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak shook his head: "In short, I wish to ask Senior Brother Myriad Treasures to impart the method of creating the Foundation Establishment realm, the [Method of Planar Creation], to me."
Saying this, he stood up and bowed solemnly.
Meanwhile, outside the monk's quarters.
Lu Yang, who had heard the entire contents through [One Mind], fell into a long period of deep thought. He knew the outcome very well: the World Honored One definitely gave it to him in the end.
Because the Netherworld was successfully established.
'[Method of Planar Creation]... Plane? A plane of stature? The Foundation Establishment realm... I didn't expect such a thing. Is it also used to fortify the present world?'
In an instant, Lu Yang experienced a sudden realization:
'The Netherworld is just one option. The Foundation Establishment realm is also a cornerstone stabilizing the present world. Dismantling it would have the exact same effect as dismantling the Netherworld!'
Deceiving the heavens to cross the sea!
Thinking of this, Lu Yang finally unraveled the World Honored One's scheme: 'The Netherworld is just a decoy, meant to mislead the Ancestor of the Saint Sect into drawing the wrong conclusion!'
Feign one thing in the open while striking elsewhere in secret.
'Telling me not to approach the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak earlier was also a subtle hint. A hint that the Netherworld is unfeasible, and I should discard it and find another path!'
While the Ancestor of the Saint Sect focuses his attention on the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak and the Netherworld, tampering with the Foundation Establishment realm—this was the hope to break the deadlock!
(End of Chapter)