The suicide of the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak completely changed the situation.
Among everyone, [Sky-shrouding]'s reaction was the fastest: with the Netherworld vacant, he had lost a fatal obstacle. The opportunity to attain the Dao had suddenly appeared!
What was there to hesitate about?
In an instant, the five Dao Fruits—[Great Forest Wood], [Overturned Lamp Flame], [White Wax Gold], [Silted Sand Earth], and [Eternal Flowing Water]—surfaced beside [Sky-shrouding].
Following that, a Great Dao leading to the Netherworld manifested its form. It was exactly [Sky-shrouding]'s Void Attainment Great Dao, [Inversion]. Compared to Immortal Venerable Taiyin's [Gathering the Wealth of All], the completion level of [Inversion] was undoubtedly much higher, having long been pushed by [Sky-shrouding] to the point where no further progress could be made, just one step away from the final threshold.
Boom.
In the next second, [Sky-shrouding] unhesitatingly threw the five Dao Fruits into [Inversion], prompting this Great Dao to erupt with brilliant, radiant light!
Charging the Netherworld, attaining the Dao!
At this moment, using [Inversion] as a springboard, [Sky-shrouding] moved with incomparable speed, charging directly toward the empty [Netherworld Lord's Palace].
Almost simultaneously, the [Inevitable Fate] hanging above his head erupted violently.
Under [Inevitable Fate], the effect precedes the cause. As soon as he approached the [Netherworld Lord's Palace], [Sky-shrouding] instantly felt a force of annihilation strike him.
Within the great karmic net, in order to accommodate the [Inevitable Fate], countless [Causes] surfaced. Among them were [Sky-shrouding's Inversion Great Dao actually contains subtle errors], and [Because Inversion devoured Great Forest Wood, [Sky-shrouding] lost the protection of the Knowledge-Perception Barrier, and the Netherworld discovered his existence as a living person, going berserk].
Similar [Causes], some large and some small.
Originally, these [Causes] would combine with each other to give birth to countless results. However, at this moment, they were gathered together to manifest the singular [Effect]—
Sky-shrouding, dead!
Boom!
Without any suspense, [Sky-shrouding]'s figure exploded into pieces on the spot. The Netherworld's repulsion and the imbalance of the Great Dao generated a force of annihilation that erased even his soul.
Only an impassioned shout remained echoing in place:
"Di Muni!!!"
Meanwhile, the time scroll from the World Honored One had already smoothed over the ripples caused by the first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak's suicide, immediately responding to [Sky-shrouding]'s call.
The very moment [Perfected Lord Sky-Shrouding and Obscuring the Sun] died, brand new karma from the false history severed by the World Honored One was projected into the present world. From cause to effect, reforming the soul. In an instant, a heroic and spirited young Daoist, no longer shrouded in smoke, stepped out from nothingness.
His karma also surfaced because of this.
[Perfected Lord Ling Xiao the Eastern Sovereign]!
This was his former true name and karma, all buried into the false history along with the World Honored One's Dao attainment. Everything was done so he could obtain a second chance when attaining the Dao.
The time is now!
The young Daoist didn't hesitate in the slightest, continuing to push forward. Shockingly, one foot stepped onto the [Netherworld Lord's Palace], and his stature instantly climbed a notch!
Golden Core Perfection was already standing on the threshold of Dao attainment. And the instant he stepped one foot into the [Netherworld Lord's Palace], he actually achieved a new breakthrough!
He was about to succeed! Nascent Soul Dao Lord!
The Master of the Netherworld had committed suicide, and he had offset the [Inevitable Fate] with a life. There was no time to condense a second one, and the other Dao Lords each had their respective opponents blocking them.
No one could stop him!
And then—time halted its steps.
Boom!
At this moment, the myriad living beings, Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones, Golden Core Perfected Lords—all cultivators were able to witness a sight they would have originally never been able to see in their entire lives.
The sky cracked open.
Across the entire light sea, the sky of the present world violently split apart. What surfaced first was a vast void, within which specks of starlight sat scattered about.
That was the [Foundation Establishment Realm].
Above the void, endless waters of concept surged and piled up, transforming into a boundless ocean. Dao Fruits and Great Daos sat within it, resembling isolated islands and small boats.
That was the [Sea of Bitterness].
However, this still wasn't the limit. Above the [Sea of Bitterness], the clouds parted to reveal the bright moon. [Paramita], which previously only revealed a silhouette at most, had shockingly lost its veil as well.
It was a seven-tiered high mountain, piling up layer by layer from bottom to top. Endless Great Dao marks flowed on every layer, as if elucidating the principles of heaven and earth. Layer after layer, the higher one went, the more profound and minuscule the Great Dao marks became, making it difficult to see their forms clearly.
Paramita! Paramita! Paramita!
At this moment, boundless immortal light illuminated the entire light sea. Heaven knew how many cultivators became intoxicated by it, tears in their eyes, their faces filled with peaceful and joyous contentment.
Then, they turned to ash within the immortal light.
Most of these cultivators had stopped at Qi Refining. Only Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones could barely maintain their minds within this brilliant immortal light, avoiding being assimilated by it.
However, that was all they could do.
Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones simply couldn't look directly at the radiance from [Paramita]. Only Golden Core Perfected Lords could raise their heads at this moment and spy upon the appearance of Paramita.
And then they saw—
On the seven-tiered high mountain, the first tier was completely empty. On the second tier stood a giant golden Buddha with a compassionate face and a smile on his lips, looking down upon the mortal realm.
On the third tier flowed an ocean of Spiritual Power.
On the fourth tier, countless profound lights of Dao Arts converged into a magnificent, myriad-colored illusion. Heaven-piercing sword qi echoed with sharp hums, alongside an expanse of murky vastness.
The fifth tier and the sixth tier were empty.
Everyone's gaze slowly climbed upward. By the end, even Early Stage and Middle Stage Golden Core Perfected Lords could no longer see clearly. Only Great Perfected Lords could spy upon it.
They saw that on the seventh tier of that high mountain, a minuscule figure shockingly stood tall. But having reached this point, the Great Perfected Lords couldn't even comprehend anything anymore. The other party stood too high and had gone too far, to the point that his stature, aura, and Dao methods were completely incomprehensible to them.
"Heh..."
A light chuckle carrying a hint of amusement, yet even Great Perfected Lords couldn't hear it. Only the Nascent Soul Dao Lords similarly situated on the mountain could faintly hear it.
Following that, the minuscule figure moved.
He took one step down.
In an instant, his standing position went from the seventh tier to the sixth tier. The originally minuscule figure also suddenly enlarged significantly, his silhouette faintly visible.
In the next second, under [Sky-shrouding]'s shocked gaze.
With this step taken, endless light poured from [Paramita] into the present world like a waterfall. A brand new [Inevitable Fate] gathered, subsequently manifesting a single sentence:
[No one can attain the Netherworld.]
The ending remained unchanged. Facing the new [Inevitable Fate], even the World Honored One withdrew all his mighty power, and the other Dao Lords also stopped their battle one after another.
True, [Inevitable Fate] hadn't completely dominated the light sea.
The Ancestor of the Saint Sect couldn't decide everything either.
However, when he was willing to pay a price to accomplish a matter, no Dao Lord on the vast [Paramita] was willing to stop him!
After all, their goal had already been achieved. The Ancestor of the Saint Sect, who was originally only one step away from the end and leading all of them, was forced to take a step down. This was already enough. Rather than continuing to fight to the death to support a Dao Lord to the table, it was better to start the feast directly and share the Netherworld among themselves.
Of course, the World Honored One might have a different opinion.
But he was powerless to do anything.
Just like the end of his past life, he could either choose to collude with them, or be eliminated by the others. Under these circumstances, his choice was naturally self-evident.
'What a pity, if only the Foundation Establishment realm...' the World Honored One sighed inwardly.
The overall situation was set!
Although this dramatic shift had affected many things and triggered endless variables, with this single downward step from the Ancestor of the Saint Sect, everything ultimately returned to tranquility.
Seeing this scene, the young Daoist within the Netherworld couldn't help but grit his teeth tightly.
Is [Inevitable Fate] truly irreversible?
Is [Paramita] truly unclimbable?
Meanwhile, Immortal Nexus, overseas.
The [Cause] from seventy thousand years ago created a brand new [Effect] at this moment. An aged true dragon surfaced from nothingness.
[Dragon Lord Yu Zhao] opened his eyes.
He had come to fulfill his promise.
If you cannot go up... then I will make it fall down!
(End of Chapter)