Lu Yang had no way of knowing the conversation taking place on [Paramita].
However, he could clearly see the changes in the mortal realm. The appearance of the [Refining Arts Secret Realm] had replaced the Foundation Establishment Realm, rapidly mitigating the disintegration of the mortal realm.
This should have been a scene of absolute despair.
Yet, Lu Yang watched it and found it amusing.
Good, good! I finally get to see one of that old immortal Saint Sect bastard's trump cards. The Refining Arts Secret Realm... Next life, finding a way to blow that thing up will be the very first thing I do!
Right at that moment, another earth-shattering boom erupted from the direction of [Paramita]. Finally, the boundless, blinding radiance that had saturated the space due to the battle between Dao Lords was instantly swept away. The towering majesty of [Paramita] reappeared—still a mountain of seven layers, but the arrangement of figures upon it was no longer the same.
First was the lowest layer.
Huh!?
Lu Yang's expression instantly turned solemn. On the first layer of [Paramita], he saw a massive Buddha with dimming light and a cracked golden body, sitting cross-legged.
The World Honored One had fallen a layer?
Besides him, there was the Sword Pavilion Dao Lord. In Lu Yang's fleeting glimpse earlier, that heaven-piercing sword light had clearly erupted and forcefully climbed to the fifth layer.
But now, it had fallen back down as well.
The result was that the Saint Sect's Ancestor stood on the fifth layer, while the Sword Pavilion Dao Lord, the Dao Court Dao Lord, the Dao Arts Dao Lord, and the Spiritual Power Dao Lord all stood on the fourth layer.
Is this... a truce?
The World Honored One's plan failed, and he was knocked down a layer by the Saint Sect's Ancestor? And the Saint Sect's Ancestor took two steps down consecutively, forcefully suppressing the anomaly?
Just then.
Boom!
Suddenly, the Immortal Nexus, which had previously been on the verge of disintegration, let out a massive boom that rippled across the entire sea of light in an instant.
Faced with this sudden mutation, the Dao Lords atop [Paramita] showed no signs of surprise. Instead, it was the Great Perfected Lords, including Lu Yang, who were stunned. That loud boom was like a key turning in a long-sealed door, allowing a flood of forgotten knowledge to pour out.
Is that the center of the Immortal Nexus?
Lu Yang looked up. He felt as if a thick fog that had veiled his eyes for years was suddenly torn away. His vision cleared, and in an instant, he saw an existence that was previously unknowable.
The core of the Immortal Nexus!
Come to think of it, the structure of the Immortal Nexus has always been very strange.
Using the [Great Dragon River] as a boundary, it divides the Jiangdong, Jiangnan, Jiangbei, and Jiangxi regions, with the boundless ocean surrounding the periphery known as the outer seas.
How exactly was this division drawn?
What kind of river can simultaneously divide the east, south, west, and north? Unless it's purely figurative, but in the Immortal Nexus, it isn't. The east, west, south, and north are actual geographical divisions.
That's right, something was overlooked.
Realization dawned on Lu Yang:
A central point that serves as the geographical division for the four directions... the source of the [Great Dragon River]... a core area of the Immortal Nexus has been concealed!
It wasn't until this moment that Lu Yang finally saw it clearly. In the central zone of the Immortal Nexus lay a massive inland sea. Endless [Two Polarities Birth and Destruction Profound Light] roared within it. But as time passed, the profound light gradually receded, like sinking seawater, revealing the true face of the seabed.
It was a cliff.
No, not a cliff, but a towering head as massive as a mountain. Its horns were jagged and imposing, its eyes like stars, and its mouth an abyss, roaring at the top of its lungs:
"Primordial Saint—!!!"
Stripped of the concealment of the [Two Polarities Birth and Destruction Profound Light], this roar, which had never dissipated despite the passage of countless eras, finally echoed through the long-separated Immortal Nexus once more.
At the same time, a laugh drifted down from [Paramita] in response:
"Heh... Ancestral Dragon, I trust you have been well?"
Lu Yang instantly understood. This was the Saint Sect's Ancestor intentionally allowing his voice to reach the mortal realm to answer that furious roar, which was why Lu Yang could hear it.
Ancestral Dragon!?
There was another supreme expert?
Lu Yang was shocked, yet his eyes burned with increasing fervor. The origin of the Immortal Nexus! Was the Immortal Nexus truly refined from a living creature? Just like the foundation of the Celestial Court?
Ancestral Dragon... is it related to the True Dragon clan?
With this preconceived notion, Lu Yang looked down at the Immortal Nexus again, and a strong sense of déjà vu washed over him. The geography of the Immortal Nexus looks exactly like a True Dragon!
The outer seas were its coiled tail and flesh.
The east, south, west, and north regions were its scattered claws.
The core was its head.
As for the [Great Dragon River] dividing the four regions, and even the boundless ocean of the outer seas... they were all the rolling blood flowing from the body of this suppressed True Dragon...
"Primordial Saint—!!!"
A second roar erupted, deafening and soul-shaking. It reminded Lu Yang of Dao Lord Sisui's roar before his death—equally desperate, furious, and brimming with profound unwillingness.
The wail of the defeated was nothing more than this.
At that moment, the Saint Sect's Ancestor on [Paramita] made his move. It wasn't just him; the Sword Pavilion Dao Lord, the Dao Court Dao Lord, and even the World Honored One all cast down their light.
In an instant, the four great regions of the Immortal Nexus—east, south, west, and north—closed back together. The boundless [Two Polarities Birth and Destruction Profound Light] surged upward once more, re-submerging the towering head in the core region. Simultaneously, a thick fog rose within the minds of all who had witnessed it, obscuring the relevant knowledge.
Netherworld, [Netherworld Lord's Palace].
Perfected Lord Ling Xiao the Eastern Sovereign let out a long sigh and slumped down before the palace doors. What had been just a hairsbreadth away now felt separated by the ends of the earth.
"I understand now..."
He wasn't despairing, nor was he angry. There was only the calm acceptance of one who had given their absolute all, along with a sudden clarity. "No wonder you wouldn't allow the Netherworld to continue expanding."
"The Netherworld's stature points downward."
"Fundamentally, it conflicts with [Paramita]."
"Therefore, while the Netherworld fortifies the mortal realm, it actually shackles [Paramita], preventing it from continuing to build upward to achieve true transcendence."
"It was fine before, but once a Dao Lord emerges here, the shackles will inevitably become much more severe."
"Once the Netherworld expands to a scale equal to [Paramita], forming a perfect equilibrium, the upward path of the sea of light will be completely sealed off."
"That is something you cannot accept."
"What you desire isn't just the Nascent Soul realm, but what lies above the Nascent Soul... but what makes you so certain that there is definitely a higher realm above the Nascent Soul?"
"Unless you..."
Boom!
Perfected Lord Ling Xiao the Eastern Sovereign's voice was abruptly cut off. As the [Inevitable Fate] descended, his body disintegrated and scattered, vanishing into nothingness amidst the laughter.
Lu Yang witnessed this entire scene.
The next second, he felt a gaze with physical weight land upon him, causing his already severely injured Dharma body to become even more battered.
Is it my turn now?
Lu Yang raised his head and locked eyes with the figure sitting high up on [Paramita]. Compared to when they first met, the other party's outline was faintly visible and no longer so minuscule.
Light and shadow descended from the sky.
Just as before, it was merely an intent manipulating spiritual qi. It was just a single finger pointing down, as if to declare a singular truth: The [Inevitable Fate] had never been altered.
However, Lu Yang smiled.
"Doing this on purpose? It only shows that you're feeling guilty."
You took the initiative to step down two layers in exchange for powerful interference in the mortal realm, suppressing all variables. Do you think you can rest easy now?
But there are some people, and some things, that simply cannot be killed off entirely.
This lifetime was nothing more than a minor test. Just you wait.
I still have over eighty lifetimes left. I can take my time and play with you. No matter how many trump cards you hold or what tricks you have up your sleeve, I will keep playing with you.
Playing until I win!
"The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes!!!"
(End of Chapter)