[You have obtained the Golden Talent: Mysterious Cause, Anomaly Effect]
[Mysterious Cause, Anomaly Effect: Requires extremely high attainments in karma to activate. Extracts a specific person or object from past karmic threads, making them serve your purposes.]
"This is..."
Lu Yang was stunned, only reacting after a long moment. "A karma-type talent... Such a thing exists? And this level is actually only of Golden quality?"
By now, he had actually realized that although the talents produced by [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] were color-coded into different grades, this grading wasn't based solely on power and effectiveness. After all, the white talent [Unorthodox Prodigy] and the purple talent [A Few Tricks Up Your Sleeve] were genuinely very useful.
Lu Yang didn't know the exact judging criteria.
But regardless, the talent [Mysterious Cause, Anomaly Effect] definitely gave him a massive surprise, allowing him to see a deeper utilization of the Great Karmic Net.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately formed hand seals.
"...Manifest!"
A phantom light flickered, and in the blink of an eye, another handsome young man wearing a Daoist robe was directly conjured out of nothingness by Lu Yang.
This was him from a second ago.
Fundamentally, it's somewhat like the operation I pulled in my previous life to resurrect Dragon Lord Yu Zhao using 'altering causes and shifting effects.' Using infinite [Causes] to give birth to the final [Effect].
Back when the World Honored One helped me block an [Inevitable Fate], he probably used a similar method. Severing the 'me' from a second ago from the 'me' of the next second, completely cutting off our mutual karma. Then, letting the 'me' of a second ago face the tribulation, while the 'me' of the next second escaped... though his method was much more profound.
Reigning in his thoughts, Lu Yang looked at his other self again.
It's a pity this thing doesn't seem to be able to think. Essentially, it's not a real person, but more like my shadow... But can it only be my shadow?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang waved his hand.
Following a loud pop, the "Lu Yang" from a second ago quietly shattered like an illusion or a bubble, simply because the [Cause] constructing it had been extracted.
Without a [Cause], naturally, there was no [Effect].
However, the next second, Lu Yang began to operate the talent again. At the same time, the [Divine Firmament Thunder] surfaced in his palm, which he then switched to [City Rampart Earth].
The entire process was smooth and seamless.
Unfortunately, having lost the blessing of [Tribulation], the current [Divine Firmament Thunder] had reverted to an ordinary Dao Fruit and could no longer replicate the mighty power of his previous lifetime.
But this was enough.
Although he couldn't alter causes and shift effects, observing the Great Karmic Net wasn't difficult. Soon, Lu Yang's consciousness once again gazed upon that dim universe.
It's not my first time here either.
Karma surged forward like a rushing river. Lu Yang's expression was calm as he skillfully began to comb through the karma, quickly spotting his intended target.
[Mysterious Cause, Anomaly Effect], activate.
"...Come out!"
In a flash, a new figure was extracted by Lu Yang from the vast Great Karmic Net, tumbling to the ground. Subconsciously, it was about to let out a dragon's roar.
"Roar—woo!"
The roar was abruptly cut off, not a single sound escaping under Lu Yang's lockdown. The newly surfaced figure went limp on the ground like a dead dog.
The old Dragon Lord!
To be precise, this was the karmic shadow of the old Dragon Lord, extracted by Lu Yang from the Dragon Palace's karmic threads. For him, this was not a difficult task.
Just as I thought, it works on other people's shadows too.
Lu Yang began to play around with great interest. He watched as the old Dragon Lord's karmic shadow formed hand seals, sequentially displaying Dao arts, profound wonders, and various other methods.
Everything was identical to the main body.
It can even use the [Vast Ocean Water]. However, it's not communicating with the Dao Fruit; it's more like a replica simulated using the karmic power from the Great Karmic Net.
Lu Yang scrutinized the old Dragon Lord's karmic shadow, quite satisfied.
The strength of the karmic shadow wasn't considered powerful, at least weaker than the old Dragon Lord in his memories. However, its advantage lay in its completeness and, most notably, its stability.
This is normal.
After all, I understand the old Dragon Lord too well, so the extracted karmic shadow is naturally the most complete... Yes, the deeper the understanding, the stronger the karmic shadow.
If there were any oversights, the karmic shadow would be incomplete. If it were a completely unfamiliar existence, it might be impossible to extract a karmic shadow at all. This was also a limitation of [Mysterious Cause, Anomaly Effect]. Of course, if the gap in stature was too vast, or if the target's karma was too ancient, it wouldn't work either.
Lu Yang had a great time playing with it.
It's a pity this karmic shadow isn't a real existence. Otherwise, I could find a way to pull Dragon Lord Yu Zhao out, and I'd be able to collapse the Foundation Establishment Realm again right now.
Besides that, going too far back in time doesn't work either.
And here I was hoping to see if I could directly extract the shadow of the old Dragon Lord from 129,600 years ago, back when the [Vast Ocean Water] was still a supreme Dao Fruit.
Lu Yang sighed and released the hand seal.
Firstly, because the era was too ancient. Having lost the Overlord-Level Dao Soldier and [Tribulation], he currently lacked the power to trace back to that era.
Secondly, it was a warning from his own heart.
If I trace back, it's a dead end!
It's still because of that Dao Lord battle. The entire Great Karmic Net and the Torrent of Time were severed during that war. No one can trace back any further.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang gave up the idea.
Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that I don't dare to reveal my full strength right now.
If he restored his Great Perfected Lord stature and then utilized [Mysterious Cause, Anomaly Effect], perhaps the extracted karmic shadow would possess a certain level of consciousness.
This might be my best method for exploring historical secrets and searching for Nascent Soul opportunities. Sure enough, to get stronger in the cultivation world, one really has to do some archaeology.
Lu Yang lamented for a while before dispersing the karmic shadow.
I should deal with the old Dragon Lord first.
First, find a way to subdue the old Dragon Lord and refine him into a Life Form Body. Then, figure out how to obtain the concept of the supreme [Vast Ocean Water], and only then consider other issues.
As for the plan, Lu Yang already had one in mind.
I can't reveal my full cultivation base in the mortal realm, but the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] is different.
I can totally set a trap for the old Dragon Lord, making him accidentally discover a [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]... Hmm, let's use the [Nourishing Life Master] and trick him into walking inside.
Then, I'll ambush him in the [Nourishing Life Master].
The moment his front foot steps in, I'll subdue him with my back foot!
And conveniently, there's an opportunity related to the [Nourishing Life Master] right here in the overseas... Isn't Mu Changsheng still around? I can use this chance to test out the [Off-Stage Observer]!
A smile surfaced in Lu Yang's eyes.
The effect of the [Off-Stage Observer] was undeniably powerful, but correspondingly, it had major limitations—the biggest being the stature of both parties.
Simply put, just like [Turtle Dove Occupying the Magpie's Nest], the [Off-Stage Observer] could only take effect when there was a massive gap in stature. Furthermore, the "character in the play" wasn't completely defenseless; they also had a chance to break free from the observation and regain their freedom. To put it bluntly, it was a talent meant for bullying the weak.
The weaker the target, the easier they were to observe.
With my stature, observing Mu Changsheng and having him act as a treasure-delivering boy for the old Dragon Lord shouldn't be a problem. I guarantee the old Dragon Lord won't suspect a thing.
But speaking of which, where was the old Dragon Lord right now?
After pondering for a moment, Lu Yang pulled up the interface of [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] again and fixed his gaze on a memory he had never dared to open.
[The Old Dragon Lord's Reminiscence]
Without hesitation, Lu Yang willed it, leaving the Immortal Nexus and escaping into the [Nourishing Life Master]. Then, he unsealed his stature, pushing his essence, qi, and spirit to their absolute peak.
Let me see just how many secrets I can witness with my current strength...
Lu Yang reached out toward the memory.
Boom!
In an instant, a deafening ring nearly drowned out Lu Yang's consciousness. Even with his stature as a Great Perfected Lord, his sea of consciousness was almost blown apart by it!
(End of Chapter)