The Saint Sect's Ancestor was still too ruthless.
At this moment, Lu Yang completely understood the layout surrounding Mu Changsheng and his overarching plan, perhaps even better than Mu Changsheng himself.
After all, Mu Changsheng was merely a low-level cultivator.
His plan stopped at the [Heaven of Nothingness]. While brilliant, it was still limited by his status as a low-level cultivator. There were some layouts he simply couldn't see or understand.
In Mu Changsheng's plan, his soul's reincarnation was actually normal. Since he was already dead, his goal was to use the [Eternal Flowing Water] to nurture the [Heaven of Nothingness]. In the future, he would seal away all the Perfected Lords in the world, seeking an opportunity to reincarnate, form a Golden Core, and ascend to position. There was nothing wrong with that.
From the perspective of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was already the limit.
However, looking at it from a higher perspective, one that surpasses ordinary Perfected Lords—from the perspective of a Great Perfected Lord—there's another layer to the layout on him.
The ritual array within the [Eternal Flowing Water].
Under the layout of the mastermind behind the scenes, Mu Changsheng's soul shouldn't have reincarnated. Instead, it should have remained within the [Eternal Flowing Water] to silently develop.
And in the end, when Mu Changsheng emerged alongside the [Heaven of Nothingness], he should have also been able to attain the [Eternal Flowing Water] and become the Sixth Dragon Lord. As long as he played his cards right, he could absolutely seal away all the Perfected Lords, become the sole Perfected Lord in the world, and secure a perfect environment with almost no one to hold him back!
This was the mastermind's true intent.
As for who this mastermind was... Lu Yang had a guess. It was none other than the person he had sensed earlier, the one borrowing the Heavenly Lord's eyes to observe Mu Changsheng.
Leaving aside who it actually was for now...
Judging from the fact that the Saint Sect's Ancestor personally intervened at the end, forcefully seizing Mu Changsheng's soul and destroying the ritual array, this layout must be extremely important.
Who could set up such a scheme?
It wouldn't be a Dao Lord. A Dao Lord's methods are more profound than this. Even the World Honored One tampered directly with the great karmic net. This is still too superficial.
A Great Perfected Lord?
Which Great Perfected Lord could borrow the Heavenly Lord'shands to lay out a scheme on Mu Changsheng, manage to alarm the Saint Sect's Ancestor, and also have close ties with the Ancestral Dragon...
As Lu Yang pondered, he deduced the karma. His peerless talent in schemes and plots was unquestionable. Before long, understanding dawned in his eyes—
The First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak.
Based on available intelligence, only the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master simultaneously met all the conditions mentioned above. It was highly likely he wasn't dead yet and had survived until today!
Thinking of this, Lu Yang was startled by his own guess: If the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master isn't dead, then he is highly likely with the Ancestral Dragon. Is he still refining that Nascent Soul Pill? Did he succeed? Is it really true that one can become a Nascent Soul Dao Lord just by consuming it?
For a moment, Lu Yang's thoughts were in turmoil.
But he quickly regained his composure: No, it's not certain that the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master is still alive. Mu Changsheng's soul was snatched five thousand years ago.
If the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master were still alive, how could he have done nothing?
A contingency plan left behind before his death? Regardless, even if the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master is truly alive, he must be in a state where he cannot interfere with the outside world.
Lu Yang reached a conclusion.
Interesting. Could the birth of the Sixth Dragon Lord actually affect the Ancestral Dragon's seal? What exactly was the goal of the First-generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master's layout?
Of course, what was even more important was—
The Saint Sect's Ancestor doesn't want this to happen!
This was the key. After all, the more the Saint Sect's Ancestor didn't want something to happen, the more Lu Yang wanted to lend a helping hand! He had to find a way to cause him some trouble!
At this thought, Lu Yang immediately formed hand seals.
He pushed the [Off-Stage Observer] to its limits, elevating Mu Changsheng's Fortune. The purple Qi, which had originally been just a thick strand, instantly transformed into a genuine, solid pillar.
This was his limit. Elevating a Foundation Establishment cultivator using the stature of a Great Perfected Lord could at most raise the purple Qi by two tiers. Anything higher could only be done by a Dao Lord. However, despite it only being raised from a strand to a pillar, its actual impact on karma far exceeded ordinary imagination.
Boom!
In an instant, the previously stalled ritual array within the [Eternal Flowing Water] actually resumed operation. A fail-safe mechanism that shouldn't have been triggered was activated.
The Dragon Lord gestation ritual array originally required a soul as its foundation.
Although there is no soul now, Mu Changsheng still has a Golden Nature! The Golden Nature is the essence of the soul; it is perfectly reasonable for the ritual array to use it as a substitute...
Normally, this would be unfeasible.
However, all things possess a sliver of hope for survival. Bolstered by the elevated Fortune, karma was warped, causing this variable to surface out of thin air!
Seeing this, Lu Yang didn't say another word and escaped into the [Nourishing Life Master].
"Will he come?"
He had restarted the Dragon Lord gestation ritual array. Was it possible that the Saint Sect's Ancestor, who had personally stopped it back then, would descend again to resolve the matter once and for all?
—All was calm.
The expected intervention from the Saint Sect's Ancestor did not occur. The Dragon Lord gestation ritual array successfully began its operation. But in the next second, a new problem popped up again.
"...Oh, right." Lu Yang slapped his forehead.
The Chen Earth had been reversed!
Ren-Chen and Gui-Si were known as the [Eternal Flowing Water]. Five thousand years ago, the Yin–Yang polarity of Chen Earth, one of its core components, was forcibly reversed by Sky-Shrouding.
Because of [Sky-shrouding]'s existence, something actually went wrong with the ritual array long ago. Even if it truly managed to birth a True Dragon, it wouldn't be able to smoothly take control of the [Eternal Flowing Water] and would only be reduced to mediocrity... Truly worthy of being the Ancestor. After that intervention five thousand years ago, he completely cleaned up all the loose ends!
Leaving no room for error, pulling up the problem by the roots!
What a pity...
Lu Yang sighed but quickly perked up. After all, baiting the Saint Sect's Ancestor was just a side gig; his main target this time was still the Old Dragon Lord.
"Although he won't be able to take control of the [Eternal Flowing Water] through this opportunity, what this ritual array is gestating is still a Dragon Lord, belonging to the same tier of origin as the Old Dragon Lord. Under these circumstances, how could the Old Dragon Lord not notice? And having noticed, he should at least come and take a look, right? After all, it might be his blood brother."
The outer seas, deep within the Dragon Palace of the Four Seas Sect.
Suddenly, a pair of pupils as massive as mountains lit up on the dim seabed, illuminating the surroundings. Yet, they lacked the overbearing dominance a True Dragon should possess.
Instead, they were filled with panic.
The ritual array of the [Eternal Flowing Water] has resumed operation?
The Sixth Dragon Lord has begun gestating again and is about to be born? Impossible, there's no soul! How could this happen? Is a Dao Lord making a move?
At this moment, every scale on the Old Dragon Lord's body stood on end.
The Sixth Dragon Lord. If this were the Golden Age, he would have been genuinely happy about it and held a grand celebration to welcome his newborn brother.
But times had changed.
The era named "Ancestral Dragon" had long since been reduced to dust in history. And in the era named "Primordial Saint," there was no place for the Sixth Dragon Lord.
I have already switched to cultivating the Grotto-Heaven method and severed my connection with the Ancestral Dragon, which is why I managed to survive by a fluke. But the Sixth Dragon Lord hasn't. Once he takes control of the [Eternal Flowing Water], with his bloodline, he might be able to contact the Ancestral Dragon. He could even give the Ancestral Dragon a chance to shed its shell and escape the seal!
Thinking of this, the Old Dragon Lord felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.
Especially after sensing the direction and discovering that it was happening right here in the overseas, the Old Dragon Lord's scalp tingled even more. Should he go or not?
If he went, he might be suspected of being the mastermind behind the scenes.
If he didn't go, he might be seen as having a guilty conscience.
After mulling it over, the Old Dragon Lord felt he still had to go. At least he could try to prove his innocence. Otherwise, if yellow mud fell into his pants, it would be treated as shit whether it was or not.
However, a second before he stood up, he stopped again.
No...
Could the Sixth Dragon Lord truly be born? With that Lord up in the sky watching, the possibility of the Sixth Dragon Lord's birth should have been completely crushed long ago.
Since that was the case, why revive the Sixth Dragon Lord at all?
Why do something completely futile?
Unless—
"...The target was never the Sixth Dragon Lord to begin with. It's me?" The Old Dragon Lord's expression changed drastically.
This is bad!
Which Lord wants to harm me!?
(End of Chapter)