Four Seas Sect, Dragon Palace.
In the resplendent grand hall, Mu Changsheng landed behind the Old Dragon Lord. He then concealed his dragon form, revealing his true appearance—he was actually a handsome young man.
"Mm."
Mu Changsheng currently manifested his appearance from his peak youth. As the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been ganged up on by the various Perfected Lords back then, the Old Dragon Lord was actually no stranger to his face.
Coupled with the characteristic of being favored by the Heavenly Lord, the Old Dragon Lord immediately realized who he was:
"Mu Changsheng?"
Mu Changsheng wasn't surprised to hear this. After all, in his eyes, since the Old Dragon Lord came to "save" him, he naturally already knew his true identity.
Therefore, he bowed quite naturally:
"Greetings, Senior."
Right after, he immediately said in a deep voice, "The embryonic form of the [Heaven of Nothingness] is still within a spiritual artifact I left behind in the past. Temporarily, I have no way to retrieve it for use."
Hearing this, the Old Dragon Lord was instantly taken aback.
Heaven of Nothingness?
What is that? Could this be Mu Changsheng's secret, the benefit the Dao Lord arranged for me?
The Old Dragon Lord was an old fox who had been around the block, after all. Despite the doubts in his heart, his face remained entirely impassive. His expression was obscure, showing not the slightest fluctuation of emotion.
Judging by his tone, he seems certain that I know about the [Heaven of Nothingness], and even thinks I specifically sought him out because of it. How could there be such a misunderstanding? I've never met him before... The Heavenly Lord! That's it! He is favored by the Heavenly Lord, and my True Dragon clan also has some ties to the Heavenly Lord...
The Old Dragon Lord rapidly sorted out his thoughts.
The next moment, he let out a soft chuckle.
"When the Heavenly Lord first told me about this matter, I already found it somewhat hard to believe. After seeing you, young friend, my suspicions only grew."
"And now you're deliberately stalling for time."
"Could it be… you're playing me for a fool?"
As his words fell, the coercion of a Golden Core cultivator descended like a crashing tide. Behind the Old Dragon Lord's head, layers of radiant light rippled outward like waves on water, pressing down heavily upon Mu Changsheng.
"Senior, you misunderstand!"
Sweat poured from Mu Changsheng like rain as he hurriedly explained, "The matter of the [Heaven of Nothingness] is absolutely not a lie. Once it succeeds, it will inevitably force every Perfected Lord in the world to retreat into seclusion!"
Holy shit… you actually have a move like that?
Hearing this, the Old Dragon Lord's eyes flickered, but his tone remained disdainful:
"Empty words offer no proof. You are just spouting claims with your mouth, but it seems you can't produce a shred of actual evidence?"
This was the absolute disparity between a Perfected Lord and a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The Old Dragon Lord could patiently probe, but Mu Changsheng couldn't possibly bargain or even hold back. In order to save his own life, he didn't dare conceal anything. He immediately spilled all the details of the [Heaven of Nothingness] plan, leaving the Old Dragon Lord dumbfounded.
Good heavens!
This scheme is quite ruthless, and it's genuinely feasible! Thirty years... no, if operated well, it could probably force the Perfected Lords to hide in the Sea of Bitterness for at least forty years!
The Old Dragon Lord suddenly grew excited.
Forty years! Without Perfected Lords blocking the way, wouldn't my son Tian Qiu have hope of attaining the [Heavenly River Water]? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
No, not just that... there's also the [Heavenly Fire]!
If the Perfected Lords withdrew into seclusion and the Foundation Establishment cultivators fought for supremacy, then the Dao Court over there might truly have a chance to unify the Immortal Nexus—and, by relying on that surging fortune, attain the [Heavenly Fire].
Was this the benefit the Dao Court's Dao Lord had promised him?
Had he actually raised the payment?
For a moment, the Old Dragon Lord was somewhat dazed. The happiness had come too suddenly, leaving him momentarily at a loss. But he quickly snapped back to reality.
No. It still wasn't enough.
That child, Tian Qiu, had yet to achieve sufficient attainment over the [Heavenly River Water]. Without external assistance, it would likely be extremely difficult for him to successfully seek the Golden Core within just forty years.
Thinking of this, his face sank again.
Seeing this, Mu Changsheng suffered another misunderstanding, thinking the [Heaven of Nothingness] didn't satisfy the Old Dragon Lord. He gritted his teeth and continued in a low voice:
"Besides that, I have one more item."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Old Dragon Lord froze again.
You have another trick up your sleeve?
Immediately after, Mu Changsheng's voice quietly drifted into the Old Dragon Lord's ears, striking like a thunderclap: "May I ask, Senior, do you have any understanding of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]?"
"..."
The Old Dragon Lord fell silent.
The [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]? Of course he understood it! Back then, the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak had specifically discussed it with him. He even knew the contents of some of the trials.
Wait? Could it be...
In a flash, as if he thought of something, the Old Dragon Lord forcefully suppressed the emotions in his heart and looked at Mu Changsheng: "You couldn't possibly be talking about the [Nourishing Life Master], could you?"
That single sentence instantly confirmed Mu Changsheng's guess:
Just as I thought! The Heavenly Lord had already told him the intel on the [Nourishing Life Master] long ago. If I hadn't brought it up, he might have turned hostile. Good thing I reacted quickly.
Thus, he nodded decisively, "Exactly!"
As his words fell, the Old Dragon Lord instead fell silent. The Dao Fruit scripture of the [Nourishing Life Master]... if he could get his hands on it, Tian Qiu's problem would be solved!
This is too beautiful... Unbelievable. The Dao Court Dao Lord is showing far too much sincerity. Could there be a trap in the [Nourishing Life Master]? Impossible, Dao Lords cannot enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]. Does that mean it really is for me? No, that's not right. The Dao Lord wants to use my hands to intervene in the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]!
The Old Dragon Lord experienced a sudden epiphany.
The Dao Lord couldn't interfere with the [Nourishing Life Master], so he needed him to act as a proxy. It was both a gift of benefits and an act of using him. That didn't seem strange at all.
Thinking of this, the Old Dragon Lord had no more doubts:
"The karma and coordinates?"
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng didn't dare to hesitate. He directly split off a strand of divine sense containing the exact karmic coordinates of the [Nourishing Life Master], leaving the Old Dragon Lord highly satisfied.
Similarly, Lu Yang was also extremely satisfied.
Good, good, good.
Mu Changsheng has the favor of the Heavenly Lord, and the Old Dragon Lord, as a noble of heaven and earth, is also beloved by the Heavenly Lord. They can pluck the karma of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] effortlessly.
Not bad, this saved me a lot of effort.
Originally, he was still pondering how to get the Old Dragon Lord the karma to enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]. Now it seemed he didn't have to bother.
I only got the karma to enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] because of the feedback from [Disciple Becomes the Master's Standard], which created a resonance with [Tribulation]. It was a heaven-sent opportunity, an unexpected surprise. The Old Dragon Lord's luck is much better than mine... Could the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] be related to the Heavenly Lord too?
No, to be precise, it was related to the Ancestral Dragon.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang's gaze grew increasingly profound.
Meanwhile, the Old Dragon Lord had already obtained the coordinate karma from Mu Changsheng's hands. After confirming there were no errors, a look of excitement surfaced in his eyes.
But he quickly suppressed the excitement and calmed down.
"...You, go first."
The Old Dragon Lord looked at Mu Changsheng and said in a deep voice, "I won't go in for now. You go inside and bring out the Dao Fruit scripture for the [Heavenly River Water] for me."
"Ah?"
Mu Changsheng blanked for a moment, then shook his head. "Senior, with my meager cultivation as a low-level cultivator, I can only browse unorthodox paths. How could I bring out an orthodox Dao Fruit?"
"Then bring out an unorthodox one."
Seeing this, Mu Changsheng was helpless. He had no choice but to take a deep breath and escape into the [Nourishing Life Master]. A moment later, he returned and split off another strand of divine sense.
"It's all here."
The Old Dragon Lord didn't say another word, snatching it over and browsing through it carefully. A look of absolute certainty finally settled in his eyes: He didn't lie to me. It really is the [Nourishing Life Master].
Back in the day, the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak had also shown him a similar Dao Fruit scripture.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Mu Changsheng again: Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can walk out alive. The [Nourishing Life Master] shouldn't have any lethal dangers.
Hmm... could it be that someone set up a layout to bait me into the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]?
Doesn't make sense. Why would a Dao Lord use this? It's even less likely to be a Great Perfected Lord; after all, it's completely impossible to lay out schemes for the mortal realm from inside the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness].
It's secure! Everything is completely secure!
With this thought, the Old Dragon Lord hesitated no more. He directly roused his divine sense and escaped into the [Nourishing Life Master], intending to admire the scenery of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness].
And then, he saw a stretch of silver light.
What met his eyes were surging waves and monstrous tsunamis. Every drop of seawater seemed to be a phantom of light and shadow, manifesting a stature and aura that terrified him to the absolute extreme.
"Ah?"
In a flash, unprecedented horror rushed into his mind, making him see stars and his lips and teeth tremble. The essence, qi, and spirit he had just roused almost instantly scattered.
I still fell for the trap?
Someone really is scheming against me?
How is this possible... I'm doomed!
The next second, a clear, ringing laugh swept over like a storm, leaving his mind dizzy and completely blank:
"Fellow Daoist, I have waited for you here for a long time!"
(End of Chapter)