The Immortal Nexus.
As the center of the Light Sea and the premier land of excellence, this vast World Realm hadn't trembled in a very long time, remaining unchanged like a pool of stagnant water.
Yet today, a soaring beam of light slowly rose from the Immortal Nexus. It hooked into the Light Sea beyond the heavens and pierced straight into the dark void, resembling a heaven-supporting white jade pillar. Within the beam of light was a slender silhouette shrouded in smoky veins, its true form indiscernible, with only a stature as heavy as a mountain dissipating into the surroundings.
"[Sky-shrouding]!"
"It's him! The [Perfected Lord Sky-Shrouding and Obscuring the Sun]! The inversion of Chen Earth was his doing... Unbelievable, I actually completely forgot about him before this."
"It's the [Great Forest Wood]."
"Five Elements Perfection?"
In an instant, the entire Immortal Nexus trembled. Countless gazes unavoidably fell upon [Sky-shrouding], as if that spot had become the center of heaven and earth.
Meanwhile, [Sky-shrouding] was deep in thought.
He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing the dark void, as if he saw a massive net covering the heavens and earth descending upon him, casting down a chilling stare.
...The [Heavenly Dao]?
Just like Lu Yang in his previous life, [Sky-shrouding] also learned this name from the unseen void. However, there was a major difference between him and Lu Yang.
He had backing.
Boom!
Suddenly, a crack of thunder sounded, causing an intense sense of crisis to abruptly sprout in [Sky-shrouding]'s heart, as if he would die on the spot in the very next second.
I see. It's too early.
Great Perfected Lords are temporarily forbidden from entering the world, otherwise the variables would be too great and might affect the arrival of the Thousand-Year Great Tribulation... Hmph, the outside world truly is heavily shackled.
[Sky-shrouding] snorted coldly. His dissipating stature was instantly reigned in, the soaring beam of light vanished, and the smoke around his entire body grew even thicker, completely concealing his form. Only a pair of chilling eyes peeked through. His stature, which had originally suppressed the entire Immortal Nexus, also rapidly receded, dropping all the way down to the Middle Stage of the Golden Core before stabilizing.
Yet even so, he remained terrifyingly powerful.
With his hands behind his back and a gaze as bright as a torch, [Sky-shrouding] looked directly at Hong Yun. Hong Yun's mouth fell slightly open, his eyes wide.
He was still Seeking the Golden Core.
The [Overturned Lamp Flame] shone high in the firmament. He was just one step away from stepping into it—in fact, in one of Lu Yang's lifetimes, he actually succeeded.
Unfortunately, things were different now.
The true body of [Sky-shrouding] had walked out of the Netherworld. The moment he stood in the mortal realm, no matter how much Hong Yun struggled, it was already impossible for him to successfully return to his position.
Then, everyone saw [Sky-shrouding]'s gaze turn calm. A layer of iridescent light swirled in his long, narrow eyes, so profound it seemed like an ocean was converging within them. If one made eye contact, they could even see the illusion and destruction of the Light Sea, the collapse of World Realms, and all myriad things reflected in the depths of his eyes!
In the next second, Hong Yun was reflected in those pupils.
Immediately after, [Sky-shrouding] slowly closed his eyes. Like wiping away a layer of grime, Hong Yun simply vanished from his world.
[Sky-shrouding] stopped looking at him, and so no one else could ever see him again.
His soul flew away, and his spirit scattered!
Throughout the entire process, absolutely no one stepped out to stop him. Even Perfected Lord Feixue remained silent. The vast Immortal Nexus was now plunged into a soundless tranquility.
On the other side, [Sky-shrouding] shifted his gaze and looked toward the outer seas, then raised an eyebrow. "Hmph, that old loach ran quite fast."
The towering Dragon Palace was already empty.
Aside from a group of useless Foundation Establishment True Dragons, whether it was Tian Qiu, the Old Dragon Lord, or Mu Changsheng, they were all completely out of sight.
Thinking of this, [Sky-shrouding] immediately planned to leave.
But right at that moment, as if he thought of something, he abruptly stopped in his tracks. He then adopted an expression as if listening closely, his eyes narrowing sharply.
A long while passed before he suddenly let out a cold sneer.
In that very instant, his thoughts suddenly surged, and a powerful killing intent arose within him toward the Old Dragon Lord—the one who had forced him out of the Netherworld.
Something isn't right.
The Old Dragon Lord had, in fact, helped him leave the Netherworld through proper means. By all logic, he should feel gratitude, not murderous intent… It seems the old immortal is beginning to grow suspicious.
In truth, he had already found the Old Dragon Lord rather strange. Since when had this notoriously cowardly old loach become so bold? Plotting against him, allowing his descendant to obtain the [Heavenly River Water]… could it be that he intended to reclaim the supreme seat of the [Vast Ocean Water]?
These methods were highly sophisticated.
It didn't seem like something the Old Dragon Lord could pull off.
And the True Dragon gestation ritual array of the [Eternal Flowing Water] being triggered... Heh, could it be related to the Ancestral Dragon? Did the Old Dragon Lord find a contingency plan left by the Ancestral Dragon?
[Sky-shrouding] grew increasingly curious.
As for that suddenly sprouted killing intent, he had no intention of ignoring it. After all, since he was now in the mortal realm, he couldn't escape the fate of being manipulated.
He's using me as a thug.
Fortunately, we haven't completely fallen out yet... I didn't flip the [Inversion], sending a message to those above that my ambition still lies in attaining the Netherworld.
This was his protective talisman.
Without this protective talisman, the [Heavenly Dao] might have already smote him down just now, instead of merely giving him a warning and the opportunity to conceal his stature.
As long as I maintain the outward appearance of desiring to attain the Netherworld, the Dao Lords won't make things difficult for me... After all, they still need me to perish together with the Lord of the Netherworld! And I can totally use this opportunity to maximize benefits for myself and step onto Paramita... I have to give it a try no matter what.
[Sky-shrouding] knew very well that this was like pulling chestnuts out of the fire.
The only one possibly willing to support his ascension to Paramita was probably the World Honored One. He had to start from scratch and figure out the thoughts of the Dao Lords in the heavens step by step.
Unfortunately, life has no do-overs. Since things have reached this point, I can only brace myself and keep walking.
Fortunately, with his true body now residing in the world, there shouldn't be anyone within the Light Sea who could match him.
Even though he was actually still lacking at this moment.
I only have Five Elements Perfection but lack the bolster of [Inversion]. Right now, I'm probably just at the peak of Great Perfected Lord, unable to reach the absolute extreme. Still a bit lacking.
That being said, [Sky-shrouding] didn't mind.
In the next second, he vanished from his spot, escaping into [The Mortal World]. Only then did that lingering, formless oppression finally dissipate.
Meanwhile, inside the [Nourishing Life Master].
The Old Dragon Lord, Tian Qiu, and Mu Changsheng slumped on the ground, looking thoroughly miserable. On the other side, Lu Yang scrutinized the three of them with bright, piercing eyes.
The [Heavenly River Water] had been successfully attained.
He wasn't surprised by this. Ordinary cultivators might just think it was because Tian Qiu had high Dao comprehension and capability, coupled with the Old Dragon Lord's all-out assistance.
However, from his perspective, the moment [Sky-shrouding] walked out of the Netherworld, Tian Qiu was destined to succeed. Because only by restoring the position of the [Vast Ocean Water] could the cracks in the Foundation Establishment Realm be mended, ensuring that even if the Netherworld collapsed, the mortal realm wouldn't be crushed by Paramita in the short term.
Admittedly, there was a slight variable in the plan.
The reaction of [Sky-shrouding] in this lifetime is completely different from before. I'm afraid it's because of something I did... Is it because I awakened the Beast Taming Peak Master early?
...What a pity.
A variable, truly a variable.
Facing the true body of [Sky-shrouding] walking out of the Netherworld with Five Elements Perfection, his plan to extract his Golden Nature and pull out the concept of the Great Forest Wood was basically impossible now.
But Lu Yang quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, his basic goal had been achieved.
With the [Heavenly River Water] attained, the Old Dragon Lord could already demote its concept, allowing the [Vast Ocean Water] to return to supremacy and fill in the conceptual gap he was missing!
He had taken yet another step closer to Void Attainment!
(End of Chapter)