The Dark Aspect of the Light Sea.
Initially, it was just a streak of white light. However, in the blink of an eye, the white light transformed into a vast, white horizon, instantly tearing apart the endless darkness.
"Clang—!"
A sharp sword cry thus spread through the Dark Aspect of the Light Sea, followed by a magnificent wave of sword qi that spilled open like a meteor shower.
Witnessing this scene, Lu Yang's expression suddenly became extremely solemn. Matter did not exist in the Dark Aspect of the Light Sea, so theoretical sword qi didn't exist either. The reason it presented such a spectacle was entirely because the consciousness of the instigator was strong to an extremely exaggerated degree.
Dao Sovereign...
Lu Yang furrowed his brows tightly, speculating in his heart. But he immediately and decisively shook his head: No, that's not right! It lacks the sublimated aura from when [Sky-shrouding] challengedthe Netherworld.
He had seen a Dao Sovereign before.
After all, [Sky-shrouding] had challenged the Netherworld in two different lifetimes. Golden Core perfection was a necessary step on that path. As an observer, Lu Yang was naturally no stranger to it.
However, precisely because of this, he was even more surprised.
Although this person is not a Dao Sovereign, he is faintly a head above late-stage Golden Core and Heaven Treading stage Great Perfected Lords. How is this achieved?
Lu Yang pushed his eyesight to the limit and quickly spotted the figure of the instigator at the center of the meteor shower-like sword light—but to his surprise, it wasn't a person. It was a sword, three sword formations completely constructed from talismans, arranged in parallel within the Dark Aspect of the Light Sea.
In the next second, the edge of the swords turned.
As if noticing Lu Yang's spying, the three sword formations turned simultaneously. Seeing this, Lu Yang instantly felt a chilling sensation of being pointed at by the edge of a sword.
"That is..."
In the next second, the newly awakened Pan Huang provided the answer: "That is [Warding-Evil], one of the Fastings of the Mind of the Great Sword Ancestor. Fellow Daoist must absolutely not be careless..."
Fasting of the Mind, one of them?
Great Sword Ancestor?
Lu Yang's thoughts slowed down at this moment. The sound of Pan Huang's voice beside his ear was drawn further away; what should have been a loud voice became faint and blurry.
What met his eyes was only a vast, white sword edge. Only the sword cry remained in his ears. The surrounding Dark Aspect of the Light Sea also changed appearance under this sword, as if completely transforming into sharp sword qi. It treated Lu Yang as an enemy, an "evil entity" that must be eradicated, sweeping toward him.
Like toppling mountains and overturning seas, it was unstoppable.
Once this sword came out, it was like the Son of Heaven ascending the throne among swords; its words became law. If it said you were "evil," you were "evil"; if it said it would slay you, you would have nowhere to escape.
However, Lu Yang raised his head.
A bright radiance surfaced from the depths of his eyes, causing the roles of ruler and minister to invert. Even if the entire world were his enemy, he was fearless, wanting to overthrow the endless oppression pressing down upon him.
[Light-Chasing Dao Heart]!
This was not a battle of spiritual power and profound concepts, but a pure contest of Dao hearts. The ocean of sword qi instantly submerged Lu Yang, leaving only a single point of light for support.
The two sides remained in a stalemate like this for a moment.
An unknown amount of time passed before the ocean of sword qi dispersed. Lu Yang took a step back. Although he looked slightly disheveled, the light in the depths of his eyes had not dimmed in the slightest.
He even had the mood to evaluate that sword strike just now:
A very strong sword of consciousness. It's a purely offensive Fasting of the Mind. Its nature is similar to the World Honored One's [One Mind], full of domineering and corrosive qualities.
It was just that the World Honored One's goal was assimilation.
While this [Warding-Evil] seemed to be solely for pure destruction. If one's Dao heart was destroyed by it, the only result would be being reduced to an empty shell.
Unfortunately, it met me.
Lu Yang's eyes were calm. His [Light-Chasing Dao Heart] feared this kind of offensive Fasting of the Mind the least, because it was born precisely to take a beating.
The stronger your offense, the stronger I become. The so-called light-chasing was originally like a moth darting into a flame. Without experiencing hardships severe enough to burn one's body, how could one seek the blazing light? Coupled with the effect of the [Heart-Cleansing Chapter], the heavier the beating he took, the faster his Dao heart would elevate!
However, surprisingly...
That sword qi clearly realized this as well, which is why it actively retreated and dispersed... This proves it's not chaotic emotion, but equally possesses a clear consciousness.
Now this was interesting.
Lu Yang lowered his eyelids, his expression cold and sinister: Tianhun, that guy definitely has things he's hiding from me. He didn't mention this thing to me at all before.
This artifact spirit wasn't honest.
Thinking about it carefully, the condition to awaken the twelve Dharma Body Dao Great Perfected Lords was actually quite simple. As long as one's Dao heart reached the second stage, it could be easily accomplished.
Of course, this was extremely difficult for the present mortal world. Lu Yang estimated that in the current Light Sea, besides himself, even [Sky-shrouding] and Feixue likely hadn't condensed the Fasting of the Mind. Even though they actually possessed the ability and basic conditions to condense it, the corresponding cultivation methods had completely gone extinct.
But what about the First-generation Master of Heaven-Mending Peak?
In his era, Dao heart cultivation techniques hadn't been banned yet, and were even quite prosperous. Since that was the case, how could his Dao heart not even be at the Fasting of the Mind level?
He did it on purpose.
Perhaps he sensed that there was another layer of seals beneath the Dharma Body Dao Great Perfected Lords. Not wanting to stir up trouble, he chose not to awaken them.
Lu Yang shifted his gaze, only to see that Pan Huang and the other Dharma Body Dao Great Perfected Lords were also currently dealing with the sword qi, gradually suppressing the other two sword formations as well. But even so, that prickly feeling on his back didn't diminish in the slightest; instead, it became increasingly oppressive, causing him to instinctively narrow his eyes.
Right at this moment, Pan Huang's voice suddenly transmitted over:
"Fellow Daoist, please return first and bring the [Dao-Conquering Tianhun Diagram] inside. We need the augmentation of this supreme treasure to completely suppress these three Sword Gods."
"We cannot let them run amok."
"Otherwise, they will wreak havoc indiscriminately throughout the entire Dark Aspect of the Light Sea, slaying a massive number of consciousness projections, subsequently leading to massive casualties in the mortal world."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Lu Yang felt no worry at all. On the contrary, his eyes lit up slightly. By this logic, his previous hypothesis about consciousness projections affecting reality was valid?
It was truly feasible?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately restrained his mind and instantly broke away from the Dark Aspect of the Light Sea, returning to the palace in the painting. He then looked at Tianhun not far away.
"Fellow Daoist, shouldn't you explain a little?" Lu Yang said with a half-smile.
"Uh... misunderstanding."
Hearing this, Tianhun swallowed hard and said in a low voice: "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I absolutely didn't lie to you before. You are now legitimately the Master of the Painting."
"If Fellow Daoist is unwilling, you can completely ignore Pan Huang and the others, letting them fend for themselves. The choice is entirely yours. However, Pan Huang and the others hold an array diagram with extremely strong power. With my cooperation, in its peak state it could even be used to fight a Dao Sovereign. It will definitely be useful to Fellow Daoist..."
Lu Yang couldn't be bothered with these excuses.
He directly asked the doubts in his heart: "Who is the Great Sword Ancestor, the personal disciple of the Sword Pavilion Dao Lord? Are those three mental sword formations all his Fastings of the Mind?"
Hearing this, Tianhun hurriedly nodded:
"That is exactly the case!"
"The Great Sword Ancestor was a prodigy the Sword Lord found to oppose the four Peak Masters under the Primordial Saint. He was a person born with three spirits, someone hard to find even among hundreds of millions."
"Three spirits residing in one body, each a master of its own."
"Therefore, while ordinary people can only condense one Fasting of the Mind, he could condense three. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his talent in Dao heart cultivation was unmatched in the Light Sea."
"And the three Fastings of the Mind he condensed were [Warding-Evil], [Subduing-Spirit], and [Vanquishing-Demon]. Relying on this advantage, he could elevate his stature much more brazenly than other Great Perfected Lords without worrying about getting lost. Therefore, even with the same cultivation base, his stature was faintly a half-head higher than others."
"He even developed a set of methods to merge the three spirits into one specifically for this."
"So back then, he was also praised by others as the great master below the Dao Lords with the highest possibility of breaking through the heavenly chasm of the Dao heart, forging the [Primordial Spirit], and permanently residing as a Dao Sovereign."
After all, this kind of Dao heart cultivation was simply too special.
"Although the requirements for talent were too high, making it lack universal applicability, it cannot be denied that this head disciple of the Sword Lord was a prodigy capable of founding a sect and establishing a faction."
Hence the name—Great Sword Ancestor!
(End of Chapter)