Looking at Lu Yang's face, which had already dawned with realization, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon nodded slightly, admiration surfacing in the depths of his eyes. It seemed this child had figured it out.
In this aspect, his talent was undeniable.
He himself had to ponder bitterly after seeing the Sword God Fastings of the Mind, spending quite some time to sort out his thoughts. Yet Lu Yang understood it after hearing it just once.
Thinking of this, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon continued: "So I plan to disperse my cultivation. This [Sword Dao] is not suitable for me. Aren't you trying to build a Dao lineage with the [Arctic Exorcism Court] as its foundation? But your Dao lineage doesn't have any cultivators yet, so there will definitely be omissions in the cultivation method design."
"So I will help you."
"I will cultivate your method, helping you check for gaps and make up for omissions... In addition, I also want to comprehend those three Sword God Fastings of the Mind. Perhaps I can make up for the Great Sword Ancestor's regrets."
Is he trying to create a new [Sword Dao]?
Since Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon brought it up, Lu Yang naturally had no reason to refuse. He had no choice but to take out the [Supreme Void Resonance Chapter] from his chest and hand it over.
"I will have to trouble Master." Lu Yang felt a bit embarrassed.
Up until now, the [Supreme Void Resonance Chapter] was still far from perfect. Although he had woven quite a few divine abilities capable of resonating with the [Arctic Exorcism Court]...
Their quality was subpar.
If someone were to actually use these divine abilities to establish their foundation, it wasn't impossible, but their combat strength would be far inferior compared to Grotto-Heaven method cultivators. They would only barely surpass unorthodox cultivators.
How could that do?
Look at the Grotto-Heaven method. Regardless of how many drawbacks and hidden dangers it had in the dark, at least on the surface, it was comprehensively ahead of the ancient method.
So my dharma method must also be comprehensively ahead of the Grotto-Heaven method. Currently, I've only achieved a lead in future prospects. But not everyone values future prospects; most people value the present more. Therefore, my dharma method's combat strength at the same realm cannot be weak either; at the very least, it must be able to stand as an equal.
Alas, this was quite difficult.
Among the divine abilities of the [Supreme Void Resonance Chapter] so far, only the [Heaven in the Palm], simplified from his self-created [Heaven-Bearing Palm], was passable.
Besides that, there was the [Divination Golden Scripture].
Currently, its accumulation was still somewhat lacking. Once the [Great Forest Wood] True Treasure was forged, he was confident he could also simplify the [Divination Golden Scripture] into a divine ability.
But that was the limit.
Of the five Foundation Establishment divine abilities, my current accumulation can at most only fill two slots. For the remaining three, I can only rely on Master Vanquishing-Demon and Patriarch Nether Whisper to help.
Let my talent work hard for a bit!
Seeing Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon destroy his [Sword Dao] with a single palm strike—although his qi aura plummeted, he looked relaxed and unburdened, as if a weight had been lifted from his mind—Lu Yang couldn't help but smile.
Soon, the Righteous Dao Banner unfurled.
Rolling purple qi surged, protecting Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon in its deepest depths. After ensuring there would be no external interference, Lu Yang finally took out the [Cycle of Life and Death Pill].
This trip to the Netherworld had two goals.
The primary goal, naturally, is to smuggle outside the Light Sea. This point is the ultimate objective, and everything else can give way for this goal.
Secondly, the Nascent Soul Pill.
If my expectations are correct, the Nascent Soul Pills, the remaining descendants of the Ancestral Dragon, and even the first-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak, whose life or death is unknown, might all be hidden in the depths of the Netherworld.
If I can find them out and uncover the truth behind them, that would be for the best.
To smuggle outside the Light Sea, the more variables and chaos within the Light Sea, naturally the better. After all, only then would he have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Therefore, if the arrangements of the first-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak truly had the possibility of drawing the Saint Sect's Ancestor's energy, Lu Yang absolutely wouldn't mind lending a hand. Add to that [Sky-shrouding], the awakened first-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak, the first-generation Master of Heaven-Mending Peak, Mu Changsheng seeking to attest the [Heavenly Fire], the half-dead Ancestral Dragon...
You old undying bastard, I told you in the lifetime before last.
No matter how many trump cards you hide, how many methods you've left behind, and how many hardships and obstacles you've set up as [Inevitable Fate], I will keep playing with you.
Playing until I win.
With this thought, Lu Yang escaped into the Immortal Nexus, tilted his head back, and swallowed the pill. The medicinal power of the [Cycle of Life and Death Pill] explosively circulated, causing his stature to begin a catastrophic plummet!
Endless void.
This was a very subtle experience. When the [Cycle of Life and Death Pill] dissolved within his body and surged to his limbs and bones, Lu Yang only felt his consciousness drift upward.
His soul was being annihilated.
His physical body was decaying.
Yet his consciousness remained incomparably clear, clearer than ever before. This finally allowed him to sense the vast mighty power permeating the Immortal Nexus.
This is the Netherworld's guidance...
Lu Yang watched with keen interest. Unlike the soul guidance he had seen before, what guided him this time was not the [Ghost Gate], but the [Yellow Springs Road].
The seven major components of the Netherworld: the [Ghost Gate] is responsible for guiding and reincarnating souls, and was also the place [Sky-shrouding] blocked in the past. The [Yellow Springs Road], on the other hand, targets the fragments of true spirits after a soul has scattered and perished... I see. So this is the method of the [Cycle of Life and Death Pill].
To sum it up in one word—Deception!
The shattering of the physical body and the annihilation of the soul were all illusions. Fundamentally, it was to trick the Netherworld's guiding power, borrowing the Netherworld's power to convert life into death!
This is a true pill.
Enlightenment surfaced in Lu Yang's heart. The understanding the first-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak had of the Dao of Alchemy had evidently exceeded pills and medicines meant for internal or external use in the ordinary sense.
What is a pill?
As long as it can manifest the creation of heaven and earth and display the profound wonders of the universe, that is a pill! The rest are merely superficial appearances not worth caring about, and there is no need to get entangled in them.
Lu Yang allowed his consciousness to drift, accepting the guidance from the Netherworld, and plummeted explosively downwards from the mortal world. Subsequently, a boundless river of souls entered his vision. At the end of the river, a towering portal stood erect. This was his first time seeing such a spectacle.
Previously, his cultivation was low, so he could only see the river of souls.
Now that his cultivation was high, he finally caught a glimpse of a corner of the [Ghost Gate]... However, soon, his line of sight further plummeted downwards with a boom.
In an instant, the world spun.
By the time he regained his senses, he was already standing on a small path paved with bluestone slabs. Surrounding him was one muddleheaded, shattered true spirit after another.
[Yellow Springs Road]!
Ahead on the small path, Lu Yang saw a bridge as towering as a mountain, erected over a shadow of dead silence. Every true spirit that walked across the bridge would be planted with the Netherworld's mark, officially transforming into a Death Spirit from then on. They would no longer be bound by lifespan, but it would also be difficult to escape the Netherworld.
However, I am different.
Lu Yang looked inward at himself, seemingly able to see that formless [Cycle of Life and Death Pill]. This pill would be planted with the Netherworld's mark in his stead.
If he wanted to escape the Netherworld, he only needed to take the pill out.
Soon, Lu Yang arrived on the [Bridge of Helplessness]. Endless mighty power instantly descended, sweeping over his soul, but was intercepted by the [Cycle of Life and Death Pill].
Not long after, Lu Yang saw a half-black, half-white mark impressively surface on that immortal pill, completely stabilizing his identity as a Death Spirit. In a daze, he could even sense that Great Dao of Death Spirits filling every corner of the Netherworld, and subconsciously raised his eyes to look above his head.
And then he saw it.
Right above the Netherworld, a full eight stars were twinkling. The starlight looked down, reflecting endless radiant light, seemingly interacting with his gaze.
Lu Yang lowered his head 'muddleheadedly'.
His soul didn't display the slightest anomaly.
His Dao heart remained as stable as ever.
All his consciousness seemed to congeal into an iceberg, exactly the same as all the other Death Spirits, without the slightest fluctuation... Only at the bottom of the iceberg did panic show:
Eyes...
Four pairs of eyes looking down upon the Netherworld.
Who else could it be?
Dao Lords! Bastards, it's the Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus!
(End of Chapter)