Lu Yang leisurely observed his own state.
Although he was submissive and agreeable in front of the Dao Lords, once he entered the [Four Great Ghost Domains] and escaped their control, he rose up once more.
So this is a Death Spirit.
Lu Yang looked inward and found that all the Great Daos he commanded, including the Dharma Body Dao, the profound wondersof his Dao Fruits, and even the [Divine Firmament Thunder], had undergone subtle changes.
Under the effect of the [Cycle of Life and Death Pill] within his body, his stature was inverted downwards. Faintly, he seemed to be able to sense a certain vast and boundless entity within the Netherworld. Thanks to this, his strength didn't decline in the slightest even in the Netherworld, but because of it, he also lost the opportunity to comprehend the Netherworld.
I am still different from true Death Spirits.
True Death Spirits were connected to the Great Dao of the Netherworld, while he still commanded his own Great Daos, merely wearing a layer of the Netherworld Great Dao's skin on the outside.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but look beside him.
Over there, three Foundation Establishment Death Spirits were trembling with fear, staring straight at him with gazes that were a mix of disbelief and hidden expectation.
At this moment, their moods were incredibly complex.
Terror was a natural emotion in front of a higher-level lifeform. However, after the terror, the savior descending from the sky also made them feel ecstasy.
This absolute sense of oppression.
A Golden Core Perfected Lord! And a Golden Core Perfected Lord of the Dharma Body Dao at that, descending from the sky, which meant he just died... Was the Dharma Body Dao inheritance still present in the mortal world?
They were saved.
Lu Yang didn't pay attention to the three people's thoughts. His tone was flat: "Where is this place, and what are your identities? I need an exact answer."
In just a short sentence, Lu Yang wasn't asking all three simultaneously, but questioning them separately, planning to cross-check their answers afterward. Only this way could he ensure the answers he received were precise enough. It couldn't be helped; they were all at Foundation Establishment, so it wasn't easy to search their souls. Otherwise, why would he need to ask questions? A quick check of their memories and he would know everything.
Soon, the three scrambled to give their answers.
"This place is named the [Mingluo Sea of Trees]."
"After the founding patriarch of the [Tai Hao Sect], Great Perfected Lord Mingluo, perished, he transformed into this dangerous ground. We are all currently seeking shelter under his sect..."
From the mouths of the three, Lu Yang gradually formed a preliminary outline of his impression of the current Netherworld: in short, it was a state of constant, panicked fleeing.
In that battle one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years ago, Sisui died, and the Three Foundations were defeated. The Dao war between the Grotto-Heaven method and the ancient method didn't disappear even after entering the Netherworld. Up until today, the Three Foundations were already declining like the setting sun, surrounded and suppressed everywhere by the Grotto-Heaven method, fleeing in scattered fragments taking the form of sects.
The [Tai Hao Sect] was one of them.
Right at this moment, within Lu Yang's sea of consciousness, the [Dao-Conquering Tianhun Diagram] awakened. Tianhun's voice drifted out faintly: "I recognize this [Tai Hao Sect]!"
"Mingluo, this Daoist title was also given by Master."
"This Great Perfected Lord also received guidance from Master back then, which led to the Dao lineage of the [Tai Hao Sect]. He could be considered an Entering the Dao stage Great Perfected Lord."
"Oh?" Lu Yang was somewhat surprised to hear this: "Since that's the case, why did he become a Death Spirit? Didn't Senior Sisui conveniently save him as well back then?"
"How could it be that easy to save him!"
Tianhun was helpless: "That bald donkey ascended to Paramita too suddenly. Moreover, the moment he appeared, he attacked lower cultivators, completely breaking the balance on the battlefield."
"Mingluo was stomped to death by that bald donkey."
"Rather than asking why he wasn't saved, it's more accurate to say that Master managing to save Pan Huang and the others was already a display of Master's godly reaction speed. Otherwise, Pan Huang and the others would have also died under that bald donkey's foot."
Lu Yang wasn't surprised to hear this.
After all, attacking lower cultivators right after becoming a Dao Lord fit his stereotype of the World Honored One perfectly. No wonder the Three Foundations Daos suffered such a miserable defeat in the end.
"Speaking of which, is there anything special about the Dao lineage of this [Tai Hao Sect]?"
Lu Yang asked curiously. He had recently been preparing for his own Dao lineage, so naturally, he needed to stitch together and extensively incorporate the Dao lineages of the world, taking the essence and discarding the dregs.
"It's actually quite special."
Tianhun thought for a moment and said: "Unlike orthodox Dharma Body cultivators, the [Tai Hao Sect]'s cultivation of the Dharma body actually treats it as a tool to be utilized."
"The philosophy of its Dao method is [using the Dharma body as a field to cultivate spiritual plants]. It's somewhat similar to beast taming and animal control methods. The lives of the sect's cultivators are connected to the spiritual plants they cultivate, so they are mostly long-lived and possess exuberant vitality. Even among the Dharma Body Dao, they were the batch that was hardest to kill."
Unfortunately, they met the World Honored One.
When a Dao Lord stomps down, no amount of spiritual plants or exuberant vitality matters. Soul scattered and perished on the spot, obediently going to the Netherworld to become a Death Spirit.
"Quite ingenious..."
After listening to Tianhun's introduction, Lu Yang's face was full of keen interest. At the same time, he realized the key point: This place might just be a fortuitous encounter for me!
Unlike the standardization Grotto-Heaven method, the ancient method saw a hundred flowers bloom. Although seemingly confined to the Three Foundations, it was actually a vibrant ecosystem. Various flashy and complicated Dao lineages appeared one after another. If he could absorb them all, it would undoubtedly be a massive foundation for his Dao lineage!
Right at this moment.
Among the three Foundation Establishment Death Spirits beside Lu Yang, the most burly one, Hong Li, suddenly took a deep breath. Gathering his courage, he stepped forward and said in a hushed voice:
"Is Milord going to see Senior Tai Hao?"
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He then shifted his gaze toward the distant horizon and smiled: "So that besieged Perfected Lord's Daoist title is Tai Hao?"
"Her situation isn't looking too good."
As soon as these words came out, joy instantly surfaced on Hong Li's face. He continued: "Senior Tai Hao possesses a wondrous method that allows her to invoke a portion of the mighty power of the [Mingluo Sea of Trees]."
"I can tell."
Lu Yang nodded slightly: "If not for that, she would have long been defeated under the siege of three Perfected Lords. The fact that she can still barely hold on now is already quite a feat."
"What, you want me to save her?"
Lu Yang looked at Hong Li with a half-smile, completely unexpected when this Foundation Establishment Death Spirit actually shook his head decisively: "No, Senior, you should hurry and leave."
"The [Mingluo Sea of Trees] cannot be saved anymore. Senior's strength alone cannot change anything. Rather than being a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it's better to first preserve your useful self."
Hong Li's voice trembled slightly, seemingly restraining himself, but he ultimately said firmly: "In the Mount Luofu area, Dao of Dao Arts cultivators from the mortal world have established [Mount Longhu] and issued a call, inviting all surviving ancient method cultivators to head there. It's said there are even several Great Perfected Lords holding down the fort."
"To this day, they have already gathered quite a few ancient method Perfected Lords."
"During this time, they have even beaten back the attacks of Grotto-Heaven method demon several times, and publicly declared to the outside world that they will build [Mount Longhu] into the Fifth Ghost Domain."
"In fact, we originally planned to answer the call."
"But before we could set off, the demon from the Mount Beifeng side arrived a step ahead and began their encirclement and suppression..."
Speaking up to here, Hong Li's expression dimmed, but he quickly pulled himself together and gritted his teeth:
"With Senior's strength, and cultivating the Dharma Body Dao on top of that, you will definitely be heavily relied upon once you arrive at the [Celestial Master's Mansion]. In the future, you can save even more of our compatriots!"
Lu Yang: "..."
Where the hell did this bring me?
Is this still the Immortal Nexus?
After a moment of silence, Lu Yang nodded: "What you said makes a lot of sense. If I head to [Mount Longhu] now, I will definitely be valued highly."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and began to move.
Seeing this, Hong Li felt both relief and fear, until he saw that Lu Yang, far from leaving the [Mingluo Sea of Trees], was actually walking toward the center of the Sea of Trees.
"Senior!?"
"All of you stay here. Don't wander around."
Lu Yang waved his hand casually and said flatly:
"Since I'm already here, and it's on the way anyway, I'll pluck a few Perfected Lords' heads to take with me first. When the time comes, it'll be a bit more convincing as a token of loyalty."
(End of Chapter)