Perfected lord Tai Hao listened, utterly baffled.
Even though Patriarch Nether Whisper spoke with clear logic, Perfected lord Vanquishing-Demon wore an expression of sudden realization, and there was even a 'Dao Union Heavenly Sound' echoing around them alongside various manifesting Concepts...
To her, it all just sounded like noise.
In a daze, she felt as if she had returned to the ancient era—back to the times when she accompanied her Master to listen to Lord Sisui's lectures, only to end up drowsy and fighting off sleepiness.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance at Lu Yang.
"Senior, although Mount Beifeng is currently empty, the demons who went out will realize the trick sooner or later. You can comprehend the Dao anytime, but we really shouldn't delay this."
Then she saw Lu Yang shoot her a disdainful look.
That look practically screamed, You stinky Dharma Body cultivator, don't drag me down with you.
Following that, Lu Yang took out the Dragon-Banishment Ruler from his robes. With a light tap, the Light of Wisdom in his eyes flared brightly, and he actively joined Patriarch Nether Whisper's discussion.
Perfected lord Tai Hao was stunned.
We both cultivate the Dharma Body Dao, why are you so different from me? Look at that radiant Light of Wisdom. Can you even call yourself an orthodox inheritor of the Dharma Body Dao like this?
What? Lord Sisui was also like this back in the day?
Oh, never mind then.
After a moment of silence, Perfected lord Tai Hao sidled up to Lu Yang again, her eyes staring hungrily at the perfectly straight Dragon-Banishment Ruler in his hand.
"Senior, what kind of treasure is this?"
"Can you hit me with it too?"
Lu Yang wasn't surprised by her request. After all, a wondrous treasure like the Dragon-Banishment Ruler, which could increase one's Light of Wisdom, was virtually irresistible to most Dharma Body Dao cultivators.
"Lower your head a bit."
Perfected lord Tai Hao immediately and obediently followed his instruction. Subsequently, Lu Yang gave her a solid thwack with the Dragon-Banishment Ruler, filling her to the brim with its profound wonders. When she raised her head again, the Light of Wisdom also surfaced in her eyes.
The knowledge that had completely baffled her just moments ago suddenly made perfect sense.
"The Dark Void, the Void, the Plane, the Grotto-Heaven! Not only can the hidden secrets of the Grotto-Heaven Method be extrapolated from this long stairway to divinity, but the corresponding realms can be as well!"
"Let's continue using the Grotto-Heaven Method as an example. If the Grotto-Heaven is the foundation of a Perfected lord, then what about a Great Perfected Lord? In the Grotto-Heaven Method, attaching a Grotto-Heaven onto a three-element Dao Fruit allows one to become a Great Perfected Lord, and attaching it onto a five-element Dao Fruit makes one an Immortal Bridge realm Great Perfected Lord. This process itself... might be a dimensional leap!"
"A leap from a [Grotto-Heaven] to a [Plane]!"
Lu Yang's eyes were bright, clearly having reached an epiphany. "If a [Grotto-Heaven] corresponds to a Perfected lord, then a [Plane] corresponds to a Great Perfected Lord."
"And this process isn't achieved overnight."
"Just like the difference between a three-element Dao Fruit and a five-element Dao Fruit. Although a Great Perfected Lord corresponds to a [Plane], planes also vary in size and strength."
This was easy to guess.
After all, there was still a massive, incomparable gap between a Great Perfected Lord's Grotto-Heaven and true [Planes] like the Foundation Establishment Realm or the Netherworld.
Realizing this, Lu Yang felt as if he had awoken from a dream. "I understand now! The method for Ancient Method Great Perfected Lords to reach the Heaven Treading Realm is to forge something akin to a Plane!"
Up until now, he had only seen two Great Perfected Lords at the Heaven Treading Realm.
One was naturally [Sky-shrouding], and the other was Pan Huang, Lord Sisui's eldest disciple. However, both were extremely special as Heaven Treading Realm Great Perfected Lords.
There's no need to talk about [Sky-shrouding]; he cultivates theGrotto-Heaven Method.
As for Pan Huang, he's even more special... He didn't cultivate to the Heaven Treading Realm himself. He was elevated by Lord Sisui, indirectly gaining the stature of the Heaven Treading Realm.
Besides them, I've also perused the [Precious Life Perfect Form Scripture]. But that requires relying on a complete Dharma Body Dao and combining it with the [Yin-Yang] Dao Fruit to achieve. It holds no reference value for me. Moreover, I only know the method; I don't know the specific principles behind it.
Knowing the 'how' but not the 'why.'
This was a major taboo in cultivation, and it was also the reason why the higher the realm, the more important Dao comprehension became. In the cultivation world, knowledge truly could manifest as mighty power.
Previously, Lu Yang had been stuck in this state.
But now, he had finally pushed aside a corner of the fog before his eyes. "The entirety of the Late Stage Golden Core, the cultivation of a Great Perfected Lord, is actually the process of forging a plane!"
"No, that's not right. That's too generalized."
"To be precise, it's elevating one's own weight and stature to reach the position of a [Plane] on the long stairway to divinity. A single person becomes a plane themselves!"
"The goal is the same; the Ancient Method and the Grotto-Heaven Method just use different means."
"The Ancient Method climbs existing Great Daos, borrowing external power to elevate oneself. The Grotto-Heaven Method, however, modifies the Grotto-Heaven, bringing one's own essence closer to that of a plane."
The next second, Lu Yang clapped his hands forcefully.
"Exactly! This is why the success rate of Seeking the Nascent Soul for Grotto-Heaven Method cultivators is extraordinarily low! Because the planes they forge are incomplete! The Grotto-Heaven Method cultivation path simply doesn't have a Heaven Treading Realm!"
Achieving perfection in a five-element Dao Fruit stopped at the Immortal Bridge.
It made sense when he thought about it. A Heaven Treading Realm Great Perfected Lord could Seek the Nascent Soul at any time, which introduced too many variables. It was only natural that the Dao Lord placed restrictions on this.
"However... [Sky-shrouding] found a way around it."
It was like finally finding the key to unlock a door that had been sealed in dust for a long time. Once one problem was figured out, many previous problems were also easily solved.
"Why is it that having a Void Attainment Dao Fruit at the Immortal Bridge realm, combined with perfection in a five-element Dao Fruit—fusing the dual Immortal Bridges into one—allows one to break through to the Heaven Treading Realm? The key isn't the Void Attainment Dao Fruit itself, but the Grotto-Heaven! The five-element perfection Grotto-Heaven has flaws, so he specifically attained a Dao Fruit through the void to patch those flaws."
That's why he chose [Inversion]!
Wood embodies inversion—bending and straightening, the upward surge of growth, the unfurling of all living things. [Sky-Shrouding] used this principle to mend the flaws within his Grotto-Heaven; that was why he could tread the heavens, why he was able to seek the Nascent Soul.
This was a positive example, but there was also a negative one.
"Immortal Venerable Taiyin!"
"She should have also cultivated the Grotto-Heaven Method to attain the Celestial Court's [Taiyin], but it has absolutely nothing in common with her Void Attainment of [Gathering the Wealth of All]."
In this situation, even if she reached the dual Immortal Bridge realm like [Sky-shrouding], she couldn't patch her flaws and break through to become a Heaven Treading Realm Great Perfected Lord.
So even if I wasn't there, and she devoured the Dharma Body Dao, as long as the flaw wasn't patched, her final success rate in Seeking the Nascent Soul wouldn't be any different from anyone else's.
It would be ten percent at most!
This is the massive pitfall the Primordial Saint Ancestor designed into the Grotto-Heaven Method. Other than [Sky-shrouding], no one could climb out of that pit...
Wait, no.
The next second, a flash of inspiration hit Lu Yang. There's one more person. Although her cultivation base is still low now, given time, she also has a chance.
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue!
In her past life's past life, she attained [Nourishing Descent] through the void. Water is characterized by nourishing descent, bringing benefit to all things. It can likely be used to patch her [Ravine Stream Water] Grotto-Heaven!
All the clues strung together into a single line.
At this moment, Lu Yang was absolutely certain that Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue had a connection with the Primordial Saint Ancestor. She might even be the designated Tribulation Dao Lord!
Not only that, but Lu Yang even vaguely grasped the answer as to why the Primordial Saint Ancestor valued Perfected Lord Feixue so highly and nurtured her so meticulously.
Perfected Lord Feixue stepped out from the false history.
She was someone who wasn't supposed to exist, but came into being because the World Honored One attained the Dao. For someone like her, the Light Sea typically only used two words to describe them—
A Variable.
If a person of variables attained [Tribulation] under the push of [Inevitable Fate], Lu Yang didn't even dare to imagine the resulting changes in concepts!
Substituting the terms, this is equivalent to [Variable] being manipulated by [Inevitable Fate], and [Tribulation] also being commanded by [Inevitable Fate]. Three of the five Heavenly Destinies would fall into the hands of the Primordial Saint Ancestor... How the fuck is anyone supposed to play this game? No wonder! No wonder Perfected Lord Feixue's Dao path has been fraught with so many twists and turns!
How much trouble had a single [Overturned Lamp Flame] caused?
Without a doubt, this was the unseen counterattack of [Variable] against [Inevitable Fate]. This was why Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue had been stuck right before the Great Perfected Lord realm all this time!
In a sense, the impact of that Dao Lord war from 129,600 years ago was still reverberating endlessly throughout the Light Sea even to this day!