As Dao Tianqi's voice fell, Lu Yang immediately narrowed his eyes.
'What's in it for me?'
After saying all this, the result was still wanting him to risk his life fighting the Grotto-Heaven Method factions in the Four Great Ghost Domains. Although he could fight, he couldn't do it for nothing.
Dao Tianqi seemed to see through Lu Yang's thoughts from his eyes and smiled. "You have gathered the Concepts of the five Supreme Dao Fruits, and are only missing the final [Great Forest Wood] True Treasure to take form. Even with the [Myriad Refinements Blood Pool], it will still take about three months to refine it."
"It is still too slow."
"As things stand, the greater your strength and the faster your progress.. I can help you shorten the time to three days."
"Other than that, there is nothing else I can help you with."
"After all, my current state is not very good. I still need to accumulate power for my future trip to the Mortal World, so I have no way to elevate you into the Heaven Treading Realm."
"If I had to offer something else..."
At this point, Dao Tianqi weighed the portrait in his hand. "Although this item depicts Senior Brother Pill Cauldron, it was ultimately completed using my spirituality."
"Therefore, if you assume Senior Brother Pill Cauldron's identity, I can share about eighty percent of my Light of Wisdom with you. Only then will you have the ability to refine the [Nascent Soul Pill]. Furthermore, although I mean no offense, with your Light of Wisdom and having cultivated to this point, could it be that you haven't encountered any difficult problems?"
"You can just sort out a few of the most difficult ones."
"And take this opportunity to comprehend them."
After speaking, Dao Tianqi seemed to want to add a few more benefits, but couldn't think of any more. He could only ask with some apprehension, "Do you think this is enough?"
—Enough! It's more than enough!
For a moment, Lu Yang roared in his heart: 'Sharing the Light of Wisdom of the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak? Isn't this just a permanent [Supreme Dao Transformation]?!'
Thinking of this, he almost accepted the portrait Dao Tianqi handed over without thinking. But at the final moment, he forcibly suppressed the urge, gritting his teeth. 'No! Although the benefits are massive, once I become [Pill Cauldron], I will inevitably become a thorn in the Primordial Saint Ancestor's side.'
Then how am I supposed to smuggle myself outside the Light Sea?
Lu Yang's goal in this life had always remained the same: smuggling out. For this reason, he couldn't stand on the main stage. Only the audience was the most hidden and safe.
'How about I come back in the next life? There will always be a chance anyway...'
While Lu Yang was conflicted in thought, Dao Tianqi, seeing his delayed response, also revealed a trace of confusion, before seemingly thinking of something.
"Oh, right."
"Regarding your plan, you don't need to worry. The method for you to assume Senior Brother Pill Cauldron's identity is actually this portrait. It is equivalent to changing clothes."
"After you refine the [Nascent Soul Pill], you just need to find a time to take the clothes off. All the karma will be taken over by this portrait. I have left behind methods so that the Senior Brother in the painting will act as an incarnation for a period of time, drawing attention for you. You can take the opportunity to head outside the Light Sea."
As his voice fell, Lu Yang opened his mouth.
A moment later, the words of refusal that had already reached his throat were forcefully swallowed back down. At the same time, he raised his hand and took the portrait in front of him.
He habitually scanned it.
[No Trap].
Having reached this point, even with Lu Yang's suspicious nature, he could only sigh from the bottom of his heart: 'The First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak... is truly an honest and good person.'
He really had considered every aspect—Lu Yang's interests and the benefits to be given—with meticulous care.
Therefore, Lu Yang could not refuse this condition.
'I'll do it!'
Watching Lu Yang accept the portrait, the youth finally smiled in relief. His eyes were filled with a sincerity that Lu Yang wasn't accustomed to, and finally, he said heavily:
"Thank you."
Before his voice even faded, the youth disappeared from Lu Yang's line of sight, vanishing without a trace like a white steed flashing past a crevice. If it weren't for the heavy portrait in his hand, Lu Yang would almost think the other party had never appeared. Outside the secret room, the Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy were prostrate on the ground, their expressions as calm as an ancient well.
Whoosh!
A cold wind blew, causing the doors and windows to rattle. Lu Yang stood there, holding the golden scripture formed by the Ancestral Dragon's Remnant Bloodline in one hand, while tightly gripping the Pill Cauldron portrait in the other.
Lu Yang exhaled a deep breath.
Only then did he look at the Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy, saying calmly, "Step down for now."
"Understood."
The Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy bowed sequentially. The hatred they previously held towards Lu Yang was nowhere to be seen, not because of Lu Yang's strength, but because of Dao Tianqi's appearance.
As the Daoist child of the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak, they had previously dared to deceive a Great Perfected Lord like him, attempting to refine him to death alive. The Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy's courage was definitely not small. The main reason they were so submissive now was that Dao Tianqi had used his own credibility to guarantee him, which finally pacified the two.
After the two left, Lu Yang finally sat down inside the secret room.
'Fate makes fools of men... I originally only intended to come and investigate the secrets of the [Nascent Soul Pill], but by a strange combination of circumstances, I have become the one refining the pill.'
The next second, Lu Yang abruptly flicked his sleeve.
In an instant, billowing pill fire surged out from his sleeve, eventually forming a human-sized pool. Inside, blood-colored light surged, clustering around a tree seed.
Of course, it couldn't be called a tree seed anymore. It was already a small tree, standing gracefully upright with its canopy just beginning to form. Various colors of light could be seen swirling around it, eventually weaving into a thin mist that made it look increasingly hazy. It collapsed and expanded as if breathing, nurturing endless mighty power.
Watching this scene, endless thoughts flashed through his eyes:
'First, let the [Great Forest Wood] True Treasure be born.'
'Then, using the Light of Wisdom of the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak, merge the five True Treasures into one to complete the Void Attainment. Elevate my strength to the absolute peak, and then make my move to clean up the Netherworld.'
'Take the opportunity to plunder the resources of the Grotto-Heaven Method death spirits for my own use.'
'After the dust settles, open the furnace to refine the pill.'
'Once the [Nascent Soul Pill] is born, I will retire after success, leave the portrait behind, secretly run away, and just watch from the audience how the lead actors perform.'
The plan was set.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang felt his emotions surging. It was a long while before he regained his calm. He turned and walked towards the array of artifacts laid out in the secret room.
Crown, Daoist robe, horsetail whisk.
Spiritual sword, seal, azure cauldron.
Lu Yang solemnly draped the six artifacts onto himself one by one. At the same time, his aura and karma were also transformed in the process.
Only at the very end did he unroll the portrait.
The bright and clear portrait now seemed like a mirror. However, the Daoist in the painting wore a smile, while the Daoist outside the painting was serious to the extreme.
The next second, the portrait soared into the air and merged with Lu Yang. This feeling was very similar to [The Dove Occupying the Magpie's Nest]—both involved draping a layer of karma that didn't belong to oneself as a disguise. By the time the portrait disappeared, only a fully equipped young Daoist remained in the secret room.
His solemn face was filled with indifference.
From the edge of the portrait, the name [Lian Tiandou] hovered above Lu Yang's head, circling a few times like a migratory bird, before shattering into streams of light with a bang.
Finally, they all converged into the Daoist's body.
Unseen to the eye, this name seemed to replace Lu Yang's name, patching up the final flaw in this new identity, leaving absolutely no vulnerabilities.
"Phew..."
Lu Yang kept his eyes tightly shut, seemingly comprehending something. It wasn't until a long time had passed that he slowly opened his eyes. In an instant, the Light of Wisdom illuminated the heavens!
"From today onwards, I am [Pill Cauldron]."
At this moment, the Netherworld trembled, the Mortal World trembled, the Foundation Establishment Realm trembled, the Sea of Bitterness trembled. A karmic thread that had long been severed resurfaced from the abyss!