Mount Luofu.
The burning figure stood tall at the edge of the sky, burning away the dark clouds and illuminating more than half of the ghost domain. The cultivators bustling below seemed as insignificant as ants.
Most of the time in the past, that towering figure had always been gazing outward. However, this time, he turned his head. A pair of eyes, surging with boundless spiritual power and as bright as the sun, stared fixedly at the palace on the summit of Mount Luofu, watching an old man walk out from within.
The old man wore a long robe and his brows were deeply furrowed.
A sickly pallor still lingered on his face. Behind his head shone a halo condensed from illusionary colors, constantly rippling outward like water waves.
The next second, a resonant voice boomed from the towering figure:
"Lingming, your injuries have not yet fully healed."
"Why have you come out of seclusion now?"
The old man seemed to wake from a dream. He raised his head to meet those mountain-sized eyes and smiled. "They cannot heal. This is currently my limit."
"It's that severe?"
Hearing this, the ceaselessly churning spiritual power storm in Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's eyes instantly howled. "Emperor Cang cultivates the Dharma Body. Where did he get such methods?"
"You can't say that either," the old man shook his head. "Although he cultivates the Dharma Body, he later became the First-generation Son of Heaven of the Dao Court. Even if his Dharma Body foundation cannot be changed, it's very normal for him to have gained a few profound wonders. These injuries of mine have a faint connection to the [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules], which is why they are so stubborn."
"Let's get down to business."
At this point, a hint of a smile appeared on the old man's face again. "I heard that Lord Sisui's inheritor has appeared and even pulled off a massive feat at Mount Baodu."
"...Indeed."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin paused, then said in a deep voice, "However, the current Mount Baodu has been completely emptied. That person doesn't seem to trust us very much."
"Is that so?"
The old man frowned. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head, then changed the subject. "What about the Flaming Mountain? Has Qing Kui brought back any news?"
"Not yet."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin shook his head again. "As you know, the [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire] isolates the inside from the outside. Even if there is news, it's impossible for it to arrive too quickly."
"True, I was being impatient." The old man sighed, then said, "Regarding the preparations for [Mount Longhu], the Mortal World side has managed to send over spiritual materials. However, it's still somewhat insufficient. We need to find a way to fight another battle, have a few more people die, and collect their death essence; that should be enough to gather the complete amount."
His words clearly showed he had long grown accustomed to this.
In an instant, the eyes meeting his abruptly narrowed. A terrifying storm of spiritual power crashed down, transforming into endless illusionary colors that draped down layer by layer.
"Boom!"
A moment later, the illusionary colors dissipated. The old man still stood perfectly intact in his original spot, his face merely showing a look of regret. "Supreme Law, these are all necessary sacrifices."
"Besides, it's not just the essence of our own people; we will also collect the essence of those Grotto-Heaven Method demons. And even taking a step back, we and the Grotto-Heaven Method demons are already locked in a struggle to the death. Before the [Fifth Ghost Domain] is built, weakening the enemy as much as possible is also beneficial."
"You need to consider the big picture."
Facing the old man—or rather, the Dao of Dao Arts [Celestial Master Qingwei Lingming]—deep thoughts flashed through the eyes constructed from surging spiritual power.
After a long silence, a response finally came.
"...Alright."
As his voice fell, the towering figure turned around, no longer looking at the old man. The old man shook his head and chuckled, walking back into the palace.
However, at the same time.
The old man never noticed that a calm-looking youth had been listening to his entire conversation with Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin from a short distance away.
It wasn't until the old man left that the youth draped in a crane-feather cloak sighed. Visible sorrow surfaced on his face, but he quickly hid it, deliberately putting on a stern expression. Then, a streak of flowing light separated from Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's towering figure, transforming into a human figure that landed before him.
"Supreme Law greets My Lord."
As soon as he appeared, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin respectfully bowed without another word. Seeing this, the youth waved his hand, looking somewhat embarrassed:
"There is no need to be so polite, Senior Supreme Law."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin hurriedly shook his head. "In front of My Lord, I dare not claim to be a senior..."
"What are you saying? Back when I first stepped onto the path of cultivation, I had already heard of Senior's reputation. I even once discussed the changes in spiritual power with Senior in the Light Sea."
"Moreover, I am the one who let Senior down."
At this point, the youth, who originally had a bit of a smile, abruptly wiped his expression away and said in a deep voice, "I woke up too late. Many could no longer be saved."
"Even though I managed to extract a little bit from within the Netherworld, most of them only have lingering instincts left. Their memories and lives have already dissipated. It is my lack of ability; I couldn't save them all." After saying that, the youth reached into his sleeve and took out a crimson banner.
"This item is called the [Crimson Chariot Treasure Banner]."
"I have stored all the collected true spirits inside. Perhaps... if I succeed in this endeavor, there is still a sliver of hope to awaken them."
Looking at the banner, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin also fell silent.
After a long while, he sighed. "Thank you for your trouble, My Lord. This can be considered collecting the corpses of my old brothers from the past. I am already fully satisfied."
"I dare not hope for anything further."
After speaking, he reached out and solemnly took the banner. Looking at the slumbering, broken true spirits inside, a trace of nostalgia surfaced in his eyes.
This was the final afterglow of the Three Foundations.
"Besides this, there is another matter I am very sorry about." The youth spoke again. "Regarding Qing Kui, I saw his death but did not stop it."
"It's fine."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin sneered. "The Dao of Dao Arts of the Mysterious Wall... they have stayed in the Mortal World for too long. They haven't been on the same path as us for a long time."
As his voice fell, he looked at the youth again and said solemnly, "My Lord, you did nothing wrong. Since you have made up your mind, you absolutely must not harbor a merciful heart. You must know that the merciful cannot command troops. Even if it's us, when it is time to sacrifice, My Lord must not hesitate. I am also prepared to sacrifice."
"...I understand."
The youth exhaled deeply. With his intelligence, how could he not understand these principles? It was just that some things, even if understood, were very difficult choices to make.
However, time never waits for anyone. If you don't choose, it will choose the worst option for you.
Recalling everything he had seen earlier, the youth's eyes gradually regained their firmness. "Justice must be stained with blood, whether it is mine or the enemy's."
Only then did Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin nod:
"I wish My Lord victory."
Thinking of this, he recalled that mysterious person who dared to impersonate Qing Kui. He had to admit, if the youth hadn't warned him, he would never have noticed.
'That person should be Lord Sisui's inheritor, right?'
'Judging from his style of doing things, he is clearly a ruthless and suspicious person. That's fine too; the current world should be handed over to such a person.'
Thinking of this, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin couldn't help but imagine in his heart: 'Besides, since he could gain the approval of both Lord Sisui and Lord Beast Taming simultaneously, no matter how radical his methods are or how coldly cruel he appears on the surface, deep down, he must still be a good person with a heart for the greater good.'
"I still killed too few earlier."
In the Flaming Mountain, Lu Yang sat upright in the pavilion, looking at the vigorously growing Divine Wood seed. His eyes, brimming with the Light of Wisdom, revealed a look of profound regret:
"I didn't think anything was wrong when I looked at it before."
"But looking at it now, there's clearly a lot of room for improvement. If I had known, I should have killed a few more and collected more of the essence left behind by the death spirits!"
As he spoke, a towering forest tree had already risen from the ground.
The [Myriad Refinements Blood Pool] was completely drained, all its profound wonders exhausted. Billowing, sky-filling mist replaced the blood pool's pill fire, freely roaming between heaven and earth.
'The [Great Forest Wood] True Treasure has been refined!'