Even Lu Yang had to admit that the Dao Court's lineup was pressuring. Eight Great Perfected Lords, even in the ancient era, it constituted a rather massive faction.
Let alone in the Netherworld.
'If it were in the Mortal World, it would actually be easier to solve. After all, the cultivation of these Great Perfected Lords is inferior to mine; at worst, I could deal with them using [Sever All Evil!].'
However, just as there was no perfect divine ability or profound wonder in the world, although the talent of [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] could produce miraculous effects in various fields, it was absolutely not flawless... Oh, except for [Supreme Dao Transformation]. As for [Sever All Evil!], it actually had a very fatal flaw.
That was— it did not sever souls.
As early as his life before last, he discovered that a mid-stage Golden Core Perfected Lord who was slain by [Sever All Evil!] with fully stacked marks could actually reincarnate and start over.
The trigger condition for [Sever All Evil!] was also like this.
Only after an attack hit the Dharma Body would a severing mark be stacked on it. In other words—no Dharma Body, no way to stack it.
This was simply hard-countered by death spirits.
'Where do death spirits have any Dharma Bodies? They are all reshaped true spirits and souls. Dharma Bodies, Dao Arts, Spiritual Power, and profound wonders are all imitations of the Netherworld Great Dao.'
From this perspective, [Sever All Evil!] couldn't even trigger on death spirits at all.
A sword slash might look like it's severing the Dharma Body, but it's actually severing the Netherworld Great Dao.
Were it not so, with Lu Yang's current strength, why would he need to fear those Great Perfected Lords other than Emperor Cang? He would have rushed into the crowd and gone on a peerless rampage long ago.
But this was only a minor problem.
He wasn't the kind of idiot who only knew how to rely on his talents for everything.
Lu Yang plotted in his heart, confident of absolute victory. To him, the threat of eight Great Perfected Lords was actually mostly limited to Emperor Cang alone.
After all, Emperor Cang was one person with three bodies, and he cultivated the Dharma Body. No matter how low his Dao comprehension, he still had the strength, requiring Lu Yang to deal with him seriously. It was like two ends of a scale approaching equilibrium; on this basis, the other Great Perfected Lords of the Dao Court were very weighty chips, enough to decide victory or defeat.
But if the two sides were separated, solving the problem would be much simpler.
Without support, Lu Yang had an eighty percent chance of winning against Emperor Cang in a one-on-one fight. As for the others, without Emperor Cang taking the lead, killing them all would just take a bit more time.
Setting Emperor Cang aside, the others couldn't withstand a single blow.
Setting the others aside, Emperor Cang was a loner.
However, while Lu Yang was brimming with confidence, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin on the other side was endlessly worried, feeling that Lu Yang's idea was still too radical.
"Fellow Daoist need not worry too much."
Seeing this, Lu Yang smiled faintly. "I am not a reckless person either. How about you and I go outside Mount Bozhong first, and make a decision after I contact the inside man?"
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin finally relaxed slightly.
If there really was an inside man, contacting them first to gauge the true situation of Mount Bozhong wasn't a bad idea; it might even make Lu Yang back down in the face of difficulties.
Stepping out of the Flaming Mountain.
Lu Yang formed a hand seal, and a gateway instantly rose from the ground behind him. Rolling clouds and mist, heavy and gloomy, a sea of fog seemed to reside within the doors.
The True Treasure [Zongbu Deity]!
The next second, Lu Yang and Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin both sank behind the door. A formless erasing power enveloped them, preventing them from being perceived by external forces.
"What brilliant methods."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin personally experienced the profound wonders of the [Zongbu Deity], his eyes lighting up slightly. "With this treasure here, there's no need to worry about being discovered."
Lu Yang smiled, "Can we enter Mount Bozhong?"
"At the very least, we can sneak along the edges."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin explained, "Inside Mount Bozhong, the Dao Court's [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules] covers almost every inch of the nether earth, possessing the profound wonder of scouring heaven and earth."
"Fellow Daoist's treasure is certainly formidable, but at most it can sneak through the periphery of Mount Bozhong, where the [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules] are not strong enough. Once we truly venture deep, it will likely be forcibly broken open. The Dao Court has operated in Mount Bozhong for tens of thousands of years; it isn't so easily resolved."
"It's fine."
Hearing this, Lu Yang shook his head. "The periphery is enough. After all, if my expectations are correct, the inside man I'm looking for is highly likely to be at the periphery as well."
As they spoke, their speed did not slow down.
What should have been majestic and dazzling streaks of light were now disguised by the [Zongbu Deity] as a thin mist that almost melted into heaven and earth, making it difficult for people to see.
Not long after.
As they crossed the border of Mount Luofu, an indescribable sense of oppression crashed down, almost instantly threatening to shatter the hazy mist surrounding them!
"Not good!"
Seeing this, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's expression immediately turned to alarm. "The mighty power of the [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules] has grown stronger. My previous estimation was still too optimistic..."
Before his voice faded, he immediately tried to pull Lu Yang back.
Otherwise, sinking deep into the [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules], even if they were Immortal Bridge Great Perfected Lords, they might suffer losses if they weren't careful. It was still not too late to retreat now.
"It's fine."
Before his voice faded, Lu Yang looked calm. He reached out and gently stroked the gateway formed by the [Zongbu Deity], a radiance faintly gathering in his palm.
In an instant, the clouds and mist that had become increasingly thin under the influence of the [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules], almost exposing Lu Yang and Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin, abruptly surged. Its formless stature was raised by half a notch out of thin air, covering them up again, letting the [Heavenly Laws and Earthly Rules] sweep past.
"This is..."
Seeing this, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin was stunned. Even with his experience, he had never seen such a method. It was clearly not a method of the Dharma Body Dao.
But it didn't seem like [Pill Cauldron]'s either.
What exactly was this?
On the other hand, Lu Yang had no intention of explaining. He simply withdrew his hand with considerable satisfaction and smiled. "Let's continue. It should be fine now."
The two continued forward.
Lu Yang didn't go deep either, just wandering around the periphery of Mount Bozhong. Before long, a resplendent and magnificent temple entered their line of sight.
"Found it!"
Seeing this, Lu Yang rejoiced slightly in his heart, while Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin wore a look of surprise. "Fellow Daoist, the inside man you mentioned... is actually that Great Bodhisattva of the Pure Land?"
"Correct," Lu Yang nodded.
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin felt a bit uncomfortable seeing this. After all, it was common knowledge that Lord Sisui ultimately fell because of that bald donkey from the Pure Land back then.
Now they actually had to ask the Pure Land for help?
However, having stayed in the Netherworld for so many years, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin was much more flexible than he was back then. He quickly adjusted his complex feelings.
Following that, he carefully observed the distant temple and frowned:
"The situation with this Great Bodhisattva doesn't seem very good..."
Looking over, a towering golden Buddha statue stood within the temple, and on either side of him, there were surprisingly two surging auras as vast as the sea.
Both were old acquaintances.
"Xin Ye, You Hai." Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's expression was complex.
The two Great Perfected Lords who betrayed the Three Foundations and defected to Emperor Cang were previously stationed at Mount Beifeng, but now they had retreated into Mount Bozhong together.
"It seems the Dao Court is also guarded against this Pure Land Great Bodhisattva. Did they send two people to monitor him?" Seeing this, Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin frowned deeply. "If that is truly the case, even if he really is an inside man, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for him to find an opportunity to come out and meet us, and might even alert the enemy."
A very reasonable concern.
However, hearing this, Lu Yang smiled. "Fellow Daoist still understands too little about the Pure Land's methods. We don't need to find a way to meet him at all."
After saying that, he shook his sleeve.
The next second, a fat-headed, big-eared monk was shaken out of his sleeve. It was none other than the captive from Mount Beifeng, Bodhisattva of the Immaculate Precious Wheel.
Almost simultaneously, inside the distant temple.
The towering golden body, as large as a mountain, abruptly paused for an instant. Almost concurrently, the Bodhisattva of the Immaculate Precious Wheel in Lu Yang's hand also raised his head.
And then, he turned to look at Lu Yang.
Only this time, the previous fear in those eyes was already gone. Instead, it was full of peace and steadiness, sending a slight chill into Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's heart.
[One Mind]!
That Great Bodhisattva didn't need to personally come out to meet them at all. As long as there was a Buddhist Cultivator, the other party could easily contact them through [One Mind]!
"...Amitabha."
Immediately following that, this Great Bodhisattva of the Pure Land spoke in an indifferent tone: "Remnants of the Three Foundations, why have you come here? Are you not afraid that this seat will report this to His Majesty?"
Before his voice faded, Lu Yang spoke up.
Under Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's gaze—which looked as if he had seen a ghost—he used a tone full of sorrow, sadness, and even mixed with a bit of resentment to say in a low voice:
"Senior Brother, don't you recognize me anymore?"