The Netherworld, Mount Bozhong Ghost Domain.
Having just slain Emperor Cang, before he could even catch his breath, Lu Yang saw a youth draped in a crane cloak walking towards him from not far away.
He hurriedly bowed: "Greetings, Senior."
Today, he had truly witnessed just how fierce this grand uncle was.
After all, that loud "Get lost" earlier had echoed throughout the entire Netherworld, and he had actually managed to isolate the gaze of the Primordial Saint Ancestor.
This was completely different.
Anyone could talk big. It wasn't like Lu Yang hadn't hissed at the Primordial Saint Ancestor before. But to truly be able to make a move in public was a completely different matter.
Therefore, Lu Yang was as respectful as could be right now. He was already certain in his heart that this person was his thigh to cling to in this life, and even for the next eighty-plus lives. And facing such a thigh, let alone just bowing and saying a few respectful words, even if he really had to kowtow, Lu Yang would gladly do so.
Instead, it was the youth who seemed somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"Rise."
The youth waved his hand, signaling Lu Yang to get up. Following that, he said with a solemn face: "[Pill Cauldron], your current situation is a bit troublesome."
As he spoke, heaven and earth gradually sank.
Unbeknownst to them, centering on the youth, the scenery of heaven and earth blurred, as if isolated from the world. In the heavens and the earth, only the two of them remained.
"You learned of some secret."
Since the youth took the initiative to ask, Lu Yang naturally wouldn't deliberately hide it. He immediately recounted the secret regarding Sisui's death, and the youth listened attentively.
It wasn't until he heard the entire cause and effect that he exhaled deeply: "I see. So the [Heavenly Dao] was established because of this. No wonder Sword Lord and Cang Hao chose to stand with Master back then. This makes sense. How could the [Heavenly Dao] command the Light Sea without the support of [Inevitable Fate]?"
On the other side, Lu Yang had similarly sorted out his thoughts.
One hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years ago, the Dao Lord battle that occurred after the establishment of the [Paramita]—up to now, he finally understood a considerable portion of the karma involved.
'That was actually a transaction.'
'Back then, the Dao Lords once had a dispute over the path. One was the [Heavenly Dao], the other was the [Paramita]. In the end, the Primordial Saint Ancestor won.'
However, Sword Lord and Cang Hao didn't intend to give up.
This was normal. As dignified Dao Lords, which one wasn't a decisive figure with a Dao heart like iron? How could they possibly give up their own paths because of such a thing?
So the Primordial Saint sought them out.
As material, the Ancestral Dragon was used to forge the [Paramita]. But below the Ancestral Dragon, wasn't there another material of equally excellent quality that could be used?
'Sisui.'
Thus, the two sides hit it off instantly. They used the [Five Elements] seal to ruthlessly screw over the Dao Lords of the Three Foundations, and then pursued the victory, initiating the Dao Lord battle.
'Through this great battle, Sword Lord and Cang Hao extorted [Inevitable Fate] from the hands of the Primordial Saint Ancestor. Finally, using Sisui as a stepping stone, they successfully established the [Heavenly Dao]. And the Primordial Saint Ancestor similarly eliminated a major hidden danger, thoroughly consolidating his position as number one in the Light Sea.'
The entire process was now clear.
If there was anything else he didn't know, it was the cause of the Dao Lord battle. However, at this crucial juncture, this secret wasn't particularly important.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang abruptly raised his head and looked at the youth:
"Senior, based on the intelligence gathered, we currently only have two paths we can take. These two paths each have their pros and cons, and still require Senior to make a decision."
"Oh? Really?"
Hearing this, the youth blinked. His eyes, full of the Light of Wisdom, surprisingly revealed a hint of confusion at this moment: "There are actually two paths... tell me about them in detail."
Hearing this, Lu Yang held up two fingers:
"Either save the Ancestral Dragon, or save Sisui!"
As everyone knew, only a Dao Lord could contend against a Dao Lord.
Therefore, the only way to break the current situation in the Light Sea was to revive a Dao Lord who should have died, shattering the current lifelessness of the Light Sea.
"Is there any difference between the two?" the youth asked modestly.
"The allies are different."
At this moment, although the Light of Wisdom had already faded from Lu Yang's eyes, his thoughts were still running at lightning speed, continuously deducing the situation:
"If we save the Ancestral Dragon, then the [Paramita] will inevitably collapse."
"And aside from the World Honored One, I'm afraid no Dao Lord wishes to see this scene. So if we choose this path, only the World Honored One will help us."
"This is the downside; we can only rely on ourselves."
"However, the benefits of saving the Ancestral Dragon are also massive, directly proportional to the risks. Because once it is saved and the [Paramita] collapses, there will be a complete reshuffling of the deck!"
Once the [Paramita] collapsed and all Dao Lords fell to the Mortal World, then no matter how high they had climbed before, they would all stand on the same level in the end. No matter how strong they were, they would just be Dao Sovereign at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm. And when that time came, the World Honored One, who was originally at the bottom, would instead have the opportunity to catch up from behind.
"As for saving Sisui, that's a different story."
"Because the Dao Lords of the Spiritual Power Dao and Dao Arts Dao would definitely be delighted to see Sisui revived. Moreover, Sisui's revival would be the biggest blow to the other Dao Lords."
"Needless to say about the [Heavenly Dao], it would definitely crash."
"The same goes for [Inevitable Fate]. A Dao Lord previously buried personally by the Primordial Saint Ancestor returning in defiance of heaven would absolutely be considered a heavy blow to [Inevitable Fate]."
"But..."
At this point, Lu Yang suddenly stopped talking, frowning slightly. On the other side, the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak, who had been pondering for a long time, suddenly spoke up faintly:
"...Senior Brother Myriad Treasures."
"He's afraid, he's unwilling to see Lord Sisui revived. He was the one who personally buried Sisui back then, and his Dao attainment was similarly built upon his corpse."
Lu Yang nodded silently: "...Senior is perceptive."
The World Honored One was happy to see the Ancestral Dragon unsealed, because he had no grudges with the Ancestral Dragon, and the collapse of the [Paramita] was also beneficial to him. But he and Sisui were mortal enemies!
At this point, the youth's eyes grew increasingly gloomy: "So... if I choose to revive Lord Sisui, Senior Brother Myriad Treasures might make a move to stop me?"
"Inevitable!"
Lu Yang nodded decisively.
Although the World Honored One had always seemed to be very caring towards his martial brothers, in Lu Yang's eyes, the World Honored One had never been that kind of weak person.
Perhaps he truly still retained a bit of conscience.
But was he willing to sacrifice interests concerning his Dao path for that bit of conscience?
Perhaps in the golden age one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years ago, the World Honored One of that time might have been willing. But the current World Honored One would absolutely not be willing!
"No wonder..."
Meanwhile, the youth seemed to understand as well, suddenly enlightened: "So Senior Brother Heaven-Mending's plan was to collapse the [Paramita], and the same went for Senior Brother Pill Cauldron."
Hearing this, Lu Yang instantly raised an eyebrow: "The same went for him?"
"Correct." The youth nodded slightly: "Although the methods are somewhat different, the goal of the [Nascent Soul Pill] plan was also to make the [Paramita] collapse."
"Senior Brother Heaven-Mending and Senior Brother Pill Cauldron... they are better at scheming these things than I am."
"They must have also thought of these things, unwilling to put Senior Brother Myriad Treasures in a difficult spot, and even less willing to use this kind of thing to test the bonds of brotherhood."
After all, many things could not withstand being tested.
Hearing this, Lu Yang first revealed a look of sudden realization:
'As expected.'
The First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak's [Nascent Soul Pill] plan was also to tamper with the [Paramita]. A large factor in this was probably for the sake of the World Honored One.
'Wait, this is the bond of brotherhood, but it's also a flaw.'
Suddenly, Lu Yang's expression stiffened:
'If even someone like me, who only faintly senses this bond, can guess the truth... then that old Primordial Saint who personally cultivated all these martial brothers...'
'How could he not understand!'