The [Paramita], Fifth Tier.
Having walked to this step, the tiny figure's slender silhouette could already be faintly seen. His voice was also incredibly loud and clear, no longer possessing that high and mighty ethereality.
"Ancestral Dragon, I told you long ago."
"Being overly confident will lead to losses. You suffered this loss back then, yet you still can't change today. Perhaps this is also a flaw of an Innate Dao God."
The Primordial Saint's tone was very calm.
However, seeing this scene, whether it was the World Honored One, Dao Tianqi, or Lu Yang, all widened their eyes at this moment, genuine surprise surfacing in the depths of their eyes.
'Why can he still walk downwards?'
The Nascent Soul Pill had already merged into the [Paramita]. The current [Paramita] was already locked down. Theoretically, all the Dao Lords should be unable to move!
"It's nothing strange."
The Primordial Saint seemed to see through the World Honored One's thoughts and smiled: "The so-called Nascent Soul Pill uses the Ancestral Dragon's Remnant Bloodline as material. Did you think I wouldn't hold something back?"
"Of course, it's not some scheme, much less malicious intent. I merely concealed something about its effects—in short, the [Paramita] merged with the Nascent Soul Pill only has its upper limit locked, but its lower limit is not restricted. I can walk downwards, but you all cannot walk upwards."
At this point, the Primordial Saint glanced downwards.
On the fourth tier of the [Paramita], a sword light was gradually growing brighter, faintly showing signs of leaping out, but hid itself again after a moment.
'It's Sword Lord.'
Lu Yang gritted his teeth: 'That's right, in my life before last, Sword Lord was able to temporarily erupt and step onto the fifth tier of the [Paramita]. If he steps onto it, he can break the situation!'
Because the [Paramita] determined the enslavement of the Ancestral Dragon.
At this moment, the Primordial Saint had walked down two consecutive steps, dropping from the seventh tier to the fifth tier. As long as Sword Lord also ascended to the fifth tier, he could affect the enslavement of the Ancestral Dragon.
That would be a massive variable!
However, the [Nascent Soul Pill] locked down this possibility. The Primordial Saint had anticipated this variable long ago and sealed it off in advance, ensuring it wouldn't happen!
Still a flawless calculation.
The next second, the Primordial Saint stood on the fifth tier. His interference with the Mortal World reached an unprecedented peak. His almost materialized gaze landed on the Mortal World.
Almost simultaneously, [Sky-shrouding] raised his head.
He didn't avert his gaze, his narrow eyes calmly meeting the Primordial Saint's eyes. He wasn't affected in the slightest by the consequences of looking directly at a Dao Lord's true body!
This was different from before. Previously, it was because the Primordial Saint was lured into the Netherworld by Dao Tianqi and his stature was suppressed, which allowed Lu Yang to look directly at his true body without self-detonating. But now, the Primordial Saint had already returned to his peak. [Sky-shrouding] was entirely relying on the stature of a Dao Sovereign at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core to forcefully endure the backlash!
The next second, he spoke.
"Ancestor, I also wish to enter the [Paramita]."
In the depths of his narrow eyes, there was anticipation, a smile, and resolve, but mostly it was still firmness:
"I command [Tribulation] and enter the [Paramita]. Like Sword Lord and Cang Hao, I can equally contribute to Ancestor's tranformation as a deity and ascension. Why limit it to the Ancestral Dragon alone?"
Yes! This was the key!
Since transforming as a deity and ascending required the Five Heavenly Destinies, then whether it was the Ancestral Dragon devouring [Tribulation], or [Sky-shrouding] validating [Tribulation] and ascending the [Paramita]...
Essentially, there was no difference!
At least to the Primordial Saint, there was no difference. Although the Ancestral Dragon might have a little bit of an issue with it, the one who ultimately decided everything was still the Primordial Saint.
Now, the situation was different again!
In the Netherworld, anticipation also surfaced in the depths of Lu Yang's eyes:
'Different from the previous few lives, in this life, [Sky-shrouding]'s interests are aligned with the Primordial Saint's... Could it be he truly has hope in this life?'
...
The Mortal World, the Mysterious Wall.
Within the palace hanging high beyond the world, a youth sat cross-legged. He also saw this scene, his heart full of aspirations turning into a disappointed sigh—
"I lost... My skills are inferior."
He was the third person Lu Yang sensed when the Nascent Soul Pill furnace was opened, besides [Sky-shrouding] and Feixue —the direct head disciple of the Dao Arts Dao Lord.
His name was [Miao Le].
In his palm was a flawless, completely forged plane, flowing with dreamlike colors, magnificently beautiful and resplendent.
He was astonishingly also at the Heaven Treading Realm. However, unlike [Sky-shrouding], he walked the purest Ancient Method like the World Honored One and Dao Tianqi, completing his advancement by forging a perfect plane. The plane was named [Yellow Millet Dream], a plane of dreams, and also his greatest trump card for validating [Tribulation].
But now, he sighed despondently.
If [Sky-shrouding] only had the dark aspect storm, he would still have the confidence to compete. Using [Yellow Millet Dream] to make the Light Sea fall into a dream would only cause a greater disaster.
However, things were different now.
Besides the dark aspect storm, [Sky-shrouding] had also usurped [Tribulation]'s previous favor towards the Ancestral Dragon. With the two stacked together, he no longer had any chance of winning.
Lost before he even made a move.
One step behind, every step behind.
But this was already the limit of what he could do. Because the Mysterious Wall was affected by the backlash of the Dao Arts Dao Lord sealing the [Five Elements], unable to interfere with the Mortal World.
'Could it be my destiny truly isn't here?'
Thinking of this, Miao Le's face was almost numb. Unlike [Sky-shrouding] who risked his life for a desperate gamble, he couldn't even muster the thought to give it a try.
Because that was seeking death.
There was no hope to speak of!
Therefore, after a brief silence, this Dao Arts head disciple, a Heaven Treading Great Perfected Lord hiding away from the world, ultimately faded his aura into nothingness.
'Where exactly is my Dao?'
...
Above the Light Sea, as [Sky-shrouding]'s words fell, he no longer met the Primordial Saint's gaze. He decisively cast aside everything, his entire mind sinking into [Tribulation].
In a daze, he seemed to see his line of sight rising.
The endless dark void was cleaved open by him, holding up his life, inching closer bit by bit to that untouchable [Paramita] suspended above the Mortal World.
But right at this moment, a streak of light fell.
Words spoken became law, an iron-clad judgment—
[Sky-shrouding attained the Dao, but he failed to ascend the Paramita. Because Tribulation had too much of its concept devoured, it needs a period of recovery before it can continue.]
"Boom!"
The brilliance of [Inevitable Fate] filled heaven and earth. Yet the [Tribulation] that had originally stopped shifting its heart, seemed to recall its former old love, the Ancestral Dragon, at this moment.
The next second, the surging concept of [Tribulation], which was originally enough to push [Sky-shrouding] all the way to the Paramita, actually split by about a third out of thin air and defected back to the Ancestral Dragon. And this one-third deficiency broke [Sky-shrouding]'s final step to ascend the Paramita!
[Sky-shrouding] abruptly stopped in his tracks.
His narrow eyes looked at the [Paramita] from afar. He seemed to see pairs of eyes looking down at him—some with pity, some with mockery, some with indifference.
"Ancestor... is this your decision?" [Sky-shrouding] gritted his teeth.
He succeeded, but he also failed.
He succeeded in having [Tribulation] land upon him, completely indistinguishable from one another. If an excessive amount of the concept hadn't been drawn away, he would have already stepped onto the [Paramita]!
He failed because he ran out of time.
'If I don't enter the [Paramita] now, the [Paramita] will begin to ascend. If it succeeds, it disappears; if it fails, it crashes. Neither leaves a place for me to stand.'
And without the [Paramita], what did it matter even if he commanded [Tribulation]?
He had made a desperate gamble and advanced to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core, but he didn't have a Primordial Spirit. If he didn't ascend the [Paramita], he couldn't prevent himself from getting lost.
Still a dead end!
Without a Primordial Spirit, getting lost was destined at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm. Whether he commanded [Tribulation] or not could only decide whether he got lost sooner or later.
Just like a candle.
No matter how fiercely or brightly the candle flame burned, it would eventually burn out. It was nothing more than whether it burned for a long time or not; the outcome wouldn't change at all.
Just like [Inevitable Fate].