The mighty power of Dao Lords was beyond doubt.
The collapse of the [Paramita] certainly caused them to fall in realm, but it also undid their bindings, allowing them to interfere with the Mortal World as they pleased.
Essentially, there was no difference.
Because whether they were Dao Lords or at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core, they were equally irresistible to the cultivators of the Mortal World. The latter were even more unscrupulous.
Therefore, after the Dao Lords decided to unleash a massacre, there was practically no one in the entire Light Sea who could stop them. A massive number of Perfected Lords died as a result, and favored children of heaven with the potential to become Perfected Lords also fell one after another. Even reincarnated souls were dragged out. The Light Sea was practically turned upside down because of this.
The Immortal Nexus, the Star Palace, and the Mysterious Wall were extinguished in succession.
The Celestial Court, Ninth Tier.
Immortal Venerable Taiyin looked up at the sky, watching the four towering figures striding across the void. Deep hatred and helplessness surfaced on her breathtakingly beautiful face.
"No wonder... no wonder he had me guard the Celestial Court..."
Thinking about it carefully, although the Celestial Court had Sisui's corpse and clues to the Dharma Body Dao, what about it in reality? Was it really that important to the Primordial Saint?
True, it had some importance.
After all, the lifespan brought by the Dharma Body Dao directly conflicted with the Grotto-Heaven Method... But that was all it was. Because this couldn't truly threaten the Primordial Saint's rule.
Sisui's resurrection didn't rely on the Celestial Court either.
Under these circumstances, what was the point of having her hold the fort at the Celestial Court, taking in unorthodox paths, and establishing a financial system? Only now did Immortal Venerable Taiyin understand—
"It was raising pigs!"
As long as the Perfected Lords of the Celestial Court had money, they could attain the Dao. Behind the ease was mass production. Eat one, and another can be grown—sustainable draining of the pond to catch all the fish.
If this wasn't a pigpen, what was?
"Boom!"
Immortal Venerable Taiyin had an epiphany, but it came too late. All her thoughts were covered by the shadow of death, subsequently crushed into fine powder along with the entire Celestial Court.
The Primordial Saint, Sword Lord, Cang Hao, the World Honored One—the four Dao Lords carved up the Celestial Court, gorging themselves until their mouths dripped with oil. It wasn't until they left that the originally bustling Celestial Court was left in dead silence. Dozens of Dao Fruit lights symbolizing Perfected Lords thoroughly dimmed away.
At this point, the Light Sea was finally hollowed out.
The Dao Lords had no taboos regarding this, swallowing them whole. In the end, it wasn't just the four super world realms; they didn't even spare the unorthodox world realms.
...
The Immortal Nexus.
Streaks of Primordial Spirit thoughts tore through the void.
"Attacking the Netherworld is feasible."
"Exactly. Beast Taming used the power of the Netherworld to take in too many fish that slipped through the net. If we dismantle it, we can probably satisfy the required amount in one go."
"But there will be certain risks..."
"Or perhaps the World Honored One, you can use Karma to bring back some dead people from the past. If it can satisfy the amount, we wouldn't need to make a move on the Netherworld either."
Facing the gazes of the Dao Lords, the corner of the World Honored One's mouth curled into a cold sneer. Could he not understand what these bastards were thinking? They definitely wanted to eat from both ends!
'Using Karma to bring back dead people isn't impossible. But the higher the cultivation and the greater the number of people brought back, the greater the toll on my own self. And after carving them up, these bastards will be stronger and won't fear the Netherworld anymore. At that time, they will definitely still make a move on the Netherworld.'
'If I become weak because of this, they might even kill me first!'
As for any Dao Lord promises made beforehand, that was all bullshit. Whoever believed it was a fool. Having mingled on the [Paramita] for so many years, how could the World Honored One not understand?
He could also see the Dao Lords' thoughts.
Moral kidnapping.
'They know my relationship with Beast Taming, so they want to morally kidnap me, forcing me to yield, and then burn the bridge after crossing the river, conveniently eliminating a competitor...'
Thinking of this, the World Honored One's eyes grew increasingly cold.
Given his current situation, breaking the deadlock was actually very simple. Ignore Beast Taming, wallow in the mire with the Dao Lords, and attack the Netherworld together with them.
This posed no difficulty for him.
After all, last time he watched helplessly as Beast Taming went to his death. This time it was nothing more than taking a step further, no longer just sitting by and watching, but personally killing him.
As long as I have no morals, no one can kidnap me!
"..."
Under the scrutiny of the Dao Lords, the World Honored One pressed his palms together and lowered his eyelids. The compassionate smile on his face grew fainter and fainter, yet he never spoke a word.
For a time, the atmosphere became increasingly sinister.
"Myriad Treasures, what are you hesitating for?"
The Primordial Saint's voice abruptly sounded. It carried no malicious intent; instead, it carried the earnestness of that [respectable teacher] from back then in the World Honored One's memory:
"Your Dao path and your junior brother, what is so hard to choose about this?"
Speaking up to here, the Primordial Saint even laughed out loud: "Besides, haven't you already chosen once? Choosing the same answer a second time couldn't be simpler."
The World Honored One remained silent.
Seeing this scene, the Primordial Saint shook his head, somewhat disappointed:
"It seems you have had too many dealings with lower cultivators."
"One Mind is certainly not bad. But no matter how strong a Primordial Spirit is, it's impossible to truly achieve one mind. You have more or less been somewhat influenced by them."
The Primordial Saint patiently guided: "Among the four of you, you are the most like me. That's why I cultivated you, letting you take Sisui's place and ascend the [Paramita]. Unfortunately, after following me for so long, you still haven't learned the true Dao of the Nascent Soul. "You must understand—everything in existence is but false; "I" alone am the truth."
"The more you entangle yourself in the mortal world, the more you will be bound by mortal ties."
"If you seek transcendence, if you wish to walk further along the path of Dao Lords, these ties will only become your obstacles. Sisui perished for this very reason.""
"He had no chance to change, nor did he want to change."
"But you still have time."
The Primordial Saint's voice echoed like thunder, also causing the World Honored One's expression to gradually loosen. He really wanted to refute, but the Primordial Saint's success was an irrefutable fact.
Sisui? He just a failure. No matter how loud the reasoning of the dead was, it was nothing more than an epitaph, holding no meaning for the living.
Perhaps this was just how it was.
This wretched place should have always been like this.
There is no way to have the best of both worlds in this world.
"Boom!"
Under the mighty power of the Dao Lords, the Netherworld had no way to close itself off. The Ghost Gates were forcefully blasted open into a thoroughfare, revealing a dilapidated palace submerged in darkness.
The World Honored One's thoughts also gradually returned to calmness.
A compassionate smile surfaced on his face bit by bit, yet his eyes became increasingly indifferent, as if having severed all emotions, leaving only a stretch of coldness.
Seeing this, the Primordial Saint said with gratification: "You truly understand with just a hint. So what if everyone else dies? You hardened your heart and watched helplessly once back then; now it's nothing more than being a bit more ruthless. How precious is your Dao? It is the primary priority. Besides you, lower cultivators have no meaning!"
However, right at this moment.
"Bang!"
In the depths of the Netherworld, the darkness receded. The dilapidated palace slowly opened. Three figures walked out successively, accompanied by a clanging rebuttal:
"Those words are wrong!"
In an instant, all the Dao Lords shifted their gazes, looking towards the Netherworld.
Where their gazes landed, the leader of the three was Dao Tianqi, whose eyes were full of resolve. Standing on his left and right were Lu Yang and Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin.
However, the person who had just spoken to rebut the Primordial Saint wasn't Dao Tianqi.
It was Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin.
This Ancient Method Great Perfected Lord who had persevered from the Golden Age to the present, from a living being to a death spirit, appeared incredibly composed even when facing the Primordial Saint.
"Myriad Treasures, let's make a deal."
Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin's tone was incredibly relaxed, smiling as he said:
"As long as you help us block the Primordial Saint, all the Ancient Method Perfected Lords of the Netherworld will voluntarily let you eat them, helping you recover your Dao Lord stature one step ahead of everyone else."
"How about it?"