Within the [Da Luo Heaven].
Lu Yang reached out and beckoned. The Righteous Dao Banner immediately appeared in his hand. The surface of the banner surged, and rolling purple qi billowed like an ocean. Following that, four figures were seen stepping out from it one after another.
Patriarch Nether Whisper, Vanquishing-Demon Perfected One, Suo Huan, and Empress Xiao.
As the strongest banner spirits within the Righteous Dao Banner and the most useful talents under Lu Yang's command, the four of them had hardly made an appearance in the mortal world recently.
This was actually quite normal.
After all, those who willingly became banner spirits mostly had no heart for the Dao path. They weren't the type of resolute Dao seekers, not to mention that their Dao paths were already very difficult to walk.
And as Lu Yang progressed, they, becoming relatively weaker, naturally retreated behind the scenes.
For example, Empress Xiao. Ever since she became an Unorthodox Perfected Lord, it was as if she had achieved her life's goal. She stood out by completely slacking off. Facing Lu Yang every day, she just lay flat and accepted his mockery.
As for Suo Huan, he wasn't quite as slack. However, because of his severe injuries previously, he had ultimately switched to cultivating the [Pseudo Wellspring Water] woven by Patriarch Nether Whisper. This resulted in his cultivation base being permanently fixed at the Middle Stage of Golden Core. His Dao path was already severed, so no matter how hard he tried, there was no room for progress.
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon went without saying.
After crippling his Sword Dao in his previous life and resolving to find another Dao path, he had been in closed-door cultivation to comprehend it until now. It had only been a few years; it was impossible to see results so quickly.
As for Patriarch Nether Whisper.
The foundation of [Heaven of Carefree] was still too weak. Even though Patriarch Nether Whisper had created an unprecedented rocket ascension method for Dao Fruits, it was still insufficient.
"Patriarch."
Seeing Patriarch Nether Whisper walk out from the Righteous Dao Banner, Lu Yang didn't say another word and immediately went up to perform the salute of a disciple, making Patriarch Nether Whisper's brows bloom with a smile.
Following that, Lu Yang very solemnly gave Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon the salute for seeing an elder. To Suo Huan, they cupped hands and returned the salute as Fellow Daoists. As for Empress Xiao, he affectionately squeezed her small hand. It could be said that he gave each of them ample emotional value, balancing the four bowls of water perfectly.
Only after finishing all this did he speak:
"I brought everyone out this time because my [Heavenly Palace] is in its initial stage of creation and needs some Perfected Lords to fill it. Good fertilizer shouldn't flow into an outsider's field, after all."
After saying that, Lu Yang formed hand seals.
In an instant, bright lights were seen lighting up one after another within the [Heavenly Palace], like brilliant lamps, each manifesting a vast and boundless profound aura.
[Divine Offering], [Dripping Essence of Heaven].
[Sea of Mortal Tribulations], [Heaven within Palm].
"These four divine abilities are the foundation of my Dao Lineage. I plan to give them to everyone, allowing you all to switch to cultivating my Investiture of the Gods Method. This happens to help everyone reconnect their Dao paths."
As soon as he finished speaking, the four divine abilities immediately soared, falling from the [Da Luo Heaven] and arriving in the [Miluo Palace]. Finally, they transformed into four imperial thrones located on the uppermost layer of the [Miluo Palace]. With these four imperial thrones as the core, the entire [Heavenly Palace] was also divided into four obvious factions.
Seeing this, Lu Yang instantly waved excitedly at the four of them and said: "Everyone, come and try it out!"
"Although these four imperial thrones can only support Dao-Entering Great Perfected Lords at present, given time, they will sooner or later be able to support Immortal Bridge, Heaven Treading, or even Dao Lord."
"I'll go first."
Suo Huan took a step forward and smiled: "I choose [Mortal Dust Tribulations]. I don't know why, but this profundity resonates most deeply with me. It should hold the most hope."
"Then give it a try!"
Lu Yang rubbed his fists and wiped his palms, then took out a jade slip and handed it over: "Fellow Daoist Suo Huan, you only need to cultivate this divine ability, and you can switch your cultivation."
Hearing this, Suo Huan swept it with his divine sense, and the contents of the jade slip instantly became clear in his heart.
[Tribulation Sea Crossing Method]
As the name suggested, this cultivation method could be used to respond to the [Mortal Dust Tribulations]. As long as it was successfully cultivated, one would immediately be incorporated into the system of the [Heavenly Palace].
The cultivation method itself was not difficult. Furthermore, Suo Huan was a Perfected Lord no matter what; cultivating a divine ability was naturally of no difficulty to him.
Before long, a deep abyssal sea fluttered around his body, with white clouds billowing. Faintly, one could see countless demons rampaging, and various tribulations of the mortal world piled up within.
In an instant, a resonance arose in Suo Huan's heart.
The next second, he simply sat down on the spot, his eyes tightly closed. Lu Yang also noticed that his own [Mortal Dust Tribulations] seemed to have developed a subtle anomaly.
This anomaly did not stop at the [Heavenly Palace].
It was still spreading outward!
"Hm."
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, then shifted his thoughts and also began to sense carefully. When he looked again, he had arrived at a realm surging with endless concepts.
The [Sea of Bitterness].
Not far away, Suo Huan also had a look of bewilderment. Only a small-sized [Mortal Dust Tribulations] divine ability hovered above his head, flickering with an unsteady light of the law.
"This is...?" Suo Huan blinked.
Lu Yang's expression was solemn: "The [Mortal Dust Tribulations] is resonating with the [Tribulation]! Without realizing it, I've actually walked the old path of the Ancestral Dragon. Is this trying to swallow the Heavenly Destiny?"
"No, that's not right."
"Rather than the Ancestral Dragon's old path, it's more like the [Heavenly Dao]..." Lu Yang fell into deep thought.
Only after a long time did he look at Suo Huan: "I roughly understand now. Because the [Mortal Dust Tribulations] intercepted a portion of the [Tribulation's] concept, if you want to respond to this wonders, you must also intercept the [Tribulation's] concept. This way, while receiving the empowerment of the [Mortal Dust Tribulations], you can also strengthen this divine wonder."
"In other words, this is poaching the foundation of the Five Great Heavenly Destinies!"
Speaking of this, his expression turned serious: "Forget it, let's retreat for now."
"It was my lack of forethought. Intercepting the concept of the [Tribulation]—it wouldn't matter if it were me, but for anyone below Great Perfected Lord, doing this carries a huge risk of sudden death."
The Investiture of the Gods Method was newly created and still not perfect enough.
Even some things were formed naturally by heaven, which even Lu Yang, as the creator, found hard to predict. Ultimately, it was also because his cultivation base wasn't high enough.
However, the next second, he froze.
Because Suo Huan didn't move. Instead, he looked at Lu Yang calmly and said: "Fellow Daoist, it's just a huge risk; it's not completely without hope, right?"
After saying that, he looked solemn: "I want to try."
Lu Yang frowned deeply: "This is the [Tribulation]. To intercept its concept, one will inevitably suffer through tribulations. If your Dao Heart is even slightly unstable, your will will collapse, and you will die..."
"Not testing Dao comprehension is already enough." Suo Huan smiled: "If it only tests willpower, I'm actually quite confident. Besides, you've helped me to this extent, so I should also do something. I can't accomplish nothing, or even I will look down on myself."
"This... fine."
Lu Yang opened his mouth, completely not expecting Suo Huan to say such words. However, after a moment of silence, he could only nod helplessly.
He respected Suo Huan's thoughts, but he also made preparations.
If it failed, he would force his way in to save him. Given his intimacy level with the [Tribulation], he believed the [Tribulation] would do him a favor.
Time flew by, and three days passed.
During this period, there were several times when Suo Huan's aura suddenly weakened and nearly collapsed, yet he held on at the final moment, like a candle fluttering in the wind.
However, this situation reversed on the third day. Like an eruption after being suppressed to the extreme, Lu Yang clearly saw that within the light of the [Tribulation] located in the deepest part of the [Sea of Bitterness] and wrapped in gloom, an extremely faint glimmer of light was forcibly split and drawn out.
Boom!
The next second, Lu Yang's consciousness returned to the [Heavenly Palace], only to see Suo Huan, who was sitting there properly, also open his eyes. A Dao Fruit surfaced above his head.
It was impressively Patriarch Nether Whisper's [Pseudo Wellspring Water].
Following that, this Dao Fruit was seen crashing to the ground, instantly shattering, melting, and reforging, finally transforming into a divine idol with an appearance identical to Suo Huan's.
Then, the divine idol was seen falling squarely and steadily into the [Lingxiao Hall].
Joining the ranks of immortals, Middle Stage Divine Lord!
If it was said that the previous Suo Huan was only falsely holding the Middle Stage of Golden Core, then now, as a Middle Stage Divine Lord, he had not only broken through the bottleneck but even taken a step further!
And with his awakening, a glimmer of light symbolizing the [Tribulation] also merged into the uppermost [Mortal Dust Tribulations], elevating the might of this wonder slightly. The poaching operation was a massive success. Strictly speaking, the current Suo Huan could even be considered a [Tribulation] cultivator!
With this thought, Lu Yang's heart instantly grew fiery.
The [Tribulation] was like this.
Then what about the other four Great Heavenly Destinies?
(Author's Note: End of chapter)