"Rumble!"
In the distance, billowing smoke and dust soared into the sky like a climbing dragon, churning the sea of clouds for tens of thousands of miles. The spiritual qi of heaven and earth became violently turbulent as a result, and the earth let out groans of being unable to bear the heavy burden.
This anomaly lasted for a full fifteen minutes.
Immediately afterward, a massive divine sense swept across all directions, meticulously searching every inch of the land. Only after sweeping back and forth three times did it finally withdraw and depart.
The radiance of heaven and earth dimmed as a result.
Not far from the affected region, Lu Yang stood with his hands behind his back. Surrounding him was an ocean of chaotic light that concealed him completely.
[Mortal Dust Tribulations].
This profound wonder could attract disasters, but it could also evade them. Since Lu Yang had deployed it at this moment and was hiding far enough away, he managed to evade the person who had attacked.
'Flipping the table when you can't win, someone's getting desperate.'
A smile played on Lu Yang's lips. Having discerned the true nature of the [Yellow Millet Dream], he was no longer worried. The flaws in this method of dragging people into dreams were simply too massive.
In the sea of light of the true history, during the era when Dao Heart cultivation methods were banned, it might have achieved miraculous effects. However, in the false history—and specifically at this current point in time where everyone cultivated the Dao Heart, and those who had condensed the Fasting of the Mind were not a minority—the impact caused by the [Yellow Millet Dream] was actually quite easy to contain.
"Clang—"
As if echoing Lu Yang's speculation, in the next second, he heard the resonant hum of a sword. It originated from the Jiangnan direction and expanded across the entire Immortal Nexus.
Wherever it passed, all living beings awakened from their dreams.
"Great Sword Ancestor!"
Lu Yang's pupils contracted sharply. In his line of sight, he saw three sword lights piercing the heavens and the earth. Without any explanation, they severed all the influences brought about by the [Yellow Millet Dream].
Vanquishing-Demon, Subduing-Spirits, Warding-Evil.
The three sword spirits Fasting of the Minds that he had once seen in the Dark Aspect of the Light Sea now erupted with an entirely different, boundless mighty power under the control of the Great Sword Ancestor.
'...Another one.'
Lu Yang's heart chilled. Despite being illusory consciousnesses, they had condensed tangible sword light. This was clearly another peculiar method targeting consciousness.
Soon, under the lead of the Great Sword Ancestor, streaks of bright light rose across the lands of the Immortal Nexus. Within them, Lu Yang sensed the auras of Pan Huang, the Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin, Emperor Cang, and others. All the cultivators who had forged the Fasting of the Mind were trying to dispel the dream-inducing power of the [Yellow Millet Dream].
It wasn't even limited to cultivators.
"Hm."
Lu Yang let out a soft sound of surprise and suddenly raised his head. He saw that the flowers, birds, fish, insects around him, and the sun, moon, and stars above him all seemed to transmit a strange, resonant vibration.
Then, he saw a pair of eyes.
A pair of kind, amiable, yet majestic eyes that stood above all living beings. The look in those eyes as they gazed at him actually held the loving affection of a father looking at his son.
Heavenly Lord!
In an instant, Lu Yang understood the true meaning of these eyes. The Heavenly Lord, the Heavenly Father. All things in creation were his children; this was only natural.
"...Hmph! You think you're worthy?"
In the next second, Lu Yang fiercely activated the [Divine Offering]. The [Laojun Temple] formed its own independent realm, instantly expelling the influence of the Heavenly Lord's mighty power.
As a result, the Heavenly Lord's eyes were abruptly pushed far away.
Such a change naturally caused a hint of anger to show in those eyes. However, soon, all emotion vanished, and a melodious voice followed:
"Siming, let's cooperate."
"The [Yellow Millet Dream] plane is intolerable to heaven and earth; it must be destroyed... As an Immortal Spirit, you should also be looking forward to higher realms. I can help you."
Hearing this, Lu Yang didn't respond, but instead suddenly laughed.
Previously, when he annihilated the dragon species, the Dragon Lord who possessed the body had acted all self-righteous. And yet, hasn't room for negotiation appeared now?
It seemed the Heavenly Lord's bottom line was also quite flexible.
'It makes sense. Compared to me, the [Yellow Millet Dream] is the greater danger. That dream plane can pull all things into a dream; essentially, it's a mass extinction...'
And the Heavenly Lord still needed the Dragon Lord, needed the Immortal Spirits to help him reclaim the Dao Fruits of the Immortal Nexus. How could he possibly allow all living beings to fall into a dream like this? Furthermore, the Heavenly Lord himself was actually a sentient being. Given time, the [Yellow Millet Dream] would even affect him, which was even more unacceptable.
But when it came down to it.
The reason the Heavenly Lord took the initiative to seek him out for cooperation was because Lu Yang had successfully resisted the influence of the [Yellow Millet Dream], demonstrating his value as an ally.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have actively shown goodwill.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately smiled and said, "Cooperation is fine, but I want my benefits first. The higher realm Fellow Daoist mentioned, how should I break through?"
The Heavenly Lord remained silent for a moment upon hearing this before continuing:
"By commanding the [Fire Element]."
"We are Innate Dao God, commanding Dao Fruits and advancing to Perfected Lords. If we want to progress further, we must reach the absolute limit on our respective paths before we can sublimate."
Quickly, a segment of knowledge was projected over.
Lu Yang swept it with his divine sense and instantly gained enlightenment.
Why did the Old Dragon Lord of the false history possess the mighty power of the Immortal Bridge realm, while the Old Dragon Lord of the true history was only at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core? Why was the gap between the two so massive?
The reason was very simple.
'The Old Dragon Lord possessed the mighty power of the Immortal Bridge realm not by his own efforts, but because the six Dragon Lords worked hand-in-hand to completely command the [Water Element].'
This was the complete opposite extreme of the grotto-heaven method.
For the grotto-heaven method, achieving the Heaven Treading Great Perfected Lord required the perfection of the Five Elements Dao Fruits. However, Ancestral Dragon's Innate Dao God method involved pushing one of the Five Elements to its absolute limit.
'The six Dragon Lords are all heaven and earth aristocrats enlightened by the Ancestral Dragon. By joining hands, they can catalyze a more massive Immortal Spirit based on the entirety of the [Water of the Five Elements]. The cultivation of this Immortal Spirit is at the Immortal Bridge realm, commanded by the most senior Old Dragon Lord. But once the Dragon Lords die off one after another...'
The Dao Fruits become incomplete, and the Water Element becomes flawed.
Then the Old Dragon Lord's strength would also fall accordingly, dropping from Immortal Bridge to Dao Integration, then to Entering the Dao, and finally dropping out of the Great Perfected Lord realm, reduced to the Middle Stage of the Golden Core.
This solved a doubt that Lu Yang had harbored all along.
Why could the Old Dragon Lord possess the Dao comprehension of almost all the Water Element Dao Fruits despite commanding the [Vast Ocean Water]? Now it seemed, this was the reason!
At the same time, the Heavenly Lord's motive for seizing the Five Elements Dao Fruits became understandable.
'With the Heavenly Lord's sheer mass, if he can obtain all the Five Elements Dao Fruits, he might become the next Ancestral Dragon. At the very least, he should become a Perfected Dao Sovereign at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core!'
Simultaneously, the Heavenly Lord's voice transmitted over again:
"You now already command the [Mountain Peak Fire]. If you want to continue improving, the only way is to bring all the other Fire Element Dao Fruits under your control."
"I can help you with the other Dao Fruits."
"There is only one Fire Element Dao Fruit that was stolen by someone thirty years ago, and its current whereabouts are unknown. If you want to obtain it, you can only do so by helping me eliminate that person."
Hearing this, Lu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly. "...Which Dao Fruit?"
"[Overturned Lamp Flame]."
The Heavenly Lord's consciousness quietly receded.
Lu Yang returned to the [Laojun Temple], only to see Perfected One Yu Hua, with a recently awakened Yu Feng in tow, waiting for him in the temple with faces full of gratitude.
Before he could speak, Lu Yang waved his hand:
"Alright, there's no need for words of gratitude. What about the task I asked you to do?"
"Replying to the Immortal, it has been found!"
Perfected One Yu Hua didn't dare to neglect it. He hastily took out a jade slip from his sleeve and said respectfully, "This humble cultivator has gathered all the records from the past hundred years."
"Were there any major events?" Lu Yang said indifferently.
"...There is one."
Speaking of this, Perfected One Yu Hua also seemed somewhat surprised. He whispered, "Speaking of which, this humble cultivator should have witnessed this event back then, but I couldn't remember it clearly."
"It was only after the Immortal's command, and after this humble cultivator collected the ancient records, that I vaguely recalled a little bit."
Hm?
Hearing this, Lu Yang immediately sat up straight. "Speak in detail."
"The matter roughly happened thirty years ago."
"Even the records in the ancient texts and historical materials are unclear. There are only records in some unofficial histories, and the main subject is just four words. This humble cultivator truly does not understand their meaning..."
"Which four words?"
As his voice fell, Perfected One Yu Hua suddenly fell into a daze. His lips parted uncontrollably, and he slowly spat out four loud, resonant words that sounded like thunder:
"The Eastern Sovereign Defying the Heaven!"