Just as the Nameless Dao Lord entered the [Dao-Attaining Hidden Profound Palace], outside the palace, Lu Yang was gazing over from afar.
He had always been cautious.
After all, he was dealing with a Dao Lord; one could never be too careful. Under these circumstances, he naturally wouldn't risk staying inside the grotto-heaven. If he was discovered, it would be over.
Therefore, after finishing his setup, Lu Yang decisively left the [Dao-Attaining Hidden Profound Palace].
Since he wanted to hook a Dao Lord, he naturally had to use the biggest bait. Thus, he directly projected a part of the [Heavenly Palace], the [White Jade Capital], down into the grotto-heaven.
'Did he take the bait?'
Lu Yang sensed carefully but found nothing. He couldn't detect if anyone had entered the [Dao-Attaining Hidden Profound Palace] at all. However, this was within his expectations. After all, it was a Dao Lord. A Primordial Spirit's will transcended all things; if a mere lower-realm cultivator like him could spot it, it wouldn't be worth much.
'No matter, I am prepared.'
This entire set of traps he laid out would have results if successful, and gains even if it failed. Either way, he couldn't lose.
If it succeeded, the Nameless Dao Lord would take the bait.
'That means he can slip in right under the noses of the six Dao Lords outside the false history, which highly implies he is not one of those six!'
After all, the six dogs of the sea of light were too familiar with one another.
Every Dao Lord was guarding against the others sneaking into the false history. If the Nameless Dao Lord was one of the six, Lu Yang didn't believe he could just blend in flawlessly.
As for the Ancestral Dragon, it was also unlikely.
The Ancestral Dragon was watched too closely by the Primordial Saint, who had even enslaved a portion of his will. If a consciousness had truly slipped out, it would have shown itself in his life before last.
Because of this, his arrangement inside the [Dao-Attaining Hidden Profound Palace] was entirely based on the premise that "the Nameless Dao Lord is not one of the six Dao Lords, nor is he related to the Ancestral Dragon." He pushed all the blame onto the Ancestral Dragon and designed a storyline that seemed perfectly reasonable at first glance.
He was completely confident in this.
'If the Nameless Dao Lord really came, he will definitely take the bait.'
That being said, Lu Yang still felt a bit apprehensive. After all, if the Nameless Dao Lord truly was a Dao Lord who popped out of nowhere, that would be terrifying.
There were simply too many experts in this wretched place.
In comparison, the Nameless Dao Lord not coming would actually be a good thing. It would mean he was likely one of the six Dao Lords, not someone appearing out of thin air.
'Well... I will know soon enough.'
Lu Yang took a deep breath. Although he couldn't sense the Nameless Dao Lord's presence, the clues he left behind were enough to make the other party expose himself willingly.
It took the Nameless Dao Lord quite some time to digest the information he had gathered. He then continued forward, arriving at the center of the [White Jade Capital].
Towering palaces and white jade mystic steps.
He walked all the way up, finally stopping at the top of the steps. What entered his sight were two dragon and phoenix jade pillars framing a magnificent gate bursting with color.
On the right jade pillar, dragons coiled and tigers crouched, clustering around a line of large characters:
[Eternal Youth Immortal Palace]
On the left jade pillar, phoenixes danced and sang, similarly displaying a line of large characters:
[Mystic Gate of Dao Equal to Heaven]
And right above the center of the gate, the dragons, tigers, and phoenixes each held a single character, lined up to read:
[The Heart of Heaven is Within Me]
The moment he faced these four characters, mystic light abruptly shot from the depths of the Nameless Dao Lord's eyes. In a daze, he seemed to see a precious seal hovering over the sea of light.
'It's the [Heavenly Heart Seal]!'
The Nameless Dao Lord was no short-sighted fool. He immediately saw the clue from this couplet. "The Ancestral Dragon's Dao Artifact from back then is actually here?"
"No, that's not right."
"It's just a copied concept. The person who wrote this couplet must have seen the [Heavenly Heart Seal], but doesn't actually possess it. This makes sense."
According to his intelligence, the [Heavenly Heart Seal] had disappeared after the Ancestral Dragon was suppressed. Even if a consciousness of the Ancestral Dragon had truly escaped, it would be impossible for him to retrieve this Dao Artifact. This perfectly fit the characteristic of having seen it but not possessing it. It wasn't even necessarily written by the Ancestral Dragon.
"It's also possible that Ling Xiao wrote it."
"After all, although the calligraphy is grand and its profound wonder is extraordinary, its stature is too low. Lacking the essence of a Primordial Spirit, the Ancestral Dragon wouldn't write characters like this."
The Nameless Dao Lord made an accurate judgment.
"However, it still has an effect. With this couplet, paired with a profound wonder blockade, it can at least stop others from entering. It counts as a failsafe."
"Unfortunately, it can't stop me."
At this thought, he stepped forward. His Primordial Spirit's projection of light transcended matter, easily passing through the white jade immortal gate and entering the core of this palace.
Then, a radiant light caught his eye.
"Hiss!"
Instantly, his gaze nearly froze, locking straight onto the center of the light with extreme shock. 'The [City Rampart Earth], and a remnant thought of divine sense?'
Whose remnant thought?
The Nameless Dao Lord's gaze was like a torch. He didn't calculate the karma, but directly began to analyze the remnant thought. He quickly detected an aura he couldn't be more familiar with.
"Sisui's... No, that's not right."
"It's that lingering echo of Sisui? The one left in the Celestial Court? When was a piece of it intercepted out of thin air and quietly placed in this location?!"
Besides that, there was the colorful light swirling around it.
[City Rampart Earth]
The Nameless Dao Lord deduced the purpose of this setup almost instantly. "Using the [City Rampart Earth] to trace back time, and using Sisui's lingering echo to deceive the seal."
"The Ancestral Dragon... He actually wants to save Sisui!?"
Saving Sisui and borrowing [Yin and Yang] were two completely different matters.
There were many methods to borrow [Yin and Yang], and contacting Sisui wasn't impossible among them. But rescuing the person was another story entirely.
Why?
The Nameless Dao Lord couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought. Although the relationship between the Ancestral Dragon and Sisui wasn't bad, after the sealing battle, any deep friendship they had was gone.
Why would the Ancestral Dragon save Sisui?
At this thought, he suddenly reached out and beckoned, grabbing Sisui's remnant thought in his hand. Then, circulating his Primordial Spirit, he strode towards a more distant era.
He didn't need the [City Rampart Earth].
The illusory nature of the false history, combined with the essence of his Primordial Spirit, allowed him to walk backwards through time unimpeded, without worrying about being hindered by karma.
Soon, a magnificent scene entered his sight.
[Heavenly Dao].
What Lu Yang could do was even less of a challenge for the Nameless Dao Lord. He easily slipped past and walked into the [Heavenly Dao].
Then, he saw that five-colored precious seal located deep within the [Heavenly Dao].
"So that's how it is..."
Instantly, dawn broke in the depths of the Nameless Dao Lord's eyes. "The [Heavenly Heart Seal]. This Dao Artifact was actually used as the foundation stone of the [Heavenly Dao]."
This explained everything!
The Ancestral Dragon didn't want to save Sisui. Saving Sisui was merely secondary, a way to cause trouble for the other Dao Lords. His main goal was to retrieve his own Dao Artifact from back then!
It matched! It all matched!
Almost at the exact same time, Lu Yang, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, abruptly opened his eyes. A flash of lightning seemed to streak through the void, carrying complex, indescribable thoughts.
"Someone touched Sisui's remnant thought!"
"The Nameless Dao Lord... he took the bait. There actually is such a Dao Lord who popped out of nowhere in this world!"