Sisui had appeared!
In an instant, even with ample psychological preparation beforehand, Lu Yang still inevitably felt some anticipation. Anticipation for this Saint of the sea of light.
That's right, Saint.
At least judging from the information gathered so far, Sisui was absolutely worthy of the title of Saint. It could be said that he was even more of a Primordial Saint than the Primordial Saint!
Of course, this was meant as a compliment.
However, because of the existence of Xiu Zhen, and some previous speculations, it was truly inevitable that some unspeakable doubts arose in his heart.
Therefore, in his mind, Sisui had many images, and he had envisioned countless temperaments for him. Rugged like Pan Huang? Sinister like the Primordial Saint? Or soaring with the Light of Wisdom like Dao Tianqi? These expectations and numerous speculations all froze the moment he saw Sisui with his own eyes.
Soon, he had an answer.
'Teacher.'
That's right. If he had to describe his first impression of Sisui, Lu Yang's answer would be "teacher." Sisui was filled with the demeanor of someone who educates and nurtures others.
"This poor Daoist is Sisui. Greetings, two Fellow Daoists."
The clear and bright voice drifted over. It was completely different from Lu Yang's stereotype of the Dharma Body Dao, appearing polite and refined, even possessing a bit of a scholarly, frail air.
In the next second, Lu Yang manipulated the Foundation Establishment soul and quickly put distance between himself and Xiu Zhen. Then he attempted to gather heaven and earth spiritual qi to temporarily forge a physical body. However, the moment he moved, a familiar, vast mighty power emerged. By the time he snapped back to his senses, the physical body was already restored.
[Dharma Body Dao].
In this instant, countless thoughts flashed in the depths of Lu Yang's eyes. However, in the end, he still raised his head and smiled proactively: "Fellow Daoist Sisui, long time no see."
"...Oh?"
Sisui abruptly stopped in his tracks. Then, he extremely naturally shifted his gaze, skipping over Lu Yang and looking at Xiu Zhen: "May I boldly ask Fellow Daoist's name and surname?"
To be honest, this exchange had a flaw.
At least Lu Yang asked himself, if he were in Xiu Zhen's position, he would inevitably realize instantly that his identity as the Ancestral Dragon was complete nonsense.
After all, it was impossible for Sisui not to recognize the Ancestral Dragon.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, Sisui should have been the first to speak and catch up on old times. However, Lu Yang wasn't the real Ancestral Dragon. If he let Sisui speak first, he would definitely be exposed.
That was why Lu Yang took a risk and spoke first. Fortunately, Sisui's reaction was also very fast, and he immediately played along. However, the incoordination during the conversation could still be noticed if one was proficient in this Dao and sharp enough... That being said, Xiu Zhen, this hastily assembled deity, was clearly not among them.
At this moment, his state of mind was equally complex.
After all, he had long harbored doubts about the things Lu Yang had deduced. He suspected inwardly that his own birth was highly likely the handiwork of the person before him.
This was also one of the reasons why he was unwilling to release the other party.
But for now, he still had to pretend to be polite and compliant.
Thinking of this, Xiu Zhen quickly adjusted his state of mind. Then he raised his head, a smile also appearing on his face: "I am Xiu Zhen. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Sisui."
"Xiu Zhen?"
Hearing this, Sisui blinked, then nodded slightly: "Borrowing the fake to cultivate the true... it quite fits your origins. Fellow Daoist has chosen a good name for yourself."
"...!?"
In an instant, let alone Lu Yang, even Xiu Zhen himself had his pupils contract sharply. He heard the hidden meaning behind Sisui's words: He knew! He actually knew!
He actually guessed his origins?
And he didn't shy away from it at all!
Immediately after, Sisui continued: "Fellow Daoist Xiu Zhen, although you possess the essence of a Primordial Spirit now, you lack a foundation to exist in the world. Your condition is not good."
"Although no problems can be seen in the short term, the Primordial Spirit and the true body are inherently mutually complementary existences. Without a foundation to anchor yourself in the world, Fellow Daoist's Primordial Spirit actually has hidden dangers. In your current state, even if I use [Yin and Yang] to help you, I'm afraid it would be very difficult for you to withstand the influence of the Great Dao."
Sisui spoke very naturally.
And in his eyes, Lu Yang saw a monstrous Light of Wisdom identical to Dao Tianqi's, seemingly precisely analyzing the conditions of him and Xiu Zhen.
"...It is the same for Fellow Daoist."
Soon, Sisui looked at Lu Yang again, his tone unchanging: "Although Fellow Daoist's puppet has received my amplification, there will also be a bit of risk over a long period."
"Why don't you both come in."
As his voice fell, Xiu Zhen and Lu Yang simultaneously felt their vision sway. Subsequently, the scene before them underwent an earth-shattering change.
Just a moment ago, the three of them were outside the pavilion. But now, they had already fallen inside the pavilion. Xiu Zhen almost immediately erupted with the power of his Primordial Spirit, attempting to resist Sisui's teleportation. But it was too late. With a single open and close of the pavilion door, they had already fallen into the quiet room within.
What followed was the clear, resonant sound of expounding scriptures.
"The character for Dao consists of [Walking] plus [Head]. [Walking] is the dragon's body, and [Head] is the dragon's head. I depicted this character after comprehending the Ancestral Dragon's body..."
Instantly, Xiu Zhen was stunned.
He fell into a state of listening almost uncontrollably. The endless sound of expounding scriptures instantly intoxicated him; it was evident he already didn't know what heaven and earth were anymore.
However, Lu Yang was different.
In Xiu Zhen's ears, the content of the scripture expounding seemed to be some profound and unfathomable principles. Yet after Lu Yang heard it, he only felt it was somewhat noisy.
'What? What? What?'
'What are all these?'
That being said, Xiu Zhen was right next to him. If he acted too normal, wouldn't he be exposed? So he could only hurriedly fake an expression.
However, right at this moment.
"Fellow Daoist does not have the Light of Wisdom, so there is no need to force yourself to listen."
As the voice came over, Lu Yang abruptly turned his head. He saw Sisui leaning against the door of the quiet room, a smile on his lips: "As for Fellow Daoist Xiu Zhen, there is no need to worry."
"His hidden dangers are not small. Right now, under my scripture expounding, he has begun to attempt to repair them. His divine sense has completely sunk into himself; he won't wake up for half a shichen."
"It's actually Fellow Daoist."
Speaking of this, Sisui suddenly revealed a hint of curiosity: "Fellow Daoist doesn't have the slightest bit of the Light of Wisdom. How did you cultivate to your current realm?"
Lu Yang: "..."
After a moment of silence, Lu Yang decisively changed the subject: "Does Senior recognize me?"
"I do not."
Sisui shook his head, then looked deeply at Lu Yang: "But if I must say, I suppose I had an expectation. After all, there will always be latecomers."
"Can Senior truly not leave?" Lu Yang asked suddenly.
"Oh?" Sisui raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
Lu Yang didn't hide anything and said frankly: "Because this place has singing birds and fragrant flowers, like an otherworldly fairyland. So I see Senior doesn't seem to be very anxious."
"That is why I asked this question. After all, Senior appears very composed."
"I see."
Sisui suddenly understood: "It seems that because I directly brought the two of you in, it caused Fellow Daoist to misunderstand. This place... is actually not the real world."
As his voice fell, Sisui reached out and plucked at the air.
In an instant, Lu Yang saw the originally otherworldly fairyland violently shatter. The boundless heaven and earth in front of his line of sight gradually faded, revealing its true appearance.
It was the dark vortex they had seen previously. And within his field of vision, a pair of iron fists were incessantly smashing against it. With every smash, a thunderous sound would erupt. The pauses in between were merely because the motion of throwing a punch required an interval, not because the iron fists themselves were slacking off.
And his line of sight was precisely located at the first-person perspective of this pair of iron fists.
The moment he saw this scene, Lu Yang understood Sisui's meaning. And at the same time, Sisui's voice also drifted over from the other side:
"This place is my sea of consciousness."