Host and guest thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
At this moment, Lu Yang and Sisui could be seen exchanging words one after another, either gossiping or discussing secret lore. For a time, the atmosphere actually grew increasingly harmonious.
And while Lu Yang observed Sisui, Sisui was also sizing him up.
'This person's origins are unknown, and he hasn't yet forged a Primordial Spirit. Yet he was able to borrow Xiu Zhen's hand to pass through the [Heavenly Dao] to meet me. I'm afraid he is a cultivator adept at scheming.'
This reminded him of another person.
The Primordial Saint!
Therefore, when he first communicated with Lu Yang, he was actually harboring vigilance. However, as they chatted, he felt that Lu Yang was somewhat different.
The Primordial Saint was extremely proper in his dealings with others; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the widely acknowledged good person of the sea of light before revealing his true thoughts. Lu Yang, however, was different. He joked and scolded freely; his emotions were distinct and completely undisguised, looking exactly like a young whippersnapper who had only cultivated for a few hundred years.
'Seems not bad.'
Sisui pondered inwardly, then smiled bitterly: 'I am getting old too. Thinking about it carefully, anyone who can find their way to me here is highly unlikely to have any problems.'
Because of the [Variable].
With the Primordial Saint's current degree of control over the sea of light, if someone could truly arrive here, it must definitely be a cultivator vastly different from the ethos under the Primordial Saint's rule.
Such a person was definitely not a bad person.
As for being adept at scheming, that wasn't actually incomprehensible. After all, under the Primordial Saint's rule, cultivators who didn't know how to scheme had died long ago; how could they have grown to this day?
Soon, the two finished their gossip, and Lu Yang naturally shifted back to the main topic: "Senior, there will be a good opportunity in a while. My coming here this time is to rescue you out. Do you have any plans for this? If there is anything I can help with, I will definitely go all out."
Sisui had been trapped for 129,600 years.
After so many years, Lu Yang didn't believe Sisui was completely unprepared. There was nothing perfect under heaven; as long as one wanted to find them, flaws could always be found.
"Rescue me..."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Sisui revealed a look of deep thought, seemingly weighing something. Only after a long time did he speak: "Fellow Daoist, what is your current cultivation level?"
"Heaven Treading realm."
Lu Yang held nothing back and said frankly: "I plan to establish another [Paramita], send a supreme treasure out of the sea of light, and create a new method to elevate my stature..."
Lu Yang explained it in detail once.
After listening, Sisui's expression as he looked at Lu Yang grew even more astonished: "Incredible. It seems I misjudged earlier; Fellow Daoist is not without the Light of Wisdom."
"Rather, you possess great wisdom that appears as foolishness!"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Lu Yang coughed and changed the subject: "In short, according to my plan, I intend to incorporate the living beings of the false history into my system."
"Mortals provide incense, deities govern the sea of light. Everyone performs their own duties and stays in their own positions. From then on, immortals and mortals will not interfere with each other. Logically speaking, as long as I can control the sea of light with this, I will be able to perform the act of changing heaven and earth, dig up the Dao Lords' Great Dao foundations, and elevate myself to the Dao Lord level!"
Sisui listened seriously, but subsequently shook his head:
"Fellow Daoist has miscalculated."
These simple words caused Lu Yang's voice to abruptly stop. He then took a deep breath, yet showed not the slightest bit of disappointment, instead revealing a look of excitement.
Excellent!
Of course he knew his deductions weren't comprehensive. After all, he wasn't a Dao Lord; it was perfectly normal to miscalculate. But with Sisui here, he could check for omissions and fill in the gaps!
This was also the reason why he absolutely had to meet with Sisui. It wasn't just because of the Primordial Spirit method. The saying "having an elder in the family is like having a treasure" was indeed correct.
"I implore Senior to guide me." Lu Yang cupped his hands.
Sisui raised a single finger:
"[Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]."
"This is where you miscalculated. The seven paths of [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] are also a part of the sea of light. And you are destined to be unable to control them."
"Why... ah."
Before Lu Yang could finish speaking, he proactively closed his mouth. He didn't need Sisui to continue explaining; he already understood, and his expression subsequently turned ugly.
The reason was very simple:
"Dao Lords are not permitted to enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]!"
This rule had existed since the ancient era. So the Dao Lord here didn't refer to the Dao Lords sitting high on [Paramita], but the Dao Lords of antiquity!
The Dao Lords of that time were precisely today's Golden Core Great Perfection Dao Lords!
"Senior means that even if I lay out arrangements in the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] beforehand, the moment I break through to Golden Core Great Perfection, I will immediately be disconnected from them?"
"Exactly so."
Sisui nodded:
"Under heaven, only the Ancestral Dragon can enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] without restrictions. Even I... the [Equality of Things] no longer welcomes me."
Hearing this, Lu Yang sighed, understanding in his heart that his prior estimations of the outcome had to be overthrown and redone: "If I cannot control the entire sea of light, not only will the effect of elevating my stature diminish, but I also won't be able to reach the degree of digging up the Dao Lords' foundations. The Dao Lords will still have the power to resist."
Thinking of this, a name leapt to mind.
[Variable].
Within the sea of light, all things and all matters had a sliver of hope for survival... It didn't distinguish between good and evil. Whether it was the Primordial Saint or him, the [Variable] treated everyone equally.
"Senior, please give me a definitive answer."
Lu Yang wore a helpless expression and said in a low voice: "If I cannot control the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], using my Dao Lineage, to what level can my stature ultimately be elevated?"
Sisui pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then gave his answer: "If Fellow Daoist can forge a Primordial Spirit, it will be enough to elevate your stature to the degree of Golden Core Great Perfection, slightly worse than I was back then. However, if you further mobilize the power of the entire sea of light, perhaps you could infinitely approach my level back then."
Lu Yang didn't feel the slightest bit of joy upon hearing this.
He knew Sisui was saving face for him and speaking rather tactfully. Or rather, as a "teacher," he was accustomed to taking care of other people's emotions.
Infinitely approaching meant far inferior.
Being able to challenge meant unable to compare.
A classic example was the World Honored One.
In his life before last, hadn't he also briefly rivaled the Primordial Saint? The result was being single-handedly killed in a head-on clash. Even if it were himself, the result would probably be the same.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh.
Seeing this, Sisui consoled in a low voice: "Fellow Daoist does not need to worry so much. Aside from the Primordial Saint, Fellow Daoist should still be able to fight against the others."
"Senior, rest assured, I am fine."
Lu Yang shook his head, adjusted his state of mind, and looked at Sisui. Sure enough, to go head-to-head with the Primordial Saint, he still had to rescue this fierce individual.
"Senior still hasn't said, how should I rescue you?"
"Hm..."
Sisui thought about it upon hearing this, seemingly finding it difficult: "To rescue me, Fellow Daoist's current cultivation is not enough... At the very least, you must forge a Primordial Spirit before planning."
"Please elaborate."
"There are two methods."
Sisui explained: "First, the Sword Lord and Cang Hao release the [Heavenly Dao], with the World Honored One coordinating, allowing the false history to return. Then I can escape my confinement."
"What about the second?"
Lu Yang didn't hesitate. He was ultimately going to flip the table; he couldn't count on the Sword Lord and the others to coordinate. By the time that happened, everything would be too late.
"The second method: Fellow Daoist forges a Primordial Spirit, breaks through to Golden Core Great Perfection, and then joins forces with me to break open the [Heavenly Heart Seal]. Then, go stop Myriad Treasure from attaining the Dao. As long as you succeed, the false history can return and help me escape." Sisui's tone was calm, and Lu Yang immediately understood his meaning.
'The World Honored One attaining the Dao!'
'That's right. The World Honored One in the current true history attained the Dao from the very beginning. However, in the false history, the World Honored One only attained his Dao Lord status five thousand years ago!'
This was the key!
At this thought, Lu Yang instantly perked up again. After all, even if he couldn't beat the Primordial Saint, could he not beat the World Honored One? At the very least, this might be the easiest fight!
There was hope for the future again!
Lu Yang let out a long sigh of relief, relaxing a bit. Then, as if thinking of something, he said: "Oh right, Senior, do you know where the [Heavenly Scripture] is?"
"Xiu Zhen said it's in the false history, and will only sense and appear when someone attains the Dao..."
Lu Yang still cared quite a bit about the Heavenly Scripture. After all, it was highly likely the missing pages of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]; it could very well be of great use to him.
However, in the next second, he saw Sisui blink:
"The Heavenly Scripture? Fellow Daoist Xiu Zhen likely lied to you."
Lied to me? I knew that guy was spouting nonsense...
Before Lu Yang could finish cursing inwardly, he saw Sisui reach into his robe and then openly, without any concealment, pull out a radiantly golden scripture.
"Because I have it."