Looking at the radiantly golden scripture in his arms, Lu Yang finally reacted. Excitement instantly surged, only to cool down again in the next second.
'Something's not right. The [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] isn't reacting.'
One must know, at the end of his life before last, the missing page in the false history had caused the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] to react violently. Yet right now, there wasn't the slightest anomaly.
This was clearly abnormal.
Soon, Lu Yang realized where the problem lay: The scripture was clearly in his arms, yet under the actual perception of his divine sense, it was completely empty.
"This is..."
Lu Yang couldn't be bothered to guess and directly looked at Sisui. He saw Sisui smile slightly: "This item is profoundly wonderful. It cannot be obtained by anyone who does not possess great merit and deeds."
Hearing this, Lu Yang frowned slightly: "I created a new method, I should meet the conditions."
He had also been to the [Ancestral Dragon Manor].
As long as a cultivator had created a new method, they could reach that secret realm. The missing page of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] was originally prepared for them.
"That was indeed the case previously."
Sisui shook his head with a helpless expression. "However, after the Primordial Saint seized that peculiar treasure and refined it anew into the [Heavenly Scripture], everything changed."
Lu Yang's expression darkened instantly.
You again, Primordial Saint!
You despicable bastard, always reaping where others have sown.
"Angry, aren't you?"
Seeing this, Sisui chuckled. "I was furious back then as well. But thinking it over, it's only natural. If I were him, I would have imposed additional restrictions too."
"After all, he used the [Heavenly Scripture] to forge the false history, and then used that false history to seal me. In doing so, he effectively placed the [Heavenly Scripture] back into my hands. If he hadn't added further restraints—if he had left me an opening to wield its power—then he would have ended up losing more than he gained."
"He and I are already enemies."
"Since he was forced by circumstances and had no choice but to deliver the [Heavenly Scripture] into my hands, then setting additional restrictions to avoid aiding the enemy is also a matter of reason."
Hearing this, Lu Yang didn't even bat an eye.
"How can that be the same!?"
One man's hero is another's sworn enemy. For the very same matter—if I benefit, then it is naturally in accord with Heaven and the will of the people. But if I'm the one who suffers, then that's an entirely different story!
Sisui was left momentarily speechless.
This little Fellow Daoist's style was indeed strikingly similar to the Primordial Saint's… No, even somewhat like Nian Yao's. In any case, no matter how one looked at it, he hardly seemed like a good person.
"In short, this item is not that easy to use."
Sisui shook his head and explained:
"The method the Primordial Saint designed on it is extremely clever. You can only activate it when you don't know what it is, and also don't intend to use it."
"Once you know what this item is, or intend to activate this thing, it will immediately lose all its profound wonder and become like a mortal object. Precisely because I recognized what it was, I researched it for a hundred thousand years. Yet the more I researched, the more ordinary it became, without revealing half a bit of profound wonder."
Hearing this, Lu Yang immediately frowned:
"Then why did Senior just tell me this is the [Heavenly Scripture]? If you had said nothing and let me research it myself, perhaps I could have still discovered some clues."
Sisui smiled and asked in return:
"If I didn't say anything, wouldn't you have guessed it?"
"Besides, even if you didn't know it was the [Heavenly Scripture], it would be useless. I just said, even if you don't know, as long as you have the thought of using it, it won't work."
What was this?
Superposition state?
Constantly existing in a state of existence and non-existence, changing solely based on the thoughts and ideas of the holder. How did the Primordial Saint come up with such a profound wonder?
"If that's the case, doesn't it mean I can never use this item?"
Sisui nodded slightly:
"Not just you and me. I think even the Primordial Saint himself probably can't use it. When he designed this item, he had actually already prepared to discard it."
"Why?" Lu Yang furrowed his brows deeply.
Such an important item as the Heavenly Scripture, concerning the false history, and even concerning the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]... and the Primordial Saint just discarded it like that? This didn't fit the Saint Sect's style.
In the next second, Sisui gave the answer:
"Because he didn't dare to leave an item with a [Solution] in my hands. After so much time has passed, if there truly was a solution, I would have found it long ago."
A simple sentence, logical and reasonable, yet simultaneously made Lu Yang increasingly realize that in the Dao Lord war back then, the Primordial Saint absolutely didn't win without paying any price. It wasn't a leisurely stroll in the park to suppress Sisui. He truly staked his entire net worth, scheming across antiquity and the present, to finally obtain the ultimate victory.
But this wouldn't do.
Lu Yang furrowed his brows deeply. Sisui could not care, but to him, the Heavenly Scripture might have a way to strengthen the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. It could be said to be crucially important.
"Fellow Daoist does not need to view this item too heavily either."
Seeing this, Sisui was somewhat surprised: "To tell the truth, the uses of this item were actually excavated almost completely a very long time ago. There aren't many secrets."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Lu Yang raised his head and asked curiously: "I implore Senior to enlighten me."
"Hm..."
Sisui thought about it and continued: "I won't hide it from Fellow Daoist. The use of this item is actually to shape a karmic history line vastly different from the present world."
"The Primordial Saint used it to create the false history."
"However, this is not its limit."
"The so-called false history is essentially still illusory, not truly existing. But as long as enough mighty power is injected, it can turn the illusory into reality."
'The transformation between illusion and reality...'
Speaking of this, Lu Yang immediately thought of the shortcut to forging a Primordial Spirit: "Casting consciousness into the false history, and then turning it into a true existence and walking out from it."
"Correct."
Sisui nodded slightly: "And this is still only a partial application. If it is activated to its absolute limit, it is capable of completely forging a brand new world!"
"The reason the Primordial Saint worried about me controlling the Heavenly Scripture was likely also because of this."
"Because only a false history whose essence does not exist can serve as a seal. Once the false history turns into a real world, then the seal loses its meaning."
Hearing this, Lu Yang suddenly saw the light.
However, this also gave rise to a brand new doubt in him: 'It feels like it's not quite similar to the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. The effects displayed are completely different things.'
The Heavenly Scripture recreated the world.
The [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] restarted it.
'Or could it be that the two are actually the same thing? Although the macro effects displayed are different, in the micro domain, the underlying logic is no different?'
Seeing Lu Yang furrowing his brows deeply, Sisui stroked his chin and suddenly asked:
"What? Does Fellow Daoist want this item very badly?"
Hearing this, Lu Yang shook his head: "I wouldn't say that. It's just that Senior also knows, this junior's new method currently relies entirely on the false history."
"This item not being under my control is a flaw."
"And if necessary, this junior truly doesn't want to leave such a flaw."
—This was a lie.
Of course Lu Yang wanted the Heavenly Scripture. He wanted it desperately.
However, he couldn't speak plainly.
Because just now, he thought of another matter: In his life before last, he was targeted by the Primordial Saint precisely because of the connection between the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] and the false history's Heavenly Scripture.
What about this life?
Clearly, the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] and the Heavenly Scripture were related. The Primordial Saint was highly likely aware of this point. And since the Primordial Saint knew, would Sisui know?
As the saying goes, one cannot be without a heart that guards against others. Since this concerned his greatest reliance for his own cultivation, even if Sisui was the widely acknowledged good person of the sea of light, he couldn't not guard against him.