"Rumble!"
Deep within the Dark Void, amidst the turbulent concepts—streaked with the blood of the Great Dao and cascading like a celestial river—Dou Xuan's figure emerged once more. Yet within his thoughts, there was not a trace of anger.
Only cold composure.
"…A fine fist technique."
No joy, no rage—only deep calculation flickering in his eyes. As the Dao Lord at the vanguard, his true purpose had always been to probe the opponent's methods.
"Called a fist, yet in truth, it is a dharma."
"Beyond the Dharma Body and [Yin and Yang], he has mobilized nearly all the concepts of the ten Great Daos within the sea of light. That is why this strike carries such overwhelming might."
"And more than that—he forges dharma into a fist. This suggests prior cultivation in the Dharma Body Dao. He has also inherited Sisui's true teaching and cultivated the [Precious Life Perfect Form Scripture]. As for his foundation, it closely mirrors that of the Ancestral Dragon—both using their own profound wonders to contain the Five Great Heavenly Destinies. And when viewed as a whole… his arrangement bears more than a passing resemblance to the Primordial Saint's style."
Unbelievable.
Even Dou Xuan felt a tremor stir within his heart as these conclusions formed. Sisui, the Ancestral Dragon, the Primordial Saint—the three towering figures spanning the three great eras since the birth of the sea of light.
And this person… had touched upon all of them.
Just what was his origin?
"Lu Yang… no impression. [Perfected Lord Yuji Siming]… [Heavenly Fire]? That should not be it either—a Perfected Lord has never arisen from that Dao Fruit…"
He could not deduce it. He could not even begin to guess.
But soon, Dou Xuan's thoughts settled once more.
If the heavens collapse, there will always be those tall enough to hold them up.
Since he could not unravel it, then naturally, there were others who would—others who could afford the headache.
[Paramita].
The expressions of the three Dao Lords were calm. If [Paramita] were intact, Lu Yang would still be an ant in their eyes. Such a situation would naturally make them furious.
However, with Lu Yang severely injuring Dou Xuan, the Spiritual Power Dao Lord, with a single punch, forcefully blasting him out of the sea of light, the three Dao Lords clearly viewed him as a true Dao enemy. Therefore, instead of being furious, they began to think with absolute rationality about how to deal with him and how to eliminate such an opponent.
After a brief silence.
It was still Cang Hao who spoke first: "Commanding the sea of light, his efficiency even surpasses the [Heavenly Dao]... Truly a formidable young generation. This person can be won over."
Sisui was about to break free.
The [Heavenly Dao] was consequently fragmented, and its collapse wouldn't be much slower than [Paramita]'s. But if they could get this Investiture of the Gods Dao Lineage that commanded the sea of light to join...
Then it would be different.
Not only would the [Heavenly Dao] instantly recover to its peak, it could even far surpass its previous state, counter-suppressing the Primordial Saint and Sisui, leaping to become the strongest faction in the sea of light!
"...It's useless."
The Sword Lord's faint voice sounded, carrying certainty: "This person's Dao Heart is ruthless and fierce. He probably hasn't attained the Dao for long and is still concerned about those ant-like beings."
"With such a disposition, he is not a gentleman like Sanhe, Sisui, or Dao Tianqi. Instead, he is somewhat like Myriad Treasure. Furthermore, he already has a Dao attainment land. The [Heavenly Dao] is icing on the cake, not coal in the snow. He won't consider us, he'll only think about turning the [Heavenly Dao] into his own."
Then what should be done?
On the fourth tier of [Paramita], the sword light suddenly parted. The Sword Lord stepped out, her cold and clear face full of chill, her beautiful eyes looking down at the sea of light below.
"Riding the momentum of the complete fall of [Paramita], I will personally eradicate this person."
The Sword Lord's judgment was very decisive.
As the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.
In her eyes, Lu Yang was not an ally, but instead harbored immense malice towards the [Heavenly Dao]. Since that was the case, he had to be eradicated with a full force.
"Whoosh..."
A long sword was drawn from its sheath, yet no sharp edge could be seen. Only a magnificent torrent surged from nothingness, spreading infinitely far away, seemingly without end.
The long river of destiny!
Compared to Dou Xuan, the Sword Lord's stature, Dao comprehension, and even the strength of her Great Dao itself were far superior. Now that she made a move, it was instantly different.
Within the sea of light, Lu Yang, whose aura had just receded after repelling Dou Xuan, suddenly constricted his pupils. It was as if his heart had been violently gripped by an invisible palm. His eyes reflected endless futures— there were futures where he lived, where he escaped, where he was heavily injured... but in the end, all these futures converged.
The long river of destiny directed all endless futures towards the same conclusion at this moment.
[Death]!
[Sword Edge Gold] only exhibited a similar profound wonder because it had usurped the concept of [Destiny]. How could it compare to the true [Destiny]?
"Clang—!"
A sword hum that Lu Yang couldn't be more familiar with rang out.
Once upon a time, it was this very sword hum that forced him to flee into the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], unable to come out despite exhausting all his methods. A single sword strike had almost killed him.
However, this time it was different.
Looking up at the sky, Lu Yang unrolled his sleeves. A spiritual sword had already appeared in his hand. The blade was dark and obscured, at first glance it not revealing the slightest bit of sharp aura.
Appearing along with it was a phantom.
Great Sword Ancestor, Sanhe.
"The timing is just right." The phantom chuckled lightly.
Using the Primordial Spirit to sacrifice to the sword was precisely for this moment.
Yes, the Great Sword Ancestor actually understood the Sword Lord's thoughts. He wasn't stupid. Even if he truly didn't understand beforehand, he could guess most of it afterwards.
But he didn't blame the Sword Lord.
Because he didn't hate the things the Sword Lord taught him. Whether it was protecting all living beings or caring for the world, he didn't believe these things were wrong.
So even knowing he was deceived, knowing he was morally kidnapped, knowing he was nothing more than a tool in the Sword Lord's hands, he still gladly endured it. Sixty years of vanquishing demons, slaughtering the entire world to stop the Ancestral Dragon from breaking free—this was originally his decision. He didn't intend to blame the Sword Lord.
My actions, my words, all come from my heart.
At the same time, precisely because of this—
Even when the person causing massive damage to the sea of light and the present world changed from the Ancestral Dragon to the Sword Lord, he similarly wouldn't have the slightest hesitation when drawing his sword.
Moreover, he could also conveniently avenge the grievance of being deceived.
How satisfying..
With the Heaven's Bane Sword in hand, Lu Yang seemed to hear the Great Sword Ancestor's carefree laughter, carrying the sonorous sound of a sword's hum while saying: "Fellow Daoist, listen to my sword cry!"
The moment those words fell, a fierce resolve surged within Lu Yang's chest, boiling over.
It was as though he had been cast back to the ends of his past lives—times when he could only stand and watch as Dao Lords descended upon the world. He had exhausted every method, yet all had proven futile. Again and again, he faced the same inevitable end, trapped in a cycle with no escape, no path forward in sight.
Until now.
A sword rested in his hand.
No path?
Then he would carve one out himself.
'Rumble!'
[Paramita] completely fell. The boiling fire of sky collapsing illuminated the sight sea thoroughly revealing the figures of Lu Yang and the Sword Lord and witnessed by countless cultivators.
Then, Lu Yang moved.
Under the gazes of Dao Tianqi, the World Honored One, Bu Tianque, Pill Cauldron, the Six Dragon Lords, Pan Huang, and countless others, he advanced instead of retreating.
A Dao Lord is like heaven, the will of a Dao Lord is the will of heaven.
Is there truly no way to resist?
We refuse to accept it!
At this moment, Lu Yang let out a clear, piercing whistle, his divine intent surging forth as body and sword became one. He dissolved into the sea of light, the blade's edge aimed straight at the descending [Paramita].
That sword of the past could stand worthy of the world and shame the unworthy—yet it lacked the power to redress the injustices of heaven and earth.
Today, he would attempt it.
Sever the Dao—
Heaven's Execution.
"...Follow me!"
The sword light split the sky. Lu Yang disregarded everything, closely following behind. With a single sword strike, the myriad phenomena of the sea of light followed. Wherever it passed, beacon fires lit up everywhere, intending to overturn the heavenly will overhead.
"Slut, watch my sword!"