In the Great Void, the universe was dim.
Seven figures filled it. Obviously, their physical forms hadn't changed, yet in the Great Void where size lost its meaning, their existence itself was their true form.
At this point, there was no need for further words.
"Rumble!"
Dao Tianqi versus the Sword Lord, the World Honored One versus Myriad Laws and Dou Xuan. The light of profound wonders, as brilliant as golden suns, slowly rose, illuminating the Great Void as if it were a piece of crystal glass.
"Nian Yao..."
Cang Hao's figure rapidly fluctuated, seemingly wanting to join forces with the Sword Lord. After all, the mighty power of [Fortune] and [Destiny] combined was not just one plus one.
However, right at this moment, Lu Yang's figure stepped forward a pace ahead, blocking his path. At the same time, behind him surfaced the five-colored illusory light formed by the convergence of the myriad phenomena of the sea of light. Although it was much weaker compared to before, its essence remained unchanged, its stature remained the same, still firmly cutting off Cang Hao's way forward.
"With this appearance, you still dare to block me."
Cang Hao spoke coldly. Immediately, his figure rapidly faded, blending into a stretch of boundless color, overwhelmingly pressing down towards Lu Yang's direction.
Almost simultaneously, a sound rang in Lu Yang's ears.
It was a sound like the resonance of the Dao, beautiful and profound. And appearing along with it within that stretch of boundless light and color were densely packed golden talismanic writings.
'What is this?'
Lu Yang's gaze stirred slightly. There was no fear in his heart, but rather curiosity. After all, among the Four Dogs of the Immortal Nexus, Cang Hao, this Dao Lord of the Dao Court, was actually the most mysterious.
After so many lifetimes, he had even seen the Primordial Saint's methods many times, not to mention the Sword Lord and the World Honored One. Yet only Cang Hao—despite also being a Dao Lord, one simply couldn't see what he was pursuing or what thoughts he had. At first glance, he was merely a simp following behind the Sword Lord.
However, Lu Yang knew this was impossible.
'To become a Dao Lord, one must have methods. It can only be said that because of the Sword Lord, Cang Hao doesn't need to reveal his. He only needs to assist the Sword Lord.'
Now the timing is just right.
'Let me see what this Dao Lord of the Dao Court has actually hidden.'
At this thought, Lu Yang immediately held the Heaven's Bane Sword in his hand. The halo behind him rapidly fell and merged into the sword. The blazing sword light illuminated the Great Void once again.
"Hmph..."
At the sight of this, a flicker of apprehension flashed across Cang Hao's eyes. Moments ago, he had witnessed the overwhelming might of that spiritual sword from beginning to end.
'This is… a Sword of the Heart.'
Its outward form was merely incidental. The Great Sword Ancestor had forged it through the sacrifice of his Primordial Spirit. Thus, though it bore the name [Heaven's Bane], in truth it was a blade that executed the heart itself.
And therein lay its most insidious aspect.
Regardless of one's strength, so long as one met it head-on, a portion of the Primordial Spirit would be inexorably severed and annihilated—beyond all resistance.
This meant that fighting a battle with Lu Yang, unless one could completely evade the edge of the Heaven's Bane Sword, the longer the fight dragged on, the more likely one was to get lost in the Great Void.
It was truly sinister.
'The reason Nian Yao was injured in the end was also because she discovered the profound wonder of this sword and had to forcefully trade injury for victory to end the battle with him as quickly as possible.'
Thinking of this, Cang Hao's thoughts immediately stirred slightly.
"Deal with this sword first!"
In the next instant, within the boundless radiance he had transformed into, three talismanic characters burst forth like startled hares, weaving together to form a distinct name:
[Heaven's Bane Sword].
Almost at once, the luminous name began to dim—and, astonishingly, the spiritual sword in Lu Yang's hand dimmed in tandem, as if sinking into sudden dormancy.
"This is…"
Lu Yang's brows lifted slightly. Through the perception of his Primordial Spirit, Cang Hao's method could not escape him. It was, in essence, nothing more than an alternative form of sealing.
'A talismanic art?' he mused inwardly.
In the next breath, he thrust his arm forward. The fist formed from the origin flow of the Sea of Light—the very one that had just blasted Dou Xuan away—manifested once more, crashing down toward Cang Hao with overwhelming force.
Facing this fist, Cang Hao's choice was the same as the Sword Lord's. He didn't choose to clash head-on, but decisively called forth more talismanic characters from the boundless light and color.
These talismanic characters engraved name after name in the blink of an eye. Lu Yang focused his gaze and looked over, only to find that he was familiar with all these names.
They were all Dao Fruits of the Immortal Nexus.
Lu Yang saw it clearly. There was Heavenly Fire, City Rampart Earth, Sword Edge Gold, Vast Ocean Water, Great Forest Wood, Overtuned Lamp Fire, Great Relay Earth... The Five Elements were all present.
Then, they dimmed in unison.
Subsequently, the same thing happened. The thirty Dao Fruit stars in Lu Yang's hands, the profound wonder of the [Five Elements], actually also fell into silence at this moment!
Why was this so?
Cang Hao naturally wouldn't explain. However, the current Lu Yang didn't need his explanation either. Under the perspective of the Primordial Spirit, many things could no longer be hidden from his gaze.
"...It's the characters."
At this moment, Lu Yang saw through karma and comprehended the past: "I understand now. The characters of the sea of light, these titles, were originally created by you."
"Precisely so."
Cang Hao was not surprised either. He rarely made a move precisely because once he did, this [Great Merit] of his past would inevitably be unable to be hidden from other cultivators.
"Back when the Immortal Nexus was established, dividing the [Five Elements] and drawing out thirty Dao Fruits, every single Dao Fruit was named by me. Besides that, the Three Foundations, the Five Heavenly Destinies, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements... the ten Great Daos of the sea of light were also all named by me. It was precisely through [Characters] that I attained the Dao of [Fortune]."
As his voice fell, Cang Hao made another move.
This time, six talismanic characters were seen leaping out from that boundless light and color resembling a scroll. As the profound wonder took shape, it could be seen that it was a person's name.
[Perfected Lord Yuji Siming].
"What is Fortune?"
Cang Hao's voice startled the Dao's resonance, rumbling and echoing: "The so-called Fortune is the ability of myriad phenomena and myriad spirits to influence external objects, destiny, and the world."
"When your Fortune is exhausted, it is equivalent to you no longer being able to exert any influence on the outside world."
"And when a name is linked together with [Fortune], erasing the name is equivalent to erasing your Fortune, making you completely disappear from this region of heaven and earth!"
As his voice fell, the title [Perfected Lord Yuji Siming] rapidly dimmed.
Almost simultaneously, a layer of shadow surfaced in Lu Yang's field of vision. And as his title dimmed, the speed at which the shadow expanded also skyrocketed.
'This is... getting lost!'
Lu Yang gained enlightenment inwardly. This move of Cang Hao's couldn't kill him, but it could banish him into a state from which he could never again interfere with the outside world.
Tantamount to being lost in the Great Void.
And in this way, even if he didn't die, as long as he couldn't return, then to the other people still existing in the sea of light, he would be equivalent to being dead!
"Rumble!"
In the next instant, Lu Yang's Primordial Spirit burst with light, illuminating the shadow before his eyes, forcefully resisting the erasure of his [Fortune] by Cang Hao. Yet the effect was slow.
Right at this moment, Cang Hao wrote out another new name.
[Lu Yang].
The target pointed to by the concept of the second name exacerbated the erasure of Lu Yang's [Fortune], and also caused his figure to gradually become illusory and blurred!
At this moment, Lu Yang looked up at the sky.
Because he had proactively stated his name and left behind traces, it was utilized. Was the true name he declared back then going to become his death warrant?
Lu Yang raised the corner of his mouth: "What a joke."
Over the course of more than ten lifetimes, he had hidden his name for a very long time out of worry of being targeted by similar methods. And since he calmly stated his name today.
Then he feared nothing!