Initially, it was just a celestial sound.
Melodious and graceful, as if the entire Dark Void were chanting, following a moving melody. Like a storm, it plunged from infinitely high up into the Dark Void below.
Rumble!
In an instant, the celestial sound that sounded melodious and profound above [Paramita] turned into a terrifying storm capable of destroying myriad phenomena and impossible to look at directly when it fell below.
Wherever the storm passed, the concepts of mustard seed and Mount Sumeru, past and future, ends of the earth and close at hand—all lost their meaning. Everything was kneaded into a single mass, to the point where the Dao Lords present lost their perception of external objects. Only a single thought of their Primordial Spirits remained, barely allowing them to recognize their own existence here.
Besides this, there were no other thoughts.
A true battle between Dao Lords.
Not Golden Core Perfections who possessed empty Primordial Spirits after falling from [Paramita], but Nascent Soul Dao Lords who truly stood above all myriad things and had already undergone a qualitative change.
Such a change might not mean much to Lu Yang, but in the eyes of Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, the World Honored One, and others, it was incredibly complex.
Once upon a time, they too possessed such mighty power.
But they had fallen to this state.
At this moment, they couldn't even clearly see the battlefield between Sisui and the Primordial Saint. With just one glance, they felt their wonders, Great Daos, and divine senses freeze.
Dao Lords cannot be looked at directly!
If they hadn't all forged Primordial Spirits and retained some degree of mighty power, their wonders wouldn't have just frozen; they would have exploded and died on the spot.
"..."
The next instant, the Dao Lords' gazes turned toward Lu Yang, filled with desire. They urgently wanted to charge into the Light Sea and restore their cultivation first!
Not to mention that the current Primordial Saint had already revealed the essence of the [Nascent Soul]. If the Primordial Saint could do it, they could too. This made them even more eager to repair [Paramita]. Even the World Honored One threw an imperceptible glance at Lu Yang, but soon, he slayed the surging distracting thoughts.
It wasn't that he didn't want to be the villain.
Essentially, there wasn't much difference between him and Sword Lord and the others. He just had a bit more conscience, and the interests of his Dao path were different from theirs.
There's no need.
I have already abandoned the position of [Paramita]. Even if I get the [Paramita] fragments, it's useless. Besides, I have 'One Mind'; I have no need to slaughter sentient beings...
Furthermore—someone had returned.
Rumble!
As the past and future recoupled under the aftermath of the Dao Lords' battle, a figure banished to the distant future finally surfaced.
Dao Tianqi!
Although he was in the [Future], the [Future] inherently passed through the [Present]. Therefore, he wasn't completely unaware of what was happening; he just couldn't interfere.
Seeing him return, Lu Yang also breathed a sigh of relief. With Dao Tianqi present, he could hold off at least one of Cang Hao or Sword Lord. With his own strength greatly increased, Lu Yang could try to hold off the other. The World Honored One was enough to deal with the Dao Lord of Dao Arts. Du Xuan was dead, so the number of Dao Lords was three against three. The advantage was on his side!
Meanwhile, above [Paramita].
Sisui was seen pacing. He suspended his ruler in the Dark Void, correcting heaven and earth, locking down the universe. Then, he closed in and threw a punch at the Primordial Saint.
It was still the same old trick.
The corners of the Primordial Saint's eyes twitched slightly. "Fellow Daoist is already a transcended person, yet you still look so crude and barbaric. We Dao Lords should logically win using wonders."
Sisui remained silent and continued throwing punches.
Helpless, the Primordial Saint retreated to dodge.
"... Trying to leave?"
Hearing this, Sisui exhaled deeply. This single Qi attracted trillions of spiritual qi. A Light Sea was born, and a vast, boundless present world was created following his breath.
Recreating the present world!
In the blink of an eye, the Primordial Saint saw through the profound wonder of Sisui's punch. He felt that no matter what method he used, he couldn't escape being hit by it.
The profound wonder was actually simple to explain—it was creating a present world out of thin air. Under Sisui's deliberate control, this present world was identical to the Light Sea.
The history was the same, the characters were the same, and the changes were the same. It was equivalent to two parallel lines, which were forcefully overlapped and superimposed by Sisui.
Rumble!
The next instant, the Primordial Saint fell into the second present world created by Sisui. Here, the Dao laws were completely different. [Inevitable Fate] could be considered something that innately did not exist.
In a flash, the Primordial Saint's aura plummeted!
Because [Inevitable Fate] did not exist in this world, his Great Dao truly vanished, taking [Time] along with it. It was as if he had turned into a mortal overnight.
"So this is [Transcendence]..."
The Primordial Saint's gaze focused, and he sighed with heartfelt admiration. "Fellow Daoist's punch truly allowed me to experience the profound wonder of [Transcendence]. This battle is already worth it."
The essence of Sisui's punch was not an attack, but using his own [Transcendence] essence to accommodate the Primordial Saint, bringing him into the realm of [Transcendence] as well. However, the Primordial Saint did not walk this path. The result was that although he [Transcended], he also turned into a mortal, losing all his mighty power!
Exhale...
A heavy sound of breathing echoed in the turbulent Dark Void, like a rushing river, myriad things resonating, and the Dark Void reacting, all converging around the mortalized Primordial Saint.
Until this moment, killing intent finally surfaced in his eyes.
Actually, right when Sisui broke free, he, who had already restored his Dao Lord stature, could have struck like lightning and found a way to nip him in the bud.
Because at that time, Sisui hadn't untied the knot in his heart.
Although he had collected the three Great Daos of Dharma Body, Yin-Yang, and Dao Heart at that time, he couldn't take the final step and remained a Dao Sovereign at Golden Core Perfection.
And no matter how strong a Dao Sovereign was, they were still a Dao Sovereign.
In his eyes, as a True Dao Lord at the time, he could have been destroyed with a flip of a hand. If he had really done that, the overall situation would have been settled long ago, and he would have won a complete victory.
However, he didn't strike.
The reason was the same as when he dealt with Lu Yang before: if he could feed a second transcender into [Paramita], his next Deity Transformation ascension was bound to succeed.
He needed Sisui's breakthrough!
So not only did he not strike, he even allowed Sisui to kill Du Xuan, actively helping him untie the knot in his heart and assisting him in taking that final step of transcendence.
This wasn't premeditated; in fact, it was the exact opposite. This was creating a major enemy for himself, and it was Sisui, meaning accidents were highly likely. If possible, the Primordial Saint would not have willed this... but in the end, he still chose to support it. The reason was simple—Sisui could truly transcend.
This was an open conspiracy.
The Primordial Saint was incomparably thirsty for [Transcendence], so he was willing to sit by and watch Sisui transcend, willing to see a major enemy rise. This was Sisui's open conspiracy.
Just like the Primordial Saint scheming against the Dao Lords.
Sisui schemed against him in the same way.
After all, if the Primordial Saint stopped Sisui and prevented him from transcending, it would be equivalent to actively giving up a usable, rare talent, lowering the odds of a successful Deity Transformation ascension.
In that case, the Primordial Saint wouldn't be that Dao-seeking person.
Therefore, when Sisui transcended and met the Primordial Saint, he smiled and said that sentence: I told you long ago, Fellow Daoist, you and I are people on the same path.
Equally unscrupulous.
Equally thick-skinned and black-hearted.
It was just that their ambitions were different. However, on the Great Dao's path, there was never a distinction between right and wrong, only a difference in choices. What did it matter?
Therefore, even with the vastness of the Dark Void and the magnitude of the Light Sea, only you are my Fellow Daoist.