The vast Light Sea.
The immortal sat properly upon the profound light. Creation and destruction alternated, and within the circulation of his aura, endless profundities seemed to spread out. His figure was illusory, as if he might feather and ascend at any moment.
Right at this moment, as if sensing something, the originally ethereal, immortal-like young man abruptly opened his eyes, a ripple appearing in his emotionless and indifferent gaze.
"...Discovered, huh."
This did not exceed his expectations. After all, as early as the previous battle, that clever little guy had already basically guessed the whole truth.
Thinking of this, the emotionless look in the depths of the Primordial Saint's eyes suddenly melted like ice and snow, surging with endless emotions.
He seemed to recall the distant past, that era long buried in time and now unknown to anyone, when he crawled in the mud, only seeking to enter the Dao.
The ancient era was the golden age for many cultivators.
Sisui propagated the Dao, and from Perfected Lords down to Qi Refiners, almost everyone benefited... However, this so-called golden age did not bestow grace upon everyone.
In fact, quite the opposite.
The price of glory was the shadow hidden behind it. They were the true founders and stepping stones of the golden age, yet no one had ever paid attention to them.
He, too, was once one of them.
If not for that unparalleled fortuitous encounter, there might never have been a Primordial Saint in the world, never a Taiyitian; there would only have been one more mortal dying in the mud.
Transcendence...
Looking up, the Primordial Saint seemed to return to that time lying in the mud. He was just like now, gazing up at the firmament above his head.
It was just that back then, he looked beyond heaven and earth.
Now, he looked beyond the Dark Void.
The scenery being viewed had changed, and the person viewing the scenery had also changed. It was no longer that name, that face; only the mood from back then still remained in his chest today.
"...So be it."
The next second, all emotions were completely extinguished. The Primordial Saint's eyes returned to looking like a calm lake—hollow and cold, no longer possessing the slightest thought of a living being.
So what if they knew?
After countless years, this [Method of the Name Endowing Heaven] had long taken deep root. As long as the ritual itself was not shattered, no one could do anything about it.
..
[Tianhuang], Netherworld.
As Lu Yang's voice fell, both Sisui and Dao Tianqi fell into a brief silence. After a long while, Dao Tianqi seemed to suddenly think of something:
"So that's why he never killed me..."
Hearing this, Lu Yang also showed a look of sudden realization.
Thinking back to when the Netherworld was first established, the Dao Lords attacked together, striking Dao Tianqi down to the dust, leaving him to slumber in the Netherworld for an unknown number of years.
At the time, it didn't seem like much.
But looking at it now, if the Primordial Saint truly had the idea of exterminating the Netherworld, would he really have no way to deal with the already slumbering Dao Tianqi?
Of course not.
In fact, the Netherworld occupied a large portion of the Primordial Saint's plan. The best strategy for his Deity Transformation ascension plan was based on it.
The Primordial Saint had two sets of plans for Deity Transformation ascension. One had fewer variables: Ling Xiao would attain the Netherworld, killing Dao Tianqi in the process, and then the Primordial Saint would directly step in to dismantle the Netherworld, stepping on it to ascend. The other plan had more variables, based on the Ancestral Dragon and the Nascent Soul Pill; the slightest carelessness would lead to errors.
Besides this.
Another factor was probably Dao Tianqi himself. The Primordial Saint still needed his Light of Wisdom, so he held back from dealing a lethal blow until his Deity Transformation ascension...
However, this was also a [Variable].
To gain something, one must abandon something. For the sake of Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom, the Primordial Saint left a sliver of vitality, which ultimately backfired on himself.
Cause and effect are inescapable.
Exhale...
Right at this moment, Sisui suddenly exhaled a long breath, looking helpless. "I apologize. I tried, but I'm afraid I have no way to unravel this method."
He looked at Dao Tianqi with a serious expression. "Generally speaking, no matter how profound a method is, as long as there is a gap in stature, it can be easily broken. But this one is different... The methods of the ancient era are vastly different from present cultivation, so the usually invincible stature is very hard to apply to it."
Lu Yang heard this and asked curiously, "Can't he just change his name directly?"
"Of course not."
Sisui shook his head. "The method of the [School of Names] is not only related to names. Essentially, it's engraving on one's life."
"Messing around with it casually will damage his life."
Dao Tianqi smiled and shook his head upon hearing this:
"Then let it be... I see. Looking at it this way, Master already had the intention of utilizing us when he took in the four of us senior and junior brothers."
Then he looked at Lu Yang and said softly, "I apologize for disappointing Fellow Daoist and making you come all this way for nothing. I might not be able to lend you my Light of Wisdom."
Lu Yang: "..."
Wait, I didn't say anything earlier, right? I didn't say a single word. How did you figure out that I wanted to borrow your Light of Wisdom just by taking one look at me?
For a moment, Lu Yang felt exasperated and wanted to flick his sleeves and leave to show his unyielding might. However, thinking again of Sisui's claim that it would take a thousand years to master that mountain of jade slips, he suppressed those irrational emotions and exercised some subjective initiative.
"Fellow Daoist speaks too soon."
Because of the method of the [School of Names], the Primordial Saint could borrow Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom, and Dao Tianqi could also share his own Light of Wisdom with the other three Peak Masters.
Under normal circumstances, there would definitely be no way out.
Unless he replicated the Netherworld's operation and got another portrait of the [First-Generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master]; with Dao Tianqi filling in the spiritual nature, it might still work.
However, this operation was predicated on the condition that the [First-Generation Pill Cauldron Peak Master] was dead. But now, all four Peak Masters were alive and well, so it was impossible to reproduce it... However, with Lu Yang's flexible thinking, he quickly found a way to bypass the problem.
Dao Tianqi could only share the Light of Wisdom with the other three Peak Masters.
In that case, wouldn't it be fine if I just became one of the four Peak Masters?
The next second, Lu Yang pressed his palms together.
After experiencing a dozen lifetimes, he knew a scripture that could be considered a [Taboo] and could even recite it backward. He had just never tried it.
After all, the risk was too great.
One careless move, and the outcome would be eternal damnation.
The reason he kept this part of his memory was purely out of curiosity, and because, under necessary circumstances, he could call a sufficiently powerful helper for himself.
In the end, he never used it.
It wasn't until now, having successfully forged a Primordial Spirit, that this scripture, which he originally thought he could discard, unexpectedly found it use.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang immediately began reciting silently in his heart.
"Thus have I heard..."
[Mahayana True Enlightenment Fundamental Sutra]!
No cultivation was needed, no comprehension was required. As long as one read the entire scripture verbatim once, the wonder would form naturally, and from then on, one would be a Buddhist cultivator.
Close eyes, open eyes.
In an instant, intensely rich golden Buddha light surfaced in the depths of Lu Yang's eyes. The smile on his face also became compassionate, and he opened his mouth to say:
"Alas... I never expected that I am actually an incarnation of the World Honored One!"