[Heavenly Palace], atop the Miluo Palace Dao platform.
Lu Yang rose with a flick of his sleeves. Performing a quick calculation, he realized that the breakthrough—which felt like a mere moment in his eyes—had consumed ten years of time in the physical world.
Of course, time no longer held any meaning for the current him.
With a thought, the [Heavenly Destiny Reckoning] surfaced once more. The brilliant Light of Order rippled like water; upon closer inspection, one could still see many cracks.
These were the backlashes from forcibly deploying [The Great Dao Responds to Me] to slay the Sword Lord. Originally, they would have required a vast amount of time to mend, yet now, Lu Yang merely reached out and brushed them away as if wiping off a layer of dust, reducing all the cracks to nothingness.
He didn't do anything specific.
After ascending to Dao Lord, [The Great Dao Responds to Me] had become effortless, simply because his own stature already surpassed the stature of the [Heavenly Destiny Reckoning].
Surveying his surroundings, all things and all phenomena could be quantified by Order.
Time was no exception.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang reached out and gently adjusted the ten years he had spent breaking through, like turning the dial of a clock.
In the next second, time turned for him.
Starting anew.
Overlapping colors of light permeated [Tianhuang]. Everything began to flow backward as if it were all illusory shadows, leaving only Sisui and Lu Yang as true and real.
He returned to ten years ago.
Or rather, the "ten years" of the breakthrough had been edited into an "instant." Those ten years of time were erased from thin air by Lu Yang.
Western [Tianhuang].
Buddhist light filled the sky. Atop the peak of an endless Spirit Mountain, the World Honored One—who had recently returned and entered meditation after observing the battle between Lu Yang and the Sword Lord—suddenly looked up.
"What is it?"
Nearby, Xiu Zhen looked over curiously.
"...It is nothing."
The World Honored One shook his head without saying more, though his heart was filled with infinite sentiment: 'He truly succeeded. The Paramita, the Netherworld, and now there is a Heavenly Palace.'
Within [Tianhuang], where Golden Cores were perfected, perhaps only he—a former Dao Lord—could sense the majesty that had subtly influenced time. Once one achieves the honor of a Dao Lord, almost no one can resist doing this. Even he had performed similar operations in the past.
After all, achieving wealth and honor without returning home is like walking through the night in silken robes.
If one does not display their majesty, how will the world know they are a Dao Lord?
At this thought, a flicker of hope appeared in the World Honored One's eyes: 'Since the [Heavenly Palace] is complete, is there hope for me to restore my cultivation as well?'
Meanwhile.
Looking at his own palm, Lu Yang let out a long breath: "The things the World Honored One once did, I can now perfectly replicate."
Five thousand years ago, the World Honored One attained the Dao and then clipped away the years. To outsiders, five thousand years had passed, but in reality, it had only been a little over a thousand.
All Dao Lords, though their respective Great Daos may differ and their principles vary, possess the ability to do similar things.
'However... I am stronger than the World Honored One!'
Lu Yang's thoughts whirled, and the [Heavenly Destiny Reckoning] in his hand pulsed with light like a living breath. His aura was expanding toward the outside world at an even higher level.
Though it was also the clipping of years, his methods were far more blunt than the World Honored One's. Simultaneously, his control over [Tianhuang] was far stronger than the control the various Dao Lords once had over the Light Sea. With a single glance, the past, future, the shifting of time, and the changes in the human heart—all things turned into data before his eyes.
'Too terrifying...'
Lu Yang's eyes opened and closed. In a blink, he took all the insights, cultivation, and progress of the cultivators who had switched to the Investiture of the Gods Method and made them his own.
Divine abilities? Profound wonders? Daoist cultivation?
As the Master of the [Heavenly Palace] and the source of all Order, the trillions of living beings in this world were his stepping stones. Their cultivation was merely adding bricks and tiles to his foundation!
He didn't need to cultivate at all.
Every time a cultivator inhaled a breath of spiritual qi, learned a divine ability, or mastered a portion of Daoist cultivation, it would raise him—who stood atop their heads—even higher.
'The masses of living beings are all my human wealth.'
'And my wealth will work hard on its own to increase itself. Money begets money, interest compounds interest, allowing my foundation to grow infinitely!'
This was [Order].
This was the more valuable way to use it!
The Primordial Saint's old system was still too inefficient—actually requiring one to cultivate personally and proactively squeeze others. It should have long been replaced by his more advanced self!
Of course, this current [Order] was still limited to the new world of [Tianhuang] opened by Sisui; therefore, the time Lu Yang had just reversed was also limited to this place. It had no effect on the external Light Sea or the Dark Void. But within [Tianhuang], Lu Yang was the absolute, supreme sovereign.
No, there was one other.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang suddenly turned around and looked toward Sisui—the scholar who stood on the same level as him, true and real.
In his heart, a sudden sense of annoyance surfaced.
The feeling came abruptly yet truly. If all things are false and only I am real, why are you allowed to stand beside me, sharing my truth? I do not need a...
"BOOM!"
In the next second, Lu Yang slammed his fist into his own brow. Boiling radiance exploded, slaying all the thoughts he had just birthed.
"...I have shown Senior something unseemly."
When one carries a sharp weapon, the intent to kill naturally arises.
When one is draped in wealth, an air of nobility naturally takes hold.
Lu Yang sighed and gave a bitter smile: "Only today do I know the difficulty of a Dao Lord's cultivation. The cultivation of the 'Self' is so arduous—truly harder than ascending to heaven."
Sisui smiled with relief:
"If Fellow Daoist can wake up to this, you are still a fellow traveler on the path of the 'Self'. I only hope you can hold onto this heart and not follow the old paths of Nian Yao, Cang Hao, and the others."
"Otherwise, no matter how high your cultivation, you will be nothing more than a watchdog."
"But... one cannot blame them."
At this point, Sisui shook his head with a pained expression: "The Primordial Saint set a bad example for them and forced them to imitate him one by one."
"Yet he refused to teach them."
"The result is that Nian Yao and the others only learned the form without capturing the spirit. They lost all their former brilliance—perhaps that is exactly the outcome the Primordial Saint wanted to see."
"Back then... they were not like this."
Sisui let out a long sigh, seemingly recalling the golden age of antiquity:
"Nian Yao was deeply affectionate; her single sword dared to plead for the common people. Cang Hao followed righteousness; a single promise from him was worth ten thousand gold. Myriad Laws was studious; he buried himself in the library for ten thousand years without moving."
"Du Xuan also once had lofty ambitions."
"However, as the years passed, they eventually changed. Though their lifespans no longer decrease, they have ultimately grown old—no longer like their younger selves."
Hearing this, Lu Yang looked at Sisui.
He saw that this Daoist, who could be called the teacher of ten thousand generations in the Light Sea, was clearly different from the Primordial Saint. He did not practice [Supreme Forgotten Emotion], yet he was equally indifferent.
However, this was not heartlessness.
When mentioning the past of antiquity, though regret remained on Sisui's face, he was not sorrowful. His gaze toward Lu Yang was still full of anticipation.
He had already recognized the essence of cultivation. He knew that under the tempering of years and from the perspective of a Dao Lord's stature, few could maintain their true selves. Yet he remained full of hope.
This is why he had said these words to Nian Yao, to Cang Hao, to Du Xuan, and to Myriad Laws.
Even though all of them had disappointed him.
He would still tirelessly, time and time again, continue to tell those who came after—
"Fellow Daoist, don't change."