A sky-covering hand fell from the heavens!
Every finger seemed like a Great Dao, circulating infinite colors of light, resembling the pillars of heaven and earth collapsing as it pressed down upon the Light Sea.
Under this palm.
The Primordial Saint peered into the distance and saw a towering figure. Behind the figure's head, life was perfected, and brilliant light reflected infinite palaces and the shimmering shadows of billions of deities.
'It is him...'
The Primordial Saint instantly realized the truth, recognizing Lu Yang's aura. He immediately formed a hand seal, and his silhouette vanished into the endless river of time that the Light Sea had flowed through to this day.
In this moment, across every segment of time in which the Primordial Saint had ever existed, every version of him opened its eyes as if coming to life. Yet, in reality, each was merely a mirage in space-time. Because [The Past Cannot Be Changed], these phantoms could not be slain.
It was a peak display of roguish invulnerability.
If an outsider wished to touch the Primordial Saint in this state, the only way was to enter the Long River of Time and face him on his home turf.
But in most cases, that was simply walking into a trap.
Once you entered, the Primordial Saint could leap out and seal the river behind him, trapping you deep within the currents of time forever.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Yang would have withdrawn.
After all, the Primordial Saint had intercepted a [Variable] to bless himself and return to the rank of Dao Lord. Seeking to suppress him or leap across levels to erase him was no longer realistic.
However—
'At the very least, I must vent this frustration.'
With that thought, Lu Yang did not pull back. Instead, he let out a savage laugh. Within that sky-blotting palm, a burst of radiance erupted.
The Light of Order!
In an instant, the palm plunged into the Long River of Time. It did not target the phantoms of the Primordial Saint in the [Past]; instead, it smashed ruthlessly into the [Present].
The magnificent river of time was momentarily partitioned into three independent data streams: [Past], [Present], and [Future]. Lu Yang's palm struck unerringly at the data segment connecting the [Past] and the [Present].
If this palm landed true.
The connection between the [Past] and [Present] of the river of time would be severed out of thin air. Whatever remained in the past would never again be able to reach the [Present]!
In that case, the Primordial Saint would be stranded in the [Past], unable to return for a significant amount of time.
"BOOM!"
The palm fell. But before it hit, countless figures leaped out from the river of time, merging into one in an instant to block Lu Yang's highly targeted strike.
The two forces clashed within the Dark Void, locked in a stalemate that felt like a single instant, yet also like ten million years.
Then, the palms parted.
The light and shadows dissipated. The Primordial Saint stood in place with a calm expression. The [Variable] had faded, yet his stature remained firmly at the Dao Lord level.
The concept of a [Variable] is ultimately limited; it cannot bless him forever. He did not intend to rely on it indefinitely. Instead, he spent the duration analyzing the operation of the [Variable] to integrate it into his own [Inevitable Fate], adjusting the concept of "[Inevitable Fate] has flaws, thus yielding changes."
This was his sliver of survival.
If he hadn't grasped it, everything would have ended. But since he had, he could carve a broad path out of a state of certain death.
'What was that?'
The Primordial Saint stared at Lu Yang in the Dark Void, his brow furrowed.
Since he had forged his True Nascent Soul, his essence had transformed; theoretically, he should be immortal. Even if someone held a higher stature, the most they could do was suppress him.
Yet, in that preceding instant, he had truly seen the shadow of death.
It was the other's Dao.
That unknown Dao seemed to perfectly counter his own essence. Intuition told the Primordial Saint that if his stature was inferior to the other's, he could truly be slain!
If not for this, the [Variable] would never have appeared.
Simultaneously, Lu Yang also gained insight. He withdrew his palm and recalled the "sensation" of that moment, his Light of Wisdom erupting.
In that flash, he had seen the Primordial Saint's true body—the True Nascent Soul. More importantly, through the digitized perspective of the Light of Order, he saw the umbilical cord connecting the True Nascent Soul to the Dark Void. He even had an intuition:
'Perhaps, I can [Delete] that thing.'
It wouldn't work at the same stature, but if his stature were higher than the Primordial Saint's, it should be possible. He could break the essence of the True Nascent Soul!
'This is an unexpected joy.'
Thinking of this, Lu Yang glanced at Sisui beside him. Under the illumination of the Light of Order, Sisui did not possess a single flaw.
"...Hahaha."
In the next second, Lu Yang burst into a hearty laugh. "It seems no matter how 'true' a Nascent Soul is, it is still just a Nascent Soul; and no matter how 'false' transcendence appears, it is still transcendence!"
Primordial Saint: "..."
Lu Yang stared at the Primordial Saint like a predator and sent a divine transmission to Sisui: "Senior, if we join forces now, do we have a chance to slaughter him?"
He had completely seen through the Primordial Saint's reality: 'Though he has restored his Dao Lord stature, his previous injuries haven't actually recovered to the point where he can freely deploy "[Inevitable Fate] has flaws, thus yielding changes." He must have simply lowered the threshold for that wonder.'
Simply put:
If previously the Primordial Saint could only trigger that move and raise his stature when above half health, he could now do so even with only thirty percent of his health remaining.
Such flexible adaptation confirmed Lu Yang's guess: the Primordial Saint had indeed walked further down the path of [The Great Dao Responds to Me] than Sisui.
However—
'He has restored his stature, but he is also "squishier." No matter how high his combat skill is, if I trade injuries with him, perhaps I can take him down?'
"This..." Sisui pondered and said helplessly, "If my state were perfect, we could try. But I only have one Primordial Spirit available now."
"As for Cang Hao, he will likely wait for us to exhaust each other in a mutual downfall."
"Relying on you alone, Fellow Daoist, might be difficult."
"...Then forget it."
Lu Yang immediately abandoned the thought. "This time, we will just take the Ancestral Dragon Manor, repair the Netherworld, and then we'll come back to settle the Primordial Saint once and for all!"
As his words fell, Lu Yang turned around.
The sky-covering hand appeared again, but it was no longer aimed at the Primordial Saint. It reached deep into the Dark Void, locking onto the coordinates of the Ancestral Dragon Manor and pulling it into his sleeve.
His heart was filled with exhilaration.
In the previous life, if he wanted to chip off a piece of [Origin Jade] from the manor, he had to take massive risks and face the constant threat of being slain by the Primordial Saint.
But now, he could take the whole thing openly!
Meanwhile, the Primordial Saint's gaze was like lightning, watching Lu Yang's actions coldly. His eyes were utterly devoid of all human emotion.
In truth, he wanted to strike out with a palm of his own. Even if Lu Yang had become a Dao Lord, he wouldn't be his match in a real fight. However, he ultimately endured and did not lash out. After all, if Lu Yang and Sisui weren't fully prepared, neither was he.
For a time, the atmosphere in the Dark Void was nearly frozen.
It was only after a long while, when Lu Yang had completely stowed away the Ancestral Dragon Manor, that he looked back at the Primordial Saint and suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Even though the Primordial Saint showed no emotion, Lu Yang felt it anyway.
I just love the way you look at me with such annoyance, yet you can't kill me. Angry? Suffering? Good. Just suffer through it!