Lu Yang's spirit drifted upon the face of the abyss.
This was the first time since forging his Primordial Spirit that Lu Yang experienced a restart of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], and he truly understood the operating principles of this supreme treasure.
The world began to regress.
Rather than time flowing backward, it was more like the world itself was resetting, following the movements of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] and turning into a profound void.
Soon, his true spirit manifested Lu Yang's form. In his hands, a heavy book appeared, with only the first dozen pages turned.
"So this is it..."
Lu Yang examined the volume in his hands with great interest. In the past, he could only wait silently for the panel's prompts during this transition.
This time was different; he could actually touch the physical, tangible book—the true body of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. The turned pages are the restart attempts I've used? Seeing the thick volume with over eighty pages remaining, a deep sense of security welled up in Lu Yang's heart.
Then, he reached out his hand.
Intuition told him that the current [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] was different. If before it was merely a hundred pages bound together, now it had a proper title page.
While the title page itself recorded no content, it served as the face of the entire book and held powerful symbolic significance.
"I see."
This explained why the [Heavenly Scripture] lacked the majesty to restart and could only perform transformations between reality and illusion or create false history—at most, remanifesting a version of the Light Sea.
It was not the main text; it was merely the title page.
However, from another perspective, completing this title page granted Lu Yang an identity whose potential was yet unknown.
[Successor of Deity Transformation].
Lu Yang blinked, and the book in his hand rapidly dimmed and vanished, replaced by the familiar panel.
[You have awakened the Unique Talent: Successor of Deity Transformation]
[Successor of Deity Transformation: You are the chosen successor of "Him." You have gained the right of passage to the "Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness." No matter how high your cultivation, you may enter and exit freely.]
That was all.
After successfully reclaiming the page of the [Heavenly Scripture], the panel issued the credentials for the [Successor of Deity Transformation], but there were no further rewards.
"It feels like it's freeloading off me."
Lu Yang rubbed his chin, feeling somewhat conflicted. In conclusion, being able to enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] regardless of cultivation was a decent talent.
If he had obtained this in the previous life, he would have been ecstatic.
But now, it was hard to say how useful it would be, as there were only two "Remnant Consciousness" locations left that he hadn't visited.
The [Supreme Grandmaster] went without saying; it had always been firmly controlled by the Primordial Saint, and Lu Yang had never had the chance. The [Carefree Wander] had been hollowed out by Dao Tianqi, and because Lu Yang's cultivation had broken through later, he hadn't been able to make the trip... but now that he had the right of passage, he could attempt a journey.
Perhaps there were still undiscovered secrets within the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]?
After all, I'm different from others now. I'm the "Successor of Deity Transformation." Surely a grand Deity Transformation being wouldn't leave his successor without some "cheats"?
Even if there were no cheats, information would be good. Lu Yang desperately needed to update his intelligence network.
"In this life, although I've made a qualitative leap in my fundamental cultivation, I've also suffered a major loss. The old intelligence is no longer reliable."
That said, Lu Yang wasn't in a hurry.
After all, he had long suspected that the Primordial Saint had restarted before. Both the Saint's layouts and schemes had subtly hinted at this fact.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that he knew the Primordial Saint had followed him in restarting. This was crucial; by holding this piece of intelligence, he hadn't lost the initiative.
Furthermore, the Primordial Saint's restart was far inferior to his own. The Saint could only retain some records; he had no preserved personality or consciousness, and certainly no talent rewards.
Dammit, a restart without a settlement or refreshing a few useful talents—can you even call that a restart?
Lu Yang pondered calmly:
"The way that book is used is more like writing a diary. It shouldn't possess the power to restart on its own; otherwise, the Primordial Saint wouldn't have needed to use the Final Tribulation to force my hand."
"Is it a matter of uniqueness?"
Lu Yang guessed: "That book is likely unaffected by the restart of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. The content recorded within won't be erased just because everything starts over?"
Highly probable.
This was why Lu Yang, once he calmed down, felt the situation wasn't actually that bad: the Primordial Saint could absolutely not carry that book with him at all times.
"If he always had it on him, recording everything that happened, I would have been exposed long ago. I wouldn't have had to wait until this life to be targeted... Given the Primordial Saint's character, it's unlikely he would leave such a massive flaw. So it's not a problem with him; it's a problem with the book."
Lu Yang quickly reached a conclusion:
"There are few things the Primordial Saint cannot carry with him. Thinking it through, the only possibility is that the object is normally kept within the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]."
"The [Supreme Grandmaster]!"
"I understand. That book is a supreme treasure of the pre-ancient era—an old antique. It's normal for it to have 'quality issues,' which is why he can't carry it constantly."
So here was the question:
Even if the records in the book were updated across the [Supreme Grandmaster], and the previous life's Primordial Saint left vital intelligence for his restarted self...
How would the restarted Primordial Saint know?
Did he have a habit of checking the [Supreme Grandmaster] every day?
"Most likely not... and even if he did, it wouldn't matter."
With his current cultivation, he didn't meet the conditions to enter the [Supreme Grandmaster], nor could he send any lower-tier cultivator whose fate he controlled inside.
Because once a lower cultivator enters, they are as free as a bird in the sky or a fish in the sea. If they decided not to come out, wouldn't he be left high and dry?
"So even if the Primordial Saint wanted to check the [Supreme Grandmaster] daily, he lacks the capability."
"The only person he could put into the [Supreme Grandmaster] would be someone whose life was in immediate peril and whose mind was completely under his control."
The answer was self-evident: the Ancestral Dragon.
"The Ancestral Dragon's consciousness was completely enslaved by the Primordial Saint, and its life and death were in his hands. It could also enter the [Supreme Grandmaster], making it the perfect candidate."
Lu Yang judged others by himself; if he were the Primordial Saint, he would have to go to such lengths to ensure the [Supreme Grandmaster] remained untouched by outsiders.
So where was the Ancestral Dragon now?
"In the Netherworld!"
If the Primordial Saint needed to check the [Supreme Grandmaster] daily, how could he have sent the Ancestral Dragon to the Netherworld? That was not a place one could travel to and from at will.
Of course, the Primordial Saint should have other methods, like manifesting a shadow of the future as he did in the last life.
But how would he manifest it?
"In the last life, he could do it because he had the [Paramita] fragment in hand, and the Ancestral Dragon's sea of consciousness was within reach. Manifesting it was effortless."
But that was because the [Paramita] was broken and he had fallen in rank.
Now, the [Paramita] was intact, and the Ancestral Dragon's sea of consciousness was at the very bottom, while he was at the very top! Would he really take a step down just for that?
"If it were the World Honored One, it would be much simpler."
So, there were benefits to standing low and drawbacks to standing high. Compared to the Primordial Saint who had fallen and was full of tricks, the Primordial Saint standing at the apex actually faced more restrictions.
"Of course, since the Primordial Saint chose this method and even went so far as to kill himself, it means he is certain his future self will see the records."
But it certainly wouldn't be immediate.
Ultimately, the power to initiate the restart remained in Lu Yang's hands.
Therefore, between his restart and the Primordial Saint discovering the changes in the records, there should be a time gap. And this gap was his opportunity.
Just then, the panel finally finished loading.
[Please choose a restart anchor point]
"Original Anchor Point."
As those words fell, Lu Yang closed his eyes, pressing all the emotions from the end of the previous life deep into his heart. He then walked into the depths of the abyss.