Lu Yang's words plunged the Dark Void into a deathly silence.
Ru... Rural rogue cultivators.
Them? Dao Lords!?
Before the Dao Lords could even offer a response, Lu Yang struck while the iron was hot, continuing: "Wait, are you Fellow Daoists perhaps trying to deceive this humble Daoist?"
Myriad Laws immediately waved his hand: "...What makes you say that?"
Lu Yang pointed at the gathered Dao Lords: "Your cultivations are clearly and firmly at the level of a [Dao Ancestor], which proves you possess an orthodox inheritance. Yet, you show me the methods of a rogue cultivator."
"Is this not an act of deception?"
"..."
The Dao Lords looked at each other. Since things had reached this point—and seeing the thick cloud of suspicion in Lu Yang's eyes—they knew the conversation could not continue unless they revealed some of their foundation.
At this thought, the Sword Lord finally spoke, her voice cool yet carrying a hint of softness: "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. This truly is our method of cultivation. And just as you said, this method is restricted by the Light Sea, severing our chance for anything higher. However, we found a different way, using the [Paramita] as a substitute."
"...The [Paramita]?"
Lu Yang blinked, assuming the role of a curious novice who knew nothing. His gaze swept around, finally landing beneath the feet of the various Dao Lords.
"Is it this Dao artifact?"
The Sword Lord nodded slightly: "This treasure uses [Orivin Jade] as the material, the Light Sea as the base, and the Great Dao as the beams. Only thus could it prop up our stature as [Dao Lords]."
Lu Yang's eyebrows arched slightly: "This is a method truly unheard of by this humble Daoist. It is fundamentally different from Senior Uncle [Jun]'s means; it possesses quite a bit of novelty."
At this point, Lu Yang suddenly shifted his tone, his face revealing a look of eagerness: "The stature of you Fellow Daoists is a level higher than mine. From that perspective, the method of the [Paramita] must be extraordinary. I wonder if I might have the fortune to experience its profound wonders?"
These words fell exactly in line with the Dao Lords' intentions.
Among cultivators, strength ultimately does the talking. Lu Yang was extremely mysterious to them, and this was the perfect opportunity to test him.
So, who would go?
In the next second, the gazes of the Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and Du Xuan fell simultaneously upon the World Honored One, who stood at the lowest level of the [Paramita].
World Honored One: "..."
After a moment of silence, the World Honored One stepped forward helplessly. There was no choice; as the one standing at the lowest point, he was the most suitable candidate for a probe.
"Amitabha."
The World Honored One settled within the Dark Void and pressed his palms together. With a single Buddhist invocation, rolling Buddhist light surged like a tide, illuminating the void as auspicious clouds moved across the heavens.
On the other side, Lu Yang manifested no grand concept. Dressed in his black robe, he calmly raised his hand toward the World Honored One in an inviting gesture.
"Fellow Daoist, shall we?"
"Please."
As the words fell, both triggered their profound wonders. The vast Dark Void instantly churned. The World Honored One's silhouette was the first to vanish, followed by a resonant Daoist chime.
"BOOM!"
Within the rolling Buddhist light, a towering sacred statue stepped forth. It possessed eighteen hands and twenty-four heads, holding various artifacts— a jeweled parasol, a flower jar, a fish-intestine sword, a subduing pestle, a jeweled file, golden bells, a golden bow, silver halberds, and banners. It sat cross-legged atop a twelve-grade lotus platform, emitting the sounds of thunderous Zen chanting.
Seeing this, Lu Yang was momentarily entranced.
'The Nascent Soul Dao Body...'
The form manifested by a Great Dao upon ascending to Dao Lord. Because the World Honored One had proactively abandoned his seat on the [Paramita] in the previous life, this was Lu Yang's first time seeing it.
'Strictly speaking, this is the dharma body of a Dao Lord.'
'The profound majesty seen normally is merely the shadow of the dharma body cast upon the Light Sea. Those things are what a Golden Core Perfected Lord can barely touch or look upon.'
But the dharma body was different.
A Dao Lord's full manifestation was like stuffing a "real" object into an illusory bubble; the latter simply could not withstand it. This was why a Dao Lord could not be gazed upon directly.
Thinking back to his early years, he had fallen victim to this very fact—even within the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], a single glance at a Dao Lord's true body had caused him to explode on the spot.
But times had changed.
'Now, I know this trick too.'
With that thought, Lu Yang let out a soft chuckle. He stood with his hands behind his back, motionless, save for a streak of clear light rising three feet above his head, instantly piercing into the boundless Dark Void.
In a flash, the originally chaotic Dark Void birthed a brand-new order. Mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars appeared, surrounding the clear light above Lu Yang's head like a galaxy orbiting a moon. Then, unerringly, it crashed into the sacred statue manifested by the World Honored One.
Suddenly, all was silent.
The dharmic light of the other Dao Lords receded like the tide, and the Dark Void turned a desolate gray-white, as if stripped of all color.
There was no roar, no Daoist chime.
Or rather, the sound of the collision was so monumental that it exceeded the limits of what mundane ears could capture, resulting in the appearance of silence.
If one were in the Light Sea right now looking up at the sky, they would see an object atop the zenith that didnt belonged to Dao Fruit star, nor was it the sun or moon—yet it was blindingly bright. Its radiance illuminated billions of world realms, churning the seas of clouds across the worlds, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
To those at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment levels, this was perhaps just a bizarre spectacle.
But for Golden Core Perfected Lords, they could vaguely sense the power within that boundless celestial light; even a sliver of it would be enough to kill them.
Meanwhile, atop the [Paramita].
Cang Hao lowered his eyes to look at the physical world, frowning: "It seems a bit noisy down there. The commotion is too great; we may need to clean it up afterward."
"Ignore it," the Sword Lord said coolly. "The World Honored One has already finished his greetings; now they are getting serious. It's a good chance to see the other party's methods."
Cang Hao shook his head: "From the perspective of stature, the World Honored One holds an overwhelming advantage. Theoretically, there is no possibility of defeat. However, I always feel that the aura of this Daoist Xuande is slightly different from ours... even closer to that fellow, the Primordial Saint."
"We will understand soon enough."
The Sword Lord's voice trailed off, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.
If this Primordial Ancestor Xuande was not strong—if even the World Honored One could defeat him soundly—then he likely wouldn't be able to withstand her [Threads of Sentiment].
In the center of the Dark Void.
Lu Yang also manifested his Dao body: a ring of light formed from the Light of Order, defining myriad phenomena and regulating profound laws, locking directly onto the World Honored One.
In his eyes, the World Honored One had shed all concept, becoming an incredibly complex data stream that was constantly shifting and calculating. The data intersected and operated with an unspeakable "beauty," as if it were the most perfect creation in heaven and earth.
But he doesn't seem strong enough.
Lu Yang narrowed his eyes. In the previous life, the World Honored One had commented on Sisui's strength after his transcendence, believing he could only barely suppress Sisui during his own peak.
'It seems he was boasting a bit.'
Certainly, there was a massive gap between the first and second layers of the [Paramita], but now that they were actually clashing, Lu Yang discovered it wasn't an unbridgeable distance.
At least—
'My transformed essence is enough to bridge this gap!'
With that thought, Lu Yang reached out toward the distant World Honored One. He opened his hand and gave it a dismissive flick, as if brushing away a speck of dirt.
[Delete].
"BOOM!"
In an instant, the World Honored One—who was about to deploy his own techniques—felt his Primordial Spirit shake violently. His surrounding profound wonders exploded, and all things began to recede from him at a rapid speed!