Dao Tianqi walked out openly.
This scene undoubtedly verified the Primordial Saint's previous subjective deduction and, simultaneously, corroborated another thing—the opponent had also guessed his thoughts.
In short: 'My killing intent has been exposed. Xuande... this person has already guessed that I intend to kill him, which is why he so decisively exposed Dao Tianqi's awakening.'
With Dao Tianqi's awakening, the most perfect plan for the Deity Transformation ascension was declared a failure. Furthermore, the Saint was forced to step down a layer. Although he still stood at the absolute peak of the [Paramita], the loss of majesty caused the Primordial Saint to feel a long-lost sense of urgency.
That was not even the key point.
The key lay in how the opponent had guessed it. He hadn't even expressed a corresponding attitude, nor had he left any clues that could be called flaws.
'Could it be... he is just like me?'
A pure subjective deduction? The Primordial Saint knit his brows tightly. While the strategy of shooting the arrow first and drawing the target later was effective, it came with conditions—at the very least, one had to possess the ability to back it up.
He dared to do it because his stature was high enough.
But what about the other party?
'Although his essence has metamorphosed, his stature is too low. At most, he can only contend with Myriad Treasure and use his immortality to entangle with other Dao Lords.'
With just that, what did he have to back himself up? At this thought, a guess that had once flashed through his mind resurfaced, transforming into a deep haze gathering in those cold eyes.
'Starting over from scratch...'
The Primordial Saint's gaze focused. This feeling of being led by the nose at every step might merely be cause for wariness or appear miraculous to others.
But to him—to the one who truly knew that secret—this feeling was enough to birth a fear so subtle it was almost invisible. Even if he slew this weak emotion in the next second, it still left a mark in his heart, making it impossible to forget.
"Truly laughable..."
Suddenly, the Primordial Saint reached out and touched his cheek. There was a hint of crystalline moisture there, and the wet sensation made him break into a mocking smile.
"Fear... it seems my Primordial Spirit cultivation is still insufficient."
In a daze, he seemed to return to the past, back to the first time he obtained that world-startling opportunity and saw the shocking records within that book.
At first, he didn't believe it.
Until, as time passed, the records in the book were verified one by one. Only then did he finally believe in that book and deeply appreciate its value.
He had not originally been a cultivator.
In fact, quite the opposite—he was just a cowardly mortal. He had no perseverance, no Daoist wisdom, and no determination; in the glorious ancient era, he was like a speck of dust.
Why did other Dao Lords cultivate the thoughts of good and evil, while he alone practiced [Supreme Forgotten Emotion]? At its root, it wasn't because [Supreme Forgotten Emotion] was more profound than the thoughts of good and evil, but because it was the only way he could cultivate. If he didn't practice [Supreme Forgotten Emotion], his personality as a mortal would be uncontrollable.
If he couldn't suppress it, it would affect his judgment.
In other words, without the mental state of [Supreme Forgotten Emotion], he couldn't even be called a cultivator—he would just be a mortal who happened to possess cultivation and realm.
And for someone like him.
The ending had been written clearly in that book. That was why he had to practice [Supreme Forgotten Emotion]; only then could he escape his predestined fate.
To achieve [Transcendence] from it.
After a long silence, the Primordial Saint finally let out a long breath. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he wiped away the moisture from his cheek and restored his cold indifference.
'I can no longer run away.'
'Let's consider it from the worst-case perspective... If that Xuande, like the me of back then, obtained that supreme power within the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].'
'Then I must have already failed once.'
'However, I couldn't have been entirely without the power to fight back. Since I am still alive now, it means he did not succeed; the "me" of the [previous life] resisted.'
Measuring others by his own standards, the Primordial Saint could actually guess the general nature of that resistance, which made his desire to inspect the [Supreme Grandmaster] even more fervent.
'If my guess is true, that book must have been updated!'
'The "me" of the [previous life] would have inevitably left important intelligence within it... Yes, that is why Xuande is spying on the [Supreme Grandmaster]; he wants to know as well.'
Therefore, the plan was still valid.
Soon, the Primordial Saint reached a conclusion: 'He must have left a hidden hand on the Ancestral Dragon. Since that's the case, I will use the Ancestral Dragon as bait to lure him in.'
If the opponent took the bait and followed the traces of the Ancestral Dragon, proactively diving into the River of Time for the sake of the [Supreme Grandmaster], then his life or death would no longer be up to him.
If he didn't take the bait, the Saint could still smoothly retrieve the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
Either way, he wouldn't lose.
Ultimately, as long as he maintained a strict defense and only allowed the Ancestral Dragon to enter the [Supreme Grandmaster], even if that Xuande had heaven-defying means, he would still be helpless.
Beyond the Light Sea, in the vast Dark Void.
Lu Yang opened his eyes, looking at the calmed Netherworld and [Paramita]. The corner of his mouth quirked up: 'Good, forcing him to step down a layer counts as a success... The Primordial Saint should be getting anxious now.'
Furthermore, the World Honored One still had a backup plan.
The Foundation Establishment realm!
'In all fairness, while the World Honored One's hidden hands can't defeat the Primordial Saint, they are a superb choice for weakening him. Already quite impressive.'
'Perfect. According to the experience of previous lives, once the World Honored One withdraws the Foundation Establishment realm and the [Paramita] collapses, the Primordial Saint will be forced to use the Refining Art Secret Realm to fill the vacancy. This way, I can also scrap one of his trump cards. I've been annoyed by that thing for a long time...'
Just then.
"Hm?" Lu Yang's eyebrows arched.
Suddenly, the panel of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] blossomed with light. Strikingly, the [Off-Stage Observer] had a reaction; the Ancestral Dragon finally seemed to be making a move.
In the next second, Lu Yang's consciousness jumped through the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes].
Within sight was the [Perfected Lord Azure Firmament Radiance] of the Netherworld. He was seen moving forward, leaving the ghost domain and arriving at the location of the [Three Lives Stone].
Immediately following this, a Primordial Spirit thought floated up.
The Ancestral Dragon's consciousness quietly detached from [Perfected Lord Azure Firmament Radiance], and the Cangjiang Dragon Lord took its place. Everything was done without a sound, yet it was fully captured by Lu Yang's eyes.
He saw the Ancestral Dragon's consciousness arrive at the sealing ground of its main body, then follow the [Five Elements] Dao all the way up, finally arriving silently at the apex of the [Paramita]. It finally manifested as an eerie youth, falling into a towering palm beneath a pair of eyes.
"...What is it?" The Ancestral Dragon's voice was frigid.
"Go to the [Supreme Grandmaster]."
The Primordial Saint spoke in a calm tone: "While maintaining the [Heaven-Seizing Name Method], retrieve a book for me. Remember, do not do anything unnecessary."
The Ancestral Dragon was somewhat surprised:
"Why so early?"
"...Go."
As the words fell, the palm suddenly overturned. Before the youth manifested by the Ancestral Dragon could steady himself, he felt the world spinning as he fell into darkness.
Almost simultaneously, the eyes of Lu Yang, who was observing in secret, lit up brilliantly.
He finally took the bait!
(End of Chapter)