Regarding the Pre-Ancient Era, Lu Yang still had many questions.
However, Luxian only knew the broad outlines; as the Dao Venerable's attendant boy, he was highly professional, and his mind was entirely focused on the Dao Venerable.
Of course, it wasn't a total lack of harvest.
"This is the method of [Fate] I prepared for my reincarnation."
Luxian condensed his spiritual sense into a jade slip and handed it to Lu Yang, saying, "As for [Noble Connections], I feel this Great Dao is not quite suitable for you, Dao Ancestor."
"Actually, to be precise, none of the ten Great Daos are suitable for you. You have established your own lineage, so these methods are merely for your reference. The Dao is 'I' alone; cultivators are all solitary travelers. Even when the Dao Venerable transcended, he renounced the secular world and did not take me with him..."
At this point, Luxian's expression dimmed slightly.
Lu Yang took the jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense, then instinctively prepared to mobilize Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom to analyze the method.
Then he froze.
'I can understand it.'
Without Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom, and relying solely on himself, he could understand the method Luxian provided without any hindrance. This was an unexpected joy!
'Makes sense. There was no such thing as Light of Wisdom in the Pre-Ancient Era. The design principles of their methods were different—they were more like "dummy-proof" versions, similar to Sisui's specialized materials for his personal disciples, but even more convenient and with more annotations. The only downside is the sheer volume of information, but as long as you read through it thoroughly, you can basically learn it...'
As Lu Yang read on, his eyes brightened.
'Good stuff.'
Just as Luxian said, this [Fate] method existed for the sake of reincarnation. It required sacrificing a lifetime of cultivation in exchange for cultivation in the next life.
Simply put:
'One becomes stronger through death...'
Among the seventeen Dao Ancestors, there was one other practitioner of [Fate] besides the Dao Ancestor of [Fate] himself. This reincarnation method was created by that specific Dao Ancestor.
That Dao Ancestor was not originally a practitioner of [Fate] but another type of cultivator. In the end, he created this method, sacrificed all his cultivation to become a mortal, and went looking for death everywhere. Once he successfully "died," he broke through the shackles of his cultivation and became the second Dao Ancestor of [Fate].
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
Lu Yang finished reading the entire method seriously, feeling greatly inspired. This method of achieving a qualitative metamorphosis through seeking death and reincarnation interested him greatly. If he studied it further, he might try it in the future.
Luxian waved it off. "I do not deserve the Dao Ancestor's thanks. This method was not created by me; it was a casual gift from the Dao Venerable."
After saying this, he calculated for a moment and then asked solemnly:
"I ask the Dao Ancestor, what else troubles your mind?"
"I calculate that the opportunity for reincarnation is near. I fear I cannot stay in the Heaven Beyond Heaven much longer. Once I depart, we will be separated by the divide of heaven and man, making it difficult to meet again."
Luxian appeared very calm.
Even though Lu Yang had just told him about his future "death ending," he didn't waver in the slightest and still decided to go through with the reincarnation.
Seeing his resolve, Lu Yang thought for a moment, then pinched a hand seal to condense a wisp of light at his fingertip and gently pressed it against Luxian's brow.
Luxian did not resist.
Soon, the light sank into his True Spirit, forming a brand.
"Since you have made your decision, Fellow Daoist, I will not stop you."
"However, after you reincarnate and your cultivation grows, you will inevitably begin to recall this place. When that happens and the brand is triggered, I can guide you back."
Luxian smiled upon hearing this.
It seemed that after all these years, his skill in [Noble Connections] had not declined. This way, there might be a sliver of hope in his "inevitable death" ending.
"Excellent!"
Luxian departed.
His physical body crumbled and his soul dissipated, leaving only his True Spirit to transform into a light of life, falling from the Heaven Beyond Heaven and sinking into that slightly illusory projection of the Ancient Era.
Lu Yang was the only one left in the Heaven Beyond Heaven...
In the years that followed, he fell into a monotonous routine of cultivation, simultaneously comprehending Luxian's reincarnation method and simulating the second qualitative metamorphosis of his essence.
"A pity there's no way to actually perform the operation here."
"The place where my [Order] Great Dao is rooted is deep within the Dark Void, not in this Heaven Beyond Heaven. Otherwise, this would be an excellent place to break through my realm."
During this time, Lu Yang also conducted a massive search of the Heaven Beyond Heaven, but unfortunately, he couldn't take any objects with him. After all, this place was transformed from the Dao Venerable's True Spirit memories. As long as "the Dao Venerable remembers that this object was placed in that location," nothing could be done to change it.
"Stingy!"
Lu Yang didn't give up. In the Dao Venerable's message left in the Sea of Light, didn't he say that the secret of transcendence was here? Why hadn't he found anything?
It couldn't be that his comprehension was insufficient.
'Or is it a lack of people?'
After failing to find anything for a long time, Lu Yang had a guess. 'When the eighth secret realm opened, it seemed to scan all the Primordial Spirit Dao Lords in the Sea of Light.'
'Given that Dao Venerable's style of the [Equalizing Dao], could it be that he requires all the Primordial Spirit Dao Lords to enter this Heaven Beyond Heaven before his legacy can be triggered? It's highly likely. After all, how could a man who leaves a sliver of hope for even his mortal enemies allow someone to get a head start...'
At this thought, Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh.
"Fine, fine. I am not a greedy person."
"In that case, I will stop looking."
After saying this and waiting a moment, Lu Yang began searching again in frustration, practically turning the Heaven Beyond Heaven upside down, yet he still found nothing.
"This time, I'm really not looking!"
A moment later... he started searching again, refusing to give up.
"Hmm... let's try again?"
After repeating this several times, to the point where he knew exactly where even a single pebble in the Heaven Beyond Heaven was supposed to be, Lu Yang finally admitted defeat.
Thus, time flew.
A hundred years? A thousand years? Lu Yang, situated in the Heaven Beyond Heaven, could not feel the passage of time at all. He only felt that a short moment had passed when he suddenly sensed something.
"The brand... has been activated!"
In an instant, Lu Yang lowered his eyes.
He saw in the Ancient Era projection below a massive foot falling from the heavens, stomping onto the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], crushing everything to powder.
Simultaneously, under the cover of that massive foot, a slender white finger was piercing through the void, pointing toward a wizened old man, he had Luxian's appearance!
"It's time!"
Lu Yang understood instantly. He immediately activated the brand within Luxian's True Spirit and reached out, slowly probing his hand into the projection.
—There was no resistance.
'As I thought!'
'Unlike before, this is the history I already know. Only at this moment will my action to rescue Luxian not bring about devastating consequences!'
In the spark of a flint.
In the projection, Luxian was killed by the Primordial Saint's finger, his body and soul shattered. However, the most crucial part—his True Spirit—was fished out by Lu Yang!
It wasn't just Luxian.
More than half of the Gatekeeper lineage seemed to have been linked together by Luxian using some unique method, and they all escaped death along with him!
The entire process went undetected because at this moment, the Primordial Saint had just defeated Sisui using the setup of the World Honored One's attainment of the Dao. Currently, he was only at the Golden Core Perfection and had not yet ascended to the [Paramita]. Lu Yang, on the other hand, had the cultivation of a Dao Lord; deceiving the heavens was practically effortless.
To the point where Lu Yang even had a bold thought:
'Can I just kill the Primordial Saint with one palm strike?'
At this thought, he felt a bit restless, but the intense sense of crisis that followed made him abandon this tempting idea.
He couldn't gamble, and there was no need.
In the next second, Lu Yang reached out. Taking advantage of this crucial moment where he could interfere with history, he cast a brilliant light into the Great Karmic Net.
"Previously, at the point in time when I left, the Primordial Saint seemed to have already tried to revive the Gatekeeper lineage, but he failed in the end."
"Since that's the case, I'll set a bait."
"Taiyuan Immortal... let's see if we can hook this big fish and verify my suspicions."
Author's note:
This chapter corresponds with Chapter 1381.
(End of Chapter)