Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Countless years had passed, and returning once again to this place of his dreams, Luxian felt a moment of daze until he saw the youth before him, nodding with a faint smile.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on returning from your tribulation."
"Senior...!"
In an instant, all the memories from before his reincarnation flooded back into his mind. This finally allowed Luxian to let out a deep breath, and he performed a solemn salute.
"Thank you, Senior, for your assistance."
This "Noble Connection" was indeed the right choice.
"You are too polite, Fellow Daoist," Lu Yang waved his hand, then looked past Luxian with curiosity at the Gatekeeper lineage behind him.
Originally, the brand Lu Yang left on Luxian was intended to save him alone. However, Luxian had somehow used a method to link the True Spirits of more than half of the Gatekeeper lineage cultivators to his own. Saving one meant saving many, which was how they all managed to escape with him.
"I ask for Senior's forgiveness."
Seeing this, Luxian hurriedly clasped his hands: "These are disciples of my lineage, pure and kind of heart. I truly could not bear to abandon them, so I took the liberty of using that method..."
"No matter, no matter."
Lu Yang chuckled. Whether he saved many or few was of no consequence to him. What truly piqued his curiosity was the method Luxian had used, which was clearly not a technique from the Sea of Light.
After Lu Yang stated his reason, Luxian breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately, as the one with the highest attainment in [Noble Connections], he understood Lu Yang's intent perfectly. Without a word, he condensed his spiritual sense into a jade slip and presented it.
"This is the [Reverence for the Divine] method!"
First is Fate, second is Fortune, third is Feng Shui; fourth is Accumulated Merit, fifth is Education; sixth is Name, seventh is Form, eighthis Reverence for the Divine; ninth is Noble Connections, and tenth is Health Preservation. This method ranked eighth among the ten Great Daos of the Pre-Ancient Era.
Luxian explained in a low voice: "Before my reincarnation, I didn't know these methods. However, relying on my own spiritual perception, I searched several Pre-Ancient ruins and met several old acquaintances. Through them, I obtained several new methods. If Senior has need of them, I am willing to present them all to you!"
"So many methods."
Lu Yang blinked upon hearing this: "What else is there? You were gone for a long time; why don't you tell me about what you saw and heard over those years?"
"It would be my honor."
Luxian spoke with great emotion. Compared to his previous state—which was like a walking corpse—having undergone a reincarnation had clearly given him a new, vibrant spark of life.
This wasn't a spark of life in the sense of physical body or longevity.
Rather, his consciousness had become youthful, no longer bearing the weariness of ages. Lu Yang could even see traces of Primordial Spirit cultivation within him.
"Fellow Daoist, you also cultivated a Primordial Spirit?"
"Senior has keen insight."
Luxian smiled: "It is the [Scripture of True Nature Seeking Immortality]! Although it is somewhat peculiar, I found that this method created by the Beast Taming Peak Master was actually quite easy for me to practice."
Lu Yang nodded slightly, then turned his attention to the [Reverence for the Divine] method in his hand. After a brief overview, he immediately felt a massive sense of déjà vu.
[The method of Reverence for the Divine has internal and external uses. Internally, one views oneself as a god, revering and offering to oneself. Externally, one carves divine statues, commanding others to revere and offer to the god. The internal method is self-sufficient but slow in progress; the external method allows for rapid advancement but is prone to deviation. Only when the Yin and Yang—internal and external—advance together is it the orthodox path.]
Lu Yang was instantly enthralled.
The Investiture of the Gods Method?
'Ten thousand methods take different paths, but all Great Daos return to the same source. It does share similarities with the Investiture of Gods Method... but what it's even closer to is likely something else.'
The [Heavenly Dao]!
At this thought, Lu Yang reached a realization: 'Cang Hao once told me that whether it was the [Heavenly Dao] or the [Paramita], they both referenced Pre-Ancient methods.'
'Now it seems the [Heavenly Dao] referenced the [Reverence for the Divine] method. Sword Lord and Cang Hao both uphold it together, offering to the [Heavenly Dao] and then receiving feedback from it. Even the [Heavenly Dao] itself used Sisui as a human pillar to be established—the shadows of this method are everywhere...'
Then what about the [Paramita]?
Which lineage's method did the Primordial Saint reference when he established the [Paramita]? While Lu Yang was pondering, Luxian's voice came from the side:
"Speaking of this [Reverence for the Divine] method, it is truly extraordinary."
"There were a total of three Dao Ancestors in this lineage, making it the largest Daoist sect at the time. Each of the three [Reverence for the Divine] Dao Ancestors possessed unique skills."
"...Oh?"
Lu Yang was curious: "Tell me the details?"
Luxian was happy to explain and immediately said: "The first [Reverence for the Divine] Dao Ancestor followed the path of offering to oneself as a god. He was a famous ascetic in those days."
"The second [Reverence for the Divine] Dao Ancestor couldn't endure that hardship, so he created a new method, forging a path where all sentient beings worshipped him to achieve godhood."
"As for the third [Reverence for the Divine] Dao Ancestor, he was truly something else. He felt the paths of the first two were either too difficult—requiring talent—or too biased—requiring extreme character—so he started a third branch. It emphasizes visualizing an object, utilizing both internal and external methods, and finally seizing it to attain the Dao."
Lu Yang listened very intently.
Simply put, the lineage of the third [Reverence for the Divine] Dao Ancestor involved first fabricating a "God" unrelated to oneself and using the offerings of sentient beings to nourish it. Once it reached completion, one would replace that "God."
This method of cultivation had its flaws and benefits. The benefit was that all the side effects of "Reverence for the Divine" were borne by the visualized "God."
The downside was that it wasn't the self who attained the Dao.
It was that "God."
"Therefore, even though the power of the third [Reverence for the Divine] Dao Ancestor was in no way inferior to the first two, his lineage was never accepted by them."
Luxian explained it clearly, and Lu Yang understood perfectly.
'I see.'
'However, it's undeniable that this system is incredibly effective—the [Heavenly Dao] established by Sword Lord and Cang Hao likely utilizes the method from this branch.'
Subsequently, Luxian condensed his spiritual sense again and manifested two more jade slips, presenting them to Lu Yang: "Besides those, there are two other secret methods."
"They are [Feng Shui] and [Education]."
"The Primordial Saint likely obtained the former to establish the [Paramita], and Cang Hao obtained the latter, which led to his achievements in the [Characters] Great Dao."
"However, these methods are all fragments and no longer compatible with the current Sea of Light. If one were to truly cultivate with them as a foundation, it would be difficult to achieve greatness. But if they are used as references—taking the essence and discarding the dross to apply to oneself—they are of great help in accumulating foundation."
When speaking of the Pre-Ancient Era, Luxian was truly inexhaustible:
"There was only one [Feng Shui] Dao Ancestor. He was extremely skilled at constructing secret realms and had unfathomable cultivation. It is said he could construct a celestial realm using just a few ordinary objects."
"The [Education] Dao Ancestor was an old-fashioned man. He loved preaching most and strove to produce a Dao Ancestor among his disciples. Unfortunately, perhaps because he controlled his disciples too strictly, they lacked spiritual perception. The [Education] lineage never produced a second Dao Ancestor—a case of 'planting the willow but it failing to grow.'"
"From that perspective..."
"He wasn't as good as Sisui of the Sea of Light. That one truly knows how to teach disciples... A pity, if he were here now, they would surely have much to discuss..."
Lu Yang listened as he gathered the methods.
This continued for a long time. Only after Luxian finished speaking did Lu Yang nod slightly and smile: "With this matter concluded, you should go into seclusion to seek the Primordial Spirit stage."
He had also gained a great harvest.
[Fate], [Reverence for the Divine], [Feng Shui], and [Education]—practicing five Pre-Ancient lineages in succession made his mind increasingly clear, as if a layer of mist had been brushed aside.
'I only lack time.'
Cultivation cannot be achieved overnight. No matter how high the talent or how many the resources, time is needed to slowly digest them before they can truly be made one's own.
Fortunately—
'Right now, the one thing I do not lack is time.'
Calculating the dates, the Primordial Saint had only just begun his reign. Until the era Lu Yang came from, there were still a full hundred thousand years and more to cultivate.
"Before that time, the second metamorphosis of my essence... is highly hopeful!"
(End of Chapter)