The portal to the Heaven Beyond Heaven swung wide open!
Endless radiance surged forth from within, encompassing all phenomena and spanning the Dark Void like a vast, immeasurable, and unfathomable universe.
No one could see the scene within.
Even the Dao Lords could only gaze at the brilliant fire burning within, shielding everyone's sight, with only an indescribable aura flowing through the air.
That was [Transcendence].
"It truly is..."
For a moment, the Primordial Saint stood frozen in place. Despite having attained [Supreme Forgotten Emotions] and having severed everything, his spirit was still shaken.
This was because that aura of [Transcendence] was truly and unmistakably real. The [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] within his sleeve trembled violently, and the powerful consciousness hidden within manifested an impatience, as if it wanted to appear in the world immediately, hurtling like a moth to a flame toward the magnificent secret realm suspended above the Dark Void.
Simultaneously, the various Dao Lords were plunged into deep shock.
Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and Du Xuan—the four [Paramita] Dao Lords who had long since extinguished their humanity and prioritized their own interests—also stood stunned.
They were not born that way.
They had experienced countless hardships, opportunities, partings, and encounters over the long eons before finally becoming who they were today.
They had shaped the [Self].
But after a hundred thousand, hundreds of thousands of years, were they still the original [Self]? Could they still recall who they were when they first stepped onto the path of cultivation?
"The Sea of Bitterness is boundless; turn your head and you will find the shore."
Suddenly, all the Dao Lords' Primordial Spirits stood beneath the brilliance of the Heaven Beyond Heaven. At a higher dimension, they turned their heads to look back at the path they had traveled.
Lu Yang turned back and saw the [Heavenly Palace].
He saw Patriarch Nether Whisper, he saw Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, he saw Suo Huan, Empress Xiao... They were watching him, who walked at the very front, with worried eyes.
The World Honored One and Dao Tianqi turned back and saw their former fellow disciples.
Sisui turned back and saw a classroom packed with students.
They could all see the path they traveled and could see each other's faces clearly... yet for some, the road they traveled had already become blurred.
"...Hehe."
Sword Lord gave a cold, clear laugh.
She turned back, and what met her eyes was a blurred silhouette. The face? The voice? She remembered nothing. Time had long since smoothed away all emotions.
She only remembered that the person seemed to be her childhood sweetheart; her [Thread of Affection] was attained because of him. He seemed very important to her, but in reverse, he didn't seem that important to her anymore. To this day, she couldn't even remember his name.
"Meaningless."
Sword Lord felt no attachment. The scene before her shattered. Her Primordial Spirit turned back to the front, toward the Heaven Beyond Heaven, filled with a thirst for the Dao.
Aside from her, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and Du Xuan were the same. They had long since severed their past paths and would not be shaken by phantoms of the past.
At the same time, the Primordial Saint withdrew his gaze.
What had he seen?
If the Sword Lord and others still had faint emotional fluctuations regarding their past paths, he truly felt nothing. After a brief moment of agitation, he returned to calm.
Thus, he was the first to move.
"RUMBLE."
A brilliant streak of light tore through space-time. The Primordial Saint was the first to turn back from the path he traveled and the first to rush toward the Heaven Beyond Heaven, his silhouette vanishing into that galaxy.
Next were the Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and Du Xuan.
Conversely, Lu Yang, Dao Tianqi, the World Honored One, and Sisui—because they had been more deeply immersed in the path they traveled—were a beat slower and thus fell a step behind.
However, no one felt any resentment or regret about this. They could clearly sense that this moment of "looking back" was not an obstruction, but a rare form of cultivation. It had immense benefits for their Primordial Spirit cultivation; their thoughts seemed to run much more smoothly.
Lu Yang, in particular, was completely composed.
The reason was simple.
'There aren't enough people yet. Rushing up now is meaningless. Since it is [Jun], the opportunity can only be triggered when everyone is present.'
As if to confirm this thought.
In the next instant, thunderous Dao-chimes erupted from the direction of the Heaven Beyond Heaven. The silhouettes of the Primordial Saint, Sword Lord, and the others reappeared, yet they were trapped before the portal.
Immediately after, Lu Yang and the other three arrived at high speed. The nine Dao Lords stood like the brilliant sun and moon in the sky, illuminating the Dark Void. Yet even so, the portal to the Heaven Beyond Heaven did not open. Then, from the deepest part of the Sea of Light, at the bottom of the Immortal Nexus, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out:
"Hahaha!"
"You can't get in? You can't get in! You're missing me... Primordial Saint, oh Primordial Saint, I bet you never thought of this in your life, right? Without me, you can't get in!"
Ancestral Dragon.
Almost simultaneously, the expressions of the Sword Lord and the other Dao Lords darkened... Right, there was still the Ancestral Dragon. As an Innate Dao God, he was also a Dao Lord!
But how could this be allowed?
The Ancestral Dragon was the foundation of the [Paramita]. If he were released, wouldn't the [Paramita] collapse? No one would accept this result. This was a dilemma!
Just then, a silhouette moved.
"My Dao is attained, but it is not perfected. I will not stop here!"
[Sky-Shrouding]!
Among all the Dao Lords, he was the only one who had not mastered the Primordial Spirit and relied entirely on the [Paramita] illuminating the Dark Void to keep from getting lost; thus, he had no destiny to reach the Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Strictly speaking, his state was not even as good as Du Xuan's right now. Yet, his eyes burned with unparalleled fighting spirit. With a long roar, he transformed into a streak of azure light, a towering forest tree, and flew toward the Heaven Beyond Heaven, slamming headlong into the portal.
"RUMBLE!"
In an instant, the celestial light shone brightly, but it remained motionless. No matter how [Sky-Shrouding] struck, the portal remained tightly shut, offering no opportunity.
Just as [Jun] had previously said.
The [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] was a sliver of hope for all cultivators below the Dao Lord level, and the Heaven Beyond Heaven was a sliver of hope for transcendence for all Dao Lords.
But again, that old saying remains.
Within the Sea of Light, all things have [Variables].
"Ancestral Dragon!"
[Sky-Shrouding]'s voice resounded through the [Paramita]: "I can take you in. You serve as my Primordial Spirit, and you and I will join forces to enter the Heaven Beyond Heaven!"
"...What?"
The Ancestral Dragon instinctively let out a cold laugh: "Why should I help you?"
"You fool!"
[Sky-Shrouding] was blunt, stating directly: "Helping me is helping yourself. Split off a Primordial Spirit and join with me; this is your only way out."
"Stop fantasizing. As the cornerstone of the [Paramita], the Dao Lords will not allow you to transcend even if they abandon the Heaven Beyond Heaven. Having you split off a Primordial Spirit to follow is the limit.
Do you want to follow the other Dao Lords, or do you want to follow me—who has no Primordial Spirit and can only enter the Heaven Beyond Heaven by relying on you?"
At these words, the Ancestral Dragon fell silent.
He realized the situation [Sky-Shrouding] pointed out immediately. It was true—he could not escape in his true form, and even if he did, it would be meaningless.
The times had changed.
How strong was his true form? An Innate Dao God might have dominated the Sea of Light in the Ancient Era, but in the present age, the first layer of the [Paramita] was merely a sandbag.
[Sky-Shrouding] was already stronger than him!
Furthermore, the Primordial Saint wasn't without ways to forcibly take him away. As [Sky-Shrouding] said, it was just a Primordial Spirit—it wasn't as if the Primordial Saint hadn't extracted one before.
Since that was the case, rather than following the Primordial Saint, it was better to cooperate with [Sky-Shrouding].
After all, the Primordial Saint only needed him as a key and would discard him after use, whereas if [Sky-Shrouding] didn't have him, he would inevitably be repelled by the Heaven Beyond Heaven!
In the spark of a flint, the Ancestral Dragon had weighed the pros and cons.
On the other side, [Sky-Shrouding] looked toward the Primordial Saint, remaining silent and watching that figure standing at the peak with a smirk.
Ancestor, how about my proposal?
"..."
The Primordial Saint remained silent.
On the other side, Lu Yang clapped his hands and laughed aloud without any concern.
Seizing every opportunity, playing both sides, not hesitating to use any means to achieve his goal... Truly a Perfected Lord of my Saint Sect!
(End of Chapter)