Emerald waves crashed; the deep seawater presented an indescribably gloomy hue. Within the churning waves, layered restriction formations were constructed one after another.
Beneath the waves, deep on the seafloor.
In that pitch-black, bottomless depth where one couldn't even see their own fingers, a mass of rising white mist could faintly be seen. Within the mist stood a towering tree with branches that seemed to prop up the heavens.
At the edge of the tree's branches, [Sky-Shrouding] sat cross-legged. Clad in green robes, his expression was unhurried and composed as he gazed steadily at the gloomy exterior. He watched as one magnificent divine sense after another prowled outside, occasionally crashing into the white mist—entering full of killing intent and leaving full of bewilderment.
This cycle repeated continuously.
Finally, the prowling magnificent divine senses grew somewhat impatient. A cold voice drifted over, accompanied by the sonorous ringing of swords.
"Lingxiao, will you still obstinately stick to the wrong course?"
"We do not want your life, only for you to hand over the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit. Afterward, you will at most be repelled and return to the Light Sea; your life will not be in danger."
[Sky-Shrouding] remained silent.
Behind him stood an archaic-dressed youth, his eyes brimming with bright "wisdom light." He was currently looking at [Sky-Shrouding]'s back with a complex expression.
The Dao Lords of the Light Sea who had entered the Heaven Beyond Heaven were scattered everywhere. However, Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and Du Xuan were the first to gather. Because the Sword Lord used her [Thread of Affection] as a guide, she immediately found Cang Hao and Myriad Laws, and Myriad Laws, through the connection of their three foundations, found Du Xuan.
Then, the four joined forces.
After that, by some unknown method, they actually established contact with the Dao Ancestors of the [Reverence of the Divine] lineage, and ultimately tracked him down.
Granted, Dao Tianqi's "wisdom light" was indisputably number one in the Light Sea.
However, his wasted time in the Netherworld had caused his cultivation to idle for far too many years. After being besieged, he had only barely managed to hold on thanks to the metamorphosed essence he now possessed.
Until [Sky-Shrouding] appeared.
Relying on the profound wonder of [Tribulation], [Sky-Shrouding] and Dao Tianqi joined forces. This allowed them to escape death several times, ultimately ending up trapped at the bottom of the Divine Land's North Sea.
"RUMBLE!"
In the next second, the churning waves deep on the seafloor abruptly became treacherous, crashing violently once again against the white-misted land sustained by [Sky-Shrouding].
"Hmph..."
Seeing this, [Sky-Shrouding] let out a muffled groan but did not yield an inch. Neither did he clash head-on; instead, he pushed [Tribulation] to its limits, successfully evading the tribulation and slipping away once more.
Witnessing this scene, the pitch-black seafloor, previously devoid of all sight, finally revealed a hint of color.
Six distinct forms quickly materialized into six silhouettes lined up on the seafloor. The leader was dressed in white, with a handsome face, toying with a piece of jade in his hand.
Four of them were Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, and Du Xuan.
The other two were the remaining two Dao Ancestors of the [Reverence of the Divine] lineage. The white-clad leader was none other than the Third Dao Ancestor of the [Reverence of the Divine] lineage, Zhen Qulu.
The inspiration for the Sword Lord's [Heavenly Dao] came from Zhen Qulu's methods. It was a secret art that enshrined external objects as gods, received the offerings of sentient beings, and finally merged the external object into oneself to attain the Dao. This Dao Ancestor's cultivation in [Reverence of the Divine] surpassed even the Founder's; truly, the student had surpassed the master.
"...Time is running out."
Suddenly, this Dao Ancestor spoke slowly: "Zhi Tianming is dead. Right now, the Final Tribulation is likely at its most spiritually potent and vigorous moment."
"My plan must begin as soon as possible."
Zhen Qulu said deeply: "The Primordial Spirit thought of an Innate Dao God—only this can resonate with the Final Tribulation Dao God. This is the sliver of hope the Dao Venerable promised me."
His calm expression carried a trace of fanaticism.
Previously, Guiming had told Lu Yang that there weren't many Dao Ancestors disinterested in the Seed of the Great Dao and more focused on external objects—only seven in total.
And Lu Yang had already met or indirectly learned of six: Zhi Tianming, Guiming, Shan Qiu (Bu Changming), Dan Qingjian, Zhu Liuxian, and Shi Weixiong. Zhen Qulu was the seventh. And his plan, if put in Guiming's words, firmly categorized him as a radical.
Simply put.
He wanted to refine the Divine Land's Final Tribulation into an unprecedented, unique spiritual treasure, manipulating the power of the Final Tribulation through the control of an external object.
Just like the [Heavenly Dao].
Completely taking control of the Divine Land, encompassing even the Final Tribulation within it. By doing so, he could naturally shake off the crisis of the Final Tribulation and even turn it to his own use.
It sounded somewhat fantastical.
Yet Zhen Qulu knew he had actually already succeeded—at least half-succeeded. The appearance of the Sword Lord and her companions was ironclad proof of this.
In the next second, Zhen Qulu's gaze shifted, and immediately, a bright light detached from the Sword Lord and fell into his hand, displaying a unique intimacy. Seeing this, a strange light surfaced in the Sword Lord's eyes, resolving a doubt she had tangled with for many years.
Subsequently, the bright light condensed into a physical form.
Looking closely, it was a five-colored, dragon-coiled treasure seal. Its very existence emanated an intense concept of entrapment and sealing.
[Heavenly Heart Seal]!
The Ancestral Dragon's spiritual treasure, the only Dao Artifact of the present age, and one of the former foundations of the [Heavenly Dao]. According to the Ancestral Dragon's claims, it was something he had forged himself.
But no one believed him.
After all, it was common knowledge that as an Innate Dao God, the Ancestral Dragon was essentially of the monster race. Where would he get the artifact-refining skills to forge a supreme spiritual treasure?
Therefore, the Dao Lords of the Light Sea had long speculated about this, determining it was a Pre-Ancient legacy the Ancestral Dragon had obtained, just not knowing exactly who it originated from.
Now, the truth was finally revealed.
"There is no mistake. This is exactly the prototype of the supreme treasure I originally designed. It's just a pity it's mostly ruined, and someone awkwardly tacked on some profound wonders to it."
Zhen Qulu let out a quiet sigh, then reached out and gently brushed the [Heavenly Heart Seal]. In an instant, the five-colored radiance shrouding the Dao Artifact was stripped away, and even the dragon-coiled seal clasps were drawn out completely, leaving behind nothing but a stubborn, stone-like seal body.
Yet it was precisely this seemingly unremarkable piece.
Upon closer inspection, it was identical to the jade Zhen Qulu idly toyed with in his other hand—save that one was flawless and whole, while the other was worn, pitted, and scarred.
"It seems my plan ultimately failed."
Zhen Qulu's expression was calm, whispering: "When designing this spiritual treasure, I still underestimated the Final Tribulation, making the same mistake as Zhi Tianming."
"But it matters not; the current me already knows the reason for failure."
"Thanks to Zhu Liuxian going first, allowing me to see clearly the limits of the Final Tribulation... Deity Transformation in the instant before destruction. No wonder Zhi Tianming fell short at the final step."
"However, his failure will serve as a stepping stone for my success."
"For this..."
Before the words faded, Zhen Qulu's gaze landed directly into the depths of the white mist before him, meeting the eyes of [Sky-Shrouding], who was also looking outward.
He needed the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit.
The Primordial Spirit thought of an Innate Dao God was the final puzzle piece needed to complete his plan. He firmly believed this was the Dao Venerable's guidance; otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?
Almost simultaneously.
Deep within the white mist, [Sky-Shrouding]'s expression grew increasingly grave. The towering tree behind him flourished even more vibrantly; the sea of mist filled the sky, blotting out the sun and surging with brilliant light.
[Tribulation]!
Perhaps because he had formerly governed the [Great Forest Wood], governing [Tribulation] now was as natural as moving his own arm for him, without any difficulty.
The wonders of evading disasters and tribulations within it were pushed to the absolute limit by him. Coupled with Dao Tianqi assisting from the side, this was how they had managed to dodge imminent crises time and again, holding on until now. However, this strenuous maintenance ultimately had its limits and couldn't last forever.
"Scoundrels!"
Finally, a Primordial Spirit fire surfaced at [Sky-Shrouding]'s brow. Within it, a small dragon was roaring, cursing loudly in a somewhat unhinged manner.
It was the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit.
At this moment, the Ancestral Dragon's heart was full of regret. He had never imagined that the Pre-Ancient Era would suddenly sprout so many Dao Ancestors out of thin air. Had he known, he wouldn't have been so greedy for transcendence!
In the next second, he noticed [Sky-Shrouding] staring straight at him.
"Why are you looking at me?"
The Ancestral Dragon instantly became alert, gritting his teeth: "Want to hand me over? Don't forget, if I hadn't covered for you, could you have even entered this place?"
"And don't forget, I am in your sea of consciousness right now!"
"If you want to hand me over, I'd rather die and blow up your sea of consciousness to make you die with me!" The Ancestral Dragon grew vicious, his Primordial Spirit fluctuating violently.
[Sky-Shrouding] hurriedly explained:
"Senior misunderstands. I was only able to enter the Heaven Beyond Heaven this time thanks to you, Senior. I am full of gratitude; how could I possibly commit such an ungrateful act?"
"You would!"
The Ancestral Dragon completely disbelieved him, hissing in a low voice: "You were just thinking about how to sell me out. You disciples and grand-disciples of the Primordial Saint are all like this!"
[Sky-Shrouding]: "..."
After a moment of silence, [Sky-Shrouding] said helplessly: "How many times must I say it? The Primordial Saint and I have long since severed all ties; I have nothing to do with him now."
After finally managing to pacify the Ancestral Dragon, [Sky-Shrouding] shook his head, abandoning the tempting escape plan of "selling the Ancestral Dragon for a way out." Instead, he began to think about the problem of reinforcements. He and Dao Tianqi had been chased for so long; why hadn't anyone come to their aid yet?
Where are my teammates? Come save us!
Why did he save Dao Tianqi? Wasn't it because he saw that Dao Tianqi had a deep relationship with the World Honored One, possessed strong connections, and dragging him along would make it easier to wait for reinforcements?
Yet, after waiting so long.
He hadn't seen even a shadow of reinforcements.
"Is the heavenly secret blocked? Or is some other method hiding the traces of our pursuit... If this continues, we'll just have to fight for our lives."
Just as [Sky-Shrouding] was pondering countermeasures.
Suddenly.
At the edge of the sea level of the originally gloomy seawater, an endless Great Dao ring, composed of countless interlocking concentric circles, rose like the morning sun.
"RUMBLE!"
Initially, it was just a single Dao-sound and a touch of color appearing on the horizon. However, as time passed, in the blink of an eye, the color filled heaven and earth.
Zhen Qulu turned his head abruptly.
What met his eyes was a Great Dao ring, interlocking with countless concentric circles, rippling outward and surging with boundless radiant colors.
The radiant colors shone everywhere, instantly illuminating Zhen Qulu's face, causing his gaze to blur and his Primordial Spirit to fluctuate. It was only when the jade stone he was toying with in his hand suddenly burst with brilliant light, erecting a towering canopy that isolated all profound wonders, that he was forcefully roused and regained a clear consciousness.
"Pfft!"
In the next second, Zhen Qulu abruptly covered his mouth and nose. The strong scent of blood filled his palm; a glance revealed that bright red was already flowing between his fingers.
"Formidable means..."
Zhen Qulu sighed with emotion. Subsequently, devoid of any power to resist, his body disintegrated and exploded amidst the infinite radiant colors, his flesh evaporating until only a wisp of green smoke remained.
However, this was not the end.
After Zhen Qulu perished, the jade stone in his hand leaped up. As it spun, it scattered thousands of brilliant rays, forcibly pinning that drifting green smoke in place.
Immediately after, light and shadow reappeared.
As if time were reversing, the evaporated flesh reappeared, then reorganized. The internal organs were subsequently derived, actually manifesting human form once more!
Among the seventeen Dao Ancestors of the Pre-Ancient Divine Land, Zhen Qulu was the most unique because he did not cultivate himself; instead, he entrusted everything to external objects.
This piece of jade in his hand was his Dao-attaining spiritual treasure and the foundation of his Great Dao. His Primordial Spirit was completely entrusted to it. In contrast, the physical body and soul he used to walk the mortal world, which appeared to be vital points, were not worth mentioning at all; even if destroyed, they could be instantly reshaped.
"...Ha!"
In the next instant, Zhen Qulu reappeared where he had stood. His expression remained unchanged from before as he gently toyed with the jade stone, smiling: "So it is Little Junior Brother."
"Why not reveal yourself for a meeting?"
Before his voice had faded, the Infinite Ring halted before him. Lu Yang's silhouette stepped out, his gaze landing straight on Zhen Qulu.
On the other side, Sisui and the World Honored One blocked the path of the Sword Lord and her group.
As for Zhu Liuxian and Shan Qiu, they blocked the final Dao Ancestor of the [Reverence of the Divine] lineage. The auras of all sides clashed violently at this moment.
Lu Yang had arrived very timely.
Had they dragged it out any longer, [Sky-Shrouding]'s side would inevitably have been in greater danger... Yet even so, there was not the slightest feeling of joy in Lu Yang's heart.
Instead, it was filled entirely with doubt.
'It's real. The intelligence provided by the Name school Ancestor is true. Does this mean he sincerely wishes to cooperate? Impossible. He must have other schemes.'
He wasn't afraid of the intelligence being fake.
If it were fake, that would conversely show that the Primordial Saint's side was at their wits' end, and he could deal with it comfortably... However, the intelligence given by the Name school Ancestor was true.
This was a major problem.
'With the intelligence being true, conflict with Zhen Qulu, the Sword Lord, and the others becomes unavoidable. After all, I cannot abandon [Sky-Shrouding] and Dao Tianqi.'
Did the Primordial Saint want the fisherman's benefit?
At this thought, Lu Yang did not strike immediately. On the other side, Zhen Qulu had clearly thought of the same possibility and similarly maintained a degree of restraint.
"...Ancestral Dragon."
After a moment of silence, Zhen Qulu spoke first: "Little Junior Brother may take the others away, but I must keep that Innate Dao God named Ancestral Dragon."
Lu Yang instantly understood.
This was the bottom line.
On the other side, Sisui rested his gaze on the somewhat evasive Du Xuan, letting out a long sigh: "It seems we have finally reached this point."
"Sisui… I ask for only one thing."
Du Xuan took a deep breath, restoring his calm: "I want to kill [Sky-Shrouding]. This person poses too great a threat to me. If I don't eliminate him, my heart will never be at peace."
His very body was suffering the backlash of [Tribulation], and now he stood alongside [Sky-Shrouding] on the third layer of the [Paramita]. Worse still, his Primordial Spirit was flawed, placing him in extreme peril. Furthermore, how could one allow another to sleep soundly beside one's own bed? In his view, if he didn't kill [Sky-Shrouding], then [Sky-Shrouding] would kill him!
This judgment was not wrong.
One must pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. [Sky-Shrouding] had originally made up his mind that if a great war broke out, he would definitely single out Du Xuan for a life-and-death battle first.
To this, Sisui shook his head:
"The friendship between you and me is completely severed today... Du Xuan, look out for yourself."
With that, he withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the grim-faced Du Xuan, who was even somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why things had come to this point.
Meanwhile.
Lu Yang also established contact with [Sky-Shrouding], and subsequently saw the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit, which was currently coiled deep within his sea of consciousness, glaring at everyone as if they were enemies.
Before the Ancestral Dragon could speak, Lu Yang spoke first:
"Rest assured, Senior!"
"I am a good person; I will not deceive you. Look at my title, 'Xuande' (Profound Virtue). It shows I am a person of virtue, not of the same person as that old bastard, the Primordial Saint..."
The Ancestral Dragon was instantly dumbfounded: "R-really?"
Lu Yang nodded heavily: "Of course it's real!"
His tone was grave, speaking word by word. Every word seemed to strike straight into the Ancestral Dragon's heart, involuntarily causing him to feel a sense of goodwill toward the person before him.
A thought in his heart grew wildly like weeds.
Trust the person before me!
He is worthy of trust!
This thought was incredibly intense—so intense that all emotions of doubt, confusion, and hesitation were blown away by a gale, leaving only the purity of a blank sheet of paper.
However, his Primordial Spirit quickly began to riot.
No! The scent on this Xuande isn't right! After dealing with the Primordial Saint for so long, how could I not recognize it? This is the scent of the Primordial Saint!
I cannot trust him...
In the next second, the previously motionless [Sky-Shrouding] suddenly spoke: "Fellow Daoist Ancestral Dragon, your Primordial Spirit seems to have a flaw. Let me help you repair it."
RUMBLE!
In an instant, a certain profound wonder acted upon the Ancestral Dragon's rioting Primordial Spirit, rapidly smoothing out the originally vigorous Primordial Spirit fire and causing it to dim.
Not far away, Sisui wore a strange expression upon seeing this.
Others might not see it, but how could he fail to recognize it? The method Lu Yang used to suppress the Ancestral Dragon was the [Tribulation] borrowed from [Sky-Shrouding].
As for [Sky-Shrouding], he was using the [Dao Heart]!
His own attained [Dao Heart], specially meant to counter the Primordial Spirit. Using it now on the Ancestral Dragon—who only had his Primordial Spirit left—was truly a specialized tool for a specific job, yielding miraculous results.
To be able to achieve this step showed the tacit understanding in their cooperation.
'It just looks a bit wicked...' Sisui felt a bit of a headache.
Looking at it, it doesn't seem like the righteous path!
For a time, the situation was somewhat chaotic.
The Ancestral Dragon tried to struggle, his Primordial Spirit fluctuating violently. Yet his thoughts became pure; all other thoughts were blinded, leaving only a single thought.
Trust!
Lu Yang: "Trust me! You won't be wrong to trust me!"
Ancestral Dragon: "No... no, I can't trust..."
Lu Yang: "Trust me!"
Ancestral Dragon: "..."
After a long while, the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit finally fell silent. Endless profound wonders wove within his eyes, finally turning into an innocent and pure gaze.
Then, [Sky-Shrouding] finally acted. He sliced off a tiny piece of the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit and left it in his own sea of consciousness as "proof." He then carefully sent the main body of the Primordial Spirit out of his sea of consciousness. During this process, colors of struggle surfaced again in the Ancestral Dragon's eyes.
"It hurts so much..."
Lu Yang immediately spoke: "Don't be afraid, trust me!"
The Ancestral Dragon shut his mouth.
Then Lu Yang delivered him, just like that, into the hands of a similarly strangely expressioned Zhen Qulu. Even at this moment, the Ancestral Dragon still asked with an innocent face:
"Will I really be okay?"
Lu Yang's answer came without hesitation: "Rest assured, you'll be fine. Trust me..."
RUMBLE!
Before the words faded, Zhen Qulu abruptly clasped his hands together, thoroughly suppressing the Ancestral Dragon—who was still believing—and sealing even his consciousness away.
And in the second before being suppressed, the Ancestral Dragon was still believing—believing that Lu Yang would not harm him. The dense tribulation-qi in his eyes made even Zhen Qulu feel a bit unnerved.
Is this truly the Dao Venerable's successor?
It doesn't look like it; the Dao Venerable was very righteous!
Despite this thought, he put away the sealed Ancestral Dragon, then saluted Lu Yang and said sincerely: "Many thanks, Little Junior Brother Xuande."
"It's nothing."
Lu Yang's tone darkened slightly: "As far as I know, Fellow Daoist also intends to save the Divine Land and establish a great merit... Since that is the case, I naturally will not be stingy with my assistance."
"In this way, we can also prevent anyone from reaping the fisherman's benefit."
Zhen Qulu nodded: "Excellent."
With that, he lifted his head, looking toward the dome, an eager expression surfacing in his eyes: "Everything is ready. I invite Little Junior Brother to observe the ceremony; it is perfect timing to prove my Dao."
Lu Yang was naturally happy to see it succeed.
However, at this moment, another doubt lingered in his heart: Where is the Primordial Saint? Could it be that upon seeing that he and Zhen Qulu's side didn't end up fighting...
He quietly retreated?
Or perhaps...
Divine Land, another hidden location.
Space-time fell into chaos here. The past, present, and future were connected by a single Great Dao. Surging colors transformed into boiling waves that howled.
[Time]!
This Great Dao, unique to the Primordial Saint, produced an indescribably miraculous effect in communicating with the Final Tribulation. At the end of the Great Dao, the color of deathly stillness strikingly emerged.
And within the deathly still color, a tiny figure was trudging. In the distant future, shouldering the Final Tribulation, he seemed to have snatched something, and was now turning back step by step. However, with his return, the colors belonging to the Final Tribulation seemed impatient to give chase along the flow of time.
The Final Tribulation yearned for vitality.
Having just experienced Zhi Tianming's reincarnation attempt, the Final Tribulation was currently in a state of boiling sentience. With just a little stimulus, it could possibly give birth to true sentience.
Therefore, it instinctively yearned.
Yearned to leave the doomed future and enter the present where vitality still existed, thereby gaining a new lease on life... This is the instinct of every intelligent lifeform.
But in the next second.
The tiny figure crossed the gap in time, returning to the present. Then, without any hesitation, he turned around and severed the river of time behind him.
"RUMBLE!"
The river collapsed, and the deathly still color came to an abrupt halt, remaining trapped in the future, unable to spread over. The boiling sentience gradually subsided.
Seeing this, the Primordial Saint nodded slightly.
Immediately after, two figures paced over. They were the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools. The Name school Ancestor spoke first: "Did you successfully bring it back?"
"I succeeded."
The Primordial Saint's tone was calm. He raised his clenched fist, and within it, strikingly, was a mass of deathly still color. It was none other than the Qi of the Final Tribulation symbolizing annihilation!
This Qi of the Final Tribulation continuously corroded the Primordial Saint's hand without pause. Yet the Primordial Saint paid it no mind, keeping his grip tight. For within this Qi of the Final Tribulation lay crucially important information—intelligence that only Zhi Tianming knew, but which had been carried into the Final Tribulation due to his reincarnation attempt.
"How is the situation?"
The Primordial Saint first carefully sent this Qi of the Final Tribulation into the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record], before looking at the Name school Ancestor: "Did they start fighting?"
"No."
The Name school Ancestor shook his head: "Junior Brother Xuande used some unknown method to control that Primordial Spirit thought, making it surrender without a fight."
"Is that so."
The Primordial Saint wasn't surprised upon hearing this. The Ancestral Dragon... a mere demonic beast. He had manipulated him for a hundred thousand years; this performance was fitting for his status.
Moreover, the matter with the Ancestral Dragon was just something he did in passing.
His true goal had already been achieved.
Everyone's attention had been diverted elsewhere, so much so that no one noticed his actions of secretly opening a space-time channel and heading to the Final Tribulation.
From the very beginning, the Primordial Saint had never considered the "snipe and clam fight, fisherman reaps the benefit" scenario.
This was a plan to lure the tiger from the mountain. Everything was simply to avoid someone discovering his act of smuggling through the years and subsequently interfering with his plan.
Just then.
After absorbing that Qi of the Final Tribulation, the golden light on the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] seemed to dim a bit, and gray-black hues appeared within the writing.
[Analysis complete.]
[As expected, just like the Light Sea, the Divine Land also has a "Nexus Land." Only the Innate Dao God symbolizing the beginning can sense its location.]
"Where is it?," the Primordial Saint said deeply.
[...It is the Zixiao Palace.]
The consciousness within the book slowly condensed the writing: [That is the "Nexus" of the Divine Land. Placing the sacrificial ritual there can spread its influence across the entire Divine Land.]
For a moment, everyone fell silent, especially the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools. Although the Dao Venerable had ignored worldly affairs for many years and had very likely already transcended, the Zixiao Palace still held a supreme status in the hearts of these Dao Ancestors. The lingering awe of Deity Transformation still remained in their hearts.
Conversely, the Primordial Saint and Taiyuan Xian had no such scruples.
"Just as I thought."
The Primordial Saint's gaze was calm: "The Nexus Land of the Divine Land being in the Zixiao Palace only further verifies our previous speculation. That Immortal harbors ulterior motives."
"Back then, the Ancestral Dragon was in the Immortal Nexus, performing a great sacrifice of sentient beings."
"Now, in the Divine Land, in the Zixiao Palace, that Immortal is completely capable of doing the same thing... This is the true reality of this struggle for the Seed of the Great Dao!"
"His transcendence is not complete; he is stuck between the realm of transcendence and the present world. I fear it is difficult for him to send down his majesty. If he rashly initiated the great sacrifice, he would only be stopped by the various Dao Ancestors. But what about now? For the empty promise of saving the Divine Land, Zhi Tianming is dead, and Zhu Liuxian is half-crippled."
"He is using this opportunity to eliminate some Dao Ancestors who might prevent his great sacrifice."
"When the number of Dao Ancestors drops to a certain level and no one can pose a threat to him, he will strike and sacrifice the entire Divine Land!"
[It must be so!]
The consciousness within the book similarly agreed with this speculation.
Instead, it was the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools who felt some doubt, feeling it wasn't quite right. After all, in their impression, the Dao Venerable did not seem like someone who would perform a great sacrifice of sentient beings.
However, they did not voice this.
'There is no need.'
'Let Taiyuan Xian and his ilk perform as they please. On the matter of [Transcendence], their choices are the most fitting. We do not need to interfere.'
Just then.
Suddenly, all the Dao Ancestors felt a resonance once more. They lifted their heads and looked toward the North Sea of the Divine Land, looking at the celestial light slowly rising there.
"It is Zhen Qulu?"
"So that's how it is. That's why he wanted the Primordial Spirit of that Innate Dao God... The second one after Zhu Liuxian. Knowing the strength of the Final Tribulation, he actually still dares to act?"
"Where does his confidence come from?"
Only the Primordial Saint nodded upon seeing this, looking as if it were entirely within his expectations:
"Perfect timing."
"While everyone's attention is diverted, let us go to the Zixiao Palace... Since [Jun] wants a great sacrifice of sentient beings, we will lend him a helping hand!"
(End of Chapter)