Pre-Ancient Divine Land, Zixiao Palace.
The Primordial Saint stood with his hands behind his back. His icy eyes carried the indifference of one looking down upon all living things, yet deep within that indifference, he seemed to be continuously calculating something.
Suddenly, he said in a calm tone:
"Exposed."
At these words, the consciousness within the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] and the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools standing behind him were instantly stunned. Exposed? What was exposed?
Seeing this, the Primordial Saint shook his head: "Luxian, that Dao Venerable's attendant boy, hid deep within the Zixiao Palace. After all, it is a Deity Transformation dwelling; there are some places we cannot interfere with. However, this was also within the plan. I intended to borrow his hand to lure all the Dao Ancestors to the Zixiao Palace and then wipe them all out at once."
"But now, the reaction of some people is incorrect."
At this point, the Primordial Saint pointed toward Lu Yang's direction. There, the group led by Lu Yang showed not the slightest sign of taking action.
"They are too calm."
The Primordial Saint looked around, his Dharma-eye like a torch: "The Primordial Spirit auras of the other Dao Ancestors are fluctuating, currently prying into this place. Yet they alone have taken no action."
"This shows my intentions have been exposed."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the other party will soon notify the other Dao Ancestors... Unfortunately, the plan to wipe them all out at once can no longer be realized."
As if verifying the Primordial Saint's words, in the next second, the auras that were originally restless and faintly showing signs of speeding toward the Zixiao Palace abruptly stagnated. Then, they fell silent again immediately. However, they faintly formed a heavy encirclement around the Zixiao Palace, eyeing it covetously, their gazes filled with scrutiny and speculation.
"...Interesting."
Seeing this, the corners of the Primordial Saint's mouth curled up in an icy arc: "Xuande... this doesn't seem like a mighty entity, but more like the scheming and calculations of a mortal."
Scheming, shrewdness, layout, and calculations.
Thinking back to the past, these were actually all mortal weapons. True cultivators disdained them. After all, in the face of absolute strength, calculations are meaningless.
The only one truly proficient in this Dao was the Primordial Saint.
However, now, he had seen a second mighty entity proficient in calculation. Moreover, unlike Sword Lord, Cang Hao, and the others—who were influenced by him and switched paths mid-way—this one was different.
The Primordial Saint could feel it.
This one was truly exceptionally gifted, and his mindset was less like a Dao Lord and more akin to a mortal—a bit like the Primordial Saint himself in his youth, before he was even a thousand years old.
"Quite sharp."
"Unfortunately, it is futile."
Reining in his thoughts, the Primordial Saint turned to look at the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools and continued: "Do it. Initiate the Great Sacrifice directly; there is no need to wait any longer."
According to his original plan, he was to lure all those who had attained the Dao to the Zixiao Palace, then open the space-time channel to wipe them all out using the hands of the Final Tribulation Dao God, while he himself went to get the Seed of the Great Dao. After succeeding, he would return and initiate the Great Sacrifice. But now, the first step of the plan had encountered a problem.
Fortunately, his momentum was already established.
As things stood, it was merely a simple adjustment of the sequence. If the Dao Ancestors wouldn't come, then he would initiate the Great Sacrifice and actively force them to come; there was little difference.
Almost simultaneously.
"He knows that I know."
Lu Yang looked up toward the Zixiao Palace. There, layered ripples were spreading across heaven and earth with an unstoppable momentum!
The Great Sacrifice of Transcendence.
Seeing this, Sisui, who had experienced it once before, instantly pursed his lips. His usually peaceful face revealed a rare hint of gloominess.
And piercing through the layered ripples, everyone saw the scene within the Zixiao Palace.
Looking closely, the Primordial Saint had already manifested his Nascent Soul true body, transforming into a towering figure holding up heaven and earth. A clear, round halo hung behind his head.
Centered on him, in the four directions were the Name school Ancestor, the Form school Ancestor, Cang Hao, and Myriad Laws. The four Dao Ancestors respectively suppressed the formation eyes of the four directions, while the Primordial Saint oversaw the center. A full five attained Daoists—one of whom even controlled [Fortune]—using this to perform a great sacrifice of sentient beings could be considered perfect!
'This is coercion.'
Lu Yang lowered his eyelids, a realization dawning in his heart: 'Forcing everyone to come over to stop the Great Sacrifice. Is he trying to do both things at once?'
Seizing the Seed of the Great Dao and sacrificing sentient beings.
On what basis? Where did he get the courage?
One must know, excluding Taiyuan Xian, the current Primordial Saint was only at the fifth layer of the [Paramita], and the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools were roughly the same.
This level of strength was far from being the strongest in the current Pre-Ancient Era.
'Unless Taiyuan Xian emerges and leaves that book... If that is truly the case, then things become easier to handle. I can cast aside my misgivings and restart.'
Up to this point, the reason Lu Yang hadn't chosen to restart lay in his wariness of the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]. Once he restarted, Taiyuan Xian would restart along with him. By doing so, the information gap between him and the other party would only grow smaller and smaller—this was completely unacceptable to Lu Yang.
After all, he was originally at a massive disadvantage in terms of cultivation.
If even the information gap he had always relied on for survival ceased to exist, losing this final advantage, then he truly would have no chance of turning the tables.
As for the time advantage brought by restarting.
At his level, time was already the most meaningless resource. His cultivation was no longer something that could progress simply by having enough time.
More than time, he needed opportunities.
However, if Taiyuan Xian emerged.
Losing the unique protection of the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record], if he restarted then, he wouldn't have to worry about the other party obtaining the same intelligence as himself.
At this thought, an eager expression suddenly surfaced in the depths of Lu Yang's eyes.
'The source of the Primordial Saint's confidence... we will know soon.'
In the next instant.
A thread of blade light abruptly emerged between heaven and earth. Though it was merely a sliver, it suppressed even the light of the morning sun. Wherever it passed, heaven and earth turned entirely into distinct black and white.
In a daze, Lu Yang seemed to see a divine blade within that light. The blade's body was engraved with pattern after pattern. Among them were the river of destiny, the ocean of spiritual power, as well as [Accumulated Merit] and [Reverence of the Divine]. Numerous concept interwove, causing the majesty of this single thread of blade light to climb endlessly!
The divine blade slashed toward the Zixiao Palace without the slightest hesitation.
Shi Weixiong!
The Second Dao Ancestor of [Accumulated Merit], and currently the only Dao Ancestor in the Pre-Ancient Divine Land to have completed the third qualitative metamorphosis of essence. At this moment, he was the first to draw his blade!
At this moment, many Dao Ancestors were watching.
Clearly, after successively slaying several Dao Ancestors and sacrificing their Primordial Spirits to his blade, the power of Shi Weixiong's slash had already exceeded a certain profound limit.
Wherever the blade light passed, the void collapsed, and time was annihilated. The unyielding power instead presented a silent tranquility. The concept within it was even extremely similar to the Final Tribulation, yet it was not the Final Tribulation. Rather, it achieved an effect close to the Final Tribulation with destructive might—enough to make even Dao Ancestors change their expressions.
"Not good!"
"It contains a few hints of hatred..."
Inside the Zixiao Palace, the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools cried out in bitterness inwardly. They understood Shi Weixiong and knew that at this moment, this Dao Ancestor was likely extremely enraged.
But this was normal.
Because prior to this, Zhen Qulu had truly been on the verge of success. The Sword Lord's appearance perfectly filled the flaw in his plan; he was so close to saving the Pre-Ancient Era!
Alas, the result was falling short at the final step.
Therefore, the clearer one was about how successful Zhen Qulu had been, the heavier their hatred for the Primordial Saint and their group was at this moment. This was only natural.
Even they themselves couldn't help but sigh in frustration inwardly.
However, as things stood, they had no turning back. With their reputation completely bankrupt in the Pre-Ancient Era, they could only follow the Primordial Saint down this dark path to the end.
'He really has changed.'
At this thought, the Name school Ancestor sighed inwardly: 'Although it is still [Supreme Forgotten Emotions], this Primordial Saint's style... is completely different from Taiyuan Xian's.'
With Taiyuan Xian, they could still choose to jump ship and make a severing back then. However, this time with the Primordial Saint, they were thoroughly tied down, without the slightest chance to sever ties. Unless they were willing to give up on transcendence and turn their weapons against him... but what benefit would that bring them?
It would purely be harming oneself to benefit others.
Since that was the case, they might as well continue following the Primordial Saint; at least there was still hope... Even so, the two Dao Ancestors were not so easily manipulated.
Especially after seeing Shi Weixiong's unmatched blade light.
'Adding icing to the cake is fine.'
'But sending charcoal in the snow? Forget it!'
At this thought, the Ancestors of the Name and Form schools exchanged a glance. Then, without any hesitation, while maintaining the ritual, they decisively stepped back and retreated.
Fighting was impossible.
They were here to hitch a ride, not to risk their lives for the Primordial Saint. Moreover, they also wanted to see exactly how the Primordial Saint intended to deal with this slash.
This would also determine their stance going forward.
Almost simultaneously.
On the other side, Cang Hao and Myriad Laws also decisively yielded their positions. [Supreme Forgotten Emotions] puts "me" first; "Better the fellow Daoist dies than this poor Daoist" could also be considered a traditional virtue.
Therefore, the Primordial Saint wasn't surprised upon seeing this.
[Do you need me to strike?]
Inside the golden book in his hand, writing quickly emerged. Although trapped within the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record], Taiyuan Xian was not truly without means to interfere with the outside world.
For example, the Final Tribulation Dao God was personally awakened by him using the methods of the Name and Form schools, giving it majesty comparable to the ninth layer of the [Paramita].
However—
"Not right now."
The Primordial Saint shook his head: "Xuande... he is watching this place. If he can still restart, and you emerge, then if he restarts again, everything will be ruined."
In the end, as long as he wasn't seen, it was fine.
As long as Taiyuan Xian emerged quietly and Lu Yang didn't see it, there would be no problem. After all, Lu Yang couldn't possibly restart suddenly for no reason.
It sounded simple.
But in reality, it wasn't. Because a Primordial Spirit is hard to conceal. Once Taiyuan Xian emerged, that dazzling light of the Primordial Spirit could not possibly be hidden from others.
This was why earlier, in the Final Tribulation, utilizing the Qi of the Final Tribulation as cover, Taiyuan Xian was able to make a brief strike. But now it was broad daylight under a clear sky. If he emerged to fight Shi Weixiong, the result would be that the moment his front foot stepped out, his back foot would be crushed into nothingness by the power of restart.
[You are overly cautious.]
The consciousness within the book fluctuated slightly: [I once wielded the Heavenly Destiny Divine Record; I couldn't be more familiar with that power of restart. It cannot affect a Deity Transformation.]
[I tested it long ago.]
[If it weren't so, how could I have lost to Jun?]
[You clearly disregard the Final Tribulation and Shi Weixiong, yet you value a person whose cultivation is far inferior to yours. This is somewhat putting the cart before the horse.]
"You are wrong."
The Primordial Saint's voice was cold, his eyes calm, yet his words were startling: "If I had not already severed fear, I at this moment would fear Xuande."
"The restart power extracted by a Deity Transformation fell into his hands."
"The moment he appeared, he disrupted all my layouts."
"I needed to gather seven paths of [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness] to enter the [Heaven Beyond Heaven], yet he was able to enter ahead of time... Do you think this is merely coincidence?"
One is a coincidence, two is also a coincidence.
But three?
"It is no coincidence... This person's connection with [Jun] is far deeper than you imagine. I even suspect this place was prepared by [Jun] specifically for him!"
"Perhaps he is [Jun]'s reincarnation?"
"Or perhaps [Jun]'s pawn?"
"Whichever it is, my struggling against him is, in essence, playing a game against that Deity Transformation Immortal... Given this, do you still feel it is putting the cart before the horse?"
The Primordial Saint saw it very clearly.
He had seen clearly from the very beginning that the one truly forced into a corner was not Lu Yang, but himself. He was the one fighting for a sliver of hope for survival!
The seemingly lengthy conversation actually took less than an instant.
And while refusing Taiyuan Xian, the Primordial Saint's actions didn't hesitate in the slightest. He pinched a hand seal and tapped lightly. The round halo behind his head instantly began to collapse and shatter.
The space-time channel reopened!
At the same time, Shi Weixiong's divine blade had already arrived before the Primordial Saint. The blade light condensed into a thin line, separated from his brow by barely a hair's breadth.
Yet it was this hair's breadth.
At this moment, it became an insurmountable chasm.
The blade's edge came to an abrupt halt. A slender palm reached out from beside the Primordial Saint, firmly pinning it in place, even though it was sliced bloody and mangled.
And upon that palm, an indescribable aura of destruction overflowed, continuously spreading toward the divine blade, causing the concept condensed on its edge to shatter and retreat one after another.
Consequently, the originally brilliantly shining divine blade strikingly gained a patch of rust, faintly emitting a putrid smell.
Almost simultaneously, the Primordial Saint stepped back and retreated.
He wasn't surprised by the current scene. The Final Tribulation Dao God had to save him; if he didn't, the space-time channel would shatter, and he wouldn't be able to reach the present.
Unfortunately, Shi Weixiong was not weak.
Even as the Final Tribulation Dao God, have a power ninth layer of the [Paramita] after being awakened by Taiyuan Xian, and with the concept of the Final Tribulation comprehensively suppressing cultivators.
He still could not quickly defeat Shi Weixiong.
Therefore, the two sides fell into a stalemate.
And this was exactly what the Primordial Saint wanted. Without hesitation, while continuing to expand the space-time channel, he transmitted his divine sense to the Final Tribulation Dao God.
As the Final Tribulation Dao God, he knew many things. After birthing consciousness and wisdom, he had thoroughly digested all the knowledge left behind by Zhi Tianming.
In other words: he actually knew about it too.
The existence of the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
Therefore, the Primordial Saint's choice was also crisp and clean: he directly informed the Final Tribulation Dao God of all the intelligence related to the [Power of Restart] without any reservation!
"You may have birthed consciousness now, but as long as the other party starts over from the beginning, the consciousness you have obtained now—everything—will be erased out of thin air. And after starting over, that Xuande will definitely not let you birth consciousness again... To stop all this, you must first find a way to slay him!"
The Primordial Saint didn't even need to use bewitchment.
He only needed to tell the truth. The Final Tribulation Dao God could figure out the causes and effects himself. In this regard, they were inherently grasshoppers on the same string!
"RUMBLE!"
Accompanied by a loud crash, and coordinated with the Primordial Saint fully expanding the space-time channel, the Final Tribulation Dao God extended a second hand, completely ignoring Shi Weixiong.
Almost simultaneously.
"Hiss!"
Lu Yang, who had originally been observing the battle, suddenly felt his Primordial Spirit shake violently. An intense sense of crisis swept over his entire body as he saw that palm swatting toward him.
The Final Tribulation Dao God! The ninth layer of the [Paramita]!
What could he use to block it?
It was unblockable! Certain death!
Seeing this scene, the Primordial Saint's gaze was incredibly deep. He even ignored the other Dao Ancestors attacking him, focusing his entire spirit upon Lu Yang.
As things stand, only by restarting can you save your own life.
Can you do it?
If you can... at worst, we do it again. As the information gap decreases, I will only grow stronger. If you cannot... then everyone is happy.
Either way, I win!
(End of Chapter)