Da Yunlai's words plunged Lu Yang into deep thought.
Seeing him like this, Da Yunlai chuckled lightly and said, "There's no need to worry too much; at least for now, the Dao Venerable should have the advantage."
"Oh?" Lu Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"
Da Yunlai explained: "If the Dao Venerable didn't have the advantage, why would he bring you all here? You are the continued future observed by the Dao Venerable."
"That is why the Final Tribulation wants to interfere with you."
"Originally, Taiyuan Xian should have also been a pawn of the Dao Venerable, which is why his life was spared back then. But now, I'm afraid he has been influenced by the Final Tribulation."
"..."
Da Yunlai's tone was relatively relaxed, without much pressure. However, Lu Yang, who knew his own situation, felt his heart grow heavier after hearing this.
'Something's wrong.' A realization dawned on Lu Yang.
'Da Yunlai is mistaken... The truth is likely the exact opposite. The one truly holding the advantage is not the Dao Venerable, but that indescribable Final Tribulation!'
The reason was simple— if the Dao Venerable truly held the advantage, if the Light Sea symbolizing the future could truly anchor the continuation of the Divine Land, then why would he still have the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]? Why would his existence even occur? Let alone being granted this ability to start over from the beginning.
Therefore, the truth was probably the reverse.
'[Jun]... what he observed was probably not a [continued future], but a [future closest to successful continuation].'
The closest to success, yet ultimately failing.
Imagine, if he hadn't appeared, and the Primordial Saint's transcendence plan had truly succeeded, what would be left of the Light Sea? It would still be a chaotic ruin.
But he had appeared.
To be precise, the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] had appeared.
'Strictly speaking, the future Light Sea is controlled by the Final Tribulation and is similarly doomed to destruction. It was only [Jun]'s intervention that brought a sliver of hope to everything.'
'This also explains the reason why the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] can only restart a hundred times. Because essentially, it is a wrestling match between [Jun] and the Final Tribulation. To be able to wrest a hundred chances to start over under the influence of the Final Tribulation—which is also a Deity Transformation—shows that [Jun]'s ability is already incredibly high.'
Lu Yang thoroughly sorted out his thoughts.
However, because of this, his heart grew increasingly heavy, even feeling somewhat fortunate— it was a good thing he had successfully attained the cultivation of a Dao Lord in only a little over ten lifetimes.
The [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] still had over eighty pages left.
The margin for error was still very high.
At this thought, Lu Yang looked up again at Da Yunlai: "So Fellow Daoist, you specifically telling me these things... what exactly do you want to do?"
"Help me fight the Primordial Saint?"
At these words, Da Yunlai immediately stepped back without hesitation, waving his hands: "Don't speak nonsense, Fellow Daoist. I truly know nothing about combat."
"We [Fortune] cultivators don't fight."
"Moreover, given Fellow Daoist's current situation, there's no need to fight. You are merely suffering from a bit of bad luck and need a little bit of help."
With that, Da Yunlai stepped aside.
Subsequently, Lu Yang saw that within this isolated paradise, an altar had been set up. And upon the altar was a straw man.
There were three lamps above the straw man's head and seven lamps at its feet.
Symbolizing the [Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Souls].
The rolling lamplight made the straw man look incredibly profound. And on the straw man's face hung a yellow talisman paper, bearing three large talismanic characters:
[Taiyitian]
"This is..." Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
Immediately following, Da Yunlai lightly shook his sleeves, perfectly executing the etiquette. Behind him, the two child-attendant [Fortune] Dao Ancestors did the same.
The three of them bowed deeply.
"RUMBLE."
Inside the Zixiao Palace, the Primordial Saint abruptly snapped back to reality. He felt as if a deafening explosion had rung in his ears, yet he awoke in the blink of an eye.
'...What happened?'
The Primordial Saint subconsciously felt something was wrong, but upon careful thought, nothing seemed amiss. His attention was quickly drawn to other matters.
In the distance, as far as his eyes could see.
An unknown Primordial Spirit fire had extinguished, and [Sky-Shrouding] had vanished. The Primordial Saint had taken in all these scenes. These were very crucial flaws.
After all, [Sky-Shrouding] wouldn't vanish for no reason, and his Primordial Spirit fire wouldn't lose its aura—which was only natural. Lu Yang's decision to reincarnate and feign death was made in the spark of a flint, not premeditated for a long time. In such haste, it was inevitable that he couldn't cover up all the flaws.
However, Lu Yang was not worried about this.
He knew his feigned death would have flaws, but he also believed someone would clean up the mess for him. And that person was best at making others overlook flaws.
[Sky-Shrouding]!
Before vanishing, [Sky-Shrouding] had done two things— he covered the Ancestral Dragon's Primordial Spirit fragment and himself with the highest level of [Tribulation].
This was the ultimate cognitive barrier.
The former erased the anomaly of the Primordial Spirit fragment, while the latter erased his own mysterious disappearance, so much so that no one even thought of him at this moment.
Everyone was immersed in the shock of [Lu Yang's death].
—Including the Primordial Saint.
However, [Sky-Shrouding]'s stature was still slightly lacking, which was why the Primordial Saint had subconsciously felt doubt upon seeing [Lu Yang's death].
Normally, the cautious Primordial Saint would definitely investigate to the end. And under his meticulous scrutiny, [Sky-Shrouding]'s methods had at least a 60% chance of being exposed. This caution, and to some extent, smooth sailing, was viewed by [Fortune] cultivators as being blessed by the luck of the times.
But now it was different.
At this moment, the Primordial Saint's luck of the times suffered a massive, short-term weakening. Therefore, things he could easily see through in the past were now difficult to clarify.
His past caution and care had now turned into relaxation and carelessness.
This was not a change in consciousness, but merely a natural decision made by the Primordial Saint after the change in his luck of the times—formless and intangible, yet truly affecting human actions!
Therefore, after a moment of silence, the Primordial Saint lifted his head:
"...It seems that Xuande is indeed dead."
[And so?]
Soon, words appeared in the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]: [Should I emerge now? If I emerge, I should be able to settle the entire situation in one fell swoop.]
Taiyuan Xian's confidence was by no means arrogant. As someone who had once competed with [Jun] for the opportunity of Deity Transformation, his strength was superior to Shi Weixiong and the current Final Tribulation Dao God. Had it not been for his wariness of that bizarre restart power, he would have emerged the moment the Primordial Saint was successfully created.
Now that Dao Ancestor Xuande was dead.
The restart power he feared the most ceased to exist, and the seal had long since been worn away during previous restarts. There was nothing left to fear.
However, in the next second.
"No."
The Primordial Saint decisively rejected Taiyuan Xian's emergence, his tone icy: "Just to be safe, even if you are to emerge, do not do so in full view of the public."
"Caution above all. Although there's a high probability Xuande is dead, even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance he's still alive, your emerging in front of everyone would give him the chance to start over... Go to the future and use the Qi of the Final Tribulation there as cover. Only then can it be considered foolproof."
With that, the Primordial Saint moved.
He formed a hand seal, operating his profound wonders to the extreme, forcefully expanding the space-time channel leading to the future—used to guide the Final Tribulation Dao God—to its maximum.
Clang—!
In an instant, the ring of a blade echoed. The bone-piercing killing intent grew increasingly cold, almost piercing the Primordial Saint's brow, but was blocked by a pitch-black figure.
The Final Tribulation Dao God.
This Innate Dao God who had birthed sentience, with the help of the Primordial Saint, had finally traced back time from the distant future and arrived at the current time point!
"Hoo..."
He breathed deeply, almost greedily feeling the boundless vitality lingering around him. Yet, centered on him, the color of decay was spreading.
This was the characteristic of the Final Tribulation Dao God. Even if he did nothing, his very existence would forcibly guide all things toward destruction.
Every breath of vitality he inhaled was exhaled as the Qi of the Final Tribulation. If he wasn't killed, the destruction of the world would be irreversible!
Yet he didn't care.
"Even if the world at this time point is destroyed, so what? I can just reopen the space-time channel and head to an earlier time, to a world that still possesses vitality."
The Primordial Saint's voice drifted over.
This simple proposal acted like a demonic incantation, striking right at the heart of the Final Tribulation Dao God's intentions, leaving him unable to help but nod in agreement, clearly finding it highly acceptable.
"My goal does not conflict with yours. I seek transcendence, to abandon the secular world, whereas you simply wish to survive. You and I can cooperate fully."
"...What do you need me to do?"
The Final Tribulation Dao God's gaze was frigid as he stared straight at the Primordial Saint.
The Primordial Saint smiled easily: "You don't need to do anything. Just do your best, follow your will, and survive—this is what you want anyway."
Having spoken, the Primordial Saint's figure rapidly dimmed.
He dove straight into the space-time channel, heading toward the future, intending to seize the Seed of the Great Dao first and become a Deity Transformation!
In his original position, the Final Tribulation Dao God stood with hands behind his back. His face was so calm that his thoughts couldn't be read, directly facing the siege of Shi Weixiong and the other Pre-Ancient Dao Ancestors.
"Pfft!"
In the isolated paradise, the three [Fortune] Dao Ancestors who had just bowed solemnly abruptly threw their heads back, simultaneously spitting out a mouthful of hot blood uncontrollably.
The blood shone brightly, landing amidst the sky full of peach blossoms, instantly dyeing this originally peaceful place with a layer of scarlet. A
strong smell of rust permeated the air, and the expressions of the three [Fortune] Dao Ancestors became dejected and listless to the extreme, their faces still carrying a bit of disbelief.
"So strong... How could this be?"
"My cultivation is even higher than when I dealt with Taiyuan Xian back then, and I had two Dao Ancestor helpers... Yet we couldn't even bow down this Primordial Saint?"
Da Yunlai found it somewhat unbelievable.
On the other side, Lu Yang saw it clearly: "You did bow him down, but only a little bit... For Fellow Daoist to achieve this much is already incredibly impressive."
After all, in this Dao struggle, the one truly holding the advantage was the Final Tribulation. And as the pawn of the Final Tribulation, or in some sense, even its agent, the Primordial Saint's luck of the times being difficult to shake was completely normal. For Da Yunlai to be able to interfere even slightly showed that his cultivation was already high enough.
So Lu Yang's mindset was quite good.
Conversely, Da Yunlai's originally relaxed expression faded away, leaving only solemnity: "The luck of the times cannot be shaken. Is the Primordial Saint's success a foregone conclusion?"
"Can the arrival of the Final Tribulation not be stopped?"
"But the Light Sea has already arrived?"
"Could it be that the Dao Venerable is at a disadvantage... Impossible, that shouldn't be..."
Seeing Da Yunlai like this, Lu Yang thought for a moment and took the initiative to speak: "Speaking of which, I have another matter I'd like to ask Fellow Daoist about."
"...Oh?"
Hearing this, Da Yunlai finally snapped out of his daze, realizing Lu Yang's intent. He first composed his expression before saying: "Little Junior Brother, please speak your mind."
"About the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]."
At first glance, Da Yunlai's previous description of the Light Sea's future seemed to explain the mechanism of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], but it couldn't avoid another problem.
The [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
According to the intelligence Lu Yang previously held, the restart power of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] should have actually been extracted from this book by [Jun].
But now, Da Yunlai's explanation overturned this. If the restart power of the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] was essentially based solely on [Jun]'s repeated observation of the future Light Sea, then what was the deal with the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]? Where did its restart power come from?
At this thought, Lu Yang simply asked directly:
"The [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]... What exactly is the origin of this book? How did the Name and Form schools forge it? Where did its majesty come from?"
Da Yunlai was stunned upon hearing this:
"Forged by the Name and Form schools... How could such a misunderstanding arise in later ages? Name and Form merely obtained the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]."
"In fact, it wasn't even them who obtained it."
"It was the Taiyuan Xian they created who obtained it."
"As for its origin... I am not clear either. Actually, among the Dao Ancestors, besides Taiyuan Xian and the Dao Venerable, I fear only Zhi Tianming has some understanding of it."
"Zhi Tianming?" Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
The First Dao Ancestor of [Fate] cultivation.
"Why do you say he has some understanding?"
Da Yunlai replied in a tone suggesting "this is common knowledge":
"Because the [Fate] lineage was created by him precisely after he was fortunate enough to comprehend the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]. It is the very beginning of cultivation in the Divine Land."
"Before this, cultivation in the Divine Land was a mixed bag; some refined Qi, some refined the body, but none were integrated into a specific Dao lineage, nor did they form a system, let alone divisions like realms. It wasn't until the establishment of [Fate] cultivation that a true system of cultivation emerged."
"Of course, more importantly..."
At this, Da Yunlai looked helpless: "The history of the Divine Land was altered once because of the appearance of [Fate] cultivation. Junior Brother should know this as well."
Lu Yang nodded.
"Because Zhi Tianming reincarnated and replaced the Innate Dao God symbolizing the beginning of the Divine Land, causing all related history to be altered beyond recognition."
"Correct."
Da Yunlai continued: "Granted, the cultivation of the Divine Land got on the right track because of this, but correspondingly, much history was buried in that past."
"So that's how it is..."
Lu Yang lowered his eyelids, having listened to Da Yunlai's explanation, a somewhat bold speculation shockingly surfaced in his heart. He then continued to ask:
"The Seed of the Great Dao."
"Does Fellow Daoist know the specific origin of this item?"
Da Yunlai shook his head again: "I only know that this item appeared once back then, making the Dao Venerable, and reappeared this time because of the Dao Venerable."
Lu Yang frowned and asked: "Doesn't Fellow Daoist find that strange?"
"What is strange about it?" Da Yunlai asked in return.
Of course it's strange!
Since the Seed of the Great Dao appeared this time because of [Jun], what about last time? Where did the Seed of the Great Dao that allowed [Jun] to attain Deity Transformation come from?
Could it possibly be from another Deity Transformation practitioner?
This was Lu Yang's speculation:
'What has been will be again... The struggle between Deity Transformation and the Final Tribulation perhaps didn't start with [Jun]'s generation, but might be even earlier!'
This was also the reason for the restart power of the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
Perhaps the so-called [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] was the previous generation's [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], and behind it was another Deity Transformation practitioner who came before [Jun]!
Why is it useless now?
'Because that Deity Transformation practitioner transcended... after cultivating [Jun] and making [Jun] a Deity Transformation. So that book can no longer restart!'
At this thought, Lu Yang couldn't help but rub his brow.
Even he found it hard to conceal the massive waves churning in his heart at this moment, almost subconsciously doubting his own deduction because it was too exaggerated.
Generation after generation of Deity Transformation.
Using the same method, continuing the inheritance, all to fight against the Final Tribulation that should have been destined to arrive... Could this really be the core of this wretched place?
'Rather than understanding it this way, it's better to understand it as a necessary condition for transcendence. If a Deity Transformation wants to transcend, they must cultivate another Deity Transformation to take their place. It's essentially maliciously pulling someone into the pit. At the very least, if it were the Primordial Saint, he would definitely feel this motive is more reasonable...'
Hmm?
Suddenly, Lu Yang was stunned.
Like a ray of light flashing in the darkness, clearing away all the fog, he felt enlightened, discovering a crucial opportunity.
Yes, the Primordial Saint would definitely think so!
If the Primordial Saint deduced the same thing as himself, he would definitely think it was a conspiracy, that [Jun] was looking for someone to take the fall for him.
When that time came, what would the Primordial Saint do?
'He could never accept the imprisoned ending of being a scapegoat for [Jun]. So he would definitely give up attaining Deity Transformation first, and instead seek transcendence first!'
'Even though that is only his imagined ending.'
'However, with the Primordial Saint's style of shooting the arrow first and drawing the target later, even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he would never gamble; he would only try to guard against it.'
This was the opportunity.
He had to admit, at this moment, the Primordial Saint's luck of the times was terrifyingly stable. Under his plan, the Seed of the Great Dao was almost in his pocket.
And once the Primordial Saint achieved Deity Transformation first, it would all be over.
Therefore—
'I have to make him actively give it up himself.'
At this thought, Lu Yang abruptly lifted his head to look at Da Yunlai, his tone hurried: "Fellow Daoist, do it again. This time, do not weaken the Primordial Saint."
"Do the opposite."
Lu Yang quickly formulated a plan, saying deeply:
"Find a way to increase his luck of the times... Can you push it in a specific direction? If possible, let him discover the secret of the struggle between Deity Transformation and the Final Tribulation!"
"This..."
Da Yunlai completely didn't understand Lu Yang's thoughts. From his perspective, Lu Yang merely pondered for a moment and then suddenly made this request.
That said, he didn't hesitate.
Because although he couldn't understand it, Da Yunlai could see that as these words were spoken, Lu Yang's luck of the times experienced an inexplicable increase.
Since that was the case—
"I understand, we can give it a try."
In the next second, Da Yunlai nodded decisively. He then looked again at the straw man on the altar, changed a set of hand seals, and solemnly bowed down once more.
Inside the space-time channel.
Just as Da Yunlai was casting his technique, the Primordial Saint, who had been heading to the future, abruptly paused. He then frowned, looking at the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
"What's going on?"
[...Something's not right.]
Writing quickly surfaced on the book: [If that Xuande is already dead, then why hasn't the restart power returned to the book, and instead remains wandering outside?]
[There's a problem here!]
At this moment, Taiyuan Xian felt his thoughts were incredibly clear. Many details he would have previously overlooked were now recalled one by one.
Blessed by the luck of the times.
The so-called "when the time comes, heaven and earth lend their strength" was precisely this moment. Taiyuan Xian and the Primordial Saint's goal was transcendence, so he could perceive any factor hindering it.
And the intelligence Taiyuan Xian possessed was no less than Da Yunlai's.
Regarding the secret of the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record], he was a personal witness to the events back then. His understanding of the origin of this supreme treasure was only deeper.
Therefore, the entire process went exactly as Lu Yang expected.
What Lu Yang could deduce, as long as he had enough intelligence, the Primordial Saint could deduce as well. This was inherently what they were best at.
[The Heavenly Destiny Divine Record comes from before the Pre-Ancient Era.]
[And the Seed of the Great Dao. Both Jun and I once believed that these two items were left by cultivators from a higher realm, which is why they possess such incredible majesty.]
[Before this, I always thought the restart power in that Xuande's hands was extracted by Jun from the Heavenly Destiny Divine Record. But if that were truly the case, now that Xuande is dead, the restart power should have returned... Either he isn't dead, or the two restart powers do not share the same origin.]
"Such a thing?"
After reading these words, the Primordial Saint frowned even tighter, falling into deep thought. After a long while, he said: "Xuande is dead; the former is unlikely."
"Conversely, if the latter is true..."
The Primordial Saint's tone abruptly intensified:
"Then what about the Deity Transformation who created the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record]? He must have transcended and left the world... Because of his transcendence, the restart power also disappeared."
"And now, [Jun] has created a restart power, replicating the Dao struggle between you and him back then, and released the Seed of the Great Dao that can elevate one to Deity Transformation."
"This is clearly to recreate the transcendence act of the previous Deity Transformation."
"[Jun] himself was cultivated by the previous Deity Transformation, allowing the previous one to transcend. And now, he wants to repeat the same trick to cultivate the next one?"
At this point, the Primordial Saint had a sudden realization:
"Perhaps this is [Jun]'s scheme!"
"Cultivate a new Deity Transformation to take his place, so he can take the opportunity to transcend... So my seizing the Seed of the Great Dao first would probably play right into his hands."
"In other words, I am merely his pawn, the material used for his transcendence!"
"As for the great sacrifice of sentient beings... I fear it's merely a smokescreen used to deceive me, making me think that is the method of transcendence, while ignoring the true method."
It matched, everything matched!
Hearing this deduction, Taiyuan Xian's thoughts also fluctuated, yet he couldn't help but doubt: [Could it be a bit too presumptive? After all, you have no proof...]
"But it's possible, isn't it?" the Primordial Saint retorted.
[...Indeed.]
"Then that's enough."
For a moment, the Primordial Saint stood rooted to the spot, his expression changing rapidly.
If he chose to continue seizing the Seed of the Great Dao now to achieve Deity Transformation, Lu Yang would have no choice but to helplessly choose to restart early.
But unable to widen the information gap, such a restart would be meaningless.
In the end, with the Primordial Saint achieving Deity Transformation first, the arrival of the Final Tribulation would still be inevitable. After all, he wouldn't want to fight the Final Tribulation to the bitter end.
And the majesty of Deity Transformation was sufficient to crush everything.
However, in the next second, the Primordial Saint rejected such a massive temptation without hesitation.
'What I want is transcendence.'
[Supreme Forgotten Emotions]—absolute rationality—kept him from being swayed by any external objects: 'If it's just to be a prisoner, what's the point of attaining Deity Transformation?'
Learn from his predecessors and cultivate a Deity Transformation to transcend?
Although this was also a viable plan, it was not the optimal solution. There were too many variables; it was a path he would only choose if he had no other options.
At this thought, he decisively made a decision.
"The original plan is temporarily put on hold."
"We will obtain the Seed of the Great Dao, but we will not use it for now."
"Just to be safe, we will not break through to Deity Transformation temporarily, but find a way to transcend first! Only by jumping out of [Jun]'s chessboard does breaking through to Deity Transformation have any meaning!"
It was in this instant.
The originally fixed river of history, irreversibly flowing toward [Destruction], manifested a tributary leading to a brand-new ending.
A [Variable] was born.