Chapter 600: Chapter 600: The Old Dragon Monarch’s Wisdom
The Void Land.
The chaos was a boundless abyss. Lü Yang’s figure emerged from its depths, sending ripples across the surface. The moment he appeared, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
SPIT!
The shimmering golden blood landed on the abyss’s surface, spreading out and dissolving... It would now, one could imagine, fall randomly into some part of the Outer Heaven Sea of Light.
If an Outer Realm happened to exist there and this blood fell into it, at the very least, it would sense the profound mysteries of Heaven and Earth and transform into a supreme and precious Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure. At most, it would gain sentience and become one of the most outstanding figures in that Outer Realm... all because this blood was mixed with Lü Yang’s Grotto Heaven Essence and even his Gold Attribute.
If an Outer Heaven Cultivator were to obtain it by chance, this mouthful of blood would be enough to make them the strongest expert below the rank of a Perfected Lord. If their talent was exceptional, they could even use it to form a profound and mysterious connection with Lü Yang.
In the past, Lü Yang would have absolutely recovered this blood.
Now, however, he had no time to concern himself with such a small matter. After spitting out the blood, he immediately sat cross-legged in the Void Land, using all his strength to suppress the raging Sword Qi within him.
Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s appearance had undoubtedly saved his life.
If he hadn’t neutralized the Victory Sword Intent contained within the Sword Qi, Lü Yang would already be dead, let alone be sitting here suppressing it.
Without the Sword Intent, the Sword Qi alone was much easier to deal with.
Before long, Lü Yang’s complexion gradually returned to normal. The cracked skin on his body began to knit back together, and at a glance, it seemed he had already recovered.
Meanwhile, within the Righteous Banner, Progenitor Tingyou opened his eyes, a hint of joy on his face. "Success. I’ve locked onto the location."
"Going like this, you won’t enter the Celestial Mansion directly, but will instead land nearby. After all, a super Outer Realm like that won’t allow an existence of a Perfected Lord’s magnitude to come and go as they please... Forget the Celestial Mansion, even the Ten Thousand Martial Realm wouldn’t permit it. A Perfected Lord is simply too massive."
Lü Yang finally relaxed upon hearing this.
"No matter. It’s better than continuing to be hunted by a Great Perfected Lord. But for a super Outer Realm like the Celestial Mansion, I’m afraid going over like this is just courting death."
This gave Lü Yang a headache.
After all, his Fruit of Celestial Fire was now shining so brightly that one glance was enough to tell he was from the Immortal Pivot. Any Cultivator from the Celestial Mansion who saw him would just try to kill him on sight.
Hearing this, Progenitor Tingyou began making calculations with his fingers as he spoke:
"It’s not entirely without a solution. If you actively suppress your aura, I can use the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven to conceal you. It might be possible to hide all traces of the Fruit of Celestial Fire."
"Is that possible?" Lü Yang asked, surprised.
Progenitor Tingyou nodded, stating with confidence, "It is. The Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven governs the transformation between the real and the illusory. I just need to turn your Fruit of Celestial Fire from substantial to illusory."
"That must be difficult."
Lü Yang’s brow furrowed. "To do something like that, you’d need a deep understanding of the Fruit of Celestial Fire and a Magic specifically designed to counter it. Progenitor, do you have such a thing?"
"I do now."
As his voice fell, Progenitor Tingyou finally stopped the divinatory motions of his hands and smiled. "I created it a moment ago, while I was calculating the location of the Celestial Mansion."
Lü Yang: "..."
’How shallow of me! A moment ago, I actually doubted his astounding wisdom. So shallow!’
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Progenitor."
Lü Yang cupped his hands in a salute. Progenitor Tingyou nodded and, with a wave of his hand, the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven instantly appeared above Lü Yang’s head.
It was a Fruit that seemed both real and illusory.
Progenitor Tingyou formed a Daoist Hand Seal, and the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven began to transform. Countless illusionary colors emerged, layering and weaving together to form a greatcloak.
The next second, the greatcloak descended.
It drifted gently down onto Lü Yang’s shoulders, completely concealing every Qi trace on his body related to the Fruit of Celestial Fire.
"The Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven isn’t adept at combat, but it excels at such methods of manipulating reality and illusion. Those at the Early Stage and Mid-phase of Golden Core shouldn’t be able to see through it. As for those at the Late Stage of Golden Core, they also shouldn’t be able to find any issue, unless they possess a special technique for piercing illusion barriers and subject you to a strict examination."
At this point, Progenitor Tingyou’s expression turned serious.
"However, this only applies if you don’t engage in combat. The moment you act and your Qi erupts, this layer of disguise I’ve laid down will instantly fail."
"Thank you, Progenitor. I understand."
A flicker of joy crossed Lü Yang’s face. With the Progenitor’s concealment, he could perfectly disguise himself as a simple Outer Dao True Monarch and perform a "divine cutting" of ties with those Demons from the Immortal Pivot.
As for whether it would succeed, Lü Yang was quite philosophical about it.
Since this was the best he could possibly do at the moment, he wouldn’t dwell on it. If he wasn’t discovered, great. If he was, then he would just have to chalk it up to bad luck.
"There’s no time to lose. I’ll go now."
Lü Yang had always been a decisive person. With the Centome as his safety net, he was one to act on his thoughts immediately. Besides, he was in urgent need of a place where he could properly recuperate.
RUMBLE!
The next second, following the location anchored by Progenitor Tingyou, Lü Yang’s figure dove back into the abyssal surface, plummeting toward the Celestial Mansion.
’I wonder what will happen to that sorry excuse for a place, the Immortal Pivot, after I’m gone?’
...
「Immortal Pivot, the West.」
Less than half a year after his disappearance, resplendent Buddha Light once again filled the skies over the West. Bao Lian Hidden Buddha emerged from within, his face a mask of compassion.
"Amitabha!"
Gazing upon the completely transformed West, Bao Lian Hidden Buddha’s expression grew even more sorrowful. "The West... the faithful of our Buddha have suffered greatly."
’Look at what that Demon Dragon has done to the West!’
’He not only exempted these wretched commoners from their Offering Buddha Money, but he even established rules forcing Cultivators to help them regulate the climate and enrich the soil. He’s fattened them all up and even allowed them to entertain improper ideas, like cultivation! All that perfectly good Spiritual Qi, utterly wasted on them!’
’Isn’t this a sin?’
’A Demon! He’s truly the Jiangbei Demon, spouting nonsense about teaching without discrimination, that everyone can practice cultivation. If everyone cultivates, who will be left to make offerings to us?’
’Besides, cultivation is a cruel path. The result of everyone cultivating would be just like the North—a pure and sacred land turned into a worldly battlefield, with countless casualties at a moment’s notice.’
’Only the Jiangbei Demon would have the heart to commit such a wicked deed.’
’So irresponsible!’
With this in mind, Bao Lian Hidden Buddha prepared to right these wrongs and return the West to the golden age where all people were equal and united as one.
But just then—
"ROAR!!!"
A dragon’s roar interrupted Bao Lian Hidden Buddha. In an instant, the entire sky over the West transformed into a vast ocean, cutting off the boundless Buddha Light.
Seeing this, Bao Lian Hidden Buddha’s eyes narrowed.
"Old Dragon Monarch... do you still not understand? That Demon Dragon isn’t coming back. For presuming to alter the state of the world, he has become a public enemy. Being exiled Beyond the Heavens is already a stroke of great luck for him."
"And you’re still going to interfere in this situation?"
The vast ocean churned, and the Old Dragon Monarch revealed his true form. A head as large as a mountain peak poked out, and his voice boomed, "Get lost! This land is now the foundation of my Dragon Race!"
At this moment, the Old Dragon Monarch’s attitude was unyieldingly firm.
Bao Lian Hidden Buddha claimed he didn’t understand, but the Old Dragon Monarch felt he understood perfectly. Someone had laid a trap to kill Lü Yang, but against all expectations, Lü Yang hadn’t died.
He didn’t care about being exiled Beyond the Heavens or becoming a public enemy.
In his eyes, only one thing mattered: Lü Yang was not dead!
Not being dead meant someone powerful was protecting him. It meant the situation could still be turned around. And it meant this was a golden opportunity for the Dragon Race—for him—to provide timely aid!
’If not now, when?’
Based on his experience, he had even formed a guess. ’The mastermind sent Du Huan Beyond the Heavens. If it were just some ordinary Outer Realm, would it even be worth his time?’
’It must be one of those three places!’
’The Celestial Mansion? The Profound Wall? The Star Palace?’
’It’s probably the Celestial Mansion. I’ve previously sensed imagery of that place from Beyond the Heavens. This millennial calamity is likely also a contest for the Celestial Mansion to win.’
’I fear the Master of Dao is laying his plans in advance!’
’Regardless, Du Huan is clearly still valued by a major power. That being the case, as long as my Dragon Race stands firmly with Lü Yang, we will be valued as well!’
’After countless years, the Dragon Race’s chance to advance... it all comes down to this!’