Chapter 312
Chapter 312
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Heaven of Non-existence
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Above the layered cloud seas of the Heaven of Non-existence.
The Innate Perfected Being sat cross-legged in midair. All the varied emotions he had shown earlier while conversing with Lu Yang were now fully restrained, replaced by icy detachment.
Before him floated three light screens.
In one screen appeared a city stained red with blood. The "Innate Perfected Being" was laughing maniacally as he tore a Heavenly Maiden in half.
This was True Lord Pure Clarity Flying Snow.
Another screen depicted the "Innate Perfected Being" with a Dao heart centered solely on himself, regarding painted beauties as mere skeletons as he effortlessly emerged from the grand array.
This was Soaring Empyrean.
The Innate Perfected Being was not particularly surprised. Instead, he nodded.
"Worthy of True Lords indeed. The first tribulation is far too simple for them."
"But they likely won't press on."
Golden Core True Lords could already pierce the facade of the Heaven of Non-existence. They knew it held no real value for them and would not waste further time on it.
The third contender, however...
At that thought, the Innate Perfected Being turned to the third light screen.
"This... is true power!"
In an instant, the corner of his eye twitched. Compared to the methods of the first two, the capabilities Lu Yang had demonstrated were the ones that truly earned his admiration.
As someone who had lived through it, the Innate Perfected Being knew full well what he had faced back then. To scheme against him, the Primal Saint Sect's Heaven Mending Peak had mobilized nearly its entire strength.
Every time he recalled it afterward, he couldn't help imagining: if only he had gritted his teeth and held out just a bit longer, victory might have been his.
Yet what he had failed to achieve, Lu Yang had now accomplished.
After a moment of感慨, the Innate Perfected Being regretfully closed his eyes.
"Still, this one seems to have seen through the trick. He probably won't take the final step."
"What a pity."
Overseas, at Immortal Alliance headquarters.
Lu Yang's clone opened his eyes, clear and limpid as a bright mirror.
Lu Yang put the recent events out of his mind and instead turned his attention to comprehending the cultivation method that had suddenly appeared in his thoughts.
Supreme Void Sacrificial Rite Marvelous Method!
"This links to the Heaven of Non-existence. Circulate your power and silently recite it three times, and you can reenter to attempt breaking the tribulations anew."
"Yet every foray into the Heaven of Non-existence, success or failure alike, drains a portion of your merit and luck. It takes time to recover."
At the thought, Lu Yang's expression grew solemn.
He then spread his palm. Two streams of divine ability radiance rose from it.
Lord of Arms and Warfare!
Stubborn Gold Duke!
The two innate divine abilities orbited around Lu Yang. But as his mind stirred, a third stream of divine ability radiance abruptly manifested on his body!
It was a pink glow. The moment it appeared, a bewitching fragrance wafted out, tempting one to sink into indulgence, mind and soul ensnared. Under its illumination, even the Lord of Arms and Warfare and Stubborn Gold Duke quivered, on the verge of slipping from his control.
This was unmistakably another divine ability!
'It really granted one. So this is the reward for successfully breaking the tribulation? And it varies subtly based on one's performance in doing so.'
The divine ability he had obtained was called Marrow of a Hundred Flowers.
'Per the feedback from the Heaven of Non-existence, this is the highest tier. Clearly because my resolve was unshakeable—a feat beyond ordinary folk.'
The next tier down was Immovable Heart.
The lowest was White Bone Contemplation.
'Three divine abilities, matched to three ways of breaking the array. The supreme path is mine, then comes guarding one's heart and spirit, and the basest is slaughter without restraint.'
The more Lu Yang comprehended it, the more profound his感慨 grew.
'The system is rigorous, truly bearing the marks of a fruition position. Were all the world's cultivators to enter the Heaven of Non-existence and brave its trials, this fruition would likely manifest in truth!'
'However...'
In the next instant, he narrowed his eyes.
'What role does the Innate Perfected Being truly play in all this? Did he really stake his life to forge this fruition from nothing?'
Leave the Heaven of Non-existence for posterity? Lu Yang didn't buy it!
As a Perfected Being of the Primal Saint Sect, Lu Yang never hesitated to judge others from the darkest angle. He refused to believe the Innate Perfected Being harbored any good intentions!
'In the end, everyone who enters the Heaven of Non-existence breaks its tribulations in the guise of the "Innate Perfected Being."'
If so, who exactly achieved the breakthrough through the five tribulations to True Lord status—the "Innate Perfected Being," or the one borrowing his name and identity?
The mere thought sent chills down the spine.
'Leaving aside whether I even can break them, even if I could, I must halt at the fourth tribulation. The fifth is not to be attempted—doing so would spell near-certain doom.'
Of course, that was not a concern for now.
Lu Yang regained his composure and ceased dwelling on it. The benefits of the Heaven of Non-existence were undeniable. For the present, following its path in cultivation would bring tremendous gains.
For it held yet another boon.
'This Marrow of a Hundred Flowers... it doesn't occupy one of my divine ability slots!'
By rights, a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being could possess but one natal divine ability and four innate ones. Every slot was precious.
Yet the divine abilities granted by the Heaven of Non-existence were different. At their core, they were illusory. When summoned, they solidified for use; when dismissed, they dissolved into nothingness. Were it not for their genuine might, Lu Yang might have deemed them illusory!
'This approach resembles the wonder of Upholding the Dharma.'
Though not identical.
'Under Upholding the Dharma's wonder, I can foresee and prepare my next divine ability, easing realm breakthroughs. But Marrow of a Hundred Flowers offers no such aid.'
Under normal circumstances, an extra innate divine ability marked a qualitative leap for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Yet the Heaven of Non-existence's gifts were truly just that—extra divine abilities. They bolstered combat prowess but offered no true advancement in realm or stature.
'A limitation of the Heaven of Non-existence's incompleteness.'
'Or deliberate on the Innate Perfected Being's part?'
Lu Yang mulled it over, leaning toward the latter. A Foundation Establishment cultivator with five divine abilities but lacking the matching stature would be easier prey, after all.
At the realization, Lu Yang's main body in Jiangnan stirred with intent.
A pristine new Ten Thousand Spirits Banner promptly materialized in his palm.
He had summoned it via the Book of a Hundred Lives. Its karma thoroughly cleansed, it could no longer draw in Dao sins.
"Still, its essence should remain unchanged."
"Just what is this so-called Heaven of Non-existence? Even before the Innate Dao Sin awakened it, it must have resided within the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner—I simply never noticed..."
The thought set Lu Yang's mind ablaze.
"If it truly lies within the banner, then given time... could I not claim it for my own?"
The Innate Perfected Being had used it to prove the Heaven of Non-existence from nothing.
And what of him?
Should his cultivation and realm suffice, perhaps he too could prove forth a fruition this way!