Chapter 380: I’ll Be Back!
Chapter 380: I Will Definitely Return!
Three months later.
Inside the Sword Pavilion's secluded cultivation chamber.
When Lü Yang withdrew his gaze from the [No Killing Sword] before him and regained his composure, an indescribable enlightenment had taken root in his heart.
"I never expected [Mandating Destiny and Upholding Precepts] to have such marvelous applications."
This was the profound mystery of the Scripture of Sensing the Mysterious Spirit's Response. To accelerate his comprehension of [sword intent], Lü Yang had mandated himself a destiny as an [Innate Sword Seed].
The effect was remarkably good.
The precept required to uphold the [Innate Sword Seed] destiny was called [Weapon Abstinence]—as the name suggested, from now on he could only use swords in combat.
Using any other weapon would immediately break the precept.
Under the enhancement of this mandated destiny, his progress in comprehending [sword intent] advanced by leaps and bounds. He had now unmistakably taken the most crucial first step.
"Buzz!"
Without moving or employing any divine sense or magic power, the [No Killing Sword] before Lü Yang nevertheless trembled. A cold gleam illuminated the chamber as the blade abruptly unsheathed itself by half an inch—responding to Lü Yang's [Sword Heart] and symbolizing his attainment in the Sword Dao.
'Consider this entering the hall of mastery.'
Lü Yang nodded in satisfaction. The day he could make the [No Killing Sword] fully unsheathe itself would be the day he qualified to condense his [sword intent].
This was a long road ahead.
'The sword is the path of utmost sincerity—better to take directly than seek through crooked means. It requires the nourishment of experience and emotion to gradually sprout, blossom, and bear fruit.'
The more intense the emotion, the easier it was to catalyze [sword intent].
'In other words, most sword cultivators are obsessive individuals... Only with fixations in their hearts and the great emotions born from such fixations can one walk far on the Sword Dao.'
True Person Dangmo was a prime example—so righteous it was frightening.
His so-called [No Killing] principle was utterly incompatible with this world, yet he could adhere to it unwaveringly, demonstrating just how deeply rooted this fixation was.
The next moment, Lü Yang's thoughts suddenly stirred.
Within the Myriad Spirits Banner, Ancestor Nether Whisper sent a message: Preparations for refining the [Minor Paradise] were complete. All that remained was for Lü Yang to personally oversee the refinement.
Though the [Minor Paradise] had significantly lowered many rigid requirements, cultivation realm remained key. Without late-stage Foundation Establishment, the task was impossible. As Ancestor Nether Whisper was still at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, he could only assist in comprehending and organizing the methods—the final execution had to be done by Lü Yang himself.
"Ho!"
As his consciousness drifted into the Myriad Spirits Banner, Lü Yang was greeted by a scene of bustling activity. Countless banner spirits were laboring under Ancestor Nether Whisper's direction, each assigned specific tasks.
Leading them was none other than Long Yue, Cult Master of the Myriad Poison Sect.
This late-stage Foundation Establishment banner spirit had now completely become Lü Yang's workhorse, her face brimming with loyalty as she toiled tirelessly for him.
She was also Lü Yang's trump card for venturing beyond this realm. His sword path avatar certainly couldn't accompany him—on one hand because this avatar was too deeply entangled with the Sword Pavilion, and bringing it beyond might allow others to trace back to him; on the other hand, it also served as an anchor point.
After all, Lü Yang would ultimately return.
Under these circumstances, Long Yue, as a late-stage Foundation Establishment Grand True Person, was undoubtedly the ideal protector—whether scouting paths, stepping on traps, or serving as cannon fodder.
"Ancestor?"
Approaching Ancestor Nether Whisper, Lü Yang saw the ancestor holding a thin sheet of paper, scribbling and sketching on it. His eyes immediately brightened at the sight.
"Is this the result of your comprehension?"
"Correct."
Ancestor Nether Whisper nodded, then shook his head when he noticed Lü Yang still examining the paper in his hand. "Ah, this is for my reference."
With that, he produced a thick jade slip and shoved it into Lü Yang's arms. "This is your specialized manual. Study it thoroughly and follow the steps precisely when the time comes. A single misstep could ruin the entire [Minor Paradise] refinement."
Lü Yang fell silent.
A sweep with his divine sense revealed that compared to the single sheet in the ancestor's hand, the contents of this jade slip could fill a million-word book!
Yet correspondingly, the details were exhaustive to the extreme.
Lü Yang didn't even need to understand—he only had to memorize it. Though voluminous, this posed no difficulty for him.
This demonstrated just how hard his talent had been working during this period.
"All preparations are complete."
Soon, under Ancestor Nether Whisper's direction, the project within the Myriad Spirits Banner neared completion. At the center, a golden silkworm had already transformed into a cocoon.
Lü Yang stepped forward and began channeling his magic power.
In the next instant, he felt as though submerged in vast depths—every movement labored while simultaneously separated from heaven and earth by an immense gulf.
Titanic forces pressed in from all directions.
A thought arose spontaneously:
'Expand it!'
Lü Yang exhaled deeply, mustering all his magic power. His Sword Heart advanced unflinchingly as his form swelled to its limits—head supporting the sky, feet planted on earth, body stretched to its fullest.
"Boom!"
With a deafening crash, he forcibly expanded a space using sheer magic power. Directly above, a white fissure appeared, from which torrents of spiritual energy poured forth like a bursting flood, voraciously devoured by this nascent realm.
Spiritual energy became the Primordial Unity.
From one came two, from two came three, from three came all things... In moments, what was once empty now held rivers, lakes, and towering mountain ranges.
The next moment, Lü Yang returned to the external world.
Looking again, he saw the cocoon formed by the [Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Gilded Silkworm] had split open. A golden light transformed into a butterfly, revealing a luminous silhouette.
A mustard seed's radiance containing Mount Sumeru's vastness.
Focusing his divine sense, he could clearly discern the mountains, rivers, and landscapes he had just created! It was like a miniature cosmos!
'No, calling it a cosmos is too grandiose.'
'In essence, it's merely a space—incapable of nurturing life and unworthy of being called a cosmos. But given my cultivation, this is already the limit.'
With a thought, Lü Yang returned to the [Minor Paradise].
As its creator, he held absolute authority over the [Minor Paradise]. A sweep of his divine sense revealed every minute change within.
More importantly, it had another marvelous function.
"Whoosh!"
As Lü Yang willed it, the newly formed [Minor Paradise] began transforming before his eyes. Golden light gradually outlined a humanoid form.
Clouds and winds condensed into breath, thunder gave voice, sun and moon became pupils, the four poles and five sacred mountains turned into limbs and torso, rivers flowed as blood, earth solidified into sinews, soil bulged as muscle, while metals, stones, and vegetation transformed into skin and hair—finally revealing a handsome face.
'Physical body reconstruction!'
Lü Yang examined his new hands. This form possessed no cultivation base, only the innate rank of the [Minor Paradise] and the raw strength derived therefrom.
"Hong Yun... I truly underestimated him!"
Self-sufficient and unbound by heaven and earth, transforming the [Minor Paradise] into a physical body before journeying to other realms made it nearly impossible for the heavens to trace him back.
It seemed every consideration Lü Yang could make had already been accounted for in Hong Yun's original design. This escape plan was virtually flawless—its sole drawback being the exorbitant cost. After five thousand years of misfortune, dying repeatedly, Hong Yun had never accumulated enough materials for the refinement.
Lü Yang faced the same predicament.
Without the [Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Gilded Silkworm]—a rare treasure cultivated by the Myriad Poison Sect over countless years—as its core, he too would have been unable to complete the refinement.
Now that the [Minor Paradise] was complete, Lü Yang hesitated no longer.
'From this day forth, this shall be my original body! As for its name... I shall call you [Sky of Separation]—leaving this wretched place, both vivid and fitting...'
Lü Yang took a deep breath and began activating the technique.
'The sword path avatar will remain in the Sword Pavilion to observe the world's trends. It need not accomplish much—survive as long as possible and gather intelligence for me.'
With this thought, Lü Yang cast one last glance around.
Since his Foundation Establishment, this lifetime had likely been his most wretched—forced to flee far from home, with the path ahead still shrouded in obscurity.
Guang Ming the Buddhist disciple, the celestial spirits of heaven and earth.
'Just you wait...'
Lü Yang withdrew his gaze, swallowing his myriad emotions as his expression settled into impassive stillness.
I will definitely return!