Chapter 403: The Secret of Heaven and Earth
After hearing the operational principles of the [Yama Palace], Lü Yang's mood could be described as half joy and half worry.
The joy came from the fact that he indeed possessed a Metal Essence—the Golden Nature of Great Fortune! With this Metal Essence, he could completely use the [Yama Palace] to falsely hold a Golden Seat.
The worry was that he only had one Metal Essence.
'And this is only because Hong Yun was a True Lord in life, making the nature of his Metal Essence superior.'
'If it were Metal Essence condensed from Foundation Establishment Perfection, it would require a full nine strands to meet the standard for activating the [Yama Palace] and falsely holding a Golden Seat.'
This was why nine Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators were needed.
'In other words, I only have one chance to falsely hold a Golden Seat, lasting roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, according to Ancestor Nether Whisper's deduction. There's no hope of confronting a True Lord.'
But it would certainly be enough to bully weaker opponents.
Beyond this, the [Yama Palace] had another ingenious use.
"It can assist in seeking the Golden Core."
At this point, Ancestor Nether Whisper explained: "Great power cannot arise from nothing, and the [Yama Palace] is no exception. In the end, it still relies on Fruit Positions."
"Simply put, whichever Fruit Position the Metal Essence hosting the [Yama Palace] points to, the [Yama Palace] will eventually attach itself to that Fruit Position, borrowing its power. Over time, as the Fruit Position becomes familiar with you, it naturally aids you in truly attaining that Fruit Position."
Take Ancestor Nether Whisper, for example.
Had he successfully assembled the [Yama Palace] back then, it would have linked to the [Wall Soil], effectively becoming a miniature [Wall Soil].
'No wonder the Sword Pavilion's [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] annihilated the Witch Ghost Path with a single sword strike.'
After all, this was equivalent to having one's own Fruit Position's power stolen out of thin air—half of a Fruit Position being divided away. No one could tolerate that.
Thinking this, Lü Yang's expression gradually grew intriguing.
'So, if I use the Golden Nature of Great Fortune to activate the [Yama Palace], it would attach to the [Overturned Lamp Flame]? That would be quite interesting.'
After all, as everyone knew, whose exclusive domain was the [Overturned Lamp Flame]?
[Ang Xiao]!
'If I could harness the power of the [Overturned Lamp Flame], would there be a chance to reverse the Chen Earth again, directly breaking [Ang Xiao]'s Five Elements Perfection?'
Just imagining [Ang Xiao]'s expression at that moment made Lü Yang tremble with excitement.
He couldn't wait!
As for the shortcomings of the [Yama Palace], Lü Yang had also thought of a short-term solution to the Metal Essence problem:
'If I recall correctly, the Sword Pavilion's [True Lord of Bearing Heaven's True Virtue] should be nearing the end of his lifespan and will soon reincarnate.'
If he could seize the opportunity, he could replicate his previous feat—slaying a True Lord in reverse!
Then, wouldn't he have another Metal Essence?
"...Let's go."
With this thought, Lü Yang hesitated no longer. He stood up directly and gazed toward the distant horizon. After more than a decade away from home, it was about time to return!
That said, Lü Yang had no intention of using the Myriad Spirits Banner to teleport directly to his Sword Dao Avatar. After all, the Sword Dao Avatar was under close surveillance by Heaven and Earth. If his main body traveled through it, he would immediately be detected, which would be too conspicuous—unbefitting Lü Yang's nature.
"This time, I'll take the official route!"
Entering the realm from the Outer Light Sea!
This way, he could disguise himself as an Outer Heaven cultivator, avoiding direct targeting by Heaven and Earth. In a sense, he might even be welcomed by Heaven and Earth.
'This time, I'm going all out!'
Since he could only falsely hold a Golden Seat once, it had to be used where it mattered most. If he didn't maximize his gains in one go, all the suffering he'd endured would be for nothing!
"Boom!"
The moment this thought formed, Lü Yang transformed into a streak of heavenly radiance, arriving outside the Seven Luminaries Heaven in the blink of an eye. Then, he formed hand seals and unfurled the Myriad Spirits Banner.
Instantly, the Seven Luminaries Heaven, which had appeared as a hollow void seated in the Outer Light Sea, began to change. Like an unrolled scroll being slowly rolled back up, the void symbolizing the boundary of the heavens disappeared, replaced by endless [Profound Light of Yin-Yang Creation and Destruction] that swiftly filled the space.
"Huu—"
Lü Yang exhaled deeply as the boundless [Profound Light of Yin-Yang Creation and Destruction] fell upon him, producing only crisp crackling sounds like raindrops hitting banana leaves.
Though it still inflicted damage, it was negligible.
Behind Lü Yang's head, five halos formed from his Divine Abilities constructed an invisible barrier, dissolving all the [Profound Light of Yin-Yang Creation and Destruction] into nothingness.
"The pinnacle of Yin-Yang..."
Lü Yang reached out, plucking a strand of [Profound Light of Yin-Yang Creation and Destruction]. With a sweep of his Divine Sense and the activation of his [Exquisite Heart], he quickly discerned the essence of this phenomenon.
The Profound Light was merely its appearance.
At its core, this was the result of the collision between Yin and Yang Qi. While such collisions were pure destructive force, they also concealed a sliver of vitality.
'Every fraction of a second, it collides.'
'In the vast majority of cases, these collisions only produce the [Profound Light of Yin-Yang Creation and Destruction]. Yet, with infinite repetitions, exceptions inevitably occur.'
'These exceptions are the Heavens!'
The Supreme Ultimate gives rise to Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols; the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams; the Eight Trigrams determine the universe... The various Heavens in the Outer Light Sea were born from this process!
At this realization, Lü Yang's gaze flickered.
'If this is the secret behind the birth of Heavens... then what about Dao Lords of the Nascent Soul realm?'
To his knowledge, Nascent Soul Dao Lords could also create Heavens. Did they use the same method? Were there secrets only Dao Lords could grasp?
The path to the Golden Core held no more mysteries for Lü Yang.
Though it might be as difficult as ascending to heaven, there was still a path to follow.
Only Dao Lords remained—to this day, he hadn't truly unraveled their profundities. He didn't even know how Dao Lords cultivated or how they achieved breakthroughs.
Yet this didn't dishearten Lü Yang.
Instead, it fueled his fighting spirit:
"Someday...!"
Even as he sighed, Lü Yang's movements didn't slow. As light and shadow flickered before his eyes, an abyss soon came into view.
"No matter how many times I see it, it feels exaggerated..."
An enormous chasm nearly tearing apart the Outer Light Sea—this was the appearance of that 'damned place,' like a gaping maw ready to devour anyone who approached.
But this time, Lü Yang's feelings were entirely different.
Heaven and Earth Immortals, Buddhist disciple Guang Ming.
It's time to settle old scores!
With this thought, Lü Yang flicked his sleeves, and the Divine Ability halos behind him suddenly expanded. Like a thunderbolt, he plunged into the abyss without hesitation!
The moment one enters a Heaven, their Divine Sense is shattered.
Under such circumstances, few can perceive the true appearance of the Heaven.
But Lü Yang was no longer the same as before. With his [Exquisite Heart] active and his Dharma Eye piercing through illusions, he could see things ordinary people couldn't.
"This is..."
In that instant, Lü Yang's pupils constricted sharply.
In that fleeting glimpse, he clearly saw the true form of this world, which appeared as an "abyss" in the Outer Light Sea.
'Jiangdong, Jiangnan, Jiangbei, Jiangxi, Overseas... Damn it, these aren't just five regions.'
"They're five Heavens!"
Lü Yang saw clearly—five colossal Heavens colliding and merging, forming the majestic spectacle of an "abyss" in the Outer Light Sea!