Chapter 496
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Pinnacle of the Tenth Life
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With his Foundation Establishment perfected, Lu Yang had once again reached the peak of his tenth life's journey.
‘That said, I'm still a bit short.’
Perfected Foundation Establishment required refining one's golden nature, ascending to a blessed land, and only then seeking golden ascension to claim a position and forge a cavern heaven. The most critical elements were the golden nature and the blessed land.
‘The blessed land is no concern for me. The [Xuan Capital Blessed Land] is already attuned to my mind and spirit. As long as I refine it with a divine ability and merge it into my Dao foundation, it'll be ready. By comparison, the golden nature is far more troublesome. I have to slowly extract it from my soul with a divine ability—it's no quick task.’
Of course, there were shortcuts.
One could use a first-rank official position from the Dao Court to refine it. But after careful deliberation, Lu Yang still felt it was safer to refine the golden nature himself.
‘Besides, this won't delay things on the [Heaven of Non-Existence] front.’
Lu Yang's thoughts shifted, and his divine sense sank into the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner at once. There sat Patriarch Tingyou, four divine abilities swirling and rotating around him.
‘[Marrow of a Hundred Flowers], [Sea of Pouring Sorrow], [Ferry of Delusion], [Song of Everlasting Sorrow]!’
Lu Yang could see them clearly. These were the divine abilities corresponding to the [Heaven of Non-Existence]. In just half a year, Patriarch Tingyou had successfully gathered them all.
At that thought, Lu Yang's expression turned peculiar.
‘[Marrow of a Hundred Flowers]... What stamina the patriarch has.’
It might have seemed like Lu Yang had acquired the [Marrow of a Hundred Flowers] without much effort back then, but that was only because he had a cheat—he'd endured the Heavenly Maidens Grand Array purely on talent.
Yet his method of clearing it was utterly unique, impossible for ordinary people. The proper way was to find flaws in the array amid the entangling heavenly maidens and break it through skillful maneuvering. Lu Yang's approach, by contrast, involved zero skill. It was all raw stats.
Just then, Patriarch Tingyou opened his eyes and said softly:
‘The time has come?’
Over a month ago, he had already refined the four divine abilities of the [Heaven of Non-Existence]. He'd simply chosen to wait because Lu Yang hadn't broken through yet.
Now that Lu Yang had, everything was in place.
The next instant, Lu Yang cupped his hands in a bow.
‘I must trouble you, Patriarch.’
‘No, it is I who should thank you.’
Patriarch Tingyou shook his head. True, proving the [Heaven of Non-Existence] would make him an enemy of every True Lord in the world, bringing endless calamity. But so what?
He would be a True Lord, after all!
This forsaken place hadn't produced a True Lord in many years. A single True Lord position was enough to drive countless Foundation Establishment cultivators mad. Who wouldn't crave it?
Patriarch Tingyou was especially eager. He considered his own talent decent enough, but what did that matter against a True Lord? A single sword strike from millions of li away had left him utterly powerless. No one felt the gulf between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment more keenly than he did—and that made him cherish the True Lord position all the more, and understand its true worth.
The deeper his understanding, the greater his gratitude toward Lu Yang.
‘Don't let your guard down, Patriarch. This venture isn't without risks,’ Lu Yang said gravely.
‘If nothing goes wrong on my end, Chongguang—that old thief—will show up too.’
‘Chongguang?’
Patriarch Tingyou blinked.
‘You made a deal with him, didn't you? Fair enough. You're both Primal Saint Sect True Persons. I'd hardly trust him either if I were you.’
Breaking promises was standard fare for Primal Saint Sect True Persons.
Moreover, Lu Yang knew Chongguang all too well. He understood the man's principles. Even cornered with no way out, Chongguang would never place all his hopes on an outsider.
‘He'll go after the [Heaven of Non-Existence] for sure!’
‘Not necessarily because he truly wants to prove it. It's to give himself a fallback, in case I renege on our deal and turn on him in the end.’
And that concern was entirely justified.
After all, Lu Yang had struck a deal for the [Covered Lamp Fire] with [Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord] before. One item, sold twice—who got screwed didn't matter to him.
With that in mind, Lu Yang quickly added his warning.
‘In any case, while you're proving the [Heaven of Non-Existence] this time, that old thief Chongguang is likely to secretly compete with you for it.’
‘Don't take it lightly.’
In the end, no matter who proved the [Heaven of Non-Existence], Lu Yang wouldn't lose out. Still, he had his preferences. Chongguang had refused to enter the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner, so he wasn't as close as Patriarch Tingyou. A prime position like this was better off in family hands.
‘Rest assured, I understand.’
With Lu Yang's reminder, Patriarch Tingyou nodded.
‘The [Heaven of Non-Existence] is key to your plans. I'll give it everything I've got. No one will take it from me.’
‘Respectfully seeing you off, Patriarch.’
Under Lu Yang's watchful gaze, Patriarch Tingyou smiled and nodded. Then his four divine abilities lifted his consciousness, plunging into the [Heaven of Non-Existence] with a boom!
Layer upon layer of cloud seas. Illusions overlapping in endless folds.
Patriarch Tingyou's consciousness resided within, strolling at leisure as he observed his surroundings with keen interest. He had never actually entered the [Heaven of Non-Existence] before.
As the banner spirit, however, he could share the banner master's experiences if Lu Yang cooperated. That counted as indirect entry. He'd seen Innate True Person Mu Changsheng reduced to a mere consciousness. Otherwise, in his previous life, he never could have replicated Mu Changsheng's consciousness-separation technique out of thin air.
Of course, indirect and direct were hardly the same.
Viewing indirectly always left foggy patches. Directly, everything was crystal clear.
‘To be fair, that kid Lu Yang... well, mostly because he's diligent enough to reach this point. Plenty of things he sees, he doesn't truly comprehend.’
At the thought, Patriarch Tingyou couldn't help but smile.
But he soon reined in his stray thoughts, coming to a halt amid the cloud seas. His gaze shifted—and there, from the opposite side of the clouds, stepped another figure.
The newcomer had an unremarkable face. Only the soaring sharpness between his brows betrayed his identity.
Seeing the man, Patriarch Tingyou sighed inwardly.
‘That kid guessed right after all.’
He promptly cupped his hands and called out loudly:
‘Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chongguang.’
On the other side, Chongguang frowned at the words.
‘And who might you be, Fellow Daoist? To reach this stage... you should have some renown in the world.’
‘Just a nameless nobody.’
Patriarch Tingyou waved it off.
‘If anything, it's you I'm curious about, Fellow Daoist. With the [Covered Lamp Fire] within reach, why come here seeking other positions?’
The words hit home, and Chongguang understood at once.
‘The senior who can impersonate the [Covered Lamp Fire]? No... one of that senior's subordinates? What a bold move. A whole position—outer dao or not, it's still a True Lord seat. And that senior just hands it over?’
Yet the more he thought about it, the warier Chongguang grew.
Such a lavish gesture—and very likely from a Primal Saint Sect senior. Would he really impersonate the [Covered Lamp Fire] and pave Chongguang's path to Golden Core?
Chongguang didn't buy it!
But if not... did that mean competing with this Patriarch Tingyou for the [Heaven of Non-Existence]? Wouldn't that mean offending the mysterious senior behind him?
If he won, fine.
But if he lost? He'd lose both wife and troops. No [Heaven of Non-Existence], no [Covered Lamp Fire], and his path to immortality severed!
At the thought, Chongguang—most unusually—found himself hesitating.
A True Lord position was at stake. He had no choice but to tread carefully.
But just then, ripples stirred in the cloud seas once more. The next instant, a white-haired elder with a venerable face strolled out from the clouds.
It was none other than Innate True Person Mu Changsheng!
This time, however, Mu Changsheng ignored Chongguang entirely. His attention fixed on Patriarch Tingyou first, his eyes brimming with bewilderment.
Only then, with evident uncertainty, did he speak cautiously:
‘A banner spirit?’