Chapter 965 - 960: Our Battle Will Transcend Time and Space!

Chapter 965: Chapter 960: Our Battle Will Transcend Time and Space!

The Dao of Arcane Body had been re-established. Although it was already fragmented and couldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as its Peak period, its impact on the Void Sea of Light remained unimaginably massive.

Lü Yang stood in the Sea of Suffering, hands clasped behind his back, facing the wind. His gaze reached straight to the Other Shore, completely ignoring the complex stares from the Star Palace Great True Monarch, World Purger Fei Xue, and Taiyin Immortal Venerable beside him.

Only at this moment did Lü Yang finally bring out the Overlord-level Dao Weapon he had previously obtained from the Star Palace—the Sheji Master. Emerging alongside it was the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder. However, after receiving the blessing of the Tribulation, the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder had undergone an earth-shattering transformation, ascending into an Emperor Fruit!

He thought, "The profound mysteries themselves have not changed, but the level of the Fruit has. Things that were previously impossible due to an insufficient Fruit grade can now be achieved."

For example, Fruit simulation. Previously, although he could simulate other Fruits by altering phenomena, the Emperor Fruit was the sole exception where he couldn’t fully replicate all of its profound mysteries. However, things were different now.

Lü Yang gently plucked at the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder. The Fruit, wrapped in brilliant golden lightning, suddenly shifted its radiance, transforming into a fiery light of a Supreme Venerable—the Fruit of Celestial Fire!

Familiar profound mysteries welled up in his heart, indistinguishable from the authentic Engraving Laws. It yielded to his commands as effortlessly as moving his own limbs. He then reached out and gently swept his hand over it again.

The next second, the fiery light collapsed and dissipated into nothingness. Taking its place was a terrifying imagery of unparalleled sharpness, accompanied by endless scenes flickering around it. It was the Fruit of Blade-Edge Metal! Lü Yang possessed the related True Monarch Level Dao Practice, so his simulation of it right now was equally indistinguishable from the genuine article.

Immediately after, Lü Yang changed his Daoist Hand Seal again. This time, the Gold Qi dissipated, and endless, thick, multicolored lights emerged. Layer upon layer, stacking like bricks and tiles, they transformed into a towering Fruit—the Fruit of Rampart Earth!

Whether in its profound mysteries, Qi trace, or Position, it was no different from the Time Shifting Device. Whatever the authentic Fruit of Rampart Earth could do, this simulation could do as well. This included the Fruit Arcana!

Seeing this, a hint of a satisfied smile finally appeared on Lü Yang’s face, though it quickly turned to regret. He thought, "What a pity. I can’t take this with me when I restart."

The current Emperor Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder was entirely built upon the blessing of the Tribulation. Right now, he had merely gained the Tribulation’s favor; he was not a Lord of the Great Dao. The Tribulation did not belong to him. Therefore, even if he chose to carry over his Cultivation after a restart, he would only be able to bring back the Ordinary Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder. In addition, the same applied to the Overlord-level Dao Weapon. This item was an external tool specifically forged for him by the Star Palace in this lifetime, making it a consumable. Furthermore, since he had chosen his Cultivation, it was impossible to also choose this item.

He thought, "These are all things that can only be encountered by chance, not sought out."

Lü Yang sighed inwardly but quickly regained his composure. He would worry about his next lifetime when it arrived. For this lifetime, the grand endeavor he planned to accomplish hadn’t even begun yet!

At this thought, the Emperor Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder and the Overlord-level Dao Weapon, the Sheji Master, instantly merged. The three main rings of the Sheji Master securely clamped around the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder, rotating slowly. They placed the Fruit right in the center, surrounding it with countless Array Patterns.

The Ascension Ceremony!

The Sheji Master’s function was equivalent to this. As the three rings revolved, the Fruit of Rampart Earth simulated by the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder rapidly underwent a mutation. Originally, the Fruit of Rampart Earth projected a multicolored Dharma Light. However, at this moment, the multicolored light was actually drawn inward, fusing into one. Finally, it abruptly burst forth with a blazing white radiance of flawless purity!

Once upon a time, this was the Causality Dharma Light that only Bhagavat had displayed! The multicolored lights blended together, transforming into blazing white.

He thought, "Back then, Bhagavat must have completed the Ascension Ceremony for the Fruit of Rampart Earth. That was how he achieved the largest-scale Change Cause and Effect in history."

Now, he had achieved it too!

Although he had used an Overlord-level Dao Weapon to take a shortcut, facts spoke louder than words. As long as the result met his requirements, the process was nothing but a trivial detail.

At the same time, the Tribulation seemed to sense the grand endeavor Lü Yang was about to undertake. It grew even more intimately connected to him, channeling an endless stream of Mighty Power his way. If the Thousand-year Tribulation was a play directed by the Masters of Dao, then at this very moment, Lü Yang was undoubtedly standing center stage. Within this Tribulation, within this play, he was the sole protagonist! Ang Xiao? Just a supporting character!

Furthermore, as his Dharma Body advanced to Great Perfected Lord, the sections of the Skill of Perfect Vitality concerning the Late Stage of Golden Core from the past had officially unlocked for him. What deeply interested Lü Yang was that the Skill of Perfect Vitality actually contained records from when Si Chou had yet to become a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord. Regarding the classification of the Late Stage of Golden Core—the Great Perfected Lord tier—Si Chou had provided an entirely different answer than Ang Xiao’s:

"In my view, the Late Stage of Golden Core consists of merely four steps.

"The first is called Entering the Dao. One commands the innate Great Dao, harnesses it to unleash profound mysteries, and holds a Position to ascend Lingxiao. Cultivation to this point means one has truly stepped into the domain of mastery.

"The second is called Harmonization. The Dao and the body merge, forming a self-contained cycle. One no longer borrows the Great Dao; instead, it is truly transformed into one’s own underlying foundation.

"The third is called Immortal Bridge. At this step, one has already caught a glimpse of a higher realm, only to find an uncrossable, surging river ahead. The only way forward is to build a bridge and attempt the crossing.

"The fourth is called Heaven-Stepping! Reaching this step is like treading on thin ice. One stands at the threshold of transcending the mortal world, which is likely the apex of the Current World..."

Lü Yang comprehended it for a moment and immediately understood. He thought, "Entering the Dao roughly corresponds to the Ordinary Great Perfected Lord in Ang Xiao’s classification. Harmonization is the High-level Great True Monarch, Immortal Bridge is the Peak, and Heaven-Stepping is the Extreme... Si Chou’s standards were truly high. He directly deleted the Newcomer tier!"

This probably reflected Si Chou’s arrogance. Perhaps in his eyes, a Newcomer to the Late Stage of Golden Core, like True Monarch Gangxing, couldn’t be called a Great Perfected Lord at all, which was why he didn’t even mention it.

At this thought, Lü Yang didn’t forget to inwardly criticize Ang Xiao. He thought, "Just look at Si Chou’s classification.

"Entering the Dao, Harmonization, Immortal Bridge, and Heaven-Stepping sound so much better than Ang Xiao’s set of High Grade and Peak. The Modern Immortal Pivot is far too utilitarian. They don’t care if the names sound pleasant, only if the terminology is intuitive. It’s embarrassing to even say them out loud. How can they compare to the charm of Ancient Times?"

Only then did Lü Yang snap back to reality. Gathering his thoughts, he withdrew his gaze from the Other Shore and instead lowered his eyes, looking down at the mortal realm of the Current World.

"You..." Taiyin Immortal Venerable tried to speak.

However, this time, before she could finish, a heavenly chasm materialized out of thin air beneath her feet. It instantly split the realms in two, isolating her on the outside. It was the Heaven-Spinning Sun-Revolving Dao Fruit!

"Count yourselves lucky." Only then did Lü Yang speak in a tranquil tone, "For the grand play that is about to unfold, seniors, you get to sit in the best audience seats and enjoy the show..."

Before he could finish speaking, Heaven and Earth suddenly went dark!

Above the Sea of Suffering, the silhouette belonging to the Other Shore abruptly faded and completely vanished, as if it had suffered some massive blow.

In stark contrast, the figure Lü Yang had once glimpsed—the one positioned high on the Other Shore, appearing incredibly tiny due to its sheer overwhelming power—moved. He drifted down from the Other Shore and stepped into the Sea of Suffering. With his robes fluttering in the wind, he arrived in front of Lü Yang and pointed a finger at him!

Had the Saint Sect Ancestral Master descended to the mortal realm!?

He thought, "No! It’s too weak!

"It hasn’t reached the level of a Master of Dao by a long shot. It can kill me, but I wouldn’t be entirely powerless to resist."

Lü Yang’s pupils contracted sharply, but he didn’t panic. He analyzed, "He didn’t descend to the mortal realm. It’s just an Intention stirring the Spiritual Qi, crashing down with the crushing weight of the Other Shore’s Position..."

It was similar to the Heaven-Crashing Technique that Progenitor Tingyou had cast back in the day.

Lü Yang coldly stared at the figure before him. It had no face and no gender characteristics—only a single finger that continually magnified and grew clearer before his eyes.

He thought, "Has the current me finally provoked your Killing intent?"

At this moment, Lü Yang’s emotions paradoxically returned to complete calm. He even recalled the experience of being crushed to death by a single finger from the Master of Heaven Mending Peak back when he was merely in Qi Refining. The state of mind from back then surfaced once more. Lü Yang suddenly cracked a light smile, which quickly evolved into unrestrained, wild laughter.

"...Ha!"

"Why?" he thought. "Why should you be able to crush me to death with a casual point of your finger? Am I destined to be a ’Sect Slave’ while you remain eternally supreme?

"A Constant?

"Bullshit!

"The Masters of Dao sat high atop the mountain peak, looking down on the world below, watching the Lower Cultivators in the mortal realm slaughter each other. Such days... should not continue any longer."

"Fellow Daoists, seniors..."

Facing the ever-approaching finger and its terrifying pressure that nearly ground his mind to a halt, Lü Yang slowly raised his right hand above his head and clenched it into a tight fist.

At this moment, through the Quanghai live broadcast of the Dao of Arcane Body, all living beings could see Lü Yang. They saw the utterly fearless smile on his face even in the face of certain death. Immediately following that, a voice brimming with fighting spirit spread throughout the Sea of Suffering via the Dao of Arcane Body, echoing across the entire Void Sea of Light:

"Go to the mountain peak!!!"

He thought, "Even if we can’t do it today, I invite you to walk alongside me. Someday in the future, we will cast off the oppression weighing on us and scale the mountain peak!

"If you can’t go up... then I will drag him down!"

As his words fell, Lü Yang finally shifted his gaze, looking head-on at the finger that had already landed on his glabella. His lips moved slightly, releasing a soft murmur.

"Let’s play a game of karmic links hide-and-seek."

This was the greatest boast in the last hundred thousand years, yet the tone in which it was spoken was incredibly relaxed. "Let’s see if you catch me first, or if I drag you down first."

He thought, "Our contest will span across time and space!"

The next second, under the watchful eyes of the masses, and in the very split second before that finger could crush him to death, Lü Yang’s figure abruptly vanished from his spot.