Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

With that thought, Lü Yang departed, leaving only his Sword Dao Avatar sitting cross-legged in his place.

Under Progenitor Tingyou’s arrangement, his true consciousness was withdrawn from the avatar and descended into the Li Hen Heaven, transforming it into his new main body.

There were no strange omens in Heaven and Earth.

This was because Lü Yang had completed the entire process within the Myriad-Soul Banner. The banner, having been cleansed by the Centome, was now without cause or effect—enough to obscure all Karma Links.

At this moment, Lü Yang had arrived Beyond the Heavens.

"Strictly speaking, this is my first time Beyond the Heavens..."

The last time he traveled to the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, he had used the Stain Sect’s supreme treasure, the Heaven-Reaching Hall. It was an official channel, a fully escorted trip, and he’d felt nothing during the entire process.

This time, however, he was being smuggled.

He had taken a narrow path forged by Fortune, and now that he had landed Beyond the Heavens, Lü Yang could finally see what this place was truly like.

It was different from the "cosmos" he had imagined.

Before his eyes was an impossibly vast and intensely blazing Sea of Light. Just being inside it sent a sharp pain through Lü Yang.

’So this is the Duality of Life and Death Profound Light...’

According to Fortune’s memories, the so-called Duality of Life and Death Profound Light was unique to the space Beyond the Heavens. It could decompose all things and return them to their primordial state.

An ordinary Foundation-Stage Cultivator falling into it would have their survival determined by the grade of their Dao Foundation. Those of the Third Grade or higher could last for about fifteen minutes, while those below it would be reduced to ash within that time. One would have to reach Foundation Establishment Perfection and refine a Blessed Land to even traverse it with difficulty. Only a Perfected Lord could cross it as if walking on solid ground.

"I took a bit of a shortcut by refining the Little Blessed Land, Li Hen Heaven."

That said, Li Hen Heaven was certainly no match for a true Blessed Land. After traveling for only a short while, Lü Yang could already feel it sustaining damage.

"Fortunately, there’s no concept of distance Beyond the Heavens."

The space Beyond the Heavens is vast, yet there is no distinction between near and far. Everything depends on whether you have "coordinates." With them, any distance can be crossed in a single step.

Without coordinates, however, what is near might as well be on the other side of the horizon.

Focusing on the coordinates provided in Fortune’s memories, Lü Yang slowly stepped forward. As his Divine Sense swept out, he was stunned by the sight within the Sea of Light.

They were... holes, one after another.

The Outer Heaven Sea of Light seemed perfect and flawless, but it was actually riddled with holes. Each one was unfathomably deep, as if it led to its own world—a Heaven and Earth.

’Is this how an Outer Realm appears from Beyond the Heavens?’

Lü Yang glanced back, and his pupils instantly constricted... because he saw the world he had just left. He saw what that Broken Place looked like from within the Sea of Light.

Describing it as a "hole" wasn’t quite accurate.

It should be called an "abyss"!

Compared to the surrounding holes, that Broken Place looked as if it had torn the Sea of Light asunder. It was unbelievably vast, like a black hole!

Its behavior was remarkably similar to a black hole. It emanated an immense gravitational pull, drawing in the nearby holes that represented the Outer Realms one by one, only to devour them... It was like a colossal beast opening its gaping maw, a truly terrifying sight to behold.

"This Broken Place..."

Lü Yang didn’t dare to look any longer. He turned, took a step, and vanished, plunging downward toward the coordinates his Divine Sense had locked onto.

......

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, carried on a gentle evening breeze.

Lü Yang opened his eyes. No longer perceiving with his Divine Sense, he let his body dissolve, transforming from his human shape back into the Li Hen Heaven, which came to hang high in the center of the Cloud Sea.

"Another look back, and it’s a different world..."

Lü Yang immediately activated Puppet. As expected, just like in the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, he could still sense the presence of his Sword Dao Avatar.

In fact, with but a thought, he could have his main body enter the Myriad-Soul Banner, which could then use the Heavenly Qian Totalizing All Manifestations Dharma Body to travel to his Sword Dao Avatar and instantly return to that Broken Place. However, he would never make such a decision until he had grown much stronger.

’If I have even the slightest urge to go back, it must be someone trying to lure me!’

Lü Yang surveyed his surroundings. Unlike his experience in the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, he felt no hostility or pressure from this particular Outer Realm.

This was all thanks to Fortune.

Back when he was still a Perfected Lord, Fortune had exerted considerable influence over this Outer Realm, shaping it so it would not reject outsiders.

"Strictly speaking, this Outer Realm hasn’t congealed a Fruit Position yet. It can’t compare to the Ten Thousand Martial Realm and is, in theory, probably like Summon’s Primordial Realm Heaven."

At most, it has a Fruit Position Prototype.

In a Great Realm Heaven like the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, where a true Fruit Position had appeared, it would have been difficult for Fortune to exert significant influence, even as a Perfected Lord.

But a Fruit Position Prototype is a different matter.

Summon’s primordial world once managed to congeal a Fruit Position Prototype. But what happened? It was crushed with ease by a Perfected Lord, and only Summon managed to escape.

"It’s actually very difficult for a Fruit Position Prototype to evolve into a full Fruit Position."

Supplemented by Fortune’s memories, Lü Yang now realized that many of his previous ideas had been flawed.

"For instance, the idea of having the Progenitor attain the Fruit Position Prototype within the Myriad-Soul Banner... that’s actually impossible. Since it’s not a true Fruit Position, it cannot support a Perfected Lord."

Then why was the Primal Daoist able to succeed?

"Because of the Fruit of Long-Flow Water!"

"The Fruit of Long-Flow Water embodies the concept of vast infinity. The Primal Daoist used a Daoist Remnant to channel its power for thousands of years, taking all of its vastness to supplement his own cultivation."

"In short, he used the Power of Fruit Position from the Fruit of Long-Flow Water to catalyze the Fruit Position Prototype within the Myriad-Soul Banner, drastically accelerating its congealment. That’s how No Heaven came to be. This required an immense amount of planning over a long time—conditions the Progenitor never had. Not to mention..."

Lü Yang suspected that Heaven and Earth had a hand in this as well!

After all, the Primal Daoist’s actions were, in essence, taking from the surplus of Heaven and Earth to compensate for his own deficiencies. Without the support of Heaven and Earth, how could he possibly have succeeded?

And in terms of the outcome, Heaven and Earth were also beneficiaries.

With all the Perfected Lords in seclusion, no longer watching over the world, Heaven and Earth had room to maneuver. The appearance of No Heaven was an enormous advantage for it!

Thinking of this, Lü Yang couldn’t help but curse again:

"What a Broken Place..."

Gathering his thoughts, Lü Yang looked up at the sky to see four full moons. They occupied the four cardinal directions, sealing the entire Outer Realm.

This was a Grand Ward.

It was called the Seven Luminaries Array for World Stabilization and Truth Preservation, a Third Grade array on the level of a Perfected Lord. Fortune had left it behind after discovering this realm years ago.

Its purpose was to prevent this realm from being pulled toward that Broken Place.

The external manifestation of the Array’s power was the suns and moons. By day, three suns crossed the sky; by night, four moons hung high, their light combining into that of the Seven Luminaries.

"This is a new Outer Realm, after all. It’s best to be cautious..."

Lü Yang was extremely cautious. He couldn’t help it. After being screwed over so many times in the Broken Place, his instincts screamed at him to be careful, even in this new Outer Realm.

Lü Yang already had a plan for how to grow stronger in this Outer Realm.

’A Fruit Position Prototype can’t support a Perfected Lord. This is probably one reason why Fortune never permanently relocated here. After all, if you escape to this place and never go back, your path to advancement is cut off unless you wait for this Outer Realm to evolve completely on its own. Becoming a Perfected Lord would be impossible.’

That said, Lü Yang was different from Fortune.

’The Fruit Position is actually secondary. For me, reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection will be enough of a success.’

Because of Progenitor Tingyou!

Because of Yama Hall’s Fake Golden Position Method!

’Even if I can’t become a Perfected Lord, as long as I can gather nine bodies at Foundation Establishment Perfection and use the Fake Golden Position, the effect will be almost the same. At the very least, it will be more than enough to go back and steamroll the opposition!’