Chapter 837 - 832: The Secret of the Profound Spirit Realm
Lü Yang suddenly opened his eyes.
What met his eyes was a scene of utter devastation. The dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had even condensed into Spirit Water, falling drop by drop from the sky and carrying a refreshing fragrance.
Three inches above his fingertips, the [Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder] floated quietly. Its Position quality hadn’t changed; however, Lü Yang could clearly sense that this Outer Dao Fruit Position was now thoroughly embedded into the Profound Spirit Realm. With a single thought, he could exert a massive influence on the realm.
"A Fruit Position Profound Mysterious sublimation?"
This thought subconsciously surfaced in Lü Yang’s mind. Indeed, from his perspective, the current state between him and the Profound Spirit Realm was akin to a Fruit Position Profound Mysterious sublimation. It was just on a slightly smaller scale.
A true Fruit Position Profound Mysterious sublimation could spread and influence the entire Void Sea of Light through the Immortal Pivot’s special location, thereby achieving a qualitative transformation. However, the current situation was limited strictly to the Profound Spirit Realm.
"Of course, there is still an effect... At the very least, within the Profound Spirit Realm, a local Outer Dao True Monarch might actually be able to go toe-to-toe with an Orthodox True Monarch."
"SWISH..."
Lü Yang shook his sleeves, storing the [Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder] into his Spiritual Space. It ultimately transformed into a golden Dao mark that adorned the center of his brow, faintly emitting a five-colored radiance.
The next second, he suddenly looked up, only to see the mountains and rivers beneath his feet and the sun and moon above his head shift instantly. A young man in luxurious robes abruptly stepped out in front of him. Wearing an Emperor’s Crown, his gaze was grave, and nine brilliant halos hovered behind his head. He stared straight at Lü Yang.
"Who are you?"
The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm wore a cold expression and spoke in a gloomy tone. "I’ve never heard of an Immortal like you in the Celestial Court. Are you an outsider?"
"You misunderstand, Daoist." Lü Yang waved his hand. "I ascended from the Lower Realm. Having encountered a stroke of serendipity, I sought out a treasured land in the Celestial Realm and attained a second Supreme Venerable Position."
"...What?"
The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm was stunned. It took him a good while to react, his face revealing shock and suspicion. "You mean... you achieved a Void Certificate for a Fruit Position?"
Hearing this, Lü Yang raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. He had been preparing to explain it in detail, but to his astonishment, this Outer Dao bumpkin actually knew about the Void Certificate? That didn’t seem quite right. Given the Outer Dao’s level of Knowledge, they shouldn’t know this term.
Despite this, his expression remained perfectly calm. Instead, he smiled.
"A Void Certificate? That is not an inaccurate description. I did indeed attain it out of absolute nothingness. Since we are now fellow Daoists, I hope you will offer your guidance in the future."
With that, Lü Yang cupped his hands in greeting.
The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm only grew more puzzled upon hearing this. Rousing his focus to the absolute limit, he scrutinized Lü Yang carefully, his brows immediately furrowing.
"Am I really this unlucky?" he thought. "A Void Certificate... How the hell could a country bumpkin from the Lower Realm possess the peerless Talent Skill of the Void Certificate? It doesn’t seem likely. At a glance, this guy’s aura screams stupidity..."
However, one’s Realm did not lie. No matter how suspicious he was, Lü Yang was standing right in front of him, radiating a True Monarch Position that even he found unfathomable. If it had been an ordinary outsider, he would have dared to attack directly. However, for some unknown reason, the other party had used some method to gain the favor of the Profound Spirit Realm just like him, directly neutralizing his home-field advantage.
"I might not be able to win... What should I do?" he worried.
The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm rolled his eyes and quickly came up with an idea. Since he couldn’t win, he just had to find a way to send the man away—and as it happened, he had a channel to do exactly that.
Thinking of this, a smile instantly surfaced on his face.
"Daoist, having attained a Void Certificate for a Fruit Position and newly ascended to become a Supreme Venerable, your aptitude is something I’ve rarely seen in my life. Why don’t you come back to the Celestial Court with me so we can have a proper discussion on the Dao?"
"Then... I shall respectfully obey."
Highly skilled and therefore bold, Lü Yang naturally wasn’t afraid of an Outer Dao True Monarch. Besides, after he killed Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva in the future, he still needed this guy to take the blame.
The two immediately rode their Flying Light.
During the journey, Lü Yang finally got to properly examine the Profound Spirit Realm... In truth, he had always been curious about this Outer Dao Realm Heaven. Especially after learning about the Dao of Arcane Body.
"Logically speaking, with the collapse of the Dao of Arcane Body, the lifespans of Cultivators all over the world should have plummeted. Even a True Monarch’s limit is merely a thousand years, making it difficult for them to live eternally in the world.
"However, the Profound Spirit Realm is different. Although Cultivators in the Profound Spirit Realm also have lifespan limits, as far as I know, they live much longer than normal Cultivators. The five grades of Immortal Positions—Heaven, Earth, Human, God, and Ghost—each have their own duties. Even the weakest Ghost Immortal has a lifespan of a thousand years. This is clearly highly abnormal."
Now that Lü Yang’s Cultivation was higher, things were different. Many judgments he made back when he was merely a Foundation-Stage Cultivator revealed countless flaws when re-examined through the perspective of a Perfected Lord.
Lifespan, for instance.
"Initially, I thought the reason Foundation-Stage Cultivators had such short lifespans was because the Fruit Position suppressed the [Sea of Suffering], giving birth to the Three Disasters that weakened the Cultivator’s Soul.
"Looking back now, while that’s still the cause, it’s fundamentally a bit different... If there were no Three Disasters, the lifespan of a Foundation-Stage Cultivator and a Perfected Lord should actually be the same: both living a grand span of a thousand years. It’s just that later on, the maximum lifespan of Foundation-Stage Cultivators was artificially reduced."
The reason was simple:
"If every Foundation-Stage Cultivator could steadily live for a thousand years without needing to reincarnate, without needing to cultivate anew, and without having their Soul washed away by the Netherworld...
"How many more Foundation Establishment Perfection experts would there be?
"With more Foundation Establishment Perfection experts, as long as they still desired Seeking Gold, they would inevitably clash with those Perfected Lords who were forced to reincarnate after falling from their Fruit Positions due to reaching the end of their lifespans.
"That is exactly why the Three Disasters were created—to increase the cultivation difficulty for Foundation-Stage Cultivators, reduce the number of Foundation Establishment Perfection experts, and minimize the number of competitors as much as possible."
Thinking of this, Lü Yang once again surveyed the Profound Spirit Realm.
"In the Immortal Pivot, a thousand years is the ultimate lifespan limit. However, in this place, a thousand years is merely the starting point, yet there are no anomalies of time dilation."
Back in the [Human World], he had encountered an Outer Realm that casually spanned tens of thousands of years. But that was because there was a strong temporal displacement anomaly surrounding it—ten thousand years inside the Outer Realm was just one year on the outside. Since the two times were integrated, it was still barely understandable.
However, the Profound Spirit Realm was different.
"There’s no temporal displacement. The flow of time in the Profound Spirit Realm is perfectly identical to the Immortal Pivot. This is truly bizarre! How could a mere Outer Dao achieve such a feat?"
Lü Yang grew increasingly curious.
Soon, after passing through layers of Cloud Sea, he arrived in front of a majestic palace. What met his eyes was a brilliant expanse of sun and moonlight, flanked by a myriad of stars.
"Please, Daoist!"
The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm raised his hand first and then pushed open the grand palace doors. Lü Yang followed closely behind. Immediately after, he heard a muffled THUD from behind him.
The palace doors slammed shut.
Seeing this, a half-smile played on Lü Yang’s lips. What, was this Outer Dao bumpkin planning to trick him into an Array and suddenly turn hostile?
The next second, the Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm turned around, his face still adorned with a radiant smile. Although his past reincarnations made him act like an absolute fool, that was only because the Immortal Pivot was far too insidious, not because he was truly incompetent. Now, his mind was perfectly clear; he had no intention of making a move.
"Forgive the poor display, Daoist."
The Supreme Venerable of the Profound Spirit Realm smiled faintly. Then, he uttered a name that left Lü Yang slightly surprised: "May I ask if you have ever heard of the Star Palace, Daoist?"