Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Another Perfected

The Outer Realm… To be precise, the Realm was no more. All that remained was a Marvel that had completely merged with Heaven and Earth, manifesting a landscape of mountains and rivers.

The Insect Hive!

Above this mountain cave, a mass of golden auspicious clouds roiled and surged. From time to time, thunderous booms echoed from it, and within the clouds, the glimmering forms of True Dragons could be faintly seen.

As it inhaled and exhaled the Qi of Heaven and Earth, the auspicious cloud continued to expand.

Only after expanding to over a thousand li in diameter did the auspicious cloud finally cease its movement. It hung high in the heavens, exuding an aura of untroubled, flawless Perfection.

This was the Imperial Dragonrise Dao Foundation!

The auspicious cloud blanketing a thousand li was merely the Dao Foundation’s external manifestation. The true Dao Foundation, along with Lü Yang himself, was located within the vast Foundation Establishment Realm.

’What a Foundation Establishment Realm…’

The difference between having achieved Foundation Establishment and not was as vast as heaven and earth. Before his breakthrough, he had been sure of his success, cutting down Qi Refiners like weeds.

In the eyes of Qin Tianhe and the others, he had already seemed no different from a Foundation-Stage Cultivator.

But now that he had truly stepped into this Realm, the change in his thoughts and senses was still world-altering.

BOOM!

Lü Yang blinked, and for a moment, it seemed as if lightning flashed in his eyes. In the next instant, a real clap of thunder erupted from the area enveloped by the auspicious cloud in his line of sight!

This was what it meant to move Heaven and Earth with a single thought!

It didn’t even require him to expend much Mana. It was like picking up a brush to paint on paper—a casual act. What effort could it possibly take?

Upon stepping into Foundation Establishment, Lü Yang was struck by a sudden enlightenment, instantly understanding many things.

This included the various secrets of the Foundation Establishment Realm; parts he had once found incomprehensible were now perfectly clear.

As he looked around the Foundation Establishment Realm, however, his brow furrowed slightly. ’No wonder Foundation-Stage Cultivators live for three hundred years. This place is no Blessed Land…’

All Qi Refiners desperately coveted the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Yet, upon truly entering it, Lü Yang discovered this was no Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. On the contrary, it was a perilous domain of a kind rarely seen in the world!

’When forging the Dao Foundation, thousands of Heart Demons come to interfere…’

At first, Lü Yang had assumed that once his Dao Foundation was forged, these intangible Heart Demons would vanish into thin air. In reality, that was not the case at all.

’The name “Heart Demon” is actually just a misnomer.’

Only after truly reaching Foundation Establishment could one see through the guise of the Heart Demons and perceive their true nature… They were a wind, a great wind that blew ceaselessly year-round within the Foundation Establishment Realm.

’They call this the Weakening Wind…’

This wind was insidious. It blew in through the crown of the head, pierced the Dantian, struck the nine orifices, and eroded the Soul. A single pass, blowing in and out just once, was enough to shatter a person’s Soul completely!

Only a Dao Foundation could mitigate the harm from this Weakening Wind. This was why, for a Cultivator breaking through to Foundation Establishment, there was still a chance of survival if they failed the first step, Ascension.

But if they failed the second step—forging the Dao Foundation—death was certain. Without a Dao Foundation to anchor it, the Soul was utterly defenseless against the Weakening Wind!

To have previously seen them as Heart Demons was to be blind to the bigger picture.

What was even more terrifying, however, was that even after forging a Dao Foundation, its protection merely reduced the harm from the Weakening Wind; it didn’t grant complete immunity.

Over a long period, the Soul would still be worn down.

And that time limit was three hundred years!

’A Foundation-Stage Cultivator’s lifespan is three hundred years not because their natural life is only that long, but because after three hundred years, their Soul can no longer withstand the erosion of the Weakening Wind!’

’That’s why after three hundred years, they must reincarnate.’

’After reincarnating, they use the mysterious power of the cycle to mend the damage the Weakening Wind inflicted on their Soul.

Only then can they re-enter the Foundation Establishment Realm and enjoy another three hundred years of life.’

This was an unsolvable problem.

Without entering the Foundation Establishment Realm, one’s lifespan was at most 150 years. But upon entering it, under the constant erosion of the Weakening Wind, one’s life was still capped at three hundred years.

Under such conditions, it was easy to imagine that the number of Foundation-Stage Cultivators could never be too large.

However, as long as the world’s great Immortal Sects maintained their lineages and had a massive base of Qi Refining Disciples to draw from, their numbers wouldn’t be too small either, likely holding steady at a certain level.

Not to mention, Foundation-Stage Cultivators could also reincarnate and start over.

’It’s almost like a deliberate, calculated system of control…?!”

A terrifying thought—one that grew more frightening the more he pondered it—suddenly surfaced in Lü Yang’s mind, but he instantly suppressed it. ’Don’t overthink it. Don’t dig deeper.’ Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

With that, Lü Yang quickly shifted his focus:

’Speaking of which, now that I’ve reached Foundation Establishment, I’m practically zero-built again.’

Before Foundation Establishment, he had his Legendary Techniques, the Blood Sun Sword Pill, and the Myriad-Soul Banner; he was completely decked out.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, however, the situation had changed dramatically.

First, the Blood Sun Sword Pill had been destroyed when he unleashed the Demonic Tribulation Light. But even if he still had it, it would be useless to him now.

After all, with his Dao Foundation unfurled, its auspicious clouds stretched for a thousand mile. Compared to that, the Blood Sun Sword Pill was negligible.

Although the Myriad-Soul Banner still had some use, it wasn’t much.

After all, Guardian Su Nu was at the Foundation Establishment level. Even if her usefulness to him now was greatly diminished, she could still serve as a shield.

As for his Legendary Techniques, it wasn’t that they were useless.

It was just that, compared to the advantage they provided him during Qi Refining, Legendary Techniques were standard-issue for Foundation-Stage Cultivators. They were no longer anything special and could hardly give him an edge over others.

’No rush. I’ll take it slow. There are still a few opportunities waiting for me.’

Lü Yang’s mind raced, and he quickly remembered the Celestial Secret Treasure in the hands of the Yun Family’s Ancestor. The Ancestor had even used it to elude the perception of a Perfected Lord!

’A Supreme Treasure like that should be mine. I can’t let it be covered in dust!’

Reining in his thoughts, Lü Yang turned his Divine Sense to the outside world. The thousand-mile auspicious cloud gradually converged, its form dissolving as it was drawn into his mouth and nose.

When he looked around again, Lü Yang found himself suspended in the sky. Behind him was the Stain Sect’s Sea of Clouds, where World Purger Fei Xue’s Dharma Body stretched across heaven and earth. Opposite him stood the Perfected Lords of the Pure Land and the Dao Court. At that moment, the gazes of all three Perfected Lords fell upon him almost simultaneously!

The next second, a voice sounded in Lü Yang’s ear.

“Congratulations, young friend. From this day forward, there is one more Perfected Person in the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

“Young friend, your youth and talent are a rarity in this world. It is a shame you are so deep in the Demon Dao—a true waste of your abilities. If you were to join our Dao Court, you could at least receive an official position…”

An official position in the Dao Court was equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The Dao Court cultivated the Heaven’s Mandate Dao, where one’s official position was their stage. The twelve officials each of whom governed a great continent were paragons among Foundation-Stage Cultivators.

One could assume that such a position was at least at the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment. A position closer to the heart of the Dao Court might even be held by a Great Perfected at the Late-phase of Foundation Establishment!

Before Lü Yang could respond, another voice drifted over:

“Amitabha. Benefactor, your cultivation of the Imperial Dragonrise Dao Foundation shows you have an affinity with our Pure Land. If you are willing to convert, you will surely attain the rank of Bodhisattva in the future…”

’A Bodhisattva? A Perfected Lord!?’

Lü Yang’s pupils contracted. In the Pure Land, a Bodhisattva was the equivalent of a Perfected Lord. ’Are they promising me a chance to become a Perfected Lord just for joining the Pure Land?’

For a moment, Lü Yang was genuinely tempted.

Nevertheless, he unhesitatingly adopted an expression of unwavering loyalty, turning a deaf ear to the two Perfected Lords’ offers.

In the next instant, a vast spiritual power descended from above, blowing away the voices in his ear. He looked up to see World Purger Fei Xue smiling at him.

“You performed well in this Battle for the Dao. You are worthy of being a disciple of our Stain Sect.”

“…My Lord, you flatter me.”

Lü Yang bowed respectfully, then glanced over at the two distant Perfected Lords from the Pure Land and the Dao Court. He realized that from start to finish, neither of them had actually spoken aloud.

’A moment ago… was it really them trying to recruit me?’

Recalling the Stain Sect’s usual way of doing things, Lü Yang had every reason to be suspicious. ’Damn it all, don’t tell me that goddamn Stain Sect Lord was just baiting me?’

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