Above the Foundation Establishment Realm lay the boundless Sea of Suffering.

The moment Lü Yang walked out of the Star-picking Tower, a phantom figure appeared within the boundless Sea of Suffering, an ocean so vast it seemed to contain all of existence.

’Lü Yang...’

The phantom figure gradually solidified, revealing itself to be Progenitor Tingyou. His gaze was tinged with worry as he looked toward the Current World, as if trying to peer through the Sea of Suffering.

But the next second—

"BOOM!"

Several rays of Splendid Light, transformed from Fruit Position Profound Mysterious, swept over and instantly engulfed Progenitor Tingyou. Yet, when the light dissipated, he remained completely unharmed.

"Damn that Fruit of Illusion and Reality!"

In the Sea of Suffering, a handsome, sword-wielding youth emerged. His eyes were filled with killing intent as he stared at Progenitor Tingyou, but beneath that murderous gaze lay a deeply hidden apprehension. It was none other than True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde; he had been the first to attack Progenitor Tingyou just now.

This wasn’t the first time.

In fact, they had been hunting Progenitor Tingyou for a full thirty years, but every single time, he had used the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven to escape.

The Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven was not good for attacking, nor was it good for defending.

However, it was unparalleled when it came to "hiding." And under the enhancement of Progenitor Tingyou’s world-shocking wisdom, he had pushed the characteristics of his Fruit to their absolute limit.

At the very least, cultivators in the Early Stage of Golden Core and Middle Stage of Golden Core couldn’t do anything to him in a one-on-one fight. Only ganging up on him was effective. As for the only two Late Stage of Golden Core experts in the world today, Ang Xiao was trapped in the Netherworld and couldn’t act, while True Monarch Gangxing was not in good condition and was unwilling to intervene.

And so, he had actually managed to cling to life until now.

"What, Daoist, are you worried about that Demon Dragon?"

"Speaking of which, Jia You, you were practically driven mad with rage when you first ascended. To think that after all this time, a mere Demon Dragon can now be Seeking Gold."

"And it’s Seeking the Fruit of Celestial Fire, no less."

"What in the world happened in the Current World? Was the Dao Court usurped?"

As the Perfected Lords conversed, they had already set up a Grand Ward, trapping Progenitor Tingyou firmly in the center. Seeing that he had no way out, they finally showed signs of relaxation.

"Today, even if you don’t die, you’ll be crippled!"

"No rush. As long as we can heavily injure Tingyou this time and slightly loosen the seal of the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven, we can break through the obstruction and observe the Current World."

Surrounded by the Perfected Lords, Progenitor Tingyou’s expression was calm. He simply pushed the profound mysteries of the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven to their limit, completely hiding himself within nothingness.

’I revealed myself on purpose this time, drawing all these Perfected Lords to me.’

’Especially those four from the Dao Court. With them here and their Fruits entangled by me, it will be difficult for them to lend their power to the Current World. This should give Lü Yang a better chance.’

At this thought, Progenitor Tingyou became even more resolute.

’I hope that boy doesn’t push himself too hard. There will always be other chances... I will fight to create one for him!’

........

Above the Star-picking Tower, Lü Yang suddenly felt something. He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the Foundation Establishment Realm to the vast, boundless Sea of Suffering above.

’...Progenitor?’

Lü Yang’s gaze was like lightning. The brief connection had already been severed, but he understood: his Progenitor was above the Sea of Suffering, perhaps also locked in a fierce battle.

Everything was for the sake of him Seeking Gold!

Lü Yang raised an eyebrow and glanced around. As far as his eyes could see, the Immortal Dao Law appeared on its own without him even needing to release his Qi trace, expanding his authority.

His foundation was even more profound than Hongtian’s.

After all, Hongtian was merely the State Preceptor of the Immortal Court, not its foremost figure. But at this moment, with no Perfected Lords or the Master of Dao making an appearance, he, Lü Yang, was the sole sovereign across the Five Domains of the World!

The next second, Lü Yang formed a hand seal before his chest and uttered with a Thunder Sound:

"The Profound City’s apex is nigh, the Forbidden Domain stretches from on high!"

The Profound City Blessed Land!

In an instant, Lü Yang opened the Celestial Gate above his head, summoning the myriad sights from within the Profound City Blessed Land. Pavilions, palaces, and ten thousand halls materialized one by one!

Compared to Hongtian, he didn’t even need to manifest his Abilities one by one. He kneaded them all into a single mass, gathering them in his palm as a brilliant light that seemed to contain ten thousand Daos. Then it erupted, merging with the Gold Attribute, elevating the Profound Mysterious, and ascending the Blessed Land. In a single step, he crashed into the Foundation Establishment Realm!

The whole process was astonishingly fast!

Back when Hongtian was Seeking Gold, he had to manifest his Abilities step-by-step to form a staircase, afraid of wasting any of his Gold Attribute Mana. Lü Yang, however, did not.

"BOOM!"

With a tremendous roar, a magnificent golden light flared up under Lü Yang’s feet, forming a Golden Bridge that extended from his position directly into the Fruit of Celestial Fire!

A smooth path to ascend to Heaven, created in a single stride!

Lü Yang’s burst of power was too sudden, with no build-up whatsoever. By the time the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the world could react, he had already set foot upon the Golden Bridge.

Wherever the Golden Bridge passed, the Foundation Establishment Realm trembled. Lü Yang’s figure shone with ultimate brilliance, surrounded by the cycling sun and moon. All the Fortune of the world gathered upon him in that moment. The sheer scale of it was so immense that it transcended illusion, manifesting as real phantoms of True Dragons, Vermilion Birds, Black Tortoises, White Tigers, and more.

Everything fell into place naturally.

Lü Yang strolled along the Golden Bridge as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard. He even remembered to look around and gaze down upon the world, like a traveler admiring the scenery along the way.

At the same time, the entire Foundation Establishment Realm resonated in sympathy.

The splendor of the mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, all living beings, the palaces, and the Nine Provinces and Ten Thousand Directions seemed to converge on him alone, making him appear as transcendent as an immortal ascending through apotheosis.

Meanwhile, the Fruit of Celestial Fire also reacted.

There was no reception, no grand welcome. Instead, the sun and moon seemed to fall from the sky as the Fruit of Celestial Fire, once high above, began to descend of its own accord toward Lü Yang!

Its speed was fast, extremely fast!

In just a few blinks of an eye, Lü Yang arrived before the Fruit of Celestial Fire. Without a second word, he steered his Blessed Land and crashed it straight into the Fruit.

"CLANG—!"

A tremendous tremor echoed throughout the Foundation Establishment Realm. Some Perfected Persons with weaker Cultivation who had just achieved Foundation Establishment even spat up blood, their fragile Dao Foundations trembling on the verge of collapse.

But before the Fruit of Celestial Fire, Lü Yang let out a deep sigh.

"Still too late..."

Directly in front of him, a great, invisible net had appeared, separating him from the Fruit of Celestial Fire. It was both blocking him from taking possession and descending upon the Fruit itself.

It was the Immortal Dao Law!

Looking at this Rare Treasure before him—one that had helped him so much, yet now obstructed his path at the final moment—Lü Yang couldn’t help but show a hint of disappointment on his face.

A moment ago, he had actually planned to launch a surprise attack while no one was paying attention and take possession of the Fruit directly. After all, following his discourse on the Dao with Hongtian, he had spent another ten years consolidating his progress. His Cultivation had long since reached Perfection. If he could have used this opportunity to catch the Dao Court off guard, it would have been the perfect outcome.

"...A pity."

Lü Yang reined in his emotions, the disappointment on his face quickly returning to calm. "But this is fine too. In that case, let’s just have a good fight and sever these karmic links completely!"

With that said, the gravity on Lü Yang’s face vanished.

Instead, he burst out laughing.

Amidst his laughter, he took another step forward. The Golden Bridge beneath his feet gathered its myriad phenomena, converging them all into a single mass that smashed violently against the great net!

"This thing! I’ve been wanting to smash it for a long time!"

A butterfly caught in a spider’s web, even if it luckily escapes with its life, leaves the web behind, completely unharmed and ready to hunt a second time.

This left his will obstructed.

He would tear it to shreds!

The next second, Lü Yang wielded the Tribulation Wave. Empowered by his Unyielding Sword Intent, his Sword Qi pierced through to the Current World, churning the Thirty-six Layers of Gang Cloud and releasing a rumbling Thunder Sound:

"KILL—!!!"