Chapter 378 : Escaping Is Shameful, But Useful

Chapter 378: Escaping Is Shameful, But Useful

In the secluded chamber on the Ultimate Heaven Cliff.

Lü Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, with the 【Non-Killing Sword】 of Daoist Dangmo placed in front of him, his mind fully immersed in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

There, within his Sea of Consciousness, a beam of golden light shimmered brilliantly.

The Golden Fortune Nature!

This Golden Nature had its essence drained by the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】, leaving only an outer shell. Yet, even in such a state, it still imposed considerable pressure on Lü Yang.

In the next moment, Lü Yang opened the panel.

This time, with no interference from the heavens and earth, he earnestly and thoroughly reviewed the life of fortune derived from the 【Book of a Hundred Lifetimes】.

Only after a long time did he open his eyes.

"…Damn!"

He couldn’t help but curse.

Only now did Lü Yang realize just how ignorant he had been, sitting on a treasure mountain without knowing it, using the Golden Fortune Nature merely to disguise his identity.

As someone blessed by the heavens with immense fortune, Fortune's lifetime was filled with countless opportunities and explored numerous secret realms and dangerous lands. That alone, the experience of discerning and locating treasures in these secret realms and determining whether they had owners, was incredibly valuable.

And this was just a peripheral benefit.

Lü Yang spent a full three days using his divine sense to sort through and archive Fortune’s memories, finally categorizing them into three major sections.

‘First is cultivation and knowledge!’

‘As a True Person of 【Overturning Lamp Flame】, Fortune had thorough mastery over the corresponding Heavenly Stems and Earthly Fiends. His cultivation was truly at the peak.’

【Jia Wood】, 【Yi Wood】.

【Chen Earth】, 【Si Fire】.

The four Heavenly Stems and Earthly Fiends, their yin-yang attributes, internal transformations, and combinations—all this was recorded in Fortune’s memory, a veritable sea of knowledge!

‘If I patiently integrate and thoroughly comprehend this over hundreds of years, I might even seek out 【Overturning Lamp Flame】 using this knowledge. Even if I can’t, pursuing other positions linked to these four attributes will surely be twice the result for half the effort!’

Such wealth would make every Foundation Establishment cultivator green with envy.

Not to mention, it included those two secret techniques he previously encountered, 『True Explanation of Observing Heaven and Earth Within the Void』 and 『Upper Hao Golden Lamp and Jade Light』—both complete and intact!

The latter's sensing of 【Overturning Lamp Flame】 was secondary.

What truly mattered to Lü Yang was the former. It was a method to create a blessed cave paradise, highly useful for Foundation Establishment cultivators!

‘Didn’t expect that the secret techniques I once traded away would come back into my hands…’

That’s fate at work!

Moreover, the versions traded away were flawed copies laced with hidden dangers by Fortune, while what he now possessed were flawless, danger-free versions.

“Hmm? What’s this?”

Suddenly, Lü Yang's heart stirred as he looked at a page in the 『True Explanation of Observing Heaven and Earth Within the Void』. On it was recorded a secret art deduced by Fortune.

“【Minor Paradise】?”

Lü Yang carefully studied it, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

As the name implied, a 【Minor Paradise】 was a prototype of a true blessed land. Not only could it be nurtured into one, but more importantly, its requirements were extremely low.

It didn’t require peak Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators could forge it!

‘Though it can’t enhance cultivation like a true blessed land, it can serve to avoid disasters. Once hidden within, even immortals would struggle to find me!’

This was crucial.

‘As long as I can refine a 【Minor Paradise】, I can hide inside to escape the detection of heaven and earth, without fearing being hunted down again!’

‘Additionally, the 【Minor Paradise】 can be used to avoid the 【Five Decays of Heaven and Man】, greatly increasing the chance of achieving peak Foundation Establishment—what a marvelous technique!’

Its only flaw was the need for a large number of spiritual materials.

‘But I just obtained the Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Gilded Silkworm from the Myriad Poisons Sect—it’s perfect as a core material and can significantly cut down on the rest of the cost.’

With this in mind, Lü Yang immediately prioritized refining the 【Minor Paradise】.

Only then did he continue delving into Fortune’s memories.

‘Besides cultivation and knowledge, the next is the secrets of heaven and earth!’

Seeing this, Lü Yang grit his teeth again: ‘No wonder Fortune eventually chose to betray heaven and earth—he got benefits during the millennium tribulation but didn’t share them back.’

Heaven and earth never support you for free!

It’s like an investment—after raising you with great effort, they naturally expect a hefty return to recoup the cost. Otherwise, it’s a wasted investment.

‘The reason heaven and earth supported Fortune to become a True Person was purely for the sake of 【Overturning Lamp Flame】. As their chosen one, the longer Fortune held the position, the more subtly influenced 【Overturning Lamp Flame】 became, gradually falling under the control of heaven and earth.’

‘But doing so crossed the taboo of the Dao Masters!’

‘Fortune realized this and chose betrayal. With four Dao Masters suppressing heaven and earth, following them led nowhere.’

True Persons of the Saint Sect had always been clear in matters of right and wrong.

They only followed the victors.

‘Moreover, after Fortune became a True Person, heaven and earth stopped supporting him. With his millennium lifespan nearing its end, that’s when he decided to betray them.’

Mid-stage Golden Core, undying cave-heaven.

To reach that stage, one must continually strengthen their cave-heaven and plunder external resources—something that directly opposed the original intent of heaven and earth.

If they had continued supporting him and allowed a glimpse of a higher realm, instead of forcing a restart after a thousand years, maybe Fortune wouldn’t have betrayed them. But if you treat someone like a dog and cut their wages, who the hell would want to keep working for you?

Lü Yang found this pattern of heaven and earth all too familiar.

‘Isn’t this just throwing money to capture the market and flipping the table once monopolized…?’

If he had seen this earlier, he would have been wary of heaven and earth and wouldn’t have realized too late that the World Honored One had his eyes on him…

But the past couldn’t be changed.

Lü Yang steadied his mind and looked at the third section—this was the part he valued most.

‘Five thousand years… Fortune truly didn’t live in vain!’

Indeed, over five thousand years, Fortune died and died again, leading a miserable life.

But he had realized the problem.

Even a pig could notice such a steep drop in fortune compared to the first half of his life.

In fact, Fortune foresaw this before he even lost his position and betrayed heaven and earth.

And he left behind a contingency plan.

『Ritual Manual for Cultivating the Dao at the Altar』!

This was a Grade Two true cultivation technique, personally derived and recorded by Fortune.

But that wasn’t the most important part—the key was that the coordinates of the realm it corresponded to had never been recorded. Fortune discovered it independently and only he knew of it!

He had also modified that realm to ensure it wouldn’t drift close to this world and be detected like the 【Mystic Spirit Realm】.

‘This… was Fortune’s final escape route!’

‘He arranged it all in the technique—one could reincarnate into that realm through it.’

‘If he truly couldn’t reclaim his position as a True Person, he’d settle for second-best—flee to that realm, establish himself as its ruler, and then strike back… Sadly, although he left many plans and preparations, his luck was just too bad. None of them ever saw use in this life or the last…’

After sorting through these memories, Lü Yang's impression of Fortune changed dramatically.

On reflection, his current predicament mirrored Fortune’s. Both were being targeted by heaven and earth, and both faced a formidable enemy.

‘I was worrying about what to do next—but now I don’t need to think anymore.’

Fortune had already laid the groundwork. He simply hadn’t had time to act on it.

But that didn’t matter. Lü Yang could implement it, bringing the Golden Fortune Nature along and giving Fortune a sense of participation.

‘I see it clearly now—this damned place has no real sanctuary. Even heaven and the Dao Masters join in the game, bombing the pond. Dreaming of growing stronger here is pure fantasy.’

To break free, he had to jump out.

To a real pond!

‘Escaping is shameful—but useful!’

With the thought of fleeing, the heavens seemed to open wide before him. Lü Yang suddenly felt his once-confused path brighten once again.

That’s right—head beyond the heavens!

Screw the Buddha Child, screw the Immortal Spirits—he wasn’t serving any of them!

He would first become a True Person in the outer world—and then come back to settle the scores one by one!