Within the Seven Luminaries Heaven, a mass of Illusionary Colors hung high in the sky. Splendid light crisscrossed within it, unleashing peals of Thunder Sound as it constantly devoured and expelled the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth.

"What on earth is going on?"

Even now, Yan Taizu and the Capital City God still hadn’t recovered from Lü Yang’s heaven-opening sword strike. They couldn’t help but exchange a glance.

However, as time passed, the mass of Illusionary Colors gradually collapsed inward. It finally took the form of a tall, handsome young man, who stood quietly in the air with his hands clasped behind his back. A halo of white-jade Splendid Light behind his head seemed to articulate the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth, making him appear all the more solemn and sacred.

Lü Yang said nothing, his eyes slightly closed.

The surging, tempestuous Mana within him, enough to shake an Outer Realm, was almost intoxicating. At the same time, an indescribable sense of disbelief arose in his heart:

’It actually wasn’t a trap...!’

Unbelievably smooth!

To be honest, he wouldn’t have been surprised if a giant hand had seized and instantly refined him the moment he broke through to Foundation Establishment Perfection.

And yet, everything had turned out fine.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang shook his head. ’As I thought, all my previous misfortunes were purely because of that broken place. It wasn’t my fault...’

If he hadn’t decisively chosen to flee, how difficult would it have been to reach Foundation Establishment Perfection?

To say nothing of anything else, just the four streams of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches would have tormented him endlessly. He’d probably still be stuck in the Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment, let alone have his current accomplishments.

’But my success is likely impossible to replicate...’

Lü Yang knew perfectly well that if one could reach Foundation Establishment Perfection simply by escaping that broken place and cultivating Beyond the Heavens, then no one would have remained there.

Ultimately, it was because he had inherited Fortune’s arrangements. Whether it was the Seven Luminaries Array for World Stabilization and Truth Preservation or the Seven Luminaries Heaven itself, they were all trump cards left behind by Fortune. Lü Yang’s success was largely due to him taking the escape route that Fortune had originally prepared for himself.

’Fortune, Fortune... you truly are my good fortune!’

’The best decision I’ve made in this life was probably overthrowing my superior and cutting down the newly reincarnated Fortune. That was the seed of my entire fortune!’

Even the most pathetic Perfected Lord is still a Perfected Lord.

Even the casual arrangements of a Perfected Lord were enough to bring immense benefits to any Cultivator beneath that level... Lü Yang once again understood this profound truth.

The next moment, Lü Yang lowered his head.

As his gaze fell upon them, Yan Taizu and the Capital City God snapped to their senses. A chill swept through their hearts. From the looks of it, could that outsider have won!?

For a moment, the expressions on the two Incense Fire Great Gods’ faces were incredibly grim.

Lü Yang just shook his head at the sight.

If a Saint Sect Zhenren were here, they’d have already prostrated themselves and shouted, "Congratulations, Senior!"

’Still too proud... Then again, they’re used to lording over the Seven Luminaries Heaven. They hold their heads so high they can’t bow them. It’s only natural they haven’t snapped out of it yet.’

At this thought, Lü Yang suddenly lost all interest.

"Forget it. Your hands were tied, after all. I’ll show mercy beyond the law and spare you the torment of Soul Extraction and Refining. I’ll just let your souls scatter to the winds."

As his voice fell, the round, white-jade light behind Lü Yang’s head flared.

[Heavenly Order]!

As its name implied, this Ability was a lesser version of the Seven Luminaries Heaven’s Fruit Position Prototype. Once unleashed, its suppressive effect on the Incense and Candle Divine Dao was nothing short of devastating!

The moment Lü Yang spoke, looks of terror appeared on the faces of Yan Taizu and the Capital City God. They watched in horror as their control over the Incense, once as natural as moving their own limbs, was severed in an instant. Then, their bodies began to disintegrate, and their Souls scattered with a boom before they could even scream!

The Seven Luminaries Heaven had no Netherworld.

Therefore, it had no cycle of reincarnation. After death, a Soul would immediately disintegrate on the spot, merging back into Heaven and Earth, which would then coalesce new Souls.

Of course, Lü Yang was feeling merciful and didn’t let them fall to such a fate. He instead refined them into Banner Spirits.

’I’m invincible now!’

Within the Seven Luminaries Heaven, at least.

Immediately after, Lü Yang turned his gaze to his side, where he saw Progenitor Tingyou carefully cradling a Treasure Pearl whose splendid light had dimmed.

It was the nameless Fruit Position Prototype from within the Myriad-Soul Banner.

"It’s been severely damaged."

Progenitor Tingyou explained with a frown, "It’s showing signs of necrosis. Unless it’s supplemented by a complete Fruit Position, it will be very difficult for it to recover."

Lü Yang wasn’t bothered in the slightest by this news.

’Difficult to recover? Then don’t bother recovering!’

With a single thought, Lü Yang recalled the Fruit Position Prototype into the Myriad-Soul Banner, then fed it into the [Seven Luminaries Heaven], his face filled with anticipation.

’Is there a chance?’

’If two Fruit Position Prototypes merge into one, is there a chance of it becoming a complete Fruit Position? If so, I’ll commit suicide and restart right now without a second thought!’

’After all, I get a Myriad-Soul Banner every lifetime!’

’If I can really cultivate a Fruit Position just by stacking up numbers, I’ll just restart a few more times. As long as I can nurture my very own Fruit Position, it’ll be a massive win!’

Under Lü Yang’s expectant gaze, the Myriad-Soul Banner trembled. The Fruit Position Prototype that the Seven Luminaries Heaven had failed to consume before its death was now finally eaten after being refined by Lü Yang. However, his brow soon furrowed, as the Seven Luminaries Heaven didn’t show any major changes as a result.

’Was it useless?’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

No, it wasn’t useless. Holding the Myriad-Soul Banner steady, Lü Yang could clearly feel that the Seven Luminaries Heaven’s Fruit Position Prototype had become more complete.

’It works. The problem is the quantity...’

Lü Yang made a rough calculation and couldn’t help but reveal a helpless expression. He had discovered that if he were to follow his plan and nurture the Seven Luminaries Heaven...

...he would have to restart over three hundred times!

After reaching this conclusion, Lü Yang instantly dismissed the thought. He didn’t have a "Book of Ten Thousand Lives," so where was he supposed to get over three hundred Myriad-Soul Banners?

Oh well, a little progress is still progress.

His gains this time were already immense, so Lü Yang took it in stride.

With that settled, he began to ponder another question. ’Just how strong am I right now? What level would I be at in that broken place?’

’Strictly speaking, I’m in a very unique position right now. I’m probably the only Cultivator who has trained a Second-Grade Cultivation Skill from scratch all the way to the Perfection level.’

This was Lü Yang’s assessment of himself.

He had reached the Perfection of a Second-Grade Cultivation Skill and successfully usurped the Essence of Heaven and Earth from the Seven Luminaries Heaven.

In that broken place, one would typically only begin practicing a Second-Grade Cultivation Skill after becoming a Foundation-Stage Cultivator. Thus, the Second-Grade Cultivation Skill was merely supplementary—an aid for Seeking Gold.

But Lü Yang was different.

He had made the Second-Grade Cultivation Skill his primary focus and achieved Foundation Establishment Perfection through it.

’In other words, I’m a hot commodity in that broken place right now. Using the Seven Luminaries Heaven as a stepping stone to attract the attention of a Fruit Position would be as easy as flipping my hand!’

However, there were drawbacks as well.

’I’m missing the two most important steps for Seeking Gold: the Gold Attribute and a Blessed Land.’

The Blessed Land was easier to solve, since he had [Li Hen Heaven]. The problem was the Gold Attribute. Lü Yang had previously thought he could easily condense it after reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

’The key... is probably my Innate Ability. Although I seized all of the Seven Luminaries Heaven’s Creation, I also reached Perfection by using Five Dao Innate Divine Techniques.’

Thinking back, although there were beings at the Foundation Establishment Perfection level in the Outer Realms outside of that broken place, there was a clear gap between them and those from it.

The Profound Spirit Realm was a classic example.

Lü Yang had seen it with his own eyes. The Profound Spirit Realm’s Minghua Celestial Immortal had a Position equivalent to Foundation Establishment Perfection, yet he had never heard her mention anything about a Gold Attribute or a Blessed Land.

’Those two things are probably unique to that broken place!’

This was trouble.

But there were exceptions, like Summon. He had used his Official Position in the Dao Court to condense his Gold Attribute... From this, it was clear that an Official Position in the Dao Court also held a profound mystery.

’I have a long and arduous road ahead of me...’

At this thought, Lü Yang’s mind, which had grown flighty due to reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, settled down once more. Perfection was only the first step on the slow path of Seeking Gold.

Still, there was no harm in having a little fun first.

Setting aside Seeking Gold for the moment, if he wanted to know how strong he was now, he just needed to find a reference point to compare himself to.

The next moment, Lü Yang’s Qi trace erupted. He looked at Progenitor Tingyou beside him and gave an arrogant grin. "Progenitor, care to spar a little with me?"

He was challenging the Progenitor!