Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect

The duration of the False Golden Fruition had finally come to an end.

However, before it ended, Lü Yang still used the authority of a True Lord’s rank to completely enclose the area where the Earthfire Sea Heart Furnace was located with a third-grade formation.

And the formation he used was one of Hong Yun’s.

【Seven Luminaries World-Stabilizing True Preservation Grand Formation】

‘With this formation set up, and the Patriarch protecting my Dharma, unless a True Lord descends upon the world, there’s no need to worry about anyone interrupting my Golden Fruition attempt.’

That was already the very limit of what Lü Yang could achieve.

If a True Lord were to descend by burning their cave heaven, or if a Dao Lord personally acted just to stop his Golden Fruition, then that would simply be his bad luck — at worst, he would just have to give it up this time.

Thinking this, Lü Yang wasted no time. He immediately sat cross-legged and entered meditation. Yet, when he truly arrived at that final step before success, an uncontrollable wave of fear and unease surged within him. Countless past images flashed before his eyes one after another.

Chong Guang, Suohuan, Xiang Ye...

‘Failure in seeking Golden Fruition means certain death. Uncle-Master Chong Guang’s end was already considered a good one; Xiang Ye was the truly unfortunate one — he died in failure without even leaving a ripple behind.’

Oh right, there was also Suohuan.

Having already acquired the power of 【Long Flowing Water】, his task for this lifetime was complete. He was currently resting within the Myriad Spirits Banner; his true opportunity would come in his next life.

‘...Right. What do I have to be afraid of?’

It was merely trial and error!

Others only had a single chance at seeking Golden Fruition, yet he still had dozens. If even with so many chances he could not succeed, then no one in this world could ever become a True Lord!

Lü Yang calmed his heart and sharpened his mind. With a single slash of the Sword of Wisdom, he cut off all stray thoughts. Then, furrowing his brow, a palm-sized stone glimmering with golden light appeared before his eyes — it was the blessed land condensed by the Celestial Spirit Shang Zhang before his death: 【Heaven’s Grace and Earth’s Favor Geng Metal Blessed Land】!

After all, this time, what he sought was 【Pomegranate Wood】.

His other blessed land, 【Xuandu Blessed Land】, was his true Dao foundation and could not be damaged. The Celestial Spirit Shang Zhang’s blessed land, however, he could afford to lose.

“Begin!”

In that instant, Lü Yang activated the Mending Heaven True Scripture, directly commencing his dual cultivation with Heaven and Earth, invoking the attention of the Fruition Position through the Dharma of “Surpassing Heaven and Earth.”

“Rumble—!”

At this moment, Lü Yang felt his consciousness elevate rapidly. It soon reached the Foundation Establishment realm and continued to ascend further.

Blessed Land Ascension!

Lü Yang’s gaze grew faintly hazy. In his vision appeared two overlapping scenes — two sides of one reality, opposing yet complementing one another.

One of them was a scene he had once glimpsed through the 【Xuandu Blessed Land】: a world like a honeycomb, each Fruition Position a hole boring through existence, leaving the world riddled with gaps. The other scene, drawn from Chong Guang’s memories, was an endless boundless sea of suffering covering heaven and earth.

‘A boundless sea of suffering, and the Fruition Positions are boats upon it.’

Which of these two was real? Or… were both real — simply different perspectives of the same truth, thus presenting entirely opposite images?

While Lü Yang pondered, the process of elevating his blessed land did not halt for even a breath.

‘Being a Celestial Spirit… does have its advantages.’

According to Chong Guang’s memory, this stage of Ascending the Blessed Land consumed immense energy — he had even burned an entire kingdom, Qing State, to complete the process.

Yet for Lü Yang, things were far simpler.

‘Because I am now a Celestial Spirit?’

‘It feels as though Heaven and Earth not only aren’t resisting me but are actively pushing me forward — greatly saving my mana. This is far easier than what Chong Guang went through.’

This made Lü Yang a little uneasy. After all, he was not Heavenly Lord’s cultivated Celestial Spirit Shang Zhang. By reason, Heaven should be his enemy. So why was the world supporting him? Could it be that, in the eyes of Heaven, the identity of who the Celestial Spirit was did not matter — it simply needed one to attain Fruition?

‘No… impossible!’

If that were true, the Heavenly Lord wouldn’t have targeted him so specifically in the past. Instead, it would have just created another Celestial Spirit Shang Zhang. Clearly, Heaven placed immense importance on the identity of the Celestial Spirit.

‘Unless…’

Lü Yang glanced around, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine: ‘...Unless the one pushing me forward right now isn’t Heaven, but a Dao Lord!’

He hadn’t forgotten —

Just as Foundation Establishment True Persons faced various tribulations with contradictory inner logic, anything the Heavenly Lord could do, so too could a Dao Lord!

‘Who is it?’

The World-Honored One of the Pure Land? Unlikely — the World-Honored One always acted with grand display. This subtle, silent manipulation was more in line with the Founding Patriarch of the Holy Sect.

‘Forget it...’

Lü Yang shook his head slightly. No matter what, “Heaven and Earth” were supporting him at this moment, and he couldn’t change that. Since that was the case, he might as well relax and enjoy it.

Because the path ahead was unobstructed, Lü Yang soon arrived before the 【Pomegranate Wood】, finally beholding that Fruition Position up close. At first glance, it appeared as a faint, hazy radiance, but upon closer inspection, it resembled a vast and boundless ocean.

‘So, to attain Fruition means to merge oneself with the Fruition Position.’

When one’s Blessed Land merged with the Fruition Position and their qi resonated as one, transformation into a Cave Heaven could be achieved… Yet this resonance of qi, though seemingly simple, was harder than ascending to the heavens.

For the qi of the Fruition Position was ever-changing.

Just like the sea before him — turbulent and restless — the qi flow was the cresting wave. Only by aligning oneself at the very peak of that wave could resonance be achieved.

Otherwise, one would be instantly struck down by the tide.

‘Uncle-Master Chong Guang reached this very point but failed because of his issue with 【Star-Earth】 — his qi could not resonate with the Fruition Position, leading to his death in failure...’

At that moment, new images flickered within Lü Yang’s eyes.

Each was different — scenes of him approaching the Fruition Position, moments of aligning his qi flow. Every one of them looked successful.

Among them, two stood out most clearly; Lü Yang knew well they were derived from the memories of 【Hong Yun】 and 【Zheng De】. Since predecessors had paved the path, all obstacles seemed revealed, appearing perfectly safe.

‘No... wrong!’

Lü Yang abruptly stopped, withdrawing his half-raised foot: ‘They sought different Fruition Positions — not 【Pomegranate Wood】! How could I simply copy their experience?’

The instant that thought arose, both visions vanished.

“Hiss—!”

Seeing this, Lü Yang drew in a sharp breath, realizing: ‘These weren’t illusions of inner demons — but true glimpses of future possibilities!’

Reading these potential futures was the very act of aligning his qi with the Fruition Position. Whichever future he chose would manifest as reality. Yet only one of them led to success — all others were false. Choose wrongly, and he would immediately fail and perish!

‘This is a test of Dao cultivation.’

If one’s Dao attainment was insufficient to discern the true path among countless futures, then no matter how great their power, Fruition could never be achieved!

Lü Yang took a deep breath and pressed onward.

Soon, he chose one future scene — the imagery perfectly matched his understanding of 【Pomegranate Wood】, without a single flaw to be seen.

However, the moment he made his choice—

Lü Yang’s divine sense wavered, and countless failure scenes surged forth once more, as if trying to halt his advance.

‘Retreat? Reconsider?’

The thought flickered through his mind for an instant, but he immediately erased it. The time for Ascending the Blessed Land was limited — he couldn’t afford endless trial and error.

‘These failure visions are but illusions to shake my heart.’

‘No... perhaps not mere illusions — perhaps some are true. They exist precisely to make me doubt myself, to paralyze me with hesitation.’

Lü Yang sighed inwardly.

In the next instant, his gaze turned resolute. Ignoring all obstructions, he aligned his qi with the chosen future scene and took a firm step forward!

“BOOM—!”

With a deafening roar, everything before Lü Yang shattered — even the 【Heaven’s Grace and Earth’s Favor Geng Metal Blessed Land】 he had seized from the Celestial Spirit Shang Zhang disintegrated completely.

‘...Failed?’ Lü Yang remained calm, unsurprised.

‘My Dao attainment isn’t enough... No — it’s Shang Zhang’s Dao attainment that’s lacking. Of course! Power bestowed directly by Heaven carries no true cultivation of the Dao.’

Realization dawned upon him.

‘The final step of Golden Fruition requires profound Dao attainment — this must be a trap laid by some Dao Lord, meant specifically to kill off any growing Celestial Spirits!’

No wonder no Celestial Spirit had ever succeeded in achieving Golden Fruition!

There had long been a sly old hand tampering with the very origin of Fruition itself... Who did it? Could it be that damn Holy Sect Patriarch again? Too insidious!

Lü Yang’s consciousness rapidly scattered.

Failure in seeking Golden Fruition meant soul annihilation — not even reincarnation would be possible.

Fortunately, he had a cheat.

‘Book of a Hundred Lives!!!’