Chapter 1246: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes Didn't Die?

Senior Sister’s answer was the one Lu Yang least wanted to hear.

The cave dwelling was dead silent. Even the usually lively Immortal Fairy remained quiet, saying nothing.

"Senior Sister, how much longer until you integrate with the Dao?" Lu Yang asked the question with difficulty, a bitter feeling in his heart.

"A little over a thousand years, I suppose." Yun Zhi couldn't estimate the exact time with great precision either.

"A thousand…"

Lu Yang nearly choked himself. Wasn't that still a long time away? If he were to abandon his cultivation now and restart ten times, it wouldn't even take a thousand years.

"But Saint Yao also said that the more often you act, the shorter the time until you integrate with the Dao. Senior Sister, how many more times can you act?"

Yun Zhi snapped her fingers, and the spiritual space transformed into a box-like world. Yun Zhi, Immortal Fairy, and Lu Yang stood in the center of this world, surrounded by a sky full of brilliant stars.

"My Golden Core stars are my beacons, representing my existence in this world. Each time I act, one Golden Core star will disappear. When all the Golden Core stars vanish, I will integrate my body with the Dao, my heart becoming one with Heaven. At that point, there will be no trace of me left in the world, and everyone will forget my existence."

Lu Yang felt bitter and deeply remorseful upon hearing this. He hadn't realized that Senior Sister's actions had such severe consequences. In the past, he had frequently asked her for help whenever something came up.

"So, when I frequently asked for your help with the Pictograph Fist, wasn't that accelerating your integration with the Dao?"

Yun Zhi waved her hand dismissively, "Those were just minor skirmishes; they don't count towards my total number of actions."

Lu Yang really wanted to ask, "Senior Sister, by 'minor skirmishes,' do you mean slapping Immortal Ying Tian onto a spatial barrier, or hitting Immortal Nine Heavens so hard he switched personalities?"

Unaware of Lu Yang's inner thoughts, Yun Zhi glanced at the Immortal Fairy, who had remained quiet and well-behaved, and said, "However, if Senior Immortal Fairy were to recover to her peak state and fight me, that would indeed count as one of my actions."

The Immortal Fairy felt there was a hidden meaning in Yun girl's words. Standing where Lu Yang couldn't see, she puffed out her cheeks and made a face at Yun Zhi.

"Senior Sister, can Dao Fruits affect you?" Lu Yang suddenly asked after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"Yes, they can. A Dao Fruit represents a rule, and rules are part of the Heavens. Even if I become the Heavens, I would still be affected by Dao Fruits."

At this point, Lu Yang had made up his mind: he wanted to condense a Dao Fruit that could prevent Senior Sister from integrating with the Dao!

"One more thing, Senior Sister, do you think the mastermind behind everything is dead?"

Senior Sister was somewhat surprised that Lu Yang would ask such a question. A look of intrigued amusement appeared on her lips. "What do you think?"

"I believe the mastermind is still alive," Lu Yang stated with certainty.

"Huh? Why?" The Immortal Fairy scratched her head, not quite understanding why little Yangzi would suddenly say that.

"Because of the nascent form of the Samsara Dao Fruit. If the mastermind really was Saint Yao, and he truly had the power of 'Speak and the Law Follows,' then there would have been no need for him to seize the nascent Samsara Dao Fruit. Everything the nascent Samsara Dao Fruit can do, the 'Speak and the Law Follows' Dao Fruit can also achieve."

"Therefore, I suspect that the one we fought in Zhongshan County was not Saint Yao!"

"The real Saint Yao died long ago in ancient times. The one we fought was merely a puppet created by the mastermind!"

"Furthermore, the mastermind had many ways to seize the nascent Samsara Dao Fruit, yet he chose to appear openly and forcefully take it. It was almost as if he intentionally revealed a weakness to make us fight and kill him."

"The mastermind simply wanted us to believe he was dead."

Senior Sister showed a look of approval. Her junior brother had truly grown a lot. "It seems then, that your choice to ask this question in the spiritual space is also based on the belief that the mastermind is still alive?"

"Yes."

Lu Yang had invited Senior Sister to the spiritual space for two reasons: one was to embolden himself, and the other was concern about being detected by the mastermind.

"When I was undergoing my Spirit Transformation tribulation, Senior Immortal Ying Tian's consciousness told me that before Immortal Fairy was ambushed, he had meticulously observed the movements of Polaris. Yet, even when Immortal Fairy's accident occurred, he never detected the mastermind's presence."

"And before Saint Yao actively appeared, neither you, Senior Sister, nor Immortal Fairy sensed his presence nearby."

"This indicates that the mastermind possesses extremely sophisticated concealment methods."

"Therefore, to ensure the mastermind cannot eavesdrop on our conversation, the only place is the spiritual space where both you, Senior Sister, and the Immortal Fairy are present."

In the spiritual space, only pure spiritual bodies exist. To Lu Yang's knowledge, there is no concealment method so sophisticated that it leaves no trace even within the spiritual space. If such a method existed, Lu Yang would accept it. He couldn't think of a safer place anyway.

"Little Yangzi, are you saying the mastermind isn't just alive, but potentially right beside us?"

Lu Yang nodded and explained, "Immortal Fairy, do you remember when we encountered an event that altered the timeline in the Buddhist Nation?"

"I remember, why?"

"Although we didn't know the specifics of what the mastermind changed in the timeline, did you notice that what he altered was the events we encountered?"

"I believe we stumbled upon clues about the mastermind at that time, which is why the mastermind altered the timeline."

Lu Yang held up two fingers. "There are two possibilities here. One is that the mastermind pre-set certain forbidden phrases, and if those phrases were spoken, the timeline would change. We might have spoken one of those forbidden phrases."

At this point, Lu Yang's expression turned serious as he said in a low voice, "The other possibility is that he was hidden in the shadows, observing us."

"I don't believe he coincidentally appeared near us. It's more likely that he has been hiding in the shadows, observing us all along!"

That's why Lu Yang couldn't say some things outside. He could only say them in the spiritual space where both Yun Zhi and Immortal Fairy were present.

The Immortal Fairy was startled by little Yangzi's speculation, feeling that little Yangzi was even smarter than herself.

Yun Zhi broadly understood Lu Yang's thoughts, with only one remaining question: "Then why did you still agree to open the world's seal?"

Lu Yang smiled wryly and spread his hands. "Because I had no reason not to agree to open the world's seal. The only reason to disagree would be that the mastermind isn't dead yet, and I'm waiting for him to believe his feigned death was successful and actively expose himself."

"If I hadn't agreed to open the world's seal, the mastermind would only have hidden deeper."

"To buy time, I said that we shouldn't rashly unseal it and that many preparations were needed."

"Senior Sister, what are your thoughts?" Lu Yang looked at Yun Zhi with hopeful eyes. If possible, he wished she would propose a reason to the outside world to prevent the box-like world's seal from being opened.

Yun Zhi hadn't expected her junior brother to think so thoroughly. "I also believe the mastermind faked his death, but I think it's still best to unseal it."