While Li Yang took the Eternal Ancestor as his master, on the other side, Luoyu was in a complete panic.
Turning back the clock, Luoyu had previously been arrogant and unrestrained, because in his eyes, Li Yang was nothing.
In terms of strength, Li Yang was just a genius at the Star Lord Realm, while he was a Four-Element Deity who could completely crush Li Yang.
In terms of background, he had the powerful Zun Lie Clan behind him. The Zun Lie Venerable was not only a top-tier Emperor, just one step away from becoming a Dominator, but also a personal disciple of the Primordial Ancestor—one of the strongest experts in the Human Race!
How terrifying was that background? Aside from Dominators and Ancestors, their Zun Lie Clan was the most powerful force there was!
And all Li Yang had behind him was the Blade Slaughter Sect Master.
'Haha, Li Yang, you don't stand a chance against me. I'm going to make you taste the consequences of offending me, Luoyu!' Luoyu sneered inwardly.
After capturing Li Yang's son, Li Dong, a subordinate Deity came to report and ask how to deal with him.
Luoyu said indifferently, "Just lock Li Dong up in the deepest dungeon."
Of course, he wasn't going to kill Li Dong. Imprisoning him forever would bring him far more satisfaction.
However, it wasn't long before a Deity rushed over in a panic.
"What is it?" Luoyu asked, frowning at the Deity.
"Young Master Luoyu, news just came in. The Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall genius, Li Yang, is testing his strength on the God's Path," the Deity reported hurriedly.
"Oh? Which step did he pass?" Hearing this, Luoyu asked nonchalantly.
In his heart, however, he knew exactly what Li Yang was planning.
'Trying to show off his potential to become a disciple of some powerful expert?'
He scoffed internally. It had only been a little over a decade since Li Yang left the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall and broke through to the Star Lord Realm. How much progress could he have possibly made?
A little over a decade was too short a time; it was impossible to have improved that much.
Even the Human Race's current number one genius, Mixed Void, wouldn't have improved much in just over a decade.
The Deity quickly replied, "Young Master Luoyu, Li Yang passed the fortieth step of the God's Path."
Luoyu's indifferent expression changed in an instant.
"What did you say? The fortieth step of the God's Path?" He shot to his feet, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He thought he must have misheard.
He knew, of course, what the fortieth step of the God's Path represented!
It represented the most monstrous geniuses of the entire Human Race. In total, only eight geniuses had ever passed this step within a hundred years of reaching the Star Lord Realm!
He doubted even his most admired Zun Lie Venerable had passed it back in his day.
"Is this information confirmed?" Luoyu asked in a low voice, utterly unwilling to believe the news.
"It is, Young Master Luoyu. The news is spreading like wildfire outside!" the Deity said quickly.
Hearing this, Luoyu's expression instantly became incomparably grim.
'Damn it! How could Li Yang have improved so quickly? With that kind of Talent, a Dominator is bound to take interest!'
Luoyu's face was dark. He knew that by passing this step, Li Yang would most likely be taken as a disciple by a Dominator!
He didn't care if Li Yang became the disciple of an Emperor, but if he became the disciple of a Dominator, he would never dare to move against Li Yang again!
As he processed this news, a myriad of thoughts raced through Luoyu's mind.
'It's not a sure thing. Maybe none of the Dominators are in the mood to take on a disciple,' Luoyu couldn't help but think.
How powerful were Dominators? Taking on a disciple or not was ultimately of no great consequence to them.
No matter how heaven-defying a genius was, if the Dominators weren't interested, that genius was nothing.
'That's right! Of the previous ten geniuses, nine were taken in by Dominators, but there was still one who failed to become a Dominator's disciple. Li Yang isn't guaranteed to succeed!'
A sliver of hope sparked in Luoyu's heart.
He had declared war on Li Yang and was just about to crush him. He absolutely did not want to see Li Yang become a Dominator's disciple at a time like this!
"Go and investigate carefully! Keep a close eye on the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall and see which Dominator, if any, takes Li Yang as a disciple."
Although he knew the chances were slim, Luoyu desperately hoped that no Dominator would appear.
He ordered his subordinates to keep a constant watch on the situation at the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall.
Time flew by, and soon ten minutes had passed. Still, there was no news from the Saint Hall, nor had any Dominator appeared.
Upon learning of this, a smile returned to Luoyu's slightly grim face.
"Ten minutes have passed, and no Dominator has appeared. Haha, I knew Li Yang would fail!"
If any of the Dominators who learned of Li Yang's feat wanted to take him as a disciple, they would have appeared quickly, almost certainly within ten minutes.
But no one had seen a Dominator descend, which meant that no Dominator was planning to accept Li Yang as a disciple.
No matter how strong Li Yang's displayed Talent was, as long as no Dominator was involved, Luoyu wasn't the least bit worried.
"Continue monitoring the situation. Keep an eye on Li Yang's movements."
Though Luoyu was overjoyed, he remained cautious. What if the Dominators were simply late?
But half an hour went by, and there was still no news of Li Yang being taken as a Dominator's disciple.
"Haha, the heavens are truly on my side! So what if Li Yang has such incredible Talent? It just so happens that none of the Dominators want a disciple," Luoyu laughed heartily, feeling immense satisfaction.
Ten minutes might not have meant much, but now, half an hour had passed with no sighting of a Dominator. The situation was clear.
As long as it wasn't a Dominator, Luoyu had nothing to fear.
What was the status of his Zun Lie Clan? His ancestor, Zun Lie, was not only a top-tier Emperor but also a disciple of the Primordial Ancestor—one of the strongest experts in the Human Race!
Who would he be afraid of? How many experts in the Human Race would dare to make a move against him?
'Still, I should leave Li Yang's family alone for now. I'll wait and see what happens with him first.'
Even if Li Yang couldn't become a Dominator's disciple, he could certainly find a powerful Emperor to be his master. Luoyu needed to find out who Li Yang's new master was so he could plan his next move accordingly.
As he was thinking, Luoyu's wrist communicator suddenly rang.
He glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.
'Ancestor Zun Lie?'
The message was from the Zun Lie Venerable, the founder of the Zun Lie Clan whom he admired most, summoning him to the Virtual World.
Without any hesitation, Luoyu immediately entered.
「…」
Inside the Virtual World, two figures were in conversation.
One of them bore a strong resemblance to Luoyu and the others, and was clearly the Zun Lie Venerable.
The other person was thin, with a pair of horns on his head. He wore dark red armor, and his narrow eyes held a hint of sinister wickedness.
Judging by the way they conversed as equals, their strengths were likely comparable.
When Luoyu appeared, he saw the two of them and hurried over. "Greetings, Ancestor. Greetings, Anyun Emperor."
He wondered inwardly, 'The Ancestor wanted to see me, but why is the Anyun Emperor here too? What is this about? Could it be related to Li Yang?'