Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 568: Chapter 568: A Future of Certain Death?

RUMBLE!

Within the Foundation Establishment Realm, a blinding white light had enveloped everything. Perfected Persons below the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment were forcibly ejected, not even qualified to witness the battle.

Only Great Truemen at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, or even Foundation Establishment Perfection, could faintly perceive the sixteen-foot Golden Body struggling to move within the searing white light. Yet even this perfect Golden Body was cracking, its skin splitting open under the light. Its flesh and bones melted, and its organs were incinerated to ash.

This single blast of white light alone had affected an unknown number of Current Worlds.

Within the light, specks of starlight were shattered by the True Body Tathagata, breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm and falling into the Current Worlds. Nourished by Spiritual Qi, they would transform into Spiritual Fire within a hundred years.

A long time passed before the white light gradually subsided.

At this moment, the True Body Tathagata had lost its human form entirely. Its skin and flesh were completely burned away, leaving only a shimmering golden skeleton standing in place.

RATTLE...

A gust of wind blew, and the skeleton lost its divine aura, disintegrating and scattering with the breeze. But in the distance, Buddha Light flared once more, and another True Body Tathagata walked out.

’It’s the Immortal Dao Law...’

Lü Yang lowered his gaze, having figured out the secret behind the True Body Tathagata’s ”Resurrection”:

’This True Body Tathagata has actually modified itself into something like an Official Position within the Immortal Dao Law. Even if it dies, a new one can be created at any time!’

In the past, when the Immortal Dao Law only controlled the East, creating a True Body Tathagata at the level of a Perfected Lord would have been extremely difficult. Even if it succeeded, it could only have been done once or twice at most. But now, the Immortal Dao Law that covered the entire world could accomplish this with ease!

The truly brilliant part was that this Resurrection move completely circumvented the rules Lü Yang had established.

According to the rules Lü Yang had set, the more the True Body Tathagata healed from its injuries, the more severe the rule’s penalty would become, creating a snowball effect to secure victory.

But what was the result?

It didn’t bother healing its injuries—it just resurrected directly!

How was he supposed to fight this?

’It’s practically cheating!’

Lü Yang sighed internally. His Daoist Hand Seals shifted, and he dispersed the rules he had just gathered. After all, if they were to engage in a head-on Combat, he would be injured as well.

Just then, the True Body Tathagata moved.

”I had intended to save this gift for last, but since you remain so obstinate, I shall bestow this beautiful future upon you.”

With a faint smile, it stretched out its forty-eight thousand arms in unison. The eyes of wisdom in its palms once again reflected the image of the Yanfu Ti Suo Cave Heaven. But there was more; visible streams of light flowed forth, each one hiding immense karmic links that pointed directly toward a specific, determined future—

The Hongtian Possibility!

The Bhagavat had specifically sent the True Body Tathagata down into the Pseudo-History to perform the Killing of Hongtian before Lü Yang began Seeking Gold. This was not merely for practice.

It was to create this very future possibility.

A future where one seeks the Fruit of Celestial Fire, only to fail and perish!

In that instant, Lü Yang felt an immense weight of karmic links settle upon him. The cause had been sown, and regardless of the process, the future outcome was now set in stone:

’My Seeking Gold will lead to certain death?!’

Lü Yang’s expression suddenly darkened, but he did not panic. This trump card from the True Body Tathagata was still within his expectations.

However, in the next second—

CRACK!

Lü Yang’s pupils constricted. He whipped his head around to look inside the Yama Hall at the Hongyun Gold Attribute—the one that had served him so well in this world and was still burning brightly.

He saw that the True Monarch Gold Attribute, which should have been indestructible, was now showing clear, visible cracks under the strain of the Yama Hall. Shards were even breaking off from time to time, causing the Hongyun Gold Attribute, which should have lasted for some time longer, to become visibly thinner!

And that wasn’t all.

As the Hongyun Gold Attribute fractured, the Yama Hall also began to groan as if overwhelmed, struggling to maintain its integrity under the pressure of the Fruit of Celestial Fire.

Lü Yang calculated the karmic links and instantly understood the cause and effect:

’Because I previously used the Fruit of Celestial Fire’s ability to Deprive other Gold Attributes to replenish the Hongyun Gold Attribute, it seemed like a perfect solution, but it actually left behind a significant hidden danger.’

’Under the strain of this high-intensity battle, these hidden dangers have finally erupted, causing the Hongyun Gold Attribute to crack and its lifespan to shorten drastically. In turn, the Yama Hall has also begun to disintegrate... At this rate, I won’t last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. In another three minutes, I’ll fall from my current state!’

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Lü Yang took a deep breath, knowing in his heart that this wasn’t his fault. It was the Inevitable Future of Death bestowed upon him by the True Body Tathagata that was stirring up the karmic links!

But just then.

BOOM!

The Immortal Dao Law trembled once more, seemingly having recovered from Lü Yang’s earlier sword strike. Then, a new decree materialized upon it:

Eradicate the Usurper Emperor, Restore the Legitimate Rule!

In the next second, all the Dao Court Cultivators across the Five Domains of the World felt a summons. The Immortal Dao Law had issued a mission: eradicate all Cultivators of the Incense and Candle Divine Dao!

In an instant, war erupted!

...

「Huaming City, beneath the Star-picking Tower」

”Get out of my way!”

Xiao Shan’s entire body was coalesced with Incense Divine Power, revealing the true form of a Mountain Demon as he desperately fought and charged through the siege of Dao Court Cultivators.

”Don’t be afraid! Hold the line!”

”He’s a mere Outer Dao Cultivator from the Incense and Candle Divine Dao! They can only bully low-Realm Perfected Persons. Against a Perfected Person of the same Realm, they are utterly useless!”

The leader of the group besieging Xiao Shan laughed boisterously. Just moments ago, he—a die-hard loyalist of the Celestial Wu Royal Family who had been biding his time and enduring humiliation—had suddenly received the Empowerment of an Official Position. The position of Young Protector, once sealed away by Lü Yang, had descended from the heavens, elevating his Cultivation out of thin air to the Foundation Establishment Perfection Realm!

”I knew it! The Pseudo-Dynasty was never going to last!”

The newly appointed Young Protector was ecstatic. After all, he had previously been a Second-Grade Official and had long coveted a First-Grade Official position. Today, his wish had finally come true.

How could he not be thrilled?

At this thought, the killing intent in his eyes as he looked at Xiao Shan intensified. Eradicating the rebels, slaying the treacherous faction—his ability to secure the Official Position of Young Protector depended on this very moment!

If he performed well, then when the Celestial Wu was restored in the future, he might even have a shot at becoming one of the Three Ministers!

In an instant, the situation in the Current World had changed once again.

Meanwhile, within the Foundation Establishment Realm, Lü Yang frowned slightly. He looked down at the Golden Bridge beneath his feet and saw that the myriad figures of light within it were all, without exception, moving away from him.

The karmic links were set; the future was unchangeable.

He was going to lose!

Lü Yang wanted to resist, but in his current condition, even maintaining the Fake Holding state was difficult. The Hongyun Gold Attribute was still disintegrating at an accelerated rate. What could he possibly use to fight back?

”Amitabha.”

Witnessing this, the True Body Tathagata’s face once again took on a smile of pity for the mortal world. It spoke softly, ”Benefactor, why do you insist on struggling so desperately?”

”Enter my Yanfu Ti Suo Cave Heaven. I have saved a place there especially for you. In the future, after receiving the precepts and Empowerment, you could even become a Tathagata of my Dao. You could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me, and together we could comprehend the fundamental Mahayana principles. Would that not be the ultimate bliss? Why must you insist on wallowing in the red dust of the mortal world? Why endure such suffering?”

Hearing this, Lü Yang raised his head.

The fiery light around him had already grown dim. As the Imperial City Department’s Cultivators in the Current World were being slaughtered, the very foundation of his Seeking Gold was crumbling.

Yet he remained calm, his expression as still as the water in an ancient well.

Seeing this, the True Body Tathagata unconsciously furrowed its brows:

’Why is he still so calm?’

’His Seeking Gold has failed, his schemes have come to nothing, he waited ten long years and prepared countless backup plans, only for it all to fall apart at the last moment. On what grounds can he possibly remain calm?’

In the next second, Lü Yang spoke:

”I refuse.”

Those two simple words actually made the True Body Tathagata laugh. ”You refuse? What good does refusing do? Do you think the affairs of the world can be solved by simply refusing to accept them?”

”I never thought a benefactor like you would say something so naive. It is truly surprising to this humble monk.”

The True Body Tathagata shook its head with a laugh, feeling that its earlier caution had been ridiculous. What Demon Dragon? He was just a fool who couldn’t recognize reality.

But in the next second.

A sudden chorus of voices—both men and women—arose from the Five Domains of the World, pierced straight into the Foundation Establishment Realm, and echoed between Heaven and Earth, overlapping with Lü Yang’s own voice:

”He’s right.”

As their voices fell, beams of light—the light of Seeking Gold—rose simultaneously from the North, the West, and the Overseas territories, everywhere but Lü Yang’s own East. Together, they shone into the Sea of Suffering:

”We refuse—!”