Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 579: Chapter 579: Seeking Dao Immortal Technique

At that moment, a tremendous BOOM echoed across the world. All mortals and Foundation Establishment cultivators alike were suddenly overcome by an irrepressible wave of grief.

Heaven and Earth wept blood; all creation mourned in unison.

Immediately after, every Foundation-Stage Cultivator looked up in horror. High above the Foundation Establishment Realm, a small section of the vast, boundless Sea of Suffering was suddenly caving in.

The collapsing region pulsed with a thousand Illusionary Colors, weaving together to sketch out a wondrous scene of flourishing branches and the beams of great houses. It was a lush, sprawling forest, a veritable sea of trees. But as this land continued to fall and crumble, its once-vibrant branches withered and died.

And at the center of the Illusionary Colors was a lone figure.

”No—!”

A shrill, furious roar escaped the Daoist Court Grandmaster, thick with despair and indignation. ’Why me? What grudge do I have with any of you?’

’I have nothing to do with the Pure Land!’

’The one in the Dao Court with a grudge against you is Emperor Jia You! You slept with *his* wife, not mine! What does that have to do with me? I was happy to see it happen!’

’And yet, I’m the one who has to die!’

’This is an injustice!’

The Grandmaster’s terror was not baseless. As Perfected Lords, the Three Ministers of the Daoist Court were fundamentally different from their peers.

They possessed no Gold Attribute of their own.

With the exception of the Celestial Wu Royal Family, the Cultivation of all Dao Court cultivators stemmed from their Official Position. Even the Gold Attribute they condensed upon reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection was tied to it.

The Gold Attribute was bound to their Official Position, not their Soul. Furthermore, the Grotto Heavens of the Three Ministers of the Daoist Court were not truly their own but were also tied to their stations. Now that his Grotto Heaven was gone, his Official Position and Gold Attribute had been reclaimed by the Immortal Dao Law. He would be forced into the cycle of reincarnation, just like any other cultivator!

How could he accept such a fate?

’I still had ambitions! I was going to use this opportunity to reclaim the Three Ministers’ influence in the court, break through to the Middle Stage of Golden Core, and restore the authority my predecessor once held...’

’And it all ends now, just like that, for no reason at all?’

’I just came to watch the show! I thought that with seven Perfected Lords, the combined might of the Dao Court and the Pure Land would be an overwhelming victory. I could just hang back and put on a little display!’

’But in the end, *I’m* the one who dies!’

’I can’t accept this!’

But no amount of resentment mattered now; it was nothing more than the howling of a beaten dog. Before the unstoppable momentum of his Grotto Heaven’s collapse, the Grandmaster’s Soul was utterly powerless to reverse its fate.

BOOM!

With one last thunderous crash, the Grandmaster’s Soul was dragged away by the Netherworld without an ounce of resistance. The falling Grotto Heaven, however, was enveloped by another Mighty Power.

The Immortal Dao Law!

Normally, when a Perfected Lord died and their Grotto Heaven fell from the Sea of Suffering, it would shatter into countless Grotto Heaven Fragments and merge back into Heaven and Earth.

Lü Yang, however, saw clearly that the Daoist Court Grandmaster’s Grotto Heaven did not disintegrate upon falling. Instead, at the critical moment, it was reclaimed by the Immortal Dao Law. If it were repaired in the future and another cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection took residence, it could perhaps ascend and become a Fruit once more.

’Interesting.’

Lü Yang stroked his chin, finally understanding the system that governed the Three Ministers of the Daoist Court. Compared to other Perfected Lords, the path of a Daoist Court True Monarch seemed far more arduous.

’Or rather, this is simply a characteristic of the Four Great Forces.’

’The stronger you are, the more leeway you give your subordinates.’

’The Pure Land is a lost cause, with that damnable Bhagavat. The Dao Court is a little better, but still incredibly strict. The Sword Pavilion is only harsh on outsiders. Only the Stain Sect is truly all-embracing...’

Lü Yang couldn’t help but marvel at the thought.

’After all is said and done, is the Stain Sect really the best of the bunch in this broken place?’

’There’s no justice in the world!’

Just then, another tremendous BOOM echoed from the heavens above, followed by Emperor Jia You’s enraged, frantic roar: ”Old Dragon, you dare ruin my path to the Dao!”

The Grandmaster was dead!

The Daoist Court Grandmaster corresponded to the [Fruit of Level-Ground Wood]. It was the key Fruit Emperor Jia You had planned to use to break through to the Late Stage of Golden Core!

After all, of the Dao Court’s four Fruits—the [Fruit of Roadside Earth], the [Fruit of Post-Road Earth], the [Fruit of Level-Ground Wood], and the [Fruit of Gold-Foil Metal]—there were overlapping elements. Without the [Fruit of Level-Ground Wood], he was left with two Earth Fruits and one Gold Fruit. He could no longer gather the Three Elements. How was he supposed to break through to the Late Stage now?

In that instant, Emperor Jia You went berserk.

He hadn’t been this furious even when he learned that Lü Yang and Empress Xiao had been sleeping together. Now, he fought with reckless abandon, desperate to drive the Old Dragon Monarch back.

But the Old Dragon Monarch was merely disdainful of Emperor Jia You’s frenzy.

”So, you know your path to the Dao is severed. Do you really think I have any reason to fear you now? And you’re putting on this mad act? If going mad could solve anything, I would’ve done it years ago!”

What kind of person was the Old Dragon Monarch?

You could call him a coward, call him weak, but there was no denying he was the one who had guided the Dragon Race through all these years. How could he fail to see through Emperor Jia You’s little ploy?

Emperor Jia You wasn’t going mad.

He was terrified.

With the Daoist Court Grandmaster dead, he was afraid the Grand Protector and Grand Tutor would be next. If that happened, he would truly be left all alone, and he would surely be the next to die!

His madness was a feint; what he really wanted was to escape!

At this thought, the Old Dragon Monarch let out a great laugh. ”Stop the act, Jia You! I will hold you here today. You’re not going anywhere!”

「Meanwhile, over the West.」

Lü Yang stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Images manifested around him as one law after another took form, firmly suppressing the Dao Court’s remaining Grand Tutor and Grand Protector.

The tables had turned!

Lü Yang sneered inwardly. ’The Dao Court... is nothing special after all.’

Aside from Emperor Jia You, the Three Ministers were nothing to fear. The Grand Tutor and Grand Protector were slightly stronger than the Grandmaster, but only marginally so. Neither could be considered a truly formidable Perfected Lord.

To find a true match, one would have to look to someone like True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde.

As for the Pure Land, Lü Yang had long ago used his power to send Bhumba Bodhisattva and the other Bodhisattva into forced seclusion. As long as he didn’t retract his Profound Mysterious power, they would find it impossible to return.

Of the seven Perfected Lords who had arrived with such imposing might, only one remained.

Yet Lü Yang’s expression did not relax. On the contrary, it grew graver. He had fought to this point, but in doing so, he had all but exhausted his abilities.

His [Engraving Laws] was tied up forcing the two Bodhisattvas into seclusion and protecting himself.

The image of [Deprive] had been absorbed and suppressed by Bao Lian Hidden Buddha, and the [Celestial Fire Punishment] was occupied with suppressing the Grand Tutor and Grand Protector. He could not call upon either of them again.

In contrast, Bao Lian Hidden Buddha had yet to unleash her full power.

Lü Yang’s expression was impassive, but his sublimated Soul Spirit Awareness constantly warned him, allowing him to sense with absolute clarity the intense danger radiating from his opponent.

’If anything, my advantage is in numbers.’

’Even though I have to split my focus to suppress the two Bodhisattvas and the Grand Tutor and Grand Protector, I still have Progenitor Tingyou and Summon. It’s three against one. The advantage is still mine!’

But in the next second, Lü Yang’s expression changed.

A radiance he had never before seen began to emanate from Bao Lian Hidden Buddha, and the alluring smile on her face turned to ice.

”...Impressive.”

”You haven’t even refined a True Treasure, nor have you established your own unique system of techniques. To have accomplished this much relying solely on the images and Profound Mysterious power of your Fruit...”

”I admit, the Emperor Fruit is powerful... but that doesn’t make it invincible.”

”At the end of the day, you only just broke through.”

Bao Lian Hidden Buddha’s voice grew colder still. ”Your own Cultivation is insufficient. You’re relying entirely on the innate power of your Fruit. Did you really think I had no way to deal with you?”

As she spoke, the strange, inscrutable light around her fully manifested. Within it were the three True Treasures she had refined: the Treasure Lotus Cup, the Qi Concealing and Spirit-Stabilizing Hairpin, and the Four Noble Truths Wheel. They combined, transforming into an emblem of the utmost complexity.

”Amitabha.”

Bao Lian Hidden Buddha recited the Buddha’s Name. In that instant, everyone—from Emperor Jia You and the Old Dragon Monarch locked in fierce battle, to the distant observers from the Stain Sect and the Sword Pavilion—

—turned their eyes toward her without exception.

”How unexpected... Given the state of the Pure Land, with the Bhagavat presiding over all, that someone could still successfully cultivate a Seeking Dao Immortal Technique?”

”Excellent. It seems the outcome is not yet decided.”

”There is still a chance for things to change!”