Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 508: Lü Yang’s Gold Attribute

In his Spiritual Space, Lü Yang’s Divine Sense manifested as a silhouette. He gazed with satisfaction at the golden light coiling around his fingertip, as if admiring a priceless, rare treasure.

’Ten lifetimes of cultivation, and I’ve finally fucking condensed the Gold Attribute...’

At this moment, Lü Yang was overcome with emotion. He recalled that the first time he had ever seen the Gold Attribute was when Master Chong Guang showed it to him. He remembered the sheer envy he felt.

Lü Yang stared at the wisp of Gold Attribute before him. Though the light was faint and weak, he felt as if he were seeing a blazing Sea of Light, one that reflected countless mortal scenes: a sun hanging high in the sky and a bright moon in the long night; towering mountains and vast rivers and lakes; birds and beasts, flowers and fish...

All Phenomena of Heaven and Earth were contained within this single wisp of Gold Attribute.

If it were dropped into the mortal world without any concealment and seen by a Qi Refiner, they would likely become instantly lost within it, living out their entire life in a dreamlike fantasy.

This was the true origin of legends about living a lifetime in a dream or centuries passing in a single moment.

This was because the Gold Attribute contained the entirety of a Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Zhenren’s Cultivation, including all their insights into Heaven and Earth. Perhaps it still seemed very crude in the eyes of a Perfected Lord.

But to a Qi Refiner, it was indistinguishable from the real Heaven and Earth.

Pulling his thoughts back, Lü Yang’s perspective rapidly withdrew from the infinite scenery before him. Time seemed to accelerate in that instant as the sun and moon fell and mountains and seas collapsed.

"HAAAH...!"

When he came back to his senses, the myriad sights from before were gone. All that remained was the point of light coiling around his fingertip, brilliant and dazzling.

"A pity it’s only a wisp. It’s far from enough to uplift a Blessed Land." Lü Yang took a deep breath. One refined the Gold Attribute to make their Blessed Land ascend. The Gold Attribute was one of the primary forces behind this ascension. If one refined an insufficient amount and couldn’t support the Blessed Land’s flight to merge with one’s Fruit, the result would be the death of the body and dissipation of the Dao.

This step was actually very difficult.

Because no one knew exactly how much Gold Attribute was needed for a Blessed Land to ascend perfectly and merge with one’s Fruit. One could only rely on their own Cultivation to make a guess.

If they guessed correctly, their chances of successfully Seeking Gold would increase dramatically.

Guess incorrectly, and all their efforts would be for naught.

The most absurd part was that too little Gold Attribute was bad, but so was too much. If there was an excess of Gold Attribute, it would in turn corrode the Cultivator’s own Soul and Divine Sense.

’Though you couldn’t really call it corrosion.’

’Strictly speaking, the Gold Attribute is supposed to merge with the Soul in the end. It’s a natural transformation, but it’s harmful to those at the Foundation Establishment realm.’

Only a True Monarch’s Soul could withstand the fusion with the Gold Attribute, maintaining its sense of self under its impact. A Foundation Establishment Soul was ultimately of a lower Position. It might be able to endure a small amount of Gold Attribute through sheer willpower, but if there was too much, even the strongest will would crumble, which would in turn affect the Soul.

At that point, forget about Seeking Gold; the person would descend into madness.

History was not short of similar examples.

Therefore, for a Foundation Establishment Perfection Grand Zhenren, every attempt to refine the Gold Attribute was like walking a tightrope. A single misstep would lead to eternal damnation.

But, thankfully—

’I have a cheat!’

Lü Yang smiled confidently. The reason was simple: he had Sought Gold in a past life using an Immortal Spirit Body, so he knew the required amount of Gold Attribute like the back of his hand!

For others, refining the Gold Attribute was like walking a tightrope.

But for Lü Yang, it was just a minor task, one for which he already had complete data and practical experience. There was no difficulty to speak of.

’That said, should I just go ahead and settle it now?’

Lü Yang rubbed his chin. After a moment of thought, he decided to wait and not rush to use the Centome to settle.

The reason was simple:

’If I settle it now, the rewards won’t be enough! It’s still a Golden Talent, but there’s a huge difference between one settled from a True Monarch Gold Attribute and one settled from a Foundation Establishment Gold Attribute.’

’Besides, I’m not lacking for Golden Talents right now. It’s best to wait until I’ve become a Perfected Lord before settling. Maximize the profit!’

With this thought, Lü Yang put away the Gold Attribute and withdrew from his Spiritual Space.

Just then, a nervous-looking Demon Cultivator strode quickly into the Commander-in-Chief’s Mansion. It was Xiao Shan, a veteran of the One Heart Association and one of the first to pledge allegiance to Lü Yang.

Seeing him, Lü Yang raised an eyebrow. "What’s going on?"

"Someone’s causing trouble!"

Xiao Shan said grimly, "A large number of officials seem to have received some kind of order. They’ve all left their residences and are gathering toward Xuanwu Gate, saying they want to see the Crown Prince!"

"Oh?"

Lü Yang’s mind raced, and he instantly understood the mastermind’s intention. After all, this move by Li Taian was an overt plot; there was never any intention of hiding it from Lü Yang.

A pity... it was already too late.

’Had this happened before, this overt plot might have actually caused me a serious headache. After all, back then I still had to consider the attitudes of the Crown Prince and the Empress.’

But things were different now.

’With the Five Armies Imperial Camp in my grasp, as long as I can snatch the Emperor’s Token from the Empress’s hands, I can take immediate control of Celestial Wu City. That’s the real key!’

Real conflict was always like this.

Scheming, overt plots, covert plots—it was all meaningless. In the end, whoever held military power, whoever had the bigger fist, was the final winner.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang immediately looked at Xiao Shan and chuckled. "Relay my orders. Lock down Xuanwu Gate. Do not allow any officials to have an audience. Also, block all news so the Crown Prince and Empress don’t find out... However, tell our men not to use force. On the surface, they should be persuading the officials to act rationally."

"As you command!"

Xiao Shan immediately bowed and hurried away. Only then did Lü Yang turn to face the Commander of Five Armies, who was being controlled by his [Puppet] ability.

"Send a few officials out."

Lü Yang said calmly, "Have them blend in with the officials, then take the initiative to attack the Imperial City Department. Get rid of them afterward. Make sure it’s a clean job."

"Yes!"

The Commander of Five Armies responded without hesitation and promptly left the mansion.

........

「Celestial Wu Hall, Outside Xuanwu Gate.」

"The Demon Dragon brings calamity to the nation! He has cut off all contact, ignored his court duties, and persecuted the loyal and true!"

"A mere Demon Cultivator dares to wreak havoc in Celestial Wu City! Tell me, does the East belong to us Human Cultivators, or does it belong to his kind, the True Dragons?"

"Execute the traitor! Slay the Demon Dragon!"

The deafening shouts, amplified by Mana, thundered toward Celestial Wu Hall, but they were intercepted by rays of Incense Fire Divine Light, failing to disturb so much as a single blade of grass within the palace.

In front of Xuanwu Gate, a massive, dense crowd of Dao Court officials brandished their own Official Positions. Most were minor officials with only a Qi Refining Cultivation. Yet these men were full of passionate zeal, utterly foolish, and easy to deceive; a few casual words from several Foundation Establishment Officials had been enough to incite them into a hot-headed frenzy.

In such a state of public outrage, violent conflict was inevitable.

Finally, as a ray of Splendid Light flew out from the crowd and injured a Cultivator from the Imperial City Department who was responsible for holding the line, the conflict, which had been at a critical point, erupted completely.

With someone taking the lead, everyone’s courage multiplied.

This chaotic scene was, of course, witnessed in its entirety by Lü Yang, who was regulating his breathing back in the Commander-in-Chief’s Mansion. But he remained completely unperturbed, a cold smile instead gracing his lips:

’Talk about a timely gift.’

’Are you trying to get me to go on a killing spree? Fine, I’ll indulge you... I was just worrying about what excuse to use for a major purge, and you delivered one right to my doorstep.’

The next second, Lü Yang’s expression turned solemn.

At the same time, the five Commanders of the Capital Camp who had just instigated the riots at Xuanwu Gate also walked in. Before they could speak, Lü Yang cut in:

"I know everything that’s happened."

"The Imperial City Department was personally appointed by His Majesty and is one of the most elite units of our Dao Court. To not fear the power of the Imperial City Department... these are no ordinary officials."

"These are clearly all rioters! Rioters!"

Just then, a Cultivator from the Imperial City Department hurried in, carrying a dossier covered in dense script.

"Sir, the confession of the Minister of the Imperial Army is ready."

"He’s remembered everything. A significant portion of the officials are spies for the Demon Sect. We’ve cross-referenced the names—it’s the exact group of people surrounding Xuanwu Gate!"

"What?"

At these words, Lü Yang roared with anger, "Immediately deliver the confession to the Three Ministers’ Mansion! Let the Empress and the Crown Prince see it as well! The situation is now clear."

"Without a doubt, this is a wicked plot by the Jiangbei Demon Sect to destroy the peace and unity of our Dao Court! They assassinated His Majesty, but when they discovered that I and the Imperial City Department stepped forward at the critical moment to stabilize the court, they orchestrated this drama of forcing the palace’s hand in order to create chaos."

"If this can be borne, what cannot?"

"We cannot hesitate any longer! We must strike hard!" As his voice fell, Lü Yang slammed his hand on the table and looked toward the Commander of Five Armies waiting at his side.

"Issue a martial law decree immediately! All officials in the city are forbidden from leaving their residences. Anyone who leaves without permission will be treated as a Demon Sect spy, and the Capital Camp has the authority to kill them on sight!"

As his voice fell, the Commander of Five Armies immediately raised a fist:

"Loyalty! Devotion!"

At this, Lü Yang laughed again. "Of course, the soldiers and officers of the Five Armies Camp have worked hard and performed a great service by suppressing the chaos stirred up by these Demon Sect spies."

"On my authority, after this matter is concluded, every soldier in the Five Armies Camp will receive a bonus to their stipend. And don’t bother choosing between Spiritual Materials, Cultivation Techniques, or Enlightenment—you’ll get them all! If anyone distinguishes themselves in this operation to purge the Demon Sect spies, I will personally fund even more rewards out of my own pocket!"

With that said, Lü Yang gave a grand wave of his hand:

"Five Armies Camp, move out!"