Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 538: Number One Under Heaven

At this thought, Lü Yang was on the verge of taking that final step.

But the next moment, streams of splendid light descended from the heavens, suppressing his qi trace and instantly snapping the slightly overconfident Lü Yang back to his senses.

He raised his head and looked toward the sky.

The Immortal Dao Law.

As the true foundation of the Dao Court, it was, to some extent, the very personification of the will of the Master of the Dao Court. Yet now, it was preventing him from Seeking Gold.

’...What’s still wrong?’

Lü Yang looked up at the firmament. He saw the Fruit of Celestial Fire shining brightly, a clear sign of its immense favor toward him. Yet, upon closer inspection, he could still sense that something was amiss.

’It’s still not taking the initiative.’

If the Magic Instrument were perfect, the Fruit would have actively manifested to guide him. But as it stood, the Fruit of Celestial Fire had merely shown him its favor.

At this thought, Lü Yang immediately began to run through the calculations in his mind. ’Is it because I’ve only pacified the Five Domains of the World but haven’t actually started governing yet? And what about... my Blessed Land? There’s an issue with the Profound City Blessed Land. It’s compatible with my Dao Foundation, but it’s not truly one with it.’

’On top of that, the amount of my Gold Attribute also seems to be insufficient.’

Lü Yang came to a realization, his brow furrowed slightly.

’In this life, I’ve progressed far too quickly.’

Although he had charged forward triumphantly, a tall tower must be built from the ground up. He was ultimately lacking a degree of consolidation, and his foundation hadn’t truly reached its absolute peak.

’Strictly speaking, my foundation is even inferior to Master Chong Guang’s.’

In terms of strength, that wasn’t the case, but purely from the perspective of Seeking Gold, Master Chong Guang had done almost everything perfectly. His Gold Attribute, Cultivation, and Blessed Land were all flawless and had reached a state of Perfection.

’As the saying goes, patience brings peace. There’s no need to rush.’ Lü Yang knew this well. In his previous life, his time had been running out, and he’d rushed to Seek Gold right when all the Perfected Lords were about to reappear. He couldn’t afford to casually waste the golden opportunity he had this time.

RUMBLE!

With this decision made, Lü Yang retracted the foot he had extended to Seek Gold. Instead, he took out the five strands of Dharma Gold Attribute that the Bhagavat had sent down on the second occasion.

Deprive!

The five strands of Dharma Gold Attribute merged back into his Hongyun Gold Attribute, replenishing his recent expenditure. Only then did Lü Yang cast a spell to recall the Yama Hall from high in the sky.

Meanwhile, across the Five Domains of the World, all the Foundation-Stage Cultivators who had been observing him from afar—whether by channeling their Abilities, using Arrays, or divining karmic links—breathed a collective sigh of relief. This was especially true for those at Foundation Establishment Perfection, each of whom couldn’t help but ponder a single question:

’In the world today, who could possibly stop this man?’

The answer was painfully clear:

’No one!’

This answer greatly displeased the cultivators at Foundation Establishment Perfection who also harbored ambitions of Seeking Gold, but none of them dared to let their feelings show.

After all, no one wanted such a massive mountain pressing down on them. What was even more infuriating was the situation it created: if Lü Yang didn’t Seek Gold, who else would dare? To have one’s own Dao path held hostage by a single person was a profound humiliation. Yet, they were utterly helpless against him, a fact that left them seething with silent rage.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang gradually dispersed the splendid light surrounding him and recalled the Yama Hall.

He deactivated his Fake Holding state!

Thanks to the Bhagavat’s generosity and the domineering presence of the Fruit of Celestial Fire, his Hongyun Gold Attribute had, surprisingly, suffered no losses at all despite the intense battle!

’This is a pleasant surprise. I can save one use of the Fake Holding. Using it one more time will also help the Fruit of Celestial Fire grow more accustomed to me, preparing me for the day I officially Seek Gold. Besides, the waters in this godforsaken place run deep. Heaven knows what other pitfalls lie in wait. The Fake Golden Position is my greatest trump card.’

A moment later, Lü Yang rose to his feet.

Instantly, countless gazes landed on him once more. Even without the Fake Holding state, Lü Yang was still the focal point of the entire world.

Everyone was wondering:

’What is that Demon Dragon going to do now?’

’He wiped out the Pure Land. The Dao Court and the Overseas regions were already under his family’s control. The Stain Sect seems to have struck a deal with him, too. All that’s left is the Sword Pavilion.’

’Didn’t the Sword Pavilion send a Demon-Vanquishing Perfected to the South as well?’

’Are you stupid? Didn’t you see only one of them went to the South? Everyone knows that particular Sword Cultivator is a maverick; he’s hardly a mainstream figure in the Sword Pavilion...’

Finally, under the watchful gaze of all, Lü Yang extended his palm. The splendid light of the Immortal Dao Law wove itself into a net, swiftly blanketing the Pure Land—now devoid of Monks, home only to mortals. At his command, a horde of officials from the Dao Court swarmed in like hungry wolves.

"From this day forward, the Pure Land is no more!"

Carried by the mighty power of the Immortal Dao Law, Lü Yang’s voice spread throughout the world in an instant. The Immortal Dao Law replaced the Shifa, taking control of the entire West!

This sight sent the world into another daze.

The lands of the West, the Pure Land of the Monks... A behemoth that had stood for untold ages was gone, just like that? This was simply unprecedented!

"No, it’s only temporary."

"The Pure Land still has several Bodhisattvas. How could it truly be wiped out so easily? At most, it will simply fail to prosper during this Emperor Huanming’s reign."

The world was abuzz with discussion.

Yet no matter how many comforting words the cultivators loyal to the Pure Land told themselves, they couldn’t erase one single fact: the Pure Land Buddhist Cultivators were on the verge of extinction!

For high in the heavens, a single line of enormous, brilliant characters served as a constant reminder:

Buddhism shall not rise again until my thousand-year reign has ended!

At that very moment, across the Five Domains of the World, numerous cultivators who had once dabbled in Shifa or read the Pure Land’s Mahayana Sutra were suddenly struck by the calamity of Celestial Fire immolation. This terrified many, who scrambled to sever any such thoughts and connections, daring not to associate with Monks in the slightest. They were deathly afraid of being reduced to ash by that same Celestial Fire.

......

「East, Celestial Wu City.」

It was early morning. Sunlight spilled over the magnificent ancient city, dispelling the silence and darkness as pedestrians and vendors began to fill the streets.

The great battle from the day before seemed to have had no effect on them.

This wasn’t because they were oblivious. On the contrary, every single person still bore injuries from the aftershocks of the clash between Lü Yang and Ang Xiao.

And yet, they had still come outside.

The reason was simple: going outside didn’t guarantee death—even when Immortals fought, mortals didn’t always suffer. But staying inside and not working? That was a guaranteed way to starve.

...

Lü Yang stood on the street, eating a savory pancake he had just bought from a stall. He savored it with relish, with Empress Xiao at his side.

The look in Empress Xiao’s eyes had completely changed. If their relationship had previously been one of mutual benefit, it was different now. When she looked at Lü Yang, her beautiful eyes shimmered with an unconscious longing, and a hint of adoration could be seen in their depths. Even her movements and expressions had become much more reserved.

Lü Yang, of course, sensed this change.

He could only lament that a regrettable, thick barrier had formed between them, like the chasm separating an Immortal from a mortal. This was not what he wanted.

’People like us are not unfeeling. How can I let it be this way?’

So, Lü Yang decisively found an inn and pulled Empress Xiao inside.

「One day later.」

It wasn’t until sunset that Lü Yang emerged from the inn, supporting an utterly spent Empress Xiao. The atmosphere between them had returned to what it once was.

"Daoist," Empress Xiao asked, "what will you pursue next?"

Lü Yang already had an answer to Empress Xiao’s question. The culture of cultivation in this godforsaken place was simply atrocious; he had to do something about it.

This would also happen to satisfy the Fruit of Celestial Fire’s requirement for "governance."

"What I seek..."

Thinking of this, Lü Yang answered in a slow, deliberate voice:

"One nation under Heaven!"