Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 514: True Skill

「Celestial Wu Hall, Kunning Palace」

Lü Yang and Empress Xiao were sparring with their Daoist Skills. Streaks of Divine Illusionary Colors flashed before their eyes, instantly transforming into a magnificent, resplendent sea of flowers that filled the room.

A faint, elegant fragrance wafted through the vast palace, soothing the senses. It was mixed with the sound of a babbling mountain spring. As time went on, the sea of flowers slowly converged toward the center, finally coalescing into a single Immortal Flower. It bloomed slowly, emanating a brilliance too bright to behold.

The Glazed Colorful Wondrous Immortal Flowers!

This was an Earth Dao Skill from the Four Treasures Daoist Canon that perfectly suited Empress Xiao’s "Hundred Flowers Palace" Ability. She had painstakingly selected and cultivated it.

The Daoist Skill’s purpose was simple.

By immersing one’s Divine Soul into the Immortal Flower, the speed of refining the Gold Attribute would increase dramatically, condensing a process that would normally take a year or two into a matter of days.

Back when Emperor Jia You was still the Crown Prince, Empress Xiao had relied on this very Daoist Skill to win his favor. Yet, the Glazed Colorful Wondrous Immortal Flowers, which had worked so effortlessly with Emperor Jia You, was now faltering under Lü Yang’s ravages.

’He is cultivating the Emperor Fruit, after all...’

It was the same process of refining the Gold Attribute, yet it had only taken a few applications of her Daoist Skill to succeed with Emperor Jia You. With Lü Yang, however, she still couldn’t manage to refine it.

Only when she had completely drained her Mana, when her Hundred Flowers Palace Ability had grown listless, and when she was utterly spent, would Lü Yang finally manage to refine a single trace of the Gold Attribute. It felt as if he were toying with her on purpose, leaving her feeling both satisfied and resentful, able only to beg him for mercy again and again.

She was satisfied because she knew she hadn’t chosen the wrong man.

After all, the difficulty in refining his Gold Attribute proved his foundation was exceptionally solid. His chances of successfully Seeking Gold in the future were high, and that success was very likely to benefit her as well.

Her resentment, on the other hand, was simple—it was utterly exhausting.

And she could only manage this because her own Cultivation was profound. Even when her Ability was weakened from overexertion, a single day of rest was usually enough for her to recover.

This was the only way she could keep up their daily sessions. Otherwise, her Hundred Flowers Palace would have been utterly destroyed by Lü Yang’s forceful cultivation over the last few days.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang paid no mind to Empress Xiao’s resentful gaze.

His mind was entirely focused on his cultivation. Looking inward, he observed his Soul and the golden light coiling around it like a small dragon. A look of satisfaction crossed his face.

’A full strand of the Gold Attribute!’

’They say the Dao gives birth to One, One to Two, Two to Three, and Three to all of creation... The Gold Attribute follows a similar principle: three threads form a wisp, and three wisps combine to form a strand.’

For more than a month, he had spent his nights on the Dragon Bed, cultivating without rest. Now, with Empress Xiao’s aid, he had finally refined a full strand of the Gold Attribute. Any future threads and wisps he refined would merge directly into this strand, continuously strengthening it until it was powerful enough to support a Blessed Land.

’However, there are drawbacks to a strengthening Gold Attribute.’

Lü Yang stared at the Gold Attribute he had refined. In a daze, he saw what seemed to be a boundless world of mountains and seas, and he felt himself becoming its consciousness.

Flowers and birds, fish and insects; grass, trees, and unyielding stone.

Birds and beasts, wind and rain, thunder and lightning.

All things in creation moved in harmony and order, bringing his mind ever closer to the so-called "Heavenly Dao." He began to see all of existence as mere straw dogs, losing his connection to the mortal world...

"Ahhn~"

A cry, equal parts pain and inexplicable pleasure, shattered Lü Yang’s reverie like the toll of a giant bell. The warmth in his arms brought him back to his senses.

’So this is the influence of the Gold Attribute...’

Lü Yang frowned slightly. As the Gold Attribute grew, a cultivator’s humanity would be gradually suppressed, eventually driving them to madness. This was especially true the closer one got to Seeking Gold.

’Luckily, my will is strong.’

Lü Yang exhaled deeply. He pulled Empress Xiao tight against him, fiercely reclaiming the humanity he had felt slipping away, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"...By the way, Empress."

Looking at Empress Xiao, who was completely drained of strength, Lü Yang asked softly, "It seems there’s no inheritance for the Fruit of Celestial Fire in the Four Treasures Daoist Canon, is there?"

"Still calling me Empress?"

Empress Xiao’s crimson lips parted slightly, her enchanting eyes seeming to spin a silken web as she stared at Lü Yang. "My name is Xiao Ru. You can call me by my name from now on, Daoist."

Lü Yang chuckled. "I still prefer calling you Empress."

"Such a flatterer~"

Empress Xiao feigned indignation, gently tapping Lü Yang’s chest with a delicate hand. Her hand then slid smoothly downward as she began to answer his earlier question.

"Of course it isn’t. The Fruit of Celestial Fire vanished long ago, back when the Celestial Wu dynasty replaced the Dao Court. Only two prominent inheritances from that lineage still exist in the world. One was taken Overseas during the ensuing chaos and eventually fell into the hands of the Old Dragon Monarch of the True Dragon Race."

"Unfortunately, that branch of the inheritance is incomplete."

At this, Empress Xiao shook her head. "But that’s precisely why the Old Dragon Monarch was able to acquire it. If it were complete, it never would have been left for those Overseas."

"And the second?" Lü Yang asked curiously.

"The second should be in the North, in the hands of the Zouyu Descendants. That’s because the Zouyu Royal Family also coveted the Fruit of Celestial Fire in the past."

Empress Xiao explained with ease.

She had read the entire Four Treasures Daoist Canon, which contained not only Cultivation Techniques and Formulas but also countless Daoist Scriptures, apocryphal histories, and secret records. It was no wonder she could speak of them with such intimate knowledge.

Lü Yang’s mind began to race as he listened.

’The Zouyu Descendants... the branch from the Stain Sect? I might be able to make a plan for that. I’m in desperate need of the True Skill that corresponds to the Fruit of Celestial Fire.’

A True Skill was a supreme form of magic refined from the Gold Attribute.

Ever since he had first refined the Gold Attribute, acquiring one had become his top priority. Learning a True Skill that suited him would grant an enormous boost to his power.

But alas, the inheritance for the Fruit of Celestial Fire had long since been severed.

The Celestial Universe Shimmering Dragon Chapter that the Old Dragon Monarch had given him was also missing this section. Lü Yang had been vexed about it, never expecting to find a new lead through Empress Xiao.

"So, what are your plans now?"

Empress Xiao’s gaze was piercing. "You aren’t a Perfected Lord yet, so you can’t formally ascend the throne. You can only rely on the ’As if I were present’ Position to rule temporarily through a Pseudo-Dynasty."

"That’s enough."

Lü Yang chuckled. "Even a usurper’s dynasty provides some boons. And in an age where Perfected Lords live in seclusion, there’s no real difference from a legitimate one."

Empress Xiao’s elegant brow furrowed at his words. "Even so, you must achieve some grand deed to earn the recognition of the Immortal Dao Law. Simple infighting won’t be enough. The Grand Ancestor of the Celestial Wu dynasty was no ordinary man—he earned his recognition by sacrificing a living Outer Dao True Monarch."

"Even if a Pseudo-Dynasty doesn’t require something quite so extreme, it will still be incredibly difficult..."

"Don’t worry. I’ve already made preparations."

Lü Yang shook his head, his gaze shifting toward the North and Overseas. "A deed... The greatest deed is to expand one’s borders. The opportunity... should be arriving right about now."

........

「Overseas, the Four Seas Gate Dragon Palace」