Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 499: Celestial Wu’s Spring

At this moment, the entire Celestial Wu Hall fell deathly silent.

In the vast hall, only the clear ring of a sword echoed. A brilliant Sword Light swept through like a bursting flood—an indiscriminate, wide-area attack!

Ang Xiao’s calculation was clear. In that fleeting instant, it was impossible for him to distinguish which mysterious Foundation Establishment cultivator had ambushed him. Thus, his only choice was an indiscriminate attack, encompassing every official in the Celestial Wu Hall. He did, however, spare Emperor Jia You and the Three Ministers.

However, just because he didn’t attack them didn’t mean Emperor Jia You and the Three Ministers wouldn’t intervene.

After all, the entire upper echelon of the Dao Court was present in the Celestial Wu Hall. With their own time of seclusion fast approaching, if all these officials were to die, how would the Dao Court possibly continue to function?

Therefore, almost simultaneously, Emperor Jia You made his move.

"Insolence!"

Before his voice had even faded, the Immortal Dao Law pressed down. And the Celestial Wu Hall was the very heart of the Dao Court, the place where the Mighty Power of the Immortal Dao Law was strongest.

Because of this, the moment Ang Xiao’s Sword Light appeared, it was suppressed by the Immortal Dao Law. His Position, originally at the Late Stage of Golden Core and powerful enough to sweep away everyone present, was forcefully knocked down to the Middle Stage of Golden Core. Its speed and power plummeted, finally giving everyone a chance to react.

BOOM!

First came the scattered Sword Light. The Three Ministers acted at once, activating their Divine Fruit Position to shield the officials behind them from the blast.

However, they were already on the verge of entering seclusion.

Forcing themselves to act now only accelerated the process. After that single move, their figures shattered and vanished without a trace.

Only Emperor Jia You was still holding on.

After all, his Cultivation was at the Middle Stage of Golden Core, and he was currently boosted by the Immortal Dao Law. With a single move, he had already suppressed that peerless Sword Light.

Even so, Emperor Jia You was still shaken.

’Thank goodness this is the Celestial Wu Hall...’

Of the Four Great Forces in the world, the Stain Sect and the Sword Pavilion both possessed methods on par with the Late Stage of Golden Core. While the Pure Land and the Dao Court did not, they still had means of self-preservation.

The Pure Land relied on the Unity of its people and the face of the Bhagavat.

The Dao Court, on the other hand, relied on the Immortal Dao Law. Within the Celestial Wu Hall, even a Late Stage Golden Core cultivator would have their Realm suppressed, unable to act as they pleased.

But just as the Bhagavat’s face, though useful, couldn’t be used everywhere, the Dao Court’s Immortal Dao Law was only effective in the East. Outside the East, its power would be lost. This was why the Dao Court had always remained cooped up in the East, isolating itself and avoiding conflict with the outside world.

’But this Sword Light looks so familiar... Hiss!’

Emperor Jia You’s thoughts raced, and a look of horror spread across his face. He had clearly remembered it: this was the same slash that True Monarch Gangxing had once directed at Ang Xiao.

Once this Sword Light was unleashed, the memories associated with it naturally returned.

For a moment, Emperor Jia You was utterly shocked. ’Ang Xiao... how could it be Ang Xiao? Is the Demon Sect making a move against my Dao Court? No, that can’t be right...’

He couldn’t fathom Ang Xiao’s motive for attacking.

Then, he looked down at Lü Yang, who was kneeling before him, only to see a blue, shimmering conch shell above Lü Yang’s head, protecting him securely.

The Sea Commanding Conch!

The incident had been so sudden that despite the swift reactions of Emperor Jia You and the Three Ministers, and the suppression from the Immortal Dao Law, over a dozen officials were still struck by the Sword Light.

Lü Yang was one of them.

However, unlike the other officials, at the critical moment, he had summoned the Sea Commanding Conch personally gifted to him by the Old Dragon Monarch to block the Sword Light.

CRACK!

The next second, the Sea Commanding Conch, a Fruit Position True Treasure, began to fracture. Then, with a loud bang, it shattered completely, breaking into a sky full of radiant light!

Under the radiant light, Lü Yang’s "utterly terrified" face was illuminated.

Emperor Jia You lowered his gaze, thinking to himself:

’A pity... he didn’t die!’

If the Sword Light had killed Lü Yang directly, it would have saved him a lot of trouble. He could have simply sent an obituary to the True Dragon Race afterward and maintained the moral high ground.

But since Lü Yang hadn’t died, things were much more troublesome.

As this thought crossed his mind, Emperor Jia You, while still suppressing the Sword Light, prepared to speak again. He still had enough strength to briefly explain his arrangements for the Dao Court...

BOOM!

A deafening roar suddenly caused Emperor Jia You’s expression to stiffen.

Because Lü Yang had made his move.

Without drawing anyone’s attention, Lü Yang, with his eyes lowered, directly commanded the Banner Spirit within his Myriad-Soul Banner to form the Yama Hall and call upon the Fruit of Sword Dao.

Fake Holding of the Outer Dao!

CLANG!

A second sword ring echoed. The officials below the Golden Core Realm naturally couldn’t tell the difference between this sword ring and the previous one; their Divine Sense was completely blocked.

Only Emperor Jia You saw everything clearly, which was why he was so incredulous.

He simply could not comprehend why a subordinate he thought he could crush at any moment had suddenly transformed into an Outer Dao True Monarch!

The feeling was like trying to step on an ant, only to find you’ve stepped on a Tyrannosaurus!

And that wasn’t all!

As Lü Yang used Fake Holding on the Fruit of Sword Dao and unleashed a slash, three of his Talent Skills activated simultaneously, empowering his Sword Light.

[Ambition]!

[I am the Vanguard]!

[Blessings Overflowing]!

Of the three Talent Skills, the first doubled the power of his Abilities when backstabbing; the second granted him Fortune; the third separated that Fortune into good luck and bad luck to be transferred to others.

In an instant, Lü Yang completed the maneuver. He used [Blessings Overflowing] to split the Fortune granted by [I am the Vanguard], keeping the good luck for himself and sending the bad luck to Emperor Jia You. Overwhelming Sword Qi instantly surrounded Emperor Jia You from all sides, and this imagery of a group assault activated another Talent Skill.

[Dragon-Stripping Platform]!

Even though it was a Fake Holding of the Outer Dao, with the empowerment of four Golden Talents and the inherently offensive Sword Dao, its power was no less than that of an Orthodox True Monarch!

In contrast, Emperor Jia You was still suppressing the Sword Light unleashed by Ang Xiao. On top of that, he was on the verge of seclusion, unable to use even a tenth of his full Abilities.

"You..." Emperor Jia You opened his mouth to speak.

PFFT!

The sword pierced his chest, and the peerless Sword Light exploded with a bang. Like a fierce wind extinguishing a lamp, it caused Emperor Jia You’s form to dissipate before he could even finish his sentence.

’It’s done!’

Lü Yang let out a deep breath and quickly dispersed the state of Fake Holding the Outer Dao. After all, even though he’d only held it for an instant, he could still feel the instability in his Dao Foundation.

An excruciating pain originating from his Soul swept through his entire body from his Dao Foundation.

But Lü Yang still gritted his teeth and forced the pain down.

’Unless I use Fake Holding on the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire and use the Hongyun Gold Attribute to absorb the damage, I’ll have to rely on luck to endure using Fake Holding on an Outer Dao again...’

The next second, the myriad Illusionary Colors shattered, and the scene within the great Celestial Wu Hall was finally revealed. However, Emperor Jia You and the Three Ministers had all vanished. Everyone could only see True Dragon Du Huan—the one just praised by the Emperor for his loyalty and service to the country—now vomiting blood and roaring in fury:

"Seize them! Don’t let the assassin escape!"

"Someone within the Dao Court has colluded with the Jiangbei Demon Sect to assassinate His Majesty! The evidence is irrefutable! Apprehend the assassin at once! This matter must be investigated to the very end!"

Rising to his feet, Lü Yang’s icy gaze swept over everyone present.

"Wait!"

Seeing this, Ning Haohai, the Commander of the All Heaven Department, gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "The Imperial City Department isn’t needed to investigate this, is it? This should be the All Heaven Department’s..."

Before Ning Haohai could finish speaking, a large hand was already slapping down toward the top of his head.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Ning Haohai was instantly terrified. He subconsciously activated his Official Position, and streams of Abilities appeared, trying to block the attack... but they all stopped before the large hand.

’Ming Monarch’s Rule!’

The Abilities, originally aimed at Lü Yang, seemed to have surrendered the moment they touched the Divine Power Radiance on his hand. They coiled around his hand instead, not only failing to weaken its power but actually increasing it. With one slap, he instantly seized Ning Haohai by the neck!

In an instant, there was dead silence.

Then, Lü Yang spoke with a grim expression, "Let the All Heaven Department investigate? You should know, the one who assassinated His Majesty was Chen Yuanli, the Deputy Commander of the All Heaven Department!"

"He is your subordinate."

"Are you saying this now because you want to shelter a criminal?"

At these words, Ning Haohai’s face flushed red. He wanted to argue, but with Lü Yang’s hand around his neck and his Mana sealed, he couldn’t utter a single word.

At the same time, numerous Qi traces emerged outside the Celestial Wu Hall.

Previously, Emperor Jia You had ordered the Imperial City Department to continue serving as the Commander of Nine Gates. With the commotion in the Celestial Wu Hall, the Incense Fire Gods of the Imperial City Department were naturally the first to arrive.

"No rebuttal? It seems you’ve admitted your guilt."

Lü Yang flicked his hand, knocking Ning Haohai unconscious and throwing him to the ground. "Imprison him. From now on, I ask all of you to cooperate with the Imperial City Department’s investigation."

"The matter of His Majesty’s assassination must be answered for!"

Before Lü Yang’s voice had faded, the Incense Fire Gods of the Imperial City Department, as if by telepathy, stomped their feet in unison, placed their right hands to their temples, and roared as one:

"LOYALTY! HONOR!"