Chapter 458
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Undisclosed]
Chapter Title: Disguised Entry into the Dao Court
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Although he planned to head to the Dao Court, Lu Yang had no intention of rushing over like some eager lackey.
After all, the Dao Court enforced a strict policy of isolationism and border lockdown, fiercely xenophobic. Ordinary cultivators couldn't even approach it—trespassing into Jiangdong meant instant execution as an invader.
Especially for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
‘According to Wu Tai'an's memories, the Dao Court is suppressed by the [Immortal Nation Dao Regulations]. Any Foundation Establishment cultivator entering the territory is immediately locked onto by the Dao Court.’
That was why Lu Yang wasn't in a hurry to restore his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
The Ten Thousand Spirits Banner had plenty of Foundation Establishment experts inside to guard him anyway, so no worries there. After using [Reincarnated Spirit Child] to enter Yu Suzhen's body, he settled in patiently to wait.
Soon enough, Yu Suzhen awoke.
"Where am I?"
She glanced around, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion. But as Lu Yang activated [String Puppet], she quickly "recalled" her past.
‘That pitiful new disciple's been taken care of by me. And now, I've smoothly broken through to the first layer of Qi Refining.’
‘Makes perfect sense.’
Stepping down from the rostrum bed, Yu Suzhen changed into fresh clothes. Right then, a knock echoed from the door. Opening it revealed Liu Xin, who'd been waiting impatiently outside.
What followed was a sequence Lu Yang knew all too well.
Liu Xin tried to refine Yu Suzhen, but she sensed something off early, seduced him with her charms, then poisoned him to death alive.
After that came Yu Suzhen's masterful sea queen maneuvers.
Throughout it all, Lu Yang effortlessly switched the [Reincarnated Spirit Child]'s host, shifting from her to Zhao Xuhe.
‘Yu Suzhen's got real talent, but no background to speak of—she'll have to develop slowly within the Saint Sect. I can monitor her progress later with [String Puppet]. Since I'm heading to the Dao Court, better to possess someone with some status among the Saint Sect disciples, who can leave the sect at any time.’
Zhao Xuhe fit the bill perfectly.
Lu Yang's operation was seamless: [Reincarnated Spirit Child] possession, [String Puppet] control. And so, one morning, Zhao Xuhe suddenly had an epiphany.
"Huh! I'm going to Jiangdong!"
Big opportunities awaited in Jiangdong!
Driven by this burning impulse, Zhao Xuhe—who was originally bound for the Northern Frontier—abruptly changed course and galloped off toward Jiangdong without looking back.
Jiangbei, [Qing Kingdom].
This land lay at the extreme eastern edge of Jiangbei. Beyond it flowed the [Great Long River], which even Qi Refining cultivators couldn't approach.
Though the four realms of the world—east, west, south, and north—were strictly non-interfering in principle, private trade flourished under the table between them. Back in the Sword Pavilion, Lu Yang recalled how the seafaring Li family built their vast fortune smuggling goods from Jiangbei, even nurturing a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being.
Jiangdong and Jiangbei were no different.
[Qing Kingdom] served as their transit hub.
Especially now, with Chongguang not yet turning his gold-seeking gaze on [Qing Kingdom], relations between it and Jiangbei remained amicable.
"Demon Sect disciple, you want to defect to Jiangdong?"
The [Qing Kingdom] cultivator facing Zhao Xuhe's bold declaration wasn't surprised at all. After all, a batch of talented Saint Sect disciples tried to defect every year.
"Go line up over there."
Lu Yang: "."
Eyeing the bustling crowd in the direction the [Qing Kingdom] cultivator pointed, Lu Yang felt a pang of indignation. The Saint Sect was that unpopular?
What? Qi Refining disciples don't count as people?
Never mind, then!
Under Lu Yang's control, Zhao Xuhe unhesitatingly joined the queue. After filling out forms and passing screening, he stepped onto [Qing Kingdom]'s teleportation array.
In the next instant, white light flashed.
Glancing back, Lu Yang saw the scene before him utterly transformed. He and the other Jiangbei cultivators now stood on a majestic, sprawling plaza.
At its center loomed a middle-aged man in official robes, his face handsome and refined as jade. He clutched a roster, gazing sternly at the group. A brilliant glow erupted from the crown of his head, coalescing into an official seal that hovered above him like a canopy.
[Capital Heaven Division Thousand Household]
A fifth-rank post, equivalent to Foundation Establishment!
Lu Yang secretly calculated and learned the official's surname was Liu. Years ago, his exceptional aptitude caught the eye of a Capital Heaven Division Pacification Envoy, who recruited him into the ranks.
In just a few short years, he'd risen to Thousand Household.
The Dao Court had held imperial exams year after year for ages, producing countless successful candidates, yet official posts remained limited. The resulting bureaucratic bloat and surplus officials were infamous. For Liu Thousand Household to climb so swiftly, many suspected he was the Pacification Envoy's bastard son.
Then, Liu Thousand Household spoke.
"You all possess cultivation and have turned from darkness to light. You deserve heavy preferment. By imperial decree, I am here to select talents for the Immortal Nation. Today, I bestow upon you all the rank of Force士."
His words hung in the air.
The [Capital Heaven Division Thousand Household] seal above Liu Thousand Household blazed with light, then splintered into countless shards that descended onto everyone's heads.
Instantly, corresponding seals appeared above them all:
[Capital Heaven Division Force士]
Hiding within Zhao Xuhe, Lu Yang's brows shot up. Originally, these people like Zhao Xuhe had their own cultivations, with all divine abilities vested in him.
But now, things had changed.
The official seals bound their bodies. Lu Yang could clearly feel Zhao Xuhe's original cultivation being stripped away bit by bit by the seal overhead!
For now, perhaps no issue, but in ten days or half a month, Zhao Xuhe would fully transform into a Dao Court cultivator, his entire mana anchored to that overhead seal. With a single thought from Liu Thousand Household—who'd granted it— he could revert to a powerless mortal!
‘That's pretty insidious too.’
Unlike the Pure Land's total unity of mind, the Dao Court imposed insanely tight controls on its subordinates, leaving no room for escape.
‘And this Force士 rank—others might not know, but I do.’
For a proper Dao Court native, the grant would be "Child Student" or "Xiucai," fitting their official hierarchy.
But the Capital Heaven Division?
‘From Wu Tai'an's memories, the Capital Heaven Division answers directly to the Dao Court Emperor. Prestigious, sure, but once you're in, your official career is dead-ended.’
The orthodox path topped out at first rank, even the Three Dukes, comparable to True Lords.
The Capital Heaven Division? Even its top Commander was merely third rank, peak mid-Foundation Establishment—not even a damn Great Perfected Being.
What future was there?
‘[Force士] is rock bottom in the Capital Heaven Division, not even a Banner Officer. Bluntly put, it's cannon fodder they recruit from outside.’
Clearly, the Dao Court didn't take these Jiangbei cultivators seriously.
Fine words on the surface about "selecting talents for the nation," but in truth, it was "harvesting materials" for cannon fodder—and making them grateful for it!
With that thought, Lu Yang suddenly sensed something.
He looked up at the sky.
Though this body had no cultivation this lifetime, the [Xuan Capital Blessed Land] remained. Through its unique vantage, Lu Yang quickly pierced the veil of Jiangdong.
‘It's completely different from other places.’
It was a vast net.
A sky-obscuring, boundless, omnipresent net that enveloped all of Jiangdong, linking every blade of grass, every living being.
‘The heavens here are different from the outside world!’
Among the four realms, only the Dao Court required no refining of Heavenly Gang or Earthly Fiends, no mastering of divine abilities. Their cultivation system differed fundamentally from everywhere else.
And the reason lay here.
The Dao Court's entire system—every official rank, position, mana, divine ability—stemmed from this single vast net: the [Immortal Nation Dao Regulations]!