Chapter 461: False External Fruit Position!
Chapter 461: False Holding of External Dao Fruition
Within the quiet chamber of Dongting Lake's Dragon Palace, Lü Yang sat cross-legged, his entire body bathed in a radiance akin to sunlight. Behind him, this glow slowly intertwined, coalescing into a shimmering illusionary scene.
[Xuan Capital Blessed Land]!
This blessed land, crafted at great expense by the Dragon Palace for Lü Yang, had now grown to an unimaginable scale, teetering at the brink of a critical threshold.
'Once I achieve Foundation Establishment Perfection in this lifetime and fuse the [Bingling Radiant Dao Foundation] into it, I can immediately use this blessed land to seek the [Heavenly Fire Above]. The only obstacles remaining are the gaps in my cultivation depth and the grand ritual [Steering the World], which draws the attention of the [Heavenly Fire Above].'
At this thought, a brush suddenly appeared in Lü Yang's hand.
This was one of the treasures he had plundered from the Dragon Palace—a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, each corresponding to the celestial and terrestrial qi positions required for cultivating the [Heavenly Fire Above].
The brush corresponded to [Wu Earth].
"First, refine one..."
Holding it in his hand, Lü Yang wasted no time in channeling [Wu Earth] into his Dao foundation for refinement. He had mastered this celestial-terrestrial qi deeply.
After all, when he previously cultivated [City Wall Earth], he had also begun with [Wu Earth].
However, this time was different. Back then, the innate divine ability [Embrace the Mountain] he refined from [Wu Earth] fundamentally corresponded to the [City Wall Earth] fruition position.
Now, he needed to shift its imagery.
'[Wu Earth] manifests as twilight, borrowing the sun's remnants—thus aligning with [Heavenly Fire Above]*.
In spring and summer, qi moves and disperses, fostering growth; in autumn and winter, qi settles and gathers, storing energy. Hence, [Wu Earth] governs the fate of all living things... This innate divine ability...
Should be named [Emperor of Life Command]!'*
With this thought, within Lü Yang's Foundation Establishment realm, his [Bingling Radiant Dao Foundation] suddenly emitted a golden light that instantly flooded his divine sense and soul!
After a long while, Lü Yang finally formed a hand seal and slowly opened his eyes. His ordinarily calm gaze now shimmered with dazzling golden twilight. This divine ability, [Emperor of Life Command], was no empty boast—it truly held power over destiny, capable of dictating life and death!
'If combined with the profound mysteries of my life essence divine ability [People Without Evil]*...
Using [People Without Evil] to establish rules and [Emperor of Life Command] to decree fate, I could push the binding force of rules to an extreme!'*
If the gap between him and his opponent was vast enough, he might even compel someone to take their own life with a single word.
When the ruler demands a subject's death, the subject has no choice but to obey!
"Incredible..."
Lü Yang exhaled deeply, withdrawing his divine abilities before turning to Ancestor Nether Whisper, who had been safeguarding him. With a smile, he asked, "How has the Ancestor's comprehension progressed?"
Before the restart, he had tasked Ancestor Nether Whisper with devising a method to fuse [Seven Luminaries Heaven] and [Sword Dao Fruit Position], even temporarily lending him the [Yama Palace]'s false golden seat authority. Given Ancestor Nether Whisper's extraordinary wisdom, results should have emerged by now.
Sure enough.
"I've made some progress," Ancestor Nether Whisper replied solemnly. "However, it's still a preliminary draft. Truly cultivating it into a second-grade true art will require more time."
"But I've incidentally devised something more immediately useful for you."
With that, Ancestor Nether Whisper extracted a strand of divine sense. Lü Yang accepted it, scanned it briefly, and then blinked in surprise.
"This is..."
The [Yama Palace] method—but extensively modified.
Though it still required nine Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators, the demand for metal essence had been eliminated, lowering the threshold for false authority.
The revised [Yama Palace] could no longer falsely hold local fruition positions.
Instead, it could now falsely hold external Dao fruition positions!
"I recall you once mentioned the idea of falsely holding external Dao positions, so I deduced a method for you. External Dao fruition positions are far simpler than local ones."
Lü Yang's emotions surged.
He had mentioned it—but never expected Ancestor Nether Whisper to take it to heart and proactively deduce a solution before he even made the request.
Truly worthy of my world-shaking intellect!
"The new [Yama Palace] method allows you to falsely hold [Seven Luminaries Heaven]. Now that [Seven Luminaries Heaven] is complete, it can support the authority of a True Lord."
Ancestor Nether Whisper continued, "Since [Seven Luminaries Heaven] is an external Dao fruition position, and metal essence is a requirement for local positions, external positions are far less stringent. Thus, the new [Yama Palace] no longer consumes metal essence. However..."
His expression turned grave.
"...it will place a tremendous burden on you."
He raised a single finger.
"Once. Given the current strength of your Dao foundation, you can only falsely hold it once. Even if you find a way to recover afterward..."
"A second attempt will, at best, shatter your Dao foundation and sever your path. At worst, it will kill you outright."
"A third time—certain death."
Ancestor Nether Whisper spoke with utmost seriousness, and Lü Yang nodded solemnly in response. "Understood. Once is already excellent—it will surely have miraculous effects at a critical moment!"
Instantly, Lü Yang felt much more at ease.
After the restart, his cultivation had reset to its starting point. Losing the omnipotent sensation of falsely holding a golden seat had left him somewhat unsettled.
But now, his confidence had returned.
Storing Ancestor Nether Whisper away, Lü Yang tidied his appearance before stepping out of the quiet chamber. After brief contemplation, he swiftly formulated his next course of action.
'The Dao Court has this advantage—
Without backing, you can never rise. With backing, promotions come thrice daily—ascending to the clouds is trivial. Everything depends on the will of those above.'
That made things simple.
Lü Yang intended to present the Dao Court with a grand gift—one substantial enough to amass immense merit for himself, propelling him swiftly to a high position within the court!
But first, he needed an introducer.
Dao Court, South Suppression King's Manor.
Wu Tai'an was meditating in his quiet chamber when a servant arrived with unexpected news: "The Dragon King of Dongting Lake seeks an audience?"
As the Dao Court's South Suppression King, younger brother to the Son of Heaven, and a first-rank prince, he was well aware of the cooperation between the True Dragon Clan and the Dao Court. Yet he couldn't fathom why the Dragon King—someone with no prior connection to him—would suddenly seek an audience.
Could they be trying to pull strings through me?
The thought soured Wu Tai'an's expression.
Not because he objected to the Dragon Clan seeking favors—but such matters ought to be handled discreetly! An open visit like this made it impossible for him to accept gifts without tarnishing his reputation.
Do they not care for my pristine name?
'These overseas barbarians truly lack etiquette...'
Despite his internal grumbling, Wu Tai'an maintained perfect decorum, instructing his servants to escort the guest to the reception hall. He would see what game the Dragon Clan was playing.
Soon, footsteps echoed outside the door.
"Hmm?"
In an instant, Wu Tai'an's previously indifferent demeanor shifted. His perfected Foundation Establishment intuition prickled with a faint sense of danger.
He straightened immediately.
Then, a majestic young man strode in. His features bore the ferocity of dragon lineage, yet his expression was one of gentle amiability.
"Apologies for keeping Your Highness waiting."
Before Wu Tai'an could speak, Lü Yang bowed deeply, his courtesy impeccable—utterly devoid of the arrogance typical of heaven's nobility or the True Dragon Clan.
Faced with such humility, Wu Tai'an couldn't possibly remain aloof. He hurriedly rose to return the gesture.
After all, while the other party might appear humble, he represented a mid-stage Golden Core Dragon Monarch. If Wu Tai'an failed to reciprocate such respect, he would only disgrace himself.
"What matter brings the Dragon King to this humble prince?"
"Your Highness," Lü Yang replied solemnly, producing the incense qi divine path cultivation method of [Seven Luminaries Heaven]. "I have discovered an art of great benefit to the Dao Court."
"I wish to present it to the Son of Heaven!"