Chapter 507 508: Lü Yang's Metal Essence!
Chapter 508: Lü Yang's Metal Essence!
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Lü Yang's divine sense condensed into a shimmering figure, gazing with deep satisfaction at the golden light swirling around his fingertip as if beholding a rare treasure.
'Ten lifetimes of cultivation, and I've finally condensed Metal Essence too!'
At this moment, Lü Yang felt endless emotion. Recalling the past, the first time he had seen Metal Essence was when Uncle Chongguang had given him some—how envious he had been back then.
Lü Yang stared intently at the wisp of Metal Essence before him. Though its glow was faint, he seemed to see within it a blazing sea of light reflecting countless scenes of the mortal world: the rising sun at dawn, the moonlit night; towering mountains and vast rivers; birds soaring, beasts roaming, flowers blooming, fish swimming...
All phenomena of heaven and earth were contained within this single strand of Metal Essence.
If it were dropped into the mortal realm without concealment and seen by a Qi Refining cultivator, they would likely lose themselves in it instantly, living out a lifetime as if in a dream.
The so-called "South Branch Dream" and the legend of the "Rotten Axe" all stemmed from this very principle.
Because Metal Essence contained the full cultivation depth of a perfected Foundation Establishment Grand True Person, including their insights into heaven and earth. To a True Lord, it might seem crude and immature.
But to a Qi Refining cultivator, it would appear no different from the real world.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Lü Yang's vision rapidly pulled away from the infinite scenes before him. Time seemed to accelerate in that instant—the sun and moon fell, mountains crumbled, and seas dried up.
"Hah!"
When he regained his senses, the myriad scenes he had just witnessed were gone. Only the faint golden glow remained on his fingertip, dazzling and radiant.
"Pity it's just a wisp—far from enough to elevate a Blessed Land." Lü Yang took a deep breath. Refining Metal Essence to elevate a Blessed Land required Metal Essence as one of the driving forces. If insufficient Metal Essence was refined and couldn't support the Blessed Land's elevation to merge with the Fruit Position, the result would be death and the dissipation of one's Dao.
This was actually quite difficult.
Because no one knew exactly how much Metal Essence was needed to perfectly elevate a Blessed Land until it merged with the Fruit Position. Cultivators could only rely on their own cultivation depth to guess.
Guess correctly, and the chances of achieving Metal Essence would greatly increase.
Guess wrong, and all efforts would come to naught.
The most absurd part was that too little Metal Essence wouldn't work, but neither would too much. Because once Metal Essence exceeded a certain threshold, it would begin corroding the cultivator's own soul and divine sense.
'Though "corrosion" isn't quite accurate.'
'Strictly speaking, Metal Essence is ultimately meant to fuse with the soul—this is a natural transformation. But for Foundation Establishment cultivators, it's harmful.'
Only the soul of a True Lord could withstand the fusion of Metal Essence and maintain self-awareness under its impact. The soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator simply lacked the necessary rank. A small amount of Metal Essence might be endured through sheer willpower, but once it exceeded a certain limit, even the strongest will would collapse, affecting the soul.
At that point, forget achieving Metal Essence—the person would descend into madness.
History was not lacking in such examples.
Thus, for a perfected Foundation Establishment Grand True Person, every refinement of Metal Essence was akin to walking a tightrope. A single misstep could lead to irreversible consequences.
But fortunately—
'I have cheats!'
Lü Yang smiled confidently. The reason was simple: in his previous life, he had achieved Metal Essence through his Immortal Spirit Body and knew exactly how much Metal Essence he needed.
For others, refining Metal Essence was walking a tightrope.
But for Lü Yang, refining Metal Essence was merely a trivial matter backed by complete data and practical experience—utterly without difficulty.
'Speaking of which, should I settle it now?'
Lü Yang stroked his chin but decided to hold off, not rushing to use the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] for settlement.
The reason was simple:
'Settling now wouldn't yield enough benefits! Even among golden-tier talents, Metal Essence settled from a True Lord differs greatly from that settled at Foundation Establishment.'
'Since I'm not lacking golden-tier talents right now anyway, it's best to wait until I achieve True Lord status before settling—maximizing the gains!'
With this thought, Lü Yang stored the Metal Essence and withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness.
Just then, a visibly tense demonic cultivator hurried into the Five Armies Commandery—none other than Xiao Shan, one of the founding elders of the [One Heart Society] and the first to pledge allegiance to Lü Yang.
Seeing this, Lü Yang raised an eyebrow: "What's the matter?"
"Someone's stirring trouble!"
Xiao Shan said gravely, "A large number of officials seem to have received some order. They've all left their residences and are gathering at Xuanwu Gate, demanding an audience with the Crown Prince!"
"Oh?"
Lü Yang's mind quickly grasped the intention behind this move. After all, Li Taian's scheme was an open stratagem—never meant to be hidden from Lü Yang.
But it was already too late.
'Before, this open stratagem might have given me a headache, since I'd have had to consider the Crown Prince and Empress's stance.'
But now was different.
'With the Five Armies Capital Garrison under my control, as soon as I seize the Heavenly Son's Talisman from the Empress, I can immediately take command of Tianwu City. That's the real key!'
True struggles were always like this.
All the scheming, all the open and covert stratagems—they were illusions. In the end, victory belonged to whoever held military power, whoever had the strongest fist.
With this in mind, Lü Yang turned to Xiao Shan and said lightly, "Pass down my order: guard Xuanwu Gate at all costs. Don't allow the officials to proceed for an audience. Seal off the news—don't let the Crown Prince or Empress find out... But instruct our people not to use force. On the surface, they should persuade the officials to be reasonable."
"As you command!"
Xiao Shan immediately bowed and left in haste. Lü Yang then turned to the Five Armies Commander, already under the control of [Puppet on Strings].
"Send a few officials out."
Lü Yang said indifferently, "Have them blend into the crowd of officials, then instigate attacks against the Imperial City Bureau. Dispose of them afterward—make sure it's clean."
"Yes!"
The Five Armies Commander responded without hesitation before also exiting the commandery.
Tianwu Hall, outside Xuanwu Gate.
"The demon dragon brings calamity to the state, blocking communication, neglecting governance, persecuting the loyal!"
"These mere demonic cultivators dare wreak havoc in Tianwu City—tell me, is Jiangdong ours, the human cultivators', or the True Dragons'?"
"Slay the traitors! Kill the demon dragon!"
Deafening shouts, amplified by magic power, crashed toward Tianwu Hall but were blocked by layers of incense divine light, leaving not a blade of grass disturbed within the palace.
Before Xuanwu Gate, a dense crowd of Dao Court officials had gathered, many displaying their official positions. Most were minor officials at Qi Refining level—precisely the type most easily roused to fervor and foolish enough to be manipulated by a few Foundation Establishment officials' inflammatory words.
In such a state of collective agitation, violent conflict was inevitable.
Finally, as a radiant beam shot from the crowd and injured an Imperial City Bureau cultivator tasked with maintaining order, the tension erupted into outright chaos.
With someone taking the lead, everyone's courage surged manifold.
This turmoil naturally did not escape Lü Yang's notice as he meditated in the Five Armies Commandery. Yet he remained utterly unruffled, instead sneering:
'A pillow delivered just as I was about to sleep.'
'Want me to go on a killing spree? Fine, I'll oblige—I was just wondering how to justify a purge, and you handed me the perfect excuse.'
The next moment, Lü Yang's expression turned solemn.
Simultaneously, the five Capital Garrison commanders who had just incited the unrest at Xuanwu Gate entered. Before they could speak, Lü Yang preempted them:
"I'm already aware of the situation."
"The Imperial City Bureau was personally appointed by His Majesty—one of the Dao Court's most elite departments. To defy the Imperial City Bureau's authority is no ordinary act of defiance."
"These are clearly all rioters! Rioters!"
Just then, an Imperial City Bureau cultivator hurried in, holding a dossier densely packed with writing.
"Sir, the confession of the Minister of Military Affairs of the Capital is ready."
"He remembered—a significant portion of the officials are spies from the Demon Sect. We've verified it—they're the very ones besieging Xuanwu Gate!"
"What?"
Hearing this, Lü Yang feigned outrage: "Deliver the confession immediately to the Three Dukes' residence—let the Empress and Crown Prince see it too. The situation is now clear."
"Without a doubt, this is an evil plot by the Demon Sects north of the river to destabilize our Dao Court's unity. They assassinated His Majesty, only to find that I and the Imperial City Bureau stepped forward at the critical moment to stabilize the court. To create chaos, they orchestrated this farce of forcing the palace."
"This is intolerable!"
"No more hesitation—we must strike hard!" With these words, Lü Yang slammed the table and turned to the waiting Five Armies Commander:
"Impose martial law. No official is to leave their residence without permission. Those who disobey will be treated as Demon Sect spies—the Capital Garrison has authority to execute on sight!"
The Five Armies Commander immediately raised his hand:
"Loyalty!"
Then Lü Yang added with a smile, "Of course, the Capital Garrison's efforts in suppressing the unrest stirred by Demon Sect spies deserve recognition."
"I decree that once this matter is resolved, all Capital Garrison troops will receive an additional month's pay. Forget choosing between spirit materials, techniques, or enlightenment—give them all! Those who distinguish themselves in uncovering Demon Sect spies will receive further rewards from my personal coffers!"
With that, Lü Yang waved his hand grandly:
"Capital Garrison—move out!"