Chapter 509
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Refining the First Strand of Golden Nature
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In his sea of consciousness, Lu Yang's divine sense manifested as a beam of light, his expression one of utter satisfaction as he gazed at the golden glow coiling around his fingertip, as if beholding a treasure rarer than any in the world.
"Ten lifetimes of cultivation, and damn me if I haven't finally refined out a strand of golden nature."
In this moment, endless emotions welled up in Lu Yang's heart. He recalled the first time he'd laid eyes on golden nature—it had been bestowed upon him by Uncle-Master Chongguang, and the envy he'd felt then was indescribable.
Lu Yang stared intently at the wisp of golden nature before him. Though its light was faint and feeble, to him it seemed like a vast, blazing sea of radiance, reflecting countless scenes from the mortal world: scorching suns blazing overhead, moonlit nights stretching endlessly; towering mountains and steep ridges, vast rivers and serene lakes; soaring birds and prowling beasts, blooming flowers and darting schools of fish.
The myriad phenomena of heaven and earth were all contained within this single strand of golden nature.
If cast into the mortal realm without any concealment and glimpsed by a Qi Refining cultivator, it would instantly plunge them into delusion, letting them live out a lifetime in a dreamlike haze.
That was the origin of tales like the Dream of Nanke or the Rotten Ke Fish Story.
For golden nature held the complete Dao attainment of a peak Foundation Establishment great cultivator, including their insights into heaven and earth—immature, perhaps, in the eyes of a True Lord.
Yet to a Qi Refining cultivator, it was indistinguishable from the real world.
Pulling back his thoughts, Lu Yang's vision swiftly withdrew from the boundless vista before him. Time seemed to accelerate in that instant: suns and moons plummeted, mountains and seas crumbled.
"Hoo!"
When he came back to himself, the grand scenes he'd witnessed were gone from view. All that remained was the single point of brilliant, dazzling light coiling around his fingertip.
"A pity there's only this one strand—far from enough to elevate a blessed land." Lu Yang drew a deep breath. Refining golden nature to propel a blessed land aloft made the golden nature one of the primary driving forces. If the refined amount fell short, it couldn't sustain the blessed land's ascent to merge with the Dao fruit, resulting in the cultivator's death and the Dao's dissipation.
This was no simple matter.
No one knew precisely how much golden nature was needed for a perfect elevation and merger with the Dao fruit. One could only rely on their own cultivation insights to estimate.
Guess right, and the odds of attaining gold soared.
Guess wrong, and it was all for naught.
Worst of all, too little golden nature wouldn't suffice, but too much was equally disastrous. Excess golden nature would erode the cultivator's soul and divine sense in reverse.
"It can't exactly be called erosion."
"Strictly speaking, golden nature is meant to fuse with the soul in the end—a natural progression. It's just harmful at the Foundation Establishment stage."
Only a True Lord's soul could withstand integration with golden nature, preserving the self amid its onslaught. A Foundation Establishment soul was simply of inferior rank; a tiny amount might be endured through sheer will, but too much would shatter even the strongest resolve, damaging the soul irreparably.
At that point, forget attaining gold—the cultivator themselves would descend into madness.
History was replete with such examples.
Thus, for peak Foundation Establishment great cultivators, every refinement of golden nature was like walking a tightrope—one misstep leading to eternal perdition.
But fortunately—
"I've got a cheat!"
Lu Yang smiled confidently. The reason was simple: in his previous life, he'd borrowed an immortal spirit body to attain gold, gaining perfect knowledge of the precise amount his soul required!
For others, refining golden nature was tightrope-walking.
For Lu Yang, it was merely a trivial task backed by complete data and prior practice—no difficulty at all.
"That said, should I just cash it in now?"
Lu Yang stroked his chin, pondering briefly before deciding to hold off. He wouldn't settle it with the [Book of a Hundred Lives] just yet.
The reason was straightforward:
"Settling now wouldn't yield enough returns! The same golden talent settles differently from True Lord golden nature versus Foundation Establishment golden nature."
"I'm not short on golden talents anyway. Best to wait until I verify True Lord—that'll maximize the gains!"
With that thought, Lu Yang stowed the golden nature and withdrew from his sea of consciousness.
At that moment, a demon cultivator with a tense expression hurried into the Five Armies Governor's Mansion. It was Xiao Shan, the elder of the [One Heart Society] who'd been the first to pledge loyalty to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang's brow arched slightly at the sight.
"What's happened?"
"Someone's stirring up trouble!"
Xiao Shan said gravely.
"A horde of officials seem to have received some order. They've all marched out of their mansions, gathering toward Xuanwu Gate. They demand an audience with the Crown Prince!"
"Oh?"
Lu Yang's mind turned, instantly grasping the instigator's intent. After all, Li Tai'an's ploy was open scheming from the start—no intent to hide it from him.
But it was already too late.
"Before, this open ploy might've really tied my hands, since I still had to consider the Crown Prince and Empress's positions back then."
But things were different now. "With the Five Armies Capital Camp in hand, seizing the Emperor's tally from the Empress lets me control Tianwu City outright—that's the true key!"
Real power struggles were always like this.
All the scheming, open or covert, was illusory. In the end, whoever held the military authority, whoever wielded the bigger fist—that was the victor.
With that in mind, Lu Yang turned to Xiao Shan with a light chuckle.
"Pass my orders: hold Xuanwu Gate firm. No officials get through to pay respects. Seal off all news—don't let it reach the Crown Prince or Empress. But have them avoid force. On the surface, persuade the officials to stay rational."
"Understood!"
Xiao Shan saluted at once, then departed swiftly. Only then did Lu Yang turn to the Five Armies Governor, now puppeted by the [String Puppet] technique.
"Send out a few officials."
Lu Yang said calmly.
"Have them blend into the crowd of officials, then initiate an attack on the Imperial City Division. Dispose of them afterward—keep it clean."
"Yes!"
The Five Armies Governor responded without hesitation and left the mansion.
Outside Tianwu Hall, at Xuanwu Gate.
"The demon dragon brings calamity to the realm, sealing off court and country, ignoring governance, slaughtering the loyal!"
"A mere demon cultivator dares wreak havoc in Tianwu City. Tell me—is Jiangdong truly the Jiangdong of we human cultivators, or of their true dragons?"
"Slay the wicked traitors! Kill the demon dragon!"
Earth-shaking cries, amplified by spells, thundered toward Tianwu Hall, only to be blocked by layers of incense-fire divine light, disturbing not a blade of grass or leaf within.
Before Xuanwu Gate, a black mass of Dao Court officials had revealed their ranks. Most were minor Qi Refining officials, brimming with hot blood and utter foolishness—easily swayed. A few Foundation Establishment officials had whipped them into a frenzy with mere words.
In such a fevered mob, violence was inevitable.
Finally, as a streak of brilliant light shot from the crowd, wounding an Imperial City Division cultivator blocking the way, the powder keg exploded.
With a leader, everyone's courage multiplied.
This chaos naturally fell under Lu Yang's watchful eye as he rested in the Five Armies Governor's Mansion, but he remained utterly unflustered, instead curling his lips in a cold sneer.
"Talk about perfect timing."
"You want me to go on a killing spree? Fine, I'll indulge you. I was just racking my brains for an excuse to purge on a grand scale, and you deliver it right to my door."
The next instant, Lu Yang's expression turned stern.
At the same time, the five Capital Camp Governors who'd sparked the Xuanwu Gate uproar stepped forward. Before they could speak, Lu Yang cut in:
"I've got the full picture."
"The Imperial City Division is His Majesty's personally appointed elite of the Dao Court—one of our sharpest blades. To defy them isn't the act of ordinary officials."
"These are outright rioters! Rioters!"
Just then, an Imperial City Division cultivator hurried in, clutching a dossier covered in dense script.
"Sir, the confession from the Capital Heaven Minister of Military Affairs is ready."
"He remembers now—a good portion of the officials are Demon Sect spies. We've verified it; they match exactly those besieging Xuanwu Gate!"
"What?"
Lu Yang bellowed in fury.
"Send the confession to the Three Dukes Mansion at once. Show it to the Empress and Crown Prince too—the situation is crystal clear."
"Without a doubt, this is the Northern Jiang Demon Sect's vile plot to shatter our Dao Court's unity. They assassinated His Majesty, then saw me and the Imperial City Division step up to stabilize the court. To sow chaos, they've staged this farce of forced entry into the palace."
"This is intolerable!"
"No more hesitation—we strike with an iron fist!"
With those words, Lu Yang slammed the table, then turned to the Five Armies Governors awaiting orders.
"Issue a citywide curfew immediately. No official leaves their mansion. Any who do are deemed Demon Sect spies—the Capital Camp has authority to execute on sight!"
At his command, the Five Armies Governors raised their hands in unison:
"Loyal! Sincere!"
Lu Yang chuckled again.
"Of course, the Five Armies Camp soldiers have toiled hard suppressing this Demon Sect-sparked riot."
"I'll take responsibility: after this, every soldier gets a bonus pay issuance—no picking spiritual materials, techniques, or insights. Issue them all! And if any earn merits in rooting out these Demon Sect spies, I'll reward them personally from my own pocket—generously!"
With that, Lu Yang waved his hand grandly.
"Five Armies Camp—mobilize!"