Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

"I’d better not."

After a moment of thought, Lü Yang still gave up the idea of taking Minor Metal into the Righteous Banner. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, nor that he didn’t want to, but that it was meaningless.

"After all, Master Chong Guang is still different.

"His heart for seeking the Dao is too intense. Over so many lifetimes, he has already achieved the Golden Core three times. He is either Seeking Gold, or on the path of Seeking Gold."

This kind of person would not willingly enter the banner.

"The only way to make him enter the banner is Killing... In this regard, Progenitor Tingyou, Master Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, and Fellow Daoist Suo Huan are all different from him."

Progenitor Tingyou, because of the Wu Ghost Sect matter, coupled with his own exceedingly high talent, wasn’t actually very passionate about seeking the Dao. And if Demon-Vanquishing Perfected had been obsessed with seeking the Dao, he wouldn’t have kept delaying and not gone to attain the Sword Dao back then. Summon was even more single-mindedly focused only on the Resurgence Realm Heaven. That was why they had voluntarily entered the banner and chosen to assist him.

However, Minor Metal was different. He was single-mindedly seeking the Dao and couldn’t possibly be willing to submit to others. If he truly became a Banner Spirit, then he wouldn’t be his original self either.

"There’s no need for that. It’s fine for Master Chong Guang to be like this."

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Lü Yang’s face. He said, "Daoist, your achievement of a True Demon Body by sacrificing a Perfected Lord to the Dao this time is truly admirable."

"Immortal Monarch praises me too highly." Minor Metal sighed with emotion, "If not for Immortal Monarch bestowing the method, it would have been difficult for me to achieve this Dao. This is the grace of helping me attain the Dao. I am endlessly grateful and willing to serve at Immortal Monarch’s side."

Lü Yang, of course, wouldn’t believe such nonsense.

"Although Master Chong Guang’s style is quite different from most disciples of the Stain Sect, being the more grand and open type, he is ultimately still from the Stain Sect."

For this kind of person, their words were no different from a fart. Endlessly grateful?

"Give me a break. Isn’t it just because Heart Demons can swallow souls, posing too great a threat to Perfected Lords, that he couldn’t survive in the Immortal Pivot anymore and came to find me as his backer?"

This did not conflict with Minor Metal’s creed. Relying on oneself didn’t mean doing absolutely everything alone; rather, it meant prioritizing one’s own interests in all matters. Take just now, for instance. Why did Minor Metal reject World Purger Fei Xue’s recruitment? The reason was very simple: because he was useless to the current World Purger Fei Xue.

If he had chosen to defect to World Purger Fei Xue and accept his protection, that would be entrusting his life to someone else. However, choosing Lü Yang was different. Because Minor Metal’s Heart Demon method was taught by Lü Yang, the two had a foundation for cooperation, and Minor Metal was of value to Lü Yang. This was the key. Finding a backer wasn’t something to be done casually. One could only seek out someone to whom they were useful, earning protection through their own value. This, too, was a form of relying on oneself.

Thinking of this, Lü Yang gave a slight nod and said, "You are very thoughtful, Daoist.

"Speaking of which, Daoist has now achieved the True Demon Body, making you the very first case in today’s Void Sea of Light. I wonder, compared to a Heart Demon, what Profound Mysterious do you possess?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Minor Metal immediately understood. "He wants me to demonstrate my value. If my value is sufficient, he will accept my allegiance."

He had to admit, this kind of attitude made Minor Metal feel very comfortable. It gave him a sense of being "like-minded companions." Thus, he did not hide anything, speaking crisply and clearly, "After I became a True Demon, my former five Abilities have all transformed into my own instincts.

"If a comparison must be made, they can be matched with the Fruit Position Imagery."

Lü Yang nodded upon hearing this. He had been paying attention to Minor Metal, and this change was exactly what he expected. The question was whether there were further gains.

"What about the Profound Mysterious?" Lü Yang said in a deep voice. "Looking at Daoist’s current Position, it is barely any different from an Orthodox True Monarch. I presume you should have methods akin to a Fruit Position Profound Mysterious."

At these words, Minor Metal narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment before nodding.

"Immortal Monarch is absolutely right.

"It is just that the True Demon method is different from the Fruit. It seems that my entire Position is entrusted to that Great Dao that suddenly appeared in the Current World amidst the Sea of Suffering..."

Upon hearing Minor Metal’s words, Lü Yang immediately grasped the meaning. "Although the Heart Demon path originated from me, the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder is only an orthodox Fruit. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t be able to push Master Chong Guang to an orthodox Position. His current Position mostly comes from the response of the Tribulation Great Dao!"

At the same time, Minor Metal continued to explain:

"As for the Profound Mysterious that Immortal Monarch mentioned, I do indeed have one. It is linked to my heart spirit, yet it has nothing to do with combat. Instead, it was formed from the Heart Demon’s instincts.

"It should be named the True Demon Embryo.

"As the name suggests, the True Demon I have now transformed into is essentially just a demon embryo. It is still young and weak, and requires continuously invading and swallowing souls to truly grow up."

Minor Metal spoke very vaguely. However, Lü Yang immediately understood his underlying meaning.

"It requires invading and swallowing souls to grow... In other words, its growth ONLY requires invading and swallowing souls!

"This is a Profound Mysterious meant for development!

"For a True Demon, Cultivation has no bottlenecks, nor does it need any Magic Instrument. Or rather, the act of invading and swallowing Cultivators’ souls is itself the Magic Instrument for a True Demon!

"So Master Chong Guang actually doesn’t need to meditate at all, nor does he need any cultivation. As long as he just continues to find ways to invade and swallow Perfected Lords, eating his way from the Early Stage to the Mid-phase, and then to the Late Stage, he can naturally become a Great Perfected Lord! This point alone is enough to make countless people die of envy.

"This is really..."

Thinking up to here, Lü Yang gradually realized the severity of the situation.

"A mere True Demon is actually nothing much; it’s simply a bit harder to kill.

"The problem lies in the Cultivation Method!

"This Heart Demon Cultivation Technique has absolutely no bottlenecks and progresses extremely fast. Worst of all, it feeds on Cultivators. If it were to spread... the disaster would be even worse than the True Demon itself!"

The Cultivation Realm would go mad! When that time came, let alone the Immortal Pivot, the entire Void Sea of Light would become a hunting ground for Heart Demons... Perhaps this was the true reason for the Tribulation appearing in the Current World!

For a moment, Lü Yang felt somewhat horrified. After all, the He-Transformed Heart Demon Scripture was created by him stitching together the World Honored One’s Method and the Evil-warding Technique. But even he hadn’t expected the Cultivation Technique to have such potential.

"Should I try spreading it a bit?"

This devilish thought suddenly leaped into Lü Yang’s mind, but he quickly calmed down. "No, at least it’s not the time yet."

It wasn’t because doing so would harm heavenly harmony; as if Lü Yang would care about that. The key was that the Dharma Gate wasn’t perfect yet.

"There is, after all, only one True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde. When I first created this Dharma Gate, it was specifically targeted at him. It doesn’t actually possess universal applicability.

"At the very least, it still needs to be refined and optimized.

"Only when one no longer needs a Perfected Lord Heart Demon to achieve the True Demon Body, can this Dharma Gate become a great tribulation for the entire Void’s Light Sea Cultivator community!

"As for how to modify it... that will depend on Master Chong Guang!

"As a True Demon, the faster he improves, the more I will synchronize through Student as a Model, and correspondingly, the True Demon cultivation will become more perfect."

In other words: whether he could optimize the He-Transformed Heart Demon Scripture depended entirely on how hard Master Chong Guang worked!

"Master Chong Guang, you must carry this heavy burden forward."

Thinking up to here, Lü Yang’s expression as he looked at Minor Metal became increasingly amiable. He was just about to say something else when a violent turbulence suddenly came from the Profound Spirit Realm.

"...Hm?"