Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

To be honest, True Monarch Gangxing had initially only wanted to pick a fight. He had deliberately used True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng as bait just to manufacture an excuse to strike. After all, they were here to interrogate and condemn. Since they had the numbers on their side, they figured they might as well eliminate the trouble that was the Profound Spirit Realm. Killing this Immortal Monarch of Tribulation would also conveniently eradicate the Heart Demon threat. Why wouldn't they take the chance? Even if he was incredibly powerful, facing their formidable lineup, it was bound to be a certain death for him.

However, he now realized that Lü Yang was simply too strong.

"What kind of method is this!?" True Monarch Gangxing wondered.

For a moment, he stopped in his tracks, filled with doubt and astonishment. He had originally planned to attack the moment True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng was at a disadvantage.

The Beast Creation Technique was actually nothing special in the Immortal Pivot. The Celestial Mother's Birth Profound Light that Lü Yang had learned during his Foundation Establishment was essentially a method with a very similar effect. The only difference was that one turned the target into an animal, while the other changed their sex.

In essence, both altered the structure of the Dharma Body. However, this type of Magic was mostly meant to disgust the opponent or fulfill the casting conditions for specific methods. If one were to ask about its actual power, it was rather weak. After all, for a Cultivator, a simple transformation of the Dharma Body did not affect their ability to cast Divine Techniques at all. Even if their appearance changed, their Position remained the same, and their inherent Abilities and Fruit would not disappear. This was exactly why such Magic seemed so useless.

But the method Lü Yang displayed was entirely different.

At this very moment, under everyone's watchful eyes, True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng, who had been turned into a chicken by the Cataclysm Launcher, had his Position and Fruit completely wiped out!

The Fruit of Roof-Top Earth no longer responded to him. His Position plummeted straight down to the level of a mortal creature. His surging Mana, vigorous vitality, and sturdy Dharma Body all vanished without a trace!

Seeing this, the expressions of many Perfected Lords immediately changed.

True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng was actually not weak at all. Although his Cultivation was only at the Early Stage of Golden Core, he had long been attached to True Monarch Gangxing and shared the trait of Pocket World Falling, which made him effectively at the Fake Holding Mid-phase. Yet, such a Perfected Lord was being played with in the palm of his opponent's hand. More importantly, this "chicken-transformation" effect seemed to have erased all the characteristics of a Perfected Lord. Could a Perfected Lord still undergo Resurrection and reincarnate after dying in this state?

BOOM!

The very next second, the clucking rooster exploded into a mist of blood, unable to withstand the immense pressure of the Void Sea of Light. His Soul drifted into the Netherworld.

Watching this, Lü Yang could not help but shake his head. "What a pity..." he thought.

Soon enough, the Netherworld received his Soul. The Soul reincarnated and was reborn, instantly ascending back to the Golden Position. Thus, True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng returned with a dark, gloomy expression. In an instant, quite a few Perfected Lords secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Lü Yang's terrifying "chicken-transformation magic" had not affected the fundamental Golden Soul. Because of this, after undergoing reincarnation once, True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng had finally returned to his original form, narrowly avoiding being trapped as a rooster forever.

This was exactly what Lü Yang found so regrettable.

"If the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder were to advance to the Emperor Fruit, or if my Position reached the level of a Great True Monarch Position, I could guarantee that he would be completely turned into a chicken, never to revert even in death..." he thought. "But achieving this much is enough to serve as a warning to the others."

With this in mind, Lü Yang looked around and let out a light chuckle. "Well? Is there any other Daoist who wants me to give them an explanation? I can oblige you all."

Before his voice had even faded, the Three Ministers of the Daoist Court were the first to step back. True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng was attached to a Grotto Heaven, rendering him Immortal. The three of them and Emperor Jia You, however, did not have it so good—they truly only had one life.

Emperor Jia You's expression also shifted slightly. After all, he was not like the Sword Species of the Sword Pavilion. Those people were utterly shameless. True Monarch Gai Shuangling Feng had just been turned into a chicken, yet now he acted as if he did not care at all.

He, on the other hand, could not do the same. As the Daoist Court Emperor, if he were transformed into a chicken, it would be a massive scandal that would shake the very foundation of his nation, severely impacting his majesty and authority as the emperor. In the Dao Court, controlling the royal court was the hallmark of the Mid-phase. If his prestige plummeted and he lost control over the court, his Cultivation would drop along with it. The previous generation's Daoist Court Grandmaster had lost to Fei Xue and suffered a massive blow to his prestige, which was exactly why he had been forced out of power and made to reincarnate.

At this moment, the Dao Court faction had already begun to harbor thoughts of retreat.

Sensing this, True Monarch Gangxing instantly frowned. "These cowardly rats from the East... they really are just a bunch of useless bugs who can't achieve anything great!" he cursed inwardly.

If the Dao Court was not going to make a move, then only the Stain Sect remained. But this Immortal Monarch of Tribulation clearly had ties to the Stain Sect. He might even be in cahoots with World Purger Fei Xue. Was there any hope they would strike?

"There's nothing more to be done," True Monarch Gangxing thought, feeling somewhat helpless. But if he were the one to strike, risking his own Cultivation just to stick his neck out for others, he wasn't willing to do it either. "I can't possibly throw everything away just to avenge Zhengde, right?"

With these thoughts swirling, the originally tense and explosive atmosphere instantly eased considerably. Everyone exchanged glances. Since a fight was off the table, they could only talk things out.

Witnessing this, Lü Yang also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, if it really came down to a life-and-death struggle, True Monarch Gangxing in his current state could put up a real fight against him and might even have a chance of taking him down with him.

"The him at this point in time is different from his Previous Life," Lü Yang thought. "In his Previous Life, he executed several sword strikes consecutively in the Nourishing Life Master and forcibly elevated his Great True Monarch Position multiple times, causing severe wear and tear on himself. Thus, when he fought me at the very end, his condition was actually at the lowest point in his life.

"But right now, he has only executed a single strike.

"Besides him, Emperor Jia You is actually someone who hides his true depths. Although he isn't my match, as long as I don't become a Great Perfected Lord, killing him is basically hopeless.

"Of course, the reverse is also true. In today's world, unless a Great Perfected Lord appears, no one can kill me. At the very least, I can run away. In a one-on-one fight, I fear absolutely no one!"

At the same time, True Monarch Gangxing spoke up once more. "Regardless, the Heart Demons were born because of you, Daoist, and that True Demon also came into the world because of you. You can't possibly deny this, can you?"

Hearing this, Lü Yang shook his head. "You can't phrase it like that. The Heart Demons were indeed born because of me, but I truly know absolutely nothing about that True Demon."

He was still spouting nonsense! True Monarch Gangxing sneered, "That True Demon ascended using the Heart Demon method. For you to claim total ignorance is a bit too laughable."

Lü Yang shook his head again. "This matter truly has nothing to do with me."

"If that's the case, where did that True Demon come from?" True Monarch Gangxing pressed.

"Rest assured, Daoist, I already have some clues about this matter." Before anyone could react, Lü Yang declared solemnly, "Just now, while listening to your recount, Daoist, I had a suspicion. Now, that suspicion has become an absolute certainty.

"The Heart Demons I created possess only crude methods.

"If everyone here does a little divining, you will understand that the so-called Heart Demons are nothing more than Illusion Realm techniques designed to tempt people's desires and emotions. There is nothing else to them.

"However, that True Demon's methods go far beyond that.

"Not only does it have thousands of avatars, but it can also seize people's minds, devour Souls, and even possess the Abilities to Erase the Self... Did none of you feel a sense of familiarity upon hearing this?

"With such Divine Effects, which sect does this closely resemble?"

At these words, all the Perfected Lords present fell completely silent. Before Lü Yang had even finished speaking, they had all subconsciously associated it with a specific target: the Pure Land Buddhist Cultivators.

The very next second, Lü Yang spoke with righteous indignation, "Unless I'm mistaken, this matter is definitely a covert plot by the Pure Land to frame me!"