Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

The Nourishing Life Master.

When Mu Changsheng came to his senses, he realized he had somehow left the Sea of Suffering and returned to this familiar pagoda.

But as he looked around, he found he was completely alone.

"My Lord...?"

He swallowed subconsciously. A strange feeling washed over him, a rare terror creeping into his heart. He raised his head, his gaze climbing upward, layer by layer.

Spiritual Qi suffused the entire pagoda, and Mythical Light steamed forth. All the Fruits of the Void Sea of Light were gathered here, each manifesting its own Dao Essence. This atmosphere grew richer the higher he looked, but at the sixth floor, everything came to a sudden halt. The myriad Illusionary Colors, the Mythical Light, the Spiritual Aura—it all froze in one spot.

A person was standing there.

His expression was calm as he returned a book to a shelf, looking just like a student who had come to borrow a text and was now returning it after finishing.

The book he returned was titled *Fruit of Celestial Fire*.

As for the rule that only a Late-stage Golden Core Great True Monarch could set foot above the sixth floor, the invisible barrier seemed not to exist, crushed beneath his feet.

Mu Changsheng’s gaze trembled.

’How is this possible...’

The man stood quietly on the 7th Layer, flames rising around him. He looked up toward the 8th and 9th Layers, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Mu Changsheng could no longer comprehend it. He couldn’t understand how he had returned to the Nourishing Life Master, nor could he fathom how the other man had broken the restriction on floors six and above. His mind, once full of confusion, was now filled with nothing but reverence, compelling him to prostrate himself respectfully on the ground.

"This Lower Cultivator... greets the Perfected Lord."

They were both Perfected Lords, merely with a difference in Cultivation. Mu Changsheng had even achieved the Fruit Position Profound Mysterious with his No Heaven, yet he still addressed himself in this humble manner.

It was, in truth, a very strange thing.

In terms of pure Cultivation and oppressive presence, Ang Xiao, the Old Dragon Monarch, World Purger Fei Xue, and True Monarch Gangxing all surpassed the man before him.

But there was one thing unique to this man.

Ascension, transcendence beyond the mortal coil, leaping from the three realms and escaping the Five Elements... Only the man before him could exude such an otherworldly, immortal essence of the Great Dao!

This made Mu Changsheng lower his voice even further.

For no other reason than the fear of startling a celestial being.

RUSTLE... RUSTLE...

And so, within the vast Nourishing Life Master, only the quiet, rustling sound of pages turning could be heard. Aside from that, no one spoke, and no one else arrived.

Mu Changsheng carefully stole glances at the man above. Gradually, his gaze became lost in the gentle flames swirling around the man’s body, as if he were witnessing some supreme principle of the Great Dao. For a time, he was utterly captivated, no longer even aware of Heaven and Earth.

An unknown amount of time passed.

CLINK!

A soft sound jolted Mu Changsheng awake. He saw that the man from above had descended, but for some reason, the immortal essence of the Great Dao was gone.

’Oh! I know!’

’His Lordship must have seen my disgraceful state and deliberately restrained that heaven-shaking Dao Essence to avoid affecting me... His Lordship is truly benevolent!’

Mu Changsheng remained in his prostrated posture, only managing to force out a few words after a long moment.

"My Lord, this Lower Cultivator..."

Before he could finish, a Fruit Position Book landed in front of him. Mu Changsheng’s eyes widened as he realized it was his *No Heaven* Fruit Position Book.

Then, a voice drifted over.

"I’m returning your Fruit Position Book. In three days, I will let you observe the Great Dao produced by the Void Certificate. You can stay here or leave now, just do not disturb me."

"This Lower Cultivator obeys!" Mu Changsheng hurriedly kowtowed.

After speaking, he did not leave, but obediently found a spot to continue waiting.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang paid no mind to his reaction. He pressed a hand to the spot between his eyebrows, a sense of loss washing over him. He then reluctantly admitted the truth.

’I’ve gotten dumber again...’

The state of Supreme Dao Transformation had vanished. It had lasted no longer than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, but it had allowed Lü Yang to enter an unprecedented state of super-Enlightenment.

In that state, his control over the Fruit of Celestial Fire had reached a whole new Realm. This was a change in application born from his Cultivation; if his Cultivation was insufficient, he wouldn’t be able to use it even if he knew how. Once his Cultivation was high enough, it all became a natural progression, not even requiring his deliberate effort.

’In the past, I only knew how to use Engraving Laws to establish rules.’

’That method is far too superficial. It seems like I’m setting the rules, but in reality, I’m also bound by them. That’s why it was so hard to make any changes.’

’Looking at it now, it seems rather crude.’

’My definition of rules back then was far too narrow... What are rules? The truth of all things, their operational logic—that is a rule.’

Lü Yang raised a finger, pinching a spark of fire into existence.

’For example—logic.’

’Words, reason, knowledge... the very pathways that consciousness must follow during thought, inference, judgment, and learning. The framework of thought itself.’

This, too, is a rule.

If that’s the case, why can’t it be modified?

The reason he had just managed to escape from Ang Xiao’s tight encirclement was that he had directly modified a fundamental piece of logic.

The normal logic is:

If I want to find you, I must know where you are.

However, in that moment, Lü Yang used Engraving Laws to modify that logic, changing it to: If I want to find you, I must *not* know where you are.

A single word’s difference changed everything.

At that time, Ang Xiao knew where he was; Lü Yang was right under his nose. But after the logic was modified, Ang Xiao could no longer find him.

That’s right. From Ang Xiao’s perspective, Lü Yang had vanished from under his nose without any warning. In reality, Lü Yang had openly walked right past him with Mu Changsheng in tow, entering the Nourishing Life Master under his very gaze.

Because the logic had changed, becoming a paradox.

The paradox born from the logical conflict created a fissure between the rules. Lü Yang walked within it, like wind passing through a crack, unaffected by the corresponding rules.

In other words:

’As long as I don’t resolve this logical paradox, I am absolutely invisible. No one can find me. They’ll ignore me even if I’m standing right in front of them.’

Of course, this wasn’t omnipotent.

In this state, the moment he made a move and actively interfered with the rules outside the fissure, the paradox he had engraved would instantly collapse on its own.

Alternatively, if his Mana ran out, he would also automatically exit the state.

This was just one application of Engraving Laws. Lü Yang had another realization from his Supreme Dao Transformation, one that he considered even more important.

’Heaven and Earth... are too vast.’

The Immortal Pivot was large, but within the entire Void Sea of Light, it was like a speck of dust. Engraving Laws claimed to be able to inscribe rules, but how far could those rules truly extend?

’In my previous life, the rules I engraved could, at most, affect my immediate surroundings.’

’I couldn’t even affect the entire Immortal Pivot, and the larger the area of effect, the weaker the power became.’

’In the end, Heaven and Earth are infinite, but human power is finite. To foolishly attempt to control the infinite with the finite is the arrogant act of a snake trying to swallow an elephant.’

Lü Yang exhaled slowly and brought the wisp of fire he held to his lips.

’Therefore... the true use of Engraving Laws is not to cast it externally, but to cast it internally—to engrave it upon my inner world and then expand it outward!’

And with that, Lü Yang swallowed the wisp of fire.

At that moment, he used Engraving Laws to inscribe the first rule upon his Dharma Body.

Immediately after, Lü Yang’s body began to change. An endless smoke billowed out, enveloping his entire form, making it impossible to distinguish his gender or discern his origins.