Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Beyond the Heavens, in the Seven Luminaries Heaven.

In this life, this Outer Realm, once bound by Fortune, had not yet been destroyed. Thus, after much deliberation, Lü Yang chose to meet Emperor Jia You here.

He also considered it a sort of greeting gift.

Before long, Lü Yang looked up. A rift opened in the void, and a figure emerged from the Void Sea of Light. It was none other than Emperor Jia You, dressed in magnificent robes.

"Hmm?"

The moment he appeared, Emperor Jia You's gaze fell upon the Seven Luminaries Heaven. With his True Monarch's Dharma Eye, he immediately took in the entirety of the Outer Realm's Incense and Candle Divine Dao.

But in the next moment, Lü Yang stepped forward, blocking his view. He chuckled lightly. "Emperor of Nurturing All Things, I have long admired you, Senior. Now, I see you have indeed subdued all opposition within and without the Dao Court and advanced further to become a Great Perfected Lord. My congratulations, Senior."

"...It's you?"

Only then did Emperor Jia You look at Lü Yang, his brow twitching slightly. To be honest, he had expected World Purger Fei Xue to be the one meeting him, not Lü Yang.

However, he showed no dissatisfaction.

Though he had never participated in the great war, Emperor Jia You was no stranger to this little-known Saint Sect True Monarch. He knew this was a ruthless character who could stir up trouble.

Thinking of this, a smile immediately appeared on his face as he said,

"You flatter me, Daoist."

"Back when you fought Ang Xiao across the void, you ultimately forced his Cultivation to drop, compelling him to leave the Netherworld. I, too, have long admired you, Daoist."

As the saying goes, you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

Since he was already inclined to cooperate, and Lü Yang was so sincerely extending an olive branch, Emperor Jia You naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to give him the cold shoulder.

"Speaking of which, Daoist, for what reason have you sought me out this time?" Emperor Jia You cut straight to the point.

"Oh, it's nothing major."

Lü Yang didn't state his purpose directly. Instead, he changed the subject, gesturing to the Seven Luminaries Heaven behind him. "I mainly just discovered an Outer Realm that I believe is very suitable for you, Senior."

Emperor Jia You didn't refute this. After all, the Incense and Candle Divine Dao of the Seven Luminaries Heaven was indeed a perfect match for the Dao Court. This was something Lü Yang had confirmed in his previous life, and offering it as a greeting gift in this one scratched Emperor Jia You right where he itched. But in the next moment, he still shook his head.

"It's not enough."

The Seven Luminaries Heaven was indeed excellent, but the Dao Court's current influence was not to be underestimated. Trying to make him pick a side with just a single Outer Realm was far from enough.

Lü Yang had anticipated this.

"I naturally understand that. This Outer Realm is merely a greeting gift. The real prize is this." With that, Lü Yang performed a finger technique and pointed above his head.

In an instant, the Fruit of Celestial Fire appeared.

Its brilliant light and heat were overwhelming. The Position of an Emperor Fruit made Emperor Jia You instinctively narrow his eyes. "Daoist, you mean to... give the Fruit of Celestial Fire to me?"

"Correct!"

Lü Yang nodded. "To be precise, I intend to give the Fruit of Celestial Fire to the Dao Court. With my assistance, the Dao Court will surely be able to seal it using the Immortal Dao Law."

Hearing this, a look of astonishment crossed Emperor Jia You's face. "Daoist... you are willing to part with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Lü Yang tilted his head. "It is merely the Fruit of Celestial Fire. It is not my foundation, just something I'm using temporarily... As you can see, Senior, I am an Ancient Golden Core cultivator."

"Hmm..."

Emperor Jia You pursed his lips. He couldn't find any flaws in Lü Yang's words. It seemed reasonable, and the Fruit of Celestial Fire was indeed a sufficiently valuable bargaining chip.

But this was of no use to him personally...

RUMBLE!

In the next second, Emperor Jia You, who was still pondering, suddenly felt a slight tremor run through his body. The Immortal Dao Law was responding, and he instantly understood the answer.

'The Master of Dao wants me to agree...'

The Fruit of Celestial Fire was naturally useless to him, but to the Immortal Dao Law, and to the Daoist Court Daoist Lord, it was of great use.

In this situation, his own will was no longer important.

The one who truly had the final say was the Master of Dao.

At this thought, the way Emperor Jia You looked at Lü Yang changed. Even he wouldn't dare claim to grasp the needs of the Daoist Court Daoist Lord with such precision.

"Daoist, you seem to be very familiar with my Dao Court?"

'Of course I am. I'm not just familiar with the Dao Court, I'm even more familiar with the Dragon Bed in the Celestial Wu Hall. I've lost count of how many times I've secretly slept on it.'

'What can I say? I have cheats.'

Lü Yang smiled but didn't answer Emperor Jia You. Instead, he changed the subject.

"It seems you have made your decision, Senior."

"Of course."

Emperor Jia You lowered his gaze and said, "However, this is all on the condition that you, Daoist, are truly willing to hand over the Fruit of Celestial Fire to my Dao Court, and aren't just planning to go back on your word afterward."

"What kind of person do you take me for, Senior?" Lü Yang's brow furrowed slightly.

'What kind of person? A member of the Saint Sect, of course!'

Emperor Jia You complained inwardly. 'You're a Perfected Lord from the Saint Sect. It's perfectly normal for you to make a promise and then go back on it. What's wrong with me being on my guard?'

Seeing his expression, Lü Yang couldn't help but shake his head. "Since you don't trust me, Senior, I have a Magic Contract here. It is based on the Sea of Suffering. If it is signed and then violated, it will immediately trigger a response from the Sea of Suffering, and the violator will be rejected by it, never to enter it again."

With that, Lü Yang raised his hand and held up one finger.

"Today, I will swear upon the Sea of Suffering that I will not violate the agreement to hand over the Fruit of Celestial Fire afterward. Can you rest assured now, Senior?"

Emperor Jia You fell silent upon hearing this.

There was no problem with the Magic Contract. Besides, he was a Great Perfected Lord now. He was confident the other party didn't have the ability to play tricks right under his nose.

Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled.

"How could I not trust you, Daoist? In that case... how do you wish for my Dao Court to assist you?"

Lü Yang's eyes brightened. He knew it was time to state his terms. He immediately said, "If the Pure Land makes a move, I need you, Senior, to stop them."

"That can be done."

Emperor Jia You nodded. The condition was reasonable and also suited his own intentions. After all, he had no desire to engage in Combat with a famously ruthless character like Ang Xiao.

"Second, I need a Fruit."

Lü Yang's eyes shone brightly as he said, "If I recall correctly, the Dao Court should still have the Fruit of Post-Road Earth vacant and unassigned, correct?"

"...Hmm?"

At these words, Emperor Jia You's brow shot up. He stared at Lü Yang with an unprecedented seriousness, and Lü Yang met his gaze without flinching.

After a moment of silence, Emperor Jia You said in a low voice, "If I'm not mistaken, Daoist, you are not at the Middle Stage of Golden Core."

"That is not something you need to worry about, Senior," Lü Yang said with a smile.

Emperor Jia You was not mistaken.

He currently controlled the Fruit of Celestial Fire by relying on his Yellow Court, which had been refined into a True Treasure. And strictly speaking, the Yellow Court was no longer a Grotto Heaven.

Therefore, the Middle Stage of Golden Core's requirement—that the Grotto Heaven not fall—also became empty talk.

Under these circumstances, unless he refined a new Grotto Heaven, it would be impossible for him to break through to the Mid-phase, even with all the necessary True Treasures and the support of a Seeking Dao Immortal Technique.

However—there were still workarounds.

'Heaven never bars one's path. Back then, relying on the Supreme Dao Transformation, I spent so long reading the Fruit Position Book in the Nourishing Life Master trial for a reason!'

This was the real reason Lü Yang had decided to confront True Monarch Gangxing head-on.

He chose to confront him because there was a profit to be made. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better to let Progenitor Tingyou clear the Nourishing Life Master trial and just hitch a ride to the third trial, Emperor Ying?

Looking at the hesitant Emperor Jia You, Lü Yang was also pondering his own plan:

'Get the Fruit of Post-Road Earth from the Dao Court.'

'I have the Fruit of Celestial Fire myself.'

'I just need to find one more Fruit, then defeat True Monarch Gangxing and seize his Eternal Sword... At that point, even if my Cultivation is insufficient and the risks are immense, I can still try to break through to the Late Stage!'