Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Upon emerging from the Star Palace, Lü Yang once again saw the Star Monarch, Fu Chen. The moment the other party spotted him, he hurried over with a fawning smile.

"My lord, this way, please.

"Your request has been approved by Hao Yuan Shangzhen. I will take you to the Mother Planet right away; our most cutting-edge array artifact research facilities are located there."

"I appreciate the trouble," Lü Yang said with a slight nod.

"No trouble at all, not at all." Fu Chen hurriedly waved his hands, looking somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. After all, in his eyes, this Outer Dao Daoist Master before him was clearly on the same level as the Upper Truths. Such politeness was truly giving him an abundance of face.

At this thought, Fu Chen became even more attentive. He didn’t feel the slightest bit resentful; after all, Star Monarchs like them were meant to serve others, and he had long been accustomed to it.

The only reason he had acted so arrogantly earlier was because he assumed Lü Yang was an Outer Dao native whom he could bully at will. That was why he had been a bit insolent. Otherwise, if it had been an Immortal Lord Xianshu standing here instead, these Star Monarchs wouldn’t just refrain from putting on airs—they wouldn’t even dare to make a peep.

The Mother Planet Fu Chen spoke of was located directly beneath the palace where the stone statues resided. Centered around the Mother Planet, four Star Constellations in the east, south, west, and north, along with twenty-eight spread-out Star Maps, collectively constructed this super Outer Realm that was as vast as the universe itself.

Fu Chen led Lü Yang into a steel structure suspended in the void. Its exterior resembled a space station, surrounded by a ring of radiant light.

"This is the Flaring Nebula Belt," Fu Chen explained. "In the void area centered around the Mother Planet, approximately 1.29 billion similar array artifacts have been deployed to form this.

"With the barrier of the Flaring Nebula Belt, void traversing by anyone with a Position below that of a Star Monarch is strictly prohibited. Any void traversing at the Star Monarch level will be instantly detected. At the same time, these array artifacts monitor the Mother Planet around the clock, making a massive contribution to its 100% safety index."

After speaking, Fu Chen formed a Daoist Hand Seal.

Soon, the radiant ring of light surrounding the steel structure began to expand. One side faced the two of them, while the other side aimed toward the direction of the Mother Planet. A Space Gate was established just like that.

On one side of the ring of light stood Lü Yang in the void of the Star Sea, while on the other side lay a highly developed near-future city with countless towering skyscrapers.

"Quite flashy," Lü Yang thought, raising an eyebrow. Although from the perspective of a Star Sea background this Space Gate appeared incredibly high-end, it was, in fact, just an Ordinary Teleportation Array.

"Traveling to the Mother Planet via the Star Gate is the safest method.

"After all, in the void region between the Flaring Nebula Belt and the Mother Planet, we have buried a massive amount of counter-attack array artifacts, turning it into a forbidden zone for life.

"If one doesn’t use the Star Gate’s teleportation and tries to force their way to the Mother Planet, they must pass through this void region. The result would inevitably be falling into a Vast Ocean of counter-attack array artifacts. According to the assessments of those Array Treasure Masters on the Mother Planet, even if a Golden Core Perfected Lord from the Immortal Pivot came, they would most likely be instantly blasted to dust."

"Oh? Really?"

Lü Yang immediately grew interested upon hearing Fu Chen’s words. Divine Light bloomed in his eyes as he subconsciously observed the area, soon arriving at his own conclusion.

"It really is!" he thought to himself. "At the very least, if True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde fell into this region of the void, he genuinely might be beaten to death by the endless stream of array artifacts.

"However, that’s the limit of it.

"Never mind the Middle Stage of Golden Core—anyone slightly stronger in the Early Stage of Golden Core who has refined one or two True Treasures could at least escape from it."

At this thought, however, Lü Yang gradually furrowed his brows. It was undeniable that the Star Palace’s array artifact technology was quite advanced, but currently, it seemed limited to dealing with the Early Stage of Golden Core. They couldn’t even handle a Middle Stage of Golden Core from the Immortal Pivot. This once again made him doubt the true value of the Star Palace’s technology.

He pondered, "It’s one thing for these Star Monarchs to be at this level.

"But what about those stone statues in the palace? They are also Magical Power Dao Cultivators, and even Ancient Law True Monarchs. Could they be just like these Star Monarchs?"

If that were truly the case, Lü Yang would have to reevaluate the combat prowess of a True Monarch of Magical Power. After all, if they weren’t strong enough, the Star Palace might not have the capability to back him up.

They passed through the Star Gate.

Soon, Lü Yang arrived within a city on the Mother Planet. What entered his sight was a mountain-like complex of steel buildings bearing a strong industrial style. It was heavy, symmetrical, and patterned with interlaced shades of gray and black.

As they stepped out of the Star Gate, a large group of Star Palace Cultivators were already waiting nearby. They now came forward and bowed solemnly to Lü Yang.

"Greetings to the two Daoists."

Lü Yang raised an eyebrow at this.

Seeing this, Fu Chen hurriedly sent a telepathic message. "Apologies, my lord. This is a rule among the Array Treasure Masters on the Mother Planet. They believe that the Great Dao makes no distinction between early or late arrivals, and that all Cultivators are fellow Daoists.

"For the sake of developing array artifacts, the Upper Truths simply indulged these people. Please do not be angry with them, my lord. Ultimately, they are just a bunch of servants. As long as you give them a sliver of seemingly beautiful freedom, they will wag their own tails. Back in the Immortal Pivot, they wouldn’t even be considered human..."

Hearing this, Lü Yang’s expression turned odd. In all fairness, he genuinely hadn’t been fixated on the fact that a group of Qi Refiners actually dared to call him a Daoist. He had merely found it curious and unexpected.

"I see," he thought. "The Star Palace... It looks like a cosmic civilization that achieved technological Ascension, but at its core, it’s still the same old system I’m familiar with. It’s just wearing a pretty skin."

Through his conversation with Fu Chen, Lü Yang quickly understood the general structure of the Star Palace’s Mother Planet, or rather, the Ten Thousand Lands Realm under the Star Palace’s rule, including the major and minor stars.

In Fu Chen’s description, the cities within the stars were generally divided into the Living Area and the Research Area. The daily job of the mortals in the Living Area was to toil in the city’s major sweatshops, producing various array artifact modules. They worked twenty-four hours a day without rest, toiling like this until they died.

The Research Area was somewhat more lenient. First of all, only Cultivators were allowed to enter the Research Area. Then, projects were directly assigned based on a Cultivator’s mastery of array artifacts and innate Enlightenment. Every Cultivator had a set of project quotas. Only by completing their quotas could they receive Cultivation rewards, and outstanding researchers could even earn an opportunity for Foundation Establishment.

In other words, for Star Palace Cultivators who started as researchers, the higher their Cultivation, the greater their mastery in array artifacts. And as everyone knew, eighty percent of a Star Palace Cultivator’s combat strength lay in their array artifacts. Therefore, the several Array Treasure Grandmasters in the Mother Planet’s Research Area were all, without exception, Star Monarchs. Furthermore, they were among the most capable fighters among the Star Palace’s Star Monarchs.

"Fellow Daoist, this way, please." Just then, one of the researchers in charge of reception said in a low voice, "The Mentor is very interested in the Dharma Body you displayed and wishes to speak with you in person."

"The Mentor is a Star Monarch researcher on the Mother Planet," Fu Chen chimed in at the right moment. "She governs the Vermilion Bird Star, which is the Supreme Star Map of our Star Palace. She is the most authoritative researcher among the Star Monarchs.

"Crucially, she is also excellent at teaching disciples.

"The title of ’Mentor’ originates from this fact. Roughly sixty percent of the researchers in the entire Mother Planet’s Research Area come from her tutelage.

"If you wish to learn about the Array Treasure Dao, my lord, communicating with her is undoubtedly the most fitting choice."

"...I understand," Lü Yang said with a slight nod. "Lead the way, then."

***

"Absorbed fragments of the Dao of Arcane Body?"

At the core of a certain steel building on the Mother Planet, a tall, graceful figure wearing a white lab coat was examining the report in her hands, her elegant brows tightly knitted together.

"Impossible. He is lying," she stated. "According to the model I established, the severing of the Dao of Arcane Body was entirely clean. It is absolutely impossible for any fragments to be left wandering outside. There is no doubt about this."

On the light screen beside her, the Spiritual perception of Hao Yuan Shangzhen fluctuated slightly. "That is why we need you to verify it.

"If he is truly deceiving us... then how did he manage to cultivate such a powerful Dharma Body? We need you to uncover the underlying cause."

"I understand." The tall, graceful figure smiled confidently. "Leave it to me; I guarantee I will figure it out. I should say, handing this person over to me was a very wise decision."

"Naturally." Hao Yuan Shangzhen nodded. "After all, you are the eldest disciple of the Master of Ten Thousand Treasures Peak from the Stain Sect... Of course, we would not doubt your capabilities."