Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

In a flash, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch was already in front of Lü Yang, throwing a punch. His speed was so immense it even surpassed the lock of spiritual perception.

The next second, however, the distance between them suddenly widened.

"Back! Back! Back!"

Lü Yang’s voice boomed. With every word he spoke, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch watched the distance between them grow, as if space itself was stretching to infinity.

Clearly, Lü Yang understood his own strengths and weaknesses. His strength, of course, was the miraculous nature of the Yellow Court; within its bounded space, he was nearly omnipotent. His weakness was that his Dharma Body and spiritual perception were still only at the Early Stage of Golden Core. If Du Xuan Immortal Monarch got into close quarters, he would be instantly obliterated.

Besides, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch looked like an old man.

If it had been Jade Toad Immortal Monarch, he wouldn’t have minded a bit of hand-to-hand combat. He was skilled in close-quarters fighting against those in the same Realm, so he had no real fear of it.

"Got it."

The next second, Lü Yang grinned. "Let me show you my full power... Progenitor, Daoist, come! Today, the three of us will join forces to slay a Mid-stage Immortal Monarch!"

At these words, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s expression flickered.

At the same time, Lü Yang shook the Righteous Banner. The figures of Progenitor Tingyou and Demon-Vanquishing Perfected materialized, faintly overlapping with his own.

Then, Lü Yang formed a finger technique with one hand. "Merge!"

The word had barely left his lips when the point of light on his brow grew brighter. Rings of colorful light rippled outward, twisting the void and instantly sending Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s world spinning.

Meanwhile, Progenitor Tingyou and Demon-Vanquishing Perfected both offered up their Fruits. The Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven and Sword Dao merged one after another into the Yellow Court, making the pocket of Heaven and Earth Lü Yang had temporarily created feel increasingly real. The number of manifested images began to skyrocket!

’This is the true way to use the Yellow Court!’

’It would be difficult for me to comprehend the images needed to create a super Outer Realm on my own, but there’s strength in numbers. I can absolutely pool the power of many for my cultivation!’

Just like this.

As Progenitor Tingyou and Demon-Vanquishing Perfected took charge of the Yellow Court, many of the images within the pocket of Heaven and Earth that Lü Yang had created were instantly perfected.

BOOM!

The next second, with a great Daoist shout, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch unleashed his Celestial Capital Demonic Breaking Divine Sound, shattering the boundless space that Lü Yang had stretched between them with his images.

Almost simultaneously, he arrived before Lü Yang.

In that instant, Lü Yang’s eyes flared. He slashed out with two fingers.

"Slash!"

A brilliant ray of Sword Light bloomed, instantly slicing into Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s hand, cutting deep into his flesh. Blood flowed out, only to instantly transform into a raging fire.

In the blink of an eye, the flames raced up Lü Yang’s arm, threatening to destroy his Dharma Body. Unflustered, Lü Yang chopped down with the edge of his other hand. A wave of Sword Intent swept out, extinguishing the fire. His form then flickered, turning from solid to illusory to evade Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s follow-up strikes.

"This is..."

Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s expression shifted. He instantly recognized the transformations of Sword Dao and the Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven, now both concentrated within Lü Yang!

The next second, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch sneered.

"What a heretical path! A person of Cultivation should seek power from within, yet you neglect the fundamental to chase the trivial, borrowing the strength of others. For that alone, you will be stuck in the Early Stage for the rest of your life!"

"Our Daos are different, so we have nothing to discuss."

Lü Yang’s Dao Heart was resolute. He remained completely unmoved, his expression unchanging. "You aren’t me. How could you possibly know my method of cultivation is wrong?"

’In my opinion,’ Lü Yang thought, ’my greatest advantages in Cultivation, apart from the Centome, are Progenitor Tingyou, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, Summon, and all my other fellow Daoists in the Righteous Banner. That being the case, I should find a way to maximize that advantage. Only an idiot would have a powerful backer and not rely on them!’

’If it works, it’s fair game!’

As his voice fell, Lü Yang’s Daoist Hand Seal shifted.

Immediately, a mass of bitingly cold spring water materialized from thin air and washed over him, healing the burns that Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s blood-flame had caused.

Fruit of Spring Water!

Summon was still in seclusion and had not yet awakened, but as the Banner Master, Lü Yang could call upon the Banner Spirit’s power with the utmost ease.

Seeing this, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch shot forward, intending to interrupt Lü Yang’s recovery.

The next second, however, he froze in place.

’What was I trying to do?’

By the time he snapped out of it, Lü Yang had already returned to his peak condition. Layers of manifested images empowered him, surrounding him in a radiant glow that made him appear all the more sacred and majestic.

’So all of that was for nothing?’

For a moment, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch was seething with helpless rage. He could only grit his teeth, channel more Mana, and charge ferociously at Lü Yang.

He refused to believe Lü Yang could maintain this state indefinitely!

Then, Lü Yang relinquished control, allowing Progenitor Tingyou to operate the Yellow Court. A vast tide of images instantly manifested, submerging Du Xuan Immortal Monarch.

"Veil of the Trees!"

"Building Palace!"

"Engraving Laws!"

Obscuring thoughts, concealing Qi traces, engraving rules—Lü Yang employed all sorts of techniques with ease, though most were just weakened, lite versions.

But he more than made up for it in sheer quantity!

Besieged by layers of images, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch felt as if he were trapped in a quagmire. Every movement was a struggle, and time and again, he failed to break free.

Even more terrifying—

’I can’t self-destruct.’

Du Xuan Immortal Monarch looked up as a premonition took root in his mind. If he chose to self-destruct now, he feared he would not be able to revive so easily.

A rule had been forcefully engraved: [An Immortal Monarch cannot achieve Resurrection after death]!

Lü Yang had poured nearly seventy percent of his Mana into engraving this rule, a drastic consumption that Du Xuan Immortal Monarch did not fail to notice.

That’s why he was completely baffled. Under these circumstances, how was Lü Yang maintaining this pocket of Heaven and Earth and still able to manifest so many images to use against him?

It was common knowledge that while a Perfected Lord’s Mana was theoretically infinite, that was only because their recovery rate far outstripped their consumption under normal circumstances. When two cultivators were locked in intense Combat and consumption surpassed recovery, there was still a danger of their Mana running out over time.

In such a situation, it all came down to one’s Cultivation.

That was why Du Xuan Immortal Monarch had been so confident in fighting Lü Yang. After all, his Cultivation was higher; there was no way Lü Yang could possibly compete with him in terms of Mana reserves.

But that was not the case at all.

’Could it be... that maintaining this pocket of Heaven and Earth isn’t actually consuming his Mana?’

The guess suddenly leaped into Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s mind, followed by a wave of disbelief. If it didn’t consume Mana, then what did it consume? There had to be a source, right?

At this moment, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch looked up at the sky.

He saw a Cyan Heaven and a white sun, with both sun and moon hanging high... In an instant, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s pupils shrank, a trace of utter horror finally dawning in his eyes.

「Meanwhile, on the 9th Layer.」

Lü Yang’s expression was serene. One hand was held behind his back, while the other cradled a sphere shimmering with iridescent light. Within it was a magnificent Outer Realm.

No, calling it an Outer Realm was something of an exaggeration.

It was more like a simple space, one that approached an Outer Realm but still fell far short. And inside that sphere, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch was locked in fierce Combat with "Lü Yang."

Suddenly, the corner of Lü Yang’s mouth curled into a slight smile, and he chuckled.

"...You’ve noticed?"

In Du Xuan Immortal Monarch’s perception, the sun and moon above the Cyan Heaven were, in fact, Lü Yang’s eyes. From start to finish, he had been fighting him in the palm of Lü Yang’s hand!

Behind Lü Yang, the Sea of Suffering opened. An endless torrent of conceptual water surged forth, only to be absorbed by Lü Yang using Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s Sword Dao. He then channeled this power into the small world in his hand, allowing him to maintain it without expending a single shred of Mana!

So, strictly speaking, Du Xuan Immortal Monarch wasn’t fighting him alone.

He was fighting Lü Yang, Progenitor Tingyou, Demon-Vanquishing Perfected, and Summon all at the same time. The Yellow Court had simply concentrated all their strengths into one!

"Middle Stage of Golden Core... is this all there is to it?"

At that moment, Lü Yang let out a long laugh. Although he still couldn’t kill Du Xuan Immortal Monarch, he could suppress and seal him—a feat that was still an unprecedented miracle!

In terms of accomplishments, he was no less impressive than World Purger Fei Xue!