Chapter 463: Chapter 463: Loyalty! Allegiance

In the East, Celestial Wu City.

This was the Dao Capital of the Dao Court, the residence of the Celestial Wu Royal Family. Its sprawling grounds were so vast that, in any other region, it would be considered a mortal nation unto itself.

It ruled over a population of more than a hundred million.

As far as the eye could see, towering palaces, elegant pavilions, and jade-adorned halls clustered around a magnificent grand palace. Built into the mountainside, it rose nine stories high, piercing the clouds.

Stepping through Xuanwu Gate, one was met by a thousand-fathom flight of jade steps. Carved with coiling dragons and crouching chimeras, the stairs snaked upward from the base of a crimson platform like an inverted Celestial River, leading directly to the majestic palace. Auspicious beasts lined the steps on either side of the platform. Some held their heads high in disdain, while others glared with furious, wide-open eyes. All were exquisitely carved from obsidian stone, their divine might undiminished by the ages.

Occasionally, a few lone crows would flit past.

Whenever the evening drum sounded, its deep, muffled booms would ripple out from the depths of the palace. Echoing among the jade towers and ornate halls, it cast a pall of vast, profound silence over the city.

Celestial Wu Hall

This was the residence of the Emperor. At any given moment, hundreds, if not thousands, of Imperial Guards, eunuchs, and palace maids could be seen either standing silent guard or bustling about their duties.

Suddenly, a eunuch broke away from the crowd, his steps hurried.

He clutched a Jade Scroll, his expression one of extreme urgency. He rushed into Celestial Wu Hall without pause, dropping into a sliding kneel as he neared the throne.

"Your Majesty! An urgent message has arrived from Prince Zhen Nan’s Mansion!"

Having delivered his message, the eunuch waited respectfully. After a long moment, a voice tinged with curiosity drifted out from behind the heavy curtains.

"From Taian?"

"Present it."

The eunuch finally let out a sigh of relief. He used his spiritual perception to levitate the Jade Scroll, carefully sending it past the curtains where a slender hand gently plucked it from the air.

The hand belonged to a young man, tall and slender, with a handsome face. Though he was the Daoist Court Emperor, he wore not the Dragon Robe that signified his noble status, but a simple Daoist Robe. Behind the curtain was no grand Throne, but a Dao Platform wreathed in the smoke of Sandalwood Incense.

"Hm?"

Soon, a surprised hum escaped the young man. He held the Jade Scroll in one hand and made a few quick calculations with the other, a composed smile soon appearing on his face.

"Not bad, not bad."

"It was indeed discovered by the True Dragon Race. This truly is a great gift. I had assumed the Dragon Monarch agreed to cooperate with ulterior motives, perhaps even plotting rebellion..."

’Perhaps I was overthinking things?’

At least this Incense Fire Divinity Method was indeed of great use to the Dao Court.

If he could find the corresponding Outer Realm, even if it was just a Fruit Position Prototype, he would not hesitate to expend great effort to slowly cultivate it to Perfection!

"However... this Fruit must be in my hands."

"Otherwise, if the Fruit remains in the hands of the True Dragon Race, then my development of the Incense Fire Divinity Method would just be paving the way for them."

"Wants an audience with me?"

The Daoist Court Emperor smiled meaningfully. It wasn’t surprising. In his eyes, it was nothing more than the True Dragon Race wanting to bargain for more benefits.

Thinking of this, he frowned again.

Because the letter Wu Taian submitted also mentioned the issue of the Dongting Dragon King’s Official Position. This matter wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either.

Especially at this critical juncture, it undoubtedly gave the True Dragon Race more bargaining chips.

"...Nonsense."

The Daoist Court Emperor chided lightly. Although he had previously hinted at reining in the True Dragon Race, he had not explicitly stated how to do it.

Obviously, the people below had misunderstood his intentions.

But the problem was easy to solve. Just deal with whoever did it. The Dao Court had no shortage of people. If someone couldn’t do their job well, they could just be replaced.

"Decree: The Left Governor of the All Heaven Department is to be stripped of his post."

As soon as the words were spoken, the Immortal Dao Law immediately trembled. Almost simultaneously, a formidable middle-aged man in the distant All Heaven Department Government Office suddenly widened his eyes.

"No... How could this be!?"

In an instant, Mana surged through the formidable middle-aged man’s body and his Abilities began to manifest. The mark of his Official Position as Left Governor of the All Heaven Department trembled above his head.

This was a Fourth-Grade Official Position.

Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment!

But his resistance lasted for less than a single breath before his expression turned to one of utter defeat. Finally, with trembling hands, he removed his official cap.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for stripping my title. This subject... accepts the decree and offers thanks!"

BOOM!

Before his words had faded, the Qi trace throughout his body completely dissipated. His Official Position was stripped away, his Official Robe fell to the ground, and what remained was merely a humble mortal!

........

Inside Celestial Wu Hall.

After demoting a Mid-phase of Foundation Establishment cultivator to a mortal with a single sentence, the Daoist Court Emperor’s expression showed no fluctuation. Instead, a flicker of interest crossed his face.

"To make the Old Dragon Monarch show such sincerity."

"And to know how to leverage the issue with the Official Position to seek greater benefits... That doesn’t sound like a savage beast. Have the Overseas Demon Cultivators actually produced someone of talent?"

The next second, a faint light appeared in his eyes.

They were a pair of jade-green eyes, a divine trait of the Celestial Wu Royal Family’s bloodline. Activating them now, the Daoist Court Emperor’s vision instantly crossed tens of thousands of miles!

"I’d like to see just who this person is..."

........

Outside Prince Zhen Nan’s Mansion, inside an Immortal Cave Mansion.

Lü Yang followed the black-robed Demon Cultivator all the way into the Cave Mansion. The first thing that met his eyes was soaring Demonic Qi, emanating from more than a dozen Demon Cultivators!

And all of them were at Foundation Establishment!

But soon, Lü Yang saw through these dozen or so Demon Cultivators... not a single one had achieved their cultivation on their own. All of them had a corresponding Official Position above their heads.

Seeing this, a look of disappointment appeared in Lü Yang’s eyes. After all, with Demon Cultivators like this, never mind ten, even a hundred of them couldn’t stir up any trouble.

But he soon realized something was amiss.

He discovered that these Demon Cultivators’ Official Positions were quite special... they were all military posts from the surrounding area. A Fifth-Grade Official was high enough to be called a general.

As he pondered, a smile had already appeared on Lü Yang’s face.

"...Fellow Daoists, why have you invited me here?"

"To answer the Dragon King."

The black-robed Demon Cultivator was clearly the leader and was the first to speak. "It is for no other reason than to get acquainted with the Dragon King."

"Get acquainted?"

Lü Yang paused, then chuckled and shook his head. "I have heard about your situation. In my opinion, you don’t need to get acquainted with me. You need a leader who can tear all enemies to shreds, which is why you sought me out."

"I have to admit, you’ve come to the right person."

Before his voice had faded, Lü Yang made his move.

Puppet!

None of the Demon Cultivators present were powerful. All were merely in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, so they naturally couldn’t resist the Puppet ability. The entire cave fell into a dead silence.

A moment later, Lü Yang’s eyebrow suddenly twitched.

Inside the Myriad-Soul Banner, the Profound City Blessed Land trembled, triggering his Spiritual Sense. It told him that an invisible gaze was watching him from an immense distance!

’The gaze of a Perfected Lord... the Daoist Court Emperor?’

Lü Yang was slightly startled but didn’t panic. In fact, he felt a surge of confidence. After all, he could now detect the prying gaze of a Golden Core Perfected Lord!

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again.

"Rest assured, everyone. I will help you. The status of Demon Cultivators in the Dao Court indeed needs to change. This is the responsibility of my True Dragon Race."

A Demon Cultivator hurriedly flattered him, "I swear eternal loyalty to the True Dragon Race!"

Hearing this, the black-robed Demon Cultivator shot the speaker a glare and quickly corrected him. "You idiot! What loyalty to the True Dragon Race? It’s loyalty to Lord Dragon King!"

"You are all wrong."

Lü Yang shook his head and cupped his hands in the direction of Celestial Wu City. "It’s loyalty to His Majesty... You must all remember this to your dying day."

"There is only one person in the Dao Court who can command the wind and rain, and that is His Majesty!"

As his voice fell, Lü Yang simply stood firm, facing Celestial Wu City. He then made a fist with his right hand and performed a solemn salute. "Loyal! And! True!"

The next second, the Puppet ability activated.

All the Demon Cultivators followed his example, saluting toward Celestial Wu City. For a moment, a roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing echoed, the sound even escaping the cave.

"Loyal! And! True!"