Being a talent in the Chusheng Demon Sect

Chapter 504 Hit it off

The Empress has arrived.

Hearing the sounds coming from outside the hall, Lü Yang raised his eyebrows. The next second, the door was pushed open, and a beautiful figure wearing a rosy cloud and a crown walked in.

The woman had willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, and her jade-like face shone with light. She wore a long silk dress with a gold-embroidered cloud and phoenix patterned robe over it. A pearl and jade hairpin was inserted in her hair, swaying slightly as she walked. Lu Yang's gaze swept across the mountains and ridges before finally landing on her delicate and beautiful face.

"See the Queen."

Lu Yang quickly averted his gaze and bowed in greeting, but the next second, a heavy thud was heard, the sound of the door being closed again.

what does this mean?
At this moment, the entire Siku Daozang was completely silent, except for Lü Yang and the suddenly appearing Empress. Even their breathing could be clearly heard.

Immediately afterwards, Lü Yang saw that the Empress's brow was suddenly filled with a radiant light, and the originally dim Daoist Hall suddenly became bright. At this moment, the space seemed to be magnified countless times, revealing a vast field, lush vegetation, and crops surrounding the center.

In all these images, a true light of earth element is revealed, perfectly complete and without leakage:

Empress Cisheng

Pieces of light fell down, seemingly formless and intangible, yet when they shone on Lü Yang, he felt as if mountains were pressing down on his body.

'【Roadside soil】.'

'Indeed, everything in the palace is built upon Emperor Jiayou, and so is this empress; in terms of rank alone, she is no less than Crown Prince Longxing.'

Just as Lü Yang was pondering, the Empress, who was extremely low-key in the Daoist official system and almost completely hidden behind Emperor Jiayou, was also looking at him. Her beautiful eyes reflected Lü Yang's figure and seemed to see a pure and powerful, unparalleled demonic dragon that could overturn rivers and seas.

However, in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a handsome young man.

'Half-human, half-dragon?'

'It's not just a simple bloodline mixing; it's a deep interdependence, where each element is part of the other. How is that possible?'

The empress's surname was "Xiao", hence she was also known as Empress Xiao. Although she was born a commoner, she was quick-witted and intelligent, and she could recite the entire Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) from memory.

Looking across the world, there are few things in the Foundation Establishment realm that she doesn't understand.

However, Lü Yang's "half-human, half-dragon appearance" was so unpredictable that Empress Xiao couldn't understand it at all. At this moment, she was itching with curiosity and suddenly felt extremely curious.

However, she quickly regained her composure:
"No rush. We can discuss this another day. I have other important matters to attend to."

After considering this matter for a moment, Empress Xiao parted her lips slightly and said softly, "I must thank Minister Du for helping Longxing take over the Tianwu Palace."

"It is my duty," Lü Yang said, bowing respectfully.

"My dear minister, please do not be modest."

Empress Xiao shook her head upon hearing this: "I know Longxing's character well. He is always cautious about his life when it comes to important matters, but he will risk his life for small gains. He is definitely not a true wise ruler."

"If it weren't for Minister Du, he would probably be under the control of the officials by now. I was thinking of personally stepping forward to intimidate the officials and stabilize the court, but Minister Du suddenly appeared and saved me that trouble, and also saved me, a mere woman, from having to show my face in public."

"but."

At this point, Empress Xiao glanced at Lü Yang again and said quietly, "In my opinion, you have the appearance of a tiger and wolf, and I'm afraid you are not a peaceful person."

Empress Xiao's words made Lü Yang frown.

At this moment, he was pondering a question: If he forcibly removed Empress Xiao here, how much turmoil would it cause in the harem? Would it be discovered?
Unfortunately, the [Puppet] skill is useless for Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble. He could have easily taken control of the Dao Court by directly manipulating Crown Prince Longxing and the officials.

'Even if I refine it into a banner spirit, it won't work.'

When a cultivator in the Dao Court dies, their official position is relinquished. Therefore, even if they refine a banner spirit, they will only become a mortal and will be of no use whatsoever.

At the same time, Empress Xiao changed the subject:
"My dear minister, how about I make a deal with you?"

"If we join forces, we can suppress the faction of the Three Dukes and help my son stabilize his position. In return, my son will rule without lifting a finger and delegate all power to you."

"Your Majesty is too kind to me." Lü Yang said with trepidation, "I am wholeheartedly devoted to the royal family, to Your Majesty, and to His Highness. I have no other thoughts. It is my duty to stabilize the court for the Crown Prince."

After speaking, Lü Yang saw Empress Xiao's ambiguous smile:

"My dear minister, do you know where my Xiao family's ancestral home is?"

Before Lü Yang could answer, Empress Xiao continued, "My Xiao family's ancestral home is in Jiangbei, and to this day, a branch still regularly sends its disciples to the Jiangbei Demonic Sect."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yang was slightly startled. He calculated the cause and effect, and a name suddenly popped into his mind:
'Xiao Shiye!?'

Seeing Lü Yang's strange expression, Empress Xiao seemed to have misunderstood something and laughed, "What, does Minister Du think that I am secretly colluding with the Demonic Sect?"

"Do you perhaps want to investigate me as well?"

"Your humble servant dares not," Lü Yang quickly bowed.

"Okay, no courtesy."

Empress Xiao took a step forward, and Lü Yang immediately smelled a delicate fragrance. Then, Empress Xiao lifted him up, and he was met with a pair of beautiful eyes:
"I have always been straightforward. Minister Du, you are born into the True Dragon Clan and must be eager to establish yourself in the court. I also want to fight for some power for my family, but the officials are blocking the way and the sons of the Three Dukes are doing everything they can to obstruct us. Minister Du, you and I are on the same side, so why bother with all this pretense?"

In those beautiful eyes, Lü Yang saw ambition.

'This woman is not a member of the Tianwu royal family. Not only does she lack cultivation, but the Dao Court also has no Heavenly Fruit position to grant her, yet she harbors ambitions to ascend to the throne and seek wealth?'

'And with the Crown Prince of Longxing also involved, everyone is hoping for Emperor Jiayou's passing away.'

In the Daoist court, even if you are a high-ranking official, the emperor, or have the rank of a Golden Elixir True Lord, you only have a lifespan of a thousand years. When your lifespan ends, you must abdicate.

When the three high-ranking officials step down, they will be reincarnated.

The emperor cultivates his own nature and, after abdicating, does not need to reincarnate. This is called "dragon riding to heaven," which means ascending to heaven with a grotto-heaven and serving the Daoist master from then on.

Regardless of which type it was, the seats were all empty.

If there are empty seats, someone will want to sit there.

After all, among all those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, who wouldn't want to acquire gold? Even if there's only a sliver of hope, countless Foundation Establishment cultivators are still willing to give up everything to obtain it.

With this in mind, Lü Yang changed his mind.

After all, Empress Xiao was right. The officials of the Daoist court, and even the disciples of the Three Dukes, were their common enemy, and it was only right for them to join forces to deal with them.

Even if they were to turn against each other, they could wait until after dealing with the disciples of the Three Dukes and the officials.

Moreover, if even Empress Xiao stood up to support him, then his righteousness within the Daoist court would be unshakable, and no one could criticize him.

This is a mutually beneficial arrangement.

However, despite saying this, Lü Yang would not make any promises on the surface, lest he give others a reason to criticize him. He simply bowed and said, "Your subject will obey Your Majesty's orders."

Empress Xiao smiled with satisfaction: "Excellent."

The two hit it off.

Soon, the atmosphere between the two became much more intimate, and Empress Xiao even looked at the two Taoist books that Lü Yang had just selected, and said with a smile:
"Is Minister Du seeking the Daoist arts? I wonder if he has made any progress?"

Lü Yang shook his head: "I don't have a method I like yet."

Empress Xiao immediately smiled: "Why don't you tell me? I know the entire Siku Quanshu and Daoist Canon by heart. Perhaps I can select one or two for you, my dear minister."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yang's eyes lit up slightly, and he looked at Empress Xiao as if he had seen a great treasure. This was indeed an unexpected delight.

"To have read through the entire Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) of Daoist Canon—that requires an immense accumulation of Daoist cultivation. No wonder Empress Xiao also harbored ambitions for gold. If I could learn all her knowledge using the 'Heaven-Mending True Scripture,' it would be a tremendous gain, surely completely resolving my cultivation issues in my pursuit of gold!"

(End of this chapter)