Being a talent in the Chusheng Demon Sect

Chapter 507 Could this be the World Honored One?
Lü Yang's tactic of making an example of someone to scare others was undoubtedly very effective, especially after the disciples of the Three Dukes confirmed that the "evidence" he provided was indeed authentic.

"What investigation? It's clearly a purge of dissidents!"

At the Junior Tutor's residence, Junior Guardian Li Tai'an slammed his fist on the table, his face filled with disbelief: "How could Ning Haohe possibly be a spy from the Demonic Sect who attempted to assassinate His Majesty?"

However, no matter how much he questioned it, the "evidence" provided by Lü Yang was right in front of him. It clearly showed the divine imprints of Chen Yuanli and Ning Haohe. Such imprints could not be left unless they were cast by the person himself. With it, it could indeed be called irrefutable evidence.

"Could it be that he was tortured into confessing?" the Junior Tutor asked in a low voice.

Shao Bao subconsciously shook his head: "Unlikely. Hao He is my good friend, and he has always been resolute. He wouldn't succumb to torture."

The words stopped abruptly.

They wouldn't succumb to torture? Then how would they explain the irrefutable evidence before them? For a moment, the Junior Tutor, Junior Guardian, and Junior Preceptor couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

Finally, it was the young master who broke the silence:

"This time, the Imperial City Guard conducted a city-wide search. Not only was there evidence, but the Empress and the Crown Prince also endorsed it. The procedures and ceremonies were flawless."

Li Tai'an slammed his fist on the table: "I knew that demonic dragon was plotting something sinister!"

I don't think so.

The Junior Tutor shook his head: "The Imperial City Guard is just a weapon. The real wielders of that weapon, the ones who want to deal with us, are Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince."

If it were just the Imperial City Guard, they would never allow Lü Yang to arrest officials like this. Even if the evidence was conclusive and the procedures were legal, they would definitely stop him. But if the Empress and the Crown Prince are also involved, then they have to carefully consider the matter and cannot act rashly.

Just then, Li Tai'an's expression suddenly changed slightly.

While they were talking, he was also using his divine sense to observe the movements of the Imperial City Guard. At this moment, he noticed something amiss: "Not good. That demonic dragon has gone to the Five Armies Commander's Mansion!"

Inside the Five Armies Commander's Mansion.

Lu Yang walked calmly into the spacious hall and sat down in the head seat without any ceremony. Below him were the five commanders of the Beijing Garrison who had been appointed by the Empress.

"Greetings, Lord Du Huan."

"No gift."

Lu Yang smiled slightly, seeing through the little thoughts of the five commanders of the Beijing Garrison below. Empress Xiao had mentioned information about these five people during the previous discussion.

In short, three of the five were staunch supporters of Emperor Jiayou, while the remaining two were disciples of the Three Dukes. This was an unspoken understanding between Emperor Jiayou and the Three Dukes. Therefore, it is conceivable that even with the endorsement of Empress Xiao and His Highness the Crown Prince, he could not command the five admirals.

Fortunately, he was too lazy to do that.

The five military commanders, along with the five official positions and the emperor's insignia, can form a status that is "as if the emperor were personally present," suppressing all other official positions, including the crown prince.

Really great.

However, they are only very powerful within the Dao Court system. Outside of the Dao Court system, these five people are only third-rank officials, and only at the peak of the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

To put it bluntly, he's only good at bullying his own family.

They're experts at internal power struggles, but inept at external ones.

Dealing with them would be even simpler than dealing with the Minister of War, who at least required Lü Yang to use hand seals and spells, while he only needed to—

"【Marionette】!"

As a burst of intense light passed, like a gust of wind blowing across their faces, it instantly dispelled the suspicion on the faces of the five military commanders, leaving only loyalty.

at this time.

"stop!"

A beam of light descended from the sky and landed with a thud inside the Five Armies Commander's Mansion. It then parted, and Junior Guardian Li Tai'an emerged from within.

"Isn't this Lord Shaobao?" Lü Yang smiled slightly, stood up and bowed, saying, "I wonder if you've come to see me because there's something wrong with the Imperial City Guard's work in investigating the spies of the Demonic Sect? Don't worry, Lord Shaobao, please raise your questions, and I will certainly urge my subordinates to correct them!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tai'an's expression immediately darkened.
"Du Huan, the Five Armies Commandery is of great importance, and those who can serve as the Five Armies Commanders must be loyal and capable generals. Do you think they would collude with the Demonic Sect?"

"how come!"

Lu Yang looked surprised and quickly waved his hand, saying, "My lord, you misunderstand. I'm only here to deliver the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince's orders to the Five Armies Commander." "Orders? The Five Armies Commander only obeys imperial edicts, not decrees from the inner palace!"

Upon hearing this, the Junior Guardian did not want to waste words with Lü Yang. He looked directly at the two commanders of the Beijing Garrison, who were from the families of the Three Dukes, and said in a deep voice, "Come back to the Junior Guardian's residence with me first."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

However, his movements came to an abrupt halt the next second.

Because the two commanders of the Beijing garrison showed no sign of moving, Li Tai'an turned around and saw that they both had expressions he had never seen before:

"Master Shaobao."

"Since we have been ordered to take command of the five armies of the capital, we have the duty to serve the country. Now that His Majesty is not here, we should act in accordance with the Empress's decree."

Li Tai'an was stunned.

"you!"

In an instant, Li Tai'an felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His eyes widened in horror as he looked at Lü Yang. After a long pause, he cautiously said:

'World Honored One?'

Lü Yang: ".?"

Who are you scolding?
On the other hand, Li Tai'an felt more and more that his guess made sense.

There's no way to explain it, they're just too similar!
Whether it's Ning Haohe or the two commanders of the Beijing Garrison at this moment, they are all people that Li Tai'an can absolutely trust and have no doubt about.

But what was the result? Ning Haohe suddenly confessed, triggering an arrest operation that affected the entire city. Even the two commanders of the Beijing Garrison chose to defect to Lü Yang. This sudden change in personality and attitude without any prior warning made it hard for Li Tai'an not to think of the World Honored One in the ditch.

Moreover, the Buddha has a history of such offenses!
He did it once before! Although the current Tianwu royal family is the beneficiary, the Zouyu royal family of the previous dynasty must have a lot of complaints about it.

"Boom!"

The next second, Li Tai'an's figure vanished from the spot.
If he stayed any longer, he feared he might suddenly realize something and utter nonsense like, "Alas! I never imagined I was an incarnation of the World Honored One!"

Seeing this, Lü Yang didn't bother to chase after him.

'With the Five Armies Commandery in hand, and the Imperial Seal in the Empress's possession, Tianwu City is now firmly under my control.'

"Boom!"

Looking up, Lü Yang was startled to see a glimmer of starlight appear in the sky. Though faint and fleeting, it had appeared for a brief moment:
[Fire from the Sky!]
Lu Yang knew perfectly well that this was because, as Tianwu City, the central hub of Jiangdong, fell into his hands, [Heavenly Fire] was paying more and more attention to him. Although it was far from the point of seeking gold, the trend was good. If he wanted to go further, he would have to control the entire Jiangdong.

However, the three public-private partnerships are ultimately an obstacle to achieving that goal.

'Unfortunately, killing with pure force is useless.'

Lu Yang shook his head. The essence of the Dao Court lies in official positions; people are meaningless to it. If he had gone all out just now, he might have been able to kill Li Tai'an.

But even though Li Tai'an is dead, his position as Junior Guardian will not disappear.

In the Daoist official system, the position of Junior Guardian is passed down from generation to generation without the need for imperial appointment; a new Junior Guardian can seamlessly take over.

This is what makes the Dao Court so terrifying. No matter how strong you are, as long as you haven't reached the level of surpassing the entire Dao Court, you have to abide by the rules of the Dao Court. This is also what the Dao Court likes to do most: drag you down to their level and then defeat you with their rich experience.

Of course, Lü Yang is not incapable of forcibly breaking the deadlock.

He still has one more chance to feign possession of the "Covering Lamp Fire." If he uses it here, he could kill all the disciples of the Three Dukes in one fell swoop and suppress the officials.

But what's the point?
At most, he could only control Jiangdong. To prove the [Heavenly Fire], his goal was to control all four realms of the world, and only then would he have the opportunity to falsely hold the golden position.

In the Daoist court, only reputation and position—or rather, one's place within the official hierarchy—are of paramount importance.

Fortunately, I had already obtained half of it.

'With the Five Armies Commandery under my control, and if I also obtain the Emperor's Seal from the Empress, the Emperor and the Three Dukes will not need to appear, and I will be the supreme ruler of the Daoist system.'

'Then we can wipe them all out in one fell swoop, labeling all these sons of high-ranking officials as traitors!'

As for the evidence, let the Grand Commander of the Capital Garrison, whom I just captured, and the two disciples of the Three Dukes among the Five Army Commanders confess.
(End of this chapter)