Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 346: 60 Years of Tranquility for Heaven and Earth

With a tremendous BOOM, Fortune’s body exploded, revealing a soul enveloped by the Gold Attribute, seething with utter rage and desperation.

’I failed again!’

’He had grown used to it over the past five thousand years, but this attempt had been the most promising. He was on the very brink of success, and yet he had still failed to grasp it!’

Unlike an ordinary Foundation-Stage Cultivator, Fortune, as a reincarnated Perfected Lord, would not turn into a Daoist Remnant even if he failed at Seeking Gold. His soul would be protected by the Gold Attribute and guided by the Netherworld into the cycle of reincarnation. But if that happened, how long would it take to regain his current level of cultivation?

’Minor Metal... Minor Metal!!!’

Fortune couldn’t help but roar in his heart. With his composure shattered, distracting thoughts surfaced one after another. Truly, not even all the water in the great rivers could wash away his resentment.

However, he dared not linger.

In the presence of so many Perfected Lords, he was but a soul protected by the Gold Attribute. If he didn’t promptly answer the Netherworld’s summons, death was a certainty!

’...Go!’

The next moment, the Netherworld opened, and Fortune’s figure vanished from the scene. It happened in a flash; no one was able to capture his soul.

This was also why it was so difficult to kill a Perfected Lord.

To completely obliterate a Perfected Lord, one had to kill them at least three times. The first was to destroy their Grotto Heaven, making them fall from their Fruit Position and lose the Realm of a Perfected Lord.

The second was to destroy their soul, preventing them from escaping into the Netherworld through reincarnation.

The third was to destroy their Gold Attribute, ensuring it could not attach itself to another object and grant them another chance at revival.

「Meanwhile, within No Heaven.」

Paying no mind to Fortune’s fall, Minor Metal stood silently at the top of the steps. His lips parted and closed, and a rare, fragrant aroma naturally began to drift from his body.

Within the fragrance, the figures of numerous women began to manifest.

These women varied in appearance and attire, and their every smile and frown was enough to captivate the Heart Spirit of an ordinary person, as if they were truly alive.

"The Essence of All Flowers!"

The fragrance began to change as a sea of smoke that drew out one’s thoughts slowly rose. All who witnessed this sea of smoke seemed to see their own sorrows reflected within it.

"The Guan Chou Sea!"

With every Ability Minor Metal manifested, No Heaven rose a little higher, and in turn, the other Fruit Positions between Heaven and Earth would fall ever so slightly.

Seeing this, Ang Xiao acted without the slightest hesitation. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved a golden cup with a burning light, pulling it back from afar. It was none other than the Treasure of Fruit Position he had previously lent to Minor Metal, the Sun-veiling Golden Cup of the Fruit of Great-Forest Wood. At the same time, a Mighty Power descended from the heavens.

"BOOM!"

In Jiangnan Gantang Dao, within the Grotto Heaven Fragment, the physical body belonging to Minor Metal was mercilessly shattered by Ang Xiao, reduced to a pile of fine dust.

However—it was useless.

All of Ang Xiao’s actions merely earned him a calm glance from Minor Metal, who then continued to channel his Mana and manifest another Ability.

"The Mist Crossing."

As his voice fell, the scene within No Heaven changed once more.

The mist and clouds parted to reveal a vast ocean, immeasurably deep and stretching for thousands of miles, its black waters flowing with a thunderous roar.

When the Golden Core Perfected Lords gazed upon this ocean, they felt nothing amiss.

However, each of the Foundation-Stage Cultivators below saw within the ocean a recent problem in their cultivation that had left them stumped, and they unconsciously broke out in a cold sweat.

However, there were also cultivators with firm Dao Hearts and exceptional enlightenment who navigated the "Mist Marsh," breaking through the problems that had perplexed them. For a moment, they felt refreshed and clear-headed. It was clear this was not Minor Metal intentionally making things difficult for them; rather, he was deliberately using his Ability to stir them and help them break through their inner confusion.

But would he really offer such benefits for free?

All the cultivators who had benefited from the Mist Crossing had, in fact, been converted. They now fell under the dominion of the No Heaven Fruit Position, their ties to their original Dao Lineages severed!

"BOOM!"

The next moment, the light of a Fruit Position Star abruptly vanished. Unlike the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, this Fruit Position was one presided over by a Golden Core Perfected Lord.

Yet now, it had vanished from sight.

As the Fruit Position was hidden, the figure of that Perfected Lord rapidly dimmed. Amidst a shower of stardust, they quietly vanished from the world in less than a single breath.

It was Bhumba Bodhisattva.

This Perfected Lord from the Pure Land did not have profound Cultivation. Combined with the fact that they had just attacked Minor Metal, their Fruit Position was deliberately targeted, making them the first to be forced into worldly concealment!

"So that’s how it is..."

"No Heaven... What a grand scheme! Such ambition! And Minor Metal... I knew something this momentous had to be connected to the Demon Sect..."

"The millennial tribulation is upon us. The world is about to descend into chaos once more."

"Good. Let there be chaos!"

For a time, the reactions of the world’s Perfected Lords were varied. But without a doubt, they had all figured out the plans laid by Minor Metal, and by extension, Mu Changsheng.

Even Ang Xiao was slightly astonished. "You... you’re unaffected?"

He had already retrieved the Sun-veiling Golden Cup. Logically, Minor Metal should no longer have its protection and would inevitably be fighting for dominance with the consciousness of the Primal Daoist.

But that was not what was happening.

’Could I have guessed wrong?’ At this thought, the astonishment on Ang Xiao’s face deepened. "Was Mu Changsheng truly willing to sacrifice himself to ensure your success?"

"It’s not just about ensuring my success."

Minor Metal’s expression was calm. "This is also to ensure his own. As long as I am here and No Heaven hangs high, I will become the target for all in his place."

His voice was normal at first, but as he continued to speak, it grew richer with echoes, transforming into a ceaseless, lingering sound that stirred the deepest hatred in the hearts of all—a hatred for every injustice in Heaven and Earth. This hatred was endless and eternal!

"The Long Hatred Song!"

As long as evil existed, this song would not cease. The flames of hatred erupted from the heart, incinerating the body, powerful enough to shatter the very soul of a Perfected Person.

"Your Excellencies, if you would please accompany me on a trip to the heavens."

Minor Metal cupped his hands, his tone still humble. But at that moment, the four Abilities he had manifested converged, blending into a single streak of crimson.

"Competition for Freedom!"

As his voice fell, a dead silence descended.

It was broken only by a clear, crisp shattering sound.

"CRACK!

Like a phantom bubble, the figure of another Perfected Lord dissipated, their Fruit Position receding from the world. This phenomenon began to spread rapidly to all the other Perfected Lords.

At that moment, cracks began to appear in the sky that had been blanketing the world. Though still overcast, it was no longer whole. One by one, the Perfected Lords vanished, while Minor Metal’s own figure grew ever more illusory until he was nearly impossible to see. Only his magnificent voice remained, echoing in all directions:

"I, Minor Metal, have attained No Heaven in the South."

"I have refined the Facing Truth Void Grotto Heaven to ascend to the rank of Perfected Lord. I have severed the connection between the mortal realm and the heavens to carve out a sliver of hope for all the world’s cultivators. For this, Heaven and Earth shall know peace for sixty years..."

His voice thundered across Heaven and Earth.

When his voice finally faded, only two Perfected Lords remained: one was Ang Xiao, and the other was World Purger Fei Xue.

"..."

Ang Xiao did not respond. He only gave Minor Metal a deep look before voluntarily dissipating his form, leaving World Purger Fei Xue alone.

"Minor Metal greets you, Perfected Lord."

Minor Metal bowed just as he always had. Seeing this, World Purger Fei Xue simply shook her head. "Quite a display. You have truly accomplished something."

After she spoke, her expression turned solemn, and she cupped her hands to return the salute.

"Xue Feihong greets you, fellow Daoist."

As her voice faded, a light breeze blew past, and World Purger Fei Xue’s figure dissipated, her Fruit Position receding from the world. Only Minor Metal was left standing.

But this, too, was only temporary.

Though their Fruit Positions receding from the world made it difficult for them to interfere in the Current World, it did not mean the Perfected Lords could not act against one another. One could only imagine what it would be like for him to become the enemy of the entire world.

Therefore, he needed allies.

’With the illusory nature of No Heaven, I can delay things for sixty years at most. Only if someone ascends to the rank of Perfected Lord within that time will this tribulation truly be over.’

’I just wonder... what will become of the world now?’

’It shall be an era of great contention!’

Minor Metal closed his eyes, and his figure vanished.

From this moment on, no Perfected Lords would walk the mortal world!

After a brief moment of silence, from the East, the West, the North, the South, and from across the Overseas... from every direction, long-suppressed Qi traces, which had not dared to reveal themselves before, began to rise!