Tianwu Hall, inside the Kunning Palace.
Lu Yang and Empress Xiao were discussing the Dao. What met the eye was streaks of divine ability illusions, instantly transforming into a magnificent and gorgeous sea of flowers spreading out.
A faint and elegant floral fragrance wafted through the large palace, gladdening the heart and refreshing the mind, mixed with the sound of clear springs like high mountains and flowing water. As time passed, this sea of flowers slowly gathered towards the center. In the end, it transformed into an immortal flower, blooming slowly, flowing with radiance that was hard to look at directly.
[Glazed Color Myriad Wonders Immortal Flower]!
This was a Wei Earth dao art from the Four Treasuries Daoist Canon, perfectly fitting Empress Xiao's divine ability [Hundred Flowers Palace]. She had carefully selected and painstakingly cultivated it.
The function of the dao art was also very simple.
As long as one sank their divine soul into the immortal flower, the speed of refining Golden Nature would be greatly accelerated, condensing what originally took one or two years into one or two days.
When Emperor Jiayou was still the Crown Prince, Empress Xiao had gained his favor precisely by relying on this dao art. However, the [Glazed Color Myriad Wonders Immortal Flower], which was handy when dealing with Emperor Jiayou in the past, now showed a posture hard to maintain when facing Lu Yang's ravaging.
After all, what he cultivates is a Supreme Dao Fruit...
Also when refining a Golden Nature, she only needed to activate the dao art a few times for Emperor Jiayou to successfully help him refine it. But Lu Yang still couldn't refine it.
Only after her spiritual power was drained, the divine ability of [Hundred Flowers Palace] withered, and her whole body was exhausted, did Lu Yang barely refine a wisp of Golden Nature. It was as if he was deliberately toying with her, making her feel both satisfied and resentful, only able to constantly beg Lu Yang for mercy.
She was satisfied because she hadn't misjudged the person.
After all, Lu Yang's Golden Nature being so difficult to refine showed that his foundation was quite solid. The probability of successfully seeking the Golden Core in the future was high, and it was also very likely to benefit her.
Resentful because—it was too tiring.
This was because Empress Xiao had high cultivation base and deep Dao comprehension. Even if her divine ability withered due to excessive consumption, resting for a day would be enough to recover.
Only in this way could she maintain the frequency of once a day with Lu Yang. Otherwise, her [Hundred Flowers Palace] would have been destroyed by Lu Yang's cultivation over these few days.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang ignored Empress Xiao's resentful gaze.
At this moment, he was wholeheartedly focused on cultivation. Looking inside his soul, watching the golden light wrapped around his soul like a small dragon, he revealed a satisfied look:
One strand of Golden Nature.
The so-called Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, three begets all things... Golden Nature also has such a concept. Three wisps return to one thread, three threads merge into one strand.
For more than a month, he had been sleeping on the dragon bed, cultivating diligently without stopping. Only then did he finally refine one strand of Golden Nature with Empress Xiao's assistance. Afterward, refining wisps and threads of Golden Nature would just be directly merging them into it, constantly making it grow stronger, until finally reaching the standard sufficient to uphold a Blessed Land.
However, the growth of Golden Nature also has drawbacks.
Lu Yang gazed at the Golden Nature he refined. In a trance, he seemed to see a boundless mountain and sea, and he became the consciousness of this mountain and sea.
Flowers, birds, fish, insects, vegetation, stubborn rocks.
Birds and beasts, wind, rain, thunder, lightning.
The harmonious and orderly operation of all things made his spirit closer and closer to the so-called "Heavenly Dao," regarding all things as straw dogs, no longer looking like the mortal world...
"Mmh~~"
A cry of pain mixed with inexplicable joy, like a grand bell, woke Lu Yang's thoughts back. The warmth from his embrace brought Lu Yang back to his senses.
This is the influence of Golden Nature...
Lu Yang frowned slightly. As Golden Nature increased, humanity would be gradually suppressed, eventually falling into madness. The closer to seeking the Golden Core, the more so.
Fortunately, my will is firm.
Lu Yang exhaled deeply, hurriedly hugged Empress Xiao tightly, fiercely regaining the humanity he had just lost, and only then breathed a sigh of relief.
"...By the way, Your Majesty."
Looking at Empress Xiao, who had no strength left in her body, Lu Yang said softly, "There seems to be no inheritance of [Heavenly Fire] in the Four Treasuries Daoist Canon."
"You still calling me Your Majesty?"
Empress Xiao parted her red lips slightly. Her beautiful eyes seemed to spin silk, looking straight at Lu Yang: "My name is Xiao Ru. Fellow Daoist can call me by my name in the future."
Lu Yang chuckled upon hearing this: "I still prefer the address 'Your Majesty'."
"Smooth talker~"
Empress Xiao pretended to be shy and angry, patting Lu Yang's chest lightly with her jade hand, then sliding down smoothly, incidentally answering Lu Yang's question just now:
"Naturally not. After all, as early as when the Dao Court changed to Tianwu, [Heavenly Fire] had already vanished. Of the illustrious inheritances of this lineage, only two still remain in the world. One of the inheritances went overseas during the chaos and was finally collected by the Old Dragon Lord of the True Dragon Clan."
"Pity that lineage's inheritance is incomplete."
Speaking of this, Empress Xiao shook her head again. "But precisely because of this, it could be obtained by the Old Dragon Lord. If it were complete, how could it be the turn of the overseas regions?"
"What about the second one?" Lu Yang asked curiously.
"The second one should be in Jiangbei, in the hands of the descendants of the Zou Yu today, because the Zou Yu Imperial Family back then also had some thoughts about [Heavenly Fire]."
Empress Xiao spoke with assurance.
She had read through the entire Four Treasuries Daoist Canon, which contained not only cultivation methods and techniques but also a large number of Daoist books, unofficial histories, and secrets. Naturally, she knew them like the back of her hand at this moment.
Lu Yang's mind became active upon hearing this.
Zou Yu descendants... that branch of the Saint Sect? I can think of a way to plot for that. I am currently lacking the corresponding True Technique for [Heavenly Fire].
True Technique—a supreme technique refined with Golden Nature.
Since refining Golden Nature, this had been put on Lu Yang's agenda. After all, if he could learn a True Technique that fit him, the improvement would definitely be huge.
Helplessly, the [Heavenly Fire] inheritance had long been broken.
And the [Dragon Scripture of Heaven's Radiant Decree] given by the Old Dragon Lord was missing this part. Lu Yang was just worrying about it, never expecting to find a train of thought from Empress Xiao.
"Speaking of which, what do you plan to do in the future?"
Empress Xiao's gaze was burning: "You aren't a Perfected Lord yet, unable to officially ascend the throne. You can only rely on the status of [Imperial Descent] to temporarily implement the system of a puppet dynasty."
"Its enough."
Lu Yang chuckled lightly. "Even a usurper dynasty has some blessings. in this era where Perfected Lords are in seclusion, it's no different from an orthodox dynasty system."
Empress Xiao frowned slightly upon hearing this. "But even so, you must achieve great merit to possibly be recognized by the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws]. Just fighting in the nest won't do... The Tianwu Taizu back then was extraordinary; he sacrificed an unorthodox Dao Perfected Lord alive to get recognition."
"Even if the system of a puppet dynasty doesn't need to be that exaggerated, it will probably be difficult..."
"No matter, I have prepared long ago."
Lu Yang shook his head, his gaze looking towards the direction of Jiangbei and overseas: "Merit... the greatest merit is none other than expanding territory. It should be time now."
Overseas, Four Seas Sect Dragon Palace.