Death Reverence finished rewriting the rules of this timeline, and his expression was even paler than it already was; previously, he still barely looked human — albeit a corpse, still human — but now, his skin was morbidly white. Wielding power beyond his realm had severe consequences, but it was worth it.

Glancing at the result, Death Reverence sneered, "So far, only 1 Tribunal Lord has died, which is far from enough. A few more, and I can accelerate the ritual." His eyes shifted to the remaining second-step arrays floating in Primordial Chaos.

"Knowing how these ants operate, they will not immediately give up before trying something. And in this situation, the best target is the Highest Firmament. Hehehe, I'll leave a little surprise for them."

Death Reverence's eyes then shifted to the Lesser Heaven and Earth Origin Cycle Array; that place is where his target is, and the person who is the greatest variable to his plan. "My target was those Saints, but it should also impact Wang Wei. Can he find a solution? How long can he last?"

Death Reverence had no direct answers for his questions, but that did not stop him from estimating, and more importantly, he overestimated Wang Wei's calculations. "What is the worst-case scenario? He pondered this question and calculated. What followed was preparing for such a possibility.

After plotting his next move, Death Reverence finally had the time to check on his situation. He frowned. His injuries were more severe than he had anticipated. "Another variable that can affect the situation," he groaned. With a flicker of his wrist, he gathered some Death Power from the beam to accelerate his healing.

Black Tortoise Array:

All the Tribunal Lords wore ugly expressions. How long has it been since they had to worry about their lifespan? Billions of yuan epochs ago? Trillions? It's been so long that even they have forgotten. But today, they were reduced to mere mortals. What was all their effort and sacrifice for? Wasn't it to achieve immortality? Wasn't it to avoid worrying about lifespan so they could pursue the pinnacle of the Dao?

"How are your longevity techniques?" Trinity Venerable began.

"Not good," Karma Root Monarch first answered.

"Same."

The Primordial Heaven Sword Saint nodded, indicating he was in a similar situation.

"How about we work together to create one?" Trinity Venerable suggested.

"And if that doesn't work?" Slaughter God asked.

"We can only change our plan," the Taoist Priest sighed. His plan was so close to succeeding, but unfortunately, his enemy would not give him time.

"Should we try to invite the duchess?" the Root Karma Monarch asked. "Her vast knowledge would be crucial at times like this."

"She has made her choice," Trinity Venerable shook his head. "And you have made yours. Now is not the time to be trying to play both sides."

She sighed, "I understand."

Reverse Black Stone Array, Infinite Divine Court:

"Empress, can't your gourd create longevity pills that can work for us?" Star Manifestation asked.

"Yes, but it can't come out of nowhere; I still need a method, a formula — something to use as a foundation."

"My Yin-Yang Origin is at your disposal."

"The stars also have a long lifespan; you can ask me if you need anything."

"My people's spirits will guide you," the Heavenly Wolf Khan added.

"Thank you," the Myriad Gourd Empress nodded. Then she sighed suddenly: "If only that lion were still there." A taut silence reverberated throughout the room. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to —"

"It's fine," the Heavenly Wolf Khan stopped her. After spending so much time in this guardian mission, everybody had become close. So, the death of Nine Spirit Lion was a profound blow to the entire group, and something the Heavenly Wolf Khan considered a personal failure as a leader.

"Just do your best."

"I will, but I feel I should warn you guys not to expect much."

"No need to put pressure on yourself," the Khan assuaged. "Your work is only to buy us more time for the previous plan."

"We are still doing that?"

"Now more than ever," the Khan responded. "Only through the Grand Dao can we restore the previous order. Plus, our chances of meeting Lady Suiji have now increased. So, no matter what, we must attack the Highest Firmament."

The river of time will not stop for anything, so Wang Wei continued with his plan, waiting for the right time to make his move, waiting for the upcoming chaos. However, it didn't take long for Ai to remind him of a new problem: the mortal cultivators in his node worlds were panicking. After losing their Immortal Path, chaos soon ensued, which alarmed Ai.

"Ignore them," Wang Wei said. He had enough problems as it is, and the lives of these people meant nothing to them. And since their trouble wouldn't affect the world's operation, he couldn't care less.

"Yes, sir."

"Wait," Wang Wei called out. "Maybe they can be useful. Create 3800 Pillars across each node world and engrave the basic level of the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art on them. Let's see if anyone can come up with something that surprises us."

"Very well."

Wang Wei nodded before continuing his work. He thought it would take a few yuan epochs before something significant occurred, but after only 1 yuan epoch, someone couldn't resist. Numerous auras suddenly spread across the universe, revealing the Tribunal Lords of the Infinite Divine Court. Then, without wasting time and with the utmost haste, they rushed toward the Highest Firmament with full force.

"Why are they so flashy? It's almost as if they —

"Wanted everybody to know what they were doing?" Wang Wei finished his avatar's words. "That's probably the case." Although it was virtually impossible to sneak into the Highest Firmament at this stage, they could still have tried to be discreet.

"Suiji's? Well, that's one way to do it." The court's action is not just a signal to Suiji but also a way to put themselves in danger, thus forcing her to come to their rescue. "You know, I'm starting to admire the ruthlessness of these people, and I'm envious of their loyalty to the Highest Sovereign."

"True," Wang Wei nodded. The more powerful a cultivator, the more arrogant they are, and the more they fear death. So, one must wonder what charm the Highest Sovereign possesses to elicit such loyalty and bravery from these Tribunal Saints?

"Boss, don't underestimate yourself. One day, you'll be as charming."

"Are you complimenting yourself or me?" Wang Wei asked, rolling his eyes.

"Is there a difference?"

Avatar A was about to continue the conversation when he sensed something. Opening his eyes, he saw the duchess standing next to him. "How are things proceeding on your side?"

"If you're asking about the artifact, it's almost done. Everything else still needs time."

The avatar sighed, "I don't mean to rush, but I think you might need to hurry. We are slowly running out of time."

"I'm already doing my best," she shook her head.

"I understand. In that case, let's see how this is going to develop."

The Erudite duchess nodded and, with her finger, wrote a rune in the air, which collapsed into a screen revealing the First Heaven of the Highest Firmament. As soon as the Tribunal Lords teleported, they arrived in a Sea of Chaos Flames. Their presence seems to have disturbed an unknown force and consciousness, causing the Sea of Flames to erupt.

Such an attack was enough to kill a middle-tier Saint, but it was nothing to these people. With a flicker of his wrist, the Yin-Yang Origin Dragon suppressed the eruptions. However, his actions activated the defensive Highest Firmament. The Sea of Flame moved, and in less than a second, thousands of humanoid elemental-flame creatures slowly coalesced.

The Flame Elementals came in different colors because each was composed of a unique Heavenly Flame. More importantly, these creatures began to work together to eliminate their opponent, and it didn't help that they were perfectly in sync.

"Let's not waste time in these lower floors," the Heavenly Wolf Khan stated, ignoring these creatures' terrifying attack. He could sense countless gazes, both secretly and openly watching them. There was nothing he could do to stop them, but hopefully, the right people were watching.

"I've created a path to the Second Heaven," the Yin-Yang Origin Dragon added, pointing to an invisible black-and-white portal directly in front of them.

"Can't we just teleport to the top?" the Myriad Gourd Empress

"If it were possible, I would have said so," the dragon groaned.

"I see."

"Don't be careless," the Khan warned them. "Each layer will be more challenging than the next, and by the time we reach the 20th layer, there will be things that can injure and even kill us."

"We know what's at stake," Star Manifestation nodded. Now was a perfect opportunity to redeem themselves, and they will not pass up this situation.

"You!" the Heavenly Wolf Khan uttered. He had recognized the look in Star Manifestation's eyes; it was the same look of many of his old friends right before their death.

"No need to worry about me."