Li Jing naturally wouldn’t disturb Nezha at this time, opportunities like this were few, and once missed, they might be gone forever.

As Nezha was proficient in the Fire Technique, the importance of the Divine Fusang Tree was undeniable. The overall situation being settled, he turned a blind eye, making sure to steer clear of assigning tasks to Nezha during this time, providing him ample opportunity to observe the divine tree.

Li Jing looked at the Divine Fusang Tree with a sigh of emotion, such a miraculous Spirit Root, it was a pity that its life was nearing an end.

As wondrous as the Divine Fusang Tree was, it couldn’t compare in preciousness to the Peach Tree, which symbolized longevity.

Therefore, it could only become the nourishment for the Peach Tree.

Regrettable for this Heaven and Earth Spirit Root, Li Jing sighed deeply, before turning to attend to his own affairs. Though he had successfully taken over Yingzhou Island, he still had to investigate and clear away the remnants of the Eastern King and others, to truly make the island belong to the Heavenly Court.

Maitreya led the occupants of Mount Ling back to their abode, radiant smiles on the faces of Various Buddhas.

Mediating a dispute over the Dao had brought considerable benefits to the Buddhist Sect, most crucially disrupting the Jade Emperor’s pace of ascension, severely delaying his progress, securing a sliver of opportunity for the Buddhist Sect.

However, Maitreya’s countenance remained grave.

"Buddha, is there still something amiss?" Guanyin Bodhisattva asked with concern.

She noticed that the Buddha had been burdened with heavy thoughts since returning to Mount Ling and wondered what he was worried about.

"It won’t be much longer, it won’t be long before the Jade Emperor tries to ascend to the Dao again, and then we won’t be able to stop him," Maitreya said with a sigh.

His realm was not far from that of the Jade Emperor, and so he clearly understood how far the Jade Emperor had come.

The Jade Emperor, having defeated the Eastern King, faced no more obstructions. Though his progress had been momentarily slowed due to their intervention, it was merely a slight delay.

And considering the Jade Emperor’s performance, this delay wouldn’t be substantial, which brought a sense of urgency to Maitreya.

The assembly at Mount Ling fell silent; although they had successfully thwarted the Jade Emperor for now, they had also grievously offended him. Such enmity over blocking the path to the Dao was unforgivable. Today, due to circumstances, the Jade Emperor had yielded, but once he ascended to the Dao, the Buddhist Sect might face the danger of extinction.

"We can’t let him ascend to the Dao; his way is too overbearing. Once he succeeds, all living beings of the Three Realms will never see the light of day," a Buddha said indignantly.

The other paths of the Dao allowed coexistence, but the Jade Emperor’s was the way of the Heavenly Emperor, to which all others must bow. If he became the first to ascend, he could leverage the unique characteristics of this path, establishing rulership and subordination; all other paths would be subordinate to his, under his command.

This was something no cultivator could ever accept.

After all, after enduring endless hardships to ascend to the Dao, to then be subservient to another was unbearable to anyone.

This was the collective sentiment, and thus, Mount Ling was remarkably united in blocking the Jade Emperor.

Yet Maitreya said solemnly, "Our only course now is to try our best to delay the Jade Emperor while hastening to take that crucial step ourselves; otherwise, all is lost. Once the Jade Emperor ascends to the Dao, he will no longer tolerate the existence of our Buddhist Sect."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt an immediate sense of urgency.

Similar discussions were taking place among all powers across the Three Realms; the struggle for the Dao had thus begun, heralding the onset of a magnificent era.

But for those in the Heavenly Court in Luzhou in the North, it all seemed meaningless. Since their defeat in the last battle, morale had plummeted, and they no longer had any interest in tangling with the Demon Clan.

All the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were languishing lazily in their own tents, not even bothering to attend the daily training.

"Damn it, when will this ever end?" a Heavenly General sprawled lazily on the ground, bare-chested and with a ruffian’s sneer, complained.

"Who knows? Those bigwigs up there are all tight-lipped these days. We have no idea where we’re supposed to go. We might just end up guarding this place forever," another person crouched on the ground, sighed softly.

"Pshaw, I can’t stand this suffering. We’ve shed blood and sweat, and now that the war is over, why can’t they let us go home?"

"The higher-ups probably have their considerations. After all, if we retreat, wouldn’t the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range be handed back to the Demon Clan for nothing? Our brothers fought for it with their very lives."

The group babbled on, their words filled with complaints. They had been in this place far too long, and the relentless battles had already left them exhausted.

They had had their fill of Luzhou in the North and now all they wanted was to return to the Heavenly Court as soon as possible.

Just then, one person spoke mysteriously, "You don’t know yet, there’s been a major incident in heaven!"

Everyone immediately perked up, urging the soldier to speak his piece.

After looking around, the Heavenly Soldier whispered, "I heard that recently, the Immortal Transformation Pond and Peach Garden in heaven were blown up!"

"What?"

"How is that possible? If the Immortal Transformation Pond is gone, what are we going to do?" someone immediately became anxious. Their souls were entrusted to the Immortal Transformation Pond; if something went wrong with it, how could they manage?

"Don’t panic, I haven’t finished yet."

"Later, they found out it was the Eastern King of Yingzhou Island who took it. His Majesty dispatched a large army to subdue him, and they have already retrieved the core of the Immortal Transformation Pond. You all can relax." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Then someone suddenly realized and said, "I wonder why some guys sneaked out of the camp. When I asked if they weren’t afraid of being punished, they said they were free at last. So that’s what happened."

Upon hearing this, many others also came to realize this issue; upon reflection, indeed there were those who had escaped the Immortal Transformation Pond.

"Tsk, I just don’t get it. What’s so bad about the way we are? Undying and unkillable, as long as we don’t encounter incidents like this one, we don’t have to worry about death at all. Once away from the Immortal Transformation Pond, you’re left with just one life," the first Heavenly General to speak said this.

This was actually the sentiment of many Heavenly Soldiers and Generals. They were all people who clung to life and feared death. They were not at all willing to lose their undying bodies in exchange for so-called freedom.

At this point, someone sighed and said, "They’re not like us. They are true cultivators. The Immortal Transformation Pond blocked their path of cultivation, so naturally, they would not be willing to stay."

The crowd fell silent; even the previously vocal Heavenly General had no retort. Although he wouldn’t make such a choice himself, he still held respect for those who could make such a decision.

"I was saying, there has been constant light emerging from the edge of the sky recently, and all of these Immortals have been looking very somber. It turns out that so many things have actually happened in heaven."

"I think the coming days are going to be tough!"