The tides of an era were surging forward, and this time, it was unknown who would stand at the precipice, the one to ride the waves.

The Divine Exorcist Great Sage waved his hand, signaling his spies to retreat, leaving him alone in his room, staring blankly into space.

Thick shadows enveloped his face, flickering between light and dark.

A grand spectacle was about to unfold, yet everything had fallen into an eerie tranquility.

Lin Fang had a rare spell of leisure, spending most of his time wandering in Luzhou in the North these days.

Feng Jiu accompanied him through the mountains and waters of Luzhou in the North, visiting its famous landscapes.

The two seemed to forget all their troubles and sorrows, indulging themselves in the beauty of nature.

One evening, the pair strolled through the fields under a bright crescent moon, with the Milky Way sparkling brilliantly overhead.

"Do you regret giving up that path?" Lin Fang asked, smiling at Feng Jiu’s radiant face.

At that moment, Feng Jiu was not wearing her mask, nor was she concealing the emotions in her heart; she smiled back at Lin Fang as beautifully as a hundred flowers blooming.

Her tone laced with mischief, she said, "I never cared about that path. I chose it initially just for fun, and later, I had to continue for the sake of the Demon Clan."

"Now that I’ve cast it off, I feel a sense of relief. Besides, the position of the Heavenly Emperor isn’t so easy to hold."

"Ah? Could it be that there are traps within that Supreme throne?"

"I’ve heard some seniors say that the causality involved with becoming the Heavenly Emperor is too overwhelming, and its connection with Heaven and Earth is too close. Although ascending to that status makes it easier to step onto that path, it also makes one more prone to assimilation with the Dao."

Lin Fang, puzzled by the term, asked, "Assimilation with the Dao?"

It was the first time he had heard that phrase.

Feng Jiu’s eyes curved into a smile as she explained, "Actually, I also only heard about ’assimilation with the Dao’ then. This information has always been a secret known only to the top divine spirits of the Three Realms."

"All powerful deities can feel the tremendous force between Heaven and Earth. This force silently invades their spirits, aligning them more with the rules."

"For instance, the Water God and the Fire God might have started out as close friends, even the kind that would die for each other. But as time passes and their wills are gradually replaced, they become incompatible as water and fire. It’s not by their original intent, but rather the clash of rules that makes coexistence impossible."

Feng Jiu’s words revealed to Lin Fang one of the greatest secrets of Heaven and Earth, instilling in him a sense of fear.

He found it hard to imagine such powerful beings having their wills changed gradually.

"Is it alive?" Lin Fang asked tentatively, pointing at the sky with a tinge of fear.

If the Heavenly Dao truly had life, then what were they? Were they pawns of the Heavenly Dao, or parasites on its body? And how did the Heavenly Dao view them?

With that thought, what was the meaning of the struggles within the Three Realms?

Lin Fang’s mind raced, and a nameless fear took root in his heart.

Feng Jiu tilted her head, observing Lin Fang’s complexion for quite some time before she couldn’t help but laugh and say, "Don’t worry, I’ve asked several grandfathers, and Heavenly Dao doesn’t have life. Its behavior is more like a rule, a kind of instinct to protect itself. Of course, after many more years, it might develop a rudimentary consciousness, but even that would be very difficult."

Only then did Lin Fang let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Feng Jiu’s mischievous face and immediately understood that she was deliberately leaving him hanging, just to see this expression of his. He couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.

"You still haven’t told me what this has to do with the Heavenly Emperor’s throne." Lin Fang pressed.

The Heavenly Emperor’s throne, when purely considered, isn’t a divine spirit. The fact that the Jade Emperor could sit on this throne as the honor of the Immortals explains it all.

In a strict sense, it’s closer to a position, the highest position in the Three Realms.

"That’s right, the Heavenly Emperor is just a position, but like divine spirits, it still receives the worship of all living beings. Therefore, whoever sits on that throne only becomes less and less like themselves over time. This is also why the Jade Emperor has been able to sit comfortably as the Heavenly Emperor for so many years, and alike, why the Three Pure Ones have always preferred to support a Heavenly Emperor rather than take the position themselves," Feng Jiu elaborated, seeing through the difficulties faced by the Jade Emperor.

"So why are you vying for the Heavenly Emperor then?"

"This is just for fun. After all, the old guys told me as long as I don’t do it for too long, I won’t be affected. After all, I’m not a naturally born divine spirit; Heavenly Dao doesn’t have that strong of a grip over me."

After pondering for a moment, Feng Jiu continued with a laugh, "I just plan to do it for a short while, then wash my hands of it."

Lin Fang was at a loss for words. The Jade Emperor probably never imagined his greatest opponent entertained such a notion, a truly worldview-shattering strategy.

But this was indeed something someone like Feng Jiu could come up with.

"However, who would have thought, in the midst of it all, true fervor was struck and it evolved into the situation we have nowadays."

Lin Fang sighed upon hearing this. The price Feng Jiu had paid was no small matter, being dismembered and then sealed, with the whereabouts of her family unknown; it was no wonder she was unwilling to let the Jade Emperor go.

"Thankfully, the Jade Emperor was too greedy. After being the Heavenly Emperor for so many years, by the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. I guess that’s why he was so eager to ascend to the Great Dao," she added.

"If he were to be transformed by the Dao, I reckon he would never again choose to ascend to the Great Dao, but instead he would devote himself to being the Supreme of the Three Realms."

Lin Fang nodded. Those who ascend to the Great Dao have a certain influence over the Dao they are a part of, which indirectly means having some leeway to resist Heavenly Dao.

The Jade Emperor wanted to break the deadlock and change his fate; to do so, he needed to ascend to the Great Dao before being transformed by it, thereby liberating himself from the influence of Heavenly Dao and gaining freedom.

But this move also put him in a position where he faced opposition from the entire world; in the Three Realms, anyone with lofty ambitions became his enemy.

The difficulties in ascending to the Great Dao were immense; it was uncertain how the Supreme of the Three Realms would face such a situation.

Feng Jiu’s voice came with a hint of schadenfreude, "He has always been astute in calculations; don’t be fooled by his status as a top Sword Immortal of the Three Realms. No one is able to outdo him in cunning and strategy. Yet, in the end, he has no choice but to take such a desperate measure in search of a slim chance of survival, a huge irony indeed."

Lin Fang couldn’t help but recall a saying he had heard before, "Too clever for one’s own good, jeopardizing one’s very life."

The Jade Emperor’s arrival at this point is not unrelated to his skill in calculation; had he not been so adept, perhaps the position of the Heavenly Emperor would have already changed hands several times, and he would not be so deeply mired and left with no choice but to adopt such a do-or-die approach.

But now it was too late for everything.

"I want to see how he’s going to break out of this one," Feng Jiu said with great interest, a wicked smile on her face.