The feeling of watching one’s own Dao steadily dissipate was truly unbearable, even if he tried all sorts of Dharma Techniques, he still could not stop the flow of the Dao.

The struggle over the Dao is such that if you do not fight, you die. That’s the principle.

Eastern King looked at his own path with a wry smile and said, "Now I am nothing but a crippled man."

Wuyouzi, standing beside him, had a complex expression as he looked on. In his eyes, Eastern King had always been a person brimming with self-confidence, seemingly unaffected by any hardship or danger.

He had never seen Eastern King show such a defeated and dejected look before.

"Your Majesty, you must not lose heart. Since this Dao is already gone, then let it be gone; it may well be an opportunity to choose another path," Wuyouzi blurted out.

However, Eastern King shook his head and said, "It’s not that easy. To change one’s Dao is extremely difficult, much harder than starting anew by a hundredfold."

If changing one’s Dao were so easy, then the Three Realms probably wouldn’t have so many struggles over the Dao.

"How will you know if you don’t try? After all, your current Dao is already ruined, and to speak plainly, its unique nature is actually a good thing for you right now."

Eastern King smiled at Wuyouzi’s attempt to console him. He understood what Wuyouzi meant; the Dao of the Heavenly Emperor was indeed formidable, but because of its very nature, it had rendered the Jade Emperor surrounded by enemies with virtually no hope of salvation.

It was fortunate for him to completely escape from this Dao by chance. In the future, it was unlikely that anyone would disturb him again, but it was not easy to cultivate a new Dao from scratch.

Nevertheless, Wuyouzi’s words succeeded in lifting Eastern King from his despondent mood. He looked at the seed in his hand and quietly made a decision.

"You are right, it’s indeed not the time to despair. At the very least, the Divine Fusang Tree still needs me for its revival," Eastern King firmly declared.

He thought of an excellent method. Although the Divine Fusang Tree was destroyed, it had left behind this seed. However, to revive a Heaven and Earth Spirit Root like it was no easy task.

The Divine Fusang Tree was a manifestation of the Dao of flames. If he were to follow the path of flame, perhaps with the help of the Power of the Great Dao, he could bring this seed back to life. Then he could even use the Divine Fusang Tree to advance further and quickly master the Dao of flames.

However, by doing so, he would be removing himself from the first wave of the struggle over the Dao.

Thinking of this, Eastern King could not help but laugh at himself. With his current condition, avoiding this round of struggle over the Dao might actually be a good thing.

Seeing the fighting spirit return in Eastern King’s eyes, Wuyouzi also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Eastern King was the leader of Yingzhou Island and its spiritual pillar. But since his last failure, this great person had been engulfed by his Heart Demon, unable to free himself, causing everyone to be quite afraid.

Now that he had come out of the darkness and regained his confidence, the people of Yingzhou Island, even if they had lost the island itself, were still a renowned force in the Three Realms.

"Issue the order, starting from today we will no longer be involved in any struggles of the Three Realms, just wait quietly for the outcome of this struggle. Do not bring up past grudges anymore," Eastern King said indifferently.

The Three Realms were soon to be a huge battlefield, and anyone rashly stepping into it would get entangled in endless karma, with death following closely behind.

Since he had no hope for this struggle over the Dao, it was better to shut the doors tightly and retreat from the world, avoiding this conflict.

Like the tides of time, the great waves washed away those incapable of strife, just as the Eastern King, who lost his qualification in the first round, chose not to involve himself in the cruel competition for the Power of the Great Sword.

They were the first wave to be swept away by the great tides, yet they were also the most fortunate, for by doing so, they could avoid the brutal struggles and survive to compete for the Great Sword in the next opportunity.

Lin Fang, in fact, was also among this group of people. Although he had encountered numerous remarkable experiences, his time spent on the practice of cultivation was still relatively short, and his understanding of the Way hadn’t reached a sufficient level, hence he wasn’t even qualified to partake in such significant affairs.

The competition over the Great Sword ultimately only belonged to a few individuals at the pinnacle of the Three Realms, but as beings with karma, many found themselves entangled and unable to stay aloof from the conflict.

Some, for instance, sought to support the Jade Emperor’s ascent to the Great Sword, while others were unwilling to see him accomplish his goal, naturally giving rise to brutal conflicts.

Thus, as the aura of the Great Sword around the Jade Emperor grew increasingly dense, the struggle within the Three Realms also intensified.

On this day, Lin Fang, Mr. Mo, and others were leisurely strolling in the Demon Realm when they saw the Bashan Tiger and several little monsters rushing over in a flurry.

"Is there something urgent, for you to be running like this?" Lin Fang asked with a smile.

"Boss, we’ve noticed some changes in the matter you told us to keep an eye on," Bashan Tiger said with great excitement.

There had been too much peace recently, to the point that the energetic little demons like Bashan Tiger found it extremely boring, constantly pestering Lin Fang. Left without a choice, Lin Fang had to give them a task to keep them busy.

He had already forgotten about it these past few days, so it came as a surprise to see several little monsters scurrying over eagerly.

"Well, let’s hear it," Lin Fang said with a light chuckle, not wanting to dampen the youngsters’ enthusiasm too much.

"The Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court have started fighting," Bashan Tiger said with a grin.

"Started fighting?" Mr. Mo instantly perked up at this news. He knew all too well that these two factions had always fought without breaking apart, keeping the conflict to a certain degree.

Even when the Heavenly Court once schemed against the Buddhist Sect, they did not tear their faces, and yet now, they seemed to have started fighting openly.

Lin Fang, however, spoke casually, "Don’t listen to the little ones’ nonsense. They’re always full of bluster. I guess there must be some strife in the Mortal World."

After all, Lin Fang had told the little demons to pay attention to the conflicts between Buddhism and Taoism in the Mortal World. The ’fighting’ they were talking about must refer to this situation.

Mr. Mo nodded slightly in agreement, his own conjecture leaning towards the same conclusion. This wasn’t to say that the Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court were in good relations, but rather a choice dictated by the overall situation.

The Jade Emperor wanted to ascend to the Great Sword and had already made enemies on all sides, so it was impossible for the Buddhist Sect to just tear its facade openly, becoming the vanguard for some with ulterior motives instead.

For them, accelerating their own progress was far more important. If they could attain the Great Sword before the Jade Emperor, everything would take a turn for the better.

Thus, their most likely approach was to concurrently gather strength to ascend the Great Sword and use their influence to slow down the Jade Emperor’s progress. A struggle without shattering relations was the optimal choice.

Otherwise, it was all too easy to make the wedding dress for another.

And to slow the Jade Emperor’s progress, undermining faith was the best method, for his Way was designated to command all other Ways, to reign supreme. As long as one could alter this nature, it would be possible to decelerate his steps.