A crisis that threatened to destroy the world thus dissipated into thin air, and the Heavenly Puppet Emperor vanished. The Heavenly Court was left without a leader, but since the gods remained, it was still able to function normally.

Although the great powers failed to achieve Unity of Dao, the transcendent force of the Daoist Ancestor enabled them to revert to their state before the attempt at unification, thus preserving their hope.

Without the obstruction of the Heavenly Dao’s wisdom this time, these powers were not in a hurry to merge with Dao. Instead, they took the opportunity to refine their own Dao Foundation meticulously, for they had directly confronted the tribulation of achieving Dao and now had a clearer vision of the path ahead.

Perhaps this was their greatest gain from this ordeal.

However, a vexing issue now presented itself before the gods: the throne of the Heavenly Emperor was vacant, and there was the matter of who would succeed to the position.

The throne of the Heavenly Emperor had always been highly sought after since the establishment of the ancient Heavenly Court, pursued by many powerful beings.

But after the incident with the Jade Emperor, everyone naturally became aware of the drawbacks associated with this position—that one must constantly face the danger of being influenced by the Heavenly Dao. Who could guarantee that the Heavenly Dao would not develop consciousness again in the future?

After all, the previous events had shown everyone that under the flourishing state of the Human Clan, influenced by the mundane world filled with desires and distractions, the Heavenly Dao could easily develop human-like passions and desires, thereby giving birth to its own consciousness and beginning to scheme for itself.

At that time, the one sitting on the throne of the Heavenly Emperor would naturally have to confront this threat. Moreover, the path of the Heavenly Emperor was so unique that it became a target for many powers during the attempt to merge with Dao, making it extraordinarily difficult.

Consequently, the lordship of the glorious Heavenly Court was left hanging in the balance.

This turn of events was astonishing to all, leaving them with no choice but to sigh at how rapidly times change, unable to keep pace.

The gods argued among themselves, with surprisingly no one willing to take up the seat of the Heavenly Emperor. Even though it was the highest throne in the Three Realms, it had become a hot potato that everyone was eager to avoid.

This spectacle soon became the laughingstock of the Cultivation World.

Within the Demon Clan, a storyteller was energetically narrating the recent major events in the Three Realms.

"Guess what happened in the end. The immortals in the Heavenly Court actually found a person with profound fortune in the Mortal World and directly enlightened them to ascend to heaven, becoming the lord of the Heavenly Court. That family was transported to heaven overnight, turning into a legend," he said.

A clamor erupted among the monsters. That was the position of the Heavenly Emperor! Back when the Jade Emperor reigned, how miserably he had cornered the Demon Clan. But now, it had become an unwanted burden, making the monsters feel a sense of disillusionment with life.

"This is just too farcical!" exclaims a monster, astonished.

The demons in the Demon Clan treated the situation as a joke, not realizing how perilous it was. That was intelligence bought with the life of a great power from the Three Realms.

At this moment, Lin Fang, in the guise of a Little Demon, listened to these tidings with great interest. Since the restoration of the Three Realms, he had become idle, as the book that had saved the world had completely vanished after fulfilling its mission.

However, all living beings in the Three Realms now owed Lin Fang a debt of karma. With this merit, he could rest easy in this world, needing only to practice cultivation leisurely.

As for vying with the great powers of the Three Realms, he had never even considered it. His time in cultivation was just too short. Despite many adventures, his foundation was still shallow, and at least in this era, he had no chance of achieving Unity of Dao. Thus, he could only be a bored spectator.

"Boss, come quickly!" The excited shouting of several Little Monsters reached his ears, and a smile appeared on Lin Fang’s face.

He had never been particularly ambitious. His current situation was the result of entangled karma, and this leisurely lifestyle was precisely what he sought.

Smiling, he glanced at Feng Jiu beside him, and stretching out his hand, he gently held her delicate hand, slowly walking forward.

In the secret Cave Heaven on Mount Kunlun, the Divine Exorcist Great Sage anxiously gazed at the Peach Tree before him.

Since the death of the Heavenly Dao’s Jade Emperor and the intervention of the Daoist Ancestor’s power, this abundantly flowering Peach Tree had undergone a change.

Countless peach blossoms fell, yet only a small peach formed.

Seeing this, the Divine Exorcist Great Sage’s face lit up with joy. He chanted something under his breath, and the small peach rapidly grew bigger.

Upon ripening, the peach fell with the wind and transformed into a person on the ground—it was none other than the Jade Emperor, who had previously perished.

Now, he was enveloped in a pure aura, surrounded by boundless merit, and his presence was more vigorous than ever.

Upon appearing, he stretched lazily and said to himself with a chuckle, "I really did sleep for quite some time!"

But the Divine Exorcist Great Sage laughed and said, "It’s finally done. I was worried that the Heavenly Dao might interfere."

"It should have been impossible, but with the Daoist Ancestor stepping in, naturally, I got this chance. After all, my ascension as the Heavenly Emperor was also a contingency he had left behind. I guess that’s why there was a glimmer of hope," the Jade Emperor spoke and then looked back at the Peach Tree with a sigh, "It’s just a shame for this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root."

His resurrection relied on the vitality of the Flat Peach Spiritual Root; thus, his body was born strong enough to surpass the initial period of weakness and immediately became an Innate Divine Being.

However, because of this, the Peach Tree’s Spirit Mechanism and immortal essence had been drained, with no possibility of recovery.

"To be revived is already fortunate enough; let’s not dwell on the rest," said the Divine Exorcist Great Sage with a sigh.

"That’s true. Had the Daoist Ancestor not acted, my death would’ve been certain this time. Tell me about the situation in the outside world," the Jade Emperor said with a smile.

After the Divine Exorcist Great Sage recounted the recent events in the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor sighed and said, "What a grand era it has become. I never imagined my position would turn into something so unwanted. That path was originally a bait set by the Heavenly Dao. Now that everyone knows the truth, naturally, they don’t wish to follow in my footsteps."

"I should follow my own path," the Jade Emperor added with a smile.

Suddenly, the sound of a sword rang through the air. A Treasured Sword burst out from the water beside the Peach Tree and landed in the Jade Emperor’s hand, his once favorite sword.