The moment the plan to slaughter the heavens was proposed, it immediately drew the attention of many. Numerous powerful beings—all with great supernatural abilities—couldn't help but grow intrigued.
To put it plainly, in the Eternal World, those at the Dao Proving Realm already possessed power equivalent to the Heavenly Saints of the Great Desolate World. Each had their own Dao, effectively reaching the level of Hunyuan. In essence, Hunyuan was simply a deeper extension of the Dao Proving Realm—a complete mastery of one's Dao and recognition by the Heavenly Dao itself. With it came the authority to directly manipulate the world's source power.
Though they hadn't truly stepped into the Hunyuan level after the Myriad Realms merged, their strength had steadily grown, not stalled. The deeper their understanding of Heaven and Earth, the more powerful they became.
Of course, compared to saints before the Myriad Realms' fusion, they were on par. But against saints of the new unified world, there was still a vast gap. Even so, sainthood remained the ultimate goal pursued by countless cultivators.
The Saint Realm was still something to be longed for.
And the key to that path—the Hongmeng Purple Qi—was still the most precious treasure under heaven.
Any one wisp of it could cause bloodshed and chaos.
Just like now—upon discovering that there was something wrong with the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns, all those mighty cultivators suddenly acted like sharks that had smelled blood. Their minds instantly became filled with different calculations.
"I too possess Hongmeng Purple Qi."
This thought flashed through Yi Tianxing's mind.
In this world, benefit is the foundation of all action. If not for the Hongmeng Purple Qi, there wouldn't be so many top-tier cultivators gathered in this palace. Many of them were even enemies, yet they could still sit calmly in the same hall.
Was the Hongmeng Purple Qi precious? Of course it was.
Yi Tianxing possessed two complete wisps of it, as well as one tenth of an incomplete wisp. That incomplete one had already been merged into the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda, forming part of its core foundation. One of the complete wisps was enshrined within his Heavenly Emperor Altar. He knew its effects very well.
When comprehending Heaven and Earth's laws, the Purple Qi allowed him to directly enter the source space of the Heavenly Dao, where he could perceive the various laws and Dao Rhythms face-to-face. It was like a fog had lifted—where once the Dao was obscured by heavy mist, now only a sheer veil remained.
That kind of difference was massive.
His ability to comprehend the Dao was far greater than an ordinary cultivator's.
Yi Tianxing's rise to his current level in such a short time was in no small part thanks to the Purple Qi. Even more importantly, it was also the key to connecting with the Heavenly Dao and forging a contract with it.
In every way, it was an incomparable treasure.
However, only he himself knew he possessed it. No one else in the world was aware. If they were, the ones being hunted right now wouldn't be the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns—it would be him.
"Using Hongmeng Purple Qi to prove the Dao? I might have another way. This thing may not be necessary for me."
Yi Tianxing's thoughts flashed again.
Once you relied on the Purple Qi to become a saint, you'd be subject to the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao. Though these restrictions were mostly meaningless in daily life, he disliked the feeling of being shackled.
The Heavenly Dao is not to be feared. Ancestors are not absolute law.
Of course, just because he didn't plan to use it for himself didn't mean it had no value. Used in another way, it was still priceless.
"Perhaps I can…"
He turned to glance at Queen Mother of the West, a certain plan flickering in his eyes.
"How many of the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns are truly dark beings from Eternal Night? Can we distinguish friend from foe? If we rashly treat them all as enemies, we might end up pushing allies into becoming opponents. That would only damage the foundations of our Eternal World."
The carefree Daoist (Carefree Wanderer) said with a faint smile.
Any one being at saint level was not to be taken lightly.
Their goal was to slay Heaven—and slay darkness—not to undermine their own side's strength. The Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns were born linked to the Heavenly Dao. They weren't ordinary saints—one could say they were innate saints.
If what was needed was simply the Purple Qi they held, it could be extracted without necessarily killing them. To them, it was precious, yes—but not irreplaceable.
No one wanted to fight nine saint-level enemies head-on. Even if every powerful being in the hall fought together, the Dao Sovereigns might still suppress them. So they had to find out how many of them were true enemies—and how many could be allies.
"I possess the Haotian Mirror, which can reflect all monsters and spirits, revealing their true form. Though it has limits when used on saints, I've already upgraded it to a connate treasure. It should be capable of revealing some truths about the Dao Sovereigns. If they carry dark energy, it will show."
A confident middle-aged man spoke.
"Zhang Bairen."
Yi Tianxing glanced at him. He knew this was the reincarnation of the ancient Haotian, now no longer ruler of the Heavenly Court, but of the Immortal Court. His strength and resources were vast.
The Haotian Mirror was no ordinary treasure. Reflecting origins was just one of its powers. As a connate treasure, it was likely able to pierce through some of the secrets of the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns.
Still, whether it would be entirely accurate remained to be seen.
"Immeasurable Buddha, this humble monk has a disciple, Diting, who may be able to assist in probing their truth."
A monk said softly, exuding compassion.
"That's good. Still, this alone may not guarantee complete certainty," said Ming He, nodding, before turning to a serene woman in white. "Lady Pingxin, would you use the Mirror of Karma from the underworld to examine the truth of the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns?"
Though he walked the Path of Slaughter, Ming He was no fool. No one wanted to fight nine saints directly. Even with his Blood Sea backing him, he'd likely be beaten senseless. He wasn't about to take that risk.
"I can."
Lady Pingxin nodded. She had been invited by him specifically for this moment. As a saint of reincarnation, she was among the most powerful beings in the world. Only someone of her caliber could truly peek into the nature of the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns.
With her help, they had a final trump card.
"With this, confirming the presence of dark forces among them is nearly certain. But just confirming isn't enough. To slay Heaven, if we go directly to their territory, we'd be handing them the advantage. That would be disastrous. According to reports, the Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns have long coveted Great Yi. They even planted spies within it."
Ming He glanced at Yi Tianxing as he spoke. Obviously, this involved him.
"As for Hong Yue and the others—I've long known of their identities. So long as they do not harm Great Yi, they are still royal consorts," Yi Tianxing said calmly.
He had known about the three demonesses for a long time. But as long as they stayed quietly in the royal palace, they were his women, and he would protect them. Moreover, he was never strict with his women—once married, there was affection to consider.
Queen Mother of the West glanced at him again, her gaze softening slightly. Living in the Saint King's Palace, she knew that these words were not mere lip service.
"The Dao Sovereigns have long set their sights on Great Yi. If we use Great Yi as the stage and lure them out, then seal off the heavens using Great Yi's national fate to cut off their retreat—we may truly have a shot at slaying Heaven."
Ming He continued.
"Even if they fall for the trap, if the battle breaks out inside Great Yi, my entire realm will be turned to ruins. That's something Great Yi cannot accept," Yi Tianxing replied without hesitation.
If the battlefield was set in his domain, it would be a catastrophe. That was not acceptable under any circumstances.
For Great Yi, slaying Heaven was not a necessity.
"The Nine Heaven Dao Sovereigns are the common enemy. If we use Great Yi as the setup, you won't be unrewarded. We will assist Great Yi in ascending to an Immortal Court."
Ming He said slowly.
"Indeed. If you agree to be the bait, my demon race will fully support Great Yi's ascension," said Donghuang Taiyi. "You should consider the greater good."
"Ascend to an Immortal Court? You think that's so easy? Can you provide Great Yi with a supreme ancestral vein?" Yi Tianxing replied bluntly.
Without an ancestral vein, there could be no ascension.
"Doesn't Western Kunlun have one? That vein could elevate Great Yi to an Immortal Court."
Donghuang Taiyi answered.
"Ridiculous. Queen Mother of the West is the head of my Western Palace. The Western Kunlun ancestral vein belongs to Great Yi. Using my own resources to ascend—how does that involve you? Besides, it's the ancestral vein of Western Kunlun. How can it be so easily moved?"
Yi Tianxing rejected him outright.