The great hall fell into a heavy silence.
That gift had already been sent out. For Odin to bring it up now as if nothing happened — it was simply mocking them. Utterly infuriating. Though the item could theoretically be retrieved from his daughter, the complications that would accompany that action were obvious. It would not be easy.
"My youngest daughter was born in this Eternal Era. Upon her birth, she received the blessings of the gods. She possesses the most beautiful visage under heaven, with the most noble identity. Her name is Fuheila. She was born with a divinity that makes her wishes come true. She has now reached her prime," Odin said with a warm smile, though his gaze was directed at Yi Tianxing — hinting at deeper meaning in his words.
"Hmph!"
The Queen Mother of the West let out a cold snort upon hearing this. For some reason, her heart felt inexplicably unsettled.
"The God-King is truly blessed — it's enviable," Yi Tianxing replied with a calm smile. He clearly understood the implication in Odin's words, but some things must be approached with caution. Conclusions could not be drawn lightly.
The others in the room didn't comment further. It was obvious that Odin had another agenda — this was clearly an attempt to forge an alliance with the Great Yi.
"Since we're being open, then I won't hide anything either. When the myriad realms fused, countless rare treasures were scattered across the world. I seized some of them, including a wisp of Innate Mysterious Yellow Qi. I had intended to forge either an innate spiritual treasure or even a supreme innate treasure from it. However, since the Great Yi needs it now, I will relinquish it — use it to evolve your ancestral vein, advance toward establishing a Immortal Court, and form the foundation for your future," said Ming He after a moment of silence.
Giving up such a treasure was a huge loss for him. If he hadn't been the one to initiate the Heaven-Slaying campaign, and if he weren't presiding over this summit, he would never have made such an offer.
It was truly painful to part with it.
"However, I offer this Innate Mysterious Yellow Qi in support of our Heaven-Slaying cause. If we succeed in killing the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables and acquire Hongmeng Purple Qi, then I demand priority in obtaining it. If there are multiple strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi, then I must be given one."
His tone brooked no disagreement. He had offered the rarest of treasures — none had more right to Hongmeng Purple Qi than him.
Though the others had also contributed resources, none of their offerings could compare to the Innate Mysterious Yellow Qi. It was indisputably the most precious. Thus, when Ming He made his demand, the room fell silent. He had earned the right. No one could dispute it.
"I agree. Since the Blood River Ancestor has made such a great sacrifice, it's only fair that he receives something in return," Yi Tianxing said with a smile.
The benefits had already been secured — there was no harm in giving him verbal support. It was just a matter of showing goodwill.
"Agreed."
"No objections."
...
The other great powers one by one voiced their approval. Even if Ming He obtained the Hongmeng Purple Qi, he would still owe a karmic debt. That was something all cultivators took seriously.
"Since all of you have fulfilled my conditions, I suppose it's time to hear your actual plan. How exactly do you intend to use the Great Yi as a staging ground? If this endeavor would truly harm the foundation of my empire, then I'll have to refuse," said Yi Tianxing, drawing a deep breath.
After all, the core reason he came here was to see exactly how they intended to execute their Heaven-Slaying strategy.
He had already disclosed the method for identifying the Dark infiltrators among the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables. That method was highly reliable.
"The Nine Heavens Dao Venerables are saint-level entities. When they act, they can draw upon the power of the heavens. In such a case, no one below the saint realm could contend with them. So the first step in slaying them is to sever their connection with the Heavenly Dao. That can only be done through a fate dynasty," Kunpeng said slowly.
"The path of the Fate Dynasty is the mainstream cultivation path of this era — it bridges heaven and earth, governs all sentient beings. The national fate it accumulates embodies the triad of Heaven, Earth, and Man. In a way, it is equivalent to destiny itself. Within its borders, the will of the sovereign can temporarily replace heavenly will. If activated at full power, it can isolate its domain from external influence and block the Heavenly Dao's perception. In this way, the dynasty stands in the place of heaven. This is comparable to a saint's status. When these forces collide, the saint's ability to borrow the power of heaven is nullified — as if their arm had been cut off."
Severing the bond between saint and Heavenly Dao was no simple matter. It came at great cost — possibly burning through the very foundation of a Fate Dynasty. Ordinary dynasties would be incapable of such an act. Even attempting to block the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables would be courting destruction.
"To sever that connection, it must happen within Great Yi territory. Which means the battlefield would be on our soil. If a full-scale battle breaks out, the destruction would be unimaginable. That's a heavy price to pay," Yi Tianxing said with a frown.
He knew that cutting off the Heavenly Dao was trivial for him — so long as the battle occurred within his domain. After all, Great Yi followed the path of the Grand Dao, not the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao held no authority over it. The will of the Grand Dao would rise and suppress the Heavenly Dao. But revealing that now could expose Great Yi as a Grand Dao-aligned dynasty — making it a target for all others.
Such things should only be revealed after establishing the Immortal Court. Even then, only in small doses.
Power must match responsibility. Exposing secrets prematurely invites disaster. But once strong enough, that same exposure becomes a badge of supremacy — a foundation to attract the worthy.
"Holy King Yi, that's not a very honorable stance. Just now, we all contributed immense resources to help forge an ancestral vein for your empire. You'd use Great Yi to set the trap — but then reject making it the battlefield?" sneered Eastern Emperor Taiyi with obvious sarcasm.
"Please rest assured, Holy King. Since we chose Great Yi as the staging ground, we naturally made proper preparations. We plan to set up a massive geomantic formation within your borders. Once the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables are drawn in, we'll enact our true countermeasures. All you need to do is sever their connection to the Heavenly Dao. The actual battlefield will be inside Great Yi but not part of Great Yi — the destruction won't touch your lands," said the Free Wanderer with a smile.
He then proceeded to lay out the full Heaven-Slaying Plan.
As Yi Tianxing listened, his eyes gleamed. Internally, he was amazed by their boldness and intricate planning. These old monsters truly were top-tier existences from the last era. The longer they lived, the more cunning they became.
"Amazing… truly amazing. They even thought of this? These ancient monsters really aren't to be underestimated. Underestimating them would be suicidal. Every one of them is a sly old fox. And judging by the plan, the actual damage to Great Yi will be minimal. The most dangerous part is severing the Heavenly Dao's connection — during that brief window, the Dao Venerables will go berserk. If I can endure that, it will all be worth it. A supreme ancestral vein is more than enough compensation," Yi Tianxing thought, rapidly deducing all possible outcomes.
His final conclusion: it was feasible — highly feasible. A successful Heaven-Slaying campaign was possible. And with the ancestral vein, establishing the Celestial Court would no longer be just a dream.
The discussion lasted a full three days and nights.
This gathering was not a regular meeting. The Heaven-Slaying plan took priority. Everything else — Dao debates, trades — was shelved. No one had the mind for it.
As the meeting ended, each grand power delivered the promised resources to Yi Tianxing — divine sources stacked like mountains, spirit pearls in vast quantities, and most importantly, a strand of Innate Mysterious Yellow Qi — the key to evolving an ancestral vein.
All these benefits were tangible and immense. A true windfall.
Ming He and the others didn't fear Yi Tianxing reneging — after all, the Nine Heavens Dao Venerables were everyone's shared enemy, and Great Yi was already one of their targets. Helping it grow stronger was meant to provoke them — to draw their wrath sooner. Once Great Yi had an ancestral vein, it had the foundation to become a Immortal Court. Once that happened, even saints would hesitate to interfere so easily.
At that level, hostility carried consequences.
Swoosh!!
With the meeting over, Yi Tianxing left the Blood Sea and returned to Great Yi through the teleportation gate, reappearing in the Holy King's Palace.
Looking at the massive trove of resources in his hands, he felt a wave of satisfaction.
"Excellent. The road to the Immortal Court has been paved. Now it's just a matter of following through — growing our fate power, expanding our territory, building strength. Once we reach the limit, we can break through. The Immortal Court is within reach," he whispered to himself in delight.
This summit had brought enormous benefits.
"Logically, you could have refused. Even though the plan is complete, this endeavor still carries great risk. You're going up against saint-level enemies. Anything can happen. Great Yi could be reduced to ruins in the conflict," came a voice from behind.
It was the Queen Mother of the West, entering the hall, gazing at him with concern.