"It's time to discuss with Ming He and the others how to deal with the coming great war." Yi Tianxing pondered silently. Ascending to the Immortal Court would inevitably be a fierce battle. At that time, Ming He and the other great powers would be Da Yi's greatest support. Even figures like Eastern Emperor Taiyi would, whether willing or not, have to help Da Yi at that critical moment. As long as things were handled properly, it would not be difficult to borrow their strength.
The key was in how to do it.
Without hesitation, he immediately sent a message to Ming He.
Not long after, Ming He sent back a response and issued a summoning order, gathering many great powers for a meeting.
Yi Tianxing entered the grand hall hand in hand with the Queen Mother of the West.
There, Ming He Ancestor sat in the main seat. At first glance, there was no murderous aura coming from him—rather, he exuded a calm, plain air. If one didn't know his identity, one might think he was just an old farmer from the countryside. This was the return to simplicity, the killing intent entirely restrained.
He was clearly conserving his strength—once he erupted, it would be like a thunderclap, an unstoppable killing force.
Over the past decades, not only had Da Yi been making preparations, but so had the other great powers.
"Ming He, what's the matter this time? The time to Slaughter Heaven draws closer, and we all need to prepare for the final battle. There's no need to gather without cause." Eastern Emperor Taiyi frowned slightly as he spoke.
He too had spent these years in seclusion, refining his power to the peak, just waiting for the great war to unleash his full might.
"If it were not necessary, I would not disturb you all in your cultivation. This meeting was proposed by Daoist Yi himself. As for the exact reason, I'll let him explain personally," Ming He said with a nod.
All eyes immediately turned to Yi Tianxing.
Clearly, they wanted to know what was so urgent that it warranted calling them together.
Still, they all paid close attention—after all, Da Yi was the key piece in their plan to Slaughter Heaven. Without Da Yi, they could not draw out the Nine Heavens Dao Venerates, nor find a proper reason to strike. Without that, everything would fall apart.
"My Da Yi's national destiny is about to reach the threshold for promotion. This meeting is to inform you in advance, so that you won't be caught unprepared when the time comes," Yi Tianxing said calmly.
"What? So soon?"
Zeus showed a look of surprise.
Yi Tianxing had indeed said before that as long as Da Yi had enough territory and heritage, it might be possible to push the ascension to the Immortal Court within a hundred years. But now, not even fifty years had passed, and Da Yi had already reached the brink of promotion. It was almost inconceivable. Until now, Zeus had never heard of any Fate Dynasty rising so quickly.
After all, this was a Sacred Court. The path of a Fate Dynasty required accumulating fate energy, but also constantly spending it. Officials, enfeoffed deities—these all required national destiny to sustain. The blessings they enjoyed came directly from the fate energy. The more officials there were, the more fate was consumed. If the government became bloated or mismanaged, causing the people to suffer, then the accumulated fate would be insufficient to cover the expenditures.
At that point, the national destiny would stop growing, instead consuming the very essence of the Fate Spirit to make up the shortfall. Over time, the fate energy would be drained, the Fate Spirit would weaken, and if the decline could not be reversed, the dynasty would inevitably collapse.
Accumulating fate was far from easy. Many Fate Dynasties struggled simply to maintain their level without falling back. Da Yi's progress was enough to shock anyone.
"This is no ordinary man. If not for the Slaughter Heaven plan, Da Yi would have to be suppressed no matter what—it must not be allowed to expand further. The support for the little Golden Crows must be increased, or else, in this era, humanity will reign supreme," Eastern Emperor Taiyi thought coldly.
To him, Da Yi's strength was a bad sign. If the demon race was to rise, Da Yi—and humanity—was a mountain that had to be removed. But if the Slaughter Heaven plan succeeded, Da Yi would become an Immortal Court, and it would be exponentially harder to shake it.
Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!!
The best way would be to sabotage Da Yi's ascension in the shadows.
But for now, the priority was Slaughter Heaven—seizing the Hongmeng Purple Qi to prove the Dao of Hunyuan and become a Saint. If that was achieved, the demon race's rise would be irreversible.
Weighing the two, Eastern Emperor Taiyi fell silent.
"Saint King Yi, how long until Da Yi's ascension?" Lü Dongbin asked.
"Eight years!!" Yi Tianxing did not hide anything. "Eight years from now—in the hundredth year of the Eternal Calendar—Da Yi will meet all requirements for promotion. That will be the day Da Yi ascends to the Immortal Court. This meeting is to inform you of that."
His voice carried firm conviction.
One hundred years—a milestone for Da Yi. It was only the starting point of the Eternal World, a small step forward, but an Immortal Court born at this time would leave a shining mark in history.
"Eight years… the hundredth year of the Eternal Calendar. That means the time to the great war is short."
The gathered great powers all nodded, committing it to memory.
Eight years to them was nothing more than a single seclusion—gone in the blink of an eye. All they could do was push their strength to the utmost, preparing every possible card to play in the war.
"This poor Daoist suggests that since the war is near, we exchange treasures among ourselves. If we can obtain what we need, we might gain an extra trump card or two before the battle," the Carefree Wanderer said with a grin.
This could be the last such exchange—trading unused treasures for something truly useful was a fine idea.
"Very well, I agree. Here are some treasures I've gathered. If any Daoist friend desires them, bring something of equal value to trade," Ming He said.
With a wave of his hand, over a hundred treasures appeared in the hall, each shrouded in divine light—clearly no common items.
There were karmic red lotus seeds, blood jade camellias from the Sea of Blood, heaven's bane magic iron and soul-suppressing stones from its depths—rare treasures nearly impossible to find in the outside world, worth more than gold could buy. There were also many unique treasures of heaven and earth he had collected.
This was certainly not all of Ming He's wealth—perhaps only a tiny portion. In the Sea of Blood, his riches rivaled, if not surpassed, those of the Dragon Palace.
"The Three Lives Pill—such a treasure you're willing to part with? For any expert, this is an unparalleled elixir," the Queen Mother of the West said in surprise, her gaze fixed on a certain bottle.
The Three Lives Pill was a legendary treasure born of heaven and earth. Taking it could summon one's Past, Present, or Future self from the long river of time—randomly selecting one. Merging with it would cause one's combat power to skyrocket. If the future self was strong enough, it could even smash a Saint, reversing the situation—a peerless treasure any sane person would guard jealously. That Ming He would offer it astonished many.
"It's unpredictable—which self will be summoned, and how strong it will be depends on luck," Ming He said lightly. For him, the pill was of little use, but for others, it could be invaluable in the Slaughter Heaven battle.
"Good, I'll take it. I'll trade you this for the pill," Zeus said with a smile, producing a crystal.
Ming He glanced at it and nodded. "Ancestral God Sacred Crystal—it's a deal."
The crystal was no common item either—said to be condensed from the power of a Chaos Demon God. It could grant insight into the Demon God's path, and when merged into the body, provide endless vitality and even temporarily summon part of a Chaos Demon God's power.
Several more trades were made, with other great powers offering their treasures—so high in level that even Yi Tianxing was inwardly astonished.
"This," said a mysterious old man in a sage's robe, "is the Philosopher's Stone. It can summon the Gate of Truth and grant an achievable equivalent exchange—the greater the price paid, the greater the reward. I will trade the Philosopher's Stone for ten heavenly treasures."
What he had taken out was, without question, a top-tier immortal treasure.