Gathered

The dawn of victory was close at hand. Yet the Rulers did not forget who had brought them this hope. The Lord of Creation’s gaze immediately fell upon Yaoguang. “How long can you maintain this state at one time?” “A short duration is not a problem,” Yaoguang said. “However, if the Rulers are willing to help me gather enough shares of the other two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine Grand Daos, the duration will continuously increase. In the future, if all of the remaining two-thousand-odd Grand Daos can be gathered—even with only a single share of each—I will be able to sustain this state indefinitely.” “Of those two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine Grand Daos, you already possess Karma, Time, and Void. What remains is the power outside the supreme Grand Daos.” The Lord of Creation furrowed his brow as he spoke. “After all, we Nine Rulers have never truly descended into this world in person. Aside from the all-out war back then, even when we directly used the laws of spirituality to supplant the laws of the Three Thousand Grand Daos and shattered them, the shares of the Daos each of us kept were incomplete. The only one who can truly be said to command all two thousand nine hundred ninety-six Daos outside the supreme Grand Daos is...” This Ruler’s gaze shifted toward the Lord of Yuanxi. Not only him, but the other eight Rulers also turned their eyes upon the Lord of Yuanxi at the same time. “Three hundred thousand years is simply too long. No one knows what unforeseen variables might arise in that time. Once the Ancient Immortal Realm finds itself backed into a corner, it may very well mount a counterattack beyond anything any of us can imagine.” Facing the assembled gazes, the Lord of Yuanxi replied with composure, “To ensure that assimilating the Ancient Immortal Realm is foolproof and to pluck the fruits of victory at the very end, we can choose a far more suitable approach.” He fixed his gaze upon Yaoguang. Yaoguang smiled faintly in return. He knew very well what the Lord of Yuanxi had originally planned. Constrained by the checks and balances of the Nine Rulers, the Lord of Yuanxi could not outright force him, the chairman of the Creation Group, to do anything. However, He could sway public opinion. Before long, backed by the collective deterrence of all the Immortal Kings and immortal spirits, He could brand him with the crime of fratricide, compelling him to upload the inheritances of the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor. In fact, the encirclement launched against him by the Tianyuan Group, Shenluo Group, Changsheng Group, Star Sun Group, and even the Ancient Immortal Alliance might not have happened without the Lord of Yuanxi’s tacit consent. Otherwise, how could a magnificent existence powerful enough to guide the Nine Rulers to total victory against the Ancient Immortal Realm perform so poorly over something as minor as infiltrating His power into the lower starry sky, letting His surveillance of the cosmic expanse slip to such a pathetic degree? He simply had not expected that Yaoguang would see things through to the very end, standing unswervingly on the side of the Nine Rulers. Moreover, Yaoguang had succeeded. Though he had encountered all manner of unexpected dangers, he had held out until the very last moment, lasting until the Nine Rulers descended in person to back him up. Under such circumstances, the only thing the Lord of Yuanxi could do was find a way to make him change his mind. *In the final analysis, the Lord of Yuanxi is too heavily constrained. His power comes from the collective will of all living beings, so He must naturally answer to that collective will,* Yaoguang realized in his heart. At that moment, the Lord of Yuanxi’s gentle voice sounded beside him once more: “If Yuxiao is willing to entrust the inheritances of the Void Dao Ancestor and Time Dao Ancestor to me to manage, we can vastly shorten the time required to breach the Gate of Karma. Ten thousand years might be difficult, but I am quite confident I can reduce it to thirty to fifty thousand years.” “There is no rush. It is better to act with caution and prudence. Just as you said, Lord of Yuanxi, once the Ancient Immortal Realm is backed into a corner, it may very well unleash a counterattack far beyond our imagination, perhaps even seeking mutual destruction. Therefore, drawing out the final blow will allow us to better handle any potential crises.” Before Yaoguang could reply, the Lord of Dusk chuckled and spoke up first. “I agree with the Lord of Dusk. To immortal spirits like us with infinite lifespans, what difference is there between thirty to fifty thousand years and three hundred thousand years?” the Lord of Xiyu chimed in. Barring internal conflicts of interest, the Nine Rulers virtually always maintained a unified stance when confronting the Lord of Yuanxi. Only when their wills were united could they sway Him. “Lord of Yuanxi, when we broke the Ancient Immortal Realm back then, we made a pledge: we Nine Rulers must spare no effort in destroying the Gate of Karma and the Gate of Fate. The same applies to you. Now that Yuxiao has demonstrated the ability to breach the Gate of Karma and merely requires you to provide sufficient shares of the Grand Daos, you surely don't intend to renege on the agreement we signed back then, do you?” The Lord of Creation stepped forward, pressing the issue. “Of course not. However...” Before the Lord of Yuanxi could elaborate, the Lord of Tianyuan, Lord of Shenluo, Lord of Changsheng, Lord of Star Sun, and the other Rulers stepped forward together, surrounding Him. “Since the Lord of Yuanxi intends to honor our original agreement, please produce the Dao shares left behind when the Dao Ancestors were hunted down by us back then and transfer them to Yuxiao. The hope of breaching the Gate of Karma is right before our eyes. Seize this opportunity, Lord of Yuanxi, and do not fail the trust we have all placed in you.” The Lord of Creation gazed at Him calmly. The other Rulers did the same. Not only the Rulers, but even the surviving Immortal Kings of the Nine Great Conglomerates held their breath, not daring to make a sound. They understood clearly what this scene signified. It meant... The Nine Rulers and the Lord of Yuanxi were vying for dominant control over who would deliver the final blow to the Ancient Immortal Realm. In theory, the Rulers and Immortal Kings of the Hunyuan Realm were meant to assimilate the Ancient Immortal Realm under the leadership of the Lord of Yuanxi. But now... The situation had clearly reversed. If the Ancient Immortal Realm were ultimately crushed and assimilated under the leadership of the Nine Rulers, then by virtue of their meritorious service, each Ruler would likely attain authority approaching that of the Lord of Yuanxi. When that time came, every decision in the Hunyuan Realm would be decided by the Nine Rulers—which meant their Nine Great Conglomerates. The Hunyuan Realm would officially enter an era ruled by the Nine Great Conglomerates and the Nine Rulers. Even someone as powerful as the Lord of Yuanxi would have no choice but to willingly comply with their will. At that point, the status of the immortal spirits belonging to the Nine Great Conglomerates would rise accordingly. The vast multitude of degenerate immortal spirits who had not dared to venture into the Ancient Immortal Realm would henceforth have to look to the conglomerate immortal spirits and act at their beck and call. At this thought, the Immortal Kings looked toward the Nine Rulers surrounding the Lord of Yuanxi, their hearts swelling with reverence and anticipation. “Lord of Yuanxi, do you have any further objections to our decision? If not, please comply with Yuxiao’s request. Hand over the Dao shares to him so he may widen the rift in the Gate of Karma, allowing us to crush it all the faster,” the Lord of Creation pressed once more. Beside him, the Lord of Dusk took on a solemn expression. “The Lord of Yuanxi wouldn't be thinking of violating His own foundational logic, fracturing Himself, or even... fracturing the entire Hunyuan Realm, would He? Our war with the Ancient Immortal Realm is not yet truly over. If the Lord of Yuanxi breaks His own rules just as victory is in sight... it will deal a catastrophic blow to the entire Hunyuan Realm.” “Perhaps... we should hold a vote to revoke your authority as the Lord of Yuanxi. To ensure victory in the war against the Ancient Immortal Realm, we could transfer the collective will of all living beings and coalesce a new ‘Lord of Yuanxi’ to continue prosecuting the campaign,” the Lord of Xiyu added, his tone carrying an edge of coercion. Yaoguang watched the spectacle with keen interest. At this moment, the struggle for supremacy between the Nine Rulers and the Lord of Yuanxi had been laid completely bare. If the Lord of Yuanxi refused to relinquish control... Could the Nine Rulers truly marshal the will of all immortal spirits across the Hunyuan Realm to forge a new entity to continue the war? Or... Did the immortal spirits of the Hunyuan Realm trust the Lord of Yuanxi more than the conglomerates, firmly bestowing their power upon Him? Soon enough, however, Yaoguang had his answer. Under the concerted pressure of the Rulers, the Lord of Yuanxi paused for only a brief instant. Perhaps in that fraction of a second, He had run trillions of predictive simulations. Yet whatever the outcome, He ultimately made His decision. He raised a hand, and crystalline gems resembling streaks of flowing light materialized in His palm. Every single gem brimmed with an unmistakably clear Dao rhythm. Moreover, each rhythm was distinct. These were the shares preserved by the Hunyuan Realm after the Dao Ancestors of the Ancient Immortal Realm were vanquished. The sole purpose of their existence was to prevent new Dao Ancestors from being born in the Ancient Immortal Realm, kept under the personal safekeeping of the Lord of Yuanxi. Seeing this, Yaoguang’s eyes lit up, though a faint trace of regret lingered in his heart. The Nine Rulers, meanwhile, let out a collective sigh of relief. Though they had acted unyieldingly toward the Lord of Yuanxi, only they knew what they had truly been thinking or what immense psychological pressure they had endured in the depths of their minds. “Our sole objective is victory in the war between the Hunyuan Realm and the Ancient Immortal Realm. Since you have a better method to deliver the final blow in this war, I will naturally assist without reservation.” The Lord of Yuanxi smiled and extended His hand. One radiant gem after another drifted swiftly toward Yaoguang. With just a few words, He yielded the initiative. The Hunyuan Realm’s war against the Ancient Immortal Realm shifted from the phase of overall coordination by the Lord of Yuanxi into an era where the Nine Great Conglomerates held complete sway. While marveling that the two sides had not come to blows, Yaoguang wasted no time taking in and refining the gems, using them as seeds to sprout branch after branch from the glazed crystal within him. At the same time, he cast a glance at the Lord of Yuanxi. *Prioritizing the greater good!* He had assumed it was merely a hollow slogan, but to his surprise... The Lord of Yuanxi meant it. “I knew it. The Lord of Yuanxi has always been worthy of our trust.” The Lord of Creation, Lord of Xiyu, and the other Rulers broke into smiles simultaneously, offering unstinting praise to the Lord of Yuanxi. The tense, confrontational atmosphere dissolved in an instant. The Lord of Yuanxi nodded gently. “I only hope the day of victory will not be long delayed.” “Naturally, it will not.” With that, the Lord of Creation swept his eyes over the other eight Rulers. “Without further ado, let us begin grinding down the Gate of Karma.” Once the eight Rulers nodded in turn, he directed his gaze back to Yaoguang. “How is your condition? With your foundation, digesting these Dao shares shouldn't take very long.” “My condition...” Yaoguang felt the myriad insights contained within these two thousand nine hundred ninety-six Grand Daos being uploaded to the “Lord of Heavenly Dao” within his chaotic world. Guided by the “Lord of Heavenly Dao,” the chaotic world began to evolve with consummate ease. The speed, the efficiency... A smile broke across his face unbidden. “Never been better.”