"Petty people?"
Xu Chunniang's heart stirred. "Although the Seven Sovereigns and Five Emperors are False Saints, they are, after all, the founders of the Immortal and Demon Realms. Why call them petty people?"
"The founders of the Immortal and Demon Realms? Heh."
The master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion sneered. "They did it for nothing more than to earn merit. Heaven truly must have gone blind to let them succeed."
Earn merit?
Xu Chunniang frowned slightly. "Acting solely to earn merit should instead damage one's virtue. How could they possibly earn merit so smoothly?"
"Under ordinary circumstances, that is indeed true. But there are exceptions to everything. They drove back the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons and used divine artifacts to carve out the Immortal and Demon Realms. Such a world-shaking achievement would earn them boundless merit even if they harbored selfish motives."
The master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion heavily set her teacup down on the table. "After the Five Emperors took power, the cultivators of the Immortal Realm thought they would welcome peace for ten thousand generations. But what happened in reality?
"Relying on the supreme merit gained from founding the world, they wantonly manipulated power, formed cliques for private gain, and purged dissidents. Whenever even the slightest dissenting voice emerged in the Immortal Realm, it would be suppressed by them.
"Over time, the Five Emperors' words became imperial decrees. No one dared voice an objection. Those who fawned over their superiors soared straight into the blue clouds, while truly virtuous and capable people were suppressed, never to see the light of day."
After a brief pause, the master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion continued.
"Among the Five Emperors, one was renowned for benevolence and virtue, yet secretly researched forbidden arts, attempting to strengthen his cultivation by absorbing Killing