In the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was sealed off from the gazes of the heavens and cut off from all worldly secrets.
The vast hall stood empty and still. Only Haotian and his wife sat facing each other, the oppressive air heavy and stagnant, making it hard to breathe.
Queen Mother Yaochi's phoenix eyes furrowed slightly. Her slender fingers gently rubbed together, and deep worry clouded her dignified, noble face. Her thoughts were in turmoil.
She remained silent for a long while, but in the end, she could not suppress her concerns. She slowly began, "Haotian, we both know that the Western Buddhist Sect may seem compassionate, saving the world, but in truth, it excels at biding its time, scheming, and stealing destiny.
"During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, they used the pretext of following Heaven's will to convert Jie Sect Disciples, seize the Mysterious Gate's destiny, and secretly strengthen their foundations. Their methods were so clever and ruthless."
Yaochi looked toward Haotian beside her, her eyes full of concern. She continued in a grave voice, "Now you want to revive the Flat Peach Banquet and invite Buddhist forces into the Heavenly Court's balance of power. In the end, that's just inviting a wolf into the house.
"The Buddhist Sect is wildly ambitious. It is no ordinary Dao lineage content to be a pawn in someone else's hands.
"Today, you're borrowing their strength to balance the Mysterious Gate and suppress the Interception Sect. Once the Buddhist Sect has grown powerful, they will surely turn around and hollow out the Heavenly Court, swallowing up authority over the heavens.
"When that happens, the Buddhist Sect will control the order of the Three Realms and seize Human Dao Destiny. The Heavenly Court's predicament will be a hundred times worse than