Haotian heard this, and the smile on his face stiffened slightly.
"Status?"
He muttered to himself, then froze completely.
Those two words from Venerable Yuanshi were like a thorn, stabbing deep into Haotian's heart.
After all, although he held a high position in the Heavenly Court, to put it plainly, it was merely an idle post with "a title but no real authority."
The true power lay in the hands of Emperor Venerate, Emperor Dong Hua, Lord of Stars, and the others.
In the eyes of the Heavenly Court's true power brokers, his status as the Dao Ancestor's attendant was worth next to nothing.
Back when he had still been Dao Ancestor Hongjun's attendant, even prospective Saints had treated him with courtesy.
Seeing Haotian freeze, a flicker of something strange crossed Venerable Yuanshi's eyes. He knew he had a chance.
Before Haotian could respond, Venerable Yuanshi sighed and spoke with deep feeling:
"Haotian!"
"After the Witch-Demon War ended, the Dao Ancestor convened a new selection for Heavenly Emperor at Zixiao Palace."
"At the time, the several Saints all recommended their own disciples, hoping to make one of them the new Heavenly Emperor."
"But in the end, Master still gave Qin Mu the position of Lord of the Heavenly Court."
At this, Venerable Yuanshi paused, his face filled with bitter helplessness.
Haotian gave a mirthless smile and replied:
"Venerable Yuanshi."
"Senior Brother Qin Mu is exceptionally gifted. Making him Lord of the Heavenly Court was, in a way... only natural, wasn't it?"
Hearing Haotian's reply, Venerable Yuanshi narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly:
"Haotian, is that truly what you think?"
"Only natural?"
"I don't think so!"
Venerable Yuanshi's words sent a jolt through Haotian. A look of panic flashed across his eyes.
Truthfully, deep down, Haotian had felt some resentment about