Planning the Road Ahead

After Haotian returned to the quiet chamber of Taiwei Palace, he began to ponder the path ahead.

Strategically, one could despise the enemy, but tactically, one must take the enemy seriously.

Now that he had offended the Six Sages, retaliation was only to be expected.

Given the Primordial Heavenly Venerate's temperament in particular, he would surely seek an opportunity to strike back.

Against ordinary means, Haotian had no fear.

Even if the Primordial Heavenly Venerate schemed against Yaoji, Haotian could handle it with ease.

What was this about immortals and mortals not being allowed to marry?

That was a matter for later.

Right now, Haotian hadn't even established the Heavenly Rules yet.

And even if he did, so what?

When the time came, he could simply recruit Yang Tianyou and be done with it.

Who didn't have a few private arrangements?

But.

The existence of the Investiture of the Gods was always a hidden threat to him.

If the sages seized another opportunity, he might still end up being sidelined.

Thus, he had to go to the Purple Cloud Palace and play the pitiful card to seek some help.

At the very least, he had to get the Investiture of the Gods firmly in his hands.

As for what would happen to the Chan Teachings disciples when they faced their slaughter tribulation without the Investiture of the Gods?

That was the Chan Teachings' problem. What did it have to do with Haotian?

But before heading to the Purple Cloud Palace, he still needed to accomplish something first.

He had to let the old man see that he was worth helping.

Otherwise, he'd just be burning through goodwill.

And goodwill—sooner or later, it runs out.

The Dao Ancestor had already used up a bit of goodwill by lending a hand just now.

After a moment's thought, Haotian's mind stirred.

The damage caused to the northern Primordial World after the Black Tortoise fell in the north—

that might be the perfect opportunity to prove his worth.

As for the solution, Haotian naturally had one.

Having been the Dao Ancestor Hongjun's attendant, Haotian had been present at every lecture the Dao Ancestor gave.

One could say that aside from the Laws, he was no worse than the Six Sages in anything else.

With just a brief consideration in his mind, Haotian had a plan.

Spiritual treasures combined with array formations—that was the best pairing to solve this.

Once his mind was made up, Haotian immediately flashed to the Artifact Refining Room.

The array formations were meant to absorb and channel the Grievance and Fiendish Energy.

The spiritual treasures, while used to set up the formations, would also bear the heavy responsibility of converting that energy.

Thus, the spiritual treasures he refined this time had to serve both functions.

After a moment's thought, Haotian made his move.

With a flick of his finger, the Emperor Flame ignited beneath the Artifact Refining Furnace.

Under the blazing fire, the furnace was preheated in the blink of an eye.

With a thought, the furnace lid flew up.

Then, countless spiritual materials turned into streaks of light and flew into the furnace.

With a dull bang, the lid closed again.

As mana surged, the temperature inside the furnace continued to soar.

The spiritual materials began to slowly melt under the scorching Divine Fire.

Just then, Haotian's mind stirred.

His Spiritual Sense transformed into a giant hand, constantly kneading the materials inside the furnace.

Under the kneading of the giant hand, the impurities within the spiritual materials were gradually expelled.

After a long period of kneading, the impurities in the spiritual materials were completely removed.

Haotian's Spiritual Sense then transformed into countless tiny hands, dividing the molten spiritual materials into tens of thousands of portions.

Following that, he shaped these materials into the forms he desired.

The innate divine ability of Ten Thousandfold Amplification was also activated by Haotian at this moment.

After a short while.

Under Haotian's vast Spiritual Sense, the tens of thousands of portions of spiritual materials completed their shaping.

His Spiritual Sense swept across, and within the furnace at that moment, tens of thousands of small bottles were piled up.

Then Haotian's Spiritual Sense invaded these small bottles, beginning to carve Dao Patterns inside them.

Of course.

As a mighty figure at the Perfected Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm.

The Dao Patterns Haotian carved were not done arbitrarily.

Instead, they followed specific trajectories, leaving these Dao Patterns inside the bottles in the form of Array Formations.

Size Manipulation, Pocket Dimension, Purification Law, and so on.

Anything that might be useful was inscribed by Haotian within them.

Under the enhancement of the Ten Thousandfold Amplification innate divine ability, these divine abilities and Law Dao Patterns gradually transformed into Innate Dao Restrictions.

After a long time.

The Dao Patterns were finished being carved.

Haotian's mind stirred, and the Divine Fire beneath the furnace was extinguished.

The furnace lid slowly opened.

In an instant.

Multicolored light surged from the furnace, forming a pillar of seven-colored radiance that shot up to the ceiling of the Artifact Refining Room.

Finally, it was confined within the room by the restrictions on the Artifact Refining Room.

With a thought, the seven-colored pillar of light in the furnace slowly receded.

After a moment, Haotian's mind stirred again.

Tens of thousands of small bottles were collected into his sleeve.

These small bottles were all used to set up the great formation for transforming Grievance and Fiendish Energy.

Haotian had no need to refine them.

He only needed to activate them with a thought to make them function.

Otherwise, given that these small bottles had all been amplified by him to a level comparable to High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, refining them all would require considerable effort even for someone of his cultivation.

Having put away the tens of thousands of small bottles, Haotian began to ponder.

He had completed the refinement of the spiritual treasures and also devised the plan to transform the Grievance and Fiendish Energy from the north.

Once this task was accomplished, the lion's share of the merit would undoubtedly belong to him.

But since he could reap merit, he should at least bring along those close to him.

For example, Yao Chi, Yaoji, and Tai Bai Jin Xing.

These were his few remaining allies.

As for emotional bonds, if one only expects others to share hardships but never thinks of them when benefits arise, even the best relationships will gradually fade over time.

Therefore, in this endeavor.

It was very necessary to bring Yao Chi and the others along.

They were all his people, and if they grew stronger, wouldn't they provide him with even more support?

With this in mind, Haotian immediately took out several Jade Slips.

He recorded the method for setting up the great formation into them, then put the Jade Slips away.

After doing this, Haotian's form flickered, and he arrived at Lingxiao Palace.

He then transmitted his voice: "Yao Chi, Yaoji, Tai Bai!

All of you, come to Lingxiao Palace!"

Hearing Haotian's transmission, Yao Chi's expression showed slight surprise.

We're all in the Heavenly Court, such a short distance away.

If there's something to discuss, couldn't he just come directly to the Jade Pool Immortal Realm to find me?

They had to go to Lingxiao Palace to discuss it.

Forget it.

He had also summoned Tai Bai Jin Xing, probably for something serious.

After tens of kalpas in the Heavenly Court, Haotian had finally remembered to do something substantial.

She had to support him at least.

With that thought, Yao Chi flashed over to Lingxiao Palace.

Seeing Yao Chi arrive, Haotian patted the dragon throne.

"Yao Chi!

Come sit here!"

Yao Chi looked at the dragon throne, then at Haotian.

She didn't think much of it.

They were both cultivators, and besides, she was nominally Haotian's Dao companion.

Sitting on the dragon throne wouldn't violate any taboos.

She walked to Haotian's side and slowly sat down on the dragon throne.

Just as Yao Chi was about to ask, she saw Yao Ji and Tai Bai Jin Xing arriving together.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

Haotian raised his hand and said, "Rise!"

Yao Ji and Tai Bai Jin Xing stood up.

"May we ask what orders Your Majesty has summoned us for?"

Haotian slowly began, "It has been tens of kalpas since Imperial We received the Dao Ancestor's decree at Purple Cloud Palace and became the Heavenly Emperor.

Since Imperial We accepted the Dao Ancestor's decree and took this position as the Heavenly Emperor, it is only right that Imperial We contributes to the Primordial World.

Thus, for these tens of kalpas, Imperial We has been pondering where to begin.

After much deliberation, Imperial We has decided to first address the increasingly severe Grievance and Fiendish Energy in the northern Primordial World.

If that Grievance and Fiendish Energy is allowed to spread further, the entire northern Primordial World will surely suffer."