Yuanshi's heart churned with emotions beyond words.
Astonishment, terror, frustration.
And a sliver of indescribable... despair.
He recalled those days.
He recalled That Green-Clad Figure standing with hands behind his back in Purple Heaven Palace.
He recalled That Green-Clad Figure ascending the steps of Kunlun Mountain.
He recalled That Green-Clad Figure standing in the void when the Investiture of the Gods List was signed.
Fortifying every step, with meticulous planning.
Every step had been part of the scheme.
Every piece had fallen upon a crucial point.
Now, even the Emperor of Fierce Beasts had joined the Jie Sect.
What did he, Yuanshi, still have to fight with?
What did the Chan Sect still have to contend with?
What did Heavenly Dao's Predetermined Number still have to sustain it?
Yuanshi slowly closed his eyes.
Upon that dignified face, the Jade Purity Immortal Light flickered uncertainly.
Beneath that radiance lay a weariness he had never known through countless yuanhui.
He was a Heavenly Dao Sage of the Seventh Heaven.
The Sect Master of the Chan Sect.
Of Pangu Orthodox Lineage.
Yet before Xuandu, before the Jie Sect, before the Human Dao and Earth Dao...
He was nothing.
He could not win a fight.
He could not win a contest.
He could not outcalculate them.
He could only watch helplessly as the Jie Sect grew ever stronger.
He could only watch helplessly as Xuandu subdued the Four Fierce Beasts.
He could only watch helplessly as the Nine Sages of the Human Dao took their places.
He could only watch helplessly as Shen Ni joined the Jie Sect.
There was nothing he could do.
Nothing he could change.
Nothing he could stop.
Yuanshi took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.
He opened his eyes and lowered his gaze.
Within