"Who will be Lingbao Tianzun?"
Lin Xian asked, his gaze turning toward a certain celestial master as he considered whether to lend him a hand and turn an immortal of Great Firmament Heaven into a Heavenly Venerable of Great Firmament Heaven.
"My martial nephew Yang Jian will perform Subtraction into Emptiness."
Heavenly Venerable Nanhua spoke calmly, cutting short Lin Xian's imaginings. With an Other Shore Practitioner already designated to take the blame, there was no possibility of considering anyone else.
Only in the next era, once Yang Jian had firmly established himself as Lingbao Tianzun and begun considering Subtraction into Emptiness, would a new scapegoat appear.
"That makes sense."
Lin Xian nodded, unsurprised. His Daoist name in this life, Qingyuan, already offered plenty of clues. This had been a scheme laid by Yang Jian, who attained the Other Shore in the New Era. But now that Lin Xian had attained the rank of Immortal Emperor and become a player at the board, many previous schemes had been rendered void. An entirely new game would have to begin.
"Only, this scapegoat position-oh, no, I mean the position of Heavenly Emperor."
Smiling, Lin Xian asked, "How much will you be paying me, Heavenly Venerable?"
Even with his extraordinary Dao Heart, Heavenly Venerable Nanhua wore a peculiar expression. Throughout history, he had only ever heard of emperors paying salaries, never of a Heavenly Emperor drawing one.
"What Heavenly Emperor? Ruling all beneath heaven, Only I Am Supreme-when all is said and done, aren't I just working for the three grand masters of the Three Pure Ones?"
Lin Xian sighed. "The Three Pure Ones, those Dao Ancestors, created this entire world. Ultimately, this Heavenly Emperor is nothing more than a hired hand in Old Lord's household."
"Enough wisecracks, Your Majesty." Heavenly Venerable Nanhua shook