Song Lin's words caused an immediate uproar.

Such incredible physical strength, such arrogant attitude!

This person was outrageously cocky beyond all boundaries.

Some cursed him, some were eager to challenge, and some remained silent.

The silent ones sensed the threat—this person would be a formidable rival in the battle for succession.

When the Heavenly Masters could not intervene, the stronger the person in the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, the more they could dictate the overall situation.

Ao Jie's death greatly intimidated the petty-minded.

The Yin King floated in the air, his expression a mixture of shock and rage, his green hair disheveled as he stared blankly at Ao Jie's corpse.

Song Lin had actually killed two people right in front of him.

The vaguely scrutinizing gazes from all around felt like needles piercing his heart.

"Pffft!!"

The Yin King spat out a mouthful of old blood and roared angrily to the heavens.

What a disgrace, what an utter disgrace!!

Song Lin actually dared to kill people right under his nose!

The Yin King's actions appeared to others as nothing more than impotent rage.

In no time, he left hurriedly, clutching Ao Jie's corpse with shame.

The crowd burst into mocking laughter.

Nan Jing stared at the faint trace of golden light disappearing into the sky, and the last glimmer of hope in her heart was extinguished.

King Ying now had an unwavering backer; this faction was already an unmanageable colossus unless things were pushed to the breaking point.

At that moment, a Taoist with white brows appeared beside her, seemingly out of thin air.

Seeing Taoist Bai Mei, Nan Jing half-knelt in salute.

"Greetings, Taoist Master!"

Taoist Bai Mei was the Taoist Master of the Spirit Treasure Forest. (The Spirit Treasure Forest was the central hub and birthplace of the Spirit Treasure Dao, holding a status equivalent to the capital of a nation.)

"By the decree of the Heavenly Master, this matter ends here; you are not to clash with Song Lin under any circumstances."

Taoist Bai Mei declared.

"Understood!"

Nan Jing readily agreed, without hesitation.

Since killing him wasn't feasible for now, she might as well change her approach to win from another angle.

After all, for the time being, this enemy was doing her bidding and had become a source of support, hadn't he?

Taoist Bai Mei nodded lightly before vanishing from sight.

Spirit Treasure Sect.

The Heavenly Master's dojo was located in a Grotto Heaven outside an independent world.

Inside the Grotto Heaven, it resembled an Immortal Realm.

Immortal energy wafted throughout, and spirit beasts frolicked joyfully.

At the center of this world stood a majestic golden gate.

Passing through the golden gate revealed another world.

The central hub of this second world held another gate, and this pattern continued for nine layers.

This was known as the Spirit Treasure Nine Heavens.

At the heart of the innermost world lay the Heavenly Master's dojo.

Within the dojo, golden light shimmered brilliantly, dominated by a towering Heavenly Law Platform, with the Xuanhuang dharma altar swaying in the breeze, surrounded by runes and Cloud Seals.

A Taoist dressed simply, with an ordinary appearance and indistinct facial features, sat cross-legged.

Behind him stood a more mysterious golden gate, with twenty-eight ancient characters weaving in and out, seemingly representing the profound tenets of the Great Dao.

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master concentrated his gaze on two goldfish.

One black, one white, swimming through the void.

The movements of the Yin Yang Fish carried faint traces of the essence of the Great Dao.

At that moment, the void trembled slightly.

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master instantly grasped the events taking place outside.

"Send word: If Song Lin is willing to assist the Eighth Prince in ascending the throne, I will support his rise!"

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master tossed a pill, which the red fish caught and vanished with.

Having spoken, the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master suddenly shifted his gaze toward the void.

His sight pierced countless distances, traversing barrier after barrier, arriving at a world brimming with Sword Qi.

In this vast realm, a great lake was littered with countless broken swords, the fragments of which floated and formed multicolored clouds.

Beside the lake sat a Taoist.

The two locked eyes across infinite separation.

The other was the Sword Leader of the Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance, known as Qingchen Taoist, the Red Dust Sword Immortal, legendary for wielding a single Nine Heavens Biluo Sword Intent capable of killing across thousands of miles.

"You've grown stronger, Qingchen!"

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master exclaimed.

Beyond Core Formation was the Purple Mansion and Transcendence Tribulation, beyond Transcendence Tribulation was the Primordial Spirit, and beyond Primordial Spirit was Harmonization.

He himself had reached the pinnacle of Primordial Spirit, and Qingchen, it seemed, had already achieved Harmonization.

It appeared he truly deserved the title of Dragon Head Master.

With new blessings from the Great Dao, the Dragon Head Master was rumored to communicate with the Heavenly Court.

"You're not bad either, Tianji."

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master's Taoist title was Elder Tianji.

"Speaking of which, isn't it about time you vacated your seat?"

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master said bluntly.

At their level, there was no need for veiled maneuvers; straightforwardness avoided unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Heh, let the children's game play out first."

Qingchen chuckled softly.

The throne of Dawu Country, ruling over nearly thirty billion people, was, in their eyes, but a trinket from a child's game.

The hope of the Human Clan rested on the Dao Alliance's shoulders; the position of Human Emperor was utterly insignificant and could be replaced at any time.

The battle for the throne was no more than child's play.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true; at least the position helped train disciples and protégés.

Upon hearing Qingchen's words, the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master smiled faintly and said, "Very well, so be it. No one is to intervene, or you will regret drawing my ire."

"Naturally."

The two reached an agreement.

The Heavenly Masters refrained from action for good reason—if the Dragon Head Master took action, the consequences would be beyond anyone's control.

"What's the game this time? Are we ultimately resorting to arena duels?"

"More or less, plus something extra: granting fiefdoms and assessing their holistic growth. The emperors have been doing a poor job in recent years."

Qingchen replied.

Previously, emperors competed based on who had the strongest backing, who could outlast their rivals, or who survived the final arena duel.

The emperor himself had little role to play—it was no better than children's games. Fiefdoms, on the other hand, could be granted along with sufficient powers to enhance governance skills, not expecting them to lead the Human Clan against demons, but at least attending to civil welfare.

"Fiefdoms? That works. How will lands be allocated to the princes aside from the four main successors?"

"Determined by who they support, I suppose."

The two reached a consensus.

They showed no concern about whether granting territorial powers might lead to rebellion.

In a world teeming with Taoist Skills, the idea of mortal rebellion was but a laughingstock to them.

After finishing his conversation with Qingchen, the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master deliberated for a long time.

At present, the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect had few capable Transcendence Tribulation cultivators, and even fewer Sword Cultivators who could confidently defeat rivals of the same level.

Whether anyone could seize the throne would depend on the power of their disciples.

The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master certainly desired the throne; he was only a step away from Harmonization.

But so were many others.

"Song Lin and the others show promise. Warn them not to harm this boy during the succession struggle."

This so-called Shadow Heavenly Master's team was incredibly powerful; combined, they could withstand a Heavenly Master themselves. Especially Song Lin's Indestructible Golden Body—its Divine Skills were impervious even to Tianhe.

Though Tianhe in Spirit Treasure's eyes was a failure, he was still a Heavenly Master, and to withstand a Heavenly Master marked one as a formidable power.

With this thought, Spirit Treasure summoned Taoist Bai Mei, thus setting the stage for the opening scene.

In addition to Nan Jing, Tianhe and Song Lin also received messages.

Donghua Jungle.

"Farewell, senior!"

Song Lin rose to see Taoist Bai Mei off, looking at Bai Mei's departing figure with a deep sense of awe—Spirit Treasure Sect indeed had profound roots, as even Bai Mei was at the Primordial Spirit level.

After Bai Mei left, the higher-ups immediately came in to ask questions.

"Too long to explain," Song Lin said with a mysterious smile. "In short, the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Master is now our supporter."

This confirmed that joining the succession struggle was the right decision, fully leveraging his value.

Now Tianhe dared not go against him.

"It's our turn now. First, take over Ao Jie and Taisu's two mansions; let's test Tianhe's resolve! Action in three days!"

Before that, they would sort through their harvests, remembering that Taisu and the others had gathered quite a trove.

After issuing commands, Song Lin promptly returned to the World in the Pot.

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