A late afternoon, beneath the cosmic lights of the Chaos Sea, Yaochi meditated on a courtyard in a place she'd used to train alongside Haotian in. A place of fond memory, now mostly empty.

She had been feeling unbalaned ever since Haotian made his return. Seeing and hearing were two completely different things after all.

Her saintly cultivation was not supposed to be unbalanced. Granted, she was not fully a saint outside the Three Realms, but her power should still be immensely higher then even the Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortals of old. Not that she's had a chance to fight them nor want to.

'Perhaps I should study the law of dreams alongside the law of time,' her thoughts stirred.

She had never told anyone, but she was the test subject for the path of heaven. She was the first one to cultivate in accordance to the modern method of cultivation, using Dao Laws instead of creating one's personal Dao. Her one and only accomplishment if you could even call it that.

"Haotian," she murmured again. What kept drawing him away? She couldn't understand him at all.

"Lady creator," her childish three eyed attendant called out in a stiff respectful voice. His posture all rigid and formal like she'd taught him.

He looked so much like Haotian. But his ugliness can never replicate the perfection of her senior brother.

"I apologise for disturbing you. But a guest has arrived."

She spread out her divine sense, an act she'd not have to do where she in possession of her full saintly powers. "Big brother," she gasped teleporting away on the spot.

He was moving extremely quickly, not taking the time to see Zixiao Palace again. Instead he immediately headed into Hongjun's private seclusion area.

Her superior cultivation was the only reason she caught up to him. She found him praying in front of the entrance like the same diligent senior brother she remembered from millions of years ago.

"Haotian, you back." She was bewildered at the sudden change. Being outside the Three Realms, she was unsure of the exact flow of time. But by messing the percentage of a yuanhui, about 9 thousand years had passed. Barely a blip.

Haotian opened his eyes, acknowledging her with a nod. Then he went back to silent praying. She understood of course, he was greeting their venerable master. But it hurt to see he didn't greet her first.

"Junior sister," he said to her. "How is master? I can't imagine it is easy tangling with the Heavenly Dao."

"Master is the greatest cultivator alive, his triumph is therefore inevitable," she said with true belief. "The Heavenly Dao is merely mistaken in its mistrust, too traumatized by the evils before out time."

She thought of the eight headed snake from the primordial era and sneered. "We shouldn't disturb him. You know better than…"

"Come in," Hongjun's wise voice came through. Then she was left alone again, unable to detect what would occur inside.

She stood for a period of time, even absentmindedly recording a cup of tea from her three eyed attendant who stopped by before scurrying off.

On one hand, she was truly glad. On the other, a strange feeling tore at her heart.

Just like that, Haotian was received positively again. Had he realised his mistake and corrected himself into the true path of the Dao like she already was? It made sense.

After what must've been hours, Haptian emerged from the chamber carrying a small thin book. It appeared completely ordinary, no different from something bought from a mortal store.

It gave off a slight hint of spiritualism, a signature that felt primordial. Ordinarily, immortal treasures that were constructed were segregated into grades based on the purity of their makeup, which correlated to the potency of their use. The highest accessible were xiantian spiritual treasures, primordial artefacts born directly from the flashing energies of heaven and earth. This was exactly like that.

"That's a treasure in master's employ. What are you doing with it?" Yaochi asked curiously. She pondered how easily he was able to obtain it.

"Master and I…" Haotian had a ghost of a smile. "We've come to an accord."

Moments ago, within the inner sanctum of the chamber, Haotian discussed with Hongjun about a particular intention of his.

He understood Hongjun's difficulties wrangling with the Heavenly Dao. He also understood the Heavenly Dao knew the rough trajectory history could go. While it wasn't a guarantee future, the Heavenly Dao wasn't intelligent enough to creatively come up with anything else. It tended to push those events to light whenever it saw an opportunity.

An example was Xuanyuan's emergence as Yellow Emperor. The Heavenly Dao granted him favour and aided the maintenance of humanity's karmic luck because of what it knew. Familiarity and a lack of creativity was all it was.

Haotian offered to aid Hongjun's burden by getting into contact and delivering the Heavenly Dao. Becoming its envoy just as the version of him in that hypothetical story was. A middle manager who guided the world, absorbed the faith of its mortals and directed all things in accordance to the Heavenly Dao.

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With it, he would gain clout with Heavenky Dao. Over a long period of time, by consuming enormous amounts of insence merit from countless worshippers, he could use that energy in a formation to seal off the Heavenly Dao if not outright depose it. A hidden pawn that would sabotage the Heavenly Dao from within.

"You are kind dear disciple," Hongjun said after a moment. "Do not ever think yourself unfilial if you think of something like this." He shook his head again.

"Little Haotian, such a task is too hindering to your cultivation. Do you not wish to reach the Dao realm soon? By restraining the Heavenly Dao as I am, it's not able to interfere if you break through using the old way."

"Master, how could I peacefully cultivate knowing your situation?" Haotian somberly said. "After you transcend, you can also reach back and free me. Isn't it a win win?"

Hongjun felt touched. Haotian would always be kind. But now he had wisened up with knowledge on what and who was most important

As such, Hongjun agreed with Haotian's request without a second thought. The book of heaven of the three primordial books was bestowed.

This was the reality Haotian told Yaochi as he made his way to the exit of Zixiao Palace.

"You would really do that?" Yaochi gasped afterwards. "What happened in the nine thousand year since the us saints met? Did you finally have an epithemy?"

Haotian stared blankly. "You can say that."

"Lady creator, I have finished…" the three eyed boy holding a broom paused when he saw Haotian who in turn, raised an eyebrow. The boy looked a lot like him and Yaochi, save for an extra eye on his forehead.

"He's no one," Yaochi said. "Just a defective puppet I commissioned."

"Does he have a name?"

"What would be the point?" Yaochi scoffed. "That scammer surnamed Yang couldn't make what I wanted and this thing only gained life by chance."

Haotian frowned. "And you child? What do you call yourself?"

"Lady creator gave this one no designation."

"Hm, given your sculpter's surname was Yang. How about Yang Jian," Haotian said with a weird look that Yaochi couldn't identify.

The child was momentarily happy, then became diligent again after gazing towards Yaochi. Hence Haotian left things be and began floating.

He was feeling something akin to giddiness. Yaochi caught sight of it and looked as his back.

"You do know the burden your plan will bring correct? I am fine with your decision but the other saints and the rulers of the Three Realms would make life difficult for you."

"I am…aware," Haotian said, suppressing his excitement. "I must get going. For master's boundless freedom."

Yaochi saw his mouth pausing a twitch upwards. When he left in a trail, she narrowed her gaze. The nagging feeling in her chest was bothering her. 'Am I overthinking?'

She pondered for awhile, ultimately deciding to follow Haotian to the Three Realms.

"You Yang Jian or whatever," she said to the three eyed boy. "Keep cleaning this place. I'll be away on business."

…

The moon state, the kingdom Heng'e and Houyi ruled over on the western borders of human territory had become a cultural mix of divinities and humans. Mostly the latter and clans born out of hybrid crossbreeding. Yet former retinues of Chiyou saw Heng'e as a second coming of Jiuliu tribe, albeit under the purview of the Yellow Emperor.

Nine thousand years had passed and she'd worked step by step in forging her flower crowns. She was in no rush, being relatively young in comparison to a Heavenly Immortal's upper limit lifespan of a single yuanhui.

As she was going about her day tending to her newborn, she detected a qi signature. It was Haotian purposefully flaring it up to get her attention.

Houyi turned to her. "That man shows back up again after all this years of little contact?"

Haotian had in fact only reached out to her through letter exchanges rather than appear physically like in her youth. From her observation, the dynamic he'd shared with her father shifted majorly nine thousand years ago. She never knew why, not until she'd received his latest and longest letter.

"I was expecting him…m…im anyway," she said with the same stutter she could never be rid of. Handing her son to Houyi, she gave him a kiss before flying off.

Haotian was standing in the centrepiece of a new religion her father started in the last few thousand years. The church dedicated to the worship of a single god.

The particular temple in her Moon state was built with Earthly Divinity help much to denouncements from the capital. Zhuanxu gave her a stern warning last time she saw him about enlisting the divinities Julingshen and Kuafu through her husband. Halfbreeds were accepted for having human blood, but be said the ministers at court were unhappy with full blooded divinities.

Even despite her and Houyi's attempts at reconciliation between both races, the powers that be were still resistant.

She found Haotian staring at a statue of himself within the temple. His palm rubbing against a sign that read Haotian Shangdi. If his face was anything to go by, he wasn't pleased.

"It's gaudy," he said to her without even looking back. "This whole religion is ridiculous. And who thought this was a good idea?"

"F…f…f…ther had it bu…bu…bu….built in hopes you'd return to him." Even she had believed it. Who doesn't enjoy incense merit?

Xuanyuan was convinced that Haotian would return to his side if he saw how much he looked up to him. From Haotian's perspective, it was just a poor way to buy him back. He wasn't blind to prayers and incense merit flowing his way.

"How do you find Xuanyuan's rule?" He asked her.

She knew it was asked with context from the letter describing what he was going to do. Truthfully, it scared both her and Houyi. Her husband even surmised that he'd only reached out because of his unparalleled archery.

"Civilization…tion thrives," she admitted. "Albeit, tension grows with none human…man…ms."

It was as Haotian thought. Without him also smoothing things over or using his cultivation to bully people into not starting trouble, Xuanyuan's uncompromising attitude when it came to nonhumans was bound to be frustrating. He was lucky, both due to his own strength as well as the concurrent war between Eastern Emperor Taiyi and the Divine Ancestors.

"Uncle, you can't seriously…ly be aiming for imperial aspirations. If what you wrote was…s…sh was true, then you want for me to join you as you suppress…s all ex…x…kistance. I am just a small Heavenly Im…immortal," she said.

"You have a good head for management, for me to mend this world, I need more than just brawn." Haotian looked at his statue dispassionately. "I've assembled numerous people who are in agreement. You'll be safe, your family will thrive, and you will be elevated to an even better position."

Heng'e had to admit, she was very tempted at the ability to reach a higher status. Her expulsion from the imperial court wasn't official, but she was disliked there for her connections.

Yet the opportunity to become an inextinguishable god.

"Ev…even so, my emp…mp…emperor father has grown exponentially too. Shaohao and Zhuanx…shoo…uh all tell me he intends to elevate humans fur…fur…urther," she said.

"Im aware. I've seen the army he's building. Humanity's experts are rising at an exponential rate. Hundreds of thousands of Golden Immortals, soon to reach the millions. Many of whom are becoming Great Unity Golden Immortals. Without considering Saint to Be experts, that's a force capable of conquering an entire continent of the Heavenly realm.

"But niece, have you ever wondered how your father reached such a point?" An utterly disappointed Haotian asked. In his hand, he manipulates true qi in the air to take on a unique quality. It grew more erratic, transforming into a nature she had never seen before, hence couldn't identify the big deal.

THOOM!

She was startled as Houyi suddenly appeared at the temple entrance, shattering the tiled floor with an urgent angry look.

"Where," her half divinity husband stared at Haotian. His bow was half drawn and she could even see a ghost of a terrified expression on him.

"Ah, Xingtian did spill about the training children go through in the Earth Divinities' civilization. I wasn't aware it had such an effect on you Houyi. I apologize." Haotian dissipated the mimicry of devil qi from his hand.

"I should explain. In archaic times the Devilish Dao worked by binding all beings to the Devil Ancestor and elevated them into positions. Their cultivation has a cutoff point as a result, but they could advance very quickly. It's not a complete one to one, but Xuanyuan has taken inspiration and applied that to a subset of his followers."

"I don't." Heng'e was in disbelief and couldn't even find what words to reply with.

"He gained such knowledge by interacting with cultivators who'd fallen to their heart demons," Haotian revealed with a long sigh. "As you know, at the final moments of that war, Heart Devil was imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao. His existence brought about a continuous curse on all cultivators who seek the Dao. Doubts most notably can form into a real living being."

His eyes shined as they gazed at Houyi. "The Abyss attached to the Three Realms is not only home to devils. It's Heart Devil itself. A parasite." 'Purposefully placed there as the Heavenly Dao thought it of use,' he added in his mind.

"So that's why his Yellow Gold Celestial legion seemed weird," Houyi all but groaned. "I saw them training outside the capital once, gave me an oozing feeling. I just couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

"When I was a child, a portion of it was spent with my pureblooded cousin Kuafu. The adult divinities had corpses of Devil Great Emperors in their possession and use their flesh to instill its presence into us. Who knew the Yellow Emperor would resort to this."

Haotian felt like pummeling the statue of 'Haotian Shangdi.' "If I learned one thing about Xuanyuan, he'll do anything to get his way. Human supremacy, suppress all races, and eradicate those who stand against his Dao. He is the greatest leader of human civilization but at the cost of everything else."

He retrieved a book from his sleeve and opened its blank pages for the pair. "Put your names on it and it'll assign you as true gods of heaven. I like you, I watched Heng'e grow up, and I know you two are good people. Don't make the wrong choice."

The air stilled. It seemed Haotian was only asking in good faith. However, a tense gap formed between the two.

Haotian gazed expecting before closing the book and putting it away. "I'll be back for your answer. You'll know me when I make my move."

Without waiting for an answer, he dissipated to parts unknown

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