330: Frog at the bottom of a well

However, Realm Master Ling Xiaozai had a change of thought:

"If the Five Great Heavenly Venerables obtain this Cultivation Technique, they will undoubtedly devote themselves entirely to Cultivation, going into seclusion for a thousand, or even ten thousand years... Then won't this Spirit Realm truly fall into my hands?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

By then, he could secretly Cultivate his forces, win over powerful individuals, and completely break free from the Heavenly Venerables' control!

"This... may not be a bad thing."

"In fact... it's a heaven-sent opportunity!"

Thinking of this, the gloom on Ling Xiaozai's face vanished, replaced by an incomparably brilliant smile.

He rose from his seat, personally descended the jade steps, came before Emperor Qin, patted his shoulder, and spoke in a loud voice, full of praise:

"Young friend, not only is your Origin extraordinary, but you also possess an open mind and generously offer this technique; this is truly a blessing for our Spirit Realm!"

"I heard that in the Lower Realm, you were once 'Emperor Qin,' governing billions of living beings and awe-inspiring three thousand city-states—how can such a title be discarded due to Reincarnation?"

"Today, in the name of the Realm Master of the Spirit World, I officially bestow upon you—the title of Emperor Qin!"

He waved his hand, and a golden light was inscribed across the firmament, with nine true characters appearing:

"Spirit Realm Emperor Qin, wherever your decree reaches, all domains shall obey!"

"I grant you one Nine Heavens Spirit Mansion, located outside Tian Shu City, covering ten thousand miles, with Spiritual Qi like the sea, protected by Formations! From now on, your lineage, Emperor Qin, shall not be subject to any Department Director, Starfall Envoy, or Law enforcement guard! You shall only obey my—Realm Master Ling Xiaozai's—command!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar!

Not subject to control? Only obeying the Realm Master's command?

This was already a privilege second only to one person, above ten thousand!

Lei Jicang and the others' faces turned ashen, yet they dared not speak much.

Although the Five Great Heavenly Venerables had some reservations, their hearts were currently focused on the Nine Tripods World Suppressing Merit, so they did not object.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qin sneered inwardly: "Ling Xiaozai, do you think I will be your running dog?"

Although he was once an emperor of a Realm, ruling over the world, he now had no choice but to bow his head.

But he knew—

This was merely a temporary measure.

He cupped his hands, his voice calm, yet carrying a hint of imperceptible sharpness:

"Thank you, Realm Master, for your great kindness. Zhao will definitely do his best and live up to this name."

Immediately after, Shen Wuya slowly rose, his gaze deep, his voice low and firm:

"Fellow Heavenly Venerables, although I do not possess the grand achievement of governing billions of living beings like Emperor Qin, nor the unparalleled grace of splitting the heavenly gate with a single sword, what I say is entirely true."

"I come from the 'martial soul civilization,' a world based on Soul and proving the Dao through martial arts. There, everyone can Awaken a Martial Soul, Cultivate Soul Power, and powerful individuals can shatter galaxies with a thought and shake ten thousand worlds with a roar."

He paused, a flicker of complexity and regret in his eyes:

"And... I once cooperated with the previous Heavenly Dao."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar!

"What? The previous Heavenly Dao?!"

"He actually cooperated with the Heavenly Dao?!"

Shen Wuya ignored the crowd's astonishment and continued:

"Lu Chen was originally the Incarnation of the Heavenly Dao's will, possessing the authority to create civilized worlds. The previous Heavenly Dao wanted to reclaim the Heavenly Dao's authority, so he allied with me to set a trap, trapping Lu Chen's Divine Soul within a Mortal body—Xiao Qitian's body!"

"In that battle, the heavens collapsed, the earth shattered, and ten thousand worlds wailed! We almost succeeded! We were just one step away from completely obliterating Lu Chen's consciousness and reclaiming the Heavenly Dao's authority!"

"Unfortunately... we failed at the last moment. Lu Chen Awakened in desperation, retaliating against the previous Heavenly Dao, truly becoming—the new Heavenly Dao!"

The great hall fell silent.

The Five Great Heavenly Venerables looked at each other, their expressions solemn.

After a long while, Taichu Heavenly Venerate, The Celestial Venerable Taichu, slowly spoke, his voice gentle yet carrying an unquestionable authority:

"The stories of the three of you all sound logical, rich in detail, and sincere in emotion. You repeatedly claim that Lu Chen is the 'Heavenly Dao,' who created your civilizations and governs ten thousand worlds..."

He shook his head slightly, a hint of pity in his eyes:

"But in our view—this Lu Chen is not the Heavenly Dao, but very likely the Reincarnation of a Great Power from the Immortal Realm. And what you call 'civilized worlds' are merely illusions he created with great Divine Ability, or perhaps low-level Small Worlds. For a Golden Immortal of the Immortal Realm, creating a Small World and evolving civilized beings is as simple as a Mortal stacking building blocks."

As soon as these words were spoken, the powerful individuals in the hall nodded in agreement.

Grand Flame Heavenly Venerable, Lord Chi Xiao, sneered and interjected:

"Hmph, I can deduce the truth from the Cultivation system you described! Your 'Golden Core Realm' sounds even inferior to our Spirit Realm's 'Qi Refining Stage'! Your so-called 'Soul Transformation powerful individuals' have combat strength that cannot even compare to our Spirit Realm's Golden Core Cultivator! The Spiritual Qi concentration, Law completeness, and spatial scale of your civilizations are all far inferior to our Spirit Realm! How could such a low-level world be created by the Heavenly Dao? If Lu Chen were truly the Heavenly Dao, how could the world he created be so weak?"

His gaze was like a torch, sweeping over the three of them:

"Therefore, there is only one conclusion—Lu Chen is not the Heavenly Dao, but a Great Power from the Immortal Realm with 'Divine Ability of Creation,' who fell for some reason, Reincarnated in the Lower Realm, and is using you ants to rebuild his forces, attempting to return to the Immortal Realm!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall felt it made sense and nodded in agreement.

Even Emperor Qin couldn't help but fall into contemplation.

He recalled the great qin civilization—

Its territory did indeed seem small, unlike this world, which was so complex. The Spirit Realm alone had seventy-two shattered Small Worlds, not to mention the Blood Realm, Netherworld, Void Realm, and other various Great Worlds.

There was even the Immortal Realm above it!

The Cultivation Techniques were also very simple; the strength of the Deity Transformation Realm was inferior even to a Golden Core in this world.

It truly seemed like a world of a relatively low status.

Could it be that the so-called primordial desolation civilization, kunlun civilization, God Slaying Pavilion civilization, and great qin civilization were really just a Small World, a Small World similar to Tianqi Continent, and not a complete civilized world?

And Lu Chen was not some Heavenly Dao, but merely an identity similar to the Realm Master of the Spirit Realm.

Emperor Qin's heart wavered; he was almost persuaded.

But just then—

Shen Wuya suddenly looked up, his voice hoarse yet firm:

"No! You are wrong! I once underwent Soul Fusion with the previous Heavenly Dao! I could feel the Origin power of the Heavenly Dao, that omnipotent ability, which is simply beyond your imagination!"

Taichu Heavenly Venerate, however, burst out laughing, his laughter like thunder, shaking the glazed tiles of the great hall:

"Hahaha! Naive! Ridiculous! Do you know the story of 'the Lord of Yelang's arrogance'? A frog at the bottom of a well, thinking the sky is round and the earth is square, unaware of the vastness of the Universe!"

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze like stars:

"The 'Heavenly Dao' you speak of is merely a Loose Cultivator who Cultivated alone, accidentally gained control of a Small World, and then believed himself to be the Origin of heaven and earth! Little does he know, there is a heaven beyond heaven, and a Realm beyond Realm!"

"Our Spirit Realm can create seventy-two shattered Small Worlds, each evolving into a complete civilization! Powerful individuals of the Immortal Realm can effortlessly create thousands of Small Worlds, nurturing billions of living beings!"

"Your world is merely a speck of dust among them! And Lu Chen, at his absolute best, is just a stone slightly more powerful than dust, yet he Delusion to call himself the Heavenly Dao!"

Shen Wuya opened his mouth to speak but was speechless.

He couldn't refute, couldn't prove—

Lin Fei, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up and laughed loudly:

"Then how do you explain the planet I came from—Earth! That is a world completely without Cultivation! Technology is advanced; cars, airplanes, and the internet are all things you people from these worlds cannot comprehend. Lu Chen was my neighbor! He was just an ordinary person!"