99: His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor only needs to remain high above.

In the Endless Starry Sky, a place shrouded in immeasurable starlight, a burst of laughter rang out.

"Haha, how ridiculous. Since when did you, the Ancestor of the Demonic Path, Rahu, become so helpful?"

"Do you think deceiving those two little ones from the Lunar Star wasn't enough, and now you want to deceive me? Who could have imagined that the former Ancestor of the Demonic Path would sink to the point of tricking weak Innate Sacred Beings?"

Within the tone of the Star Mother Supreme Sovereign, there was a hint of disdain. For Innate Sacred Beings of their level, a bit of so-called Karma was completely useless.

Within the Primordial World, they had no other choice but to embark on the path of Fusion with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Furthermore, with the birth and nurturing of the Heavenly Dao, the world was gradually becoming perfect, leaving no room for crooked or unorthodox paths.

Sacrificing a Chaos Demon God could indeed grant Karma, but as the Heavenly Dao became increasingly complete...

...the power of merit obtained through this method was actually much less. After all, in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, although you revived a Chaos Demon God, you lacked the ability to suppress it.

By leaving it to the world and the supreme Heavenly Dao to suppress, this world expended its own power, so naturally, it wouldn't grant you as much Karma.

What Rahu could offer her was practically negligible.

Could he give the world-destroying black lotus? Even if he did, she wouldn't dare accept it.

Daoist Jidu chuckled and said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist, do not joke. What kind of existence is the Demon Ancestor? And what kind of existence am I? How could I possibly compare to That One?"

As he spoke, his gaze turned toward the firmament, and he remained silent for a long while.

No matter what, he couldn't leave any leverage for the Heavenly Dao to use against him.

That fellow had wanted to expel him from the Honghuang World for a long time.

Some things are better left unsaid; once spoken aloud, the consequences might not be very pleasant.

Within the galaxy, at the place where immeasurable starlight converged, the Star Mother Supreme Sovereign merely gave a cold snort.

"Hehe, you're afraid. I didn't expect you to cower. It seems that after Hongjun attained sainthood and the world gradually perfected itself, even you have become so wary."

"However, I am truly curious as to what your purpose is for coming this time, Fellow Daoist!"

The Star Mother Supreme Sovereign looked at Jidu with a smile. At their level, it was better to be direct.

She didn't know if the one before her had a way to help other Innate Sacred Beings step into the Hunyuan Realm, but as for the other matter—completing the final step of her Reduction to Emptiness method...

...she was quite confident in that.

This method was, after all, her own invention; she wasn't like those Innate Sacred Beings who had no path forward.

She had long since made arrangements for her own path.

In the future, she would find an Innate Sacred Being to inherit everything she owned, while she herself would take her insights and true spirit to the Outer Great Chaos.

With those insights, she could quickly condense her own Star Great Dao and complete her final transformation.

However, this situation also carried a certain degree of risk.

There was no problem with the Reduction to Emptiness itself, but for the true spirit to leave the Primordial World—that posed a significant risk.

In that state, she would be incredibly weak, perhaps even inferior to the most ordinary Great Luo.

After all, all her Great Dao and power would remain in the Primordial World, leaving only pure insights.

It would take some time to Cultivate back to her former strength.

Rahu happened to be someone who could protect her during her weakest moment. If she could get him to agree to that matter, paying a certain price wouldn't be out of the question.

But for now, she wanted to see exactly what this Daoist Jidu before her would use to persuade her.

She was no fool; she could see through this much.

Daoist Jidu smiled, understanding her thoughts; he definitely possessed something she desired.

Since she hadn't refused outright, there was room for negotiation.

Daoist Jidu didn't bother hiding his purpose and said frankly:

"Fellow Daoist, you truly are insightful. My visit today is indeed to ask for a favor."

"You should be aware that the Primordial World is currently in Chaos. Many Innate races are at war with each other, and numerous Spiritual Veins are being shattered because of the fighting."

"This is truly a loss for the Honghuang World."

"Allowing this to continue is certainly not an option. Fellow Daoist Dijun has great ambitions and wishes to establish the Heavenly Court. To accomplish this, the Endless Starry Sky is an essential foundation."

"There aren't many Innate Sacred Beings with such grand ambitions these days. That One possesses the potential of a Heavenly Emperor! Since you will soon be performing the Reduction to Emptiness anyway, why not yield the position of the Master of the Endless Starry Sky to him?"

"Hehe, I can agree to what you've said, Fellow Daoist. However, what can you give me in return?"

"In a trade, one must strive for fairness, after all."

The Star Mother Supreme Sovereign said with a smile. Old-timers from their era weren't so easy to deal with.

She could relinquish the position of Master of the Endless Starry Sky, but that didn't mean she had to give it to Dijun and Taiyi.

It wasn't as if she couldn't find her own successor, so why give it to someone designated by Rahu?

Although the one before her was an Incarnation of Rahu, and Rahu had successfully entered the Hunyuan Realm, she didn't feel the slightest bit of trepidation.

A stray dog who didn't even dare return to the Honghuang World—if he hadn't achieved the Hunyuan Realm, she wouldn't have given him a second thought.

Having achieved the Hunyuan Realm was another story, as she herself was not yet at that stage.

With her path of Reduction to Emptiness, descending into the Honghuang World at any time was something she was confident in, but leaving it was somewhat difficult!

This required external assistance.

Toward Rahu, she felt both envy and disdain. She envied that he had finally transcended, but disdained the fact that he couldn't return after leaving, making him like a stray dog.

Daoist Jidu chuckled and said calmly:

"Hehe, rest assured, Fellow Daoist. You will surely be satisfied with my terms. All it requires is for you to provide some of your Great Dao insights. When you perform the Reduction to Emptiness, I can ensure you attain the Hunyuan Realm in an instant."

Upon hearing this, the Star Mother Supreme Sovereign felt a flicker of interest. Jidu had no intention of deceiving her; a point of spiritual light flew from his hand and landed in hers.

As she sensed the information within, a trace of joy appeared on her face.

Within the Chaos, in the Xuanhuang World, That One, the Xuanhuang Dao Venerable, was a true Hunyuan Expert whose strength had even reached the Late-stage Hun Yuan.

His own traces—who knew how many worlds they had permeated?

More importantly, in the world created by That One, those who reached the Great Luo level would begin to gradually perfect their own Great Dao.

If a common being in that world were to fully practice her Great Dao, she could directly replace that individual at the moment she completed her Reduction to Emptiness.

Achieving the Hunyuan Realm in an instant was no lie.

"Fine, I agree to this."

The Star Mother Supreme Sovereign said to Jidu with an excited expression.

However, a hint of curiosity appeared on her face as she gazed at Jidu and spoke leisurely.

"Daoist Jidu, since you've shown such sincerity, I cannot refuse. However, I am somewhat curious. With your strength, you have no need for Dijun."

"As for the Heavenly Court, couldn't you just establish it yourself?"

Jidu shook his head and sighed.

"That's where you're wrong. I can handle the other details and control the experts within the Heavenly Court, but the position of Heavenly Emperor carries too much weight. Do you think That One would allow me to take it?"

"Furthermore, no one can say for sure how the Heavenly Court will develop in the future. Once you sit in that highest position, there is no stepping down."

"To rise and fall with the Heavenly Court—that is not something I desire!"

"Instead, I will manage all matters of the Heavenly Court, great and small, as well as its countless Great Luo Experts."

"As for Lord Heavenly Emperor, he can be kept to take the bla... ahem, I mean, he should just be responsible for remaining aloof."

The Star Mother Supreme Sovereign looked at Jidu and couldn't help but complain inwardly.

"Like hell I'd believe you. 'Remaining aloof'? He's being kept to take the fall."

...