The Great Sun World Venerable fled in defeat.

Meticulous preparation against unguarded trust—what the Great Sun World Venerable hadn't anticipated was betrayal from within, as someone he trusted deeply among the Eight Tribes turned traitor.

The instant the Donghua Heavenly Court infiltrated the most concealed Middle Thousand World, the Great Sun World Venerable had already lost half the battle.

The Middle Thousand World is always the most vital domain. Many Divine Courts battle for millennia without entering the enemy's core areas, making the first force to gain entry a natural strategic advantage.

Collisions involving experts above the Heavenly Immortal level have devastating aftermaths. Regardless of which side triumphs, the Middle Thousand Earth would suffer severe depletion of Primordial Energy.

As everyone watched the Great Sun World Venerable retreat in panic, they couldn't help but cheer in celebration.

Another heretical force had been eradicated, and thus, the Donghua Dao received yet another boost to its strength.

"Best not let our guard down; stabilizing the situation should be our top priority."

The Middle Thousand World was essentially under control, but who knows what remnants might still remain hidden in various Small Thousand Worlds.

This decapitating strike had eliminated many, nearly all Heavenly Immortals were annihilated.

Half of those below the Heavenly Immortal level managed to escape.

Those equipped with Magic Artifacts could roam the Void, while those without were left to hide in scattered corners of the Small Thousand Worlds.

A Small Thousand World, after all, is its own cosmos—in a determined effort to locate someone hiding, you might exhaust both manpower and resources without success.

What comes next would likely require substantial time for governance—with some luck, perhaps the full consolidation could happen within ten thousand years.

"Send down the order to unify all forces and station them near the Void Ribbons for guard duty."

What distinguishes the Middle Thousand Void from the Small Thousand and Great Thousand Voids is the presence of ribbons of void.

These ribbons are leftover seams from the merging of Small Thousand Worlds, with as many ribbons as there are Small Thousand Worlds.

Without established transportation channels, these ribbons are commonly used for entry into the Middle Thousand Worlds.

As these are relatively weak points of the Middle Thousand Worlds, they are normally heavily guarded.

Song Lin dispatched forces to secure it, aiming to safeguard this world from potential opportunistic intrusions.

The battle in the Pure Land undoubtedly drew the attention of external players. After ongoing contention among the five interconnected worlds, each was well-acquainted with the others' circumstances.

Solidifying gains was now paramount; it was no time for rest.

Seven Heavenly Immortals were stationed across the seven Void Ribbons.

Song Lin descended, arriving beside Mao Gu and others, where Mao Ying's corpse lay on the ground.

Mao Ying, towering at nearly sixteen feet, appeared entirely composed of Sheep Fat White Jade with an authoritative rectangular face. His sharp, sword-like brows, long beard extending to his abdomen, and temples graced with strands of white hair truly gave him the air of an enlightened master.

What captured Song Lin's attention was Mao Ying's physical form—it was not born of a Transformation Technique, but a crystallization of purity refined to an extraordinary degree.

Song Lin also discerned numerous Great Dao patterns on Mao Ying's body, including Eight Diagram, Earth, Talisman, Yin Energy, Water, Fire, and Wood among vertical inscriptions of the Great Dao.

It seemed Mao Ying had comprehended more than a dozen different Great Dao.

Nonetheless, this was far from comparable to Song Lin himself.

The Dao comprehended during the Heavenly Immortal stage and the Dao realized after reaching True Immortality are wholly distinct in nature.

Those realized in the Heavenly Immortal stage are akin to saplings, whereas those realized in the True Immortal stage are like branches and twigs.

Song Lin's Great Dao held the potential to grow into multiple towering trees.

Meanwhile, the other could merely cultivate blossoms and fruit upon a single tree—forever walking but one path.

Of course, realizing True Immortality was the real key—without achieving it, all else was meaningless.

"Is there any hope to revive him?"

"Upper Mao's Taoist Realm runs deep; awakening him will require an extensive amount of pills. Gathering enough pills isn't the issue, as I can refine them, but the revival process might take considerable time."

"That's not a problem, then. A longer time is fine."

With that reassurance, everyone's worries eased.

Mao Zhong and Mao Gu exchanged glances, then solemnly gave Song Lin a deep bow.

"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor, for offering aid without consideration of loss, allowing us three Mao brothers to reunite. From this day forward, through fire or water, we stand ready to serve without reservation."

Both spoke in unison.

"Please, rise, Taoists, no need for such ceremony."

Song Lin helped raise both up.

"You're too polite; it's merely a trivial act on my part."

Though Song Lin undoubtedly bore intentions, they were primarily official in nature, and he disdained deceitful pretense—everything he did was straightforward. The brothers, too, understood his mindset, knowing his aim to leverage the power of the Sanmao Heavenly Court.

Even so, Song Lin hadn't mistreated them.

This generosity won over the brothers.

The failure of the Sanmao Heavenly Court had proven their incapacity to establish a Heavenly Court.

This appointment within the Donghua Heavenly Court seemed advantageous. Its philosophy and Taoist principles far surpassed those of the former Sanmao Heavenly Court, appearing free of developmental risks based on current progress.

Adding to this, the smooth rescue of their elder brother had solidified their decision to pledge loyalty to the Donghua Heavenly Court.

"Rest assured, I won't act like some Heavenly Courts, suppressing other Taoist traditions. So long as your ways don't contradict our philosophy, we encourage their flourishing."

The so-called philosophy needs no repeating—it's merely the fundamental baseline.

"From hereon, each of you will select one Small Thousand World to develop. The Heavenly Court will provide support as per regulations."

The addition of two True Immortals delighted Song Lin immensely—more so than conquering the Pure Land itself, for the acquisition of two True Immortals held unmatched significance.

Just then, someone descended from the heavens.

"Reporting to the Heavenly Emperor, someone is approaching from beyond the Great Thousand Sky."

A Taoist Soldier presented a jade.

The jade displayed an image from the Great Thousand Void, showing a Dragon Car surrounded by dharma images of a Rat, Monkey, and Jade Rabbit.

Judging from the depiction, the visitor appeared to possess Heavenly Immortal-level cultivation.

"Who are these…" Mao Zhong murmured in puzzlement. "Why are there suddenly four experts, judging by their attire not of the Pure Land Middle Thousand forces?"

"Unfriendly visitors—I'll handle them myself."

Mao Gu conjured a Pagoda, preparing to head to the Great Thousand Void.

"No need—don't act rashly." Song Lin stopped Mao Gu before he could depart.

"This seems to be people from the Golden Que Heavenly Court."

"Golden Que Heavenly Court?" Mao Gu voiced hesitation.

"The dynamics here are complicated. Five Middle Thousand forces combine to form a single complete Middle Thousand World, with the Golden Que Middle Thousand being the strongest faction. Refraining from hasty confrontation would be wise."

Having navigated this world for countless years, Song Lin had a general grasp of the power structures, with the Golden Que Emperor emerging as the most enigmatic figure—perhaps surpassing all True Immortals he'd encountered.

Unexpectedly, they had now arrived.

"Then how should we respond?" Mao Zhong asked.

"Let me consider."

If direct action wasn't an option, then intimidation must suffice—for now, the objective was to secure the gains from this battle, lest anything slip away.

"Right—can you reveal a fraction of Upper Mao Monarch's aura?" Song Lin inquired.

"Certainly."

...

The Great Thousand Void.

Bai Zhu and the Three Emperors flew to the Pure Land Middle Thousand domain. After years of conflict among factions, the location of this territory was no secret.

"Who goes there?"

Thereupon, Song Lin emerged alone, carrying a lantern.

"And you are? Where is the Great Sun World Venerable?" Bai Zhu furrowed his brow.

"This is now the Donghua Heavenly Court. There is no Great Sun World Venerable. You may leave… What does any of this concern you?"

Song Lin waved dismissively, displaying impatience.

"Oh? An outsider? The Golden Que Heavenly Court and the Pure Land are interconnected—we naturally have the right…"

Bai Zhu faintly smiled, emboldened by the Golden Que Emperor's backing.

Just then, faint yet terrifying auras seeped through the fissure.

One vast like the heavens, the other heavy like the earth.

True Immortals!

Two True Immortals!

No wonder the Great Sun World Venerable lost.

At that moment, Bai Zhu heard the Golden Que Emperor's voice in his ear.

"Withdraw—do not engage."

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