The atmosphere grew tense, with swords almost drawn.
The puppet body suddenly erupted with a question, radiating an intimidating aura.
The Lord of the Divine Realm did not respond, but he did not back down either. He did not believe that Daoist Suppressing Heaven would truly hide his real body within this puppet.
There was a violent wind at the mountain gate, causing the trees within to roar and sway wildly.
Chen Xia and the Inner Demon leaned against the wall, crossing their arms and watching with great interest.
"Got any peanuts?" Chen Xia suddenly asked the Inner Demon, feeling that watching the spectacle without some snacks was missing something.
"Didn't bring any. Who do you think will win?" the Inner Demon curiously asked.
"Who knows? It'd be great if they both died. Then we could claim ultimate power!" Chen Xia communicated this thought mentally.
"Exactly!" The Inner Demon agreed, finding this outcome quite satisfying.
However, it was obvious that this scenario was unlikely to happen.
The puppet and the Lord of the Divine Realm did not remain in a standoff for long. First, the Lord of the Divine Realm relented, relaxing his foggy eyes and chuckling lightly.
"The Supreme indeed has a sense of humor. Why don’t we discuss cooperation instead?"
In the end, he was still somewhat afraid. The Martial Emperor wanted to kill Daoist Suppressing Heaven and could indeed do so, but what about before that?
Daoist Suppressing Heaven killing him would be as easy as a breeze.
The aura of the puppet also calmed down, responding to the Lord of the Divine Realm again.
"The Martial Emperor wants to kill me and certainly can, but it won’t be an easy task. The gap between us isn’t as big as you imagine."
"Moreover, becoming the Supreme is no simple feat. The masters of the nine mountains in the Immortal Realm, the Supreme in the Supreme Realm, the Heaven Emperor of the Celestial Realm, and the Star Lord of the Twilight Realm—these are all powerful opponents on your path to becoming the Supreme. It’s uncertain whether you’ll emerge victorious among them."
"But with my support, it’s a different story. The Martial Emperor desires the next Supreme to weaken the Heavenly Dao, ultimately destroying it completely, creating a world without luck or fate. Playing as the Martial Emperor’s pawn won’t bring you any benefits."
The Lord of the Divine Realm frowned, his sparse brows knitting together as his aged face darkened. He asked,
"Isn’t the Martial Emperor aiming to become the next Heavenly Dao? Why would he want to destroy luck and fate?"
"With luck and fate, can it still be called an equal world?" the puppet retorted.
The Lord of the Divine Realm furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
Chen Xia muttered beside them, "Equality? For me, it’s quite equal."
"Indeed," the Inner Demon nodded in agreement.
They were the biggest beneficiaries of luck and fate.
The Lord of the Divine Realm seemed to have figured it out. He asked the puppet again, "What do I need to do in this plan?"
"You don’t need to do anything normally. Just step out at the crucial moment. The better you hide, the less the Martial Emperor will suspect you. Be the pivotal piece."
Chen Xia yawned, commenting, "Hmm, it feels like a straight-up fight would be better."
"Indeed," the Inner Demon nodded again.
The Lord of the Divine Realm agreed to Daoist Suppressing Heaven's proposal, then added, "Acting requires a full performance. Those two damaged my Divine Realm. If I leave like this, it wouldn’t make sense. How about I blow up half the mountain of the Heaven Pill Gate? That way, I have a reason."
"What’s the point? Why not just blow up your own Divine Realm?" Chen Xia frowned and retorted.
"Indeed," the Inner Demon nodded.
The Lord of the Divine Realm frowned, "If I leave like this, even a fool can tell there’s something between us. Do you think the Martial Emperor won’t notice?"
Chen Xia wasn’t sure what to do, hesitating for a moment before proposing to the Lord of the Divine Realm, "Well, how about I sincerely apologize to you?"
"Or maybe throw in another gesture of goodwill?" the Inner Demon added.
The method they had discussed earlier was actually going to be used.
The Lord of the Divine Realm chuckled dryly, his face expressionless as he asked, "Is the Pill Ancestor always this humorous?"
"But you can’t blow up half of my mountain. That’s where my luck is concentrated. How about compensating you with some pills or making a bigger commotion?" Chen Xia asked.
"How big?" the Lord of the Divine Realm responded.
Chen Xia smirked, already having an idea. He turned his head and glanced into the distance, spotting the border of the East Jia State and a mountain range there. He then smiled again at the Lord of the Divine Realm.
Boom!
The entire East Jia State trembled.
A figure at the peak of the Heaven Pill Gate transformed into a meteor, streaking across the East Jia State, visible to all cultivators. It crashed heavily into the border, shattering the mountains and rivers, and raising dense smoke.
Chen Xia lay in the rubble of the destroyed mountain range, coughing up blood. Only when other cultivators arrived did he roar in anger,
"Lord of the Divine Realm, I will not rest until one of us is dead!"
He was indeed adept at acting, his expression now one of profound grief and anger, convincing the investigating cultivators. They were shocked, unaware that such a significant event had occurred.
Chen Xia shakily got up, staggering toward the outer perimeter, looking at the Heaven Pill Gate. Blood still flowed from the corner of his mouth, and his furious expression deepened. In front of the gathered cultivators, he bellowed,
This grudge will be avenged, to the death!
...
From that day on, the news spread quickly: the Pill Ancestor had been beaten to the border of the East Jia State by the Lord of the Divine Realm. Naturally, some cultivators were curious about the cause, and with a bit of investigation, the reasons emerged.
It was because the Pill Ancestor and the Demon Ancestor of the Blue Sky Sword Sea had secretly attacked the Divine Realm, shattering large portions of the Divine Realm's mountains and rivers, severely injuring several Emperors, which led to the Lord of the Divine Realm’s furious retaliation, causing the Pill Ancestor to fall onto the border of the East Jia State, heavily wounded.
This news sent the entire East Jia State into a frenzy.
No wonder the Heaven Pill Gate had recently announced its closure; they had gone to do such a monumental thing, attacking the Divine Realm itself!
Even though the Pill Ancestor was heavily injured by the Lord of the Divine Realm afterward, the cultivators of the East Jia State still praised him to the skies.
Throughout the countless years of conflict and war between the Immortal Realm and the Divine Realm, the Pill Ancestor was the first cultivator to represent the Immortal Realm and attack the Divine Realm, truly shattering its mountains and rivers.
Moreover, he had survived the furious retaliation of the Lord of the Divine Realm. Such a feat was unparalleled in the Immortal Realm.
How could such a hero not be praised?!
The cultivators of the East Jia State were roused, spontaneously going to the Heaven Pill Gate, raising banners and praising the Pill Ancestor.
This left Chen Xia feeling a bit awkward, considering it was all an act. However, he had truly attacked the Divine Realm. He dismissed the gathering of cultivators, asking them to disperse.
In later records of the Immortal Realm’s history, the Pill Ancestor was given a prominent mention:
The Heaven Pill Ancestor—the only Immortal Realm powerhouse to attack the Divine Realm!