The assembly became eerily quiet. It would be an understatement to say the Qin Courtâs proposition was a large-scale explosion. The day prior, all these people became aware of the value of merit, and today, someone offered them a method to fill their pockets. As such, most of these Overlords started to salivate.
"We object," someone from the Grand Sect Alliance declared.
"Why are you objecting? You hold half of the Divine Councilâs positions?"
"We may have the number, but we have no power or responsibility," the alliance countered. The remaining half of the council will be shared among everybody else, while these individuals hold other roles and powers.
"Our palace doesnât have much power, but you donât see us complaining," Absolute Beginningâs voice echoed from Taoismâs room.
"Do you think itâs the same?" the alliance countered. "After becoming the official religion of the world, Taoismâs luck and destiny will prosper while suppressing the other religions or schools of thought, like the Literary Way. With your destiny, you might be able to cultivate another Saint."
"The same argument can be said for you. With all the merit youâll receive from half the position from the council, you also have the opportunity to cultivate a Saint," Absolute Beginning rebutted.
Ying Zheng saw that these people were about to take over the debate, so he said: "The Grand Sect Alliance is more than welcome to exchange their seats in the council for positions in other departments." Ying Zhengâs message was clear: there will be no changes. If they wanted more power, they could negotiate with others for it, and if they couldnât, that was their problem.
"Our demon race refused this proposition. And we donât appreciate your poor attempts at balancing our power by giving us the same position as these bastards," Chief Battle Saint Ape sneered.
Ying Zheng smiled after hearing these words. "What does the cave say?"
"We are still contemplating our decision," Primal Secret Flame Dragon uttered.
"Damn it," Battle Saint Ape cursed. If they refuse this proposition, and the Innate Demon Gods accept, they will be the ones losing.
"You know they will accept it, right?" Ying Zhengâs voice suddenly sounded inside the demonâs room. "They need a swift method to recuperate from their previous loss, and what better opportunity than this?"
"Youâve been planning this for a long time, havenât you?" Chief Saint Ape said with gritted teeth. It was obvious Ying Zheng used their plans to drive the Primarch out to his advantage.
"Tell us your purpose," Chief Star Rabbit said calmly.
"Your focus should be the union," Ying Zheng said. The second greatest enemy of the Innate Demon God is the Myriad Clan Union. Their members include a few Innate Demon God Clans and numerous other races that have stolen their bloodline.
"They should not be satisfied with only controlling the soldiers but not the generals. You can negotiate position exchanges with them. Having power in the Divine Soldier Division should give you the edge over the cave."
The two chiefs looked at each other and communicated through divine sense. Ultimately, they sighed before contacting the Myriad Union Clan. Although this feeling of being manipulated was disgusting, they knew how to control their emotions and placed the future of their race above their ego.
"The League has no issue with our position, but whatâs with the deployment statement?" asked the Seven-Strike Sword God. All three primals from the Sword Path League used to use the name [Sword Sage], but after Saint was used as a title for the Quintessence Realm, they adapted the Sword God Title, which used to be granted to worthy swordsmen in the Paragon Realm.
"The courtâs purpose is to fight the disaster. My comment is to prevent anyone from using the excuse that their task is internal protection to refuse to fight on the frontline," Ying Zheng remarked.
"Are you calling us cowards?" asked the Soft Lifting Sword God, her voice soft and soothing, like the sharpness of most swordsmen."Swordsmen are the cultivators with the greatest strength of spirit. We would never run away from a fight."
"Do I need to remind you of the Great Rebellion?" Ying Zheng asked calmly.
"You!"
The Great Rebellion was one of the leagueâs greatest shames, despite its widespread impact. There were many highs and lows during the Second Origin War, and one of the most significant lows was the Great Rebellion. A foreign world successfully convinced numerous cultivators to betray Qiyuanâs cause, and a good deal of them were swordsmen.
While most factions considered this event another failure of war, the league saw it as their greatest shame because the source of this rebellion was one of their own. A swordsman fell victim to a honey trap, losing himself to lust, which ultimately led to the entire rebellion.
The worst part is that morale has hit an all-time low, resulting in many factions using various excuses to refuse deployment â including the league.
"Iâm not attacking you," Ying Zheng said calmly. "Iâm just taking precautions."
Seven Strike God snorted coldly at these words, but he did vote in favor. The ability to police the court was immense power, and he would not relinquish it. As such, the league became the first faction to vote in favor.
"We also have some concerns," said Old Man Black Chess, the Primal from the Limitless Exchange Hall. The position of a scout is dangerous, and itâs apparent that Ying Zheng wanted to use their large numbers of loose cultivators as cannon fodder.
"Could we have a position in the Divine Soldier Division? Or maybe, an independent division?" Loose cultivators do not do well in the military. In fact, there are many talented loose cultivators. The issue with them is that they do not function well under the strict rules and loyalty system of sects and other factions. They are considered lawless because of their free and independent nature.
"If you donât like it, I can give your position to the Primal Lineages," Ying Zheng replied coldly. He only needed seven votes, so he did not care whether a few factions were not satisfied.
"You!"
"Speaking of which, why arenât we included?" the Sea Race Primal asked.
"I have reserved a few seats in the Council for your lineages. You can also join the Divine Soldier and Divine General Divisions and acquire a few positions."
"The concept of the Divine Council is a little too vague, donât you think?" Yan Shirong suddenly said.
"Oh?"
"The Heavenly Emperor is essentially Heavenly Daoâs Ambassador, the representative of Heaven and Earth," Yan Shirong stated. "But [Heaven and Earth] is vast â too vast. So, wouldnât it be better to divide it?"
Ying Zheng squinted his eyes.
"We divide it into five sectors: central, north, south, east, and west. The Heavenly Emperor rules over the center. Then, we establish the Black Emperor, who controls the north, the Red Emperor, who controls the south, the Blue Emperor, who controls the east, and the White Emperor, who controls the west.
"For the sake of fairness, one Emperor Position should go to one of the Primal Lineages, along with many positions in one of the sectors."
"If we use this sector division, does our alliance still get half of the position?"
"Yes, and you can choose to concentrate on one sector, or spread them out," Yan Shirong nodded.
"Thatâs fine by us."
All eyes then directed to Ying Zheng. The top Overlords have already deduced that Ying Zhengâs transcendent path was about the three positions of Heaven, Earth, and Human. So, could he accept such a method meant to counter him?"
"Our court has already made a great compromise by asking for one thing," Ying Zheng said with a somber face.
"That does not change the fact that as the Heavenly Emperor, you will be the center of an entire Source Chaos World," Yan Shirong continued. "No one should control this kind of blessing alone."
Ying Zheng took a deep breath. "Very well. We will compromise." However, it was evident that he was not in a good mood.
"Youâre quite the actor," Wang Wei said, keeping his voice to the confinement of this room.
"Are you saying this wonât affect him?"
"In the majority of mythos and stories, Hongjunâs pendant effect is to record the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth," Wang Wei sneered. "As long as Ying Zheng becomes the Heavenly Emperor, the pendant will record all the knowledge and mystery he needs for that part of his transcendent part."
"What now?" Yan Shirong asked.
"Itâs a done deal," Qiyuan said calmly. They could try to convince others of Ying Zhengâs threat, which would mean revealing information about the pendant and its source. But even if they did, not many people would trust them, and even if they did, how many are willing to give up the tangible benefits for the future possibility that Ying Zheng might become transcendent?
All the leaders present reached their level because they are confident in their talent and abilities. In their mind, Ying Zheng having a slight advantage meant nothing.
Wang Wei took a deep breath, with numerous thoughts flashing in his mind. He lost on this move, but the game has just started. He contemplated and schemed for a few seconds.
"What do you guys know about the Dynasty Alliance Leader, Cao Sicong?"