He is steadily advancing towards the Way of Heaven.

The various talents had no choice but to surrender a wisp of their fortune to the Inner demon.

The Inner demon scattered the threads of fortune into the lake beneath his feet, which would be the foundation for his future conquest of the entire East Jia State.

Once these talents grew into pivotal figures in their sects, he could leverage their fortune to ascend effortlessly and take over East Jia State.

From there, he could use the entire East Jia State as a base to seize control of the entire Immortal Realm, laying the groundwork for his main body to become a Heavenly Dao. Perhaps he could even become the fifth Heavenly Dao directly while the main body was still familiarizing itself.

But if he became a Heavenly Dao, the number of Daos wouldn't matter anymore, as he would be invincible either way.

What about the Heavenly Dao slumbering in the Great Heaven?

That was clearly a fake Heavenly Dao.

The Inner demon nodded, finding this reasoning reasonable. He then looked up at the sky, where the will of the Immortal Realm hovered beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains, seemingly intending to expel him.

The Inner demon scoffed and shouted toward the sky, "I come and go as I please. Who do you think you are?"

His words were indeed arrogant.

In the territory of the Eighth Mountain.

The Elder of Wuxi Sect rushed in urgently, not saying much, and immediately knelt down, kowtowing.

"Please save the talents of Wuxi Sect and the talents of the entire East Jia State!"

An Elder of the Eighth Mountain came out, puzzled, and asked, "What's going on?"

The Elder of Wuxi Sect quickly explained, "After the Ten Thousand Mountains opened, the talents entered, but for some reason, they all ended up deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains, being hunted by Heaven Mending Realm great demons. The Emperors have already gone, and I came to ask the Eighth Mountain for help."

The Elder of the Eighth Mountain was stunned and couldn't help but point at the Elder of Wuxi Sect.

"Didn't we tell you not to go deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains? Why did you go in a group? Are you tired of living?"

"Besides, this is a critical time when the Immortal Realm is at war with the Divine Realm. The Eighth Mountain itself is too busy to spare any hands. How can we help you?"

"Moreover, you know the Ten Thousand Mountains. Even Emperors have to kneel when they enter. You must have some idea of how terrifying the existence inside is!"

The Elder of Wuxi Sect nodded, not daring to argue, still kneeling.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside the hall, and a group of old men walked in, not saying a word, just kneeling and kowtowing.

"Elder, please save my precious son, he's my only child!"

"Elder, our sect's talents cannot die!"

"Elder..."

The pleas continued, and the Elder of the Eighth Mountain knew the matter was serious. So many talents couldn't be left unrescued, but the question was how to save them.

He was still pondering when someone hugged his leg and cried, "Elder, please save our talents. I'll serve you like a slave if you do."

The Elder of the Eighth Mountain glared and pointed outside, shouting, "I want to save them too, but how can I with this old body of mine? Am I supposed to fly in and die?"

...

“Perhaps you could ask the legendary ruler of the Nine Mountains of the Immortal Realm?” a cultivator suggested, and the elders immediately perked up, nervously looking at the Elder of the Eighth Mountain.

"You want me to go ask the ruler of the Nine Mountains? You might as well burn this old body of mine!" the Elder of the Eighth Mountain cursed.

The group of old men began to cry again.

"What's going on?" A slightly cold voice asked, and a woman stood at the door, looking at the chaotic scene inside, unable to help but speak.

"Ah, I'm sorry to show you such a sight, Sect Leader Xu," the Elder of the Eighth Mountain quickly stepped over the crowd and greeted Xu Zhen with a smile, briefly explaining the situation and the reason behind these old men's pleas, then self-deprecatingly laughed.

"The depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains are not so easy to enter and exit. Even Emperors dared not venture in."

Xu Zhen frowned, "Is it really that dangerous?"

The Elder of the Eighth Mountain raised four fingers and added, "The strength of the existence inside is even higher than this."

Four fingers meant four Daos.

Xu Zhen pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go to the outer perimeter to take a look. After all, Wuxi Sect has done me a favor."

She turned and left.

The Elder of the Eighth Mountain sighed, thinking he should inform the ruler of the Nine Mountains, as the matter involved most of the young talents of East Jia State and couldn't be delayed.

At the Ten Thousand Mountains.

The talents slowly made their way out, having had a wisp of their fortune absorbed by the Inner demon, which established a connection with the Ten Thousand Mountains, a connection that would grow deeper and deeper, impossible to sever.

As a reward, they were allowed to take one heavenly treasure from the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

This made the talents' eyes light up, and they began searching the Ten Thousand Mountains for the treasures they desired.

The great demons didn't interfere, allowing them to come and go freely.

The Inner demon stood by the Heart Lake, which connected to the Great Death Realm, enabling him to constantly siphon threads of fortune from the Immortal Realm into the Great Death Realm, then transfer those threads of fortune to the slumbering body of Chen Xia.

It was all about parasitism and bloodsucking.

The pure white Ancestral Dragon enveloping Chen Xia suddenly trembled, like a powerful heartbeat.

He was steadily advancing toward becoming a Heavenly Dao.