His voice carried a chilling intent to kill: "You ruined my grand affair, today you cannot escape fate! This cup is your beheading wine, drink it down, and I'll take your head!"

Chen Shi was dumbstruck, after a moment, he cautiously said: "Your Majesty might not know, although I have gained the favor of the Great Heavenly Venerate, I am ultimately a disciple of the Immortal Emperor Supreme. Your Majesty must have heard, I have had flirtations and been intimately associated with Fan Xiao, not clear-cut..."

"But the Three Pure Ones have left."

Emperor Gouchen sighed, talking to himself, "They left the Earth Immortal Realm and Xuanhuang Sea for the darkness two hundred thousand years ago. Over these years, the Great Heavenly Venerate has treated me fairly, neither replacing me nor causing my accidental death. I've been the Three Pure Ones' mole for too long, few know I'm the traitor. My Divine Cultivation even surpasses my Immortal Dao Cultivation, I'm more like a god than an immortal. The Great Heavenly Venerate is broad-minded, as long as I don't rebel, he won't act against me."

Chen Shi's expression was solemn: "The Great Heavenly Venerate has treated me well too. Though young, I am a righteous man, willing to die for one who appreciates me. My loyalty to the Great Heavenly Venerate is unwavering."

"However, the Great Heavenly Venerate has no chance of winning."

Emperor Gouchen interrupted him, murmuring, "The Investiture of the Gods is still in the Three Pure Ones Realm, Tian Shu Prime Minister Jiang Taigong still holds the Divine Beating Whip. The entire Heavenly Court, ninety-nine percent of the divine beings, are under his control, what can we use to fight the Three Pure Ones Realm? Not to mention the Western Heaven and the Immortal Court. Even if the Heavenly Court has ancient divine beings like the Three Officials, Four Imperial Lords, and the Nine Celestial, they're no match for the immortals and ultimately will be replaced by the Immortal Court. If I continue to attach myself to the Great Heavenly Venerate, becoming a traitor to the Three Pure Ones Realm, I will inevitably be purged. Therefore, despite the Great Heavenly Venerate's broad-mindedness, it is prudent not to stand under a dangerous wall, I am sorry to disappoint the Great Heavenly Venerate."

Chen Shi closed his mouth, unable to discern the intentions of this emperor.

He began to understand that Emperor Gouchen was not intentionally targeting him, rather he was deeply conflicted, torn between divinity and humanity, unsure how to position himself.

As for whether or not to kill him, it depended on which side Emperor Gouchen ultimately chose to stand with.

Standing with the Heavenly Court, Chen Shi lives.

Standing with the Immortal Court, Chen Shi dies.

"... Yet, are the Three Pure Ones Realm and the Immortal Court truly the right path?"

Emperor Gouchen seemed confused, laughed self-deprecatingly, his voice low, "Overthrowing the Heavenly Court, will the Immortal Court do any better? No, it will only become worse! As Gouchen, I bear the divine responsibility to prevent this world from falling to decay. This is the right path. Our generation's battle at Fashang was for the right path... "

"Your Majesty, I won't drink this beheading wine now. If there is nothing else, I bid farewell."

Chen Shi rose, approached the shopkeeper and paid for the wine, turned back and said, "Your Majesty, I will settle the bill, this round is on me. I have official duties, so I won't disturb you further. Stay well, stay well."

Chen Shi left the tavern, about to depart, when he suddenly sensed something and turned back to see Emperor Gouchen also leaving the tavern, following behind him.

"This emperor is a harbinger of death!"

Chen Shi thought to himself, realizing it was not a good sign to be targeted by Emperor Gouchen, who was caught in an internal struggle between killing him and sparing him.

"I still need to quell the rebellion, or it will be hard to account to the Great Heavenly Venerate."

Chen Shi braced himself, flew away.

Emperor Gouchen followed closely, always maintaining a short distance.

Chen Shi knew that with his cultivation, it would be difficult to shake him off, so he abandoned the thought, thinking: "The Great Heavenly Venerate sent me to Wu Yue Province to quell the rebellion, coincidentally passing through Heavenly Market, could it be a plan to use Gouchen's hand to eliminate me, making me completely a Heavenly Dao Divine person?"

This strategy was ingenious, if Gouchen kills Chen Shi, he becomes the traitor, the Great Heavenly Venerate eliminates Emperor Gouchen, the mole from the Three Pure Ones Realm, which would be a logical outcome without any objections.

However, for Chen Shi, this precarious sensation was unpleasant.

Strangely, despite searching for a long time in Wu Yue Province, Chen Shi hadn't encountered any rebellious immortals, not even a single divine being.

"Wasn't there supposed to be a rebellion? Where are the rebels?"

Chen Shi was astonished, thinking hard, "Perhaps I should first visit the Wu Yue Star Mansion. If immortals rebel, the first target they kill would be the Star Lord of Wu Yue Province, and when the Star Lord encounters rebel immortals, he would first mobilize troops to suppress them. Going to the Wu Yue Star Mansion, even if I don't meet the rebels, I could get information."

"Does Your Majesty know where the Wu Yue Star Mansion is?" Chen Shi turned back, blocking Emperor Gouchen, and asked.

Emperor Gouchen's face was uncertain, still caught in an internal battle, upon hearing the words he casually pointed, Chen Shi thanked him and headed toward the Wu Yue Star Mansion.

As he neared the Wu Yue Star Mansion, Emperor Gouchen suddenly felt something, tried to call out to Chen Shi, but restrained himself.

He transformed his appearance, bird-like with a beak and wings, Thunder God's face, slowly quelled to become a dignified male, about thirty years old.

Chen Shi sensed something, glanced back and saw Emperor Gouchen had transformed into human form, intrigued but undisturbed, proceeded to the Wu Yue Star Mansion.

Wu Yue Star Lord was not enshrined as a divine post-Battle of Fashang, this Star Lord arose during the Spring and Autumn Annals era at the end of Great Zhou, after death was worshipped by Wu Kingdom's citizens turning to a god, later followed the Heavenly Court to the Earth Immortal Realm, and was enshrined as Wu Yue Star Lord.

Arriving at the gate, Chen Shi addressed the divine being guarding, "I am the General of the World, Chen Shi, Heavenly King Chen, report to Wu Yue Star Lord swiftly."

The Door God was stunned by his words, hurried inside to report. Shortly after, an elder with a tall and slender figure and wearing a high crown approached quickly and smiled from a distance: "Heavenly King Chen has come from afar, Mr. Ji could not welcome you earlier, I beg forgiveness!"