Emperor Gouchen was slightly taken aback.

He could understand the conflict between the Heavenly Court, the Three Pure Ones Realm, and the Western Heaven. But the next words of Chen Shi left him somewhat contemplative.

"The Great Heavenly Venerate has little attachment to power."

Emperor Gouchen pondered for a moment and said, "The power of the Great Heavenly Venerate stops at the Heavenly Court. Among mortals, he is known as Emperor, Heaven; among cultivators, he is Emperor Hao Tian; among all gods, the Great Heavenly Venerate; and among immortals, he is the Natural Marvelous Miro True Jade Emperor. His prestige may be high, but it is merely divine authority. Houtu commands the rights over earth gods, the underworld, and reincarnation. I have authority over all earthly armies and conflicts; Changsheng possesses power over life, death, tribulation, and the judgment of thunder; my brother Ziwei controls the heavens and the sacred stars, upholding the order of nature. There are also divisions of Dou, Thunder, Plague, and the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, which disperse the power of the Great Heavenly Venerate."

Chen Shi said slowly, "But Emperor Changsheng has perished, and one of the Four Imperial Lords is gone. Beidi was assassinated, Houtu lost a major pillar, and if I hadn't taught Houtu the Primordial Talisman, she too wouldn't have escaped death. Without my intervention, in a short span, two of the Four Imperial Lords would have been removed. If I weren't here to quell the rebellion in the Heavenly Market, Your Majesty would have struck me down, and then the Great Heavenly Venerate would have every justification to eliminate you, leaving only one of the Four Imperial Lords."

He paused slightly and continued earnestly, "Your Majesty, should you be slain by the Great Heavenly Venerate, how will your brother, Emperor Ziwei, position himself? Will he rebel or not?"

Emperor Gouchen's face was a blend of emotions.

Chen Shi said, "If I were to die at Your Majesty's hand, would Dou Mu, Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Venerable, and the Emperor of Plague, those expert disciples of the Jie Sect, strike Three Pure Ones Realm with a vicious hand? Would they suffer heavy casualties as a result? Would the Three Emperors, Five Elders, Nine Celestial, and Ten Ghost Emperors intervene to turn the tide? If they suffer losses on the battlefield, divine authority will wholly belong to the Great Heavenly Venerate. By then, would the Great Heavenly Venerate still be the figurehead worshipped by the Three Pure Ones?"

Emperor Gouchen was at a loss, and after a long while, he said, "Do you think the Great Heavenly Venerate intentionally weakens his own power? How would that benefit him? If the Three Pure Ones Realm and Western Heaven triumph and form an Immortal Court, he will be left with nothing."

Chen Shi laughed, "That, I do not know."

Emperor Gouchen said, "So, your speculation about the Great Heavenly Venerate is wrong!"

Chen Shi drank tea, lowering his eyes with a smile, "I merely speak of what I see."

Emperor Gouchen was silent for a long time, holding his teacup but not drinking, and contemplated, "If things are as you predict, then I shall pledge allegiance to the Immortal Court. Though the Immortal Court is weaker, the Immortal Emperor is supremely talented, with extraordinary techniques and a capacity to accommodate, under his banner, exceptional talents emerging. He can ally with the Three Pure Ones on the left and the Western Heaven on the right. Restraining the Heavenly Court and exterminating the Great Heavenly Venerate, he could also incorporate the Holy Land into the Immortal Court, enacting the way of Penglai West."

Chen Shi said, "Once successful, should the Holy Land of the Three Pure Ones Realm be claimed? Should the Holy Land of the Western Heaven be claimed?"

Emperor Gouchen paused, anger rising in his heart and resentment forming in his mind, setting down the teacup, he shouted, "Neither the left nor the right would do! Chen, what exactly do you want?"

His aura surged forth, truly majestic and fierce, worthy as one of the Four Imperial Lords!

Chen Shi was not afraid at all, he sneered, "It's Your Majesty who finds neither left nor right possible, caught in a dilemma, not I. Could it be that Your Majesty intends to vent anger on Chen?"

Emperor Gouchen's anger dissipated, and he couldn't help laughing out loud, saying, "Indeed, I am caught in between, and I cannot blame the Heavenly King. Heavenly King Chen imparted knowledge and eased confusion, known as a teacher, a Confucian during the Great Shang Period, also termed a Witch, could you teach me, and clear my confusion?"

Chen Shi proposed, "Why doesn't Your Majesty settle quietly in the Heavenly Market, just as I quietly settle in Penglai West?"

He advised earnestly, "You and I await the opportune moment, there will come a day when heroes rise."

"Rebel!"

Emperor Gouchen snorted angrily, murderous intent rising, slamming the table, "You indeed harbor thoughts of rebellion!"

Chen Shi laughed, "Your Majesty is caught between a rock and a hard place, why ponder over two decaying pieces of wood? Are you expecting the withered wood to bloom? Why not start anew, planting fresh shoots, it would be easier than hoping for old wood to revive in spring."

Emperor Gouchen grew more enraged, eyebrows raised, "You might be a rebel, but I am not!"

Chen Shi coldly said, "Your Majesty's loyalty to the Heavenly Court renders you a rebel in the immortals' eyes, while loyalty to the immortals marks you a rebel in the Heavenly Court's view. Why not be true to oneself, loyal to conscience?"

Emperor Gouchen was speechless.

The two sat in silence. After a while, Emperor Gouchen said, "My Master has arrived."

He stood up, bowed respectfully, and said solemnly, "Disciple Lei Zhenzi pays respects to the Master."

Chen Shi also stood up, looking towards the direction of his bow, and saw clouds and rosy clouds surging from a distance, coming this way, forming and ascending like a mass of cotton, upon reaching the top, converging towards the center, sinking downwards.

Rosy clouds emitted from within the clouds, forming five-colored beams of light, segment by segment, not connected front to back.

This was the glory of divine light.

Each beam of divine light bore testament to a passage of the Great Dao.

The divine light appeared intermittently, and the way of the Great Dao also arose and ceased, circling and repeating, marvelously unpredictable. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Chen Shi gazed intently, seeing beneath the clouds an approaching Daoist, resembling an immortal in a painting, free-spirited and graceful, with three red marks on his forehead and an aura forming a Mixed Yuan behind his head. As he walked, heaven and earth became colorful, dragons and phoenixes danced, green shade emerged, golden fountains sprang, and nature's spiritual energy became extraordinarily abundant, echoing with Dao sounds, fragrant with floral scents.

That Daoist appeared far more elegant and transcendent than any he had seen before, as if this world, if there were immortals, they must be like him.

Chen Shi saluted, "Chen Shi of Golden Turtle Island, greets the Upper Pure Realm Master."

The Daoist returned the salute, "Yun Zhongzi of the Upper Pure Realm, greets Mr. Chen."

The Daoist then looked toward Emperor Gouchen, also saluting, "The mountain recluse Yun Zhongzi, pays respects to the Emperor of the Upper Palace of Gouchen."