If it were merely for a few blood sacrifices, although Great Tang had a large population, it was nothing more than a collection of ants to the various orthodoxies that had long since transcended the mundane world.
How could it be worth such a massive mobilization, even to the point of crossing worlds?
Unless... there was something within the borders of Great Tang that made it worthwhile for several orthodoxies to extend their reach.
Thinking of this.
A name suddenly surfaced in everyone's hearts.
Venerable Green Snake sucked in a breath of cold air: "Could it be... the Great Tang Ancestor Founder!?"
Boom—
As soon as these words were spoken, though it wasn't explicitly said, everyone already had an answer in their hearts.
The expressions of the several Immortal Masters changed multiple times.
Great Tang Ancestor Founder.
What did this name mean to any Dao Lineage?
Venerable Yellow Centipede sneered: "You all know that the orthodoxies of this world are divided into the five luminaries and five manifestations, totaling twenty-five lineages."
Everyone nodded slightly.
Naturally, they knew of this matter.
The so-called five luminaries refer to the orbital paths of the five stars: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
And the five manifestations mean that under each Luminary, they are further divided into five positions: Transformation, Fetal, Assistant, Imperial, and Extinction.
Five times five, totaling twenty-five lineages of Dao Lineage, are all the paths leading to longevity in this world.
Venerable Yellow Centipede's gaze was deep as he spoke slowly: "Among the twenty-five lineages, if we speak of slaughter, it belongs to the Extinction Position; if we speak of creation, it belongs to the Transformation Position... but if we speak of dominance, who can surpass the Imperial Position?"
"He who bears the nation's shame is called the Lord of the Altars of Soil and Grain; he who bears the nation's calamities is called the King of the World."
"The Imperial Position Dao Lineage governs command, suppression, and order."
"Among the Five Luminary Imperial Positions, there are the Taie of the Great White Star, the Jianmu of the Year Star, the Xuanming of the Morning Star, and the Chunyang of the mars, associated with warfare... These four lineages of Dao Lineage attained their fruition long before the primordial era, establishing their orthodoxies and residing high in the Nine Heavens, deeply rooted and unshakable."
"Only..."
"Only the Central Yellow lineage of the Town Star, which resides in the central palace and commands the four directions. Since the Great Tribulation of antiquity, its Dao Lineage has shattered and the Imperial Throne has sat vacant until eight hundred years ago... Li Tianyuan emerged out of nowhere, sweeping across the six directions and stabilizing the eight wildernesses, gathering the Dragon Qi of the nine provinces into himself, nearly allowing him to attain this position and continue the Central Yellow Dao Lineage!"
"If it weren't for the major orthodoxies joining forces to suppress him at the final moment..."
Everyone fell silent.
Although the battle back then was a secret, as contemporary Immortal Masters, they naturally knew of its brutality.
If the Great Tang Ancestor Founder had truly attained that position, how could their Five Immortals Mountain have remained in the heartland of Great Tang... they would have been driven out long ago.
"So..."
Venerable Red Toad's throat bobbed, as if he had guessed something: "Since this person died back then... what does the current situation have to do with him?"
Venerable Yellow Centipede stood up, hands behind his back: "Logically, after Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, there is absolutely no chance of life. But lately, the anomalies within Great Tang's borders are simply too suspicious... If they hadn't caught the scent that Li Tianyuan might have undergone Reincarnation to cultivate again, or left behind some backup plan... and wanted to seize the fruits of the Central Yellow lineage before he could grow powerful, why would they all act at the same time?"
"Since it is a Reincarnation, who among you can know which member of the current imperial family Li Tianyuan has reincarnated into?"
"Is it the Emperor sitting high in the court?"
"Or those Prince Regents?"
"Or perhaps..."
He paused and said grimly: "The now world-famous Grand Princess of Great Tang?"
Venerable Red Toad's face stiffened slightly; he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
Venerable Yellow Centipede sneered and continued: "It would be fine if your Dharma Body went there and nothing happened."
"But if you truly brought the Taizu's Reincarnation back to our mountain gate... setting aside what other orthodoxies would do, our Five Immortals Legacy is nothing more than side-door Wild Cultivators in the face of the true Dao Lineage. I'm afraid we would just be making a wedding dress for him..."
"If you killed that person on a whim..."
A flash of tyranny crossed Venerable Yellow Centipede's eyes: "His innate wisdom has not yet awakened, and his Dao foundation has not manifested. If the Reincarnation truly dies and the Karma of the Central Yellow lineage is completely severed, you would be ruining the plans of the other orthodoxies!"
"When that time comes..."
"Forget about your Red Immortal Lineage, even our entire Five Immortals Mountain will be razed to the ground by the other orthodoxies, leaving not a single blade of grass!"
These words.
Venerable Red Toad felt a chill run down his spine.
If it were really so... bringing back the Taizu's Reincarnation would be inviting fire upon themselves.
If they killed the Taizu's Reincarnation, they would be enemies of the whole world.
No matter the outcome, it was a dead end.
Thinking of this, Venerable Red Toad's face turned pale.
"This..."
Venerable Black Spider, who had not spoken until now, could no longer sit still, his face filled with anxiety: "This won't do, that won't do. Do we really have to be like we were hundreds of years ago? Watching other blessed lands and cave heavens place their pieces? Eating the meat and drinking the soup? While we guard this heartland of Great Tang, being so close yet only able to watch with our eyes wide open?"
Although Five Immortals Mountain called itself an immortal sect and claimed to have transcended the Mortal World.
In the eyes of the true twenty-five lineages of Dao Lineage... they were nothing more than unorthodox paths.
At most, they were just a group of Spirit Monsters who had obtained a bit of creation.
The so-called five luminaries and five manifestations.
These twenty-five paths to heaven had long been carved up and exhausted by those ancient existences.
If latecomers wanted to go a step further but didn't want to join the twenty-five lineages.
They would have to be like them, self-certifying an Dao Lineage and becoming a minor path outside the twenty-five.
The others didn't speak, but their eyes all showed a hint of desire.
If they could seize this Imperial Position Dao fruit... even if it were shared among the five lineages, it would be enough for Five Immortals Mountain to undergo a complete transformation and forcibly open a new lineage outside the five luminaries and five manifestations!
Turning it into... five luminaries and Six Manifestations.
This act would be Heaven-Defying, changing their fate and forcibly squeezing into the ranks of the Dao Lineage!
This was the dominance of the Imperial Position!
This was also why all the major orthodoxies were eyeing it greedily.
Venerable Yellow Centipede glanced at everyone and slowly shook his head.
"Naturally not... Currently, only a few surrounding orthodoxies have made a move. Presumably, the other orthodoxies either haven't received definite news yet, or they have but are all watching from the sidelines, not daring to enter the fray easily..."
"Since we currently occupy the geographical advantage, we must seize the initiative."
"To steal that Central Yellow Dao foundation, we must force his innate wisdom to undergo Awakening..."
"Only at the moment when Li Tianyuan's true spirit completely awakens and the Dao fruit manifests can we uproot it and seize its creation."
Venerable Green Snake flicked her tongue and asked softly: "Then how do we force him to awaken?"
Venerable Yellow Centipede smiled indifferently: "Li Tianyuan merged his body with the national fate back then. If he reincarnates, he will surely care for the Great Tang's territory. If Great Tang has favorable weather and the people live in peace, he could live a stable life, perhaps even until death without ever Awakening his innate wisdom. But if..."
"If demons and monsters run rampant, and the people are plunged into misery."
"If the altars of soil and grain collapse, and the country is destroyed."
"Can he... still stay hidden?"
Hearing this, the four people in the hall all felt a shock in their hearts.
Immediately following.
Their faces showed smiles of mutual understanding.
Yes.
Since they didn't know who the Reincarnation was.
Then they would force him to jump out himself.
As long as Great Tang was chaotic enough and the world miserable enough... he would naturally show anomalies, like an awl in a bag, unable to be hidden!