In the void, Qianye Immortal King had been closely monitoring the situation on the side of the Great Dao. When Xuanyuan Qinhou and Dugu Yunfeng stepped forward to express their support for suppressing the spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts of You Di, she was greatly surprised.
She never expected the Sage Path and the Heavenly Dao, who had remained silent all along, to suddenly step forward and declare their stance in support of Elder Tai.
However, besides surprise, what she felt more was a sense of disappointment and helplessness.
Her words also carried a tone of mockery as she said, "The Sage Path and the Heavenly Dao have been silent ever since they appeared. They didn't express their stance when they should have, and now when they finally do, they rush forward to declare it. Moreover, the timing of their declaration is extremely clever. They didn't speak up earlier, nor later, but chose precisely the moment when Elder Tai was at his wit's end to express their stance."
Qianye Immortal King shook her head slightly, her expression looking very dejected, and continued, "This clearly shows that the Heavenly Dao and the Sage Path were deliberately watching the Immortal Dao's show, waiting until the Immortal Dao had no more act to perform before stepping forward. With their declaration, they instantly reversed the situation. It's obvious that the Heavenly Dao and the Sage Path want to make the Immortal Dao understand one thing: in front of the Heavenly Dao and the Sage Path, the Immortal Dao will forever only be a supporting role. Without the support of the Heavenly Dao and the Sage Path, this calamity play cannot be performed by the Immortal Dao alone!"
Qianye Immortal King sighed with regret and lamented, "If my guess is correct, Elder Tai of the Immortal Dao originally wanted to seize this opportunity to perform a solo show for the Sage Path and Heavenly Dao to hear. He wanted them to understand that even without the support of the Heavenly Dao and Sage Path, the Immortal Dao could still preside over the overall situation. Unfortunately, Elder Tai completely botched this performance."
"I originally thought that with the lessons from the Desolate Ancient Era as a precedent, they would learn from them during this calamity, put aside past grievances and estrangements, join hands, and work together to stop this calamity. What I never expected was that these guys haven't learned a single lesson at all. Even at this critical juncture, they are still engaged in scheming against each other and locking horns. It's simply unbelievable."
The more Qianye Immortal King spoke, the angrier she became, her words filled with fury.
"No wonder Martial Sage Xuanyuan Wuji, Heavenly General Dugu Qizhan, Great Sun Yao Emperor, and even Genggu Wuming have not shown their faces until now. The Sage Path, Heavenly Dao, and Immortal Dao are all selfish and self-serving. Instead of thinking about joining forces to stop the calamity, they all want to use this calamity to ascend to the position of Head of the Great Dao and dominate Heaven and Earth. If it were me, I would also hide and not show myself, letting them scheme against each other to their hearts' content! Let's see who ends up crying in the end!"
"I'm utterly convinced! If the three thousand Great Daos get slaughtered again this time, they truly deserve it, and can't blame Fate one bit!"
Qianye Immortal King had finally seen things clearly, understood them thoroughly.
She knew that the Heavenly Dao, Sage Path, and Immortal Dao had always been at odds with each other, and their enmity ran extremely deep. These grievances included old hatreds from before the Desolate Ancient Era, as well as new resentments formed after it.
As everyone knew, the first generation Head of the Great Dao who ruled Heaven and Earth was the Sage Path.
In the early Desolate Ancient Era, because the Sage Path stood too high and mighty, looking down on all other Daos as if they were ants, the Heavenly Dao, Immortal Dao, Demonic Dao, Buddhist Dao, and the other three thousand Great Daos joined forces to launch a crusade. They finally succeeded in dragging the Sage Path down from the position of Head of the Great Dao. From then on, the Sage Path declined, and the Desolate Ancient Era entered an age of contention among the Great Daos.
During the contention of the three thousand Great Daos, the Heavenly Dao emerged victorious, becoming the second generation Head of the Great Dao ruling Heaven and Earth in one fell swoop.
As the first generation Head of the Great Dao, the Sage Path naturally harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Heavenly Dao that replaced it.
The Immortal Dao also harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Heavenly Dao. Because back when the Immortal Dao and Heavenly Dao jointly crusaded against the Sage Path, everyone contributed equally. Yet, during the contention of the Great Daos, the Heavenly Dao seized the initiative and snatched the position of Head of the Great Dao. The Immortal Dao had always held a grudge about this, feeling that the Heavenly Dao stole the position of Head of the Great Dao that rightfully belonged to the Immortal Dao.
And the Heavenly Dao and Sage Path similarly harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Immortal Dao.
After the Desolate Ancient Era.
Both the Sage Path and Heavenly Dao fell into slumber. The Immortal Dao was the first Dao to revive. Seizing the initiative, the Immortal Dao not only forced the Demonic Dao to submit but also began infiltrating the Thirty-Six Cave Paradises and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands. Even more terrifyingly, the Immortal Dao established Immortal Dynasties across the Myriad Worlds, using the Human Dao as its foundation to continuously transfuse resources into the Immortal Dao.
As a result, the power of the Immortal Dao grew larger and larger, while the Sage Path and Heavenly Dao could only wither further. Because the Immortal Dao controlled not only the resources of the Myriad Worlds but also the talent. Whenever talent was discovered, they would immediately recruit and nurture them, giving no opportunity to other Daos. Even more shamelessly, the Immortal Dao secretly kept assassinating Heavenly Immortals and Heavenly Demons. Whenever the Sage Path managed to nurture a talent, as soon as they dared show their face, nine times out of ten they would also be assassinated by the Immortal Dao.
It could be said that after the Desolate Ancient Era, although the Immortal Dao was not the Head of the Great Dao, it was even more powerful than the Head. Through despicable, shameless, sinister, and domineering means, it suppressed the Heavenly Dao, Sage Path, including the Buddhist Dao, Demonic Dao, and Human Dao, leaving them helpless.
Qianye Immortal King had thought that when the calamity arrived, the Sage Path, Heavenly Dao, and Immortal Dao would temporarily set aside past grievances and join hands to stop this calamity together. Only now did she understand that this was merely her own wishful thinking.
The Immortal Dao dreamed of becoming the true Head of the Great Dao ruling Heaven and Earth. In the eyes of the Immortal Dao, this calamity probably wasn't a calamity at all, but more like an opportunity, a chance to ascend to the position of Head of the Great Dao.
For the Sage Path, this first generation Head of the Great Dao had gradually declined after being jointly crusaded against by the three thousand Great Daos in the Desolate Ancient Era, becoming neglected and irrelevant, with even its presence feeling very low. The Sage Path probably also wanted to use this calamity to once again become the Head of the Great Dao ruling Heaven and Earth.
Compared to the Sage Path and Immortal Dao, the situation of the Heavenly Dao was much worse.
For the Heavenly Dao, it was the second generation Head of the Great Dao, and to this day, it still is.
But the premise is that it can stop this calamity and protect the three thousand Great Daos. Only by protecting the Great Daos can the Heavenly Dao remain the Head. If the Great Daos cannot be protected, the Heavenly Dao will not only lose its qualification to rule Heaven and Earth but also lose even the title of 'Heavenly Dao'.
Not only that.
Besides protecting the Great Daos, it also has to guard against the Sage Path and Immortal Dao, preventing them from replacing it and seizing the position of Head of the Great Dao by taking advantage of the situation.
It could be said that in this calamity, the Heavenly Dao faces both internal troubles and external threats.
The Immortal Dao and Sage Path covet the position of Head of the Great Dao.
The Heavenly Dao guards against the Immortal Dao and Sage Path.
Under these circumstances, the Great Dao Patriarchs of the Thirty-Six Cave Paradises and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands simply didn't know whether to follow the Heavenly Dao, the Sage Path, or the Immortal Dao.
None of them trusted each other. Everyone was guarding against everyone else. How could they possibly join forces to overcome this calamity? How could they possibly protect this Heaven and Earth of the Great Dao?
Thinking of this.
Qianye Immortal King felt like crying but had no tears.
She finally understood why, when faced with Elder Tai's questioning earlier, Changfeng Great Emperor said he had his own choices; why Peacock Great Emperor said he didn't act for the Great Dao, but only to save all living beings; why Fusheng Dijun said he only protected the Great Dao in his own heart.
One was the first generation Head of the Great Dao, one the second generation Head, and one an existence that was not the Head but more powerful than the Head. The Heavenly Dao, Sage Path, and Immortal Dao were all so selfish and self-serving. This couldn't help but raise the question: was a Great Dao like this still worth protecting?