NOVPUBThe favor of the Human Path allowed me to eliminate the hidden dangers of rapidly increasing my realm and to control more of humanity’s fate, standing out among all my brothers and sisters.
This phenomenon left me very puzzled, but in the face of external doubts, I could only claim that it was the effect of the Seal of Blessing bestowed by Fellow Taoist Shen.
These words from Ji Zhaoyang immediately reminded Shen Yuan of the trials he had undergone in the Primal Chaos Nifty Pagoda, entering that foreign mini-world.
Although Shen Yuan had been cultivating the sun and moon, he still had a certain understanding of the overall situation.
Ji Zhaoyang had once promoted the Human Path in Mu Kingdom, using the identity of a Great Yin Prince to be decreed as Mortal King, propelling Mu Kingdom from a world of chaos inflicted by demons into the ranks of a human Imperial Dynasty.
Though he ultimately fell short of success, he had sown the seeds of the Human Path in that mini-world, so attracting the favor of the Human Path was entirely within reason.
However, Shen Yuan did not explain the reasons to Ji Zhaoyang, as the matters of the trials were not convenient to spread to the outside world.
"The Third Imperial Prince has gained the favor of the Human Path, is that not a good thing?"
"A good thing? Perhaps!" Ji Zhaoyang sighed and asked Shen Yuan:
"Does Fellow Taoist Shen know the criteria the Great Yin Imperial Family uses to select the heir to the throne?"
"I have not heard of it."
"Within the Great Yin Imperial Family, even if you are exceptionally talented and intelligent, capable of gaining the support of all ministers and nobles, you might not be able to ascend to the Mortal Emperor’s throne smoothly.
Because cultivation base, talent, and the support of civil and military officials are all insignificant to the Great Yin Imperial Family, the only measuring standard is the abundance of one’s humanity fate.
The more humanity fate one has, the stronger the Human Path’s momentum one can mobilize upon ascending to the Mortal Emperor’s throne, and the stronger the power one can exert when sitting in the Imperial Capital.
Only in this way can the Great Yin’s Mortal Emperor suppress all realms and be in charge of the 36 Territories of Jiu Province."
The maidservant puppet stepped forward and filled the Third Imperial Prince’s cup with Spiritual Wine. Holding his cup, the Third Imperial Prince spoke with a troubled expression:
"Although it seems that the selection of the heir to the throne is entirely down to luck, after so many years and the succession of numerous Mortal Emperors, some standards have still emerged.
For example, if a certain Prince has wide-reaching benevolence and receives the support of civil and military officials, then his human fate would become more concentrated.
With the Mortal Emperor suppressing the Primal Chaos Realm, and the overall human fate tending towards stability, this small difference in fate can determine who the heir to the throne will be."
"My eldest brother is over three hundred years my senior, and as the Mortal Emperor’s first son, he was early on titled as Crown Prince, with the support of his maternal clan and the initiative from civil and military officials to align with him.
Even though the Crown Prince barely managed to break through to the Return-to-Void Realm at the age of four hundred, with the advantage of age, his human fate far surpasses that of the other brothers and sisters.
Although not well-known beyond the 36 Territories, the Crown Prince is unanimously regarded by the court as the future heir of Great Yin."
Hearing this, Shen Yuan gradually understood the cause and effect.
"But since I have received the favor of the Human Path, and with a concentration of human fate exceeding that of the Crown Prince, the situation has completely changed.
My cultivation talent is one of the best in the Great Yin Imperial Family, far surpassing the Crown Prince. Coupled with the reversal in the concentration of fate, many nobles and ministers who had placed their bets early now regret their decisions.
A portion of the civil and military officials began to gravitate towards me, and my maternal clan started to build momentum for me.
Human fate being the sole standard to measure the heir to the throne has long been an iron law in Great Yin, and despite the Crown Prince’s early plotting for hundreds of years, it is difficult to bridge the gap in human fate."
"My sudden rise has disrupted the status quo of the Great Yin’s court, causing numerous ministers and nobles who wagered early to be full of worry, fearing that if I ascended to the throne, I would settle accounts with them. The Crown Prince sees me as a thorn in his side even more so.
But if it were only these, it would still be alright, as under the Mortal Emperor’s will, all would be suppressed, no matter how hard it is for the Crown Prince and the ministers and nobles to accept it.
But just after I gained the favor of the Human Path, my father, the Mortal Emperor, did not issue any edicts, but only granted some treasures and those few Merfolk.
In regards to the dispute between me and the Crown Prince, the Mortal Emperor seems to maintain a permissive attitude, which makes the Crown Prince and those early-betting ministers and nobles increasingly bold, after all, my advantage in human fate is only slight and still not enough to completely suppress the Crown Prince.
As time went on, the underlying disputes gradually came into the open."
"The Crown Prince’s faction has laid out plans in the court early on, with many established ministers and nobles holding the advantage in numbers.
""
As a latecomer, I could only retreat step by step in the face of the Crown Prince’s offensive, as the ministers and nobles who supported me were utterly incapable of resisting, leaving our only hope that the Mortal Emperor would adhere to ancestral laws and intervene to determine the heir to the throne.
If the delay continued, the overall situation would become even more favorable for me, but with the spread of the All-Worlds Luotian Convention news, everything changed."
A deeper shade of worry crossed Ji Zhaoyang’s face.
"As one of the Primal Chaos Realm’s grand occasions, the Great Yin Imperial Family will inevitably participate in the Luotian Convention, and I, as the Prince with the greatest innate talent in the Great Yin Imperial Family, will surely secure a place in the Convention."
The site of the Luotian Convention is not within the Primal Chaos Realm, which undoubtedly presents an excellent opportunity for those in the Crown Prince’s faction.
If we were within the Imperial Capital, even if the Crown Prince and the ministers and nobles behind him were to act wildly, it would be impossible for them to make a move under the Mortal Emperor’s watchful eye.
However, since the Luotian Convention severs ties with the Primal Chaos Realm, eliminating me during the Convention would allow the Crown Prince to continue resting easy in his position as heir to the throne."
Upon saying this, Ji Zhaoyang’s urgency was no longer concealed, as he directly addressed Shen Yuan:
"The Crown Prince’s faction has profound resources, and the Crown Prince himself possesses formidable strength as a Great True Being at the Return-to-Void Stage.
Although I can secure a place in the Luotian Convention, I can hardly find many suitable candidates to join the event, making it extremely difficult to oppose the Crown Prince."
"Upon hearing of Fellow Taoist Shen’s slaying of the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable, I thought to request you to protect me during the All-Worlds Luotian Convention.
I asked the Sky Diviner to personally calculate your whereabouts, and after confirming your presence in You Province, I sent Xu Guan to invite you to the Imperial Capital."
"As long as you can escort me back safely, all opportunities within the Convention are yours to claim without me taking a single one. You may also present any conditions; as long as they are within my power, I will do my utmost to meet them."
"Though I cannot compare with the Crown Prince in terms of profound resources, I can mobilize some extraordinary treasures and Divine Arts from the Imperial Treasury."
With these words, the Third Imperial Prince gave Shen Yuan a solemn bow.
After hearing the Third Imperial Prince’s story, Shen Yuan’s expression grew somewhat moved.
He had considered that Ji Zhaoyang had other motives, yet he hadn’t realized that this matter was related to an internal power succession within the Great Yin Imperial Family and the competition for the next Mortal Emperor’s throne.
Even though Shen Yuan already knew neither the 3rd Prince Ji Zhaoyang nor the First Prince would be the ultimate winner, this did not diminish the impact of the matter.
If this were to spread outside, it’s likely that many grotto heavens sacred grounds would take action upon hearing the news. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"Nevertheless, there should be some limits to the power struggle within the Imperial Family, and it’s inevitable that the grotto heavens sacred grounds cannot intervene in the dispute over the Mortal Emperor’s throne.
"That’s why my solitary status, having offended both the Little Clarity Void Grotto Heavens and the Donghuang Divine System, allowed the Third Imperial Prince to see me as a source of support."
To others, even if they were capable of intervening in the struggle for the Mortal Emperor’s throne, they would have to consider the potential karmic crises that might ensue.
However, this was of little concern to Shen Yuan.
In the Primal Chaos Realm millennia later, Shen Yuan personally helped a Mortal Emperor ascend, earning the title of Mentor to the Mortal Emperor.
Although that was a Mortal Emperor’s throne within an incomplete realm, it was still genuinely an emperor’s position, which meant Shen Yuan did not have the fear of this situation as outsiders might imagine.
"I agree."
Shen Yuan replied lightly, his demeanor as relaxed as if he were casually responding to Ji Zhaoyang’s question about what to eat for dinner that night.
Ji Zhaoyang was stunned, then his face broke into wild joy.
While Shen Yuan’s strength may not be sufficient to seize the ultimate opportunity at the Luotian Convention, it was more than enough to ensure his safety.
"But I have one condition," Shen Yuan’s voice rose again.
"Please speak freely, Fellow Taoist Shen."
"I want all the Earthly Destroyer Divine Power Cultivation Methods collected by the Great Yin Imperial Family!"
