The Seven-Star Assembly Hall was usually a nexus of carefully controlled political maneuvering, but today it was a tomb of silent paranoia. News of the Grand Unity Enforcers' annihilation and the destruction of the Sovereign's Hall had shattered the ruling confidence of the Lower Heavens. Inside a heavily shielded annex, Lord Xing, the Assembly's leader and a Golden Immortal Stage 7 master, paced, his face a mask of cold fury and deep, personal fear.
He was not afraid of the chaos; he was afraid of exposure. For centuries, Lord Xing had dedicated his life to secretly studying the forbidden Dao of Time-a desperate attempt to reverse the death of his beloved wife. This secret pursuit had crippled his true potential and made him a political target, a weakness only he and his closest confidants knew.
A servant announced a visitor: Elder Jiao, an upstart Golden Immortal who had recently sworn fealty to a rumored new power.
"Let him enter," Lord Xing commanded, straightening his robes. He intended to execute Jiao instantly for treason if the messenger proved disrespectful.
Elder Jiao entered and knelt, but his posture was not subservient to Lord Xing. It was the absolute, focused fealty of a man serving a higher, terrifying authority.
"Lord Xing," Jiao stated, his voice ringing with the unnatural clarity of Lin Tian's projected will. "I carry a message from my Master, the Heaven-Shaking Daoist."
Lord Xing scoffed. "The alleged power behind this chaos? He sends a defeated rogue as a messenger? State your purpose, before I end your existence."
Jiao remained perfectly still, channeling Lin Tian's devastating diagnosis. "My Master knows the truth of your existence, Lord Xing. He knows the secret that stalls your cultivation and threatens your political life: your flawless pursuit of the Dao of Time is fundamentally flawed. Specifically, the Temporal Resonance Lock in your third meridian loop is corrupted by latent Reverse Causality Stress. You are dying slowly, crippled by your own grief."
Lord Xing's face went white, his Golden Immortal defenses instantly collapsing in absolute shock. The knowledge was too specific, too profound. It was a secret he had guarded with his life, a spiritual truth only discernible by an Omni-Talent. He drew his immense Golden Immortal Qi, ready to incinerate Jiao and bury the secret forever.
"Treason!" Lord Xing roared. "You lie! No one knows that!"
Jiao held firm. "My Master knows the exact point of the flaw, and he knows your greatest desire: to perfect the Dao of Time and restore what was lost. I am here with your only two choices."
Lord Xing slowly lowered his hand, the terror of exposure overriding his martial pride. He recognized the nature of the power: a knowledge that transcended this Tier.
"What choice does your Master, the infant, offer me?" Lord Xing spat, the word "infant" laced with impotent rage.
Jiao presented the bargain, channeling the perfect, absolute strategic logic of Lin Tian.
"Choice One: You attempt to silence me, and my Master will accelerate the flaw in your Dao of Time using the Dao of Entropy. Your cultivation will collapse in minutes, and your political rivals will expose your failure to the entire Assembly."
Lord Xing shuddered, clutching his chest. He knew the prophecy was true; he had felt the instability growing.
"Choice Two: You swear the Vow of Silent Servitude-an unbreakable spiritual contract known only to the Ascended-to the Heaven-Shaking Daoist. In return, my Master will gift you the perfect, corrected Temporal Resonance Lock technique, freeing you from stagnation and guaranteeing your mastery of the Dao of Time."
Lin Tian was leveraging Lord Xing's emotional weakness-his love and his ambition-against his martial strength.
Lord Xing stood immobile for a full minute, centuries of power and pride warring with the desperate desire for salvation and ultimate power. He looked at Elder Jiao, realizing he was facing a power that could grant him literal control over Fate itself.
"The Dao of Time," Lord Xing finally whispered, the fight draining from his eyes. "The chance to master the forbidden law is too great to refuse."
He collapsed to his knees, not out of fear, but out of absolute strategic surrender. "I swear the Vow of Silent Servitude to the Heaven-Shaking Daoist. My life and my command of the Seven-Star Assembly are his. I will serve the cause of cosmic perfection."
Jiao smiled faintly and initiated the spiritual exchange, binding the most powerful political figure in the Lower Heavens.
With Lord Xing bound, the political conquest of the Lower Heavens was complete. Lin Tian immediately sent his first command to his new puppet: Begin the Purge Protocol. Use the collapse of the Sovereign's Hall as justification. Eliminate all political rivals and consolidate the power of the seven houses under your singular command.
Lord Xing rose, his eyes now filled with the cold, absolute resolve of his new master. He immediately summoned the Assembly, launching a swift, brutal campaign of execution and political framing, eliminating all rivals before they could fully grasp the threat.
Lin Tian, now safely cultivating miles away, felt the final political resistance in Tier 3 dissolve.
[Cosmic Flaw Detector Activated. Nine Heavens Political System: Control Acquired.]
He had successfully conquered the political structure of the Lower Heavens using only two puppets and three minutes of strategic genius.
Lin Tian smiled. The path is clear. Now, to deal with the only remaining martial threat: Venerable Qiao's remaining forces, and the greatest hunter of the Cloud Heavens.