Relying on the inner demon's formless, shape-shifting abilities—coupled with the fact that the Primordial Heavenly Demon was inherently at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core realm, making him stronger than the currently Early Stage Emperor Jiayou—his influence was completely undetectable by anyone.
Soon, the karmic scene began to advance. Just like in standard history, Emperor Jiayou began to face suppression from the civil and military officials led by the Dao Court Grand Preceptor.
In standard history, he had chosen to face the difficulties head-on.
However, this time, under the interference of the Primordial Heavenly Demon, a desire for pleasure gradually sprouted within him, and his originally soaring fighting spirit was worn away bit by bit.
"Forget it, forget it."
"Even if I win, what's the point? Once a Dao Court Son of Heaven reaches a thousand years, they must ascend on the dragon and pass away. Middle Stage or Early Stage makes no difference to me."
"Unless I reach the Great Perfected Lord realm, only then can I make a slight change."
"But becoming a Great Perfected Lord is too difficult. Not only do I have to control the imperial court, but I also have to make the Three Excellencies completely submit. It feels like an eternity away, and I'd have to suffer a lot."
"But why should I suffer? If the Grand Preceptor wants power, just give it to him. He doesn't have many years left anyway. When the time comes, even his Golden Nature will be stripped away upon reincarnation, leaving him with no protection. He'll be far less happy than me. Why should I fight with him over this temporary gain? It's better to just relax and enjoy myself."
The more Emperor Jiayou thought about it, the more lethargic he became.
"The suffering of my lifetime was already endured by Taizu when he passed the borders back then. Now, all I have to do is peacefully enjoy my blessings!"
Of course, Emperor Jiayou didn't just lie flat all at once.
Or rather, his true inner consciousness faintly sensed that something was wrong. Even though he was blinded, his instincts constantly urged him to rouse himself and fight back.
However, the Primordial Heavenly Demon wouldn't give him that chance.
Emperor Jiayou's several attempts to rise up were all secretly influenced by him. Whether it was leaking information or making Emperor Jiayou do something foolish himself, all his efforts were ultimately destroyed.
After over a dozen consecutive karmic events...
That tiny bit of rebellious instinct in Emperor Jiayou was completely suppressed by the Primordial Heavenly Demon. In the end, he chose to give up, becoming the puppet emperor of the Dao Court Grand Preceptor.
'Hahaha. It's done!'
Seeing this scene, the Primordial Heavenly Demon immediately burst into loud laughter. Subsequently, the [Time-Reversing World Divine Instrument] in his hand erupted with brilliant light, sinking down an infinite, mesmerizing, iridescent radiance.
Rumble!
A second later, the Primordial Heavenly Demon escaped back to the present world. Riding a gust of gloomy wind, he arrived in the imperial court of the Dao Court, manifesting his true form as a black-robed young man.
Almost simultaneously, Emperor Jiayou also snapped back to his senses.
Although the Primordial Heavenly Demon had been activating artifacts and executing techniques just now—making it seem like a long time had passed—everything had only occurred within the karmic scene.
In reality, only an instant had passed.
However, after this instant, when Emperor Jiayou's consciousness returned, he was no longer the same person he was a moment ago. His entire temperament had undergone a drastic change.
His former soaring fighting spirit had turned into decadent lethargy. His Middle Stage Golden Core cultivation plummeted, reverting to what it looked like shortly after he first stepped into the Early Stage. His Dao comprehension also dropped rapidly, and massive swaths of memories and knowledge were erased out of thin air. Even the scene within the imperial court underwent significant changes.
The number of capable officials drastically decreased, while sycophants drastically increased.
The Three Excellencies remained unchanged, but this generation's Three Excellencies were inherently lacking in capability. Therefore, even with Emperor Jiayou letting things rot, no one took the opportunity to seize control of the political situation.
This was also a result the Primordial Heavenly Demon had long calculated.
In other words—
'Right now, the Dao Court only has four Early Stage Golden Cores! With no one controlling the political situation, no one can maximize the power of the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws]!'
Why had he chosen to strike at the Dao Court?
The answer was simple: because the World Honored One had already done it once before. With rich experience in success, doing it again was naturally a familiar path!
'Besides, the Dao Court Dao Lord won't care. The key to the [Acting on Behalf of Heaven Dao] lies in 'Acting on Behalf of Heaven.' Let alone the deaths of a few Golden Core Perfected Lords, even if the Tianwu Imperial Family were wiped out, as long as the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws] remain, the sky over Jiangdong won't fall. At most, it's just an exchange of blood.'
The Primordial Heavenly Demon let out a maniacal laugh.
A second later, the gloomy wind he transformed into blew into the bodies of Emperor Jiayou, the Grand Preceptor, the Grand Protector, and the Grand Tutor. As for the court full of officials, he didn't bother with them.
'I shall eat!'
The Primordial Heavenly Demon split into four and truly gorged himself. The souls of the Grand Preceptor, Grand Protector, and Grand Tutor were the first to collapse, and it wasn't long before they were eaten clean by him.
Emperor Jiayou managed to hold on for a moment. However, he was no longer the authoritative Son of Heaven who solely ruled Jiangdong. With his karma altered, he was now a puppet emperor who had been decadent for hundreds of years. Even though he invoked a portion of the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws] for augmentation, he was still no match for the inner demon's devouring.
Boom!
A moment later, a uniform, explosive sound rang out. The four Golden Cores of the Dao Court actually detonated simultaneously, yet not a shred of blood qi or spiritual power flowed out.
All that was left behind were four empty husks.
As for their insides, they had been eaten completely clean by the Primordial Heavenly Demon!
Instantly, inside and outside the Dao Court, the stars of the four Dao Fruits lit up simultaneously. This almost instantly drew the prying eyes of Perfected Lords from all over, followed by heaven-shaking roars of fury:
"All of them fell!?"
"The Three Excellencies are one thing, but how could Emperor Jiayou fall? He has a Middle Stage Golden Core cultivation! Even if he fell, he should be able to return immediately."
"They seem to be completely dead?"
"This is impossible!"
And under the shocked and furious gazes of the Perfected Lords, the figure of the Primordial Heavenly Demon surfaced, holding the [Time-Reversing World Divine Instrument] in his hand, a wicked smile playing on his lips:
"Impossible? Hahaha, nothing is impossible!"
Immediately after, he raised a finger and placed it to his upturned lips:
"Next, it's you!"
Before his voice even faded, the Primordial Heavenly Demon drifted away with the wind. He wasn't the least bit worried that someone could discover his methods. After all, altering causes and shifting effects was simply too secretive.
And the unknown often breeds fear.
This was also why the Primordial Heavenly Demon hadn't left immediately, but intentionally revealed himself and left a parting sentence before departing—all to amplify this fear of the unknown.
'Fear me!'
'In this era where the Dao heart is understood by no one, the more you fear me, the less you can control your thoughts, and the easier it is for me, as an inner demon, to exploit your weaknesses!'
Thinking of this, the Primordial Heavenly Demon once again brought out the [Time-Reversing World Divine Instrument].
He changed his hand seals, flipping the wondrous treasure over to become the [World-Reversing Time Divine Instrument], and changed Emperor Jiayou's tampered karma back to normal.
Whoosh!
Instantly, Emperor Jiayou returned to being a Middle Stage Golden Core. However, he had already been eaten by the Primordial Heavenly Demon.
Therefore, it was impossible for him to resurrect. But correspondingly, the harvest the Primordial Heavenly Demon obtained could suddenly revert from Early Stage Golden Core back to Middle Stage Golden Core!
"Jie jie jie..."
Accompanied by a wicked laugh, the Primordial Heavenly Demon felt a surge of majestic, quintessential power manifest out of nowhere, instantly nourishing his demonic form.
In a flash, his Dao comprehension advanced tremendously.
"With the souls of four Golden Cores devoured by me, I can totally use this to refine True Treasures exclusively for inner demons, further elevating my stature and combat power."
Thinking of this, he wasn't in a hurry to continue his attacks.
"I'll rest and recuperate for a few days first."
He formed a hand seal, igniting a cluster of Yin Fire at his fingertips. "Once I finish refining four demonic artifacts, I will go and take the life of that Immortal Lord Master of Tribulations and Ferryman of Karma!"
(End of Chapter)