It is often said that in battles between cultivators, one must never underestimate the opponent; when making a move, one should strike with the full force of a lion pouncing on a rabbit.

However, in reality, who knows how many cultivators cannot do this? They may act this way when facing opponents similar in strength, but when facing those weaker than themselves, that kind of dismissive attitude easily emerges.

Many True Immortals who have been overthrown by Supreme Overlords were not because they truly couldn't defeat those Supreme Overlords. After all, even if a Supreme Overlord possesses power akin to a True Immortal, there is still a gap between them.

For a True Immortal, each one who has certified the Tao has proven they are a legend among legends, having endured countless trials to reach where they are today.

Yet it is precisely because of this overly dismissive attitude that they initially do not give their all, and once the situation truly turns against them, they find themselves powerless to turn the tide.

In the beginning, Taoist Monarch Tian Ji also had this problem. After all, as a Taoist Monarch, he is already at the pinnacle among the forces of heaven and earth; even among veteran Dao Lords, there are few who are qualified to contend with him, let alone worry about someone like Great Emperor Zi Wei.

If it were another newly ascended Dao Lord, he might be concerned, but this Emperor Zi Wei was born of Sky Mechanism Pavilion. He knows everything about Emperor Zi Wei like the back of his hand; he even once guided his cultivation.

Therefore, in his eyes, even if Emperor Zi Wei has undergone some transformation over the years, as long as his cultivation foundation remains unchanged, there is no way for him to escape from Tian Ji's grasp, with no need for worry.

This was the reason he almost faltered at the start; the combat strength displayed by Emperor Zi Wei was completely different from what he had anticipated, catching him off guard.

However, unlike those True Immortals who met their downfall, who underestimated others due to insufficient strength, when they truly enter a bitter struggle, they are already unable to reverse the situation.

The intrinsic power of Taoist Monarch Tian Ji is unimaginably strong. Even though he initially underestimated Emperor Zi Wei and gave away some advantages, once he started to take things seriously, Emperor Zi Wei could no longer pose much of a threat. Suppressing him became effortless.

This is why, in many people's view, the performance of Taoist Monarch Tian Ji is so different, with his later actions seemingly as if he were a completely different person.

In fact, it's only because he genuinely started to take Emperor Zi Wei seriously, began to give it his all, and did not offer his opponent the slightest chance to counterattack.

After all, for Taoist Monarch Tian Ji, face is still important. He came here to reclaim the scene calculated against him by the opponent. If he were to continue holding back and not give his all, even if he ultimately suppressed Emperor Zi Wei, others would see it as mere luck, which would greatly impact his own majesty.

"Emperor Jade and Zi Wei are indeed outstanding; given enough time, over the years, they will surely ascend to the peak, and even among the many veteran Dao Lords, there won't be many who can surpass them," Pei Xuanjing gave his final appraisal.

Even now, as these two Imperial Honors of the Heavenly Court appear extremely distressed under the pressure of Taoist Monarch Tian Ji and Sword Emperor, not a single Dao Lord dares to underestimate them, because both newly ascended Dao Lords and veterans can see their potential.

Having stepped into the realm of Dao Lords, with no threats to their lives, they can endure and have ample time to refine themselves, ascending to the pinnacle.

The state of affairs within heaven and earth is about to change!

This is the first reaction in the hearts of many Dao Lords, yet unlike the joy of newly ascended Dao Lords, many veteran Dao Lords feel a deep unease.

They are acutely aware that, regardless of the final outcome, many among them may likely be eliminated, having to hand over the authority they wield, otherwise this convergence will not cease.

But who would willingly surrender the Authority they hold in their own hands?

No one!

As the vested interests, no one is willing to surrender their benefits unless faced with an irresistible force.

The once insignificant Newly Ascended Dao Lords Alliance was not worth mentioning. No matter their ambitions, all such ambitions required a sufficient foundation of strength.

Now it seems they have acquired such strength, which poses a great crisis to the veteran Taoist Lords.

Keep in mind that when these New Ascended Dao Lords first appeared, although they spoke of feeling pressured, in actuality, they did not take the Newly Ascended Dao Lords seriously, believing that they posed no threat whatsoever.

Heavenly Court, Residence of the Fire Virtue Star Lord.

As a veteran Taoist Lord and the Wielder of the Ancient Mars Star, the Fire Virtue Star Lord is the uncontested master of this star, and even the nominal Master of the Stars, Great Emperor Ziwei, cannot dictate to him.

When Great Emperor Ziwei activated the Celestial Star Array, and during the moment of leveraging the Great Star Technique to strip many Ancient Stars of their Origin Power, Fire Virtue Star Lord detected it instantly. In fact, if he so wished, he could completely suppress the power of the Mars Star, preventing any leakage.

However, it seemed he wanted to seize the opportunity to gauge just how powerful the Celestial Star Array could be, and thus, this Fire Virtue Star Lord decidedly indulged this action, offering no hindrance and allowing Great Emperor Ziwei to easily take away the power of the Mars Star.

To the Fire Virtue Star Lord, he is the one in control of the Mars Star. Despite the other side possessing the Great Star Technique, as a Taoist Lord of equal standing, Great Emperor Ziwei would be utterly unable to take this power unless he willed it.

The reason he acted this way was actually quite simple; he wanted to ascertain the true strength of Great Emperor Ziwei.

After all, setting aside others, as the Fire Virtue Star Lord and with Great Emperor Ziwei being the Master of the Stars, it was inevitable that a conflict over the dominion of the stars would arise between them – an utterly unavoidable affair.

Unless he was willing to give up the Authority over the stars in his hands, submitting himself under the jurisdiction of Great Emperor Ziwei, no matter what other Dao Lords say, he would definitely clash with Great Emperor Ziwei.

Therefore, understanding the enemy ensures victory in all battles. Since they are destined opponents, getting an early grasp of the adversary's strength is a normal affair. After all, the Fire Virtue Star Lord is not the kind of person who is so arrogant that he feels no need to beware anyone.

As a veteran Taoist Lord, there are still variances in strength among these veterans. Even with the guidance and support from the Longevity Taoist Lord during the Enthroning Gods event, as a Dao Lord who attained Tao-Certifying True Immortality after the event, his accumulation of power and Authority still fall short compared to those who had certified their Tao before the event.

Everyone has ambitions of rising higher, even among veteran Taoist Lords, but the question of who is stronger or weaker also concerns the distribution of Authority and interests.

Now that Taoist Monarch Tianji has made a move, Fire Virtue Star Lord has no qualms about lending some assistance to Great Emperor Ziwei, using the opportunity to check the latter's fundamental strength while also taking the chance to probe the depth of Taoist Monarch Tianji.

Of course, the most important reason is that the Fire Virtue Star Lord is currently not in such dire circumstances. As a veteran Taoist Lord, he does not lack the Heavenly Authority in the Divine Land World, and without the urgency faced by the Newly Ascended Dao Lords, he can naturally await outcomes in tranquility.

However, at this moment, observing the strength displayed by both Great Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Jade, Fire Virtue Star Lord's expression darkened, as he found himself in an awkward position. With these two Imperial Honors rising, to grasp more Authority, they would inevitably turn to him first; he is squarely in the line of fire.

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