His numerous actions against formidable enemies established his reputation, so even without any backing or having ascended to Taoist Monarch, no one could threaten his position.

But that was in the past, and the current situation has long changed. The moves by the Great Emperor Ziwei and the Jade Emperor mean that the ultimate result of the entire world remains unknown, but the Heavenly Court is bound to fall into chaos.

Previously, the Great Emperor Ziwei had to be wary of the thoughts of many Taoist Monarchs, and he wouldn't overly pressure these Star Lords as long as they did not oppose him; he could accept them.

However, now that the Great Emperor Ziwei has torn relations with the Taoist Monarchs, he cannot tolerate neutral figures like the Wood Virtue Star Lord.

Before tearing relations with the Taoist Monarchs, he could tolerate you, but now that he has torn relations with them and engaged in conflict, he cannot tolerate you; this would render the act of breaking relations pointless.

Others have backing and assistance, or their own strength is sufficient, but the Wood Virtue Star Lord knows his own situation. The Great Emperor Ziwei is an opponent he cannot contend with.

Moreover, it's not just about facing the Great Emperor Ziwei; there are more adversaries and opponents.

If the Great Emperor Ziwei were too aggressive or if going against the prevailing trend was impossible, then actually, the Wood Virtue Star Lord could just submit, bow his head, and admit defeat. After all, as an Independent Practitioner, he doesn't have much persistence or pride.

In the upcoming chaos, as long as the Great Emperor Ziwei could provide protection, he wouldn't mind temporarily sheltering under his wings to gain some chance of survival.

However, he still has opponents and enemies. The Qingling Primordial Lord among the Five Old Lords and the Ju Mang Ancestor Witch of the Witch Deity Teaching have long coveted his Wood Dao Authority. Previously, they had no chance, but now they will definitely make a move.

If he were a confidant of the Great Emperor Ziwei, perhaps he could hope the Great Emperor would protect him. But in fact, he is not the Great Emperor's confidant and will not gain his trust. Most importantly, no matter how loyal he appears, as soon as he becomes a Taoist Monarch, he will be the greatest threat to the Great Emperor Ziwei.

It's not that there can't be new Taoist Monarchs under an existing one; for some, having one under them strengthens their power. But from another perspective, it can also be seen as a threat.

If there are enough benefits to be shared, having an additional Taoist Monarch will undoubtedly yield more benefits, but if there aren't enough, adding another person isn't beneficial.

The Great Emperor Ziwei himself originated from the Sky Mechanism Pavilion, and during his growth, he was supported by them. However, when it came time for him to become a Taoist Monarch, he chose to break ties and engage in conflict with the Taoist Monarch Tianji.

Even the Great Emperor Ziwei, a disciple with deep ties to the Sky Mechanism Pavilion, ended up with such a fate. I am not one of his loyal ministers who helped establish his reign, just someone who had to depend on him when his power was at its peak.

If we were to wait until the Great Emperor Ziwei controlled everything thoroughly, without any threat in my certification as a Taoist Monarch, he might allow it.

But under the current circumstances, my certification as a Taoist Monarch won't help the Great Emperor Ziwei at all, and my existence would cause an unprecedented threat, further dividing and destabilizing the situation within the Ziwei Emperor Palace, something he cannot tolerate.

Even if resources are gained, the Great Emperor Ziwei would prioritize investing them in others and would maximize extracting all value from me as if I were a piece on a chess board, and ultimately discard me if I become useless, to gain more benefits.

The Wood Virtue Star Lord has to believe this. As someone who has witnessed many unimaginable evils in the Mortal Realm due to his background as an Independent Practitioner, he believes that while some cultivators are indeed righteous and uncompromising, many ambitious figures have no bottom line.

This is why he remains alone to this day, because he instinctively does not trust so-called promises. He believes more in bare transactions, as they are the most real.

The Great Emperor Ziwei is an emperor; one should never believe in an emperor's promises, as he only believes in true strength.

Relying on an emperor's promise is something the Wood Virtue Star Lord cannot accept. How could he place everything on the shoulders of someone else?

"Indeed, greed is untenable. Even some Taoist Monarchs cannot have it both ways. How can I, a mere Star Lord, have the qualification to seize so much; a final choice must be made," the Wood Virtue Star Lord thought mockingly to himself.

His ambitions are far from simple, and he hides his deepest cards well, with only a few able to perceive even a fraction, unable to glimpse the true cards.

Under normal circumstances, as the discoverer of the first new world, the benefits he gained surpassed those of the ordinary. Even though his certification as a True Immortal was later than those who certified as True Immortals right after the Heavenly Court was established, like the Jade Emperor.

However, as the pioneer of the Heavenly Court plan and the first discoverer of a new world, what he gained completely made up for that time gap. Accumulating over thousands of years, even if he hasn't certified as a Taoist Monarch, he's not far from it.

But until now, he has remained very low-key, appearing not to have reached even the sixth heaven's limit of True Immortals from the outside view, far from certifying as a Taoist Monarch.

The root cause is his ambition is too large; he not only wants to certify as a Taoist Monarch, but also wants to accumulate more power to leap forward, hoping to become an invincible strong in the realm of Taoist Monarchs when he certifies as one.

If someone else said this, they would definitely be laughed at by some strong figures. After all, someone who hasn't even perfected the sixth heaven of True Immortals, hasn't touched upon becoming a Taoist Monarch, and yet wants to be a strong among Taoist Monarchs is dreaming.

However, such thoughts of the Wood Virtue Star Lord are not outlandish, as he truly holds such qualifications, and he is still attempting this.

In many people's eyes, the Wood Virtue Star Lord cultivates the Wood Dao Laws, using the Divine Position of Star Lord to grasp the Wood Dao Authority. Even in the Future, if he certifies as a Taoist Monarch, it would manifest as the Great Path of Wood, becoming the monarch of the Great Path of Wood. This is why the Qingling Primordial Lord and Ju Mang Ancestor Witch see him as the greatest adversary.

After all, sometimes it's not about what you say, but what you do, and regardless of what the Wood Virtue Star Lord thinks, the Wood Dao Authority he holds is real.

Yet many have forgotten, before the Wood Virtue Star Lord certified his path, before the establishment of the Heavenly Court, he was known as the Reincarnation Taoist.

Thousands of years is a long time, enough for ordinary cultivators to go through several generations, for some Supreme Strong to go through their entire life, and even enough for the True Immortals in the Divine Land World to forget many things.

The Reincarnation Taoist, who cultivated the Withering and Flourishing Dao, mastered the Wither-Grow Divine, and pursued the Way of Withering and Flourishing by understanding life and death, could allegedly extinguish all life force and even seize life force for personal use.

This was how the Wood Virtue Star Lord was once known as the Reincarnation Taoist, with many simplistically viewing the Way of Withering and Flourishing as the Great Path of Wood, considering the life and death of withering and flourish just an adjective for the manifestations of Wood Dao.

However, no one knew that at the time, the Reincarnation Taoist had already pursued the Way of Withering and Flourishing to understand the Way of Life and Death, and essentially, his cultivation foundation was not the current Great Path of Wood but the Way of Life and Death, involving the concept of Reincarnation.

His foundation was not simply the Great Path of Wood, but the Way of Life and Death. Even during his certification as a True Immortal, the Path he consolidated was the Way of Life and Death.

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