For those Gods willing to relinquish their authority, the Jade Emperor initially cannot act too excessively. Even knowing these individuals are extremely dissatisfied in their hearts, if he is too ruthless, it would evoke a sense of terror among others, prompting them to leave.

However, his actions were at least effective to some extent, as among those he needed to deal with, there were no Taoist Monarchs present. These individuals, even as practitioners of the True Immortal Sixth Layer Heaven, lacked the ability to oppose the Jade Emperor.

But the Great Emperor Ziwei standing before him was different; the Star God lineage was one of the strongest forces within the Heavenly Court. Within this lineage, besides having the Great Emperor Ziwei, who is an Imperial Honors Taoist Monarch, there is also a Fire Virtue Star Lord who is equally a Taoist Monarch.

Even over the years, despite the Great Emperor Ziwei continuously suppressing and covertly oppressing the Fire Virtue Star Lord, the latter has still enlisted many followers by leveraging the power of a Taoist Monarch.

Importantly, the Fire Virtue Star Lord is not merely an Independent Practitioner; there is a Divine Dynasty supporting him, which he has led for millennia. Such a powerful force can completely rival the Great Emperor Ziwei.

If there were only the Fire Virtue Star Lord, that would be fine; as an Imperial Honors holder, suppressing the opponent is perfectly logical and can provide significant advantages.

However, apart from the Fire Virtue Star Lord, the Southern Dipper lineage is highly troublesome. Though originating from the Star God lineage, the Southern Dipper Star Lords never consider themselves subordinates of the Great Emperor Ziwei; they position themselves as followers of the Southern Pole Imperial Palace.

The Southern Dipper Star Lords, under the banner of Longevity Taoist Monarch, openly oppose the Great Emperor Ziwei, even having flirtatious relations with the Fire Virtue Star Lord faction, attracting many Star Gods.

Even now, despite the Longevity Taoist Monarch expressing no stance, his lack of statement is, to some extent, a form of support.

Currently, the Southern Dipper Star Lords, under the guise of tiger skin, have caused those Star Gods initially optimistic about the Great Emperor Ziwei to hesitate, seeming to adopt a neutral stance, which places the Great Emperor Ziwei in a dilemma.

Neutrality has many interpretations.

Your friends' neutrality, in some aspects, supports your enemies; the neutrality of your enemies' friends, in some respects, supports you.

"The few Fate Controllers are not a concern; as long as they haven't proven themselves Taoist Monarchs, there is no threat. The only threat is Fire Virtue!" The killing intent flickered in the eyes of the Great Emperor Ziwei.

Fire Virtue Star Lord may be a Taoist Monarch and backed by a Divine Dynasty, yet his true foundation is not within the Heavenly Court, and the forces he can truly mobilize within the Heavenly Court are limited.

From the standpoint of the Great Emperor Ziwei, he holds legitimacy, has numerous Star Gods supporting him, and even if he slowly encroaches, he can completely occupy the advantage and continuously push the Fire Virtue Star Lord to retreat.

With righteousness in hand, encroaching on authority holds immense advantage; as long as the opponent doesn't overturn the table, he can continue, and even if the opponent does overturn the table, who holds the advantage remains debatable.

But the Fire Virtue Star Lord has already received support from a powerful force, rendering his plan futile.

"Hmm?" The Jade Emperor's expression showed curiosity, asking, "Is there any force intervening?"

"Witch Deity Teaching! People from the Witch Deity Teaching have started to support the Fire Virtue Star Lord; even originally some individuals from Hou Tu have begun to back Fire Virtue." The Great Emperor Ziwei said coldly.

Though the Witch Deity Teaching is a top force, even without meddling in Heavenly Court affairs, being a veteran Taoist Monarch and one of the original founders of the Heavenly Court, they have several personnel within the Heavenly Court.

Over the years, the Witch Deity Teaching's many Gods have been low-key, treating everyone with kindness without bias, and due to their strength, no party targets them.

Yet, at this time, the Gods of the Witch Deity Teaching aligned themselves with the Fire Virtue Star Lord, undoubtedly enhancing his power.

"Witch Deity Teaching!" Divine Light sparkled in the Jade Emperor's eyes as if he recalled something.

He did have some connection with the Witch Deity Teaching, as they were the first to cooperate with him among the top forces. He gained much from them, even using this to suppress Confucianism, causing it to split.

Originally, after ascending to the position of Emperor of Heaven, his plan was to leverage the Witch Deity Teaching's power to unlock the constraints other powerful figures imposed upon him, even if it meant sacrificing some interests.

Who knew the Witch Deity Teaching thought nothing of his offers, disregarding the many benefits thrown their way, retreating entirely, thwarting his plans.

"It's certain; it's the Witch Deity Teaching, without their collective stance, Hou Tu's faction wouldn't react now." The Great Emperor Ziwei was impatient.

Imperial Honors Houtu and Emperor of Longevity have been similarly low-key. Despite both being among the Six Imperials, the former only guards his domain; as long as no one interferes with the Nether Yin Department, Imperial Honors Houtu won't react significantly.

This time, it was likely the will of the Witch God Sect Leader, or perhaps the whole Witch Deity Teaching's sentiment that moved Imperial Honors Houtu to act now.

Know that Hou Tu's influence, though confined to the Nether Yin Department and Divine Continent World's Mountain Gods land, doesn't mean he lacks followers within the Heavenly Court. Though few, each is formidable.

Any one of these could easily suppress the Great Emperor Ziwei, but united, they pose a significant nuisance to him.

"It seems the Witch Deity Teaching has already intertwined with this Fire Virtue Star Lord." The Jade Emperor remarked, "Fire Virtue Star Lord and Fire Ancestor Witch Zhu Rong, indeed complement each other."

"Indeed, the Witch Deity Teaching's ambitions are vast!" The Great Emperor Ziwei replied in a somber tone.

The Witch Deity Teaching, already a top immortal sect in this world, among the strongest of such sects, now allied with the Fire Virtue Star Lord. Though unclear what agreement they reached, undoubtedly, this is not good news.

"We aren't the ones who need to worry." The Jade Emperor mildly shook his head, not displaying the urgency of the Great Emperor Ziwei.

The alliance between the Fire Virtue Star Lord and Witch Deity Teaching undoubtedly forms a formidable force, but doesn't necessarily signify a bad omen; from one perspective, it might even be a favorable turn.

"I'd like to hear more!"

"The current world structure is unfavorable for us, otherwise we wouldn't have stepped out to try breaking it." The Jade Emperor explained slowly.

Regarding this remark, the Great Emperor Ziwei couldn't deny it, as their grievances prompted their actions, seeking greater interests.

But how does this relate to the Witch Deity Teaching? They are a top immortal sect with substantial interests across All Heavens, now stronger after allying with the Fire Virtue Star Lord, making them harder to shake.

"Not exactly, though Witch Deity Teaching is a formidable force, impossible to easily destabilize; for other factions, its strength poses a threat as well." The Jade Emperor spoke ominously, causing the Great Emperor Ziwei to ponder.

Indeed, while the Witch Deity Teaching's strength isn't advantageous for them presently, they shouldn't look at this matter in isolation.

This powerful Witch Deity Teaching poses a significant threat to them while concurrently threatening other factions.

Power balance among factions is never isolated; Witch Deity Teaching now holds substantial interests, their power growing stronger, even without intentionally encroaching on others' interests.

Yet for those factions, once the Witch Deity Teaching's power grows, it inherently constitutes a major threat, prompting vigilance and potential unity, triggering a series of chain reactions.

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