"Brother Crimson Water, I'm going to say something that might sound a bit harsh. Has anyone else noticed that over the past few hundred thousand years, the Ta Yuan Great World is far worse off than it was during the era of the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor?" The blue-robed God King suddenly spoke, breaking the preceding silence.
The fat God King chuckled. "I thought I was the only one who felt that way. To tell the truth, I really do miss the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor."
Haoran God King let out a cold snort. "I've never thought there was anything wrong with the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor. From beginning to end, I supported the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor. But the forces opposing him were too great at the time. Everyone believed he had violated the Heavenly Dao and brought calamity upon the myriad heavens, so he had to step down. Public opinion is a fearsome thing. All the God King Lords opposed him, and with certain people pushing their own agendas behind the scenes, how could he not have been forced to abdicate? What a pity. The fortune of the Ta Yuan Great World was ruined just like that by these people."
Haoran God King was brimming with integrity, and his words rang out with more clarity and conviction than anyone else could have managed.
The last God King, gaunt and skeletal, had not spoken a word and had even kept his eyes closed the entire time. Now he suddenly opened them. "These words, we can only say among ourselves in private. If they were to spread, the rest of us would probably suffer alongside, wouldn't we?"
Haoran God King smiled faintly. "How much worse could it get? In the early days of the Ta Yuan Great World, there were one hundred and eight God King Lords. Now, fewer than sixty remain. What will happen in another five hundred thousand years? To be honest, the fortune of the Ta Yuan Great World has already reached this point. Either we change our fortune, or we can only sink along with the Ta Yuan Great World into ruin."
Crimson Water God King knew Haoran God King's temperament, and he waved his hand to cut him off, changing the subject instead. "I've heard that at the next God King Lords' Assembly, someone has proposed changing the Great World's title? To thoroughly erase every trace of the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor? To remove the words 'Ta Yuan' entirely?"
The fat God King's face turned grim. "This… can I call this a regressive act?"
"Absolutely regressive!" Haoran God King was filled with righteous indignation. "The only reason the Ta Yuan Great World hasn't collapsed yet is clearly because the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor's Token of Creation hasn't been reclaimed by the Heavenly Dao. If the name is changed, this Great World will have no connection to the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor's Token of Creation. Without the Token of Creation, this Great World won't receive recognition from the myriad heavens. Are they trying to accelerate this Great World's destruction? Who on earth could be so deranged?"
In truth, the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor had already been deposed for several hundred thousand years. He had even been imprisoned within the Eternal Divine Prison inside the Ta Yuan Great World.
But who had actually instigated the coup, and who had launched the calamity — to this day, the Ta Yuan Great World still had no consensus on the matter.
Because, as everyone had observed, over these past few hundred thousand years, the Heavenly Emperors had been replaced one after another, rotating through like revolving doors, and not a single one had lasted more than thirty thousand years.
Either they stepped down, or they perished.
Clearly, none of the false Heavenly Emperors who had appeared over the years could be the mastermind behind the scenes. The mastermind was perhaps still lurking in the shadows even now, waiting for his opportunity, his true colors not yet revealed.
Why?
Because he had not obtained the Token of Creation. A God King without the Token of Creation was no more exceptional than anyone else.
If he revealed himself, he would easily become the target of universal hostility.
So, until he obtained the Token of Creation, this mastermind would likely continue hiding in the shadows, biding his time. Once he obtained the Token of Creation, he could rightfully ascend to power. With the Mandate of Heaven on his side, no other God King would be able to oppose him even if they wanted to.
This was precisely what made the current situation in the Ta Yuan Great World so peculiar. So far, despite the Great World being in complete chaos, no one knew who the mastermind was or who the greatest schemer might be. Many of those who had previously been suspected or accused had, one by one, been proven innocent.
Even the current Heavenly Emperor was believed by many to be nothing more than a puppet, a temporary placeholder. He probably wouldn't even last ten thousand years before being deposed.
A Heavenly Emperor was supposed to enjoy at least a million years of fortune. If one couldn't even last ten thousand years, that was nothing short of a joke.
Clearly, the five God Kings present were vehemently opposed to changing the Great World's title.
Changing the name meant changing the fortune.
Once the fortune changed, they might not even get to enjoy whatever remained of the Ta Yuan Great World's fortune. The most likely scenario would be for the Great World to collapse entirely, leaving them all as wandering ghosts.
This was no laughing matter.
Once a Great World's fortune was gone, without the Token of Creation and without recognition from the Heavenly Dao, the consequences would be devastating.
"This is only a rumor, after all. Perhaps it won't actually come to pass?"
"Hard to say. The Ta Yuan Great World is in a delicate state right now — whatever people fear most is often exactly what comes to pass." The fat God King's jowls trembled as he spoke.
"Regardless, we must oppose the name change. Otherwise, we'll all go down with the ship." Haoran God King said firmly.
Crimson Water God King nodded as well. "The reason I've invited all of you here is precisely because we are close brothers who can work together on this. We may not have the ambition to sit on the Heavenly Emperor's throne, but we must oppose the name change. This concerns our fortune, our very survival — it cannot be taken lightly."
"Agreed. On this matter, our stance must be unequivocal." The blue-robed God King also voiced his support.
The gaunt God King mused for a moment. "Opposing the name change goes without saying. What concerns me is that the mastermind behind the scenes might be taking a desperate gamble. Perhaps he believes he can refine and reshape an entire Great World from scratch. If he truly possessed such power, that would be one thing. But what if he doesn't, and is merely overreaching? Such a madman would drag us all into the fire pit with him."
This was indeed the most troubling concern of all.
Crimson Water God King sighed in frustration. "The most vexing thing right now is that no one can say for certain who the mastermind is. If we knew who it was, things would be much simpler."
"Isn't that the truth? Over the years, it's not as though no one has proposed releasing the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor and having him retake control of the Ta Yuan Great World. But those who put forward such suggestions have all mysteriously perished in the end. It goes to show that the mastermind's grip on the Ta Yuan Great World remains as terrifying as ever. He has not abandoned his ambition." The blue-robed God King sighed.
Haoran God King spoke up. "Releasing the Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor is actually not necessarily a bad option. Rather than living in this inexplicable fear, perhaps we'd be better off returning to what we know. The Ta Yuan Heavenly Emperor has endured hundreds of thousands of years of punishment — surely he's atoned by now for his transgressions against the Heavenly Dao?"
"Hush! Brother Haoran, you must never say such things again. Lives are at stake. Once you leave this room, absolutely do not speak of it again. Remember that — remember it well." The blue-robed God King's expression was one of extreme caution.