Part 1: After the Tribulation

After Li Qing successfully escaped the three cities, the three Immortals still remained unaware of this fact. Believing he was hiding within, they sealed off the cities, ordering their forces to dig up every inch of land in search of him.

At the same time, the three Rule-tier items extracted from the destroyed Ninth-Tier Beasts were handed over to the Destiny-Bearers of each Immortal's Dao lineage:

Namgong Haoran: Destiny-Bearer of the Confucian School from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Tang Wanshan: Destiny-Bearer of the Wu Ji Dao Sect.

Huang Wanchao: Destiny-Bearer of the True Treasure Dao Sect.

Through his intricate intelligence network, Li Qing swiftly learned of this event—dubbed the "Immortals' Bestowal of Treasures"—a clear sign that the battle among Destiny-Bearers was about to begin.

At this moment, Li Qing had already stepped into Level 5—a realm of cultivation marked by two critical characteristics:

The Three Calamities: Wind, Fire, and Thunder—each must be overcome by the cultivator in succession.

Fated Tribulation: Known as Heaven's Tribulation, but with a deeper twist—this time, the threat lies in the form of a "Heaven-Designated Nemesis", meaning an individual chosen by fate itself to oppose the cultivator undergoing the trial.

Once the three cities had been thoroughly searched and it was confirmed that Li Qing had transcended the Tribulation and was still cultivating somewhere, the Eight Immortals began to suspect that he had long since fled—and was now peacefully training in some hidden sanctuary.

Thus, a new plan was born—one targeting his Three Calamities.

The stronger a cultivator's potential, the more ferocious the Three Calamities would become. Though the elements of Wind, Fire, and Thunder might appear to occur at random, they could still be monitored.

To advance to Level 6, Li Qing would need something extremely vital: the Primordial Dharma Aspect—a manifestation representing the core cultivation technique of Level 6.

Previously, Li Qing had already obtained three out of the eight Primordial Dharma Aspects. Only those from five major forces remained.

To acquire the remaining five, it was highly likely that Li Qing would attempt to infiltrate the inner circles of each Dao lineage to steal their Dharma Aspects. However, he wouldn't do so himself—he might instead rely on planted spies.

For example, a Level 5 cultivator loyal to Li Qing, on the cusp of ascending to Level 6, might request access to the Primordial Dharma Aspect as part of their advancement.

Within the Dao lineages of the Destiny-Bearers, there was no shortage of Level 5 cultivators. And due to the concealing power of Destiny, using Heaven's Secrets to discern who had contact with Li Qing was impossible.

Therefore, the Eight Immortals could only tighten internal security, with special attention paid to this group of Level 5 cultivators.

Moreover, they would increase protection for all Level 6 cultivators, just in case Li Qing, when cornered, resorted to extreme measures—such as kidnapping a Level 6 cultivator from a Dao lineage and extracting their memory of the Primordial Dharma Aspect.

Finally, efforts were made to identify Li Qing's Heaven-Designated Nemesis. But this task proved nearly impossible, as only the one undergoing the Tribulation would know the identity of their nemesis. Even the nemesis themselves might be unaware of their destined role.

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Aside from Li Qing, the Eight Immortals also had their own follow-up plans—this time, aimed at the remaining beasts.

Currently, only five Ninth-Tier Beasts remained. Their numbers diminished, their power waning, they were at an absolute disadvantage. Now was the perfect time for the Immortals to begin their hunt.

Five of the Immortals would take on the responsibility of hunting down the beasts, both in the Dark Side and the Bright Realm, while the remaining three would hold their ground at the Four Domains of Jiuzhou, in case the beasts had any other schemes—and to provide support if needed.

Right now, the beasts were in a precarious position. If they wished to overturn the situation, their only path forward was to seek out the Seal of Heaven. To do so, the cultic factions under their command would need to become increasingly active.

The Eight Immortals, seeing this, chose not to stop them. Instead, they would let the beasts do the work—and follow them to the seal.

As for Li Qing—should he wish to ascend to an even higher cultivation realm, he would likely continue to set traps for the beasts. This, too, could be turned to advantage.

After all, if Li Qing can lay traps for the beasts, then so can the Eight Immortals.

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The Beasts' Emergency Assembly

On the other side, the surviving beasts convened an emergency assembly.

They did not know the full details of the Six Paths Ascension Plan, only that it would allow the Eight Immortals to rule the world in absolute dominion, forging a new Celestial Court and Netherworld. In this system, even cultivators of Level 8 and 7 would receive Divine Thrones, granting them immortality and eternal youth.

Their top priority now was survival.

The Immortals would be actively hunting them down, and so, for the foreseeable future, they must hide. At the same time, they would mobilize lesser beasts to continually attack the Four Domains of Jiuzhou, forcing the Immortals to hold back a portion of their power for defense—and preventing them from going all-out in the hunt.

Next came the search for the Seal of Heaven.

The downfall of the three beasts before them had come because they were deceived into stepping into traps. All the information they had received had been fed to them by others.

This time, if they were to act, it must be based on information uncovered by themselves, and not from unknown sources—only then could it be trusted.

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While the Eight Immortals and the Beasts Continued Their Game of Cat and Mouse...

Li Qing finally discovered the identity of his Destined Calamity Nemesis (Mìngzhōng Dà Dí)—none other than the Nameless One, Xuan Yuan Changlong.

Li Qing pondered the many ways of transcending this tribulation. Killing Xuan Yuan Changlong outright would indeed end the ordeal, but the benefits would be meager. Since this foe was a bearer of Heaven's Mandate, and even a participant in the Six Paths Ascension, then why not let him and another Mandate-bearer live until the final moment—then defeat him at the height of his power?

The sheer scale of this tribulation tied to the Six Paths Ascension was enough for Li Qing to attain the Supreme Origin Soul—stepping into the Sixth Realm.

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A New Level of Surveillance

This time, however, the Eight Immortals were far more cautious. Their scrutiny and supervision within the sects of Mandate-bearers had become exceedingly strict. Countless cultivators at Levels 6, 7, and 8 had been deployed solely for surveillance.

To overcome this, Li Qing began crafting his grand strategy.

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Northern Alliance and Hidden Control

In the northern region, Li Qing had already selected three Mandate-bearers:

Wang Tiānchū

Zhu Yībā

Nan Gong Haoran

Within each of their respective factions, Li Qing had long since embedded his agents—those who now held high ranks and wielded real power.

Fan Chengfeng's faction was already under control thanks to his ally, Sun Qiankun. Meanwhile, Li Qinglian, under the arrangements made by the Kūn Tài Emperor, had become the dominant force in the north.

As for Xuan Yuan Changlong, he was still in the phase of expansion and preparation.

In the other three directions—east, south, and west—each major orthodox sect would be pitted against a corresponding heretical faction:

Demonic Path in the north had already been destroyed, so it posed no threat.

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The Six-Step Grand Strategy

Step One:

Quickly unite the three heretical sects—Demonic Beasts (Yao Dao), Ghost Cultivators (Gui Dao), and Buddhist Heretics (Fo Dao). Their unified front would place immediate pressure on the three orthodox Daoist sects, tying down their forces.

Step Two:

Deploy the Six Mandate-bearers of the Hundred Schools of Thought (Chuzǐ Bǎijiā) to invade Longzhou, the central region. Use it as a springboard to launch pincer offensives on the three Daoist sects from both the eastern and western flanks.

However, the goal was not full conquest—only to secure positions, then negotiate ceasefires with the Daoist sects. The advance must not be too aggressive, lest the three sects ally with the heretics and crush the Hundred Schools.

Step Three:

Once peace talks succeeded, shift to collaborating with the three Daoist sects to eradicate the three heretical factions—Yao, Fo, and Gui.

Step Four:

While the three heretical factions were being destroyed, turn on the Daoist sects, launching an all-out war.

Step Five:

After the three Daoist sects were defeated, trigger a civil war within the Hundred Schools of Thought itself.

Step Six:

Ensure that Xuan Yuan Changlong controls half the world, while another Mandate-bearer holds the other half.

At the climax, defeat Xuan Yuan Changlong at the peak of his power—thus concluding the tribulation and bringing about the ultimate breakthrough.

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Seizing the Primal Dharma Idols

On the surface, the plan was to control Level-5 cultivators embedded within various Daoist factions—especially those currently aligned with Mandate-bearers.