Immortality begins with meditation puppets

The three battle teams ensured that the Lingxiao Palace had a certain ranged attack capability, but this still did not meet Su Qing's expectations for it.

Refining a seventh-order puppet requires endless resources. Even with the enormous resources accumulated from the rapid development of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom over the years, and by utilizing all the connections Su Qing has, the generous donations from old brothers and new friends, and the ever-renewing ancient resources of the Xuanhuang Tower, he can only create a maximum of three to four seventh-order puppets.

Such a crucial national instrument must be accurately positioned from the outset, with a clear plan outlining the strategic objectives it should achieve. Otherwise, once the project is underway, it may be discovered that the result of such a costly and labor-intensive endeavor is of little use. Such a failure would be a great disrespect to all those who contributed to the creation of this puppet and a tremendous waste of strategic resources.

Before launching the Lingxiao Palace project, Su Qing had set clear strategic goals for it.

He needs a warship that can freely travel through the void and the myriad realms, capable of carrying the cultivators of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom out of Kaiyuan, out of Tianyuan, and into the outer void, fighting against demons in any place where demons exist, protecting Kaiyuan, protecting Tianyuan, protecting any realm and living beings that need protection, declaring its existence, demonstrating its power, and using the warship to protect the commercial interests of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and even the merchants of Tianyuan in the myriad realms.

This is what the Lingxiao Palace needs to do.

The three battle teams are barely enough to deter forces without a seventh-level Dao Lord, but they pale in comparison to forces like the Eastern King Sect, which possesses a seventh-level Dao Lord and is guarded by a Heavenly Demon General.

Therefore, in addition to the three major battle teams, he also needs to build a high-level force on the Lingxiao Palace that can compete with a seventh-level Dao Lord.

This was the earthly divine kingdom plan he proposed to the spirit of the Xuanhuang Tower.

The power source of the Lingxiao Palace is the Four Imperial Dao Patterns, the Taixu Sun and Moon Dao Patterns, which can govern all the stars in the heavens, generate the sunlight and moonlight, and generate the power of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

This immense energy, besides enabling the Lingxiao Palace to roam the heavens, can also nurture a group of celestial soldiers and generals who are capable of fighting, the Four Great Emperors!
In the ancient Heavenly Court, below the Heavenly Emperor, the supreme ruler of all ages, there were also twelve demon gods, four imperial emperors, the judicial god, the great god of the three altars and seas, the pagoda-bearing heavenly king, and the four saints of the North Pole, among other powerful beings of the seventh rank, who vanquished demons and evil spirits and demonstrated the might of Heaven.

Su Qing's plan was to maximize the function of the Taixu Sun and Moon Dao Patterns, the power source of the Lingxiao Palace puppet, and cultivate at least one seventh-order existence at the level of the Four Ancient Emperors on the Lingxiao Palace, so that the Lingxiao Palace would have the capital to contend with seventh-order Dao Lord level existences.

The Four Great Emperors of Antiquity include the Great Emperor of the North Pole, who was mainly responsible for assisting the Heavenly Emperor in governing the Heavenly Way, the celestial and terrestrial order, the sun, moon and stars, and commanding the Big Dipper and other constellations. He was in charge of the lifespan and fortune of all living beings, and in the Netherworld, he transformed into the Great Emperor of Fengdu, who was in charge of Luofeng, and commanded all matters of the Netherworld. He led the Four Saints of the North Pole to control the demons of the Three Realms, and was the master of all things and the leader of all stars.

There is also the Gouchen Shanggong Heavenly Emperor, whose main duty in ancient times was to assist the Heavenly Emperor in balancing the North and South Poles and the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and to assist the Central Heaven and the North Pole in presiding over matters of war, revolution, and imperial power in the human world.

Then there is Hou Tu Huang Di Qi, also known as Hou Tu Niang Niang, whose duties are to manage the changes of mountains and land, as well as the great gods such as the mountain gods, earth gods, and the emperors of the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Mountains, and to control calamities.

Finally, there is the Antarctic Longevity Emperor. The Primordial Sect claims that he is an incarnation of their Primordial Ancestor and does not acknowledge the claim that he is the pinnacle of longevity gods—the Antarctic Old Man. His main duties are to assist the Heavenly Emperor in handling government affairs, and he is also the god in charge of the four seasons and climate. He can summon wind and rain, command thunder and lightning, and control the pivot of the birth and death of all things. In times of great calamity, he can save all living beings and universally transform all beings. He is transformed into the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable, the root ancestor of the Thunder God Department, and at the same time, he ranks first among the Nine Emperors of the Divine Firmament.

In theory, these four emperors served in the ancient Heavenly Court for countless years, were deeply involved with the ancient Heavenly Court, and had a profound relationship with the Heavenly Dao. Under the entanglement of cause and effect, they were like cattle and horses in life and in death. If you want them to continue to serve the world and all living beings, even if they have disappeared without a trace, you have to open their coffins and fight for the world and all living beings one more time.

According to Su Qing's prediction, the Taixu Sun and Moon Dao Pattern, which was controlled by the ancient Heavenly Emperor and could represent the Heavenly Emperor and the Heavenly Dao in a certain form, could be summoned by the puppet of the Lingxiao Palace, just like the True Martial Emperor and the True Spirit of the Eastern Peak Emperor that he had summoned in the Divine Realm before, and used by Su Qing.

However, in practice, because he is only a Heavenly Emperor's Walker, he can represent the Heavenly Emperor but is not yet the Heavenly Emperor. He can communicate with the Heavenly Dao but still has to listen to the Heavenly Dao. His authority is not great enough and his power is not heavy enough, so the Taixu Sun and Moon Dao Patterns suffer because of him. Now, his ability to command all the stars and draw spiritual power from heaven and earth is far inferior to that of the ancient times. He cannot simultaneously nurture four Four Great Emperors. At most, he can choose one of the four and summon the will of one of the Four Great Emperors to reappear in the Lingxiao Palace to command the 100,000 heavenly soldiers nurtured in the divine kingdom on earth.

Of these four emperors, the first to be excluded is Houtu Huangdiqi, who is the embodiment of the Heavenly Emperor. This emperor's identity is very clear: he is one of the twelve ancestral witches of the Wu tribe and the incarnation of Houtu Niangniang, the later ruler of the earth.

Her authority is innate and has nothing to do with the ancient Heavenly Court. Even without the ancient Heavenly Court, she has no less ability than she should, and it is not something that can be conceived by the sun, moon, stars, or the power of the Heavenly Dao.

It is not a beast of burden; it represents the Earthly Dao and comes to supervise and guide the work of the Heavenly Dao-related systems. It is not something that Su Qing, a Heavenly Emperor, can command simply by relying on the Tai Xu Sun and Moon Dao patterns.

Furthermore, the ancient masters of the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man, as well as the Primordial Ancestor, the Lingbao Ancestor, the Snail Emperor Xi Huang, the two Buddhist Ancestors, and other Dao Ancestor-level beings, all sacrificed their Dao fruits, completely erasing themselves from the past and future, in order to temporarily eliminate the ancient demonic calamity and buy the present world so many years of development opportunities. They have no true spirit left in the world, so even if they were willing to condescend to listen to the arrangements of this junior from a later generation, they would be powerless to do so.

Similarly, regarding the Antarctic Longevity Emperor, regardless of whether the claim that he was an incarnation of the Primordial Ancestor was just the Primordial Sect trying to glorify itself, as long as there was such a possibility, Su Qing would not dare to risk trying to summon his true spirit to land on the puppet in the Lingxiao Palace.

The two finalists are only the Great Emperor of the North Pole and the Great Emperor of the Upper Palace of Gouchen. These two emperors have extremely obvious advantages. The Great Emperor of the North Pole has been in charge of governing the heavens and stars since ancient times. If he were to sit in the Lingxiao Palace now, he could better exert the power of the Taixu Sun and Moon Dao Patterns to govern the heavens and stars. Moreover, he once controlled the Four Saints of the North Pole, commanded a million heavenly soldiers, and oversaw all the battles of the Heavenly Court against demons and immortals. If he were to sit in the Lingxiao Palace puppet, he could also serve as the fleet commander-in-chief, handling all internal and external affairs of the fleet.

Next is the Gouchen Shanggong Heavenly Emperor. The core advantage of this emperor in competing for the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Lingxiao Palace is that he was a good person who connected the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man in the past. He has an excellent relationship with the human path and the earth path. Nowadays, countless humans in all the heavens and myriad realms remember his kindness. If he were to command the puppets of the Lingxiao Palace, he could deal with the cultivators of all the realms on matters that could be resolved through negotiation, so that they would not resort to warships and cannons to resort to force at the slightest disagreement. Furthermore, unlike the Beiji Ziwei Emperor, who was only responsible for commanding divine soldiers and generals, this emperor was once the direct superior of the Three Altars Sea Gathering God. He was good at coordinating and integrating the soldiers of the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man in their struggles. If he were to command the puppets of the Lingxiao Palace, with the puppet army of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, the powerful divine army of the Xingsha Divine Kingdom, and the friendly forces of the Tianyuan Realm that had established a strategic alliance with Kaiyuan, his command and coordination ability would obviously be a notch above that of the Beiji Ziwei Emperor.

Taking into account the advantages of both emperors, Su Qing originally preferred Emperor Gouchen Shanggong, which was consistent with the previous foreign strategy of Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and his own performance in the heavens.

Previously, when the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom opened its doors to do business, its main principle in its relations with various forces in the myriad realms was to make friends with those it could, and not to make enemies with those it couldn't befriend, all in order to facilitate the exchange of goods and services with the myriad realms and ensure smooth trade.

Su Qing himself is the same. Human Emperor candidate? We'll put aside the controversy for now. Heavenly Emperor candidate? We'll have friendly exchanges if there's competition. Puppet Master of the Heavens? Those are all the older generation of puppeteers who are giving way to the younger generation, recognizing the elder brother as the younger brother. In all the heavens and myriad realms, in the surrounding villages, no one knows that I, Su Qing, am humble, sensible, and polite.

During this period of development in the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and by Su Qing in a low-key manner, a kind-hearted commander like the Heavenly Emperor of Gouchen Shanggong would be very suitable to serve as the fleet commander of the Lingxiao Palace Puppet and as a friendly envoy for the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom to communicate with the myriad worlds, so as to establish a more harmonious and closer relationship with the myriad worlds.

But things change. After he overturned the table with the Yuanshi Sect, and with the Dongwang Sect plotting behind the scenes, the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom can no longer keep a low profile. It's time to roll up its sleeves and show its muscles to all the worlds, demonstrating that it has the strength to challenge the Yuanshi Sect and the Dongwang Sect.

At this point, the iron-fisted and ruthless Emperor of the North Pole would be even more in line with the requirements of Su Qing and the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom.

Thus, Su Qing made up his mind that the first Lingxiao Palace puppet would be named the Arctic Ziwei, and would be led by the Arctic Ziwei Emperor.

The reason it is called the first one is naturally because as the national strength of Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom develops, as Su Qing's own abilities increase, and as more and more sponsorships are brought in from outside, he will build a second Lingxiao Palace Puppet and a third Lingxiao Palace Puppet.

Summoning the true spirit of the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei is neither difficult nor difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that, apart from Su Qing, no one in the myriad realms has the face to ask Heaven and Earth to help summon their former subordinates to serve them. The difficulty lies in the fact that Su Qing has made great contributions to Heaven and Earth over the years, which can be seen by the sun and moon and witnessed by Heaven and Earth. This time, he asked Heaven and Earth to do him a small favor and even asked the spirit of the Xuanhuang Tower to help him witness and swear that he would not use the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei for his own power struggles and selfish deeds. Then Heaven and Earth immediately helped him to gather the true spirit imprints of the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei that had been scattered throughout the myriad realms over the years.

The true spirit of the Great Emperor of the North Pole Purple Star reunited, and naturally inherited all the divine duties and powers he had previously held, including the Five Elders Divine Marks—Heaven and Earth, the Five Elders Divine Marks—Nine Luminaries and Stars, the Five Elders Dao Marks—Life and Fortune, the Five Elders Dao Marks—Strange Tales of Fengdu, the Five Elders Dao Marks—Demon Suppressor Emperor, the Five Elders Dao Marks—Ancestor of All Things, the Five Elders Dao Marks—Master of Myriad Stars, etc.

The only drawback is that he once held too many divine powers and authority. After his fall, these powers and authority were scattered in all directions. After the revival of Tianyuan, many of the divine runes within his jurisdiction have been taken over by others. These people have already registered and taken up their posts in the world through these divine runes. The world is too embarrassed to take away their divine runes and return them to the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei.

However, these are all divine runes below the Five Elders level, which have little impact on the strength of the Northern Purple Star Emperor. Although he does not have a Four Imperial Divine Rune, he possesses dozens of Five Elders Divine Runes. The combined divine power of these runes is vast and boundless, enough to rival some rogue cultivators, poor scholars, and seventh-level Dao Lords who are not from the three major sects of the Dao lineage, do not possess innate spiritual treasures, and have not comprehended the upper Dao.

In fact, during the heyday of the ancient Heavenly Court, beings like the Great Emperor of the North Pole Purple Star possessed combat power comparable to that of a seventh-tier Dao Lord from one of the three major Dao lineages, such as the Primordial Sect.

The reason why the Great Emperor of the North Pole, condensed by the puppet of the Lingxiao Palace, has fallen to the point of having to sit at the same table as the Dao Lord of the side sects is not only because it has been deposed for a long time and a new person has taken over some of its divine authority, but also because it is only a reunion of true spirit. Its divine soul and divine body are not complete. It is not human, not god, and not even a puppet. It is not in the Three Realms and does not belong to the five categories of immortals. It can only be considered a mark, a projection, an indomitable heroic soul inherited from ancient times. It was captured by Su Qing, the puppet of the Lingxiao Palace, and nurtured with the Dao patterns of the Taixu Sun and Moon, which gave it the opportunity to shine. If you want it to shine even brighter or more, you are really dreaming.

"Stable above a sixth-tier Void Refinement cultivator, slightly stronger than a bare-handed unorthodox Dao Lord, and weaker than a seventh-tier Dao Lord from a major sect. For now, we'll classify his combat strength as that of an Acquired Dao Lord!"

Su Qing assessed the strength of the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei, stating that as the strongest being in the present world, being able to cultivate to the seventh-order Dao Lord level was something that countless cultivators dreamed of but could never achieve. Reaching this level was something that almost all cultivators could accomplish.

However, there are always stronger ones among the strong, and even among the seventh-level Dao Lords, there are differences in strength and skill.

This distinction between strength and weakness has several versions depending on the positioning criteria, but the most widely accepted positioning methods are roughly the following three.

First, there's the issue of magic weapons. We're both seventh-tier Dao Lords, but I use an innate spiritual treasure while you use a fifth or sixth-tier trash magic weapon that doesn't even qualify as a spiritual treasure. You're not qualified to compete with me. Just based on the advantage of magic weapons alone, I can devour you.

Secondly, there's the theory of supernatural powers. Everyone's cultivation level is similar, but when it comes to fighting, it still comes down to actual micro-management. You're just a rogue cultivator from another sect, you've never seen or eaten anything good, you might only have two or three Heavenly Grade Profound Techniques and one or two Immortal Techniques and Supernatural Powers, while I can use Heavenly Grade Profound Techniques with ease, I can use First Grade Immortal Techniques with perfect skill, and I even know a few Heavenly Gang Supernatural Powers. What do you have to compare with me?

Thirdly, there's the theory of the Great Dao. The Innate Great Dao and the Acquired Great Dao are incomparable. If I cultivate the Innate Dao and you cultivate the Acquired Dao, then my Innate Dao is superior to yours. (End of Chapter)