Mysterious mirror hanging high

"The four of you are also geniuses who have reached the middle stage of the Nascent Soul. You must be well-known figures in the Tiannan Demon Sect. Why do you have to be so humble and serve Fellow Daoist Xiao as your leader?" Jing Yu asked.

Although there is a big hurdle from the middle stage of the Nascent Soul to the late stage of the Nascent Soul, the difference in status is not as huge as heaven and earth. Even for a great True Lord in the late stage of the Nascent Soul like Xiao Guanying, it is extremely rare to have a few low-level Nascent Soul cultivators in the early stage like [True Lord Banshan] following him. That's why Jing Yu asked this question.

"How could a child like you understand..." the counselor holding an ivory tablet said leisurely, "My lord is born a noble, destined by heaven... born to rule the world. Now that we are attached to you, we are truly following your example."

Upon hearing this, Qi Baisheng retorted sarcastically, "How shameless! True Lord Suying truly has such grand ambitions, to rule the world?"

"Don't you know that every Heavenly Sovereign in the world today despises the Guoyun Immortal Dynasty? The remaining remnants of the Divine Cauldrons are still hiding in the caves, terrified like dogs that have lost their homes... If you want to restore the Immortal Dynasty, not only me, the Heavenly Sovereign of the Righteous Path, but even the Heavenly Sovereign of the Demonic Path will not tolerate you!"

Xiao Guanying chuckled at this time:

"Fellow Daoist Qi, you are too serious. I, Xiao, never said I wanted to restore the Immortal Dynasty..."

"The reason the Divine Cauldron Immortal Dynasty is so unacceptable to the modern cultivators is because they perversely practiced, forcibly imitating the imagery of a mortal dynasty with their immortal bodies. This resulted in the bizarre [National Destiny Immortal Dynasty System], which is nothing more than a degraded version of the [Incense and Vow Power]!"

"They want the monks of the free world to worship the emperor and father, and observe the rituals of hierarchy...providing them with incense and vows, naturally everyone is free to kill them."

"But I, Xiao Guanying, disdain this."

Xiao Guanying slowly stood up and shook his sleeves: "I have no intention of establishing a dynasty and becoming an emperor. It is also not my wish to be the Immortal Emperor who unifies the Immortal Continent..."

"The world is in chaos today, with the righteous and evil fighting each other endlessly. This is simply because there is no unified law in the world of immortal cultivation, making it impossible for both righteous and evil cultivators to abide by it."

"The righteous are harsh towards others, and everywhere they look are filled with vindicators and hypocrites. The evil path is free-spirited and even more filthy, knowing only to seize without restraint and kill innocent people."

"From my perspective, both ends are extreme. Why not try to find a middle ground and take a middle path? If everyone takes a step back and draws a law that everyone can accept, wouldn't that reduce a lot of disputes?"

"Xiao... simply wants the heavens and the earth to follow the rules, and for both cultivators and ordinary people to follow the laws."

Jing Yu frowned and said, "What an arrogant tone! Fellow Daoist Xiao, aren't you afraid of getting caught off guard?... You said that cultivators should follow the law. What law? And who will formulate it?"

But Xiao Guanying was not in a hurry and said with a faint smile: "Of course, Xiao will make the decision."

Jing Yu sneered, "What's there to say? Another control freak who believes in 'Heaven's Heart is My Heart'..."

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing is wrong."

Xiao Guanying said calmly, "The heart of heaven is my heart? That's not how it works..."

"If ordinary people want to survive, they must eat and drink. When they are hungry, they must eat; when they are thirsty, they must drink water... This is the law of heaven and earth."

"Cultivators also need to absorb and exhale spiritual energy and transfer mana in order to increase their cultivation and break through realms. This is also the law of heaven."

"But why is there such a thing as spiritual roots in this world? Those with spiritual roots can draw Qi into their bodies, cultivate and become immortals; while those without spiritual roots can only be mortals for their entire lives, and eventually, after a hundred years, turn into a pile of dust."

"Is there even a difference in spiritual root qualifications among cultivators? Those with low-grade spiritual roots practice at a snail's pace, never being able to build a foundation for immortality and even glimpse the wonders of the immortal path."

"Top-grade spiritual roots absorb and release spiritual energy as naturally as ordinary people eat and drink water. There is almost no significant bottleneck before the Golden Core stage."

Xiao Guanying spoke slowly, "Everyone says that spiritual roots and talents are determined by fate, but I disagree."

"What if there is no such thing as good or bad spiritual roots, but rather the spiritual energy in this world is biased?"

"Spiritual energy is selfish!"

Qi Baisheng's mind buzzed. What Xiao Guanying had just said was too unorthodox. He had practiced for so many years and had never had such an idea.

"If the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is biased, then the so-called high-grade spiritual roots are nothing more than being favored by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; while the low-grade spiritual roots are simply too little favored..."

"As for those without spiritual roots, they are simply those rejected by spiritual energy."

Xiao Guanying smiled, "I'd like to ask Fellow Daoist Xuan Jing, if spiritual energy is biased, if Heaven is biased... don't you just obediently follow Heaven's laws? Why have I never seen you stand up against this injustice?"

"Or is it because you are all cultivators with outstanding spiritual roots and aptitude, and you are enjoying the benefits you have gained?"

"If the Heavenly Dao is selfish, has likes and dislikes, and has consciousness, why can you abide by the rules set by the Heavenly Dao, but cannot abide by the laws set by Xiao?"

"It's just that the laws of nature cannot be violated, and I can still resist a little in front of Xiao."

Xiao Guanying said calmly, "Isn't that just bullying the weak and fearing the strong? If that's the case, when I become enlightened and even evolve into a cave heaven, will you all be able to abide by the laws I set?"

"Will Xiao's laws then also represent the Way of Heaven? Wouldn't the Imperial Court founded by Xiao also become the [Heavenly Court]?"

"Since that's the case, I, Xiao, disdain to be the emperor of some immortal dynasty. I, Xiao..."

"Now that I have become the [Emperor of Heaven], what else do you have to say?"

Jing Yu's expression froze slightly, and he exchanged glances with Qi Baisheng: "This Xiao Guanying..."

Xiao Guanying's tone softened again. "Besides, what's wrong with [Heaven's Heart is My Heart]? Heaven may be partial, but [I] may not be incapable of being fair and just."

He smiled and said, "If I could command the spiritual energy of the world, perhaps I would treat everyone equally, allowing all living beings in the world to breathe spiritual energy and inquire about the immortal way... Everyone's spiritual roots and aptitudes are exactly the same, so as to avoid resentment."

Jing Yu retorted, "If Fellow Daoist Xiao truly has such great love, why does he choose to train only one disciple? Why not distribute his cultivation resources evenly among the cultivators throughout the Tiannan Region and even Penglai Immortal Continent?"

"Why are there even differences in the level of achievement among the disciples? Is it possible that Li Ping'er's cultivation resources are comparable to Yan Jiuming's? Or is it because Yan Jiuming has better aptitude that he has obtained more resources?"

"You keep saying that 'Heaven is partial', but I see that you, Fellow Daoist Xiao, don't treat all your subordinates equally, do you?"

Xiao Guanying was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then he slowly said:

"Jiu Ming is indeed more talented. I put a lot of effort into training him because he can provide greater assistance to Xiao in the future."

“If you want to create a fair and selfless environment for all living beings in the world, you must first have the ability to create this environment.”

"Before this, any means necessary... It's a desperate move, but it's also the only way."