Lin Tian's cultivation fortress, constructed from solidified Primal Saint Energy by the subservient Elder Jiao, hummed with the absolute power of the newly acquired Dao of Entropy. Lin Tian was no longer simply observing flaws; he was seeing the precise lines of decay in the very structure of the Nine Heavens. His immediate strategic goal was the Seven-Star Assembly, the fragile political apex that governed the Lower Heavens.
He sat, still a child in appearance, but his Divine Nascent Soul projected the cold authority of a cosmic judge. He had just tasked Elder Jiao—his first Tier 3 puppet—with the dangerous mission of gathering critical intelligence.
"The Seven-Star Assembly is composed of seven ruling houses, each controlling a fundamental aspect of power," Lin Tian transmitted mentally to Jiao. "Their stability is an illusion maintained by mutual fear and a massive, shared Defense Array. You will not engage them. You will acquire the full blueprint of the Great Assembly Formation and the personal Dao Flaw of their core leader, Lord Xing."
Elder Jiao, a Golden Immortal Stage 3 master, moved with a terror that was absolute. He knew that any slip would result in instant annihilation by the very law he served. He risked his existence, infiltrating the Assembly's central city, Constellation City.
Jiao, disguised by a high-tier stealth talisman provided by Lin Tian, used his status to move among the lower echelons of the Assembly's servants. Lin Tian channeled the Cosmic Flaw Detector through Jiao's senses, projecting his own divine vision miles across the vast realm.
Lin Tian focused on the core defense structure: the Great Assembly Formation. This array was the ultimate shield of the Lower Heavens, supposedly impenetrable to any single Golden Immortal.
[Cosmic Flaw Detector Activated. Target: Great Assembly Formation. Flaw: Ideological Compromise. The Array's logic is corrupted by the conflicting interests of the seven ruling houses. Vulnerability: Destabilization via Paradox.]
Lin Tian realized the defense was not martial; it was political. The formation was so complex because it had been designed by seven different powers, each house inserting a minute, self-serving, and ultimately contradictory command into the core logic. Lin Tian now held the key to turning their mutual defense into mutual destruction.
Next, Lin Tian targeted the assembly's most powerful political figure: Lord Xing, the leader of the dominant house.
[Target: Lord Xing (Golden Immortal Stage 7). Flaw: Dao of Time Stagnation. Personal Weakness: Obsessive pursuit of temporal restoration.]
Lin Tian accessed the painful truth: Lord Xing had lost his wife centuries ago and was attempting to secretly master the forbidden Dao of Time to reverse the event. This pursuit had crippled his current power and made him politically vulnerable. Lin Tian had found his single, crucial point of leverage.
Jiao returned, exhausted but successful, with the full schematics of the Great Assembly Formation and confirmation of Lord Xing's secret obsession. Lin Tian's strategy was immediate and surgical.
"Jiao, you will deliver a personal message to Lord Xing," Lin Tian commanded. "The message is two parts. First, a simple threat: the precise location and nature of the flaw in his Dao of Time cultivation."
Jiao paled. Exposing the Lord's greatest secret-one that risked political execution-was devastating.
"And the second part, Master?"
"The promise: I possess the knowledge to perfect the Dao of Time, freeing him from his decades of stagnation. His surrender will be the price."
Lin Tian knew the gamble was absolute. Lord Xing could choose to mobilize the other six houses and attempt to destroy the infant master. However, the allure of correcting his life's greatest regret and mastering the forbidden Dao would be an irresistible hook for his desperate, stalled spiritual heart. Lin Tian was leveraging love and obsession against overwhelming military power.
Lin Tian instructed Jiao to simultaneously begin a preparatory act of sabotage against the Great Assembly Formation. Jiao was to use his Dao of Entropy mastery to plant a series of minute, destabilizing flaws within the formation's outer rings, flaws that would only erupt when Lord Xing's political rivals attempted to activate the full defense.
"The Seven-Star Assembly will be consumed by internal fear," Lin Tian mused. "Lord Xing will seek salvation, and his rivals will assume he is the traitor. The foundation for my conquest is set."
Lin Tian settled back into his deep meditation, the Primal Saint Blood fusing perfectly with his core. He had cast the net. He simply needed to wait for the highest power of the Lower Heavens to choose between destruction and absolute servitude. The Nine Heavens were already his chessboard.