The political heart of the Lower Heavens was not located in a grand imperial hall, but in the sterile, massive Assembly Chambers of Constellation City. Today, the Chambers were cold with dread. Lord Xing, the Assembly's leader and Lin Tian's most powerful puppet, sat upon his throne, his face grave with feigned reluctance as he addressed the remaining five ruling houses.
The annihilation of the Sovereign's Hall (Chapter 44) had caused chaos, but the Assembly remained, crippled by the threat of its own hidden master: the sleeping Dao Emperor, Sovereign Mu.
"Elders," Lord Xing began, his voice amplified by the room's vast arrays. "The instability caused by the Tier 2 anomaly, now known to be an Ascendant, is immense. The Void Fault attack was a diversion. The true threat lies within the Temple of the Quiet Dawn."
The temperature in the room instantly dropped. The Temple housed the sealed Dao Emperor-the secret the Assembly was sworn to protect.
"We have received intelligence that is both damning and undeniable," Lord Xing continued, projecting a massive, shimmering spiritual scroll that Lin Tian had prepared. "Two houses, House Feng and House Shi, have been secretly consolidating resources and coordinating attempts to forcibly destabilize the Temple's array. Their goal is to siphon the Dao Emperor's dormant power for a chaotic, unauthorized ascension."
The scroll contained fabricated spiritual evidence, woven with threads of genuine political records stolen from the Sovereign's Archive. Lin Tian had leveraged the Cosmic Flaw Detector to find the exact political weaknesses and ambitions of House Feng and House Shi, then created a narrative so plausible, so focused on their greed, that the other houses instantly believed it.
The heads of House Feng and House Shi screamed in outrage. "Lies! Slander! You are trying to seize power, Xing!"
"Silence!" Lord Xing thundered, channeling the sheer, absolute authority of his Vow of Silent Servitude-a power that felt far purer than his usual Golden Immortal might. "The threat is existential! If the Temple's stability fails, the resulting power surge will annihilate Constellation City and plunge the entire Lower Heavens into chaos! This is treason against the Dao itself!"
The remaining houses-House Han, House Yun, and House Lie-immediately succumbed to fear and self-preservation. Their priority was the sleeping Dao Emperor's containment, not defending political rivals.
"Lord Xing, what is your judgment?" demanded Elder Han, his voice trembling.
Lord Xing rose, his shadow falling across the accused parties. His words, channeled by Lin Tian's cold, strategic mind, were the final decree. "The only recourse is immediate and absolute purification. For the safety of the Dao, House Feng and House Shi are deemed enemies of the Nine Heavens."
The execution was swift and brutal. Lord Xing personally led a massive, focused spiritual assault against the two condemned houses. The goal was not capture, but total annihilation before the other houses could change their minds.
Lin Tian, directing the entire battle from the sanctuary of the Imperial Isolation Chambers, provided real-time tactical commands to Lord Xing via the Soul Seal.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: House Feng Defense Array. Flaw: Redundancy Overlap. Solution: Target simultaneous collapse of secondary nodes.]
Lord Xing struck with devastating precision. He bypassed the main defensive shields of the Feng manor and instantly annihilated the spiritual cores of the House Feng leadership. He did not waste time on combat; he executed a political strategy. Within hours, House Feng-a power that had endured for millennia-was reduced to dust and scattered, demoralized disciples.
House Shi, witnessing the terrifying efficiency of the attack, attempted to flee. Lin Tian anticipated the move. He commanded Lord Xing to use a unique spatial technique, instantly sealing all escape portals. The annihilation of House Shi was equally swift and absolute.
[Resource Acquisition: Primal Saint Essence (x10,000 units) secured. Cultivation Stability: Maximum.]
The spiritual wealth of two major Tier 3 ruling houses-centuries of cultivation effort-was instantly converted into a vast, stable resource pool for Lin Tian's core.
Lord Xing returned to the Assembly, his robes immaculate, his power absolute. The remaining three houses were now terrified and completely subservient. Lin Tian had effectively eliminated all political resistance.
The total conquest of the political structure of the Lower Heavens was complete, achieved without Lin Tian ever leaving his prison/sanctuary.
Lord Xing stood before the assembled elders, his voice ringing with power. "The contamination is purged. The Dao of Sovereignty is restored. However, the true lesson is fear. We must now pool our knowledge and resources to ensure the continued security of the Temple."
He immediately issued the final command: all remaining spiritual wealth and secret cultivation texts belonging to the remaining houses would be consolidated and entrusted to Lord Xing's personal vault for "Temple defense research."
Lin Tian smiled in the isolation chamber. The political wealth of the entire Lower Heavens was now his.
He had won the political game. Now, it was time for the ultimate payoff: the solution to Lord Xing's decades-long misery. Lin Tian channeled the ultimate command.
Lord Xing. Your fealty is absolute. Your reward is now due. Prepare your Sea of Consciousness for the correction of the Temporal Resonance Lock. You will finally master the Dao of Time.
The terror and gratitude in Lord Xing's soul were monumental. He had sold his soul, and in return, he was about to receive the ultimate cosmic power-control over the flow of time. Lin Tian was preparing to fix the most complex flaw he had ever encountered.