The Temporal Flux Barrier surrounding Constellation City vanished, its function complete. Lin Tian emerged from his century of cultivation, his face still that of a nine-month-old, but his eyes held the disconcerting, ancient wisdom of a man who commanded causality itself. His Golden Immortal Stage 8 power was now fortified by the flawless mastery of the Dao of Time and Dao of Entropy.
Before him knelt his three devoted puppets: Lord Xing (the Time Dao Master), Elder Jiao (the martial guard), and Elder Long Wei (the former Tier 1 apex, now a Golden Immortal Stage 3). Their loyalty was absolute, and their strategic mission was clear: dismantle the Celestial Emperor's authority.
"The Lower Heavens are secured," Lin Tian transmitted, his voice resonating with cold authority. "The goal is the Upper Heavens—the direct domain of the Celestial Emperors. Their power is not martial; it is based on ideological control and resource distribution across the Nine Heavens."
Lin Tian channeled the Cosmic Flaw Detector, aiming it at the vast, shimmering structures of the Tier 3 realm.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: Celestial Emperor Domain (Tier 3 Apex). Foundational Law: Dao of Authority (Ideology). Flaw Detected: Reliance on Fixed Resource Distribution.]
Lin Tian realized the Emperor's power was sustained by hoarding a critical spiritual resource needed by all lower heavens: Primal Essence Seals (PES)—items essential for all cultivation above the Golden Immortal Stage.
"The Emperor's authority rests on monopoly," Lin Tian commanded. "We will break that monopoly using a three-pronged, untraceable political attack."
Phase 1: The Temporal Blackout
"Lord Xing," Lin Tian commanded the Dao of Time master. "You will use your mastery to cast a Temporal Blackout across the entire Lower Heavens. Slow the perception of time to one-tenth its speed, but only for all Imperial Messenger Arrays and Surveillance Seals."
Lord Xing immediately focused his power. The effect was immediate and invisible: the Emperor's entire information network—the communication lines, the spiritual records, and the surveillance maps—began to operate 90% slower than real-time. For every day that passed, the Emperor's intelligence would be two hours behind.
"The Emperor will be effectively deaf and blind," Lord Xing transmitted, his body shaking with the pride of executing such a complex temporal maneuver.
Phase 2: The Resource Leak
The second phase targeted the Emperor's primary source of power—the Primal Essence Seals.
"Elder Jiao," Lin Tian commanded the martial puppet. "Your Dao of Constraint is required. Use your martial force to infiltrate the Central Distribution Vault—the source of the Emperor's resource monopoly."
Jiao, terrified of the confrontation, prepared his martial assault. "Master, the Vault is guarded by the Golden Guard—ten Golden Immortal Stage 7 masters. It is a siege."
"It is not a siege. It is an Entropy Strike," Lin Tian corrected. "The Golden Guard is rigid. You will use your Dao of Entropy mastery to inject a conceptual flaw into their formation. Make their internal discipline turn into chaotic insubordination."
Lin Tian directed Jiao to strike a minute, calculated point in the Guard's core formation. The goal was to cause an immediate, subtle breakdown in obedience and command structure. While the Golden Guard descended into infighting, Jiao was to seize one Primal Essence Seal and, most crucially, leak the location of the Vault to the remaining minor political houses.
The Emperor's secret was now public.
Phase 3: The Blame Frame
The final phase was political damage control, executed by Elder Long Wei, who now understood the high stakes of Tier 3 propaganda.
"Elder Long Wei," Lin Tian commanded. "Your Tier 1 experience in political fabrication is required. You will use the Temporal Blackout to your advantage. Immediately launch a wide-scale rumor campaign, blaming the resource leak on the Emperor's Imperial Commander, claiming the Commander is secretly stockpiling PES seals for a personal rebellion."
Long Wei, the former political genius, accepted the order with zeal. He would use the delayed communication and the immediate panic over the resource leak to frame the Emperor's most loyal general. The Emperor would be forced to eliminate his own most competent defense simply to secure his political narrative.
The complex, three-pronged attack was executed flawlessly across the vast Nine Heavens. The Emperor was paralyzed by the Temporal Blackout (Lin Tian's power). His resources were compromised by the Entropy Strike (Jiao's action), and his defense was destroyed by Political Fabrication (Long Wei's rumors).
The Lower Heavens were plunged into a state of strategic, controlled chaos. Lin Tian had effectively launched a silent, ideological coup.
Lin Tian sat in the Isolation Chambers, absorbing the essence of the successful gambit. He had won the first battle against the Emperor without firing a single unsanctioned martial strike.
"The battlefield is prepared," Lin Tian transmitted to his core puppets. "Your service is noted. Now, the final communication."
Lin Tian paused, sensing a change in the spiritual flow of the Cloud Heavens. He activated his spiritual link, reaching across the void to Mei Lan.
The Nine Heavens are open. The Emperor is crippled. Your ascent is now required. Bring the resources. The next war is martial.