Published at 17th of October 2026 7:31 am

Chapter 1983: The World’s Situation II: The Alternate Path’s Rebellion

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"Not long after you left, the Divine Court began to move," Qiyuan stated. "For a while, they sent small-scale legions out of their Black Headquarters for minor confrontations, and I responded in kind. I knew they were testing or waiting for something, but I didn’t know exactly what. Then —"

"The Alternate Path Rebellion happened," Wang Chong finished.

Wang Wei looked at them strangely. "The what?"

"That’s what the historians called it," Yan Hai added.

"The Divine Court was strategic, targeting one of the fundamental flaws or weaknesses of our civilization," Qiyuan continued. "Without us noticing, they spread a perfect system that allows Dao Paths and even Immortal Cultivators to become Insurgents. Well, they don’t even use that term. According to them, it’s just a process of [Foundation Strengthening]. Either way, you can imagine what happened next."

"Chaos," Wang Wei replied.

"The Emperor Path has dominated the world for countless years, which means they’ve suppressed the other paths for as long," Wang Chong said, nodding. "And now, all the Alternate Path cultivators have the strength to fight back. The grievance they have suffered for countless years finally has a way to be avenged. From assassination to direct battles to scheming, these people did everything possible to kill Emperors they had grievances with."

"What a ruthless method," Wang Wei commented. With this single method, the Divine Court used years of social inequality to destabilize the entire Eternal Ascension World.

"That bitch Wan Yanmei is indeed ruthless," Yan Hai said, and Wang Wei glanced at her. With that single comment, he could tell the Sword Empress must have suffered at Wan Yanmei’s hands, which made sense given her level of strength.

"So, how did you deal with the situation?"

"The first thing I did was stabilize the internal problems," Qiyuan explained. "For the court, I established a life-and-death arena. Any alternate cultivator and Emperors who had an issue could decide their fate in the arena."

Wang Wei nodded. "That’s the most direct way to deal with the issue. Although it would weaken the court’s forces, it can stabilize the situation."

"For the sect, I raised the status of the alternate path. As long as they were powerful enough and showed their capabilities, they could receive the same treatment as their Emperor counterparts."

"Solving the issue to its root is best, but there should still be a few unsatisfied individuals."

"Of course, those were eliminated," Li Ming calmly said.

Wang Wei once again nodded. Under these circumstances, this direct approach was the most efficient. "What about the rest of the world? How did you solve the issue?"

"Resources," Qiyuan replied. "The only reason these cultivators could strengthen their foundation was that they had access to resources. So, I used the court’s power to create the greatest monopoly possible: from the Overlords to weak Great Emperor Lineages, we control all Immortal Tier cultivation resources, cutting their access to it."

"Brilliant, but I’m guessing they didn’t just accept their fate? Especially the loose cultivators."

Yan Hai snorted coldly. "They were the main problem."

"So, the Limitless Exchange Hall resisted?" The largest number of alternate-path cultivators congregated in the hall, which is why Wang Wei asked.

"Without Old Man Black Chess in charge, they tried to resist," Wang Chong sneered. "But there was no negotiating with them this time around. We wiped out anyone who resisted and carved out the rest."

"Carved out?"

"Some were recruited into the court’s legion, while the others were divided among the Overlords and other factions. Anyway, we didn’t allow talented alternate path cultivators to remain loose cultivators."

"Wait," Wang Wei said. "Does that mean the Limitless Exchange Hall is gone?" He had gone to such lengths to recruit them, so it would be a shame if they were destroyed.

"No, it’s not completely gone," Qiyuan replied. "I knew more trouble would appear later on if we didn’t allow any loose cultivators to exist or give them a platform to gather any resources; they might even betray the world and join the Divine Court. As such, I left the Limitless Exchange Hall under strict management. I planned to control Old Man Black Chess after he returned."

"Wise men think alike," Wang Wei praised, and Qiyuan smiled. "What about the Divine Court? I doubt they stood by and watched you solve the issue without doing anything."

"Of course not. They use our weakness and distraction to leave the Black Headquarters and conquer countless territories."

"Wait, the Qin Divine Court?"

"Yes. Since their headquarters was next to their territory, they suffered the most."

"I love hearing that bastard Ying Zhange’s misery," Wang Wei sneered.

"There is nothing to be happy about. Although they suffered a bit, it wasn’t that much. Their Grand Preceptor relocated most of their population and basically abandoned these territories," Yan Hai said.

Wang Wei sipped his tea. "Doesn’t matter. He still lost a good deal of luck." He just wants to see Ying Zheng suffer.

Wang Chong smiled. "I forgot how vindictive you were. I’m surprised you failed to kill Ying Zheng in the expedition."

Wang Wei sighed. "Sometimes, even wisdom cannot beat destiny." If not for that old man Hongjun, how could Ying Zheng escape his grasp? "Anyway, what happened next?"

Everybody paused before Li Ming spoke. "The court invasion."

"Wan Yanmei attacked the court?"

"She did," Qiyuan nodded. "While we were still recuperating from the previous rebellion, they used an unknown talisman that bypassed all our defenses and teleported their legions directly into the court."

"That fight must have been brutal." Wang Wei could imagine the chaos of such a sudden attack. And based on these people’s reaction, it’s not hard to imagine their memories of the experience were profound.

"It was, but not for the reason you’re thinking."

"Oh?"

"The court is still our home ground, so how could I allow them to act as they please?" Qiyuan explained. "After the initial chaos, I took control of the situation and even dealt with their legion with the fastest speed possible. However, the true horror of that invasion was the commanders. Their strength —"

"They just had higher realms than us," Yan Hai sneered.

"There is no need to be ashamed: we almost died," Wang Chong said.

"Without that Saint Puppet, things wouldn’t have been so dire," Yan Hai insisted.

"They had another Saint Puppet? I thought we already destroyed their Time Gate?"

"We underestimated their repair time, which, in hindsight, was a mistake on my part as a commander."

"Brother, there is no need to blame yourself," Li Ming said.

Qiyuan didn’t comment on his brother’s words. Instead, he looked at Wang Wei. "You understand, don’t you?"

"Yes. We do not know much about the Divine Court, but we do know they have mastered the art of conquest. So, as commander, you should have expected their return to be much faster than any actual calculation or prediction."

"To be fair, Qiyuan was in retreat during this period to create his Saint Foundation," Wang Chong added.

"It doesn’t matter," Qiyuan replied, sighing.

"Anyway, how did you solve the crisis?"

"Maitreya left some protective means for us. Do you remember her title as this world’s guardian?"

"Yes."

"She left a spell that manifested her Guardian Status into physical forms."

"I understand how you dealt with the puppet, but what about Wan Yanmei and the other commanders?"

"We barely held on by borrowing power from the court itself," Wang Chong admitted. "But it wasn’t enough."

"I knew we needed to do something," Qiyuan continued. "So, I gathered all the remaining leaders and had them elect me as the temporary Heavenly Emperor, which allowed me to truly utilize the full power of the court and of Heaven and Earth’s rules. I granted everyone a blessing, which allowed us to push the Divine Court out."

Wang Wei squinted. "I’m guessing it wasn’t easy to convince these people?"

Yan Hai snorted coldly. "Even in that terrible situation, they were fighting for profit and guarding against each other."

Wang Wei wasn’t surprised. Some things are fundamental to a cultivator’s nature, and even after living for so long, few can change. No, on the contrary, time seemed to have enhanced these negative attributes instead of solving them.

"Was the Divine Court just an attack or were they planning something else?"

"From what I could tell, they didn’t have other ulterior motives," Qiyuan replied. "They didn’t think they’d lose; their purpose was to cripple the court, which was the main opposing force against their invasion. Failure was unexpected."

"No commander can win every battle," Wang Wei said, nodding. "What happened to Liang Shixian during this rebellion?"

"Liang Shixian?" Wang Chong asked. "Oh, that little snake."

Wang Wei immediately frowned. "What did he do?"

"I had my suspicions that he wanted to join the Divine Court to gain enough knowledge to create a [Foundation Strengthening Method] for his Soul Path. So, I had someone monitor him. However, as more techniques from the court spread, he seemed to have abandoned the idea of betrayal and focused on improving his soul path."

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