Chapter 140: Internal Strife and External Threats

"Very well! Since that is the case, convene the Grand Court tomorrow. Summon the gods of the Divine Race and the leaders of all the ten thousand tribes of the Northern Wilderness."

"I shall publicly promote Miaoyan to the rank of Grand Heavenly Venerable!"

Nan Luo looked down at the twelve Heavenly Venerables, his golden eyes reflecting their pale complexions. His tone was indifferent.

The twelve Heavenly Venerables were still preoccupied with the arrival of the Great Catastrophe, nodding in a distracted manner to all of Nan Luo's decisions.

A carrot after the stick.

After giving the twelve Heavenly Venerables a stern lesson, Nan Luo had to offer them some benefits. Otherwise, if the Divine Race were truly annihilated, Nan Luo would have to pay a heavy price.

"Enough! Wipe those unsightly expressions off your faces," Nan Luo said calmly. "The Great Catastrophe has descended. This is an immutable fact."

"However, while the Great Catastrophe brings the peril of death, it also offers the opportunity to attain the Dao."

Nan Luo’s shift in tone immediately made the eyes of the Heavenly Venerables brighten.

For all practitioners, the pursuit of the Dao is never forgotten. Faced with the irresistible temptation of attaining the Dao, life and death become trivial matters.

The twelve Heavenly Venerables were originally Primordial Gods and Devils, the bearers of the laws of heaven and earth; practicing these laws was their destiny. Moreover, as experts at the level of Divine Lords, they had endured countless hardships throughout their lives, and their resolve to attain the Dao was both firm and proactive.

Tempted by the bait of attaining the Dao dangled by Nan Luo, the twelve Heavenly Venerables decisively accepted his offer.

"What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

The golden eyes of the Heavenly Venerable Nigü flashed with infinite brilliance as he looked up at Nan Luo and asked respectfully. Having always been devoted to the pursuit of the Dao—with his power struggles merely serving as a means to facilitate better cultivation—he was instantly moved by Nan Luo’s promise.

The other Heavenly Venerables also had gleaming eyes, their hearts stirred.

In the Primordial World, the strong are respected. Any creature would seize an opportunity to enhance their strength, let alone the twelve Heavenly Venerables.

Seeing the twelve Heavenly Venerables "resurrected" with full spirit, a glimmer of triumph flashed in Nan Luo’s golden eyes. He spoke slowly: "The Great Catastrophe is a trial of life and death. Within this deadly trial lies a spark of vitality."

"All who enter the Great Catastrophe will either live or die. For a practitioner, as long as you do not perish, there is a glimmer of hope to achieve a breakthrough in the Dao."

Seeing that the twelve Heavenly Venerables still looked perplexed, Nan Luo added: "In other words, as long as you are immersed in the Great Catastrophe and engage actively in slaughter, you are guaranteed to achieve a breakthrough—provided you survive."

Though Nan Luo spoke clearly, the twelve Heavenly Venerables remained confused.

Heavenly Venerable Fangyan asked: "Why must we actively engage in slaughter? Why does survival guarantee a breakthrough?"

Nan Luo sighed and said, "The Great Catastrophe is, in essence, a trial and a cleansing of all living beings by heaven and earth."

"The more one slaughters, the more one gains the favor of the will of heaven and earth; the more easily one can perceive the laws of heaven and earth, and thus, the more easily one can achieve a breakthrough."

"Of course, that is on the condition that you do not die."

The mechanics of the Great Catastrophe were actually quite simple; one only needed to experience it once to understand. However, the Beast Catastrophe was the first such event since the creation of the Primordial World, so it was no wonder the Heavenly Venerables were ignorant.

Nan Luo knew of it through memories of a later age, while the other four Sovereigns knew thanks to the guidance of the Sages.

Although they understood the principle, it seemed of little use to the twelve Heavenly Venerables.

"But with our strength—and the strength of the Divine Race—I fear we cannot gain any advantage in the Great Catastrophe," Heavenly Venerable Wubing said, looking quite distressed.

Heavenly Venerable Leixing agreed: "Indeed. Of the five royal races, the Divine Race is the weakest. How dare we provoke the other four, let alone engage in mass slaughter?"

The other Heavenly Venerables shook their heads, at a loss for what to do.

The distressed murmurs of the Heavenly Venerables turned the Hall of the Gods chaotic once more. They did not notice Nan Luo’s expression beginning to darken again.

Only Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan was truly attentive. Noticing the change in Nan Luo’s face, she immediately interrupted the discussion and spoke loudly and respectfully: "We beg Your Majesty, the Divine Sovereign, to guide us out of our confusion!"

The words awakened the dreamers.

Miaoyan’s sharp call reminded all the Heavenly Venerables where they were and that Nan Luo was watching from above. Stealing a glance at his darkening expression, they were startled and quickly chimed in unison: "We beg Your Majesty to guide us."

Having finally managed to stand, the twelve Heavenly Venerables did not want to be pinned to the ground by Nan Luo’s divine might again.

Nan Luo felt genuine anger at the twelve Heavenly Venerables for once again disregarding his presence and turning the hall into a cacophony. After his hundred-thousand-year seclusion, his authority was being completely ignored.

However, Nan Luo did not lose his temper. He kept reminding himself: *Now is the time to bestow benefits. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.*

Nan Luo sat silently on the Throne of Creation for an hour, and the twelve Heavenly Venerables stood silently for an hour.

After an hour, Nan Luo suppressed his anger. His golden eyes swept coldly over them, and he said calmly:

"The outcome of the Great Catastrophe does not depend on you, but on the struggle between myself and the other four Sovereigns."

"You only need to remember one thing: if the Divine Race survives, you live; if the Divine Race is destroyed, you perish."

"Withdraw!"

Nan Luo no longer had the patience to guide them. He coldly cast these words aside and vanished without a trace.

Looking at the empty Throne of Creation, the Heavenly Venerables exchanged bitter smiles. *Ever since His Majesty Nan Luo attained the rank of Semi-Sage, his temper seems to have grown worse, and he takes offense much more easily,* they thought.

They exchanged glances, their figures slowly fading as they prepared to return to their own palaces.

Only as Heavenly Venerable Miaoyan’s figure faded did it pause for a fleeting moment, as she heard Nan Luo’s voice in her ear: *Come to the Mingbo Pavilion.*

In the City of the Gods, there was a Myriad Scenery Garden, containing all the wonders of heaven and earth for the amusement of the Divine Sovereign and the twelve Heavenly Venerables.

In the Myriad Scenery Garden, at the Mingbo Pavilion, under a clear sky and above ten thousand miles of emerald waves, sat the pavilion.

Around the Mingbo Pavilion, all sorts of wondrous creatures—from divine dragons to common carp—swam freely, leaping, diving, and hunting, fully displaying the wonders of the sea.

Yet, these creatures could never touch the pavilion; they would pass right through it, as if it did not exist.

The Mingbo Pavilion was Nan Luo’s favorite spot. Perhaps because he practiced the Law of Water, he loved the vast, open emerald expanse of the ocean.

At this moment, Nan Luo sat on a stone stool in the pavilion, watching the waves. His nameless anger seemed to dissipate.

The twelve Heavenly Venerables had sensed his strange behavior, so how could Nan Luo not notice it himself?

*A Sage should be free of worries; those who worry will surely suffer.*

Nan Luo thought of how he had been ruthless and supreme when practicing the Law of Heaven’s Ruthlessness, yet now he was plagued by various emotions. *Could this be a side effect of the Law of Heaven’s Ruthlessness?* he wondered.

As one of the most powerful and mysterious forbidden arts in the world, it was impossible for it to have no negative consequences.

Yet, he did not regret practicing it. If he hadn't, and if he hadn't achieved the status of a Semi-Sage, he would have long since been turned to ashes by the Beast Sovereign.

Nan Luo thought of his current predicament, beset by internal and external troubles. Using his light of consciousness to sever his negative emotions, he quickly cast these minor concerns aside.

Internal and external troubles. This was the situation he faced.

"I never imagined that after a hundred thousand years of neglect, the Divine Race would have become such an unsightly mess." Thinking of the power-hungry Heavenly Venerables, another wave of nameless anger rose. His right palm slammed down on the stone table, and it vanished completely, utterly destroyed.

Nan Luo had never expected the Divine Race, established for only a hundred thousand years, to stand against the other four royal races that had dominated for millions of years. But he had never expected the Divine Race to succumb to such petty internal power struggles.

Could such a Divine Race withstand even the probing attacks of the four royal races?

Nan Luo claimed he didn't care about the survival of the Divine Race, but in truth, if it were destroyed, he, as its master, would suffer a backlash. On the road to becoming a Sage, with the fierce competition among the five Sovereigns, any injury would affect his grand plan.

The backlash from the destruction of the Divine Race would be enough to deprive him of the chance to attain Sainthood. How could he not be anxious?

"If I hadn't used forbidden arts during my seclusion and exhausted every means to reach the state of a Semi-Sage, barely earning the qualifications to participate in this struggle..."

"...I would have been doomed long ago."

Nan Luo thought of the layouts of the high-and-mighty Sages and the Semi-Sage perfection of the Dragon Sovereign and the others, feeling a surge of gloom. *If that hidden black hand could have thrown me back a hundred thousand years and given me another hundred thousand years, would I be facing such a crisis today?*