Fellow Taoists, please respect yourself.

Chapter 438 Achieving the Heavenly Emperor
The Heavenly Emperor is the supreme ruler of all gods and spirits, all true beings and saints, and all mysteries. He holds the power over the nine heavens and ten earths, and grasps the key to the four seas and eight wastelands.

In the chaos, among all the heavens and myriad realms, there are only two Heavenly Emperors to this day.

These two Heavenly Emperors represent the pinnacle of all realms. Even the Heavenly Dao has little influence over them, and even Chaos cannot interfere with or influence their actions.

Even those who are incarnations of the Three Pure Ones, such as Laozi or Lei Zu, can at most only earn the respect of the Heavenly Emperor, but cannot interfere with the Heavenly Emperor's thoughts.

It could even be said that the longevity attainment of the vast majority of immortals is based on the Heavenly Emperor.

Reincarnation is the main theme of all worlds in the chaos, and heaven and earth also reincarnate, with one cycle lasting 129,600 years.

The so-called Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals, who attain immortality equal to that of Heaven, only experience one cycle of reincarnation.

In other words, barring unforeseen circumstances, the so-called immortals, apart from the Great Luo Celestial Immortals, are merely experiencing a cycle of life. This great cycle is also a calamity for most immortals.

If you cross that threshold, you'll live another 129,600 years; if you don't, you'll simply enter the cycle of reincarnation with the universe.

Because of the existence of the Heavenly Emperor, these immortals were able to escape this cage.

As long as the Heavenly Emperor exists, his lifespan will not end due to the Great Cycle of Reincarnation.

Because the Heavenly Emperor is the one who governs heaven and earth and controls the world.

And this is only a part of the Heavenly Emperor's power.

This shows just how powerful and rare the Heavenly Emperor truly is.

Within the chaos, the number of Heavenly Emperors is also predetermined. Only a perfectly perfect world like the Yin-Yang Three Realms has the fertile ground to give birth to Heavenly Emperors.

In other words, it is predetermined in the chaos that there will only be two Heavenly Emperors.

But as the Jade Purity Dao Ancestor said, everything within the predetermined fate is also full of variables; the only difference is whether these variables have been discovered.

"The present world is full of variables."

Jiang Lin stood in space, muttering to himself.

In that instant, he understood many things.

Why is the present world separated? It clearly belongs to the chaos, yet even Yin Tianzun cannot discover it. The Great Tianzun can only enter and exit by relying on certain karma with Jiang Lin from the past.

Even the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable, one of the Three Pure Ones, was able to descend into the mortal world because Jiang Lin's existence disrupted the cause and effect.

This terrifyingly imposing position, along with its near-perfectly meticulous arrangement, signifies a great deal.

One variable.

A variable that can play an absolute role in a given number.

This fixed number is the number of Heavenly Emperors.

In addition to the original two Heavenly Emperors, a third Heavenly Emperor will appear.

Another question is, why is it that in the entire universe where we live, there is only one intelligent species, humankind?
Why is it that even among humans, only those from the Divine Land of China are able to respond to the cause and effect that Jiang Lin has manipulated?
it's actually really easy.

If you simply change the name of the people here, everything will become clear.

Replace "humans" with "human race".

Within this vast world called the universe, where we live, there are only humans.

However, if we consider the myriad realms of the universe, humanity is a vast race, not the only intelligent being, but the human race.

Humanity has the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, but in the present world, only the Divine Land of China has the legend of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Whether it is called orthodox or unique in the present world.

In conclusion, among all humans in the present world, only those from the land of China can be called the human race.

The most orthodox human race, with orderly lineage and bloodlines that rival the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Only in such a vast world, with such a human race, could a third, and unique, Heavenly Emperor be born.

"A Heavenly Emperor who belongs exclusively to... the human race?"

As Jiang Lin spoke, it was as if a layer of mist had been lifted from his eyes.

The two existing Heavenly Emperors were both born innately; one was an extreme yang within yin, and the other was an extreme yin within yang.

The most fundamental concepts of Yin and Yang have already been occupied by the two Heavenly Emperors, leaving no room for a third.

But what if there were a Heavenly Emperor born from the natural world, from the cycle of cause and effect, from the chaos of time and space?

A Heavenly Emperor belonging to the human race.

A Heavenly Emperor who was not born of nature, but rose from among the human race.

A Heavenly Emperor who rules over all humans, ranks above the Human Emperor, and governs all humans and human gods!

Among the gods, there are countless gods who originated from the human race and came from ancestor worship.

"So that's it..."

Jiang Lin looked down at himself, slowly clenching his fist, as if talking to his past self: "Is this my plan? Spanning countless years and traversing countless causes and effects, all for this moment?"

"Under the cycle of cause and effect, the emergence of extreme yin and pure yang is an inevitable result."

"Only under such circumstances can the human Heavenly Emperor have the opportunity to rise."

Jiang Lin wore a smile that was hard to describe.

He understood one thing first.

Although the human race can now be called the protagonist of heaven and earth, they are destined to be the chosen ones of heaven in all the myriad worlds, and the kind of world change that the Heavenly Dao most favors.

However, change means there is an end. The myriad realms are in endless cycles of reincarnation. Sooner or later, humanity will lose these external things and is destined to fall into ruin, to be annihilated in the chaos of time and cause and effect.

This is not without precedent; the fate of the demon race is imminent.

Therefore, the human race needs a Heavenly Emperor of its own.

This plan started a very, very long time ago.

There is a fact that is very cruel, but undeniable.

For the sake of their own group's development and safety, all that is glorious and righteous is false.

Jiang Lin's past plans were actually quite simple.

Very simple.

All it takes is a moment when a dramatic change occurs in the Yin and Yang realms, or even when one of these realms has fallen into a state of death and stillness, when a Heavenly Emperor has been consumed by desire, or when the entire Chaos is in grave danger!
At this opportune moment, the entire world became the resources for Jiang Lin's rise, and Jiang Lin did a perfect job of it.

The Three Realms of Extreme Yin have been restored to their former glory from the dead silence, and the human race is still the main force. The power of the stars and the power of reincarnation are all in Jiang Lin's hands.

With this, Jiang Lin became the number one person below the Heavenly Emperor.

Moreover, let's not forget that if a Heavenly Emperor were to appear among the human race, what would become of the countless human gods within the perfectly ordered Pure Yang Three Realms?

Without a doubt, they will fall under the jurisdiction of the Human Emperor.

There may be some who remain in the Pure Yang Three Realms out of loyalty and continue to serve the Great Heavenly Venerable, but they will definitely be a minority.

This means that the rise of a human emperor is destined to involve self-enrichment within the Heavenly Court of the Great Celestial Venerable.

Only at a critical juncture like this would the Great Celestial Venerable reluctantly accept this outcome.

Compared to the chaos and destruction, the annihilation of Yin and Yang, this outcome is already quite good. Looking back at this plan now, it is filled with the implication of taking advantage of others' misfortunes, exploiting weaknesses, and is rife with threats, treachery, and so on.

But as I said before, all actions are permitted for the sake of the survival of one's own race.

Nothing is unacceptable when it comes to the survival of a race.

It's cruel, but very realistic.

Humanity is the protagonist of heaven and earth, but it will not be the protagonist forever. For the sake of humanity, a Heavenly Emperor who belongs to humanity is needed.

As for the beings of the Three Realms of Extreme Yin who were sacrificed in this scheme...

Firstly, the predetermined outcome of the Yin-Yang cycle cannot be changed by anyone. The variable within this fixed number is Yin Tianzun himself, but Yin Tianzun is consumed by desire, and the variable naturally disappears.

Secondly, with the fall of Yin Tianzun, no one can change the fact that the Three Realms of Extreme Yin have fallen into absolute stagnation. Even what Jiang Lin did was, in a sense, merely a belated attempt to salvage the situation.

Thirdly, the Three Realms of Extreme Yin are also dominated by the human race, and in that deadly catastrophe, the human race was the one that suffered the greatest loss.

Rather than saying that the human race in the past caused this situation, it would be more accurate to say that they went with the flow after seeing the situation unfold.

After all, the existence of Yin Tianzun is a deadly threat to the human race, and only a new Heavenly Emperor can contend with Yin Tianzun.

If that's the case, why can't this new Heavenly Emperor be the Heavenly Emperor of the human race?
Having understood all this, Jiang Lin had no resistance. Even if he put aside the so-called plan, just looking at the present, he had to become the Heavenly Emperor, otherwise he would have to wait for Yin Tianzun to sink everything into silence.

However, Jiang Lin still has problems.

"What kind of being was I in the past? Why was I able to innately restrain the desires of Yin Tianzun? And why am I more terrifying than the immeasurable calamity?"

Jiang Lin muttered to himself.

Now, he only has these three questions left, which are also the three most crucial ones.

Ultimately, the answer to all of this lies in the first question.

Before this grand scheme spanning countless eras and causes and effects, at the very beginning of everything, who exactly was Jiang Lin?

Once you know this, everything else will fall into place.

Perhaps... the answer is already very close to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin lowered his head, looking at the blue planet, at the land of China.

The faint tremors continued, and the cause and effect that Jiang Lin had stirred up continued to flourish.

At the same time, Jiang Lin also saw a way.

That path is not in this world, not in the myriad realms, not in the chaos.

In the Way of Heaven.

Right in front of Jiang Lin, at his feet.

That path is called the Heavenly Emperor.

Within the Heavenly Dao, Jiang Lin had already forged his own path, a result of countless reincarnations, a reward for saving a world, and the favor of the Heavenly Dao.

After forging his own path, a brand new road was laid out before Jiang Lin once again.

He was granted the Heavenly Register and Heavenly Decree in the Pure Yang Three Realms, and became a Great Emperor in the Extreme Yin Three Realms, wielding power and authority.

Ultimately, within this mortal world, one ascends the path to becoming the Heavenly Emperor.

This is the only way to achieve the position of Heavenly Emperor in the post-heavenly era, where the cycle of cause and effect in the universe is already incredibly sophisticated.

He forged his own path to becoming the Heavenly Emperor, outside of Yin and Yang, relying on the fortune of the human race as the current protagonist of heaven and earth, and the entire world of the present as his foundation!
Jiang Lin raised his hand, as if he wanted to grasp the entire planet.

The divine consciousness began to surge, and the cause and effect known as "humanity" began to stir.

Within the chaos, time became increasingly disordered, and everything fell into chaos, but what moved along with it was an increasingly clear and orderly cause and effect.

The cause and effect known as "humanity" is already an incredibly terrifying amount, given the sheer number of humans as the main characters in all the worlds.

Within the Pure Yang Three Realms.

The Fire Cloud Cave began to vibrate and hum, as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors emerged together, connecting with the great forces of heaven and earth, attracting the attention of the Heavenly Dao, and unifying all the causes and effects of all humankind, transforming them into the purest blessing, which instantly crossed boundaries and landed precisely on Jiang Lin.

In this process, the karma of the human race, which had left the Pure Yang Three Realms, only stayed in the chaos for a moment. But within that one moment, the karma of all the human races in all the heavens and myriad realms followed.

What fell upon Jiang Lin was not just the karma of the human race in the Pure Yang Three Realms, but the karma of all humans in the Yin Yang Three Realms and all the myriad realms!

However, among these causes and effects, there is no so-called humanistic vow, that is to say, it is not the path of incense and deities.

Jiang Lin achieved the position of Heavenly Emperor by relying on the karma of the human race, and this karma will not affect his will and soul.

He remains himself, still an independent cultivator, and even after becoming the Heavenly Emperor, he remains a simple Heavenly Emperor.

However, this Heavenly Emperor was born of the human race.

That's enough. Humanity only needs one Heavenly Emperor, not one whose heart and soul are filled with the great aspirations of humanity.

You could even say this is a transaction.

Jiang Lin waited for an opportunity at the cost of countless reincarnations.

Humanity, through its own karma, enabled Jiang Lin to ascend to the position of Heavenly Emperor while still being human.

Before embarking on his own path to becoming the Heavenly Emperor, paved with the karma of humanity, Jiang Lin grew increasingly curious about what kind of being he had been in the past.

Is it some primordial deity? An incarnation of some Dao Ancestor? A guardian deity that humanity somehow acquired and worshipped?
Or are we born as humans from some more abstract, more conceptual being?
Various thoughts swirled in Jiang Lin's mind.

He shook his head, banishing these distracting thoughts.

Then, looking at the road in front of him, Jiang Lin took a step and walked up.

'tread……'

He took a step without making a sound, and Jiang Lin himself did not move. This step was a step he took within the Heavenly Dao, a step he took in his own cultivation.

There were no unusual celestial phenomena, no chaotic tremors; it was just a quiet, uneventful time when Jiang Lin himself began to change and sublimate.

The powers of the Yin Realm and the Heavenly Court of the Yang Realm both vanished without a sound.

All that remains is Jiang Lin's purest self, the essence of humanity.

To put it bluntly, the Heavenly Court and the Power are merely steps for Jiang Lin to climb to a higher level. Once he reaches that level, the steps themselves lose their meaning.

Just like a rocket's three-stage propulsion system, two of the stages are destined to be discarded.

As Jiang Lin took a step forward, the Yin and Yang realms remained unchanged, and the present world remained unchanged.

Even the previously turbulent chaos gradually subsided, as if nothing had happened.

But the will of Heaven was shaken.

For the first time since the creation of heaven and earth, the Heavenly Dao began to tremble. What appeared before Jiang Lin was no longer the gaze of the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao itself.

The Heavenly Dao opened itself to Jiang Lin.

So Jiang Lin went inside.

Jiang Lin looked up and saw two people. These two people seemed to have been within the Heavenly Dao for a long time, and they also seemed to be waiting for Jiang Lin.

Great Heavenly Venerable, and Yin Heavenly Venerable.

(End of this chapter)