What kind of treasure was the Heavenly Mechanism Lock? It transcended the Three Realms and existed outside the Five Elements. Neither Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, nor Earth—no immortal power could overcome it. This made it indestructible, and why the Heavenly Diviner considered it his final retreat.

Outside, Li Ye had already been driven to bloodlust. As reluctant as the Diviner was to abandon his soul, he could only sacrifice the lesser to save the greater—preserving one soul to ensure his continued existence. He could always cultivate again later.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling resentful. How had Li Ye suddenly become so powerful?

The Heavenly Diviner’s eyes were clouded with gloom. When he casually turned his head, he caught the young girl wrinkling her nose while looking at him.

“What?” He sized her up, somewhat surprised. “You’re dissatisfied with me?”

Touching her face, Er’er asked: “Is it that obvious?”

It was extremely obvious. The disdain in her eyes was written clearly for all to see. In all his long years as ruler of the Nine Heavens, this was the first time the Heavenly Diviner had been so openly despised.

He darkened his expression, intending to exert some authority to intimidate her. However, not only did the girl show no fear, she sighed with relief: “Since it’s so obvious, I might as well speak plainly.”

Heavenly Diviner: ???

“As ruler of the Nine Heavens, you should prioritize the well-being of all beings. Yet when trouble arises, you hide here alone, abandoning everyone outside.” Er’er pressed her lips together, staring steadily at him. “With such narrow-mindedness, are you fit to be a ruler?”

Laughing from extreme anger, the Heavenly Diviner swept his sleeve: “My actions are not for a minor immortal like you to criticize.”

“My master taught me that in debating the Dao, one should judge solely on principles. Those who use status or seniority to pressure others reveal their insecurity,” Er’er tilted her head. “Is the Diviner feeling insecure?”

His face ashen, the Heavenly Diviner slowly turned to look at Master Taihe.

The latter seemed quite pleased that his disciple had remembered these teachings, nodding approvingly while stroking his beard, not looking at the Diviner.

“So you seek to bully a tiger fallen to the plains,” the Heavenly Diviner sneered coldly. “But don’t forget, you’re all inside my magical device. If I wish you to live, you live; if I wish you to die, you can only die.”

It had been a long time since he had spoken in such a severe tone. His voice, like a great bell, echoed throughout the entire starry space, sounding particularly eerie.

Master Taihe finally turned to look at him. After pondering for a moment, he asked in confusion: “If you let me die, what would happen to you?”

Soul binding meant they were inseparable—glory or ruin would be shared. That’s why he had brought Taihe’s soul into the Eight Trigrams Plate with him.

The Heavenly Diviner’s fierce expression faltered slightly. After a moment of silence, he pretended not to have heard and turned to glare at Er’er.

Er’er spread her hands at him: “You’re merely a wisp of soul, while I have my physical body with three souls and seven spirits intact. You may not be able to kill me.”

“…”

Slowly shifting his gaze away, the Heavenly Diviner closed his eyes briefly.

A tiger fallen to the plains is indeed bullied by dogs.

“Your wounds seem quite serious, aren’t they?” Er’er attempted to negotiate. “Why don’t I nurture your soul for three days, and then you let me out?”

“Forget it,” the Heavenly Diviner said gloomily. “Once I let you out, he could use the opportunity to find the entrance. Then I wouldn’t be able to protect myself.”

“But you’ll have to leave eventually.”

“Yes,” he sneered coldly. “But by then, Li Ye will have suffered the consequences of his actions. It won’t be too late for me to leave after that.”

Having said this, as if afraid she might catch him, he rose, crossed the flowing lava surrounding them, and disappeared into the darkness.

Er’er sat angrily beside Taihe and asked: “How can he be like this?”

Master Taihe smiled: “Human nature.”

“But he’s an immortal,” Er’er frowned deeply. “A born immortal—how could he possess human nature?”

Taihe’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he shook his head: “Who told you he was born an immortal?”

Er’er’s breathing faltered, her pupils contracted, and she slowly raised her head to look at him: “What?”

“The Heavenly Diviner was a mortal who ascended to immortality.”

“…”

A mortal who ascended to immortality became ruler of the Nine Heavens?

Glancing toward the darkness, Master Taihe assumed a meditation posture. While regulating his breath, he enlightened his young disciple.

The first immortal to emerge in the world was Li Ye. However, at that time, the Nine Heavens had not yet taken shape. Gods and humans were intermingled everywhere, and wars were frequent. In one war between immortals and mortals, the Heavenly Diviner became famous for his ability to know things before they happened. After that, immortals followed him into battle, and when the war ended, he naturally became the ruler.

Few people knew he was a mortal who had ascended to immortality—except for Taihe.

Taihe was most skilled at guiding mortals to immortality, so he was very familiar with many of the Heavenly Diviner’s habits. Perhaps due to lacking an innate divine status, the Diviner was always suspicious and sensitive, striving to maintain his image of benevolence and kindness, yet never able to completely abandon the mortal flaws of greed and selfishness.

He was capable, and the immortals of the Nine Heavens respected him. But if Li Ye had emerged a few hundred years earlier, the position of ruler of the Nine Heavens would never have fallen to him.

Therefore, the Heavenly Diviner had always been wary of Li Ye—suppressing, falsely accusing, restraining him—using every method possible. Yet he never expected that after ninety thousand years, Li Ye would still be the strongest Supreme God in the world.

Taihe could understand the Heavenly Diviner’s discontent and resentment, but he didn’t sympathize.

Er’er listened to her master’s words with astonishment, her mind struggling to process it all: “But, but don’t they all say that foreknowledge is the most powerful immortal technique? If the Heavenly Diviner can know things before they happen, then no matter how powerful Li Ye is, he couldn’t threaten his position, right?”

“Foreknowledge is indeed the most powerful,” Taihe sighed. “But he doesn’t possess this ability.”

The stars shone brightly on the dome above. After a moment of bewilderment, Er’er gradually began to understand.

The Heavenly Mechanism Lock.

The Heavenly Diviner didn’t have the ability of foreknowledge—that was the Heavenly Mechanism Lock’s doing. To prevent people from recognizing the Lock, he had even changed its appearance to that of an Eight Trigrams Plate.

What a formidable mortal…

Er’er couldn’t help but look into the darkness, her face full of mixed emotions. If he had been content as an ordinary immortal, he would certainly have become legendary. Unfortunately, he seemed to harbor too much discontent, and this discontent would drag him into the swamp of selfish desires, making it difficult to escape.

“Master knows many things,” Er’er withdrew her gaze and blinked at Taihe. “Then you must also know how to get out of this place, right?”

A complex expression flashed in his eyes, and Taihe sighed.

“You should stay put,” he said. “Wait until the Diviner is willing to take us out before acting.”

Her face fell, and Er’er pouted: “Master knows why I want to leave.”

As the Heavenly Diviner had said, if Li Ye continued his killing spree, there would inevitably be karmic consequences. If she could get out now, she could save many people.

“He has already killed many,” Taihe said. “In tens of thousands of years, this old one has never seen such a hellish scene. It’s too late to save them. If you leave now, you will only destroy this Heavenly Mechanism Lock. If that happens, the spirits of those who have died will never be able to return.”