In the most case, the Heavenly Dao is the supreme, unconscious force that govern all aspects of existence. It embodies the universal laws of balance, regulation, and harmony.
Heavenly Dao is not a sentient entity but a force driven by instinct, seeking to maintain the natural order of the world. Its purpose is to regulate the actions of all beings, ensuring that none grow too powerful or disrupt the equilibrium.
In most case, Heavenly Dao is a "fair" existence, meaning all beings or creature under it's rule will have "same" treatment from it. It didn't have feelings, like empathy or anything like that. Only beneficial or not, if beings or creatures give benefit to the world, it will help or give feedback benefits. If not then it will give punishment.
Although Heavenly Dao has no consciousness, it functions as the overseer, rewarding or punishing cultivators based on their actions and potential. It grants merit to those who support its agenda and unleashes tribulations on those who defy its perceived order.
As cultivators seeks power, they are in constant conflict with this force, battling against the Heavenly Dao's desire to keep the world in equilibrium. The path to immortality is not merely a personal journey: it's a defiance of the very laws that govern existence.
Cultivators are cultivating by absorbing Qi from the world and using Nature's treasures to help their cultivation. Some do it excessively such as plundering all of the resources they meet, because "it will cheapen others if they didn't", basically doing all sorts of things that destroy the world's environment to make themself powerful or enrich themself. When cultivators die, all of their cultivation (or qi they absorb and refine into their cultivation base) will go back to the world, nourishing it.
Basically these qi will return to the world and it can maintain the world qi expense, before they "steal" or absorb the qi and use the resources from the world. This is also the reason why in some world/planes there will be a regular catastrophe, it can be small or big, that claim many victims. This is one of the actions taken by Heavenly Dao to maintain the world/plane governed by it.