The moment Mei Lan appeared in the Imperial Isolation Chambers, her Divine Core instantly synced with Lin Tian's formidable defense network. The Golden Cage, already protected by Lord Xing's temporal shield and Elder Jiao's martial prowess, was about to be tested by the remaining, desperate power of the Seven-Star Assembly.
Lin Tian, now fully stabilized at Golden Immortal Stage 6, stood at the center of the vault. Lord Xing and Elder Jiao were positioned at the entrance.
"The Assembly's three remaining houses—House Han, House Yun, and House Lie—are staging a combined assault," Lord Xing transmitted, his voice cold with strategic analysis. "They believe the destruction of Houses Feng and Shi was your fault, but they think I am vulnerable. They move now to seize the Dao Archive and eliminate the political structure."
Lin Tian smiled—a chilling expression on the face of a nine-month-old Immortal. Their weakness is their belief in political hierarchy. They assume the ruler is the source of power.
The assault began with immediate, crushing force. Three columns of Golden Immortal experts—the unified, vengeful remnants of the Assembly—slammed into the Isolation Chambers' outer defenses. Their combined spiritual energy was monumental, tearing through the initial shielding layers built by Elder Jiao.
"Master!" Elder Jiao cried, his body bracing against the crushing pressure. "Their assault is overwhelming! The containment shield will fail in minutes!"
Lin Tian channeled his full will to Mei Lan. You are the ultimate counter-force. Use the Purity Paradox Overload (PPO). Do not kill them. Break their unity. Make them fight each other.
Mei Lan nodded once, her eyes blazing with focused Sword Intent. She valued her Master's life more than the energy they were about to steal. She soared to the ceiling of the vault, channeling the pure, destructive power of her Divine Purity Core.
She did not strike the attacking formation. She targeted the three Clan Leaders at the center of the assault.
Mei Lan unleashed three separate, surgical threads of her Blade of Purity. Each thread carried the exact counter-frequency of the leader it struck. She targeted Lord Han's Dao of Authority, Lord Yun's Dao of Flow, and Lord Lie's Dao of Balance.
The threads did not injure them physically. They injected a precise, minute spiritual dissonance into their combined formation, triggering Lin Tian's planned PPO.
The three Golden Immortals screamed in agony as their unified power instantly fractured. Their combined attack turned inward, the energies of the three distinct Daos violently rejecting each other at the convergence point.
The effect was spiritual chaos. Lord Han's power slammed into Lord Yun's shield, while Lord Lie's retaliatory spiritual attack hit his own ally. Their belief in their False Unity was instantly annihilated.
Lord Xing, watching the collapse, seized the opportunity. He utilized his Dao of Time, subtly isolating a five-second temporal loop around the three collapsing leaders. Within that loop, he and Elder Jiao moved with devastating efficiency, disarming and spiritually paralyzing the dazed leaders. The battle was over before the subordinate Golden Immortals could react.
The remaining subordinate Immortals were left leaderless, paralyzed by the defeat of their masters. Lin Tian emerged from the vault, walking toward the paralyzed prisoners.
"The Dao of Sovereignty requires competence," Lin Tian transmitted, his voice echoing in their terrified minds. "Your Dao is flawed, and your resources belong to the one who can perfect them."
Lin Tian channeled his Dao of Entropy, aiming at the three crippled clan leaders. He didn't destroy their cores. He performed the ultimate act of strategic resource theft: The Spiritual Core Purge.
He forcibly extracted the entire spiritual essence accumulated by the three leaders over millennia, stripping their Golden Immortal cores clean. The process was agonizing and irreversible, leaving the clan leaders alive, but spiritually reduced to infants—useless political shells.
[RESOURCE ACQUISITION: Golden Immortal Essence (x3) secured. Cultivation Stability: Maximum.]
Mei Lan landed beside him, her Blade of Purity dissolving. Her expression was cold, but the strategic satisfaction was clear. The partnership was flawless.
With the last remnants of the old power structure neutralized, Lin Tian ordered his puppets to begin the final defense protocol.
Lord Xing. You will use your Dao of Time to weave a permanent, low-level Temporal Flux Barrier around Constellation City. Ensure any entity approaching the city feels they are traveling through weeks when they are only traveling hours.
Elder Jiao. Your focus is now resource acquisition. You will begin siphoning all remaining spiritual wealth from the entire conquered territory and funneling it into the Isolation Chambers.
Lin Tian then turned his attention to Mei Lan. "Your power is crucial. The chaos is settled. You will now return to the Cloud Heavens. Your task is to continue consolidating Tier 2 resources, ensuring our supply chain is massive. You will return only when summoned for the ultimate ascension."
Mei Lan nodded. She understood the command. Lin Tian needed his resources secured and his borders guarded. The two entities—one the strategic center, one the martial frontier—separated, trusting their absolute strategic mastery.
Lin Tian returned to the Imperial Isolation Chambers. He had eliminated the political and martial threats of the Lower Heavens. He had secured absolute, unchallenged rule.
The Lower Heavens are sealed behind a temporal shield, Lin Tian mused, initiating his cultivation. I have centuries of safe, uninterrupted time. It is time to perfect the Dao of Time itself.