"Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Venerable Lucas Ling roared furiously, "How could Lord Lao's cultivation possibly recover? Wasn't his Heavenly Dao Stone... wasn't it already shattered? The fragments are still lying in Tusita Palace, nothing has changed at all! How could he... how could he..."
Saint Samuel watched the agitated Venerable Lucas Ling with a blank expression, saying nothing.
Gradually, Venerable Lucas Ling also fell silent, though the panic on his face remained.
......
"If Lord Lao truly regains control of the Three Realms..." The Jade Emperor stood motionless, leaning on his dragon desk. All the immortals around him watched him with utmost caution.
If Lord Lao takes charge of the Three Realms again, the Jade Emperor will become the Jade Emperor of old, and the Heavenly Court will revert to its former state. Brilliant prospects, perhaps... but is that truly what he desires?
Having just been freed from his shackles, will the Jade Emperor once again become the greatest puppet of the Three Realms?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh—a bitter laugh.
"Gather the armies and hold South Heaven Gate, then... closely monitor all movements across the Three Realms."
Perhaps this is the only thing the Jade Emperor can do now.
The so-called Jade Emperor—with all his dazzling glory—is in truth just a fallen leaf drifting on the surface of a lake. No one knows when a wave might come and sink him to the bottom, never to rise again.
Wasn't that exactly what happened to the previous Jade Emperor?
The assembled immortals all wore solemn expressions. After a long silence, Grandmaster White bowed slightly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
A gentle wind blew, and the branches outside the window swayed lightly—just like the Jade Emperor's current predicament: powerless to control his own fate.
......
"So what exactly does Lord Lao mean by this?" Straightening his back, Master Sage Subhuti gazed at Lord Lao with profound intent.
"It doesn't mean much," Lord Lao glanced at Clara Heart from afar and sighed softly, "I am a man of my word. Since I promised to protect him, I will protect him."
Clara Heart stared blankly at Lord Lao, a wave of sorrow rising in her heart.
Monkey's eyes shifted slowly, glancing sidelong at Lord Lao.
Lord Lao looked at him nonchalantly and chuckled, "What, you don't believe me?"