Huaxia. Heavenly Mountain Range.

Atop the highest peak of this chain of mountains that spanned the breadth of the nation was the headquarters of the strongest sect in the world: The Heavenly Court.

It was a palatial structure resplendent in jade and gold. Towering pillars of pure white stone engraved with golden runic chains surrounded the palace. They were placed at meticulously calculated locations, forming a topology that increased the temperature and density of the air to levels comparable to a plain in autumn, protecting the residents from the frigid chill and breathlessness associated with such heights.

Though, none of the residents actually needed the protection. After all, the minimum cultivation one would need to push past the massive jade encrusted gates was Tier 4.

There, in the broad hall known only by the simplistic name of the Court of Deliberation, the Jade Emperor sat at the head of a long table, chin on fist, listening to the report of a man standing across the table from him.

After the report was over, he waved his hand and the messenger bowed and retreated backwards out of the hall.

The Emperor sat back in his chair and swept his gaze over the rest of the members of the Council – ten each along the two longer edges of the table. Four cardinal emperors who were in charge of supervising a quarter of Huaxia each and the leaders of the sixteen strongest sects in the nation.

“So, what does everyone make of this?” asked the Emperor.

It was the Eastern Great Emperor that spoke up first:

“The birth of a Nascent Soul ancestor is always a matter of celebration. I suggest we welcome her with open arms.”

His conciliatory stance was to be expected. After all, it was in his sphere of influence that the self-styled ‘Dark Sun’ had chosen to construct her sect. Any conflict with her would harm his benefit most of all.

“Her demands aren’t excessive,” the Northern Great Emperor agreed. “She is just asking for legitimacy for her new sect. We just need to confer a title upon whoever she chooses as the sect leader… it’s just a matter of a few words.”

He shot a glance at the Eastern Great Emperor. “Besides, we lost the Crimson Coyote territory to Regiis a while back. Adding the Heavenly Wolf territory to it won’t make much of a difference.”

The corner of the Eastern Great Emperor’s lip twitched imperceptibly. How could he not hear the insinuation of his incompetence in those words. He couldn't help but feel a bit indignant. How could he be expected to uncover the Shogunate’s grand plot when even the entire Regiis empire had been made to run around in circles.

The Southern Great Emperor echoed them. “Rather than having Regiis lord it over the Crimson Coyote holdings, I would much prefer it belong to one of our own. And if she does form a sect, she’ll be presenting us with tribute. A glass half full is better than an empty one.” He paused. “As for the Heavenly Wolf territory, according to tradition it would have belonged to her anyway.”

The tradition he was referring to stated that whenever a new Nascent Soul ancestor was born, their homeland would be granted to them as their personal territory. If another, living Demigod hailed from the same region, the new Demigod would be allowed to choose one of the other Huaxian territories as their domain.

The Jade Emperor turned to the Western Great Emperor who had yet to speak.

The man shrugged slightly, “While all of that is true, we seem to be forgetting that she doesn’t intend to remain a part of our nation, nor does she wish to be answerable to the Heavenly Court. She intends to found a separate nation entirely.” His expression grew stern. “And that is a very bad precedent. If all newly promoted Nascent Soul elders decided to found their own country, it wouldn't even take a thousand years for Huaxia to be fractured beyond repair.”

“And how do you propose we stop her?” asked the Eastern Great Emperor. “If you haven’t noticed, she has already cut a deal with the Regiis Demigods. The Crimson Coyote territory is hers to govern as she pleases. Nothing short of military conquest will change that. The most we can do is go against tradition and refuse to grant her the Heavenly Wolf territory.”

The Western Great Emperor shook his head. “We weren’t the ones who broke tradition first, she was. If she doesn’t want to belong to our nation or subordinate under our sect, why should we provide her with any benefit. Let alone…” he turned to the Jade Emperor, “she incited six of our core disciples to rebel against our sect. She is blatantly provoking the dignity of the Heavenly Court.”

He had always been the most militant of the four cardinal Emperors. And in this instance, he had the least to lose in the case of a conflict. In fact, he saw an opportunity to use this newly risen Dark Sun to weaken his political opponents.

“… And she’s just one Demigod,” he continued, even changing the way he referred to her to the more commonly used term in Regiis in order to draw a line between them and her. “She has even signed the Treaty now. She is no longer that wildcard who forced Regiis to compromise. Heavenly Court doesn’t need to give way for her…”

He stopped speaking as the Jade Emperor raised his hand for silence.

The leader of the Heavenly Court took off his crown and ran a hand through his dark green hair with a sigh. “I think you might be suffering from a misconception here.”

Fixing the Western Great Emperor with a pitying look, he said, “Yes, the Heavenly Court has nine Nascent Soul ancestors blessing us with their protection. And if they so chose, they could call upon six more from the loose cultivators’ alliance to help. A single Demigod of new promote is of little threat to them. If they chose to act, the Dark Sun would find herself setting much sooner than she would prefer.

“With them on our side, the authority of Heavenly Court is unquestionable. But you are making a fundamental mistake when you think that they would act for something as petty as a dispute over territory. The elders don’t serve for the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court serves for them. It is our duty to manage the secular affairs so that they can wholeheartedly focus on their pursuit of the illusory Grand Dao.

“A piece of land? A few traitorous disciples? If we need to trouble the elders over something as trivial as this, we might as well not exist!”

The Western Great Emperor found himself sweating bullets. He had joined Heavenly Court as a child. Growing up, the idea of the supremacy of the Heavenly Court had been inculcated in him. As he had advanced through the ranks, the concept had only grown more entrenched.

It was only now that he realized how dangerous a direction his thoughts had strayed towards. Somewhere down the line, he had started thinking of the Heavenly Court as his personal chessboard and even the elders as his pawns… Today, he had let his thoughts leak out.

He realized that his days in office were numbered. It was too late for regret.

Ignoring the rapidly changing expressions of his doomed minister, the Jade Emperor addressed the rest of the silent Council.

“The Dark Sun will have her land. And she will have our full support. No tribute will be asked of her. The yearly expense we incur maintaining an army at the border of Regiis is not small, having an allied nation acting as a buffer between us is of great advantage to us.

“Especially now that the Shogunate has gotten a taste of blood and is no longer an entire sea area away.”