Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

Shen Moyan remained calm, his mind clear as a mirror.

The Performance Evaluation Department controls the promotion channels for lower-level cultivators, the Moral Protection Department needs fierce soldiers who can charge into battle, and the Construction Department needs skilled laborers...

They are all standard cogs in the machine of the Holy Court, within the established system framework.

Shen Moyan returned the greetings with clasped hands, speaking humbly, but did not immediately agree to any of the offers.

But I already had the answer in my heart.

His gaze inadvertently swept across the edge of the crowd.

The man was dressed in a dark blue robe with a pattern of flowing stars, and exuded a profound aura.

They were from the Heavenly Bureau.

He didn't rush to speak, but quietly observed Shen Moyan with satisfaction in his eyes.

After the commotion subsided, the cultivator from the Heavenly Bureau stepped forward slowly, cupped his hands, and said:

"I am Baili Ming, the celestial inspector. Congratulations, fellow Daoist." He spoke calmly.

"My duty as the Chief of the Celestials is to survey the heavens, communicate with all realms, explore planes, and incorporate them into the Holy Court's teachings."

"Risks are inherent, but opportunities are also unparalleled."

"What I have gained is far beyond what can be achieved by following the established methods within the Mountain and Sea Realm, and it is of great benefit to the collection of Daoist principles."

"Fellow Daoist, you have just completed your Purple Mansion, and your Daoist style is novel and seems to have ambitions for the world. Perhaps you could come to our company for a visit."

Upon hearing this, Shen Moyan revealed a kind smile.

He had calculated using the "Record of Auspicious and Inauspicious Causes and Conditions" that this was the best choice.

Only by joining the Bureau of All Heavens and obtaining official status can one legitimately use the teleportation array to travel to subordinate planes, seek out unique Daoist principles, and have the opportunity to transcend like the Linglong Zhenren.

Without further hesitation, he solemnly returned the greeting to Baili Ming:

"Senior Baili has a discerning eye. I, Shen, yearn for the myriad realms and wish to join the Heavenly Court as a patrolling angel, to do my utmost for the Holy Court."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the other officials all showed either regret or understanding.

Seeing that Shen Moyan had made up his mind, they stopped pressuring him, offered their congratulations, and left.

"Very well, Fellow Daoist Shen, please come with me to complete the onboarding procedures."

Following Baili Ming, Shen Moyan arrived at the Seven Star State's Zhutian Division branch via a teleportation array.

The process is not complicated: registering names and leaving a spiritual imprint.

Then, they received the angel's token representing their identity, a standard robe, and a jade slip that briefly outlined the department's rules and regulations.

The Imperial Envoy is one of the Four Mysterious Officials, considered a mid-level official in the Holy Court.

"The duties of the Archangels mainly involve inspecting subordinate planes within designated areas, assessing their resources, civilization level, and potential risks, and guiding them to establish contact with the Holy See when necessary."

"A certain performance must be achieved every century. Specific tasks can be accepted through tokens on the Jiuge website."

Bai Liming gave a brief explanation.

"Private fights are not prohibited within the department. If any unknown dimensions or major situations are discovered, they must be reported in a timely manner."

Next, Baili Ming began to guide Shen Moyan through the tasks of the Patrol Angel.

Qixingzhou, a ferry crossing exclusively for the Heavenly Bureau.

A shuttle-shaped magic boat with an ancient and dark design, its hull imprinted with countless spatial runes, floated silently in front of the void portal.

The Dharma boat was not large, about ten zhang long, with a smooth shape and a restrained aura.

"Inspector Shen, please."

"This junior is humbled; please go first, senior."

Master Baili smiled slightly and stepped into the Dharma Boat first.

Shen Moyan followed closely behind, and the cabin door slid shut silently.

The interior space of the Dharma Boat is much more spacious than its exterior, which is obviously due to the use of a sophisticated spatial expansion technique.

The furnishings are simple, with a control array panel and a huge dimensional map at the center.

Master Baili cast a spell, and the Sky-Patrolling Ship trembled slightly, instantly tearing through the void and plunging into the bizarre and colorful Boundary Sea.

The boat sailed smoothly, and the outside world consisted of countless dimensional light bubbles of varying sizes and shapes.

Some are vibrant with life, some are desolate and lifeless, and others exude an aura of chaos.

The turbulent flow of spacetime, like an invisible tide, constantly washed over the protective shield of the magic boat, creating ripples.

Shen Moyan stood by the porthole, observing silently.

The principle behind this Dharma boat's ability to travel through the void reminded him of the ferryman's small boat from back then.

Both seem to have similar approaches in combating spacetime turbulence and traversing space.

This Dharma boat is just more formal, giving him a greater sense of security.

After sailing for several days, they had seen countless planes of existence.

Shen Moyan began to have doubts.

I hadn't noticed it before I met Xi Yi, but now it seems...

These planes appear chaotic, but from a macroscopic perspective, their distribution seems to subtly reveal a certain...

A radial pattern?

It was as if all the planes of existence had erupted from a single central point.

On this day, the Dharma Boat was passing through a sparsely populated void area with a relatively wide field of vision.

Baili Ming seemed to be in a good mood. The guidance he had received over the past few days had made him look at Shen Moyan, the newly promoted Purple Mansion cultivator, with new respect.

He pointed out the vast, boundless dimensional ocean outside the porthole, his tone calm:

"Does Fellow Daoist Shen feel that these planes, though seemingly chaotic, are actually orderly?"

Shen Moyan's heart stirred, and he nodded, saying:

"That's exactly the feeling I have; it's as if they all originate from the same source."

Baili Ming glanced at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes:

"Good insight."

"Do you know that this boundless sea of ​​planes was not like this in extremely ancient times?"

He paused, as if recounting the ancient history of the mountains and seas, his voice carrying a hint of remoteness:

"In ancient times, there were no three thousand states as we know them today, nor were there countless subordinate planes."

"What exists is a unified and complete world, where heaven and earth are one, vast and boundless, where gods and demons coexist, an unimaginable ancient realm of mountains and seas."

Shen Moyan looked puzzled.

Is there only one world of mountains and seas?

That doesn't seem right.

But he didn't interrupt the other person and stopped seriously.

"However, an unimaginable war changed everything."

Bai Liming's tone remained calm.

"Some say it's a struggle over the immortal lineage, some say it's the fall of the ancient God of Fate, and some even say it involves the secrets of the Great Dao... The truth is now impossible to verify."

"In short, that great battle shattered the complete ancient world of mountains and seas."

"It's not a simple separation of land and sea, but the collapse of the very origin of the world. Enormous energy, carrying fragments of the world, is being thrown, expanding, and evolving in all directions at unimaginable speeds... just like..."

Baili Ming paused, searching for a suitable metaphor.

He pointed lightly, controlling the array plate, and began to simulate it.

Shen Moyan watched as a point appeared in the emptiness of the array plate, and then that point burst forth with countless rays of light, filling the entire screen with an infinite world.

"Like a singularity explosion."

"The Imperial Continent is the origin of that explosion, the largest fragment, and the place where the Preaching Stele stands. It can be regarded as the center of the newly formed Mountain and Sea Realm."

Baili Ming continued, "And the other fragments of varying sizes, during their flight, absorbed chaotic energy and evolved into all things, thus forming the Three Thousand Provinces as we know them today."

"As for the countless trillions of planes we see along the way..."

He pointed to the smaller light bulbs outside the porthole:

"It's just dust ejected from the explosion."

"They exist in relation to the various states, which are the great fragments, forming the current 'subordinate planes' system of the Great World of Mountains and Seas."

"There has always been a hypothesis in the Holy Court that the existence of the Origin Preaching Stele is because the Heavenly Dao of the Mountains and Seas is collecting these scattered dusts in order to save itself."

"Our mission as the Celestial Officials is to collect the valuable Daoist principles from these planes and bring them to the Preaching Stele, so as to restore the glorious past of the Mountain and Sea."

Shen Moyan nodded to himself. No wonder the states were so far apart that cross-border teleportation was necessary.

No wonder there are so many subordinate planes.

What Baili Ming said was not without reason in their view, and its logic was self-consistent.

But in Shen Moyan's view, there was a flaw.

"Then why are the various states and even these planes still able to maintain contact instead of completely dispersing and losing contact?" Shen Moyan asked the key question.

"It relies on the supreme power of the Origin Preaching Stele and the authority of the Great Dao held by the Four Imperial Immortal Lords."

Bai Liming answered, his tone tinged with a hint of reverence.

"The Monument to the Teachings establishes order and exudes a Daoist aura that transcends the endless void, connecting all the states."

Shen Moyan remembered that every state had stone rubbings.

The cultivators cannot fly higher than the stone tablet, and there are guardians protecting it.

Is it not they that are maintaining it?

"And the Four Emperors, the four Immortal Lords, are in charge of stabilizing the cycle of life and death, maintaining the flow of resources, sorting out the inheritance of civilizations, and balancing the rules of various forces..."

"Thus, order was rebuilt on this boundless sea of ​​ruins, forming the current Holy Court structure."

After listening, Shen Moyan remained silent.

It turns out that in the minds of the higher-ups in the Holy Order, this was a form of rule similar to "post-disaster reconstruction".

But the scene he had glimpsed of the Emperor slaying Kuafu was not like this.

The key to Kuafu's description of "barbarians beyond the realm of civilization" lies in the phrase "beyond the realm of civilization."

"Beyond the realm of civilization" refers to the area outside of China, beyond the reach of education and guidance.

Furthermore, the concept of the Immortal Realm also exists within the Immortal Dao lineage.

Therefore, it can be concluded that what Baili Ming said was a lie that was partly true and partly false.

There are beings who want to conceal the truth, making all living beings in the mountains and seas believe that they are the center of the endless sea, thus maintaining their confidence in civilization.

They ousted the immortal lineage that seemed to know the truth, and then invaded other planes under the guise of post-disaster reconstruction, taking a natural high ground.

who can that be?

The answer is self-evident.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, the position of Imperial Patrol Envoy is an honor bestowed upon us by the Emperor, and we should contribute our strength to it," Baili Ming sighed.

"Of course, the Emperor blesses us all," Shen Moyan replied with a smile.

"The task of unifying the mountains and seas is arduous and the road ahead is long."