Inside Heavenly Court, Di Jun sat on the Nine Dragon Throne and gazed at the assembled heavenly ministers and officials below him.
"Our subjects, the time has come to punish the alliance of ten thousand immortals, Violet Manor," he began. His words were neither rushed nor slow.
He glanced at Taiyi. During the nearly hundred thousand years since the sermon, his brother had severed a Corpse and entered the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm. He turned towards Fuxi and Nuwa. Fuxi had stabilized his cultivation and could enter the intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm at any time. Nuwa had entered the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm soon after returning from the Dao Ancestor's third sermon.
"The Dao Ancestor christened Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu the head of male and female immortals, but they ignored the Dao Ancestor's words and selfishly harmed the creatures of the land. As the Heavenly Emperor, it is Our duty to punish him for his transgressions."
Di Jun glanced at the ten demon sages. Seven of the original demon sages had recently stepped into the Quasi-Saint Realm, with the remaining three at the peak of the Great Firmament Realm.
"Prime Minister Bai Ze," Di Jun summoned.
"Bai Zei is here, Your Majesty," Bai Ze said as he stepped forward.
"Report the composition of the Celestial Army."
"At once, Your Majesty." Bai Ze stood up and looked at all the officials in the hall. "The Celestial Army is composed of three hundred and seventy-nine Immortal Emperors, one thousand two hundred and eleven Immortal Monarchs, and four thousand six hundred and thirty-four Immortal Lords."
In the Heavenly Court, Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament are given the title of Immortal Emperors; Golden Immortals of the Great Unity are given the title of Immortal Monarch; and Golden Immortals are given the title of Immortal Lords.
"There are ten legions; the first legion is composed of forty-eight thousand Profound Immortals; the second through tenth legions are composed of four thousand Profound Immortals and a hundred thousand Sky Immortals. The number of Earth Immortals is countless, Your Majesty," Bai Ze said as he finished his report and retreated to his position.
Di Jun nodded. "Our beloved subjects, with such a grand army, does the alliance of ten thousand immortals stand a chance?"
There was a resounding no.
"Should Violet Manor be acquitted of its crimes?"
Another resounding no.
"Then, as the Heavenly Emperor, I order the mobilization of the Celestial Army to destroy Violet Manor that had gone against the Dao Ancestor's decree. Eastern Emperor Taiyi."
"Subject-brother is here," Taiyi said as he stepped out.
"Take command of four demon sages, three hundred and sixty-five Immortal Emperors, five hundred Immortal Monarchs, one thousand and two hundred Immortal Lords, the first, second, and third legion. Destroy Violet Manor for their transgressions!"
"Subject-brother obeys the Heavenly Emperor's decree!" Taiyi said.
Under the sights of all the Demon Clan, Taiyi led the Celestial Army towards the East Sea. Their sheer numbers blotted out the sky.
Naturally, such a large movement couldn't be hidden from the major powers. Laozi and Yuanshi noticed it from Kunlun Mountain, Redcloud Ancestor who was visiting Zheng Yuanzi at Wuzhuang Temple, Minghe from the Blood Sea, Jinchi near the Undying Volcano, and many more.
The Titan Tribe also made a note of it, but they didn't take action. It was not the time. Only nine of the twelve titans had broken through into the Quasi-Saint Realm.
Violet Manor's spies also reported the situation to Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu.
Inside the Violet Manor, Dong Wanggong sat at the head seat with Xi Wangmu on his left as his equal. Sitting in front of him, at a lower level, were seven early Quasi-Saints, including Kong Xuan and Shangxia Ancestor.
"Heavenly Court has determined that Violet Manor strayed from its original purpose and thus decided to eliminate us," Dong Wanggong began. "What does everyone make of this?"
"Preposterous! The Heavenly Court doesn't have the authority to rule Violet Manor! I suggest Fellow Daoist Dong Wanggong send a refutation of the slander and order Di Jun to cease at once," Shangxia Ancestor said, with over half the Quasi-Saints agreeing.
Dong Wanggong suppressed the irritation within him. He hadn't ordered Violet Manor to attack the remaining Hundred Clans to seize their treasury and take the survivors as mounts.
He had rebuked Shangxia Ancestor and the others, but by this time, Shangxia Ancestor had broken through to the Quasi-Saint Realm and refuted Dong Wanggong, claiming that they had no choice but to attack. If they didn't seize the treasure, their strength would continue to stagnate in the face of the Heavenly Court's increasing strength.
The worst part was that the majority of the immortals sided with Shangxia Ancestor!
Shangxia Ancestor had bought them over by giving them treasure seized from the defeated clans. Not only that, Shangxia Ancestor had firmly grasped the distribution of treasures.
Dong Wanggong tried to take control back, but he was helpless. As time passed, more and more Quasi-Saints appeared, but they stood behind Shangxia Ancestor. He had been pushed to the point where he doubted he could still retain his position if the Dao Ancestor hadn't publicly proclaimed him the head of male immortals.
Had it not been for Kong Xuan, Dong Wanggong did not doubt he would have been turned into a puppet. Or, if he cut out his second Corpse, he would have the strength to control Violet Manor.
Strength spoke loudest in the Greatest Desolation.
Now that Di Jun came knocking, Shangxia Ancestor wanted to hide behind him? In his dreams!
Dong Wanggong turned toward the rest of the Quasi-Saints. "Anyone else?"
When his gaze connected with theirs, most of them averted their eyes. Under his pressuring gaze, one of them finally spoke out. He was a mousy man sitting at the tail end.
"What if, what if we gave them some treasures? They should leave us alone then, right?"
Dong Wanggong sneered. How did he become a Quasit-Saint with that brain of his?
"Fool," Kong Xuan said, speaking up at this moment. "Heavenly Court doesn't care for such meager treasures. What they want is the dominance of heaven and earth. If we cave in, they might let us go this time, but their desire to end us won't disappear."
"What do you mean by this?" Shangxia Ancestor asked.
"I mean what I said," Kong Xuan. "Heavenly Court doesn't want to destroy us because you attacked the Hundred Clans and seized their treasures. They are attacking us because we are an eyesore to their hegemony."
Kong Xuan stood up and spread his arms. "Not just Heavenly Court, the Titan Tribe wants to destroy us too. Because we are too powerful. Unless you decide to surrender to either of them, they will never let us go."
"Daoist Kong Xuan, what do you suggest we do?" Dong Wanggong asked.
Kong Xuan turned to face the rest of the Quasi-Saints. "We fight, we fight and defeat Heavenly Court and the Titan Tribe. We will become the number one force in the Great Desolation, and no one will be able to oppose us. Not even the Three Purities."
At his words, the hall fell silent.
"Can we defeat them?" a voice asked.
Kong Xuan turned to the owner. "Then go surrender to them. But I'll tell you right now, the moment you do so, I'll cut you down."
Dong Wanggong closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned to Xi Wangmu to see the worry in her eyes. He placed his hand over hers and gave a comforting smile.
He let go and faced the Quasi-Saints present, an inextinguishable fighting intent in his eyes. "We prepare for war. Assemble all the immortals. We are going to show Heavenly Court the power of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation!"
As the Celestial Army arrived, Tongtian also moved, but she saw an unexpected visitor. "Second Brother, why are you here?"
"You're going to fish in muddy waters when Heavenly Court and Violet Manor fight, are you not?" Yuanshi asked, but it wasn't a question.
"Xi Wangmu's Kunlun Mirror holds great attraction for me, I must get it," Tongtian said.
"Aren't you scared that the two will deal with you?" Yuanshi asked.
"What's there to be afraid of? If they dare to attack me, I'll help the other side. Besides," Tongtian snapped her fingers, and the space around her splitted apart. "I'm confident that under heaven, no one can hinder me."
"You already started mastering the Law of Space?"
"Just a bit," Tongtian said as she pinched an inch of air between her thumb and finger. "Nothing worth praising."
"No, it's amazing! As long as you master the Law of Space, not even a Saint will be able to stop you," Yuanshi praised. There was a tiny smile on his lips and a gentle emotion in his gaze.
Tongtian felt shy but also warm. "You're making fun of me. We've never faced off against a Saint, so that remains unknown. A-anyways, I'm going to spectate. What about you?"
"I'll come along, just in case," Yuanshi said as he followed her. "I think the Five Element Tree should belong in better hands."
Tongtian and Yuanshi shared a smirk.
The two soon reached Penglai Immortal Island, but they didn't reveal themselves. Tongtian split the spatial layers and hid herself and Yuanshi between them. Within a month, Taiyi and the Celestial Army arrived.
"Dong Wanggong, Xi Wangmu, do you admit your crimes?" Taiyi's voice echoed throughout the East Sea, and even the East Dragon Palace could hear it.
A moment of silence passed before Dong Wanggong's voice erupted out of Penglai Immortal Island. "Taiyi, does Di Jun not dare to show his face?"
"As the head of male immortals christened by the Dao Ancestor, I pronounce Di Jun unworthy of his position! Immortals, form the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation!"
Ten thousand pillars formed of qi erupted at regularly spaced intervals on Penglai Immortal Island. They spread apart, expanding to ten times Penglai Immortal Island's size.
Taiyi felt the immensely powerful qi emanating from the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation and frowned. "Demons, form the Starry Sky War Array!"
The three hundred sixty-four Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament entered their position along with the forty-eight thousand Profound Immortals. Taiyi sat at the position of the Purple Majesty Star.
The sky over Penglai Immortal Island darkened as the Starry Sky appeared. Starlight shined down on the forty-eight thousand three hundred and sixty-five demons forming the Starry Sky War Array.
It was a blinding white array against a miniature Starry Sky.
Hundreds of starlight fell down on the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. In response, a net formed above the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, blocking the falling starlight.
Seeing that the starlight couldn't damage the net faster than it could regenerate, Taiyi commanded the Starry Sky War Formation to descend. Since the Starry Sky War Formation drew power from the stars above, he was sure they could outlast the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, but he didn't want to draw out the battle.
The longer the battle went on, the greater the risk of the Titan Tribe attacking Heavenly Court while the army was away. Most of the Golden Immortals of Great Firmament and formation flags were with him, so Heavenly Court couldn't form another Starry Sky Formation.
Once inside, Taiyi saw a nondescript immortal of Violet Manor. He rushed forward and attacked. The immortal flinched and defended, successfully defending Taiyi's attack and surprising him.
Taiyi frowned and summoned the Chaos Bell. The Chaos Bell rang loudly, causing a sonic attack. The immortal froze under the assault, allowing Taiyi to bash him.
The immortal screamed, but he discovered that he was only scratched and not heavily injured. The immortal looked at himself in shock and then at Taiyi. His surprise turned into glee as he stared confidently at Taiyi.
Taiyi wasn’t the only one who discovered the abnormal defense. All the demons of Heavenly Court discovered that whatever opponent they faced couldn't be injured as easily. After a short clash, the Starry Sky War Formation ascended and separated from the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation.
Above and outside, Taiyi noticed that the overall energy of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation had decreased, but it was only marginally. He frowned, sourging his mind for any method to overcome the formation.
The Starry Sky War Formation had several killer moves, but they were too costly. If they broke the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, good. But if they couldn't, they might lose the battle.
Just as Taiyi was mulling over his choices, he turned around to see Tongtian and Yuanshi appear out of nowhere. Taiyi ordered Ji Meng, one of the Ten Demon Sages, to take temporary command while he met two of the Three Purities. "Daoist Tongtian...Daoist Yuanshi."
Yuanshi, as usual, was glaring at him, but Tongtian smiled at him. His throat went dry.
"Daoist Taiyi, it seems you're in quite the pickle. Do you want my help?" Tongtian asked, her smile widening.
Inside Heavenly Court, Di Jun sat on the Nine Dragon Throne and gazed at the assembled heavenly ministers and officials below him.
"Our subjects, the time has come to punish the alliance of ten thousand immortals, Violet Manor," he began. His words were neither rushed nor slow.
He glanced at Taiyi. During the nearly hundred thousand years since the sermon, his brother had severed a Corpse and entered the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm. He turned towards Fuxi and Nuwa. Fuxi had stabilized his cultivation and could enter the intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm at any time. Nuwa had entered the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm soon after returning from the Dao Ancestor's third sermon.
"The Dao Ancestor christened Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu the head of male and female immortals, but they ignored the Dao Ancestor's words and selfishly harmed the creatures of the land. As the Heavenly Emperor, it is Our duty to punish him for his transgressions."
Di Jun glanced at the ten demon sages. Seven of the original demon sages had recently stepped into the Quasi-Saint Realm, with the remaining three at the peak of the Great Firmament Realm.
"Prime Minister Bai Ze," Di Jun summoned.
"Bai Zei is here, Your Majesty," Bai Ze said as he stepped forward.
"Report the composition of the Celestial Army."
"At once, Your Majesty." Bai Ze stood up and looked at all the officials in the hall. "The Celestial Army is composed of three hundred and seventy-nine Immortal Emperors, one thousand two hundred and eleven Immortal Monarchs, and four thousand six hundred and thirty-four Immortal Lords."
In the Heavenly Court, Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament are given the title of Immortal Emperors; Golden Immortals of the Great Unity are given the title of Immortal Monarch; and Golden Immortals are given the title of Immortal Lords.
"There are ten legions; the first legion is composed of forty-eight thousand Profound Immortals; the second through tenth legions are composed of four thousand Profound Immortals and a hundred thousand Sky Immortals. The number of Earth Immortals is countless, Your Majesty," Bai Ze said as he finished his report and retreated to his position.
Di Jun nodded. "Our beloved subjects, with such a grand army, does the alliance of ten thousand immortals stand a chance?"
There was a resounding no.
"Should Violet Manor be acquitted of its crimes?"
Another resounding no.
"Then, as the Heavenly Emperor, I order the mobilization of the Celestial Army to destroy Violet Manor that had gone against the Dao Ancestor's decree. Eastern Emperor Taiyi."
"Subject-brother is here," Taiyi said as he stepped out.
"Take command of four demon sages, three hundred and sixty-five Immortal Emperors, five hundred Immortal Monarchs, one thousand and two hundred Immortal Lords, the first, second, and third legion. Destroy Violet Manor for their transgressions!"
"Subject-brother obeys the Heavenly Emperor's decree!" Taiyi said.
Under the sights of all the Demon Clan, Taiyi led the Celestial Army towards the East Sea. Their sheer numbers blotted out the sky.
Naturally, such a large movement couldn't be hidden from the major powers. Laozi and Yuanshi noticed it from Kunlun Mountain, Redcloud Ancestor who was visiting Zheng Yuanzi at Wuzhuang Temple, Minghe from the Blood Sea, Jinchi near the Undying Volcano, and many more.
The Titan Tribe also made a note of it, but they didn't take action. It was not the time. Only nine of the twelve titans had broken through into the Quasi-Saint Realm.
Violet Manor's spies also reported the situation to Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu.
Inside the Violet Manor, Dong Wanggong sat at the head seat with Xi Wangmu on his left as his equal. Sitting in front of him, at a lower level, were seven early Quasi-Saints, including Kong Xuan and Shangxia Ancestor.
"Heavenly Court has determined that Violet Manor strayed from its original purpose and thus decided to eliminate us," Dong Wanggong began. "What does everyone make of this?"
"Preposterous! The Heavenly Court doesn't have the authority to rule Violet Manor! I suggest Fellow Daoist Dong Wanggong send a refutation of the slander and order Di Jun to cease at once," Shangxia Ancestor said, with over half the Quasi-Saints agreeing.
Dong Wanggong suppressed the irritation within him. He hadn't ordered Violet Manor to attack the remaining Hundred Clans to seize their treasury and take the survivors as mounts.
He had rebuked Shangxia Ancestor and the others, but by this time, Shangxia Ancestor had broken through to the Quasi-Saint Realm and refuted Dong Wanggong, claiming that they had no choice but to attack. If they didn't seize the treasure, their strength would continue to stagnate in the face of the Heavenly Court's increasing strength.
The worst part was that the majority of the immortals sided with Shangxia Ancestor!
Shangxia Ancestor had bought them over by giving them treasure seized from the defeated clans. Not only that, Shangxia Ancestor had firmly grasped the distribution of treasures.
Dong Wanggong tried to take control back, but he was helpless. As time passed, more and more Quasi-Saints appeared, but they stood behind Shangxia Ancestor. He had been pushed to the point where he doubted he could still retain his position if the Dao Ancestor hadn't publicly proclaimed him the head of male immortals.
Had it not been for Kong Xuan, Dong Wanggong did not doubt he would have been turned into a puppet. Or, if he cut out his second Corpse, he would have the strength to control Violet Manor.
Strength spoke loudest in the Greatest Desolation.
Now that Di Jun came knocking, Shangxia Ancestor wanted to hide behind him? In his dreams!
Dong Wanggong turned toward the rest of the Quasi-Saints. "Anyone else?"
When his gaze connected with theirs, most of them averted their eyes. Under his pressuring gaze, one of them finally spoke out. He was a mousy man sitting at the tail end.
"What if, what if we gave them some treasures? They should leave us alone then, right?"
Dong Wanggong sneered. How did he become a Quasit-Saint with that brain of his?
"Fool," Kong Xuan said, speaking up at this moment. "Heavenly Court doesn't care for such meager treasures. What they want is the dominance of heaven and earth. If we cave in, they might let us go this time, but their desire to end us won't disappear."
"What do you mean by this?" Shangxia Ancestor asked.
"I mean what I said," Kong Xuan. "Heavenly Court doesn't want to destroy us because you attacked the Hundred Clans and seized their treasures. They are attacking us because we are an eyesore to their hegemony."
Kong Xuan stood up and spread his arms. "Not just Heavenly Court, the Titan Tribe wants to destroy us too. Because we are too powerful. Unless you decide to surrender to either of them, they will never let us go."
"Daoist Kong Xuan, what do you suggest we do?" Dong Wanggong asked.
Kong Xuan turned to face the rest of the Quasi-Saints. "We fight, we fight and defeat Heavenly Court and the Titan Tribe. We will become the number one force in the Great Desolation, and no one will be able to oppose us. Not even the Three Purities."
At his words, the hall fell silent.
"Can we defeat them?" a voice asked.
Kong Xuan turned to the owner. "Then go surrender to them. But I'll tell you right now, the moment you do so, I'll cut you down."
Dong Wanggong closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned to Xi Wangmu to see the worry in her eyes. He placed his hand over hers and gave a comforting smile.
He let go and faced the Quasi-Saints present, an inextinguishable fighting intent in his eyes. "We prepare for war. Assemble all the immortals. We are going to show Heavenly Court the power of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation!"
As the Celestial Army arrived, Tongtian also moved, but she saw an unexpected visitor. "Second Brother, why are you here?"
"You're going to fish in muddy waters when Heavenly Court and Violet Manor fight, are you not?" Yuanshi asked, but it wasn't a question.
"Xi Wangmu's Kunlun Mirror holds great attraction for me, I must get it," Tongtian said.
"Aren't you scared that the two will deal with you?" Yuanshi asked.
"What's there to be afraid of? If they dare to attack me, I'll help the other side. Besides," Tongtian snapped her fingers, and the space around her splitted apart. "I'm confident that under heaven, no one can hinder me."
"You already started mastering the Law of Space?"
"Just a bit," Tongtian said as she pinched an inch of air between her thumb and finger. "Nothing worth praising."
"No, it's amazing! As long as you master the Law of Space, not even a Saint will be able to stop you," Yuanshi praised. There was a tiny smile on his lips and a gentle emotion in his gaze.
Tongtian felt shy but also warm. "You're making fun of me. We've never faced off against a Saint, so that remains unknown. A-anyways, I'm going to spectate. What about you?"
"I'll come along, just in case," Yuanshi said as he followed her. "I think the Five Element Tree should belong in better hands."
Tongtian and Yuanshi shared a smirk.
The two soon reached Penglai Immortal Island, but they didn't reveal themselves. Tongtian split the spatial layers and hid herself and Yuanshi between them. Within a month, Taiyi and the Celestial Army arrived.
"Dong Wanggong, Xi Wangmu, do you admit your crimes?" Taiyi's voice echoed throughout the East Sea, and even the East Dragon Palace could hear it.
A moment of silence passed before Dong Wanggong's voice erupted out of Penglai Immortal Island. "Taiyi, does Di Jun not dare to show his face?"
"As the head of male immortals christened by the Dao Ancestor, I pronounce Di Jun unworthy of his position! Immortals, form the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation!"
Ten thousand pillars formed of qi erupted at regularly spaced intervals on Penglai Immortal Island. They spread apart, expanding to ten times Penglai Immortal Island's size.
Taiyi felt the immensely powerful qi emanating from the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation and frowned. "Demons, form the Starry Sky War Array!"
The three hundred sixty-four Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament entered their position along with the forty-eight thousand Profound Immortals. Taiyi sat at the position of the Purple Majesty Star.
The sky over Penglai Immortal Island darkened as the Starry Sky appeared. Starlight shined down on the forty-eight thousand three hundred and sixty-five demons forming the Starry Sky War Array.
It was a blinding white array against a miniature Starry Sky.
Hundreds of starlight fell down on the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. In response, a net formed above the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, blocking the falling starlight.
Seeing that the starlight couldn't damage the net faster than it could regenerate, Taiyi commanded the Starry Sky War Formation to descend. Since the Starry Sky War Formation drew power from the stars above, he was sure they could outlast the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, but he didn't want to draw out the battle.
The longer the battle went on, the greater the risk of the Titan Tribe attacking Heavenly Court while the army was away. Most of the Golden Immortals of Great Firmament and formation flags were with him, so Heavenly Court couldn't form another Starry Sky Formation.
Once inside, Taiyi saw a nondescript immortal of Violet Manor. He rushed forward and attacked. The immortal flinched and defended, successfully defending Taiyi's attack and surprising him.
Taiyi frowned and summoned the Chaos Bell. The Chaos Bell rang loudly, causing a sonic attack. The immortal froze under the assault, allowing Taiyi to bash him.
The immortal screamed, but he discovered that he was only scratched and not heavily injured. The immortal looked at himself in shock and then at Taiyi. His surprise turned into glee as he stared confidently at Taiyi.
Taiyi wasn’t the only one who discovered the abnormal defense. All the demons of Heavenly Court discovered that whatever opponent they faced couldn't be injured as easily. After a short clash, the Starry Sky War Formation ascended and separated from the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation.
Above and outside, Taiyi noticed that the overall energy of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation had decreased, but it was only marginally. He frowned, sourging his mind for any method to overcome the formation.
The Starry Sky War Formation had several killer moves, but they were too costly. If they broke the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, good. But if they couldn't, they might lose the battle.
Just as Taiyi was mulling over his choices, he turned around to see Tongtian and Yuanshi appear out of nowhere. Taiyi ordered Ji Meng, one of the Ten Demon Sages, to take temporary command while he met two of the Three Purities. "Daoist Tongtian...Daoist Yuanshi."
Yuanshi, as usual, was glaring at him, but Tongtian smiled at him. His throat went dry.
"Daoist Taiyi, it seems you're in quite the pickle. Do you want my help?" Tongtian asked, her smile widening.
