Cheng Yue looked at the chessboard before him. He could only play by himself.
Every move came with remarkable ease.
At that moment, the countless stars in the outer starry sky shifted along with his moves.
The chessboard, strewn with stars, seemed to control the vast starry sky overhead.
The final piece landed upon the Heavenly Center.
In the starry sky, the North Star moved to the very center, radiating a brilliant glow.
In a side hall, Fuxi seemed to gain an insight and rose to his feet.
Ignoring his injuries, he staggered out of the hall.
He raised his head and looked at the stars overhead.
Though it was broad daylight beneath clear skies, the stars above flickered with strange light.
They were scattered across the sky like a great formation.
A Trapping Formation.
Within it lay countless transformations.
Fuxi sat cross-legged, his gaze fixed quietly upon the starry sky above.
Specks of starlight appeared within his eyes.
Then his aura gradually became ethereal.
Countless rays of light condensed around him, seemingly forming symbols like constellations.
They began to revolve around Fuxi.
Within Purple Firmament Palace, Di Jun had originally been listening to the Dao. His aura had gathered, and he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Suddenly, his face flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
As he sat there, the aura surrounding him immediately weakened.
He then raised his eyes to look ahead, fury filling his gaze.
Even his face twisted slightly.
"Damn it! Who was it? Who was it?!"
After he spoke, Eastern Emperor Taiyi beside him slowly woke as well.
Not only that, quite a few others turned to look over.
They looked at Cheng Yue before them, unable to understand what had happened.
One after another, they looked at Cheng Yue and could not help asking.
"Elder Brother, what happened to you?"
Even Hongjun stopped preaching the Dao and looked at the blood-spitting Di Jun.
His confusion carried a trace of nervousness.
Di Jun was one of his important chess pieces.
Nothing could go wrong with him here.
Hongjun immediately spoke and asked.
"Di Jun, what happened?"
Di Jun clutched his chest. The heart beating there was in utter turmoil.
"Reporting to Sage, someone has stolen my Heavenly Emperor's Authority and altered the course of All Heavens Stars without authorization. The stars' trajectories have been thrown into chaos."
Hearing this, Hongjun pinched his fingers to calculate, yet found nothing.
He looked at Di Jun again, his gaze passing through chaos and the starry sky toward the region of the South Sea.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
He had taken in Nuwa and altered the course of a great destiny, and now he had changed the stars' trajectories as well.
Was he trying to obstruct my path to the Dao?
But if that were all, his Dao could not possibly be obstructed so easily.
After speaking, Hongjun lightly pointed a finger.
It landed upon Di Jun, suppressing his injuries and even calming that restless throbbing.
Di Jun let out a relieved breath, yet he still worried that something might have happened to his Heavenly Court.
However, he was also on the verge of breaking through. If he rushed out now, he might incur the Sage's displeasure.
With that thought, he continued cultivating where he sat.
He then resumed his attempt to break through.
Though he listened carefully throughout the preaching, his heart remained unsettled.
He had only just obtained the Heavenly Emperor's Authority.
He also understood the benefits of the Heavenly Emperor's Authority.
Di Jun, who should have broken through with ease, did not manage it until the preaching was nearly over.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi beside him had broken through long ago.
When Hongjun stopped preaching the Dao, Di Jun prepared to leave at once and return to the Heavenly Court to see what had happened.
However, Hongjun remained seated and began to speak.
"Heaven and earth are divided into Yin and Yang, and all living beings are the same. Today, within this Purple Firmament Palace, I shall select two individuals to govern the Yin and Yang of the world and bear the responsibility of enlightening the Primordial World."
After speaking, a scepter appeared in his hand.
He then looked toward the three thousand Dust Travelers before him.
Di Jun's expression darkened, and resentment filled his heart.
As the Heavenly Emperor, he already bore the responsibility of ruling the Primordial World. Yet now Hongjun was choosing someone else.
What did that mean?
Moments later, Hongjun seemed to have found his chosen candidate.
"Eastern King Duke, you were formed from the first strand of innate Yang energy. You may bear the responsibility of commanding the male immortals of the Primordial World and enlightening all living beings!"
Eastern King Duke, seated nearby, was suddenly stunned. He had thought this task should belong to Di Jun.
After all, Di Jun was already the Heavenly Emperor.
Yet it had been given to him?
Overjoyed, a stream of merit instantly descended upon Eastern King Duke.
"Thank you, Sage, for bestowing this treasure!"
Holding the scepter, Eastern King Duke looked over the three thousand Dust Travelers, pride filling his eyes.
He had even begun imagining himself as the future ruler of the Primordial World.
It was as though he could already see that day arriving.
Di Jun, however, felt his teeth ache.
Then he heard Hongjun continue.
"Western Queen Mother, you were formed from the first strand of Yin energy between heaven and earth. You shall bear the responsibility of governing the female immortals and enlightening all living beings."
After he spoke, Western Queen Mother furrowed her brows tightly.
Accepting this position now was not a good thing.
She presided over Western Kunlun. As one born in such a blessed land, she was no fool.
At present, both the Witch and Demon races were eyeing the entire Primordial World hungrily.
If she agreed now, she would inevitably face attacks from both sides in the future.
Especially Di Jun. He was not someone easy to deal with.
Yet after glancing at the Sage, she knew that refusing would likely not end well either.
So she spoke.
"Thank you, Sage."
Then a banner flew before her.
"This is the Plain Colored Cloud Realm Banner. I bestow it upon you."
Western Queen Mother nodded and accepted it.
Unlike the excited Eastern King Duke,
Western Queen Mother's brows remained tightly furrowed.
Behind her, Di Jun's gaze was like that of a venomous scorpion.
Earlier, someone had stolen a trace of his authority.
And now there were people governing all male and female immortals beneath heaven.
He did not care much about the female immortals, but the male immortals were another matter.
His gaze immediately shifted toward Eastern King Duke.
Eastern King Duke felt a chill in his heart beneath that stare.
He turned and glanced at Di Jun.
Then he looked at the Dragon Head Staff in his hand.
After raising it, he looked at Di Jun with a hint of provocation.
Hongjun also let out a breath of relief.
This matter should originally have been handled during his first preaching of the Dao.
Nuwa had disrupted things at the time, leaving him no opportunity to say so much.
Fortunately, he had finally settled the matter this time.
He just did not know whether Eastern King Duke could still establish a power in Purple Mansion Continent.
As he sat there, he was not worried.
This time, he had merely brought Eastern King Duke out to die.
He did not care about anything else.
The matters to come should not be too difficult.
"How will you stop this now?"
As Hongjun spoke those words, his gaze instinctively turned toward the Primordial World.
Before you continue