Disbanding the Demonic Court

All three great immortal flowers of the world were recorded.

"The truth behind the disintegration of the Ancient Heavenly Court is that Imperial Venerable wanted to sacrifice all the venerables to provide for his personal flight to immortality and longevity!"

"The Undying Heavenly Emperor came from the Immortal Domain, and immortal secrets exist within his five-colored blood!"

During the Desolate Ancient Era, the Primeval period, the Mythological period, and even the unexaminable Chaotic Ancient Era, traces were left behind. A few rusty ancient stone tablets recorded the person who had once forced open the Immortal Domain to achieve immortality.

"Pity that they are all accounts from bystanders, with no further information."

Zhang Huan said with regret. Records concerning that person were almost always like this, finishing the entire process in a few hundred ancient characters.

It only recorded that he had suppressed a supreme being on the Immortal Path, and aside from that, there were no more records.

Zhang Huan looked disappointedly at other stone tablets. They recorded the inheritance of a supreme being—a heavenly venerate of the Mythological period, who had carved the entire Character Secret.

"Longevity Heavenly Venerate, is it."

Zhang Huan saw the two characters for longevity engraved in the bottom right corner. He had a deep impression of this person, the creator of the Character Secret.

On the Immortal Path, he first tried to sublimate and fight a desperate battle in vain, was then bombed with absolute kills by the people of the Ancient Heavenly Court using one-third of the Immortal Ascension Cauldron, and finally fought to the death against the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body. Only then did his strength exhaust, and he chose a place of demise to pass away quietly.

This person had also once taken charge of the Underworld, but later, fearing that the Nether Emperor would return to settle accounts with them, he fled the Underworld to enter the Immortal Mausoleum, leaving and never returning.

He had not expected that this person also left behind an inheritance here.

Zhang Huan memorized the Character Secret, then found the scriptures of the Underworld's Source Art domain, learning them together.

The Source Art recorded by them was no worse than that of an Origin Heaven Master, originating from the emperor who used Source Art to prove the Dao. It was even more profound and wondrous, and what the two ghosts practiced also came from this.

He observed as he pleased, spending several years walking through the depths of the Underworld, nearly exhausting the records on the ancient steles.

He also obtained a portion of Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerate's inheritance, which had been specially collected by the Underworld.

Spirit Treasure specialized in subduing evil spirits, suppressing a corpse calamity of ancient times with his own strength, and was deeply dreaded by the Underworld. After he passed away, the Underworld did not miss clearing away his traces, and these found inheritances thus fell into the hands of the Underworld, remaining sealed away all along.

"Alright, I've seen enough; it's time to go."

Zhang Huan waved his hand, dismissing the Underworld Lord who had waited upon him for several years.

It was almost time to return. Everything that could be obtained in the Underworld had been pocketed, and he had no such mind to stay any longer.

He still had to make some preparations for his true body of later generations.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Huan wandered around the depths of the Underworld for a circle, suddenly catching a familiar aura in a corner.

"This is... the Mysterious Bird?"

He stepped forward and saw an egg quietly lying in the center of a stone pillar taller than a mountain. The life force inside had already gestured and formed, but bound by the Dao and laws, it failed to break out of its shell for a long time.

"Greetings, Great Emperor."

A war slave knelt and kowtowed. He had been ordered to keep watch over the Mysterious Bird here specifically.

"Great Saint Kun?"

Hearing the somewhat surprised voice, the war slave raised his head with a dazed expression, unaware of what the Great Emperor was ordering.

"Sigh, let me be a good person for once and send you off to be reincarnated. Remember to be honest and sensible in your next life, and don't come to the Underworld to seek your own destruction again."

Zhang Huan shook his head, expressing pity for this Great Saint Kun who had extended olive branches to him several times before.

The other party was not some heinous villain either; after entering the Underworld, he only wanted to take root and develop, who would have expected such a tragic end.

He did not die on the battlefield, yet was refined into a servant, never to transcend through all eternity.

With one palm, he helped Great Saint Kun gain release, and his true spirit entered the reincarnation cycle.

Looking at the Mysterious Bird, Zhang Huan shattered the restraining prohibition and asked it what relation it bore to that undead Mysterious Bird.

The auras of the two were identical, and even their appearances were as if they had been carved from the same mold.

The bird egg responded timidly: "It is my elder brother. Mother had an accident while giving birth to us. We were captured together by the Underworld.

My elder brother's bloodline was stronger, so they seized his body. I am very ordinary, and they looked down on me, locking me here for research—"

It transmitted its divine sense timidly, its voice growing smaller the more it spoke. Its mood was very depressed, and having suffered many grievances over these years in the Underworld, it carried a sob in its grief.

"So that's how it is. The Underworld captured two Mysterious Bird eggs back then; one had atavistic bloodline and was used by the Underworld to plot for the imperial throne.

The other had utterly mediocre bloodline, so it was abandoned and used to study the innate divine abilities of the Mysterious Bird clan."

His elder brother was refined and parasitized alive, while he himself became a prisoner. He probably hadn't suffered little torture over the years; no wonder it was so dejected.

"Come away from here with me. You should spread your wings and fly high outside, rather than being trapped in hell and sinking powerlessly."

Zhang Huan waved his hand to take it away, wandered around the depths of the Underworld for another circle like touring his own backyard, and swiped several precious items.

In terms of title, the entire Underworld belonged to him.

Before leaving, he also instructed the Underworld Lord to behave himself from now on.

"There is one more matter."

Zhang Huan called out to stop the Underworld Lord.

"When I had not yet achieved the Dao back then, someone in the Underworld cast a curse on me. Bring the mastermind over to be executed."

He paused his footsteps and instructed the Underworld Lord to investigate immediately and provide a result.

Now, he was nominally an emperor of the Underworld, supreme above all. Even the Underworld Lord was merely a servant, and anyone who dared make a move against him deserved capital punishment.

Hearing that there was such a matter, the Underworld Lord broke out in a cold sweat for a moment. Fearing the wrath of the supreme being, he replied with a trembling voice and went to search through the archives without daring to delay for even a second.

Before long, he returned, reporting that the entire batch of people from back then had already passed away, but death could not eliminate the grave crime of offending the supreme majesty of the emperor.

He had already reduced their corpses to ashes, and the direct relatives of these people had not been spared either. Even as clansmen of the other factions of the Underworld, they had not been forgiven, and all were put to death.

Zhang Huan nodded indifferently, waved his hand to dismiss him, showing neither joy nor anger on his face, and with a stomp of his feet, he vanished without a trace.

Just as he was about to leave the Underworld, a divine sense came over, originating from a supreme being.

The Heaven-Piercing Halberd of the Prison Suppressing Emperor was still sealed within his Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar. He requested Zhang Huan to spare his imperial weapon, considering that he himself had taken charge this time to satisfy Zhang Huan as much as possible.

Expressing his sincerity, the Prison Suppressing Emperor spoke in an earnest tone.

His imperial weapon had been detained for over thirty thousand years, and it was about time to let it be returned, or else he would no longer be able to sit still.

"It will return naturally after ten thousand years."

Zhang Huan sent back a strand of divine sense.

The Golden Light Grand Dao stretched out. With one step, he left the Underworld behind and headed off into the distance.

Having received a promise, the Prison Suppressing Emperor said no more, which was considered tacit consent.

He couldn't beat him in a fight and couldn't snatch it back, so he could only continue waiting and follow Zhang Huan's wishes.

Anyway, ten thousand years was merely a snap of the fingers for a supreme being; perhaps before he awoke the next time, the imperial weapon would have returned.

Returning to the Demonic Court, Zhang Huan personally sealed the Great Accomplishment Hegemon Body with immortal origin inside the heavenly palace, and it would wake up at the proper time.

Or if he himself wished to emerge at a certain moment, he could also break open the immortal origin on his own. Zhang Huan also left behind quite a bit of immortal origin here for him to seal himself again.

However, the effect of blocking aura would not be quite as good.

The Hegemon Body slumbered, and Zhang Huan took out another large piece of Nine Heavens Jade, carving the collected nine secrets onto it for his future comprehension.

At the very least, it could raise some of his combat prowess and help out in pacifying turmoils.

Finally, he deployed an imperial formation to shroud the heavenly palace and isolate the disturbances of outsiders.

Standing in the magnificent grand hall, Zhang Huan looked at the place where he had spent more than half a lifetime, gazing in solitude toward the living beings of the Demonic Court below.

Although it was a picture of a prosperous immortal dynasty, there was not the slightest ripple in his eyes.

"The immortal sword has already been forged. In the remaining days, this Demonic Court is also of no use."

He muttered softly, harboring the thought of disbanding the Demonic Court.

The Demonic Court had ruled the universe for tens of thousands of years, and before he knew it, it had expanded from a small planet to be even more vast than the sun star.

Vast dragon Qi was contained deep in the earth, and spiritual energy was rich, having already become a holy land for cultivation.

It was initially forged by Zhang Huan with emperor power, and furthermore favored by the heart of heaven, causing the fortune of this era to gather entirely within the Demonic Court.

"Let's disband it while we can. The power of the Demonic Court has already developed to its peak, and in the future, it will sooner or later become a scourge."

A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Huan's eyes as he steadily chose to end the fate of the Demonic Court.

He did not intend to simply let it continue to exist like this.

The reason the Demonic Court was able to rule the universe and live in peace with all races without disaster was entirely because Zhang Huan was pressing down upon their heads.

Regardless of whether it was against other evil men or ambitious individuals within the Demonic Court, they knew very well in their hearts that as long as Zhang Huan existed for a single day, they could never stir up any waves.

They dared not harm the world, had to abide by the rules, and lived cautiously!

In their hearts, there was forever a blurry yet truly existing red line that deterred them at all times.

Only when Zhang Huan truly passed away and no one was suppressing them from above would they cease to forbear and slowly expose their true nature.

Such was the case for the forbidden zone supreme beings, cultivators practicing various demonic arts, and those blinded by the lust for power.

The Ji Family and the group of supreme Dao forces were both examples of lessons learned.

When the Great Emperor was still around, how high-minded the Ji Family was, their reputation far exceeding that of Ye Fan's era by who knows how much, admired and revered by fellow supreme Dao forces.

Zhang Huan had visited the Ji Family a few times, and the Ji Family disciples he saw valued morality greatly, viewing their ancestors as targets to pursue. On ordinary days, they would help the weak and eradicate the wicked and treacherous.

They were a breath of fresh air in the Cultivation World; a single word carried the weight of nine cauldrons, keeping their promises with the demeanor of gentlemen.

Such a Ji Family, in later generations, became an Eastern Wasteland overlord that people heard of with fear and detested upon hearing the name.

The reasons behind this give food for thought; the powerful strength obtained out of thin air could not withstand the test.

The Void Emperor pacified turmoils, bled his last drop of blood, and protected these billions of living beings.

Yet in the later generations that he did not know of, the descendants of the Ji Family committed all sorts of evil, acting recklessly relying on the powerful strength of their clan and wantonly oppressing the weak.

Flowing with the same blood yet walking the opposite path, they completely forgot their ancestor's deeds.

The Void Emperor turned his back to all beings, and no matter how the supreme beings threatened him in life, he fought to the death without taking a single step back. This was to protect all living beings and fight out a clear and bright universe for the people of the world.

His descendants, however, relied on being a supreme Dao force, inherently feeling a cut above the rest, and responded with all sorts of shameful behaviors, defiling his supreme ideals.

If Zhang Huan kept the Demonic Court, in the future it would also tread the same path as the Ji Family. The descendants would mourn for them without taking them as a warning, causing later generations to fail to take warning as well and brew endless evil consequences.

Rather than letting the force he created harm the world, it was better to end it with his own hands.

Zhang Huan sent a voice transmission ordering a few upper management personnel to come see him. Summoned by the Great Emperor for the first time in their lives, they were each filled with anxiety and apprehension.

Especially since the Great Emperor had displayed mighty divine might not long ago, slaying a supreme being in the starry sky, which made them even more fearful.

Zhang Huan glanced sideways at the upper management personnel standing to the side, releasing their true emotions with a secret art, and probed.

"I have summoned you not for other reasons. I do not have much lifespan left and am about to pass away.

Yet the Demonic Court cannot go a single day without a master.

Which of you has the mind to take over my inheritance and guard this tens of millions of miles of starry sky for me?"

The several upper management personnel trembled all over. The inheritance of the Great Emperor—to become the master of the Demonic Court suppressing the universe.

He had not expected such a great fortune on this trip; the Great Emperor was advanced in age, and this was selecting a successor.

They had finally waited for this moment!

Thinking of the chance of being selected, their breathing involuntarily became somewhat heavy.

"Sigh, it seems there is no need to go on."

Seeing their reactions, Zhang Huan immediately felt dampened.

Every single one of them had their minds corrupted by power, caring only about the seat of authority. Even if Zhang Huan genuinely wanted to leave an inheritance, he would not choose such people.

In the past, it was fine if they utilized the influence of the Demonic Court to plot some private gains; as long as they did their jobs well and harbored no second intentions, Zhang Huan could turn a blind eye.

However, to hastily disband the Demonic Court just like this—judging by their expressions, they probably would not be willing to let it go easily. These few individuals held high positions of power, and if they were not eliminated quickly, they would inevitably become a scourge in the future and cause some trouble.

With a flick of a finger, splashes of blood bloomed, and several upper management personnel died entirely.

"The Demonic Court begins downsizing from this moment on, and will be disbanded in a hundred years."

Zhang Huan personally took charge of the Demonic Court from then on.

Over tens of thousands of years, the Demonic Court had also grown somewhat decayed. Through iron-fisted methods coupled with the prior deterrence of the upper management personnel who had completely vanished, no one dared to disobey.

He established departments specially used for downsizing, which would downsize batch by batch over a hundred years to prevent chaotic phenomena from appearing.

First, he contracted the major branch divisions, then reduced the personnel of the headquarters, proceeding in an orderly manner until the Demonic Court became history.

Time flew, and over the hundred years, news constantly spread that the Great Emperor was about to pass away. That battle of the extreme Dao was the last brilliance before death, and the peerless imperial might could never be reproduced again.

These words were hard to bear, yet impossible to refute, and even sages could only remain silent.

After all, his two lifetimes had already lived for thirty-five thousand years, and anyone could guess without asking that his remaining lifespan was down to practically nothing.

However, this also sideways corroborated the strength of the current emperor, with some placing him on par with the very strongest figures in history.

Because all of them lived longer than other Great Emperors.

Most emperors and venerables could no longer hold on by this time, either passing away or entering the forbidden zones; how could they possibly be like Zhang Huan, having the leisure of mind to disband their forces and doing so for a full hundred years.

Moreover, Zhang Huan possessed the battle record of instantly slaying a supreme being, a viewpoint that won recognition from quite a few people.

Driven by various reasons, the Divine Emperor Biography distributed by the divine son became immensely popular and widely circulated, making it the premier choice for young people to understand the Great Emperor.

Even older figures clicked their tongues in wonder as they read it, unable to find a single flaw, carrying a copy in hand.

Perhaps to look up to the past of the Great Emperor, or perhaps to reminisce about the prosperous Demonic Court of the past.

The Demonic Court became a thing of the past, and batch after batch of people joined new forces or founded their own.

The headquarters grew quiet, with barely a few people remaining on this vast land.

Rich spiritual energy hung in a misty haze, and the pavilions and immortal palaces were grand and majestic, towering amidst the mountain ravines, stretching all the way to the horizon and wreathed in chaotic fog.

One could only faintly glimpse what this place looked like in its bustling prime from these magnificent buildings.

A giant star teeming with vitality and containing endless fortune was now left with only a sparse few people.

There were still a or two chapters left before this lifetime would conclude; begging for monthly votes and rewards!