Several thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
Dijun and Taiyi led the vast demon army, following the faint guidance in their hearts, and finally arrived at the legendary Thirty-Three Heavens.
This place lay above the Primordial Continent, at the boundary between Primordial Chaos and the Primordial World.
By all reason, it should have been empty and desolate, with sparse Primordial Aura and little chance for ordinary living beings to gain a foothold.
Yet at this moment, a path to heaven emitting a vast aura appeared out of thin air within the silent void, leading straight into the depths of the sky.
Dijun's mind shook violently. That guidance had become clearer than ever.
Without the slightest hesitation, he was the first to step onto that path.
In an instant, the surrounding scenery shifted like flowing light. He felt the world spin around him, and even his consciousness grew hazy.
When he opened his eyes again, he discovered that he had passed through the Thirty-Three Heavens and arrived in an even more vast and mysterious new world.
Before him stood an enormous and towering gatehouse.
The gatehouse was forged entirely from purple-gold, exuding a majestic air that seemed naturally born.
On the high-hanging purplish-red plaque, Heavenly Dao runes naturally formed the three ancient words: "South Heaven Gate."
After passing through the South Heaven Gate, the sight before them left every demon expert who had followed them utterly speechless!
Immortal mist curled through the air, while rosy clouds shone for thousands of miles.
Amid the rolling sea of clouds stood stretches of jade palaces, pavilions, terraces, and towers.
These structures seemed not to have been built after the fact, but to have been naturally born from Primordial Chaos, perfectly merging with this world.
They continued inward, passing through layer after layer of immortal gates.
At last, a grand palace radiating dazzling golden light appeared before them.
It hung above the nine heavens, overlooking the boundless cloud sea below. Its doors were tightly shut, and four great words were engraved upon them.
"High Heaven Palace!"
Looking at everything before him, Dijun could no longer suppress the excitement and wild joy in his heart.
Standing before the High Heaven Palace, unable to contain his towering ambition any longer, he threw back his head and laughed.
"Hahahaha... Heaven blesses our demon race!"
"Our demon race is destined to rule the Primordial World!"
"We are destined to become the sole rulers of heaven and earth!"
His laughter echoed through the jade palaces and towers, filled with endless ambition and lofty pride.
The Primordial Continent had originally been peaceful and harmonious.
Then one day.
Golden light filled the heavens, and auspicious clouds gathered, nearly covering the entire Primordial World.
A vast and majestic tide of fate surged into the sky, shooting straight into the nine heavens!
Immediately afterward, a grand voice rang through every corner of the Primordial World.
"Heavenly Dao above! I am the Three-legged Golden Crow Dijun! I am the Three-legged Golden Crow Taiyi!"
"The demon race is scattered today. A court must be established to govern it and inherit Heaven's fortune! My brother and I hereby establish the Demon Court above the Thirty-Three Heavens. With the Hetu Luoshu and Chaos Bell, we shall suppress our fate and command all demons of the Primordial World!"
"May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"
As the declaration fell, every living being in the Primordial World was shaken to the core and looked toward the heavens.
The next moment, the auspicious clouds in the sky grew even denser, and golden light rained down in every direction.
Then, a cold and emotionless voice came from the void.
"Approved."
With that single word, the founding of the Demon Court was proclaimed, and it gained the recognition of the Heavenly Dao.
In an instant, the demon race's already immense fortune surged once more, condensing into a golden dragon that blotted out the sky and sun.
Its enormous body coiled beyond the heavens, releasing a dragon's roar that shook the firmament. Its momentum was so overwhelming that it seemed ready to press the entire Primordial World beneath it.
Amid endless cheers, Dijun formally began bestowing titles within the High Heaven Palace.
Dijun and Taiyi became Demon Emperors together. Kunpeng was appointed Demon Master, while Bai Ze, Ji Meng, Ying Zhao, Jiuying, and the others were named among the Ten Great Demon Sages, sharing in the demon race's fortune.
At the same time.
Across the Primordial World, the top great powers sensed it one after another. Some were shocked, some enraged, some envious, while others fell into thought.
Kunlun Mountain, the Three Pure Ones' dojo.
Within the Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi stared at the golden dragon of fate covering the heavens. His eyes turned bloodshot as he angrily rebuked.
"What right do these furred and horned creatures, these wet-born egg-layers, have to receive such favor from fate?"
Mount Sumeru.
Jieyin looked toward the heavens, envy flashing through his eyes as he muttered softly.
"When will our barren west finally flourish?"
Halfway up Buzhou Mountain.
Fuxi's gaze was unfocused, and his face was filled with disbelief.
A strange feeling arose in his heart. Toward the newly established Demon Court, he felt an indescribable closeness and sense of belonging, as though that was where he ought to be.
Within Zixiao Palace.
Hongjun sat high upon a cloud bed and nodded slightly.
His calm gaze pierced through endless time and space, taking in everything within the Primordial World without the slightest ripple caused by the founding of the Demon Court.
The aura around him was unfathomably deep, tranquil as still water, as though every event that had occurred was within his expectations and control.
Hongjun rubbed the Creation Jade Plate in his hand and looked at the chessboard before him as he murmured.
"The demon race is too powerful. It needs to be checked."
"The Thirteen Ancestral Witches..."
After a moment, he seemed to sigh helplessly.
He could not make babies for the Thirteen Ancestral Witches either, could he?
"However, these lawless Ancestral Witches are excellent chess pieces for driving the calamity forward..."
"Primordial pure yang qi and primordial pure yin qi will do, barely."
A smile rested on Hongjun's face. With every sentence, he placed another piece on the chessboard before him, though there was no one sitting across from him...
Time was not recorded in the Primordial World.
As the years flowed on, several more tens of thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye.
Within Pangu Temple.
Other than Qin Xuan and Hou Tu, the remaining Ancestral Witches had all stopped cultivating and emerged from seclusion.
At this moment, Zhurong sat off to one side, his face covered in bruises, clearly having just been beaten up.
Yet he did not care in the slightest. Instead, he leisurely scratched himself with the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, chuckling foolishly as though he had thought of something amusing again.
Not far from him, Gonggong was equally bruised and swollen, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.
In truth, their cultivation levels had originally been evenly matched, and neither could do anything to the other.
But ever since Zhurong had eaten the Blazing Sun Fruit Qin Xuan brought back, his Law of Fire had advanced greatly, thoroughly leaving Gonggong behind.
This left Gonggong utterly stifled.
As for the injuries on Zhurong's face...
They were naturally Xuan Ming's handiwork.
Over the years, Zhurong had been beaten up by Xuan Ming more than a few times.
But every time he got beaten, he would immediately go have a "friendly exchange" with Gonggong!
Then Gonggong's face would grow even darker.
Not far away, Dijiang and the others watched these two fools, rubbed their brows, and sighed.
If outsiders had been present and seen this scene, they would likely have been scared out of their wits.
Because these eleven seemingly foolish Ancestral Witches had all reached the peak of the Great Golden Immortal realm!
Between the two spirit pools, Hou Tu still sat quietly in meditation.
Nearly a hundred thousand years had passed, yet her cultivation realm had not moved in the slightest. She remained at the late stage of the Great Golden Immortal realm.
However, her entire presence had become increasingly serene and gentle.
As for Qin Xuan, the terrifying spiritual energy vortex around him continued spinning wildly, devouring everything.
Visible to the naked eye, three of the ten treasure mountains that had originally been piled high within the hall had already been nearly exhausted.
Yet less than a tenth of the Chaos Spirit Liquid pool had been consumed.
Then one day, the aura around Qin Xuan, who had been devouring resources wildly, suddenly paused, and every spiritual energy vortex instantly calmed.
Immediately afterward, an indescribably vast pressure erupted, causing the entire Pangu Temple to tremble slightly!
A deep rumble came from within his body, as though some limit had been shattered!
The space-time around him twisted and broke apart at that moment, forming one miniature black hole after another.
The Law of Strength, forty percent!
At the same time, under the accumulation of massive resources, his Primordial Creation Art naturally broke through to the initial stage of the second layer.
His Primal Spirit, physical body, and laws had all improved!
Qin Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. Feeling the ocean-like power within his body, he gradually opened his eyes.
Initial stage Primordial Golden Immortal!
Moreover, this was no ordinary initial stage. He had reached the dual limits of Primal Spirit and physical body, standing at the peak of the initial Primordial Golden Immortal stage, only one step from the middle stage!
With this power alone, he felt that he could smash an expert of the same level to pieces with a single punch!
At the same time, Hou Tu slowly opened her eyes as well.
After a hundred thousand years of arduous cultivation, she seemed not to have broken through, but her gains were immense.
She rose to her feet and walked directly to Qin Xuan. Without any unnecessary words, she simply gave him a warm and forceful embrace.
"More than half of the primordial turbid qi within my Primal Spirit has dissipated..." Hou Tu said gently. "Perhaps one more time, and I will be able to completely possess a full Primal Spirit."
She did not say anything to thank him.
But in Hou Tu's heart, an incomparably clear and powerful thought had taken root: No matter what happens in the future, even if I am reduced to dust, I must protect this little brother!
Even though her strength was now far inferior to Qin Xuan's.
Qin Xuan felt the warmth and strength of Hou Tu's embrace, and he was happy for her as well.
He likewise said nothing, merely gently patting her back.
Only after a long while did the two separate.
Only then did Qin Xuan notice that less than a tenth of the Chaos Spirit Liquid had been consumed!
An idea immediately came to his mind!
Before you continue