The Master of Drawing Cakes, East King Duke, and the Tsundere CEO Brother

After being given the cold shoulder by the West Queen Mother at Buzhou Mountain, the East King Duke wasn't disheartened. Instead, it ignited his fighting spirit (mostly because his pride was severely wounded). He returned to his Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea, gazing at the misty, immortal-filled, top-tier blessed land before him, and slapped his thigh:

"Hmph! The West Queen Mother is just a woman, with long hair but short sight! Watch how this Male Immortal Leader builds this Immortal Court from scratch into an impenetrable fortress!"

This freshly minted "Male Immortal Leader," armed with a commission from the Heavenly Dao, felt his heart swell with ambition. He felt like the next pig in the Great Wilderness to catch the wind... no, an immortal!

He returned to his Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea, looking at the misty, spiritually rich (in his opinion) treasure land before him, and immediately began his "Immortal Court" startup plan.

No sooner said than done! The East King Duke transformed into the Great Wilderness's first HR manager.

He knew well that his title of "Male Immortal Leader" sounded impressive, but his actual influence was limited. After all, the Dao Ancestor was in a state of "offline hosting" after merging with the Dao, and wouldn't back him up. Thus, he resorted to a tried-and-true tactic, both ancient and modern, across all cultures: making grand promises!

He first issued "Immortal Court Recruitment Orders" not on jade slips, but on golden flyers condensed from Pure Yang energy, inscribed with Great Dao runes:

"Do you want to achieve Grand Unity? Do you want to wield Spiritual Treasures? Do you want to walk freely in the Great Wilderness?

Join the Immortal Court and bid farewell to the rogue cultivator life!

Here you will find:

- Official certification personally approved by the Dao Ancestor (personally issued by the Male Immortal Leader)! - Permanent property rights to a cave mansion on Penglai Immortal Island (first come, first served)! - Personal guidance on cultivation from the great East King Duke (occasionally)! - Exchange for innate materials at an internal price (limited quantity)! - If the Immortal Court goes public in the future (becoming the orthodox power of the Great Wilderness), you will be an original shareholder!

What are you waiting for? Come to Penglai Immortal Island for an interview!"

Good heavens, once these flyers were distributed, especially with the words "Dao Ancestor approved" and "orthodox power of the Great Wilderness," they truly attracted many rogue cultivators struggling at the bottom with no path forward. Some Golden Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals, thinking "It doesn't hurt to try, what if?", flocked to Penglai.

The East King Duke stood at the highest point of Penglai, facing a group of rogue cultivators with varying cultivation levels, and began a passionate speech:

"Fellow Daoists! We rogue cultivators struggle to survive in the Great Wilderness, like duckweed without roots! Why? It's because we lack organization! Lack discipline! Lack a sense of belonging!"

"Now, the Heavenly Dao pities us, and the Dao Ancestor has personally appointed me! I, unworthy, have been entrusted by the Dao Ancestor to be the Male Immortal Leader! Today, our 'Immortal Court' is hereby established! Our goal is to establish a new order of the immortal Dao in the Great Wilderness! To give all rogue cultivators a home, a path to follow, pills to consume... uh, a Dao to pursue!"

With a wave of his hand, a shimmering "Immortal Court Future Plan" (shortened to PPT) condensed from immortal energy appeared in the air, filled with all sorts of beautiful visions:

"Look! This is our future 'Hall of Ten Thousand Immortals'! It will be paved with ten thousand years of Warm Jade and have columns of Star Gold!"

"Look! This is our future 'Scripture Repository'! It will collect all the myriad laws of the Great Wilderness, for free... ah, no, it will be open to members at a very low cost!"

"Look! This is our future 'Alchemy Room' and 'Artifact Forging Workshop'! They will be personally guided by myself... and the great alchemists and artifact refiners I invite, ensuring you will never lack resources or worry about magical treasures!"

"As long as you join the Immortal Court, you are a founding member! A veteran! When the Immortal Court shakes the Great Wilderness in the future, you will all be meritorious officials, sharing in Destiny, and proving the Great Dao together! Cultivation methods, resources, status, Destiny, and even Merit, will all be yours!"

This barrage of promises swayed many less experienced or hopeful rogue cultivators, who became fired up and eagerly signed up. The East King Duke, stroking his non-existent beard, looked at the nascent "team" before him with immense satisfaction.

Of course, some discerning individuals privately grumbled:

"Warm Jade? Star Gold? Where do we snatch... ah, find it?"

"I have a feeling this 'Immortal Court' is a bit shaky, like a makeshift operation..."

But regardless, the East King Duke, with his "Heavenly Dao certified" title, excellent speaking skills, and those grand, painted promises, had indeed assembled a seemingly massive "Immortal Court" team.

Although they lacked top-tier combat power, their middle management was chaotic, and the lower ranks were a mixed bag, they made up for it with a grand display and loud fanfare. At least in terms of "publicity stunts," they were the talk of the town for a while.

Meanwhile, on the Sun Star, the two "tsundere CEOs," Di Jun and Taiyi, viewed the East King Duke's "PPT startup" with immense disdain.

"Hmph! A mere clown, seeking attention!" Di Jun snorted as he crushed a jade slip containing news about the Immortal Court, "Is the orthodox power of the Great Wilderness something that can be achieved with mere words?"

Taiyi, holding the Chaos Bell, had a sharp gaze. "My elder brother speaks the truth. Our Demon Race has billions of beings, occupies the Heavenly Court (Thirty-Three Heavens), and controls the Zhou Tian Stars. This is the will of heaven! This 'Heavenly Court' is the true administrative and executive body of the Great Wilderness!"

They decided to act immediately. Unlike the East King Duke's "grassroots startup," the Demon Race Heavenly Court pursued a route of "strength-based annexation" and "high-salary headhunting."

Di Jun and Taiyi, relying on their own immense power (early Quasi-Saint stage, possessing treasures like the Chaos Bell, River Diagram, and Luo Book), and their grand vision of "ruling the cosmos and ordering the Yin-Yang," began to aggressively recruit great demons from the Great Wilderness.

They established clear ranks and generous "salary and benefits packages":

Ten Great Demon Sages: High status and authority, blessed by the great Destiny of the Demon Race, with preferential resource allocation, and personal guidance from Di Jun and Taiyi.

Three Hundred Sixty-Five Zhou Tian Demon Gods: Corresponding to the Zhou Tian Main Stars, capable of drawing upon the power of the stars for cultivation, and commanding regional demon soldiers.

Billions of Demon Soldiers: Basic benefits, including food and lodging (meaning occupation of spiritual mountains and blessed lands), with rewards for merit.

These tangible benefits were far more attractive than the East King Duke's empty promises. In a short time, the Demon Race Heavenly Court's structure was rapidly built, with strong forces, strict discipline, and a chilling aura of killing intent.

But Di Jun and Taiyi's ambitions did not stop there. They knew that for the Heavenly Court to truly become the "orthodox power of the Great Wilderness," they needed "signature figures" with sufficient weight.

Their gaze fell upon Nuwa, who had just obtained the Primordial Violet Qi and had boundless prospects, and her elder brother, Fuxi.

One day, Di Jun and Taiyi prepared generous gifts and personally visited the dojo of the Fuxi siblings on Buzhou Mountain.

After exchanging pleasantries and taking their seats, Di Jun got straight to the point: "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, Fellow Daoist Fuxi, the Great Wilderness is currently in chaos, the Witch Race is barbaric, and those like the East King Duke are all empty titles."

"Our Demon Race wishes to establish a Heavenly Court to order the Yin-Yang and rule the Zhou Tian. This is an act that conforms to the Heavenly Dao. You two are outstanding figures of the Great Wilderness, and Fellow Daoist Nuwa carries the burden of a Saint Position. If you were to join our Heavenly Court, it would undoubtedly be like adding wings to a tiger, benefiting all beings in the Great Wilderness."

Before Nuwa could speak, Fuxi frowned slightly. "Establishing a Heavenly Court and managing order is indeed a good thing. However, my sister and I are accustomed to a leisurely life and may not be able to handle such heavy responsibilities."

Taiyi immediately interjected, his tone carrying an undeniable dominance. "If you two are willing to join, your status will naturally be transcendent! We are willing to honor Fellow Daoist Nuwa as 'Empress Wa' and place her on par with us brothers! Fellow Daoist Fuxi will be 'Emperor Xi,' with equally esteemed status, second only to Empress Wa and us brothers! In normal times, you will not need to handle mundane affairs, only to appear and exert your influence when the Heavenly Court requires it. The Destiny of the Heavenly Court will be shared with you both!"

Good heavens, "Empress Wa" and "Emperor Xi"! These titles sounded much more imposing than the East King Duke's solitary "Immortal Leader"! Moreover, "transcendent status," "no need to handle mundane affairs," and "shared Destiny" were practically tailor-made "honorary chairman" positions.

Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged glances, communicating mentally. Nuwa sent a telepathic message: "Brother, I need to harness the Merit of Creation to achieve Sainthood. Establishing the Heavenly Court might allow me to borrow its Destiny, making things easier. And these conditions are indeed generous."

Fuxi pondered for a moment and replied: "Di Jun and Taiyi are ambitious and not to be trifled with. But if we can maintain a transcendent status and borrow their momentum to advance our own path, it is not impossible. However, we must be careful in the future and avoid getting too deeply involved."

After some negotiation, Nuwa finally nodded. "Since that is the case, my brother and I will agree to this matter. We hope the Heavenly Court can truly benefit the Great Wilderness as you two have said."