The Candidate to Lead the Heavenly Court

In the Primordial Wilderness, years were not recorded.

Ten Thousand Years have passed since the Three Pure Ones separated.

For tens of thousands of years, the Primordial Land was unusually calm and peaceful.

On this day, Taiqing of Mount Shouyang, Primordial Lord of Kunlun Mountain, Tongtian of Golden Ao Island, and Nuwa of the Empress Wa's Palace.

Along with the six Saint, including Jieyin and Zhunti from Western Mount Sumeru, they all opened their eyes simultaneously.

A profound message descended upon their minds.

It was a message from the Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun, summoned them for a meeting.

Although they were all somewhat surprised, wondering why this Dao Ancestor, who had not shown himself for so long, would suddenly summon them.

But no one dared to delay, and they immediately set off for the Purple Cloud Palace, located Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Purple Cloud Palace.

Six figures appeared one after another on the Six Paths Cushion.

Taiqing Laozi closed his eyes to cultivate his spirit, governing through Non-action.

Primordial Lord sat upright, his expression solemn, but he did not look at Tongtian on the other side.

Tongtian, with an unruly expression, didn't even bother to give Primordial Lord a proper look.

The atmosphere among the three brothers was somewhat colder than before.

Nuwa remained indifferent, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere within the hall.

Only Jieyin and Zhunti still wore lingering sorrow on their faces.

For tens of thousands of years, the two brothers had devoted tremendous effort to purifying the Demonic Qi that kept seeping from that crevice.

The problem remains unresolved to this day, and the Dao Field is in complete disarray, devoid of any semblance of the solemnity of Humanity Dao.

In this eerie silence, Dao Body quietly emerged on the High Platform —it was none other than Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Upon seeing Hongjun appear, the six Saint dared not be negligent and rose in unison to bow in respect.

"Greetings, teacher."

Hongjun raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

"I wonder if the teacher has summoned us here because he has something to tell us?"

After the six people were seated again, Taiqing, as the eldest disciple, was the first to speak and ask a question.

Hongjun's gaze swept over the six disciples below, and he spoke calmly.

"I have summoned you here today for matters concerning the Heavenly Court."

"Since the Immortal-Demon Tribulation, the position of the Lord of Heavenly Court has remained vacant. Without someone to govern the order of Heaven and Earth, this is not a long-term solution."

"It's time to elect a new Heavenly Emperor and re-establish the Heavenly Court."

"Do any of you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

As soon as Hongjun finished speaking, Zhunti stood up impatiently.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If a disciple of the Western Teachings can become the Heavenly Emperor, the Western Teachings's Fortune will surely soar.

"Reporting to the Master! My Western Teachings, the Medicine Master, is virtuous, talented, and of pure heart."

"His cultivation is extraordinary, and he possesses a compassionate heart; he is fit to be the ruler of the Heavenly Court!"

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi Tianzun's face immediately darkened.

He glanced at Zhunti and retorted without any politeness.

"Joke!"

"Zhunti, isn't your Western Teachings overreaching?"

"The Heavenly Court is the domain of our Eastern Xuanmen. When did it become your place, the West, to meddle?"

"The one who will rule the Heavenly Court should naturally be chosen from among my Eastern Xuanmen!"

The Tongtian Sect Master also spoke up. Although he and Primordial Lord had separated, their stances on this matter were surprisingly aligned.

"Second brother is right."

"The position of Lord of Heavenly Court is not something that belongs to the Western Teachings."

"You should stay put on your own turf and stop thinking about getting involved in things in the East."

Although Taiqing has no disciples, outsiders are absolutely not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Eastern Xuanmen.

He stroked his long beard and spoke softly.

"The affairs of the Heavenly Court are indeed internal matters of our Eastern Kingdom; there's no need for you two fellow Daoists to trouble yourselves with them."

Although the Three Pure Ones have separated, they remain remarkably united in their stance on external affairs.

Nuwa didn't care who became the Heavenly Emperor.

The Demon Clan has withdrawn from the struggle for the title of the protagonist of heaven and earth, and she is too lazy to get involved in these trivial matters. She is only concerned with how to bring Fuxi back to life.

However, Jieyin Zhunti want their disciple to Heavenly Emperor, then she cannot agree to that.

Therefore, Nuwa also made her stance clear.

"What Three Fellow Daoists say makes sense. The position of Heavenly Emperor is of great importance; it would be best to choose from among the Eastern Immortals."

"Disciples of the Western Teachings should stay in the West."

"You don't need to worry about things in the Primordial Wilderness East."

At this moment, Primordial Lord rose and said respectfully.

"Master, my eldest disciple of the Clarify Sect, Guangchengzi, possesses profound blessings and virtuous character; he is fit to be the ruler of Heavenly Court."

Tongtian echoed this.

"Master, my eldest disciple of the Interception Sect, Duobao, possesses profound cultivation and is prudent in his actions; he is capable of assuming the position of Heavenly Emperor."

Seeing that the Three Pure Ones were about to start recommending their respective disciples again, Zhunti became anxious.

He retorted loudly again.

"The affairs of the Heavenly Court pertain to the Primordial Wilderness, not merely to the Heavenly Court of the East."

"My the West are also part of the Primordial Wilderness, so why can't my the West disciples become the masters of the Heavenly Court?"

The Jieyin said with a face full of sorrow.

"My junior brother's words are absolutely correct!"

"The Heavenly Court is the Heavenly Court of the Primordial Wilderness, not the Heavenly Court of the East! The position of Heavenly Emperor belongs to the virtuous; why should we distinguish between different things?"

"We are all disciples of our teacher, why do you ostracize us from the West like this?"

"Excluding you?"

Primordial Lord was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Don't you the West know what good things you've done?"

"All you do all day is scheme and plot, undermining my Eastern allies! Now you even want to seize the throne of the Heavenly Emperor?"

"Dream!"

"I tell you, as long as we live, we will never let your the West schemes succeed!"

"The throne of the Heavenly Emperor must belong to someone from my Eastern Xuanmen!"

The Saint argued back and forth, one after another.

The entire Purple Cloud Palace instantly descended into chaos.

Just then...

"Quiet."

A calm voice rang out.

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire Purple Cloud Palace.

The Saint, who had been arguing fiercely, immediately fell silent and returned to their seats.

Hongjun surveyed the crowd below, his face expressionless.

"Judging from your expressions, you won't get anywhere today."

"In that case, I will decide this matter."

He paused, then continued.

"My attendants Haotian and Yaochi have followed me for many years, and their cultivation and knowledge are both extraordinary."

"Let the two of them jointly govern the Heavenly Court and maintain the order of heaven and earth."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

They already knew perfectly well that Hongjun had made his decision long ago.

Calling them over wasn't a discussion at all; it was clearly just a formality, a way to inform them.

Taiqing and Nuwa didn't care about this, since none of their disciples were competing for the position of Heavenly Emperor, so who became the Heavenly Emperor wouldn't affect them much.

The Tongtian Sect Master quickly calmed down.

His recommendation of Duobao was merely to distinguish himself from Primordial Lord and the Western Teachings, not because he genuinely wanted Duobao to become the Heavenly Emperor.

He can accept this outcome now.

Only Yuanshi Tianzun felt extremely aggrieved.

He was Pangu Orthodox, the leader of the Clarify Sect, and Guangchengzi was his disciple. In what way was he inferior to a mere Daoist boy?

Jieyin and Zhunti were also filled with bitterness and resentment.

After planning for so long, it all came to nothing in the end.

But what can you do if you're unwilling to accept it?

This was the decision of the Dao Ancestor, and they had no room for objection.

In the end, All Saints had no choice but to rise and bow down to Hongjun on the High Platform.

"Yes."

We will humbly obey the Master's Imperial Edict.