The Demon Race Stands

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, the gates of the newly established Heavenly Court stood wide open.

Amid the swirling clouds and mist, countless palaces stretched on without end, resplendent in gold and jade, immortal aura billowing through the air—far surpassing any Blessed Land in the Primordial Wilderness.

Di Jun and Taiyi intended to proclaim the establishment of the Demon Race here, inviting the Great Powers of the Primordial Wilderness far and wide to witness the ceremony.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, brilliant streams of light flashed as one formidable presence after another descended.

The Three Pure Ones of Kunlun Mountain arrived together.

From the direction of Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi arrived as well, bringing Daoist Hongyun with him.

Gazing at the vast Heavenly Court, Daoist Hongyun could not help clicking his tongue in amazement. "Good heavens! Di Jun and Taiyi really managed to put on such a grand display! This place is far more lavish than my Huoyun Cave!"

Zhen Yuanzi merely watched calmly, lightly swaying the whisk in his hand.

From the Sea of Blood, Ancestor Minghe arrived silently and stood in an inconspicuous corner. The bloody baleful aura around him was drawn inward, and his gaze was deep and shadowed.

Next came Jieyin and Zhunti from Western Mount Sumeru. Jieyin wore a bitter expression, while Zhunti's eyes flashed repeatedly with sharp light, as though plotting something.

Just as the Great Powers of every side entertained their own thoughts, a savage, tyrannical Baleful Intent surged into the sky from the direction of Buzhou Mountain and hurtled straight toward the Heavenly Court!

"The Wu Clan has arrived," a Great Power murmured.

Twelve towering figures descended outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.

They were the Twelve Ancestral Witches!

Their auras were overwhelming, Laws winding around them, causing the surrounding space itself to tremble faintly.

Before the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Wu Ming appeared much more mild and peaceful, yet no one dared underestimate him.

Above the Heavenly Court, Bai Ze, the Demon God in charge of receiving guests, hurried forward with a courteous smile. "Daoist Friend Wu Ming, Daoist Friends Twelve Ancestral Witches, please come in."

Zhu Rong swept his gaze over the resplendent Southern Heavenly Gate and snorted. "All this gaudy nonsense! Aren't they just copying us by establishing a clan?"

Gong Gong said in a muffled voice, "The display is impressive enough. The question is whether it's sturdy."

Di Jiang glared at them, signaling for them to settle down.

Wu Ming gave Bai Ze a slight nod without saying much, then led the Twelve Ancestral Witches into the Heavenly Court.

Within the Heavenly Court, guests had already gathered like clouds.

The arrival of the Wu Clan undoubtedly drew everyone's attention.

"So the Daoist Friends of the Wu Clan have come as well," Primordial Lord Tianzun said mildly, counting it as a greeting.

Laozi gave a slight nod.

Tongtian, meanwhile, chuckled. "Friends of the Wu Clan, you've come at just the right time. Let's see what sort of trick this Demon Race can pull off."

Zhen Yuanzi and Daoist Hongyun came forward to greet them.

"Daoist Friend Wu Ming."

"Greetings, Daoist Friends Twelve Ancestral Witches."

Wu Ming nodded in return. "You two Daoist Friends have come as well."

Daoist Hongyun leaned closer and whispered, "Daoist Friend Wu Ming, Di Jun and Taiyi have truly put on quite the show. Look at this Heavenly Court—tsk, tsk, what a fine place!"

Zhen Yuanzi gave a light cough. "Hongyun."

Daoist Hongyun smiled sheepishly.

At that moment, a vast and lingering bell chime rang out.

Clang—

Di Jun appeared within the Southern Heavenly Gate, clad in imperial robes and wearing an imperial crown, standing shoulder to shoulder with Taiyi, who held the Chaos Bell in his hand.

Nuwa and Fuxi stood slightly behind the two of them.

The Ten Demon Saints and hundreds of millions of demonfolk stood arrayed behind them, their Demonic Qi soaring into the heavens.

"Welcome, Daoist Friends, to my Heavenly Court, to witness the grand ceremony of the Demon Race Establishment!" Di Jun's voice spread in every direction.

After some formal pleasantries, the establishment ceremony formally began.

Di Jun's voice rang out, resounding throughout the Primordial Wilderness.

"Great Dao above!"

"Great God Pangu above!"

"Heavenly Dao above!"

Once again, these three cries were exactly the same as during the Wu Clan Establishment.

Di Jun continued his proclamation, "Today, I, Di Jun of the Demon Race, together with Taiyi; Nuwa, the Demon Race's Empress Wa; Fuxi, the Emperor Xi; and hundreds of millions of demonfolk, swear an oath here in this Heavenly Court!"

"When the Primordial Wilderness first opened, all living beings were ignorant. The strong devoured the weak, order did not exist, and this ran contrary to Heaven and Earth's virtue of nurturing life!"

"We of the Demon Race are willing to follow Heaven's will, establish order, govern all living beings, enlighten the ignorant, regulate the stars of the heavens, and stabilize the workings of Heaven and Earth!"

"All creatures with scales and armor, feathers and fur, beasts that walk the earth, and grasses and trees that have gained spirit—all are of the Demon Clan!"

"My Demon Clan shall establish the Heavenly Court in the Nine Heavens Above and wield the authority of Heaven!"

"Let the Great Dao bear witness to this oath, let Great God Pangu bear witness, let the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"

"The Demon Clan—shall be established!"

"Rumble!!!"

As the oath fell, the winds and clouds of the Nine Heavens Above changed color once more!

An even vaster, purer aura of merit than that which had descended at the Wu Clan Establishment transformed into a golden pillar of light, nearly solid in substance, and crashed down from above!

Most of the merit poured into the bodies of Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi. Their auras surged wildly, and their pressure grew even more imposing!

The remaining merit turned into a rain of gold that scattered across the Demon Army within and beyond the Heavenly Court, as well as the many Demon Kings who had come to witness the ceremony.

Countless Demon Clan members felt their bottlenecks loosen, while their Fortune soared!

Within the Purple Sky Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun gave a faint nod. Under the workings of the Heavenly Dao, supporting the Demon Clan to keep the Wu Clan in check was precisely as it should be.

The Great Powers attending the ceremony stared at the merit that had nearly dyed half the sky gold, their shock beyond measure.

"Th-this merit is actually greater than what descended when the Wu Clan was established!" Hong Yun could not help crying out.

Zhen Yuanzi's expression was grave. "The Demon Clan has sworn to govern all living beings and establish order. Does this... better accord with the Heavenly Dao's workings?"

The Three Pure Ones frowned slightly. A strange glint flashed through Laozi's eyes, Primordial Lord wore an unhappy expression, while Tongtian curled his lip.

The greed in Minghe's eyes grew even stronger, nearly impossible to suppress.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance. The bitterness on their faces deepened, though it was mixed with a trace of something unusual.

On the Wu Clan's side, Zhu Rong could not help muttering, "Damn it, why do they get more merit than us? We cleared away Baleful Intent and sorted out the earth veins—wasn't that great merit?"

Gonggong rumbled, "Exactly! This Heavenly Dao is far too biased!"

Houtu's delicate brows knit as she looked toward Wu Ming.

Qiang Liang, She Bi Shi, and the other Ancestral Witches likewise wore indignant expressions.

Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin exchanged a look, each seeing the gravity in the other's eyes.

Only Wu Ming remained calm.

He had anticipated this long ago.

The Heavenly Dao needed the Wu-Demon Conflict to propel the Tribulation forward.

When the Wu Clan was established, they had sworn to protect the Primordial Land, clear away Baleful Intent, and this was indeed great merit. The Heavenly Dao could not deny it to them.

But when the Demon Clan was established, they proclaimed their intent to create order and govern all living beings. This better suited the Heavenly Dao's coming intention to advance the Tribulation and incite conflict between the two clans.

Thus, the Heavenly Dao would grant the Demon Clan greater merit and support them, ensuring they possessed enough strength to contend with the Wu Clan—and even faintly overpower them.

This was the Heavenly Dao Trend: an open scheme!

Wu Ming sneered inwardly. Supporting the Demon Clan to fight my Wu Clan? Unfortunately, I will not let you have your way.

Once the ceremony ended, the banquet began.

Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi came forward to offer a toast.

"Daoist Friend Wu Ming, Twelve Ancestral Witches, thank you for coming to witness the ceremony." Di Jun raised his cup, keeping his manner exceedingly humble.

Wu Ming nodded faintly. "Daoist Friend Di Jun, Daoist Friend Taiyi, Daoist Friend Nuwa, Daoist Friend Fuxi, now that the Demon Clan has been established and merit has descended from Heaven, congratulations are in order."

Di Jun wore the smile of a victor. "You are too courteous, Daoist Friend Wu Ming. My Demon Clan follows Heaven and answers the will of the people, establishing order. Naturally, we enjoy Heaven's favor."

Taiyi looked at Wu Ming with pride on his face. "Daoist Friend Wu Ming, now that my Demon Clan has been established and taken command of the Heavenly Court, the Primordial Land shall henceforth be jointly governed by my Demon Clan and your Wu Clan."

His words sounded equal, yet carried a provocation beneath them.

Zhu Rong could not help speaking up, his voice rumbling. "Hmph! Jointly governed? Since when has the Primordial Land been ours alone to decide?"

Gonggong chimed in, "Exactly! We of the Wu Clan clear away Baleful Intent and sort out the earth veins—that's doing real work! You Demon Clan say you want to govern all living beings, but I think you just want to be the boss and bully the weak!"

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned stiff.

"What did you say?!" Taiyi flew into a rage. The Chaos Bell hummed, while True Sun Fire nearly burst forth.

"I said you want to be the boss and bully the weak. Are your ears deaf?" Zhu Rong shot back without yielding, flames rising all around him.

"You court death!" Taiyi moved to strike.

"Taiyi!" Di Jun barked, stopping him, though his own expression had darkened.

"Zhu Rong!" Wu Ming spoke as well. His voice was not loud, yet the flames around Zhu Rong instantly extinguished.

Wu Ming looked at Taiyi. "Calm your anger, Daoist Friend Taiyi. Zhu Rong merely speaks his mind too frankly. Today is a day of great joy for the Demon Clan; it is not fitting to raise arms."

"Still, what he said is not entirely without reason."

"The Primordial Land was formed from the body of Father God Pangu. It is only natural that my Wu Clan should thrive and multiply here."

"Your Demon Clan has established the Heavenly Court, taken command of the Zhou Tian Xing Dou, and sorted out the order of Heaven and Earth. My Wu Clan has no objection to that."

"As for jointly governing the Primordial Land... heh. My Wu Clan has no such grand ambition. We merely wish to fulfill the oath we made to Father God and to Heaven and Earth."

Wu Ming's words were neither humble nor overbearing.

He made it clear that the Wu Clan had no desire to contend for supremacy over the Primordial Wilderness, acknowledged the Demon Race's position as rulers of the heavens, and lightly brushed past the sensitive matter of "jointly governing the Primordial Wilderness."

Nuwa's delicate brows drew together slightly. She looked at Wu Ming, then at Di Jun, but said nothing.

Fuxi's fingers moved faintly, as though he were calculating something. His expression was grave.

Hong Yun watched from the side with his heart pounding, and hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Ah, everyone is doing this for the good of the Primordial Wilderness! Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth! We'll all be neighbors from now on, so we should help one another!"

Zhen Yuanzi also said, "Indeed, indeed. Today is a day of great joy for the Demon Race. Do not let words wound the harmony."

Di Jun gave Wu Ming a long, deep look, then drained the wine in his cup in one gulp. "Good. Daoist Friend Wu Ming truly understands the greater good!"