Inside Lingxiao Palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed almost solid. Di Jun sat high upon the Heavenly Emperor's throne, his expression frighteningly grim. The low pressure radiating from him left the Demon Gods standing in attendance too terrified to speak. The list of betrothal gifts Nuwa had returned was like a resounding slap across his face—and across the dignity of the entire Demon Clan's Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Marriage had been rejected, and the betrothal gifts returned! Though the news had not fully spread, it had already become a joke among the Primordial World's top powers. He, Di Jun, the dignified Heavenly Emperor of the Demon Clan and lord of the Solar Star, had actually been scorned by the Lunar Star goddesses. Even Nuwa, who had been meant to preside over the ceremony, had developed a distaste for him. It was simply the greatest humiliation!
"Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly for me! Just what lowlife dared impersonate me?" Di Jun's voice was as cold as ten thousand years of ice, filled with piercing killing intent. "I will tear out his soul and refine his spirit, condemning him to eternal damnation!"
Taiyi, Kunpeng, Fuxi, and the other core members all wore grave expressions. Naturally, they too felt humiliated, but they were even more worried about the chain reaction brought about by the failed Heavenly Marriage. Without the merit of the Heavenly Marriage, Di Jun would find it difficult to use this opportunity to break through. The Demon Clan's fortune would also lack this crucial boost, leaving them at an invisible disadvantage in their struggle against the Witch Tribe.
"Big Brother, the urgent matter is to make up for this as soon as possible," Taiyi said solemnly. "The Heavenly Marriage is a great deed of merit recognized by the Heavenly Dao. If it succeeds, it will be of vital importance to our Demon Clan. Now that the Lunar Star path has been cut off, why not... choose someone else?"
Di Jun frowned deeply at those words. How could he not know that he needed to make amends? But a Heavenly Marriage was no ordinary wedding. It had to conform to the principles of yin and yang union, and the woman's origins and fortune could not be lacking. Otherwise, the merit it drew down would be greatly diminished. Looking across the Primordial World, other than the Lunar Star goddesses, who else carried such weight?
At that moment, a gleam flashed through Demon Master Kunpeng's eyes. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have a candidate who may resolve this urgent crisis."
"Speak."
"Does Your Majesty still remember Qu Ru?" Kunpeng said. "She is an enlightened exotic beast, shaped like a three-legged poison bird, and her cry sounds like 'Qu Ru,' hence her name. Though her origins cannot compare to those of the Lunar Star goddesses, she is still an innate exotic species, carrying a trace of ancient avian fortune. Her nature is yin, which perfectly complements Your Majesty's solar body in the balance of yin and yang. More importantly, she has long admired Your Majesty's majesty and willingly joined the Heavenly Court. If Your Majesty marries her, she will surely be moved to tears of gratitude and remain utterly loyal. Using this to fulfill the Heavenly Marriage may yield less merit than originally expected, but it can still draw a response from the Heavenly Dao. It will be enough to help Your Majesty stabilize your cultivation and raise the Demon Clan's fortune!"
Di Jun's gaze flickered as he fell silent in thought. Qu Ru? He did remember her. She was a female general of the Demon Clan with decent strength, and she did indeed admire him greatly. Compared with Xi He and Chang Xi, however, she was inferior by far in origins, appearance, and fortune. Making her the Heavenly Empress was not what he wanted. It felt like settling for less, like lowering himself.
But with the Lunar Star path now closed and the merit of the Heavenly Marriage something he had to obtain... Di Jun struggled inwardly for a moment. In the end, his thirst for power and consideration for the Demon Clan's greater cause overcame his personal preferences.
"Fine!" Di Jun let out a long sigh, his voice carrying helplessness and frustration. "We shall follow the Demon Master's suggestion. Convey my decree: three days from now, I will marry Qu Ru in Lingxiao Palace and consummate the Heavenly Marriage!"
As soon as this news emerged, discussions broke out throughout the Heavenly Court. Many demons secretly felt regretful, believing that Lady Qu Ru was ultimately far inferior to the Lunar Star goddesses. But the Heavenly Emperor's decree had been issued, and no one dared question it openly.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Lingxiao Palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful ornaments, and demons came in droves to offer their congratulations. Yet an indescribable awkwardness hung over the place, along with a forced liveliness. Naturally, Nuwa did not appear, and the Demon Clan handled the wedding themselves.
The ceremony began as Di Jun and Qu Ru offered sacrifices to the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao responded. Though the golden clouds of merit that descended were several times smaller than what they would have been had he married a Lunar Star goddess, due to Qu Ru's origins and fortune, it had succeeded in the end. Vast merit descended, most of it merging into Di Jun's body, while a small portion went to Qu Ru and the Demon Clan's fortune.
With the aid of this merit, Di Jun's realm, which had been somewhat unstable after the rejection of the Heavenly Marriage, instantly stabilized and rose continuously. He directly broke through to the Great Perfection of the Quasi-Saint realm! His aura surged mightily, and his pressure became even greater than before!
Yet as Di Jun felt the surging power within him, there was little joy on his face. Instead, his gaze grew even deeper. This small amount of merit had merely allowed him to reach Quasi-Saint Great Perfection. The Saint realm he dreamed of remained impossibly distant! All of this had been caused by that bastard who had impersonated him and ruined his originally perfect Heavenly Marriage! What Di Jun did not know was that even if he had united with one of the goddesses, the merit of the Heavenly Marriage would still have left an unbridgeable gulf between him and Sainthood!
"No matter who you are, I will kill you!" Di Jun swore inwardly, his heart brimming with killing intent.
[Ding! Detected that Di Jun has married Qu Ru instead and achieved a "low-spec" Heavenly Marriage, obtaining a portion of the merit and raising his cultivation to Quasi-Saint Great Perfection. The host's "Sabotage the Heavenly Marriage" mission has produced a variant completion effect.] [Rewards will be distributed normally and will not be reclaimed.]
Xuan Wazi was full of question marks. The rewards could fucking be reclaimed? You wanted me to spit out something once it was in my hands? No chance.
The system said in a sly tone, "Host, I have reclamation authority, you know. How about we try taking back the cultivation awarded to you?"
Xuan Wazi: inwardly, @'"':@＞%#^+]}(a torrent of curses), but aloud he said, "System Bro, I was wrong. System Bro is the fucking best."
Meanwhile, just as Di Jun absorbed the merit and stabilized his realm, the long-accumulated conflict between the Witch Tribe and the Demon Clan finally erupted completely over a trivial matter!
A Demon Clan patrol and a Witch Tribe hunting party clashed beneath Mount Buzhou while fighting over a rare exotic beast. It had initially been nothing more than a small-scale conflict, but the resentment between both sides ran too deep. A few exchanged words quickly turned into a fight to the death! The Witch Tribe's bodies were overwhelmingly powerful, while the Demon Clan's divine abilities were strange and unpredictable. Their battle shattered mountains and split the earth, affecting a vast area.
When the news reached their respective clans, it instantly lit the powder keg!
"They've gone too far! Those Demon Clan brats dared kill our Witch Tribe brothers!"
"Those Witch Tribe barbarians actually dared provoke us first!"
Old grudges and new hatred surged to the surface, and neither side restrained itself any longer. Di Jun had just stabilized his cultivation and was looking for a target to vent the frustration in his heart. Upon receiving the news, he immediately ordered the Demon Clan army assembled and deployed a simplified version of the Great Zhou Heavenly Star Array, charging mightily toward Mount Buzhou!
On the Witch Tribe's side, the Twelve Ancestral Witches were even more enraged. They directly gathered their main forces and deployed the embryonic form of the Twelve Capital Gods and Demons Array. Malevolent Energy soared into the heavens as they met the Demon Clan in battle!
For a time, with Mount Buzhou as the center, the vast heavens and earth of the Primordial World were divided into two terrifying domains. On one side, Great Zhou Heavenly Stars blazed as stellar power poured down like an inverted Milky Way, filling the air with destructive intent. On the other, Capital Gods and Demons Malevolent Energy churned as Pangu's Phantom faintly appeared, and savage Malevolent Energy tore apart the skies!
Though the two peerless arrays had not fully unfolded, their might had already shaken the Primordial World! Countless living beings trembled in fear and hid away. The Malevolent Energy of the great tribulation swept across heaven and earth like dense fog, foretelling that a brutal war was about to begin!
Xuan Wazi stood atop a mountain peak far away, gazing toward the earth-shaking scene around Mount Buzhou. Feeling the tribulation aura and murderous chill filling the air, he smacked his lips.
"They're fighting. They're finally fighting! Now this will be fun." He stroked his chin, his eyes flashing. "But what's the point of just watching? System Bro, shouldn't you issue some missions so I can get involved too? Like... fishing in troubled waters and snatching some fortune or spiritual treasures?"
[Ding! Detected the host's intense desire to participate and desire for Not Being a Person. The mission system is generating... Please wait...]
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