"All right, disperse. In three thousand years, I will lecture on the Dao of the Saints."
With that, Hongjun vanished from the hall.
After Hongjun left, many great powers stepped forward to congratulate East King Duke. "Congratulations, Daoist Friend, on being appointed by the Saint as the Head of Male Immortals and bestowed a Dharma treasure by the Dao Ancestor. We hope for your guidance in the future!"
"Indeed. Daoist Friend, your appointment as the Head of Male Immortals is what everyone wished for. Under your leadership, the Primordial World will surely flourish."
The endless flattery made East King Duke somewhat lightheaded, to the point that he forgot his own limits.
"You are too kind, fellow Daoists. I merely obeyed the Saint's Imperial Decree in becoming the Head of Male Immortals. I will still need all of your support in the future."
Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Di Jun, however, wore terrible expressions. The two had already established the Demon Court, yet now this Head of Male Immortals, East King Duke, had appeared. Was this not clearly saying that they were beneath him?
With that thought, Di Jun and Tai Yi immediately snorted coldly and led the demon race away, not giving East King Duke the slightest bit of face.
Seeing how Di Jun and the others had shown him no respect, East King Duke's expression darkened as well. But now was not the time to completely fall out with them.
"Daoist Friend East King Duke is too modest. You have already reached the Quasi-Saint realm, so your position as the Head of Male Immortals is well deserved. Please look after us in the future."
The other great powers failed to notice any of this and continued congratulating East King Duke.
As more and more great powers flattered him, East King Duke became completely carried away. Thinking of how the Dao Ancestor stood behind him, he straightened his back with newfound confidence.
He then walked over to the six Meditation Cushions at the front.
"Fellow Daoists, you are all male immortals, are you not? I intend to establish a force and hope that you will follow me. Rest assured, I will ensure that you stand above all but one. Then, you can assist me in governing the Primordial World. Would that not be wonderful?"
Sanqing were dumbfounded. Jieyin and Zhunti were dumbfounded as well. They never would have imagined that East King Duke would dare speak to them this way. They were disciples of the Dao Ancestor, and their cultivation surpassed East King Duke's by far. How had he dared?
Even Taishang, who valued non-action above all else, wore a dark expression, let alone Yuanshi and Tongtian, who cared greatly about their dignity.
"Get lost!"
Yuanshi was the first to lose his patience. With a furious roar, his Quasi-Saint mana surged forth and blasted East King Duke several meters back.
Fortunately, they were still within Zixiao Palace. Otherwise, Sanqing might have killed East King Duke on the spot.
"Sanqing! Such audacity! I am the Head of Male Immortals personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor, yet you dare treat me this way? Are you not afraid that the Dao Ancestor will punish you?"
East King Duke frantically steadied himself and roared angrily at Sanqing.
The hot-tempered Tongtian could not endure it any longer and immediately summoned the Immortal Slaying Sword.
"You think you deserve it? You only became the Head of Male Immortals through some damned stroke of luck, yet you actually want to shit on our heads? We are disciples of the Saint. What gives you the right to lead us? Get lost now, or my Immortal Slaying Sword will taste blood today."
Suppressing the killing intent in their hearts, the three of them walked straight past East King Duke toward Xuan Yi.
East King Duke's face turned livid as Sanqing humiliated him so directly. He wanted to act, yet he did not dare. The three possessed supreme treasures, and their cultivation utterly crushed his own.
He then turned his gaze toward Fuxi behind Nuwa. Though Fuxi was a male immortal, he had Nuwa's protection. Nuwa was no weaker than Taishang, and anyone with eyes could see that the Dao Ancestor treated her with special favor. East King Duke did not dare recruit him rashly.
He then looked toward Jieyin and Zhunti. "Would you two Daoist Friends be willing to join the Male Immortal Alliance?"
Jieyin and Zhunti were both shrewd men. Rather than directly embarrassing East King Duke, they put on sorrowful expressions and said, "Daoist Friend East King Duke, the West is barren. The two of us are devoted to rebuilding it. If Daoist Friend East King Duke is willing to provide some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to help the West recover, we would be willing to join you!"
Upon hearing this, East King Duke immediately lost interest in them. What Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures did he have? He was merely an unaffiliated immortal, and even his only spirit treasure had just been bestowed by the Dao Ancestor.
Besides, even if he had Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, how many would it take to restore the barren West? Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun probably could not manage it. Otherwise, the Dao Ancestor would not have chosen to accept Jieyin and Zhunti as disciples to repay the karmic debt.
"Since you two Daoist Friends are devoted to restoring the West, I should not force you. I also wish you both an early restoration of the West."
Jieyin and Zhunti inwardly despised East King Duke after hearing this. If he lacked the ability, why was he pretending to be some great shot?
After making a full round and failing to recruit even a single great power, East King Duke looked toward the others. He suddenly discovered that Sanqing and the others, who had just been indifferent toward him, were now chatting and laughing warmly with Xuan Yi.
"Senior Brother Xuan Yi, we owe everything we have today to the favor of your guidance back then. Last time, we were busy consolidating our insights from the Dao Ancestor's lecture and failed to properly entertain you."
"This time, we hope Senior Brother will accompany us to Kunlun Mountain, so that we may properly receive you."
Sanqing were truly grateful to Xuan Yi.
Faced with such enthusiasm from Sanqing, Xuan Yi found it difficult to refuse.
"Since you junior brothers have invited me so sincerely, would refusing not make me seem cold and unfeeling?"
"Actually, you junior brothers are being too polite. The three of you are men of great virtue, great merit, and great destiny. Even without my reminder, those three Meditation Cushions would still have belonged to you."
Xuan Yi was speaking the truth. Even without him, Dao Ancestor Hongjun would still have accepted Sanqing as disciples.
But Sanqing heard it differently. Coming from the Dao Ancestor's son, those words invisibly elevated their status severalfold.
Yuanshi, who had always valued appearances, laughed heartily.
"Senior Brother overpraises us. We have always been deeply grateful to you. When we arrive at Kunlun, we must properly entertain you."
The three chatted animatedly, while East King Duke's expression grew increasingly unsightly.
"Sanqing show me no respect whatsoever, yet they are so warm toward a mere minor cultivator at the Heavenly Immortal realm. This is infuriating!"
Burning with rage, East King Duke recalled how Xuan Yi had openly taken Six-Eared Macaque as his disciple. He immediately decided to use Xuan Yi to establish his authority and walked toward them.
"You petty Daoist, how dare you presumptuously accept Six-Eared Macaque as your disciple? Have you forgotten that the Dao Ancestor personally declared that the Dharma would not be transmitted to six ears? You are openly challenging the Dao Ancestor's authority."
An abrupt voice interrupted Sanqing's conversation. East King Duke approached them with anger written across his face.
"As the Head of Male Immortals personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor, how can I allow someone like you, who despises the Dao Ancestor, to roam free? Today, I will properly teach you a lesson on the Dao Ancestor's behalf."
Sanqing and the others were stunned upon hearing this. Where had this fool come from? Did he truly think becoming the Head of Male Immortals made him invincible?
The hot-tempered Tongtian immediately lost his patience.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Even the Dao Ancestor did not blame him at the time. What gives you the right to meddle?"
"I have tolerated you for a long time. Do you truly think Sanqing would not dare kill you, East King Duke?"
Killing intent radiated from Sanqing and the others, and even Xuan Yi's face darkened. However, East King Duke was an important chess piece of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun, so it was not yet suitable to kill him. With that thought, Xuan Yi suppressed the killing intent in his heart.
"Sanqing, as the Dao Ancestor's personal disciples, you actually shield this criminal? You are betraying the orthodox path."
That accusation made Sanqing and the others glare furiously. Even Laozi, the most detached among them, wanted to kill East King Duke.
The commotion here also drew the attention of the many great powers. Seeing East King Duke dare bully her husband, Nuwa, who sat upon a Meditation Cushion, could no longer endure it and immediately picked up the Red Embroidered Ball and hurled it at him.
Before you continue