It turned out that before Di Jun decided to self-destruct and perish together with Kunpeng, he had already made a flash of inspiration and used his last strength to forcibly send the core hub that controls the Great Formation of the Stars — the River Diagram and Luo Script —back to the Heavenly Court and into the hands of the Ziwei Emperor Lord, who had been sitting in the central position and had not participated in the final battle.
Di Jun knew that the Heavenly Court could be without a master for the time being, but the Zhou Tian Star Dou Array maintained the circulation of Primordial Wilderness spiritual energy and was the foundation of heaven and earth. It must not be disturbed, and it must not fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives. As long as the Great Formation of the Stars existed, the demon race would exist.
Entrusted with this important task, the Ziwei Emperor Lord immediately used the River Diagram and Luo Script and his own authority as the Ziwei Emperor Star to restart the defensive mode of the Great Formation of the Stars, protecting the Heavenly Court, stabilizing the Starry Sky, and observing the situation.
The Daoist Jieyin forced a kind smile and bowed.
"So it is the Ziwei Emperor Lord. My junior brother and I saw that the Calamity Qi was pervasive here, and we were afraid that evil spirits might be born, so we came to check. We have no ill intentions."
Seeing the Emperor safe and sound, and the Heavenly Court stable, is truly a blessing for the Primordial Wilderness.
Zhunti quickly echoed:
"That is indeed the case. Your Majesty, the Heavenly Court is now in decline, the demon race is weakened, and His Majesty Di Jun and Tai Yi has also perished."
"You are all alone here, how desolate! Why not come with us to the Western Paradise, to study the Great Dao together, and enjoy boundless tranquility? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Our Western Sect is in dire need of a great talent like the Emperor to support us!"
These words are blatant solicitation.
However, what responded to him was a few undisguised sneers faintly coming from behind the starry curtain.
Those were the voices of all the star lords, the Seven Lords of the Big Dipper, the Six Lords of the Southern Dipper, and so on.
The Ziwei Emperor Lord's voice remained steady, yet carried a hint of cold mockery:
"I appreciate the good intentions of the two Sages."
However, we have received the great favor of His Majesty Di Jun and are entrusted with the management of the celestial All the Stars in the Heavens. Our duty is to circulate stellar power and nourish all things in the Primordial Wilderness world. This is an unparalleled act of Merit. The West... hehe, I'm afraid we cannot afford to fulfill this responsibility of Zhou Tian Star Dou."
Another fiery voice rang out, seemingly from a Star God Lord with a fierce temper:
"Bah! What Western Paradise? That's a desolate backwater! How can it compare to our freedom, where we wield the stars and receive the Luck heaven and earth? You all leave at once and shut up!"
"That's right! Although His Majesty the Demon Emperor has fallen, my demon race Heavenly Venerate Qing Huan Venerable! Moreover, the Crown Prince is still alive! How dare you, the Westerners, come and take advantage of this?"
"You still want to trick us into going to that godforsaken place? Keep dreaming!"
The star lords took turns mocking him mercilessly.
As a star god, living as long as the stars and wielding power, he naturally possesses pride.
Moreover, the operation of the Great Formation of the Stars not only protects them but also continuously replenishes them with the spiritual energy obtained from transforming Chaos Qi, enhancing their Luck, merit, and Merit. What a wonderful opportunity!
Only a fool would give up all of this to go to the impoverished West to suffer and toil, and have to take orders from others.
Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned pale and then red. As Sage, how could they have ever suffered such humiliation?
And they were being openly mocked by a group of "insignificant" star gods! Yet, they dared not retaliate.
The Karma of forcibly attacking the Great Formation of the Stars are too great for them to bear.
For Sage to attack a group of stars who have not yet become saints would be beneath his dignity, make him a laughingstock, and offend the saints of the East.
"You... you all... humph! You don't know what's good for you!"
Zhunti was so angry that he trembled all over, pointing at the starry sky, but he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
The Daoist Jieyin sighed deeply, his face filled with such sorrow it seemed tears would well up in his eyes, and he tugged at Zhunti's sleeve:
"Junior brother, the opportunity has not yet arrived; forcing it will be futile. Let's go."
Having said that, the two Western Sage, amidst the undisguised mockery of the Eastern star gods, like defeated roosters, turned into golden light, covered in dust and grime, and fled the South Heaven Gate in a sorry state, returning to the West.
This time, they not only gained nothing, but also suffered a crushing defeat and lost face.
Behind the starry sky, Ziwei Emperor Lord looked in the direction where the Two Saints of the West had disappeared, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Turning around, I gazed at the All the Stars in the Heavens, still slowly repairing itself but already restored to order, and thought to myself:
"Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as our Star God lineage survives, the demon race is not truly extinct! The Heavenly Court will one day regain its former glory!"
At this moment, the floodwaters receded, leaving behind a devastated Primordial Earth.
The weak yet tenacious human race began to struggle for survival amidst the ruins.
The gazes of all the saints had unanimously turned to this land that had survived the calamity.
The Underworld, the place of reincarnation.
There are no Sun, Moon, and Stars here, only the ancient, flowing River of Forgetfulness Water radiating a faint glow, and the grand fluctuations of laws brought about by the slow rotation of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk.
The Empress Pingxin, also known as the incarnation of the Ancestral Witch Houtu, stood quietly before the Wheel of Reincarnation.
Her face was compassionate, but her eyes held a lingering sense of complexity and sorrow.
For her, the tragic end of the Witch-Demon War meant the loss of her people, the passing of old friends, and the helplessness of her own chosen path.
As the azure light descended, the figure of the Heavenly Venerate Qing Huan was revealed.
He remained as detached as ever, but a hint of solemnity, a consequence of past Tribulation, lingered in his eyes.
Without saying much, he simply opened his palm, and two faint, almost extinguishable golden dots floated quietly in his hand.
Within those points of light, one could vaguely see the indistinct outline of Di Jun, a majestic emperor, and the domineering and resolute afterimage of Tai Yi.
This was the last Primordial Soul that he forcibly preserved with immense divine power in the final moments before Di Jun's self-destruction and Tai Yi's bloodshed. It was so weak that even his memories were fragmented, but his most essential True Spirit remained undying.
"Houtu Daoist Houtu."
Qing Huan's voice was calm.
"The war between the Witch and Demon King has been annihilated by the calamity."
As Demon Emperor, the two were burdened with heavy karma and should have perished in both body and spirit, but Thread of Life remained in the world.
Sending their True Spirit into the cycle of reincarnation, reborn as a human, and experiencing the trials of the mortal world may help them eliminate their karma and be reborn.
This was also... Di Jun's last thought: he did not want the demon race to completely perish, and hoped that his descendants' bloodline could have a chance to continue.
Houtu stared silently at the two faint points of light, her eyes trembling violently.
The soul before us was once the supreme emperor who led the demon race and the Witch Clan in their struggle for supremacy over heaven and earth, and was the direct instigator of the collapse of Buzhou Mountain and the decline of the Witch Clan.
The blood feuds of countless Witch Clan are all closely related to these two.
Do I hate it? Of course I do.
But looking at this faint, almost unconscious remnant soul, that hatred seemed to become empty and meaningless.
More importantly, she embodies reincarnation and governs the netherworld, understanding the meaning of "eternal life" better than any other being.
Before the cycle of reincarnation, All beings are equal; all are straw dogs, yet all are also hope.
After a long silence, she let out a long sigh, a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the entire Witch and Demon Age.
"That's enough... the struggle is over, and the cycle of Karma has begun."
Since Fellow Qing Huan is willing to bear this Karma and seek Thread of Life, our land of reincarnation has no reason to refuse."
She gently touched the Wheel of Reincarnation, and a beam of eerie light shot out, enveloping the two remnant souls.
"As you suggest, let us send him into the human realm."