A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, far beyond the Thirty-Third Heaven, the newly established Heavenly Court's gates stood wide open.
Amid the swirling clouds and mist, countless palaces stretched into the distance, resplendent with gold and jade and filled with dense immortal aura. They far surpassed any blessed grotto-heaven in the Primordial Wilderness.
Di Jun and Taiyi intended to announce the establishment of the Demon Clan here and had invited countless powerful figures from the Primordial Wilderness to witness the ceremony.
Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, dazzling streams of light appeared as powerful auras descended one after another.
The Three Pure Ones arrived together from Kunlun Mountain.
From the direction of Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi arrived with Daoist Hongyun.
Looking at the vast Heavenly Court, Hong Yun could not help clicking his tongue in amazement. "Good heavens! Those two fellows, Di Jun and Taiyi, really managed to put on such a grand show! This place is far more impressive than my Huoyun Cave!"
Zhen Yuanzi merely watched calmly, gently waving the Fly Whisk in his hand.
In the Sea of Blood, Ancestor Minghe arrived quietly and stood in an inconspicuous corner. The Baleful Intent around him was restrained, and his gaze was dark and distant.
Next, Jieyin and Zhunti from the West's Mount Sumeru also arrived. Jieyin wore a bitter expression, while Zhunti's eyes flashed repeatedly, making it impossible to tell what he was calculating.
Just as the various powerful figures were harboring different thoughts, a savage and overbearing aura of baleful intent shot into the sky from the direction of Buzhou Mountain and charged straight toward the Heavenly Court!
"The Witch Clan is here!" one powerful figure murmured.
Twelve towering figures descended outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.
They were none other than the Twelve Ancestral Witches!
Their auras were powerful, with laws swirling around them and causing the surrounding space to tremble faintly.
Before the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Wu Ming's figure appeared much more peaceful, but no one dared underestimate him.
Above the Heavenly Court, Demon God Bai Ze, who was responsible for receiving the guests, hurried forward with a courteous smile. "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, fellow Daoists of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, please come in."
Zhurong gave the resplendent Southern Heavenly Gate a broad glance and snorted. "They made it all flashy! Aren't they just copying us by establishing their clan?"
Gonggong said in a deep voice, "The display is certainly grand. We'll just have to see whether it's sturdy."
Dijiang glared at them, signaling them to calm down.
Wu Ming gave Bai Ze a slight nod without saying anything more, then led the Twelve Ancestral Witches into the Heavenly Court.
Inside the Heavenly Court, guests had already gathered in droves.
The arrival of the Witch Clan had undoubtedly drawn everyone's attention.
"Fellow Daoists of the Witch Clan have arrived as well." Yuanshi spoke indifferently, which counted as a greeting.
Laozi gave a slight nod.
Tongtian, however, chuckled. "Friends from the Witch Clan, you arrived at just the right time. Let's see what this Demon Clan can come up with."
Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun came forward to greet them.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Ming."
"Greetings, fellow Daoists of the Twelve Ancestral Witches."
Wu Ming nodded in return. "The two of you have arrived as well."
Hong Yun leaned closer and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, Di Jun and Taiyi certainly put on quite a show. Just look at this Heavenly Court. Tsk, tsk, it's truly a fine place!"
Zhen Yuanzi gave a light cough. "Hong Yun."
Hong Yun gave an awkward smile.
Just then, a bell rang out, vast and melodious.
Clang—
Di Jun, dressed in the Imperial Robe and wearing an imperial crown, appeared inside the Southern Heavenly Gate alongside Taiyi, who held the Chaos Bell in his hands.
Nuwa and Fuxi stood slightly behind the two of them on either side.
The Ten Great Demon Sages and hundreds of millions of members of the Demon Clan stood behind them, their demonic aura surging into the sky.
"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to my Heavenly Court to witness the grand ceremony of the Demon Clan's establishment!" Di Jun's voice spread in all directions.
After a few formal remarks, the establishment ceremony officially began.
Di Jun's sonorous voice resounded through the Primordial Wilderness.
"Great Dao above!"
"Great God Pangu above!"
"Heavenly Dao above!"
Once again, these three cries rang out, exactly the same as when the Witch Clan was established.
Di Jun continued his declaration. "Today, we, Di Jun and Taiyi of the Demon Clan, together with Empress Nuwa, Emperor Xi Fuxi, and the countless members of the Demon Clan, swear our oath here in the Heavenly Court!"
"When the Primordial Wilderness first opened, all living beings were ignorant. The strong preyed upon the weak, and no order existed, violating the virtue with which Heaven and Earth nurtured all things!"
"We of the Demon Clan are willing to follow Heaven's Will, establish order, rule over all living beings, enlighten the ignorant, organize the Zhou Tian Xing Dou, and stabilize the workings of Heaven and Earth!"
"All beings of scale, feather, fur, and hoof, as well as plants and trees that have gained sentience, shall belong to the Demon Clan!"
"We of the Demon Clan shall establish the Heavenly Court above the Nine Heavens and hold the authority of Heaven!"
"May the Great Dao bear witness to this oath, may Great God Pangu bear witness, and may the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"
"Demon Clan—established!"
"Rumble!"
As the oath fell, the weather above the Nine Heavens changed once again!
Merit Qi even greater and purer than that produced when the Witch Clan was established transformed into a golden pillar of light that was nearly solid and descended with a thunderous boom!
Most of the merit surged into the bodies of Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi. The auras of all four soared, and their might grew even more imposing!
The remaining merit transformed into Golden Rain that scattered over the Demon Clan armies inside and outside the Heavenly Court, as well as the many demon kings who had come to witness the ceremony.
The bottlenecks of countless members of the Demon Clan loosened, and their Destiny surged!
Inside Zixiao Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun gave a slight nod. Under the operation of the Heavenly Dao, supporting the Demon Clan to counterbalance the Witch Clan was precisely what should happen.
The powerful figures who had come to witness the ceremony stared at the merit that had dyed nearly half the sky golden, their hearts shaken beyond words.
"This... This merit is actually even greater than when the Witch Clan was established!" Hong Yun could not help exclaiming.
Zhen Yuanzi's expression grew solemn. "The Demon Clan swore to rule over all living beings and establish order. Does this... align even more with the workings of the Heavenly Dao?"
The brows of the Three Pure Ones furrowed slightly. A strange glint flashed through Laozi's eyes, Yuanshi looked displeased, and Tongtian curled his lips.
The greed in Minghe's eyes grew even more intense, almost impossible to suppress.
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance. Their bitter expressions deepened, though they also contained a trace of something unusual.
On the Witch Clan's side, Zhurong could not help muttering, "Damn it, why is their merit greater than ours? We cleared away the Baleful Intent and organized the earth's ley lines. Wasn't that a great merit?"
Gonggong said in his deep voice, "Exactly! Heaven's Will is far too biased!"
Houtu's brows furrowed slightly as she looked toward Wu Ming.
Qiangliang, Shebishi, and the other Ancestral Witches were also filled with indignation.
Dijiang and Zhujiuyin exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity in the other's eyes.
Only Wu Ming remained calm.
He had anticipated this long ago.
The Heavenly Dao needed the Witch-Demon struggle to advance the Tribulation.
When the Witch Clan established itself, it swore to protect the Primordial Wilderness and clear away the Baleful Intent. This was a great merit, and the Heavenly Dao could not withhold it.
But when the Demon Clan established itself, it proclaimed that it would establish order and rule over all living beings. This aligned more closely with the Heavenly Dao's intentions for advancing the Tribulation and making the two clans fight.
Therefore, the Heavenly Dao would grant the Demon Clan more merit and support them, allowing them to gain enough strength to contend with the Witch Clan and even faintly suppress them.
This was the general trend of the Heavenly Dao—an Open Scheme!
Wu Ming sneered inwardly. So the Heavenly Dao wants to support the Demon Clan in fighting my Witch Clan? Unfortunately, I won't let you have your way.
After the ceremony ended, the banquet began.
Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi came over to offer toasts.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, fellow Daoists of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, thank you for coming to witness the ceremony." Di Jun raised his cup, lowering his posture considerably.
Wu Ming gave a slight nod. "Fellow Daoists Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi, the Demon Clan has established itself and merit has descended from Heaven. Congratulations..."
Di Jun wore the smile of a victor. "You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Wu Ming. Our Demon Clan has followed Heaven and complied with the will of the people to establish order. Naturally, we have Heaven's favor."
Taiyi wore a proud expression as he looked at Wu Ming. "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, now that our Demon Clan has been established and taken charge of the Heavenly Court, the Primordial Wilderness will henceforth be jointly governed by our Demon Clan and your Witch Clan."
His words seemed equal on the surface, but they actually carried provocation.
Zhurong could not help speaking up in his deep voice. "Hmph! Jointly governed? When did the Primordial Wilderness become something the two of us could decide?"
Gonggong chimed in. "Exactly! Our Witch Clan clears away the Baleful Intent and organizes the earth's ley lines. We do actual work! Your Demon Clan says it wants to rule over all living beings, but I think you just want to be the boss and bully the weak!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere immediately grew stiff.
"What did you say?!" Taiyi flew into a rage. The Chaos Bell hummed, and the Solar True Fire nearly erupted.
"I said you want to be the boss and bully the weak. Are your ears deaf?" Zhurong showed no weakness as flames surged around him.
"You're courting death!" Taiyi was about to attack.
"Taiyi!" Di Jun shouted to stop him, though his expression also darkened.
"Zhurong!" Wu Ming spoke as well. His voice was not loud, yet the flames around Zhurong instantly went out.
Wu Ming looked at Taiyi. "Calm down, Fellow Daoist Taiyi. Zhurong is merely blunt. Today is the Demon Clan's joyous occasion, so it is inappropriate to resort to violence."
"However, what he said is not entirely without reason."
"The land of the Primordial Wilderness was transformed from the body of Father God Pangu. It is only right for our Witch Clan to multiply and live here."
"Your Demon Clan established the Heavenly Court, took charge of the Zhou Tian Xing Dou, and organized the order of Heaven and Earth. Our Witch Clan has no objections."
"But as for jointly governing the Primordial Wilderness... Heh, our Witch Clan has no such grand ambitions. We only wish to fulfill our oath to Father God and Heaven and Earth."
Wu Ming's words were neither servile nor overbearing.
He made it clear that the Witch Clan did not wish to contend for supremacy over the Primordial Wilderness, acknowledged the Demon Clan's position as ruler of the heavens, and gently brushed aside the sensitive topic of jointly governing the Primordial Wilderness.
Nuwa's brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Wu Ming, then at Di Jun, without saying anything.
Fuxi's fingers moved slightly, as if he were calculating something. His expression was solemn.
Hong Yun watched from the side with his heart in his throat and hurriedly smoothed things over. "Ah, everyone is only doing this for the good of the Primordial Wilderness! Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth! We'll all be neighbors in the future, so we should help each other!"
Zhen Yuanzi also said, "Exactly, exactly. Today is the Demon Clan's joyous occasion. Don't let a few words damage our harmony."
Di Jun gave Wu Ming a deep look, then drained the wine in his cup. "Good. Fellow Daoist Wu Ming truly understands the greater picture!"