The Demon Clan established itself, and the Heavenly Court emerged. Like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, it sent wave after wave rippling through the Primordial World.
Before long, something major happened over the East Sea as well.
East Prince Gong, the leader of the male immortals personally appointed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, was ultimately unable to suppress his restless ambition.
He felt that, as the Dao Ancestor's chosen one and the leader of all male immortals, he absolutely could not fall behind, could he?
Di Jun and Taiyi had managed to establish the Heavenly Court. Why couldn't he establish an Immortal Court of his own?
Thus, East Prince Gong gathered a group of rogue immortals and powerful experts who followed him, and he too began the great undertaking of establishing a sect and court.
East Prince Gong invited guests from far and wide. Following the example of the Witch Clan and Demon Clan, he also established a force of his own—the Immortal Court.
As soon as the news came out, the Primordial World was shaken once again.
"Another force is being established?"
"East Prince Gong is the leader of the male immortals personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor. His title certainly carries weight, but I wonder how much commotion he can cause."
"Did he invite West Queen Mother? If the leader of the female immortals doesn't come, this Immortal Court will be missing something."
News soon spread.
It was said that East Prince Gong had personally gone to West Kunlun to invite West Queen Mother, hoping she would work with him.
However, somewhat awkwardly, West Queen Mother, the leader of the female immortals who had likewise been appointed by the Dao Ancestor, did not give him any face and flatly refused.
West Queen Mother continued to remain in her West Kunlun, devoting herself to cultivation and ignoring this so-called Immortal Court.
After being thoroughly rebuffed, East Prince Gong found his face somewhat difficult to save, but the Immortal Court still had to be established.
He followed Di Jun and Taiyi's example, sending out invitations far and wide and inviting powerful experts from all over the Primordial World to attend the ceremony.
On Penglai Immortal Island, immortal aura swirled everywhere. Compared with the Heavenly Court's resplendent splendor, it possessed a few more traces of ethereal transcendence.
East Prince Gong wore a magnificent Daoist robe symbolizing his position as leader of the male immortals. Holding the Dragon Head Staff, he stood atop a high platform, full of confidence.
He also followed the previous procedure and loudly swore an oath to Heaven and Earth.
"Great Dao above!"
"Great God Pangu above!"
"Heavenly Dao above!"
This triple cry had almost become the standard opening for establishing a force in the Primordial World.
"Today, I, East Prince Gong, acting under the Dao Ancestor's decree as the leader of the male immortals, establish the Immortal Court here at Penglai in the East Sea!"
"I vow to rule over the immortals and gods of the world, maintain order in the Primordial World, guide all living beings toward the Dao, and fulfill Heaven's will!"
"All immortals who have attained the Dao in the Primordial World may enter my Immortal Court and study the Great Dao together!"
"Immortal Court—establish!"
However, after the oath was uttered, the merit descending from the heavens was pitifully thin.
The golden light was dim, far inferior to the vast merit that had appeared when the Witch Clan established itself, let alone comparable to the pillar of golden merit that had nearly covered half the sky when the Demon Clan established itself.
East Prince Gong was completely dumbfounded on the spot.
What was going on?
The procedure was correct, wasn't it?
He had shouted the slogans too, hadn't he?
Why?
"Pfft!"
Among the crowd attending the ceremony, someone finally failed to hold back and let out a soft laugh.
Immediately afterward, whispers arose all around.
"That's it? This little bit of merit isn't even enough to fill someone's teeth!"
"Tsk, tsk. So much for being the leader of the male immortals. He put on quite a grand show, but the Heavenly Dao isn't giving him any face."
"Compared with the Witch Clan and Demon Clan, this Immortal Court... is practically a joke!"
East Prince Gong stood atop the high platform, his face shifting between green and white as he clenched both hands tightly.
He had expected the merit to be inferior to the Demon Clan's. After all, the Demon Clan had united all living beings, creating an enormous spectacle.
But he had never imagined that it would not even surpass the Witch Clan!
When the Witch Clan established itself, its pillar of golden merit had been thinner than the Demon Clan's, but it had still been quite substantial.
The amount of merit directly reflected the degree of the Heavenly Dao's recognition.
This tiny bit of merit obtained by the Immortal Court was undoubtedly announcing to the entire Primordial World that East Prince Gong, the leader of the male immortals, lacked sufficient weight.
"Ahem!" East Prince Gong forcibly calmed himself and squeezed out a smile. "Many thanks to all fellow Daoists for coming to attend the ceremony! Now that the Immortal Court has just been established and everything remains to be done, I hope all of you will support us in the future!"
The atmosphere was extremely awkward for a while.
After the ceremony ended, the various powerful experts took their leave one after another, many of them wearing amused smiles.
For a time, East Prince Gong and his newly established "Immortal Court" became the laughingstock of the Primordial World.
This incident also sounded an alarm for all the powerful experts of the Primordial World.
It wasn't as if the Heavenly Dao would accept anyone who established a force and shouted a few slogans.
Without sufficient foundation, destiny, or strength, anyone who forcibly stepped forward would only bring humiliation upon themselves.
At the same time, however, the tremendous merit gained by the Demon Clan's establishment and the benefits gained by the Witch Clan's establishment had genuinely stimulated everyone.
"Even East Prince Gong dares to establish an Immortal Court now. The merit may be small, but he is still the master of a force!"
"Exactly. The Witch Clan, the Demon Clan, and now the Immortal Court... The Primordial World is becoming more and more competitive!"
"If we don't break through soon, we probably won't even get a taste of the leftovers!"
"Sever Three Corpses! We must Sever Three Corpses as soon as possible and Prove Dao as Quasi-Saints!"
An invisible pressure descended upon the hearts of all powerful experts at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
In the past, everyone had been Grand Unity Golden Immortals. Though some were stronger and some weaker, they had at least been on the same level.
They watched helplessly as Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi's cultivation surged after receiving merit. Their might could be felt from far away.
Looking at the Witch Clan, although its merit had been inferior to the Demon Clan's, its destiny had visibly soared after the clan was established, and the auras of the Ancestral Witches had grown increasingly condensed.
If they didn't catch up now, the gap would only grow larger!
Kunlun Mountain.
The Three Pure Ones almost simultaneously chose to enter seclusion.
Taiqing pursued purity and non-action, yet he also knew that time waited for no one.
Yuanshi was proud and could even less tolerate being surpassed by the Demon Clan.
Tongtian loved battle and yearned for greater strength.
They intended to follow the Path of Prove Dao by Severing Three Corpses passed down by the Dao Ancestor!
Wuzhuang Temple.
Zhen Yuanzi looked at his good friend Hong Yun.
Hong Yun scratched his head. "Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, why are you looking at me? I have to enter seclusion too! If I don't catch up, I won't even have the face to greet people when I go out in the future!"
Zhen Yuanzi nodded slightly. He had also sensed that urgent pressure.
Sea of Blood.
Ancestor Minghe gazed at his two innate killing swords that killed without incurring Karma, blood glimmering in his eyes.
Sever Three Corpses?
Perfect. He had a handy "blade."
Mount Sumeru in the West.
Jieyin's expression was even more bitter, while Zhunti's eyes shone with even greater brilliance.
"Senior Brother, we must also Sever the Corpses as soon as possible. Only then can we fight for a sliver of hope for the West during the calamity to come!"
"Good."
Even those powerful experts who had originally lived freely or remained hidden from the world now felt the pressure. One after another, they entered seclusion to cultivate in silence and seek breakthroughs.
The entire Primordial World seemed to quiet down all at once, but everyone knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.
The Age of Quasi-Saints was about to truly arrive!
The years passed leisurely. A thousand years was no more than the wave of a finger in the seclusion of the Primordial World's powerful experts.
On this day, a vast and mighty aura surged into the sky from the direction of Kunlun Mountain, and its pressure spread across the entire mountain!
Taiqing had severed his Good Corpse and become a Quasi-Saint!
Immediately afterward, two equally powerful auras erupted!
Yuanshi and Tongtian succeeded in Severing their Corpses one after another, stepping into the Quasi-Saint realm!
The Three Pure Ones becoming Quasi-Saints on the same day shocked the Primordial World!
Afterward, two slightly different Quasi-Saint auras rose from Mount Sumeru in the West. Jieyin and Zhunti had also successfully Severed their Corpses.
In the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court, Di Jun and Taiyi, relying on their tremendous merit and destiny, almost simultaneously succeeded in Severing their Corpses and became Quasi-Saints!
Nuwa and Fuxi followed closely behind, also completing their merit and becoming Quasi-Saints!
Zhen Yuanzi of Wuzhuang Temple succeeded in Severing his Corpse with the aid of the Earth Book!
Minghe of the Sea of Blood also successfully took that step!
For a time, Quasi-Saint auras rose and fell throughout the Primordial World!
Meanwhile, deep within Pangu Hall on Buzhou Mountain.
"Buzz—"
A powerful fluctuation of Space Law came from another part of Pangu Hall.
Wu Ming opened his eyes and looked toward the direction from which the fluctuation had come.
It was Dijiang.
Dijiang, the Ancestral Witch of space, was surrounded by surging Space Law. He seemed to have broken through the shackles of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm and stepped across the threshold of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm!
"Good!" A trace of a smile appeared on Wu Ming's face.
Before long, another obscure and profound fluctuation of Time Law spread through the area.
Zhujiuyin, the Ancestral Witch of time, had also successfully broken through!
What surprised Wu Ming and the other Ancestral Witches most was Houtu.
This Ancestral Witch of earth, who appeared gentle and compassionate, had actually overtaken the others and broken through almost simultaneously with Dijiang and Zhujiuyin!
Yellow-brown Mystic Light flowed around her. It was heavy and vast, bearing all things. Faintly, it seemed to carry the flavor of Reincarnation and Creation as well.
"Little Sister Houtu broke through too?" Zhurong's booming voice rang out, filled with surprise.
"Goodness! Little Sister Houtu is incredible! She actually broke through faster than us older brothers!" Gonggong was also caught off guard.
The other Ancestral Witches turned their gazes toward her as well.
Houtu smiled faintly, her bearing growing ever gentler and more peaceful. "I merely gained a little insight."
Wu Ming gave Houtu a deep look. He knew that Houtu's Path of Laws had probably already taken a direction different from that of the other Ancestral Witches.
This might have something to do with her frequent travels across the lands of the Primordial World, where she experienced the suffering of all living beings and pitied the souls who had nowhere to go after death.
Wu Ming did not expose the matter. He merely said, "Very good. Dijiang, Zhujiuyin, and Houtu, the three of you have entered the Primordial Golden Immortal realm. You should set an example."
"The rest of you must also cultivate harder and strive to break through as soon as possible."
"Yes, Big Brother!" The other Ancestral Witches thunderously answered in unison, their eyes filled with fighting spirit.