Candle Dragon's Might, Wood Prince Visits Sun

Outside the Immortal Volcano in the Southern Wasteland, the highly anticipated great battle concluded with little surprise.

Although Di Jun deployed the He Tu Luo Shu to set up the He Luo Great Formation, drawing upon the power of the southern mountains, rivers, and seas, and evolving infinite terrain changes in an attempt to counter time with the might of the earth.

The formation was profound and indeed provided the Sun Palace forces with powerful protection and augmentation, allowing the Ten Great Divine Generals and their subordinates to barely hold their ground under the pressure of the Demon Clan's allied forces.

However, in the face of an absolute disparity in strength, the marvel of the formation could not turn the tide.

Candle Dragon did not even allow Kunpeng, Kong Xuan, and other Demon Clan powerhouses to interfere in his core battle with Di Jun and Taiyi. He wanted to make a king's return, to display his absolute power as the Demon Clan leader and an ancient Great Power to all beings in the Primordial World!

Candle Dragon stepped forward alone, battling Di Jun, Taiyi, and two others. Within his dragon eyes, which held the weight of eternity, time runes flowed. He didn't unleash any world-shattering divine abilities, merely activating his own domain of the Time Law.

In an instant, centered on him, an absolute temporal domain descended! Di Jun's He Luo Great Formation, which relied on mountains and rivers and should have been in constant motion, had its operational speed fluctuate between being stuck in mud, instantly slowing tenfold, a hundredfold!

At other moments, it would suddenly accelerate to its extreme at a certain node, causing its cycle to collapse, leaving the formation teetering precariously! Taiyi's domineering and blazing Sun Gold Wheel attacks, upon approaching Candle Dragon, would bizarrely deviate from their trajectory, or their power would be inexplicably weakened by the passage of time.

This was the terrifying might of an ancient Primordial Golden Immortal! Their comprehension and application of laws had reached a state of perfection, far beyond what could be easily compensated for by Spiritual Treasures and formations. Unless one possessed an Innate Supreme Treasure, or a treasure that could suppress time!

If none of these were present, unless their realm could crush Candle Dragon and they possessed their own laws and Great Dao, then under his Time Law, anything could be toyed with in the palm of his hand.

Without a treasure like the Chaos Bell, capable of suppressing the primordial chaos and fixing time and space, Di Jun, Taiyi, and the others were defeated without suspense.

Candle Dragon unleashed his full power, instantly shattering the core of the He Luo Great Formation. The power of time, like an invisible shackle, firmly imprisoned Di Jun, Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi, rendering them unable to move. Victory and defeat were decided!

A cold glint flashed in Candle Dragon's eyes, revealing his killing intent. Di Jun and the others were arrogant and possessed immense potential, posing the greatest threat to the future unification of the Demon Clan. He resolved to seize this opportunity to strike them down and eliminate future troubles!

Just as Candle Dragon was condensing his law power, intending to completely obliterate the four—

An invisible, formless, yet vast and supreme power subtly intervened! This power did not directly attack Candle Dragon but instead interfered with the space-time of that instant with extreme precision, simultaneously triggering a sliver of change in the Heavenly Secrets.

It was Hongjun, residing in the Purple Heaven Palace, who had made his move!

To Hongjun, Nuwa bore the destiny of creating humans and achieving sainthood, and she absolutely could not perish here. Furthermore, Di Jun still had a destiny as the Heavenly Emperor for this era; his death at this moment would also not align with the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, he intervened secretly, giving the four a sliver of hope.

A fleeting looseness appeared in the temporal shackles binding Di Jun and the other three! Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance. Though they didn't understand why, their survival instincts allowed them to seize this lightning-fast opportunity!

"Go!"

They spared no expense, burning their Origin Blood Essence, unleashing the ultimate power of the Solar True Fire, enveloping Nuwa and Fuxi, transforming into four Golden Crow rainbows that tore through the sky, fleeing towards the Sun Star in the heavens at speeds exceeding their limits!

Candle Dragon was about to pursue, but he felt a moment of disorientation. The four vanished instantly. By the time he reacted, they had already escaped into the Sun Star's vicinity.

The Sun Star, formed from Pangu's left eye, was supreme and yang, containing infinite power, and was the birthplace of Di Jun and Taiyi, connected to their origin.

Even someone as powerful as Candle Dragon dared not easily intrude into the core of the Sun Star to pursue them; it would be tantamount to opposing the entire Sun Star, with too great a price.

Candle Dragon gazed at the four rainbows disappearing into the sunlight of the Sun Star, his brow furrowed. The anomaly he just experienced felt wrong. With his level of control, he shouldn't have allowed the four to break free so easily.

As a Primordial Golden Immortal, he shouldn't have been momentarily stunned, but upon careful investigation, he found no trace of any external power. He simply attributed it to Di Jun and Taiyi's desperate outburst, which triggered the Sun Star's resonance and saved them!

Though Candle Dragon was unwilling, he had no choice but to temporarily let it go.

With the escape of Di Jun, Taiyi, and the core members, the remaining Sun Palace forces were leaderless. In the face of the Demon Clan's allied forces' absolute strength, they ultimately chose to surrender. The Ten Great Divine Generals, led by Bai Ze, and their subordinate forces, all joined the Demon Clan.

From then on, the Southern Wasteland fell completely under the control of the Demon Clan. The plight of the Phoenix Clan was resolved, and the Demon Clan's fortune grew increasingly prosperous by annexing the remnants of the Sun Palace, their prestige shaking the heavens!

On Penglai Immortal Island, East Prince Gong, who had been closely monitoring the battle at the Immortal Volcano, paused slightly, his fingers stroking his long beard, his eyes flashing, when he heard that Di Jun and Taiyi had been defeated by Candle Dragon outside the Immortal Volcano, their He Luo Great Formation shattered, and they had fled back to the Sun Star in a sorry state.

Then, East Prince Gong dismissed his attendants, gazed at the eternally burning Sun Star at the center of the Primordial World's starry sky, and felt his heart surge.

"The time has come!"

East Prince Gong cried out in his heart, his thoughts racing!

"Consider Di Jun and Taiyi. Previously, relying on their extraordinary origins and powerful Spiritual Treasures, they gathered the Ten Great Divine Generals, established the Sun Palace, and gained great prestige. Now, after their defeat in the Southern Wasteland, their foundation is completely lost. The Ten Great Divine Generals have joined the Demon Clan. They are nothing more than stray dogs, confined to a lonely star!"

"I wish to establish an Immortal Court to govern all immortals in the Primordial World. I am in need of such powerful and reputable individuals to assist me. Although Di Jun and Taiyi have been defeated, their strength is still not to be underestimated, and they possess Innate Spiritual Treasures. If I can recruit them into my Immortal Court, wouldn't it be like adding wings to a tiger?"

East Prince Gong felt more and more that this plan was feasible.

In his view, Di Jun and Taiyi were at their wit's end. As the foremost of the male immortals, he would personally go to recruit them, offer them high positions, and promise to help them avenge themselves against Candle Dragon and unify the Demon Clan in the future...

With such conditions, what reason would they have to refuse? To receive the protection of his Immortal Court would be far better than clinging to existence on that Sun Star!

A sense of excitement, of about to acquire powerful allies and strengthen himself, filled East Prince Gong's chest. He could already envision Di Jun and Taiyi obeying his commands, the Immortal Court's forces pointing towards the Demon Clan, ultimately replacing Candle Dragon and becoming the overlord of the Primordial World.

"At that time, I will reside as the Lord of the Immortal Court, holding the authority over all immortals, while Di Jun, Taiyi, Fuxi, Nuwa, and others will be Immortal Kings... Below one person, above ten thousand others, which would be considered treating them well enough."

East Prince Gong believed this arrangement was already a great favor. With this in mind, East Prince Gong quickly summoned a few trusted confidants, mounted his immortal cloud, and headed towards the scorching Sun Star.

He intended to offer them this opportunity when Di Jun and the others were at their most dejected, making them grateful.

In the core of the Sun Star, within the Sun God Palace. Although this place was still magnificent and flowed with dense solar essence, it couldn't hide a sense of desolation after defeat.

Di Jun sat solemnly on the main seat of the grand hall, his expression calm, but in his deep eyes, an unwillingness and pride burned even fiercer than the Solar True Fire.

Taiyi stood beside him, his face gloomy. The Sun Gold Wheel floated beside him, emitting a faint mournful cry, as if reflecting the unrest in its master's heart. Fuxi and Nuwa were recuperating and healing in the depths of the side hall and did not appear.

Being defeated by Candle Dragon was a disgrace, but also a spur. Di Jun's mind replayed the irresistible might of the Time Law and the scene of the He Luo Great Formation being easily distorted and dismantled.

However, his Dao heart was firm, and he did not fall into despair because of this. Instead, he transformed this setback into a desire for higher realms and stronger power. The Sun Star was his birthplace and the source of his power. He believed that as long as he was given time, he would surely make a comeback!

Just then, his mind stirred, sensing an outsider intruding into the Sun Star's vicinity, and his brow furrowed.

Soon, East Prince Gong's voice, tinged with deliberate restraint, carried in:

"The Lord of Penglai has arrived. Fellow Daoists Di Jun and Taiyi, have you been well?"

Before Di Jun could even agree, East Prince Gong, leading his attendants, stepped into the Sun God Hall, which had not been sealed off.

East Prince Gong's gaze swept across the somewhat empty great hall, and the only two people present, Di Jun and Taiyi, feeling a sense of superiority as if someone had offered charcoal in the snow.

Seeing this, Di Jun merely nodded slightly, not rising. Taiyi, however, showed a hint of displeasure on his face. East Prince Gong seemed not to notice these subtleties and impatiently cut to the chase. He eloquently laid out his plan to establish the Immortal Court, vividly depicting its grand prospects, before finally looking intently at Di Jun.

"Fellow Daoist Di Jun, Candle Dragon is powerful, the Demon Clan is arrogant, and your old subordinates from the Sun Palace have already joined them. You are trapped here, and it is not a long-term solution. Why not join me in the Immortal Court with Fellow Daoist Taiyi!"

"I promise you, in the name of the Lord of Penglai and the position of the Head of Ten Thousand Immortals, that once the Immortal Court grows, I will do my utmost to help you avenge this great grievance, defeat Candle Dragon, and unify the Demon Clan! At that time, you will be second only to me in the Immortal Court, the Immortal King above all others, with authority second only to mine. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

East Prince Gong spoke passionately, believing he had offered an irresistible condition, and waited for Di Jun to gratefully accept.

Di Jun simply watched him, his eyes calm and unruffled. In the depths of his gaze, it was as if galaxies were revolving, carrying an innate arrogance. After a long pause, Di Jun slowly spoke.

"Fellow Daoist, I appreciate your good intentions. However, my brother and I were born on the sun and stand upon the sun. Even if we suffer a setback for a time, we will not live under another's roof. You may pursue your ambitions for the Immortal Court, but I must respectfully decline!"

Di Jun's reply was swift and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

The smile on East Prince Gong's face froze instantly. He had anticipated Di Jun might haggle, but he never expected such a straightforward refusal! Not even a hint of hesitation!

A surge of anger, of being looked down upon and humiliated, erupted in his heart. After repeatedly hitting walls in the Primordial World, even this Di Jun, like a stray dog, dared to treat him, the Head of Male Immortals, with such disdain!

"You!"

East Prince Gong's face darkened, and he suddenly stood up!

"Di Jun! Do not misjudge yourself! You are now a lone man, not of the Three Pure Ones or Pangu's True Lineage, nor an ancient Great Power like Candle Dragon! I kindly invite you, considering the difficulty you and your brother faced in cultivation, and offer you a high position, yet you are so ungrateful!"

East Prince Gong was so enraged that his aura fluctuated slightly. However, sensing the pervasive suppression from the Sun Star, Taiyi's murderous gaze, and the subtle lock-on from the Sun Gold Wheel, he ultimately did not dare to fully unleash his fury.

"Hmph! Since that is the case, you two fend for yourselves! On this Sun Star, be your cowardly turtles!"

East Prince Gong, furious, flicked his sleeve and turned, transforming into a flowing light with his attendants, instantly rushing out of the Sun Star. He feared he would lose control of his anger if he stayed another moment, yet he knew that fighting here would yield no benefit.

Watching the direction East Prince Gong disappeared, Taiyi's Solar True Fire almost burned uncontrollably. He roared, "Brother! This scoundrel has gone too far! Why don't you let me..."

Di Jun raised his hand, stopping Taiyi's words. His gaze remained calm, looking into the depths of space, as if able to pierce through the endless void and see the lurking enemies and the future journey.

"A mere clown, why get angry! He is, after all, an Immortal Head appointed by a Saint. We should not make too many enemies now! We can settle the score with him another day!"

Di Jun's voice was cold and incredibly firm!

The pride of the Golden Crow was deeply ingrained in Di Jun's bloodline. It would not be diminished by temporary failure, nor would it be shaken by the charity of someone like East Prince Gong!