Hongjun's Scheme, The Foremost of Male Immortals!

Time passes without notice in cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, another hundred years have gone by.

On this day, Jieyin and Zhunti both succeeded in severing their corpses, breaking through to the Quasi-Saint realm.

What was interesting was that both of them, despite their mouths full of compassion, severed their evil corpses first, unlike Taiqing Laozi, Yuqing Yuanshi, and Nuwa, who severed their good corpses.

Severing the three corpses involves severing the good corpse, the evil corpse, and the self-corpse.

There is no set order among the three; it depends on the individual.

Generally speaking, upon breaking through to the Quasi-Saint realm, one severs the good corpse first, then the evil corpse, and finally the self-corpse.

The fact that Jieyin and Zhunti severed their evil corpses first does not mean they are evil people.

Just like Shangqing Tongtian, he also severed his evil corpse first.

However, this was somewhat inconsistent with their philosophy of compassion.

Although the people in Zixiao Palace did not understand the connection, seeing that both of them had severed hideous evil corpses, their perception of the two changed somewhat.

They no longer simply believed that the two were truly good people with hearts set on benevolence.

Thus, of the seven people sitting on the six enlightenment futons, only Xuanyuan had not yet severed his corpse and advanced to the Quasi-Saint realm.

Three hundred years passed after Jieyin and Zhunti advanced to the Quasi-Saint realm by severing their corpses, and no one else succeeded in severing their corpses and proving the Dao.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who had always sat high on his cloud bed, looking down upon the myriad beings in Zixiao Palace, finally spoke for the first time after the sermon ended and a period of several hundred years of silence.

"Since its birth, the Primordial World has experienced many calamities such as the Fierce Beast Tribulation, the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, and the Dao-Demon Conflict, with constant strife. The reason for this is that the Primordial World has never had a unified leadership..."

Hearing this, everyone in Zixiao Palace pricked up their ears, their expressions becoming serious. Especially Yuqing Yuanshi, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and Nether Patriarch, their eyes were filled with fervor.

Each of them felt they had the best chance of becoming the ruler of the Primordial World that the Dao Ancestor spoke of.

As everyone eagerly awaited, Hongjun continued.

"I now officially appoint East Duke as the head of the male immortals and Xi Wang Mu as the head of the female immortals, to assist East Duke and lead the Primordial World."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

After all, in terms of talent, origin, or backing, East Duke and Xi Wang Mu were not the strongest.

Yet, they never expected Dao Ancestor Hongjun to intend for them to lead the Primordial World.

Envy, jealousy, contempt...

At this moment, all sorts of human emotions were on display.

Yuqing Yuanshi, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and Nether Patriarch looked at East Duke with undisguised contempt.

As for East Duke, the lucky recipient, he felt lightheaded, as if his life had reached its peak at this moment.

To lead countless cultivators in the Primordial World!

This was an achievement that had never been reached since Great God Pangu created heaven and earth.

Of course, he had automatically ignored Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

After all, he was a Saint of the Heavenly Dao, high above; why would he bother with the trivial matters of the Primordial World?

Furthermore, Hongjun Dao Ancestor had stated during his first sermon that after the sermon ended, he would merge with the Dao to complete the Heavenly Dao.

By then, wouldn't the entire Primordial World be under his control?

Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and the others, who usually carried themselves with immense pride, were now...

What about them now?

Weren't they still going to accept his rule?

He had even planned in his heart how he would deal with these people once he became the ruler of the Primordial World.

He never considered what would happen if they refused to obey!

After all, this was an appointment by Dao Ancestor Hongjun. As the only Saint in the Primordial World and the spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao, the Dao Ancestor's words were like a decree. Would anyone dare to defy the Dao Ancestor's will?

He did not know that the reason Hongjun wanted to appoint him as the head of the male immortals to lead the Primordial World was not out of special consideration or favor. It was merely to help Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and the other members of the Demon Clan clean up their mess.

This was Hongjun's perfect plan, conceived after more than three thousand years of careful thought.

To eliminate the trouble of the Demon Clan using the residual spirits of the Chaos Demon Gods to slaughter the beings of the Primordial World, it was necessary to find something significant enough to divert everyone's attention.

The foremost ruler of the Primordial World was a sensational topic, significant enough to shift everyone's focus to this matter.

And the person chosen could not be too strong.

If Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, or others became the ruler of the Primordial World.

With their talent, origin, and strength, they would undoubtedly attract a large number of Primordial powerhouses in a short period, becoming the foremost power in the Primordial World with legitimate reason.

At that point, the Witch and Demon races would no longer be the protagonists of heaven and earth, and even the upcoming Witch-Demon Tribulation that he was planning would end without a hitch.

This was not what Hongjun wanted to see.

Of course, to become the ruler of the Primordial World, even if it was just a nominal puppet, the chosen person could not be too weak.

If an arbitrary choice were made, it would be impossible to suppress the many Primordial powerhouses.

Hongjun spent three thousand years selecting, and finally chose East Duke as the lucky one.

Firstly, East Duke was formed from the first ray of extreme yang energy between heaven and earth. His innate talent and origins were not bad. Even if he couldn't compare to Sanqing, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and others, among the many powerful beings in the Primordial World, he was considered extremely strong and had a certain influence, capable of attracting some followers.

Secondly, East Duke was rather stupid.

That's right, in Hongjun's view, East Duke was stupid.

People like him were easier to control.

"I bestow upon East Duke the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Dragon Head Cane, and upon Xi Wang Mu, the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Ren Water Peach. I hope under your leadership, the Primordial World can develop better!"

"The second sermon has concluded. In three thousand years, the final sermon will commence. After the sermon ends, I will merge with the Heavenly Dao to complete it!"

After Hongjun finished speaking, without giving anyone time to react, he waved his hand, and everyone found themselves outside Zixiao Palace.

"Boom!"

The great doors of Zixiao Palace slammed shut, leaving everyone stunned.

East Duke looked down at everyone, his face full of authority, and said, "Everyone, in five hundred years, I will establish the Heavenly Court on Donghua Island in the East Sea and confer official positions. I hope you will all attend on time!"

East Duke quickly got into character. His words weren't exactly commands, but they carried an undeniable force.

"Heavenly Court?"

Donghuang Taiyi snorted disdainfully, "I only know of the Demon Court. When did the Primordial World ever have a Heavenly Court?"

Nether Patriarch said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "The Nether River where this old ancestor resides is too far from the East Sea. I won't be going then!"

Yuqing Yuanshi replied, "I need to comprehend the true meaning of the Dao Ancestor's sermon and require a thousand years of seclusion!"

These individuals were the top powerhouses in the Primordial World. They simply looked down on East Duke and naturally wouldn't participate in his so-called Heavenly Court.

East Duke's expression instantly turned grim. He knew that with his qualifications and prestige, he couldn't suppress these people.

However, he was, after all, the leader of the male immortals designated by the Dao Ancestor, meant to command all cultivators in the Primordial World.

He hadn't expected these people to dare openly defy the Dao Ancestor's decree even before leaving Zixiao Palace.