As Di Jun and Tai Yi established the Demon Clan and broke through to the middle stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, strange light flickered from the stone statues worshipped by countless Demon Clan tribes across the Primordial World.
The demons who dwelled in mountains and forests, swamps, deserts, and the deep sea—whether newly transformed spirits or demon cultivators who had practiced for years—all felt a summons from deep within their bloodlines. They prostrated themselves and bowed in worship, shouting in unison, "May the Demon Emperor live forever! May the Demon Sovereign's might shake the Primordial World!"
Wave after wave of voices rang out, from the Eastern Wastes to the Western Desert, from the Southern Frontier to the Northern Ice, passing through Buzhou Mountain and echoing at the edge of chaos. The devout faith of hundreds of millions of demons converged into an invisible torrent, transforming into the purest Demon Race Fortune. Like rivers flowing into the sea, it poured into every stone statue, then streamed ceaselessly along the unseen threads of fortune toward Di Jun and Tai Yi on the Sun Star.
Di Jun closed his eyes and focused. A dense, tangible golden light of fortune enveloped him. He could clearly sense the power of fortune from every corner of the Primordial World surging into his Spiritual Platform, nourishing his Primordial Spirit. His cultivation steadily climbed within the middle stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, and he was just one step away from the late stage.
He marveled inwardly. The method of cultivating through fortune that Demon Ancestor Luohu had left behind in the chaos was truly heaven-defying. This way of using the faith of myriad races and the fortune of one's people to improve one's cultivation was second only to the infusion of merit bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, far surpassing ordinary secluded cultivation.
Di Jun had become completely absorbed in this incredibly swift means of advancement, and the ambition deep in his eyes swelled without limit. He had once only wanted to unite the Demon Clan and dominate one region. Now, that desire had become a lofty aspiration to unify the Primordial World and rule over heaven, earth, and Qiankun.
"Brother, now that the Heavenly Dao has recognized our Demon Clan and bestowed merit upon us, those few demons at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm will soon break through too. When that happens, our Demon Clan will surely benefit the most from the Sermon at Purple Cloud Palace!"
Tai Yi spoke to Di Jun. He believed that only personal strength mattered, but since his elder brother wanted to unify the Primordial World, he naturally supported him.
Di Jun looked at Tai Yi beside him, and warmth welled up in his heart.
Though both of them had taken form from the origin of the Sun, Tai Yi's talent surpassed his. What was more, Tai Yi had an Innate Supreme Treasure that had accompanied him since birth.
Yet ever since taking form, Tai Yi had always treated him with respect, honoring him as the leader of the Demon Clan and never once overstepping. Di Jun had quietly pushed himself, determined not to let his inferior cultivation hold back his extraordinarily talented younger brother. That was precisely why he had resolutely chosen to cultivate the method of fortune left behind by Luohu, using the fortune of the myriad races in the Primordial World to rapidly close the gap between himself and Tai Yi.
He had used Luohu's method of fortune because he didn't want to fall too far behind Tai Yi.
Di Jun turned and stood with his hands behind his back atop the Fusang Divine Tree, gazing down over the boundless Primordial World. His eyes swept across Buzhou Mountain, the East Sea, Kunlun, and Western Paradise as he spoke with unquestionable authority. "Tai Yi, simply claiming the greatest share of the benefits from the Sermon at Purple Cloud Palace is nowhere near enough. Have you ever considered that every seat at Purple Cloud Palace could belong to our Demon Clan?"
At those words, even Tai Yi, who had seen much and wielded a Supreme Treasure, couldn't help but narrow his eyes. His heart was rocked by a storm, and his face filled with shock.
He hurried forward and urged him in a grave voice, "Brother, you mustn't! The Sermon at Purple Cloud Palace is a Saint's opportunity, one that concerns the future Great Dao of all living beings in the Primordial World. If our Demon Clan forcibly occupies every seat and stops the other Innate Divine Saints from listening to the Dao, at best we'll anger the future Saint and invite the Heavenly Dao's backlash. At worst, we'll provoke every Grand Unity Golden Immortal in the Primordial World into joining forces against us. Then our Demon Clan will become the enemy of the entire Primordial World, and our position will be perilous!"
Tai Yi was still worried that such an act would provoke universal outrage.
Unexpectedly, Di Jun only gave a faint laugh.
"Tai Yi, as long as we don't touch those few Innate Divine Saints whose cultivation is roughly equal to ours, who else in the Primordial World can stop our Demon Clan?"
Di Jun's eyes blazed, his expression utterly confident.
"The seats at Purple Cloud Palace are limited, and a Saint's opportunity is unique. If we want the Demon Clan to rule the Primordial World forever, we must cut off everyone else's path. Within thirty thousand years, we'll kill every Innate Divine Saint and Primordial World rare being with a chance of reaching the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, before they can even mature! Only then will the path to Purple Cloud Palace be open to our Demon Clan alone!"
Looking at the resolve on his elder brother's face, Tai Yi knew that Di Jun's ambition was set and could not be changed. He fell silent for a moment, then chose to support him without reservation. Bowing, he declared in a ringing voice, "Your younger brother Tai Yi will obey your every command. I'll brave fire and water without hesitation!"
"I'll obey your every command, Brother."
Di Jun nodded with satisfaction.
Elsewhere, Randeng carried the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram, as he broke through the chaotic astral winds and finally returned to the Primordial World after nearly a thousand years.
Throughout those thousand years, Randeng had never let up. He had refined the Innate Restrictions within the Taiji Diagram day and night, gradually mastering the treasure's power. At the same time, he had drawn upon its primordial energy to fuse with the thin Pangu Bloodline flowing through his body, devoting himself to comprehending the supreme Annihilation Law.
Hard work had paid off. The moment he entered the Primordial World, Randeng's aura surged. His comprehension of the Annihilation Law reached sixty-five percent, and he broke through his bottleneck in one fell swoop, advancing from the middle stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm to the late stage. His strength far surpassed what it had been before.
The first thing he did after returning to the Primordial World was head west. He had been away for so long that, aside from periodically suppressing the Karmic Power of the West Sea Dragon Clan, Jieyin and Zhunti had been handling virtually everything in the west.
But as he rode the clouds across the Primordial World, he keenly sensed that it had changed beyond recognition since his departure.
Northeast of Buzhou Mountain, countless Demon Clan tribes stood scattered across the land. At the center of every tribe stood a towering statue of Di Jun. Incense curled around the statues, and the power of faith was so dense it seemed to permeate the air. Voices of worship rose and fell, and the presence of the Demon Clan already covered much of the Eastern Wastes.
After Hongjun's reminder at Purple Cloud Palace, Randeng understood that the Demon Clan was the only force in the Primordial World with both the strength and the motive to stop the other Innate Divine Saints from making their way to Purple Cloud Palace.
In terms of strength, the Demon Clan had two experts at the middle stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, Di Jun and Tai Yi, along with countless demon soldiers and generals, and fortune that soared to the heavens. In terms of motive, the Demon Clan was bent on unifying the Primordial World, so naturally it wanted to monopolize the opportunity at Purple Cloud Palace and cut off the path to sainthood for all other races.
Randeng's eyes narrowed. He immediately turned his cloud around, abandoning his plans to head west and instead flying toward Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain. He knew that Zhenyuanzi, with the Earth Book in his possession, sat in Longevity Mountain and had a clear view of the changes in the Primordial World. Hong Yun, meanwhile, had friends everywhere, with connections throughout the Three Realms. Only by seeking them out first, learning the truth about the Demon Clan, and discussing a response could he prepare for the calamity soon to engulf the Primordial World.
At that very moment, on the Sun Star, Di Jun had already begun deploying his forces. A hunt targeting every cultivator in the Primordial World with the potential to break through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm had begun long before Randeng set out.