The Great Battle, Part 3

The two sides had been locked in a fierce battle, but at some point, the fighting suddenly stopped.

Looking around, they saw that Di Jun and Dijiang had stopped fighting.

Di Jun said, "Dijiang, why have you brought your troops to attack us today?"

Dijiang replied, "I've already told you. What right do you beasts, born of fur and scales, moisture and eggs, have to claim dominion over the Primordial Wilderness? Give up the Primordial World Continent, and I'll spare your lives."

By this point in the battle, everyone understood the Demon God Race's aim: the Primordial World Continent.

Before Di Jun could answer, Eastern Emperor Taiyi stepped forward. "Dijiang, you shameless wretch. What makes you think you deserve to rule the Primordial Wilderness? If you want to fight, then fight. Do you think your Grandpa Taiyi is afraid of a pack of mad dogs like you?"

As soon as Taiyi finished speaking, the Chaos Bell rang out. He looked ready to charge.

But Di Jun fell silent. The Heavenly Court wasn't afraid to go to war with the Demon God Race. Their numbers had surged, but it was still unclear who would win.

But this was certainly no time for a decisive battle.

Though the Demon Race ruled the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Heavenly Court, Di Jun was no Lord of the Myriad Stars. He was only the lord of the Sun Star, while the Starry Sky revered Ziwei above all.

During the Immortal-Demon War, Ziwei had died. Only then had Di Jun, as lord of the Sun Star, gained the power to command the stars. Later, he established the Demon Race and founded the Heavenly Court.

But some forces in the Starry Sky still refused to obey the Heavenly Emperor's commands, with Doumu Yuanjun and Wenchang Emperor at their head.

Those two were the Heavenly Court's true threats from within.

He had been making plans for years. Once the time was right, he could lead his troops to wipe out the remaining forces in the Starry Sky.

But now the Demon God Race had launched a massive offensive. He wasn't afraid of them, but if Doumu Yuanjun seized the opportunity to attack the Heavenly Court, that would truly spell trouble.

The Primordial World Continent was certainly important to the Demon Race, but the Heavenly Court and the Starry Sky were its foundation.

By now, Di Jun had made up his mind, but he still couldn't accept it. Every inch of the territory the Demon Race held on the Primordial World Continent had been won through their own efforts.

Now he had to hand it over. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't stomach it.

"Di Jun, leave the Primordial World Continent, and we'll spare your lives."

The Demon God Race seemed utterly fearless, with the spirit of people who would split the heavens open.

Di Jun gave no answer. Instead, he took a long look at every member of the Demon God Race present.

The Demon God Race will be a grave threat to the Heavenly Court.

But Di Jun couldn't afford to gamble. If both sides withdrew now, there was still room to maneuver. If they resumed fighting—

It would be a battle to the death. No one could simply decide to stop once it began.

If the Starry Sky's old forces attacked the Heavenly Court then, Di Jun would be utterly defeated.

Everyone present waited for Di Jun's answer.

But whether they were there in person or watching from afar with divine powers, they could all see Di Jun's apprehension. Everyone already knew what his answer would be.

Kunlun Mountain.

Dao Lord Tongtian said, "Elder Brother, Second Brother, it looks like the Heavenly Court is going to withdraw from the Primordial World Continent."

Primordial Heavenly Venerate nodded. "Mm. Di Jun is going to back down. Those brainless fools simply happened to seize the perfect opportunity."

Primordial Heavenly Venerate had never liked the Twelve Demon Gods. They were a pack of brainless fools who did nothing but fight and never sought to understand the Great Dao.

Dao Lord Taishang seemed not to notice the battle at Buzhou Mountain. Sitting on his meditation cushion, he recited to himself:

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Thus, ever free of desire, one may observe its mystery; ever filled with desire, one may observe its manifestations. These two arise together, yet differ in name. Together, they are called the profound. Profound upon profound—the gateway to all wonders."

As soon as his words fell, Dao Lord Taishang succeeded in Slaying the Corpse.

A flash of white light passed. Using the Flat-Crook—his Dao-Proving treasure, formed from a petal of the Twenty-Four-Petal Green Lotus—Taishang severed his benevolent corpse.

Yuanshi exclaimed, "Elder Brother, you've severed a corpse?"

Tongtian said nothing, but envy filled his eyes. Before long, though, it gave way to determination.

Taishang nodded. "I broke through to Mid Quasi-Saint some time ago, but I didn't feel the time was right to sever a corpse. Today, my cultivation has reached completion, so I severed my benevolent corpse."

Yuanshi and Tongtian nodded. They had sensed Taishang's breakthrough to Mid Quasi-Saint a few days ago.

Taishang said, "The disputes of the Primordial World have nothing to do with us. Whoever rules heaven and earth, who would dare invade Kunlun Mountain? We need only cultivate diligently, comprehend the Great Dao, attain Hunyuan Dao, and then achieve sainthood. That is what matters most."

Hearing Taishang's words, Tongtian laughed aloud. Was there anyone in the Primordial Wilderness who would dare invade Kunlun Mountain? What a joke.

After laughing, Tongtian nodded solemnly. Elder Brother Taishang's breakthrough had given him tremendous motivation.

Buzhou Mountain.

Di Jun's expression was darker than ever. The decision was a difficult one, but he had to say it.

At last, it seemed he had come to terms with it.

He said, "Withdraw the troops."

One had to give something up to gain something in return. Truly, he was the first Heavenly Emperor of the Primordial World.

No one was surprised by Di Jun's decision, but everyone deeply respected him for it.

Whether they were powerful cultivators or ordinary beings, it was sometimes easy to obtain something, but hard to give it up. That was the inherent weakness of all living things.

For this reason, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had created the Slaying Three Corpses method.

Taiyi glared hatefully at every member of the Demon God Race present, as if he wanted to remember this moment of humiliation.

Then he shook the Chaos Bell, and its deep tolls rang out.

The Demon Race began withdrawing in groups, returning to the Heavenly Court.

But just then, Donghua suddenly shouted, "This is bad!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately returned to the Eastern Battlefield.

By the time he arrived, it was already too late.

He saw the Demon Gods Ci Tie and Gui Che attacking Yuan Xiong from both sides. Ci Tie landed a direct blow, killing Yuan Xiong. Even his final true spirit was scattered.

Xiong Er saw what had happened. His eyes went blank.

"No!"

But it was already too late. Neither Donghua nor the Demon God Ju Mang could intervene. It had all happened too fast.

After the two sides stopped fighting, Yuan Xiong had continued battling Ci Tie. They hadn't thought much of it; everyone knew the two had a grudge, and this wasn't the first time they had fought like this.

Their attention had all been fixed on Buzhou Mountain as they awaited Heavenly Emperor Di Jun's decision.

No one had expected Gui Che to launch a sneak attack from behind, striking directly at Yuan Xiong's spirit.

With Yuan Xiong's spirit wounded, Ci Tie seized the chance to kill him, not even sparing his final true spirit.

Donghua said nothing to Xiong Er. At this point, nothing he could say would change what had happened.

He immediately opened a spatial passage and brought Xiong Er to the battlefield.

The moment they landed, Xiong Er rushed over and caught Yuan Xiong as he fell from the sky.

Yuan Xiong had no breath left.

Almost no one noticed Xiong Er's actions. Everyone's attention was fixed on Donghua instead.

Fuxi asked, "East King Gong, what brings you here?"

Donghua smiled and was about to answer, but suddenly cried out, "How dare you!"

Ci Tie was about to attack Xiong Er.

Seeing this, Donghua was so furious that the three corpses in him stirred violently. In both his previous life and this one, he had always considered himself even-tempered.

This was the first time since arriving in the Primordial Wilderness that he had felt the urge to kill.

Donghua waved his hand, and the Pure Yang Sword swept through the sky like a Sky Collapse.

It struck Ci Tie just as he was about to attack.

Ci Tie had no time to react. The sword pierced straight through him, and his body fell helplessly to the ground.

The Pure Yang Sword returned to Donghua's hand.

Donghua looked up at Fuxi. "Fuxi, is this how the people of your Heavenly Court behave? He attacked someone younger than himself without a shred of shame. Have you forgotten the bond we shared when we listened to the Dao at Purple Heaven Palace?"

The Demon God Race stared at Fuxi in anger as well. They had disapproved of Gui Che's earlier attack, but in the middle of a war, they could at least understand it.

But they couldn't stand by while Ci Tie attacked someone as young as Xiong Er.

Though the Iron Eater Beasts weren't part of the Demon God Race, they were their affiliated tribe. If no one offered an explanation today, there would be no way to settle this peacefully.

Fuxi could only give a helpless, bitter smile. "East King Gong, everyone, I failed to keep my subordinates in line. I have nothing to say."

He truly didn't know what to say. If he tried to protect Ci Tie, Donghua looked ready to attack him outright.

With those two Demon Gods there as well, even Fuxi would find it hard to leave in one piece today.

But abandoning Ci Tie wasn't realistic either.

If Fuxi himself said such a thing, would the Heavenly Court still have a place for him? He didn't care much about the power his position in the Heavenly Court brought him; he had stayed there only to fulfill his ideals.

But no matter how bad Ci Tie was, he was still Fuxi's subordinate and a member of the Heavenly Court. If Fuxi did this, wouldn't he lose face?

The scene fell silent.

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P.S. The book's title has been changed to: Primordial Wilderness: I Really Don't Want to Be the Heavenly Emperor.