Outside the Purple Sky Palace, the chaotic astral winds that had raged unchanged since time immemorial continued to wreak silent havoc.
As Dao Ancestor Hongjun's cool, indifferent figure vanished completely into the depths of the void, the Saintly Might that had weighed on the Immortals like countless mountains finally began to fade.
Just as everyone thought the lecture was over and prepared to summon their Escape Lights and head home to digest what they had learned, a golden decree struck like thunder igniting a prairie fire, sending shockwaves through the chaos.
"East King Duke is hereby appointed Head of Male Immortals and bestowed the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Dragon Head Cane, to rule over the Immortals of the Primordial World."
"Queen Mother of the West is hereby appointed Head of Female Immortals, to assist in managing the affairs of the female Immortals."
The two declarations fell lightly, yet left the thousands of powerful cultivators present dumbfounded.
Head of Male Immortals? Head of Female Immortals?
Was this an official appointment?
The middle-aged Daoist standing in the center of the square, dressed in a luxurious imperial robe, with a fair, clean-shaven face, was none other than East King Duke.
He had once been a wandering cultivator who attained the Dao through the innate pure Yang energy of Purple Mansion Continent. He had a measure of renown, but compared with top-tier deities like the Three Pure Ones and Di Jun, he was hardly worth mentioning.
But now, things had changed.
East King Duke clutched the Dragon Head Cane, which shimmered with flowing light and radiated the aura of the Law of Dominion, so tightly that his knuckles had turned faintly white.
His eyes, once filled with envy and wariness, now burned with almost feverish excitement.
What was this?
This was power. This was the authority of a righteous mandate!
Before, he had to lower his head before the Three Pure Ones and take a detour around Di Jun. But now, the Dao Ancestor had personally appointed him Head of Male Immortals. In name, he was the superior of every male cultivator in the Primordial World.
An unprecedented sense of self-importance swelled within East King Duke's primordial spirit.
He straightened his back, his eyes turning haughty and domineering as he surveyed the crowd. The wandering cultivators who had once paid him no mind still grumbled inwardly, but under the Dao Ancestor's authority and the might of that Top-grade Spiritual Treasure, they had no choice but to bow their heads and offer a few half-hearted greetings: "Greetings, East King Duke."
To East King Duke, those insincere greetings sounded like the sweetest music in the world.
"Hahaha! Fellow Daoists, rise!"
East King Duke laughed aloud and struck the white jade ground with his Dragon Head Cane. It rang out with a clear, metallic chime. "Since the Dao Ancestor has thought so highly of me and entrusted me with this important duty, I shall do my utmost to set the Primordial World in order and establish rules."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted pointedly toward the top-tier powers who were preparing to leave in small groups.
Di Jun and Tai Yi sneered and turned into streaks of rainbow light, leaving without so much as a glance in his direction.
The Three Pure Ones were even more indifferent. Primordial Heavenly Lord didn't even bother to grunt as he strode straight across the square.
East King Duke had just been about to throw his official weight around, but now his face stiffened. The fire of his new appointment smoldered painfully in his chest.
He desperately needed someone to make an example of—someone who looked wealthy and influential, but whose backing didn't seem all that "formidable." He needed an easy target to intimidate the others and show off the authority of the Head of Male Immortals.
Just then—
A deep, resonant dragon's roar, steeped in boundless extravagance, suddenly erupted from a secluded corner beside the Purple Sky Palace.
ROOOAR—!!
The nine Five-Clawed Golden Dragon souls swelled to ten thousand zhang in size, pulling the magnificent Nine Dragon Agarwood Carriage, gleaming with purple-gold light and encrusted with all kinds of innate gems. It forced a path through the Chaos Airflow as it came charging over.
The carriage wheels ground across the void with such an ostentatious clamor that they were even more brazen than Di Jun and Tai Yi had been when they left in streaks of rainbow light.
From inside the carriage came several rather inappropriate remarks.
"Elder Brother, I really did seal the hotpot broth. It won't leak! It smells so good. If we get hungry on the way back, we can heat it up."
"Third Brother, mind your image. Wipe the oil from the corner of your mouth."
The Western trio!
East King Duke's eyes lit up, like a hungry wolf spotting a fat sheep.
Wasn't this the nouveau riche family who had thrown a hotpot feast in the Purple Sky Palace and stolen the limelight?
That Taiyuan, he'd heard, came from the impoverished Western Lands. Aside from two rather foolish junior brothers, he seemed to have no powerful clan backing him.
More importantly, these people were rich. The spiritual ingredients they'd eaten at that feast could probably match a thousand years of savings from his Purple Mansion Continent.
Rich, "soft," and conveniently right in his sights.
A Heaven-sent target to make an example of!
"Stop!"
East King Duke shouted and blurred forward, appearing directly in front of the massive Nine Dragon Carriage.
With one hand behind his back and the other raising the Dragon Head Cane, which glimmered with hazy light, he looked utterly righteous. He unleashed the full force of his Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal aura.
"Outrageous Western cultivators!"
"You see me, the Dao Ancestor's appointed Head of Male Immortals, and yet you refuse to get out of your carriage and pay your respects? Instead, you make a racket inside! You are disturbing the peace of this holy ground and showing complete disregard for rank!"
"This kind of extravagance is a disgrace to the cultivators of the Primordial World! By the law, you must be fined!"
His words rang with righteousness. Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought he was upholding public order and decency.
But the Immortals nearby, who had yet to leave, stopped and looked at East King Duke as if he were a fool.
Of all the people for the new official to target, he had picked that bizarre tycoon?
Inside the carriage—
Zhunti had been blissfully clutching a large jar of sealed hotpot base. At the sound of the shouting outside, his chubby face instantly fell.
Which blind fool dared to block the road of one of the Three Western Sect Leaders?
"Elder Brother!"
Zhunti glared and rolled up his sleeves, reaching for the gleaming golden Blessing Divine Pestle at his waist. His voice was fierce. "What mangy mutt is barking out there? Let me at him—I'll give him a proper send-off with one swing!"
He'd just enjoyed a hearty meal and improved his cultivation. He'd been itching for a fight, and East King Duke had practically delivered himself as a punching bag.
"Calm down."
Jieyin frowned too, but still reached out to restrain his hot-tempered junior brother. His perpetually sorrowful eyes now glinted with dangerous light.
"Though he is the Head of Male Immortals, he does have the Dao Ancestor's authority on his side. We mustn't forget our manners and give others a pretext to criticize us."
That was what Jieyin said, but the Prayer Beads in his hand spun rapidly. Clearly, he had no intention of letting this go.
Taiyuan, seated in a Carefree Chair, slowly set down his cup of spiritual tea, a playful smile curling his lips.
Someone had come looking for trouble.
He'd known East King Duke was an unruly sort, but he hadn't expected him to start collecting "protection money" before they had even left the Purple Sky Palace.
"Open the window," Taiyuan ordered lazily.
Zhunti gave a cold snort and tapped the carriage wall with a finger. The crystal-carved window slowly lowered, revealing their calm faces. Even with someone blocking their way, they showed no alarm—in fact, they looked as if they were about to laugh.
Taiyuan didn't even get up.
He just lounged in his chair, turning two Sea-Calming Divine Pearls in his hand. They clinked together with a crisp sound.
He lifted his eyelids and glanced at the aggressive East King Duke as if he were looking at a buffoon.
"Head of Male Immortals?"
Before you continue