Listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace, East King Duke Falls into Crisis!

Lying high upon the nine-layered clouds, the futon settles the true Dao.

Heaven and Earth are Xuanhuang, and I shall be the Sect Master Venerable.

"The sermon ends here today. We shall meet again in three thousand years. Those with affinity may return!"

Inside Zixiao Palace, an old man sat atop the cloud dais, his mouth exhaling the Sound of Great Dao, filling the heavens with fragrance.

Below, the Three Thousand Zixiao Guests awoke one by one from their enlightenment; some were filled with satisfaction, while others remained unsatisfied or troubled by confusion.

Yet, at this moment, they all stood up in unison and bowed deeply toward the Hongjun Dao Ancestor above.

"Many thanks to the Teacher for imparting the Dao!"

The Saint Hongjun nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and spoke again.

"Although the Dragon-Han Calamity has ended, the demonic energy of heaven and earth remains unextinguished. The Great Desolation Beings are ignorant, knowing neither the Heavenly Dao nor the Yin and Yang. Is there anyone willing to take up the responsibility of enlightenment?"

As these words fell, even though everyone present was a Great Power who had achieved the Dao, they could not help but grow agitated.

Enlighten the living beings?

That is how it was phrased, but these two words could also be interpreted as governance—to govern all the beings of the Great Desolation?

This power was by no means small; one could even say it was to be the first person beneath the Saints.

Moreover, these were the words of a Saint; one could say that his authority was equivalent to the recognition of the Heavenly Dao, the orthodoxy of heaven and earth.

Such power stirred the hearts of even those sitting at the front of the hall, such as Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and even Old Ancestor Minghe.

"Hahaha!"

A hearty laugh rang out from the crowd, and a majestic man stood up.

He wore an imperial robe, and the pressure of his royal aura surged into the sky, sweeping through the entire palace.

"Dao Ancestor, the Great Desolation is vast, and immortals cannot glimpse its entirety in a lifetime. I have founded the Demon Court, with a hundred Demon Kings under my command, tens of thousands of Demon Generals, and countless lesser demons. All can be dispatched at will to share this responsibility of enlightenment."

Di Jun!

Zhunti of the West looked at this man, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

Di Jun and Taiyi were innate beings nurtured by the Sun Star; in terms of origin, they possessed the bloodline of the Great God Pangu and were born with an Innate Supreme Treasure. In terms of combat power, with the Eastern Emperor Bell, they were unrivaled in slaughter as long as the Saints did not emerge.

This caused his desire to compete to wither instantly.

After all, their Western lands were desolate and broken; if they were to provoke the karma of Di Jun and his kin, they feared there would be no hope for restoration in the future.

Beside him, Jieyin's face grew even more bitter.

"I, Taiyi, support my elder brother. I ask the Dao Ancestor to grant this!"

As Taiyi stood up to support him, dozens of Demon Race Great Powers chimed in as well.

Seeing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Di Jun's face, as he felt that this responsibility of enlightenment and the position of Heavenly Emperor were already within his grasp.

"Heh, if you, Di Jun, can take it, then this Old Ancestor can too!"

At this moment, a sinister voice rang out, and the crowd looked over in surprise.

Di Jun's smile slowly faded, his gaze turning unkind.

Taiyi held a small golden bell in his hand, staring angrily at the one who had spoken.

"Kunpeng, you had better think carefully before you speak!"

The Eastern Emperor Bell in his hand emitted an ancient chime, causing the souls of everyone present to stagnate for an instant.

"Taiyi, the others may fear you, but this Old Ancestor does not!"

Kunpeng cast a wary glance at the Eastern Emperor Bell, then laughed loudly.

"Your Eastern Emperor Bell is indeed formidable, but with one flap of my wings, I travel billions of miles; with three, I can traverse the entire Great Desolation. Why should this Old Ancestor not be able to shoulder the responsibility of enlightening the living beings?!"

Not far away, Old Ancestor Minghe heard this, his eyes flickering, but in the end, he dismissed the thought just like Zhunti and the others.

Kunpeng's speed rivaled that of a Saint, so he did not fear Taiyi's threats, but he himself could not afford to do the same.

His dojo, the Sea of Blood, was fixed there; he could not move, so he could only stand and take the beating.

"So, your meaning is that you wish to have a bout with me?!"

Killing intent permeated Taiyi, and the atmosphere in Zixiao Palace instantly dropped to freezing point.

The other Demon Kings also unleashed their respective auras, pressing down upon the hall.

Tongtian Daoist of the Three Pure Ones moved to stand up, but was pressed back down by the old man beside him.

"Eldest Brother?"

Tongtian looked over in confusion.

He saw Taishang slowly shake his head, and a voice appeared in his mind out of thin air: "We are the Teacher's direct disciples; we must focus on seeking the Dao to attain Sainthood. Do not let small matters ruin our Dao heart."

After saying this, he sat on his futon and closed his eyes in feigned sleep.

Hearing this, Tongtian could only give up with a sigh of resignation.

Inside the great hall.

The crowd remained deadlocked for a long time until, suddenly, a gentle breeze swept through.

The mana of Taiyi, Kunpeng, and the others vanished in an instant, forcing them back into their original seats, while the Eastern Emperor Bell, an Innate Supreme Treasure, seemed to lose all its power, reverting to a mere Mortal Artifact.

"No disturbances are permitted within Zixiao Palace!"

The Saint Hongjun spoke indifferently. After finishing, he did not look at Di Jun and the others, but continued in a calm tone.

"East King Duke, you were formed from the very first wisp of Yang energy in heaven and earth. Possessing the fortune of an Immortal King, you are destined to be the Head of Male Immortals. Are you willing?"

As these words fell, the three thousand guests in Zixiao Palace all turned to look at one man in the hall with astonishment.

The gazes of the crowd were strange, yet the eyes of East King Duke revealed a trace of bewilderment; he stared blankly at the Zixiao Palace, which radiated a supreme aura, lost in a daze.

What the hell? I was just crossing the street, and I transmigrated to the Primordial World? And I became the miserable East King Duke?!

Violent memories surged like a tidal wave, flooding into his mind all at once.

Head of Male Immortals in the Primordial World? It sounded pleasant enough, but this position was a death sentence!

Not to mention that his own cultivation was barely at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, while every famous Great Power in the Primordial World was either at his level or already a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

Which of these people wasn't unruly and arrogant? How could they possibly listen to his commands?

If a conflict broke out, what was he supposed to use to control them?

That wasn't even considering that Di Jun, Taiyi, and the others were eyeing the control of the Primordial World like tigers stalking their prey. Based on what he knew from his past life, if he dared to accept this, he would only end up with his soul scattered and his body destroyed.

This was quite simply a dead end.

Feeling the malicious glares of Taiyi, Kunpeng, and the others, East King Duke felt his scalp tingle and his entire body turn cold.

"This... this!"

"This immense stroke of fortune, it actually went to East King Duke?"

"I wonder if he dares to accept it. If he does, he will surely offend the Demon Court to the death!"

"Even the Three Pure Ones are unwilling to touch such karma. If he isn't smart enough, he deserves to die!"

Inside Zixiao Palace, the crowd whispered among themselves.

Ever since the decline of the Dragon-Phoenix Three Races, many Great Powers had begun to establish their own factions; they did not seek to become the overlords of heaven and earth, but they could obtain more cultivation resources that way.

Among them, the Demon Court established by Di Jun and his peers was the most prominent.

It even showed signs of unifying the Primordial World, yet now, the Dao Ancestor wanted to make East King Duke the Head of Male Immortals.

Was this not equivalent to snatching food from the tiger's mouth?

This is truly a death trap!

Feeling Hongjun's gaze descend upon him, East King Duke cursed his luck inwardly.

Accepting meant death, and refusing meant death all the same!

Unlike the others, East King Duke knew clearly that making him the Head of Male Immortals was not merely Hongjun's intent, but the inevitable trend of the Heavenly Dao.

If he refused, he would be defying the Heavenly Dao, and the Dragon Race served as a cautionary tale.