I Want to Be the Heavenly Emperor, Angering Everyone in Zixiao Palace

Hongjun sat high above the Ninth Heavens, the pressure of an unparalleled Saint faintly emerging, making all the heavens seem to whimper in grief.

The many Great Powers within the palace fell silent as cicadas in winter, terror filling their hearts.

A Saint was actually this powerful. Merely the slightest fluctuation of his thoughts was enough to leave them nearly unable to breathe.

In his eyes, they were perhaps as frail as ants.

It only made them revere him all the more.

At that moment, Hongjun lowered his gaze toward East King Duke. Before he even spoke, a trace of chill could already be felt.

"The calamity has only just passed, and the demonic aura between heaven and earth has yet to fully disperse. If East King Duke has the means to restore the Primordial World, it would be a great virtue!"

The Great Dao rumbled, its lingering echoes winding through the hall.

The Three Pure Ones shook their heads slightly at those words. The Dao Ancestor had truly been enraged.

The demonic aura had formed from what Demon Ancestor Luohu left behind. As one who had contended with Hongjun for the Dao, how could the things he left behind be easily resolved?

The Dao Ancestor wanted East King Duke to retreat in the face of difficulty. Otherwise, if he truly pursued the matter, East King Duke's fate was easy to imagine.

"Dao Ancestor, you are wise. Cleansing the demonic aura is not a task that can be accomplished in a single day. I ask the Dao Ancestor to bestow one more thing!"

Sensing the terrifying aura above his head that could crush him to death at any moment, East King Duke actually laughed.

All he knew was that, as the Heaven-appointed Head of Male Immortals, he would not die before completing his mission. That was enough.

He had confidence to spare, enough to stir up trouble whenever he pleased.

Of course, he still split off a portion of his attention to inspect the system.

If there truly was danger, the system would certainly warn him in advance.

"A mere Taiyi realm cultivator dares to be so presumptuous? He simply does not know Heaven's mandate!"

"He is nothing but an ant. If not for taking advantage of his Innate Foundation, how could he be worthy of Listening to Dao alongside us?"

"How laughable, how pitiful, how lamentable!"

The great demons of the Demon Court mocked him disdainfully, and they indeed had the right to do so.

Even the weakest among them had reached the perfected Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, one minor realm above East King Duke.

The outstanding among them were even Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals, not to mention Di Jun, Taiyi, and the others who ruled the Demon Court.

They were all top Great Powers on par with the Three Pure Ones.

With Saints absent and the three clans in seclusion, they stood among the strongest in the Primordial World.

That was why Taiyi looked down on East King Duke.

How could someone inferior even to his subordinates dare occupy the position of Head of Male Immortals?

"Dao Ancestor!"

Ignoring their noisy clamor, East King Duke continued bowing amid countless mocking gazes.

"The demonic aura of the Primordial World does not merely consist of remnants from ancient times. When Luohu perished, he transformed into the Demonic Dao itself, and demonic aura has been breeding between heaven and earth every day. I ask the Dao Ancestor to bestow the Heavenly Emperor Position, so that I may take responsibility for commanding all living beings of the Primordial World!"

"Presumptuous!"

"How dare this wretch insult us!"

This time, no one in the entire Zixiao Palace could remain seated.

Though their cultivation had been sealed, Di Jun and Taiyi still rose to their feet and pointed at East King Duke as they cursed him furiously.

The position of Head of Male Immortals was not enough for him—he even wanted the position of Heavenly Emperor.

One had to know that managing the myriad immortals and commanding all living beings were entirely different matters.

The former carried great authority, but figures such as the Three Pure Ones did not care for it.

Their foundations had been formed from Pangu. They could be called immortals, but could also barely be considered Chaos Demon Gods.

Naturally, they were not subject to East King Duke's authority.

But the Heavenly Emperor was different. So long as a being existed within the Primordial World, it would fall under his jurisdiction.

How could they possibly endure that?

Thus, this time, East King Duke had provoked public outrage.

Cries of condemnation rose one after another.

Even the Three Pure Ones, usually the most tranquil and detached, now frowned and looked over with displeasure.

If even the Three Pure Ones reacted so, then Kunpeng, Minghe, and the other fierce figures needed no mention.

If this were not Zixiao Palace, the Yuantu Sword in their hands would likely have already been driven into him.

"Which Great Power present does not possess an Innate Foundation? Yet he dares dream of commanding us? He is simply a fool chasing a dream, reckless beyond measure!"

Nuwa and Fuxi were also furious. They had been cultivating peacefully on Buzhou Mountain.

Yet now someone wanted to stand over their heads. Had it been a Saint, that would have been one thing—but it was merely a junior in the Taiyi realm.

No matter how good their tempers were, they could not swallow this insult.

Jieyin and Zhunti of the West had similarly low cultivation due to the West's barrenness. For a time, they could not get a word in edgewise among those Great Powers with profound cultivation, and the expressions on their faces grew even more bitter.

"Please reconsider, Dao Ancestor!"

After berating him for a while, the crowd saw that East King Duke remained utterly unmoved, and their anger intensified.

Yet there was nothing they could do to him.

In the end, they simply bowed toward the Cloud Platform and asked Hongjun to uphold justice for them.

Hongjun's gaze fell upon East King Duke. Within his eyes, countless heavens rose and perished without end, concealing ten thousand mysteries. East King Duke felt as though he had been seen through completely, with not a single secret left to hide.

[Hongjun is curious about you and wishes to explore your secrets!]

[But in the end, he fails to discern anything!]

Seeing the notification flash before him, East King Duke gained a measure of confidence.

Without concealing anything, he met Hongjun's gaze directly.

Being the Head of Male Immortals was well and good, but it had been his by right from the start.

It was bestowed by the Heavenly Dao; even Hongjun could not alter it.

But the Heavenly Emperor Position was different. With this position, whatever he did in the future would be on the side of righteousness.

Only if he obtained it could it truly be considered something he had fought for himself.

Then, when he made his plans in the future, things would become much easier.

As East King Duke met Hongjun's eyes, he suddenly felt dazed.

He did not know whether an instant or several thousand years had passed when a voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.

"Now that the Primordial World has only just been settled, all things await revival. East King Duke is favored by destiny and possesses extraordinary means. He is willing to employ great perseverance and great merit to set the Primordial World's order in order. By the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun bestows upon him the Heavenly Emperor Position, as well as one Creation White Lotus and one Myriad Immortals Scroll!"

"May you cultivate yourself and bring blessings to the myriad spirits of the Primordial World. Should you violate this, heaven and earth shall punish you together!"

Hongjun flicked his sleeve, and two streams of light flew toward East King Duke.

"Many thanks, Dao Ancestor!"

East King Duke happily collected every Magic Treasure before him.

But everyone else was left dumbfounded.

"No, why did the Dao Ancestor agree? And he even bestowed two more Magic Treasures?!"

"Three Innate Spiritual Treasures and one Houtian Merit Spiritual Treasure—even those ancient monsters who took form at the opening of heaven don't possess such a rich fortune, do they?"

"More than that—with the Heavenly Emperor Position personally acknowledged by a Saint, I fear the Primordial World will change skies from this day onward!"

Within Zixiao Palace, envious and jealous gazes intertwined.

Even when the three clans of Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin had once dominated heaven and earth, they had only divided the Primordial World into three.

How could it compare to now? East King Duke, once utterly unremarkable, had transformed in a single leap into the master of the Primordial World!

"Hmph, they are merely a few Innate Spiritual Treasures. If you wish to become Heavenly Emperor, you must first ask whether my Eastern Emperor Bell agrees!"

Taiyi glared at East King Duke through gritted teeth.

The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Minghe, and the others likewise darkened their gazes as all manner of schemes surfaced in their minds.

They were all innate beings—how could they possibly tolerate someone ruling over them?

"It seems I have quite a few enemies!"

After paying his respects to the Dao Ancestor, East King Duke returned to his seat and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Though he had obtained many benefits, in return he had essentially offended every Great Power in Zixiao Palace.

The others were manageable enough, and East King Duke did not pay them much heed.

But...