Although the Three Pure Ones had top-tier cultivation, so what?
Their Demon Court had many Demon Gods and Demon Generals. Even if the Three Pure Ones advanced further in cultivation, they would still be acting alone.
But East King Duke was different. He possessed the Exalted Position of Heavenly Emperor bestowed upon him by Hongjun Dao Ancestor, making him the rightful Heavenly Emperor of the Primordial World.
Now he had even established the Immortal Court on the heels of his victory over them. For a time, no one could match his fame.
"The only thing we can do now is establish the Demon Race."
Di Jun said through gritted teeth.
Establishing the Demon Race, just like East King Duke establishing the Immortal Court, would attract rogue cultivators from across the Primordial World to join them and strengthen their own forces.
It would have been fine before, but if they established the Demon Race now, it would inevitably be affected, and far fewer people would be willing to join.
The timing was less than ideal, and they wouldn't be able to maximize their gains.
But right now, they weren't thinking about gains. If no other power arose at this time, the Immortal Court might really be able to occupy the Primordial World without losing a single soldier.
In an instant,
Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance, then soared into the sky, as if two suns had appeared above.
Their figures illuminated the sky, visible from every corner of the Primordial World.
"Heavenly Dao above, I am Di Jun / Taiyi. Seeing that the Beings of the Great Desolation struggle to cultivate, I wish to establish a race called the Demon Race, and use the Eastern Emperor Bell to suppress its fortune. Any being in the world that has developed sentience may join!"
The Dao Sound echoed far and wide, and even the Heavenly Dao offered its congratulations.
Atop a demon mountain in a remote range,
"Damn it, the Immortal Court is utterly inhuman! It would've been bad enough if they'd simply refused to let us join, but they even said we're covered in baleful qi and have murderous natures, and want to subdue us and put us in that Demon-Suppressing Pagoda!"
A black panther wreathed in Black Qi sat in his cave, fuming. Several cultivators just like him were gathered there, feasting.
His sharp claws pierced a newborn calf. He opened his gaping jaws and bit down, sending juices flying.
The others behaved much the same. The beings in their hands wailed and begged for mercy, but none of them showed the slightest pity.
"If this keeps up, those lackeys of the Immortal Court will sooner or later catch us and drag us off to the Heavenly Court to claim credit. How about we go join His Majesty Di Jun?"
"Good. The two emperors, Di Jun and Taiyi, have established the Demon Race. They don't care about your birth or cultivation, as long as you're sentient. If we join the Demon Race, why should we fear the Immortal Court?"
"Good! Excellent! Brothers, let's finish this meat, then head for the Demon Race!"
Situations like this soon became widespread, and mighty beings flocked to join the Demon Race.
There were so many of them that the Heavenly Court's former glory seemed to be returning.
And aside from their poor conduct, these mighty beings were all quite powerful. After all, the weak had long since been captured by the Immortal Court's Immortal Generals.
Ancestor Witch Hall.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches had gathered. In a rare turn, they weren't cultivating, but sat cross-legged in the great hall.
"Little Sister Houtu, how did your conversation with East King Duke go?"
The Immortal Court had just been established when Houtu went to the Heavenly Court and met East King Duke.
"Rest assured, brothers. I spoke with the Heavenly Emperor. As long as we don't violate the Immortal Court's laws, he won't take the initiative to attack the Witch Race!"
At those words, before Di Jiang could even respond, Zhu Rong's temper flared. His red hair stood on end, burning like Divine Fire.
"What! Our Witch Race are descendants of Father God Pangu. Who does East King Duke think he is, making rules for us to follow?!"
"Exactly! If it comes to it, we'll fight. When have we ever been afraid?"
Gong Gong said, just as unconcerned.
Earlier, when Eldest Brother and Little Sister Houtu said they would try to negotiate with East King Duke, they had been somewhat displeased. But since the two of them agreed, they had kept their objections to themselves. Hearing this now, they were naturally furious.
Di Jiang turned his razor-sharp gaze on them.
Only when the two lowered their heads and fell silent did he let it go.
"The Northern Region where we dwell was bestowed upon us by Father God. Naturally, no one else may set foot there. If East King Duke doesn't interfere with our territory, then we have no need to make an enemy of him."
"Besides, our greatest enemies right now are Di Jun and the others. Their forces are also in the Northern Region. We've fought tens of thousands of bloody battles over territory. As long as they remain, I won't be at ease!"
Di Jiang's voice echoed through the Ancestor Witch Hall, making the others sober up.
Just then, the Heavenly Dao's acknowledgment carried the words of Di Jun and Taiyi establishing the Demon Race through the Ancestor Witch Hall and into their ears.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches stepped out of the hall. Seeing the Demon Race merit descend upon Di Jun and Taiyi, they could hardly resist marching over to pick a fight.
They had thought that, after East King Duke had dealt them such a crushing defeat, it was the perfect opportunity for the Witch Race to launch a counterattack. They hadn't expected the other side to simply establish a race before the Heavenly Dao and receive merit from the heavens.
Not only were their injuries healed, but their auras were rapidly growing stronger.
"Damn it!"
"Eldest Brother, why don't we pray to the Heavenly Dao too?!"
Xuan Ming and the others immediately proposed.
Di Jiang stepped forward first, went up to the Ninth Heaven, and copied what the others had done.
"Heavenly Dao above, we Twelve Ancestral Witches are the children of Father God Pangu, charged with watching over the land of the Primordial World. We now establish the Witch Race and use the Ancestor Witch Hall to suppress its fortune!"
Twelve voices resounded through the heavens and across the Nine Heavens Ten Earths.
From somewhere beyond, a vague voice came from the distant horizon.
"Approved!"
Then, countless merit descended from the sky. Eight tenths fell upon the Twelve Ancestral Witches, advancing all of their cultivation at once.
One tenth fell upon the Ancestor Witch Hall, cloaking its surface in golden light and giving it the air of being impervious to all techniques.
The remaining tenth was divided evenly among all members of the Witch Race, raising their strength and bolstering their foundations.
All Beings were stunned. In a single day, two more top powers had emerged in the Primordial World.
Together with East King Duke's Immortal Court, the Primordial World had once again become a three-way balance of power.
Could the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity from ten thousand years ago really be about to happen all over again?!
Heavenly Court!
"Donghua, it seems the Immortal Court will have enemies from now on."
West Queen Mother said with a furrowed brow, sounding troubled.
After speaking, she suddenly remembered something and turned to East King Duke.
"Right, what were you about to say?"
"I... never mind!"
East King Duke had taken a long time to work up to what he wanted to say, but she had interrupted him. He awkwardly changed the subject.
"They can hardly be called enemies. Those accepted by the Demon Race are all beings burdened with Karmic Debt. Though they can increase its strength, they can't increase its fortune. In fact, the Demon Race will have to sacrifice a great deal to offset the Karmic Debt they bring. It's nothing more than quenching their thirst with poison!"
"Sooner or later, it will backfire on them. And the Witch Race has no grudge against me. Ancestral Witch Houtu came to see me a few days ago. We can coexist peacefully; our interests don't conflict."
These were his honest thoughts. In his heart, the only ones who could be considered obstacles to his Immortal Court were the Saints.
The Three Pure Ones, the Two Sages of the West, Nuwa, and even Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
Other than them, there was no one left whom he needed to take seriously—not even the Demon Race as it stood now.
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