At the edge of the sky, Di Jun forcibly suppressed the shock raging in his heart. His expression was utterly grim.
He fixed his gaze on Xuandu and said coldly:
"Xuandu! Don't spout nonsense or speak recklessly about a Sage!"
"Empress Nuwa is a Heavenly Dao Sage, above worldly concerns. Why would she bother with such a trivial matter?"
"Don't stir up trouble and sow discord here!"
He tried to steer the conversation back on track and avoid provoking the Sage.
But since Xuandu had made his move, how could he let Di Jun escape so easily?
"Oh? A trivial matter?"
"Countless living beings are suffering, and a race created by a Sage stands on the brink of extinction. In Your Majesty's eyes, that's a trivial matter?"
"Or does Your Majesty believe that when Empress Nuwa created the Human Race, she did so on a whim, and that their survival or extinction is utterly insignificant?"
He stared at Di Jun, pressing him step by step:
"If so, then what did Empress Nuwa rely on to attain Sainthood by creating humanity?"
"If the Human Race goes extinct, what will become of the Human Sect's fortune?"
"Wouldn't her Saint Position become a joke?!"
The Human Sect's fortune! The Saint Mother's Saint Position!
Xuandu had directly tied the survival of the Human Race to the foundation of Saintess Nuwa's Dao path!
If the Demon Race insisted on slaughtering the Human Race to forge the Witch-Slaying Sword, they would not merely be making enemies of the Human Race and incurring the Interception Sect's enmity.
They would also be undermining the foundation of Saintess Nuwa's Sainthood!
The karmic consequences were too great!
So great that even as Demon Emperors who ruled the Heavenly Court, they could never bear them!
Di Jun's figure swayed almost imperceptibly. He felt a sweetness rise in his throat, and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He forced it back down. When he looked at Xuandu, his eyes held deep wariness—and even a trace of fear.
This young man was not only improving his strength in an uncanny way. His meticulous mind, sharp tongue, and terrifying grasp of Karma were all frightening.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi was shaking with rage. The Chaos Bell hummed, but he no longer dared unleash its power lightly.
He had no doubt that if he dared to make another move now, Saintess Nuwa might descend in person before Sect Leader Tongtian even had to act!
What could they do?
Their dignity had been trampled, and the Witch-Slaying Sword plan had been thwarted.
The Sage's wrath loomed over them, and the Demon Court faced the threat of annihilation.
For the first time, he felt that the situation had completely slipped out of his control.
And it was all because of the Green Clad Figure on the altar—seemingly calm, yet stirring the currents across the entire Great Wilderness.
Xuandu stood alone atop the altar, feeling his cultivation and pedigree steadily increase as the myriad Human Race wholeheartedly rallied to him.
He looked at the two Demon Emperors faltering in the sky, and at the Twelve Ancestral Witches beside them, their expressions shifting uncertainly.
He knew he had made the right move.
He had cowed them with the Interception Sect's might.
And unsettled them with Nuwa's Karma.
Seeing this, Xuandu knew the time was about right.
Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi's faces had turned ashen. Rage and apprehension mingled in their eyes; his successive moves had clearly thrown them into disarray.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches watched from the sidelines, their baleful aura restrained, waiting only for the Demon Court to make a single misstep.
Below, the myriad Human Race gazed up at him, hope and anxiety in their eyes.
The entire East Sea Coast was caught in a web of converging forces. One final step was all that remained to settle the balance of Qian Kun!
Just one final step, and he could make the Demon Race abandon its plan to forge the Witch-Slaying Sword for good!
Then the System Mission would be complete, and the Cultivation Technique Sum Feedback would unlock!
His predicament—possessing the Hunyuan Realm and boundless magical power, yet lacking exquisite Divine Abilities to fight his enemies—would be a thing of the past!
The road ahead suddenly opened wide!
Xuandu's gaze sharpened. In an instant, he reached his decision.
He stopped looking at the ever-shifting expressions of Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
Instead, he slowly turned to face the countless members of the Human Race kneeling below, their gazes burning with fervor.
His green robes stirred lightly as he stood atop the altar.
The profound Dao Charm brought by his Intermediate Chaos Demon God Pedigree flowed naturally around him.
He slowly raised a hand, then pressed it down.
He needed no words. The earth-shaking clamor fell silent at once.
All eyes converged on him.
"Today."
Xuandu spoke in a calm voice, yet every member of the Human Race—and every mighty figure watching from afar—heard him clearly.
"Today, I have taken countless members of the Human Race as disciples. They are all disciples under my tutelage, Xuandu, and members of the second generation of the Interception Sect!"
"They will enjoy the protection of the Interception Sect's fortune and the shelter of a Sage's teachings!"
"Hum!"
The instant his words fell, it was as if thunder crashed in the unseen depths!
The Interception Sect's fortune and the Human Dao Destiny, which had only been faintly connected before, resonated with a roar. They intertwined completely, never to be separated again!
An immeasurable Dao Charm drifted faintly from the direction of Golden Ao Island, blessing this place!
It was weak, but undeniably real!
It was Sect Leader Tongtian's tacit approval!
The Interception Sect's fortune had recognized them!
It was done!
Then he spun around!
His gaze pierced the void and fell once more on Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, whose expressions had grown darker than ever!
"Demon Emperor Di Jun! Eastern Emperor Taiyi!"
Xuandu's voice suddenly rose, resounding across the East Sea Coast!
"Listen carefully!"
He pointed toward the Human Race below, their countless gazes unwavering.
"Now, the Human Race behind me is no longer prey for you to butcher as you please!"
"They are my disciples, Xuandu's! They are second-generation disciples of the Interception Sect!"
"Their status is established, and our Karma is bound!"
Xuandu leaned forward slightly and said coldly:
"If the Demon Race dares to slaughter them again..."
His voice paused for a moment. Then, with his final words, a vast and mighty Hunyuan Power burst forth!
"Then it will be declaring war on me, Xuandu—and on the entire Interception Sect!"
"Understood?"
Those final two words were no ordinary utterance.
Xuandu had condensed them from the boundless Hunyuan Power within him!
The myriad demons trembled to their very souls as they heard him. The bloodlust faded from their eyes, replaced by confusion and fear.
Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi's expressions darkened further!
Humiliation!
This was blatant humiliation!
He had infused his words with Hunyuan Power, like an elder reprimanding a junior, and questioned whether they understood—in front of the Witch Clan and countless living beings!
They were the Demon Emperors! Quasi-Saint Peaks!
They ruled the Heavenly Court and commanded Myriad Demons!
How could they ever have suffered such a disgrace!
Eastern Emperor Taiyi's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Solar True Fire erupted uncontrollably from his body, scorching and warping the surrounding void until it began to collapse!
The Chaos Bell sensed its master's boundless fury and let out a deafening roar. Its resplendent waves of sound were about to sweep out without restraint!
"Second Brother!"
Di Jun suddenly reached out and clamped his hand around Eastern Emperor Taiyi's arm.
His voice was hoarse, trembling with the strain of holding himself back.
He had thought further than Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
Xuandu's move seemed humiliating, but it was really a final warning!
He had drawn a line that could not be crossed!
Those two words, "Understood?", infused with his magical power, were both a warning and a final chance to back down!
If they dared to act now, it would mean the Demon Court had completely broken with Xuandu.
They would not only have to face Xuandu, that mysterious Golden Immortal of the Origin, and endure the Interception Sect's wrath; they would also have to bear the overwhelming Karma of undermining Nuwa's Saint Position!
And the Witch Clan would never let such an opportunity slip by. They would certainly strike with thunderous force!
At that point, the question would no longer be whether they lost face, but whether the Demon Court could survive the Calamity!
They had to retreat!
If they swallowed their anger, there was still room to turn things around.
If they did not, the Demon Court would likely be unable to escape disaster today!
Before you continue