The Lingxiao Court Assembly

Chapter Four: Lingxiao Court Assembly

Just as daylight spilled over the edge of the sea of clouds, Taiyi stepped onto the cloud road leading to heaven.

Beneath his feet lay spiritual mist that had gathered for ten thousand years. Every step sent shallow ripples spreading outward, as if he were walking on water. The black imperial robe hung heavily upon him—woven from Northern Darkness cold silkworm thread mixed with Sun Star gold thread. It was absurdly expensive and absurdly heavy, like wearing armor. Its hem brushed over the jade roadway with a faint rustling sound. He had heard that sound for tens of thousands of years, yet today, it felt especially unfamiliar.

Shang Yang followed half a step behind him to his right, quiet in an unusual way.

This Demon Saint, renowned for her omens, did not usually speak much, but she always offered a few words at the right moment. Yet from the time they left the Sun Palace until now, she had not uttered a single sound. Even the glow of her teal-blue feathered robes seemed dimmer than usual. Her gaze kept drifting toward the back of Taiyi's neck, as if she were searching for something invisible to the naked eye.

"Your Majesty."

Shang Yang finally spoke, her voice low enough that the morning wind nearly carried it away.

Taiyi did not stop. He merely gave a quiet grunt from his throat to show that he was listening.

"Lord Bai Ze submitted a Star Chart last night." She spoke slowly, leaving gaps between her words that made one's heart tighten. "In the northern region, three auxiliary stars at the edge of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure have been dim for three full days."

The mist along both sides of the cloud road slowly dispersed, revealing the outlines of layered palaces below. Those halls, built on white jade foundations and capped with glazed roofs, floated within the sea of clouds. Under the morning light, they shone dazzlingly bright. In the distance, immortal cranes flew past carrying jade slips. The mist stirred up by their flapping wings curled lazily through the air before dispersing only after a long while.

Taiyi did not reply.

He searched through his mind—not through Lin Yuan's pitiful scraps of memories, but through the immense inheritance Eastern Emperor Taiyi had accumulated over countless epochs. About Shang Yang's way of reporting matters. About the northern region. About those inconspicuous auxiliary stars beside the Purple Forbidden Enclosure. Fragments of memory surged up, still carrying warmth. Right—Shang Yang had never come seeking advice. She simply laid out the matter clearly, then waited for those above to make the final decision.

Something similar had happened three thousand years ago.

At that time, the Star Dipper Grand Formation had only just been completed. He and Di Jun had stood side by side atop Buzhou Mountain, their robes snapping loudly in the mountain wind. Below them, three hundred and sixty-five Star Banners billowed in the night. The formation patterns split the sky into sections, and every star shone with terrifying brilliance.

Di Jun had pointed at the stars filling the heavens and said, "With this formation, the Heavenly Court can finally be defended."

What had he said back then?

Ah. He had said, "Defend what? I want those brutes of the Witch Race never to dare raise their heads toward the heavens again."

Thinking back on it now, he had really been arrogant beyond measure.

But that arrogance had not come from nowhere. It came from the foundation of having spent ten thousand years within the Sun Star before taking form. It came from the confidence born when the Chaos Bell acknowledged him as its master and shook down half the void. More than that, it came from the capital he and Di Jun had earned by fighting their way from two Golden Crows to the founding of the Heavenly Court, wading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. This was not an act. It was carved into his bones. Even if the soul inside had changed, the shell still remembered how to be arrogant.

"Tell Bai Ze," Taiyi said, his voice as flat as a pool of stagnant water. "Send Fei Lian. The Wind Division under him moves quickly. If anything truly happens in the north, they can arrive within half a day."

"Yes."

Shang Yang answered crisply, without asking a single unnecessary question, as if she had expected that answer all along.

The cloud road came to an end.

The view before him opened up at once—though "opened up" was not quite the right phrase. Taiyi had walked through Lingxiao Palace more times than he could count. With his eyes closed, he could find the third dragon scale on the ninth coiling-dragon pillar. But today was different. Today was the first time "Lin Yuan," wearing "Taiyi's" shell, was making a formal appearance.

I have to play this well.

He silently repeated the words to himself, though his face showed no trace of emotion.

Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Jade Steps rose from the sea of clouds. Every step was carved with Dao patterns, enough to make one dizzy after staring for too long. Thirty-six coiling-dragon pillars stood on either side of the stairs. What wrapped around those pillars were not carvings, but genuine dragon souls. These old dragons had been bound here as gatekeepers. Usually, they shut their eyes and pretended to sleep, only lazily opening a narrow slit when someone passed by to inspect them with the gaze they gave lifeless objects.

Taiyi stepped onto the first stair.

Thirty-six pairs of dragon eyes opened at the same time.

Their golden vertical pupils were like fire-tempered blades, scraping over his entire body inch by inch, from the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet. The pressure was crushing. If it had been another Grand Unity Golden Immortal, he would probably have already dropped to his knees. But Taiyi only frowned—not as an act, but because he was genuinely annoyed. This inspection happened every day. The original owner of this body had likely long since grown accustomed to it, but his newly arrived soul was still sensitive. Being stared at like this made his whole body uncomfortable.

The dragon eyes closed again without making the slightest sound.

He continued upward. The Jade Steps were broad enough for ten people to walk abreast, but aside from the Heavenly Emperor and the Eastern Emperor, no one was qualified to take the middle path. His black robe trailed behind him, making a soft scraping sound against the stairs. The noise was so monotonous it made one sleepy. The higher he went, the heavier the air became—not in actual weight, but in Dao essence. It was so dense it could not disperse. Even breathing it into his lungs felt burdensome, as if it wanted to nail him to the stairs.

Halfway up, Shang Yang stopped.

There was an invisible boundary there. Demon Saints could go no farther. Beyond it lay the platform that only the two brothers could ascend.

Taiyi did not look back. He climbed the remaining stairs alone. When he stepped onto the final one, the full sight of Lingxiao Palace finally crashed into his eyes—perhaps "crashed" was not the proper word. He should have been used to it, but he still froze for a moment as a crude thought rose in his mind: This hall... was ridiculously huge.

It looked grand from the outside, but that was nothing compared to the absurdity within. Space had been forcibly expanded by laws. The dome was a projection of a real starry sky, where three hundred and sixty-five primary stars slowly revolved along the paths of the Star Dipper Grand Formation. Starlight poured down and cast flickering patches of light across the floor. Beneath his feet lay a single massive piece of Chaos Jade Marrow. Every time he stepped upon it, a ring of light spread beneath his feet, like ripples across a pond.

The hall was already full.

The martial officials stood to the left. Ji Meng's dragon head was especially conspicuous among the crowd. Beside him, the tiger markings on Ying Zhao's back flickered in and out of view. Fei Lian stood straight with his wings folded away. Of Jiuying's nine heads, only three were visible today—this was a court assembly, and there were rules to observe. Every one of these great demons was shrouded in a suffocating bloodthirsty aura, accumulated from fighting their way through the Dragon-Han Tribulation and into the confrontation between the Witches and Demons. Even from afar, one could smell the rusty tang of blood.

The civil officials stood to the right. Bai Ze led them, holding a jade slip. His pale moon-white robes were immaculate, without a single wrinkle. Behind him stood Kui Niu, who oversaw heavenly laws; the Golden Toad, who watched over the treasury; and the Black Tortoise, who allocated resources. They all looked refined, but calculation hid in their eyes—calculation sharper than any blade.

And at the very depths of the hall, atop a nine-tiered platform—

Di Jun sat there.

He wore a dark-gold imperial robe and a twelve-stringed ceremonial crown. The hanging jade beads obscured half his face. Yet Taiyi still saw it. He saw the exhaustion in his elder brother's eyes that could not be concealed, and the faint concern hidden beneath it.

Their gazes met in the air for an instant.

Di Jun gave the slightest nod, so subtle it was nearly impossible to see.

Taiyi walked straight toward the left side of the platform. That was the Eastern Emperor's seat, one step lower than the Heavenly Emperor's but still above everyone below. He swept his sleeve and sat down, his movements smooth and natural. Behind him, the phantom of the Chaos Bell flashed briefly into view. It gave a soft chime, and the echo rolled halfway through the hall's pillars and beams before slowly fading.

"The court assembly begins—"

Xihe's voice rang out from Di Jun's side, clear and cool like a mountain spring running over jade, soothing the heart.

Hundreds of figures in the hall bowed in unison. "Greetings to the Heavenly Emperor! Greetings to the Eastern Emperor!"

The sound struck the Chaos Jade Marrow floor and rebounded with a humming echo that made everyone's eardrums itch.

"Rise." Di Jun spoke. Amplified by the hall's formations, his voice sounded distant and weighty, as if descending from the Ninth Heaven. "What is on the agenda today? Bai Ze, report."

Bai Ze stepped forward, slowly unfurling the jade slip in his hands.

"Reporting to the Heavenly Emperor, there are three matters of note in recent days." He always spoke steadily, enunciating every word clearly as if afraid someone might miss one. "First, the auxiliary stars of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure in the northern region have dimmed. We suspect that Witch Race turbid aura has seeped into the foundations of the Star Dipper Grand Formation. This minister recommends sending additional personnel to guard the area."

Di Jun tapped his fingers against the armrest. The sound was especially clear within the silent hall. "Approved. Fei Lian, send your Wind Division."

Fei Lian below bowed to accept the order. The outline of his wings tensed beneath his robes for an instant. He was a man of few words but swift action. Without wasting even half a word, he accepted the command and returned to the ranks without lifting his eyes again.

"The second matter." Bai Ze continued reading. "A secret realm has appeared near the Eastern Sea. Judging by the traces, it was left behind by the Qilin Race during the Dragon-Han Tribulation. It is covered by an Innate Restriction, and seven demon generals sent to scout it have already been injured. Should we force our way through or seek another method? We ask the Heavenly Emperor to decide."

A stir rose within the hall.

A secret realm of the Qilin Race—those four words were enough to kindle greed in many hearts. There might be Xiantian Spirit Treasures within, ancient inheritances, or at the very least, rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures. The Heavenly Court's circumstances were becoming tighter with every passing day, and every division's resource allotment had been reduced again and again. Everyone wanted a bite of this meat.

But Innate Restrictions were no joke. A frontal assault? How many lives would it cost? Everyone present was an old fox who had lived through countless epochs. Anyone could calculate that account.

Several demon generals exchanged glances. Ji Meng took half a step forward, seemingly about to speak, but Di Jun spoke first. "Set this matter aside for now. Innate Restrictions cannot be touched lightly. Bai Ze, draft a more reliable plan. We will discuss it at the next court assembly."

"Yes." Bai Ze bowed and continued with the third matter. "The last matter is also the most urgent one today—West Kunlun has sent an invitation. One hundred years from now, the Queen Mother of the West will hold a Peach Banquet, inviting Great Wilderness powers from all sides. The invitation reached the South Heaven Gate three days ago. We ask what level of response the Heavenly Court should send, and whom we should dispatch."

This time, the unrest could no longer be suppressed.

The Peach Banquet!

The Queen Mother of the West, West Kunlun, the Innate Spiritual Root Peach Tree—one bloom every three thousand years, one fruiting every three thousand years, and another three thousand years before the fruit ripened. Eating one could extend lifespan and increase cultivation, but the gathering itself mattered even more. Powers from throughout the Great Wilderness would appear, form alliances, and exchange intelligence. All of it happened at this banquet. Every previous Peach Banquet had been attended personally by Di Jun, accompanied by the finest ceremonial escort. The spectacle alone was enough to dazzle the eyes.

But this time...

"Your Majesty!" Ji Meng suddenly stepped out from the ranks. His dragon head was raised, and his thunderous voice shook dust from the hall's beams. "This minister believes that you must not go this time!"

"Oh?" Di Jun's tone did not change, but the temperature within the hall seemed to drop.

"The Witch Race has been acting strangely lately." Ji Meng spoke urgently, his dragon whiskers trembling. "The Houtu Tribe is gathering troops in the southwest, a black mass of no fewer than a hundred thousand Witch Race warriors. The Gonggong Tribe has been lingering around Buzhou Mountain every day and has already clashed with our patrols three times. Three days ago, the Gou Mang Tribe even reached the Eastern Sea and fought our Sea Patrol Yakshas. This minister suspects they are planning something major! If Your Majesty leaves the Heavenly Court at a time like this, then if—"

"If what?" Ying Zhao cut in, his tiger eyes wide as the markings on his back glowed faintly. "If His Majesty does not go, will that not make the entire Great Wilderness think we fear the Witch Race? Where would that leave the Queen Mother of the West's dignity? Who would still respect the Heavenly Court afterward?"

"Is face more important than lives?!"

"How can we rule the Great Wilderness if we are so timid?!"

They began arguing.

Most of the martial officials supported Ji Meng. Those who had fought the Witch Race until their eyes ran red saw traps everywhere and wished the Heavenly Emperor would remain in the Heavenly Court without going anywhere. The civil officials mostly supported Ying Zhao. They considered the Heavenly Court's prestige, diplomatic decorum, and all those complicated rules.

The two sides argued fiercely, their spittle nearly flying into one another's faces.

Di Jun said nothing.

His gaze swept across the officials arguing below. His face remained expressionless until his eyes finally settled on Taiyi and paused.

"Taiyi." Di Jun spoke, his voice not loud, yet the entire hall fell silent in an instant. "What do you think?"

Whoosh—

Every gaze turned toward him.

There was curiosity in those eyes, expectation, calculation, and the excitement of those eager to watch a spectacle. Taiyi could feel those gazes piercing into him like needles, but his expression did not change in the slightest. He even unhurriedly adjusted his sleeve.

Then he slowly raised his eyes.

This was the moment.

He rose to his feet. The hem of his black imperial robe stirred without wind. The phantom of the Chaos Bell behind him solidified slightly and gave off a deep hum, like ancient war drums from a distant era. He did not answer immediately. Instead, he descended the Jade Steps, one step at a time—steady and slow—until he reached the center of the hall and stopped.

His feet touched the Chaos Jade Marrow, and rings of light rippled outward like stones dropped into water.

"The Peach Banquet? West Kunlun?" Taiyi spoke quietly, yet he forcefully suppressed every stray sound in the hall. Every word was terrifyingly clear. He paused, then suddenly laughed. There was no warmth in that laugh, only a nearly cruel mockery that chilled everyone's spine. "Brother, everyone, have you forgotten something of utmost importance?"

Bai Ze's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Di Jun leaned slightly forward, and the jade beads of his crown softly struck one another.

Taiyi turned to face the densely packed crowd below. His gaze scraped over faces both familiar and unfamiliar, like a blade scraping fish scales. At last, he looked back up at Di Jun. His eyes were as sharp as a freshly honed sword.

"We founded the Heavenly Court, governed the All-Encompassing Stars, and established the laws of heaven—" Taiyi's voice began rising, carrying a hostility that had been suppressed too long and was finally about to explode. That hostility scorched everyone's eardrums. "Not so that we could attend some Peach Banquet and trade cups with a group of so-called 'great powers' hiding in caves to cultivate immortality and cling miserably to life!"

"Eastern Emperor Your Majesty!" A civil official cried out in alarm, his face turning pale.

Taiyi ignored him, as if he had not heard. He continued, his tone growing faster and more aggressive. "The Witch Race? What are they worth? A pack of savages who cultivate only their bodies and not their Primordial Spirits, who know neither the workings of fate nor the Great Dao! All they can think about is fighting. How are they any different from beasts in the mountains? So what if they gather troops? So what if they probe our borders?"

He violently swept his sleeve, and the phantom of the Chaos Bell behind him shuddered!

Clang—

The bell's chime exploded, so thunderous it seemed ready to tear off the roof. Even the starry projection overhead trembled, and several stars nearly slipped from their paths.

"If they want war, then let there be war!" Taiyi's voice was like fire-tempered iron, each word crashing into the ears of the assembled demons and making their hearts tremble. "Pass down my order: fully activate the Star Dipper Grand Formation. Raise every All-Heaven Star Banner. Have all three hundred and sixty-five Demon Gods return to their formation nodes! Within ten days, I want the heads of the leaders of at least three of the Witch Race's twelve tribes hanging from the South Heaven Gate! I want everyone who passes by to see clearly what happens to those who oppose the Demon Race!"

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Even Ji Meng, the most fervent advocate of war, stared with his dragon eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, as if he had forgotten how to close it. He looked at Taiyi as if looking at a madman. This was not merely supporting war. This was an all-out war with no retreat, no room left behind. It meant dragging both the Heavenly Court and the Witch Race into a Blood Sea and seeing who drowned first.

"Taiyi!" Di Jun abruptly rose from his throne. The jade beads of his crown rattled wildly, producing a string of crisp collisions. All exhaustion vanished from his face, leaving only shock and fury. "Do you know what you are saying?!"

"Of course I do." Taiyi looked up at his elder brother. The arrogance on his face did not weaken in the least; it only grew stronger. Two flames burned in his eyes. "Brother, we have endured long enough. So long that the Witch Race truly thinks the Demon Race is easy to bully. So long that the entire Great Wilderness has forgotten—this heaven and earth were born to be ruled by the Demon Race! The Sun Star birthed us. The All-Encompassing Stars guard us. Why should we have to watch the faces of those savages?!"

He turned again to face the assembled officials, speaking each word slowly and distinctly, each one like a nail hammered into wood:

"Starting today, the Heavenly Court enters a state of war readiness. All resources will be devoted to military preparations. All Demon Gods will cease seclusion. All tribes will gather and await orders. I do not merely want to drive back the Witch Race—"

Taiyi paused. He drew in a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, then uttered the words that made everyone's scalps go numb and cold seep down their spines:

"I want every inch of soil, every stone, and every river throughout this Great Wilderness carved with the Demon Race's heavenly laws! I want future generations to think first not of Pangu opening the heavens, nor of the Dao Ancestor spreading the Dao, whenever they speak of this world—but of the glorious golden age when the Demon Race ruled the Great Wilderness!"

[Ding—]

The system notification sounded in his mind. There was even a trace of... satisfaction in that echoing voice? Like a teacher watching a student finally solve a problem correctly.

[Detected that the host has made remarks at Lingxiao Palace (one of the cores of Heavenly Dao order) that completely defy the "balanced Heavenly Dao," successfully embodying the "arrogant Eastern Emperor" persona]

[Check-in action assessment: Extremely dangerous (openly disrupting the Witch-Demon balance beneath the Heavenly Dao's very eyes, provoking the predetermined script)]

[Defiance assessment: Extremely high (directly challenging the "period of calm before the tribulation" in the Heavenly Dao's script, attempting to ignite the conflict ahead of time)]

[Overall reward level: Forbidden · Grade A]

[Extracting extant Forbidden Origin from the Great Wilderness... Target locked: Chaos Demon God · Lixue (formerly the "Demon God of Fury," slain by Pangu during the Heaven-Opening Tribulation; its essence blood scattered throughout the Great Wilderness. This drop is suppressed deep within the foundations of Lingxiao Palace and sealed by Heavenly Dao order)]

[Extracting...]

Taiyi suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet tremble.

It was not an actual vibration, but something deeper—the laws were quivering, space was shaking, as if some ferocious beast that had slept for countless epochs was turning over beneath the ground. At the deepest point of the hall's foundation, the seal that Heavenly Dao order had held down with all its strength cracked open.

"This is..." Bai Ze was the first to notice something was wrong. The jade slip in his hand fell to the floor with a clatter, but he did not even think to pick it up.

Then every demon of Grand Unity Golden Immortal rank and above felt it.

It was an utterly pure aura of "fury."

Not baleful aura. Not killing intent. Something more fundamental—a mode of existence belonging to a Chaos Demon God. It was violent, frenzied, chaotic, and possessed only the urge to destroy and annihilate everything it saw. Yet within it lay the most primitive and savage power of the chaos era, a power so ancient it made hearts recoil in fear.

A wisp of dark-red blood seeped from the floor of Chaos Jade Marrow.

It moved and twisted like a living thing, avoiding the remaining seal patterns of Heavenly Dao order. Those golden Dao patterns tried to stop it, yet it easily corroded and penetrated them. The blood wisp gathered toward Taiyi. Wherever it passed, scorched black marks appeared on the Jade Marrow's surface, hissing and releasing green smoke. Even Chaos Jade Marrow, an innate material, could not withstand its corrosion.

"The aura of a Chaos Demon God!" A demon general cried out, instinctively taking half a step back.

Di Jun stepped down from the high platform in a single stride, moving so fast only an afterimage remained. He stood before Taiyi and swept his sleeve, laying down three layers of golden barriers. "Back away! You cannot touch this thing—"

He did not finish.

That wisp of blood suddenly accelerated. Like a venomous snake, it shot upward, bypassed the barriers Di Jun had laid down, slipped around his outstretched hand, drew an eerie arc through the air, and then—plunged straight into Taiyi's brow!

"Urgh—!"

Taiyi groaned and dropped to one knee. His hands pressed against the floor, his knuckles clenched white.

Pain.

Pain beyond description.

It was not pain of the flesh, but the tearing sensation of having another form of existence forcibly stuffed into his soul. The residual will of the Demon God within that drop of fury blood was like red-hot branding iron, stamping itself ruthlessly onto his Primordial Spirit. It crashed wildly against his consciousness, trying to transform this body into a shell suitable for itself to inhabit. Countless chaotic and violent thoughts filled with the urge for destruction surged into his mind, trying to drag him into the abyss of madness.

Everything before his eyes turned blood-red.

His ears filled with the roars of Chaos Demon Gods. That hatred had endured beyond the Heaven-Opening Tribulation: hatred for Pangu, for the Heavenly Dao, for every form of order. It was venomous resentment that could not be worn away even after hundreds of millions of years since death. Those voices overlapped, shrieking and cursing, trying to pull him into eternal chaos with them.

Yet amid that chaos, the system's voice remained clear and impossibly calm:

[Suppressing residual Demon God will... Consuming 0.01% Forbidden Origin... Suppression complete]

[Beginning refinement of fury blood... Fusion progress: 1%... 2%... 3%...]

Taiyi braced both hands on the floor and gasped for breath. Veins bulged across his forehead, and sweat poured down like rain, striking the Chaos Jade Marrow and leaving dark circular spots. He could feel that drop of fury blood being forcibly crushed and scattered by an even more domineering power, then pressed bit by bit into the origin of his True Sun Fire.

The violent chaos aura collided with the supremely yang and unyielding True Sun Fire, like water and oil poured into the same pot. They tore at and devoured each other, neither willing to yield. But the system's power forced them together, grinding and mixing them until, at last... they were forcibly fused into one.

A new power was being born.

It was strange, contradictory, yet powerful enough to make one's heart tremble. It possessed both the blazing brilliance of True Sun Fire that purified all things and the violent chaos of a Chaos Demon God that destroyed order. These two forces, which should have been utterly incompatible, had now fused in an eerie way, like a vortex woven from light and darkness.

[Fusion complete]

[Obtained: Chaos · True Sun Fire (Proto-form)]

[Traits: Possesses increased destructive power against order-type laws; can ignite and burn abstract existences such as fortune, karma, and merit; growth potential: Forbidden grade]

[Warning: Host Anomaly Value +15. Current Anomaly Value: 23 (Heavenly Dao Attention Threshold: 100)]

[Special notice: The seal beneath Lingxiao Palace's foundation has been damaged. The Heavenly Dao has detected the anomaly. The host is advised to leave the Heavenly Court's core region within three days to avoid direct investigation.]

The pain slowly receded like the ebbing tide.

Taiyi gradually raised his head. Sweat droplets still clung to his eyelashes, and his vision was blurry. He blinked several times before seeing the scene before him clearly—the entire hall was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Every demon—including Di Jun—was staring at him with impossibly complicated expressions. Shock, fear, confusion, concern, calculation... and a deeply buried instinctive dread of that chaos aura that had just erupted and vanished. It was fear of the unknown, wariness toward power beyond comprehension.

"Taiyi." Di Jun spoke first, keeping his voice low as though afraid to disturb something. "That just now was..."

Taiyi pushed himself upright with one hand on his knee. His legs were still a little weak, but he straightened his back and did not allow himself to sway. That new power continued churning within him, like a newly awakened beast rampaging through his meridians. It made him want to throw back his head and howl, to burn all order, rules, and restraints before him into nothing. But he suppressed it—suppressed it viciously, his nails digging into his palms and leaving deep marks.

The system's warning still rang in his ears. Now was not the time to act recklessly.

"It is nothing." Taiyi waved a hand. His throat was still hoarse, as if scorched by smoke. "There was a minor deviation in my cultivation. It stirred up some old injuries, but I have already suppressed it."

No one believed him.

Could practicing cultivation really draw out the aura of a Chaos Demon God? Could it disturb the seal beneath Lingxiao Palace's foundations? Could it even make an old demon like Bai Ze, who had seen so much, change expression?

But no one dared ask.

Because Taiyi, though his face was still somewhat pale and his aura somewhat unstable, had those eyes—deep within those golden pupils, dark-red flames seemed to flicker. Dim and cold, they made one's primordial spirit burn after staring too long, as though those flames might ignite it.

"The court session will continue." Taiyi turned and climbed the Jade Steps, returning to the Eastern Emperor's Throne. His tone was so calm that it was as if nothing had happened. He even straightened his slightly rumpled sleeve. "What I said just now wasn't said in anger. Brother, don't attend the Peach Banquet. As for the Witch Race, there's no need to wait for them to make the first move."

He swept his gaze across the hall. Wherever his eyes fell, the demons lowered their heads. "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Silence filled the hall.

Even Bai Ze shut his mouth. He merely gave Taiyi a long look, his gaze carrying scrutiny, worry, and a kind of... focus an official historian showed upon witnessing an anomaly, as if he were silently recording another entry in his heart.

Di Jun looked at his younger brother for a long time, long enough for the sun outside the hall to climb higher, its light slipping through cracks in the vaulted ceiling and casting long patches across the floor. At last, he slowly nodded, his movement somewhat stiff. "...As you wish. Ji Meng, issue orders to all divisions. From this day forward, enter a state of war readiness. But—"

He paused, emphasizing every word with crystal clarity. "Without my order, no one is permitted to cross the Buzhou Mountain Defense Line on their own initiative. Taiyi, you must promise me this."

Taiyi met his brother's gaze.

He saw too many things in Di Jun's eyes—the concern of an older brother for his younger brother, that helplessness of Why are you causing trouble again?; the caution of the Heavenly Emperor toward the situation, that worry that one wrong step would lose the whole game; and a trace of exhaustion that was hard to detect, the weariness of carrying the entire Demon Race forward until he could barely bear it any longer.

That contradiction was precisely Di Jun's truest side.

"...All right." Taiyi finally nodded and said no more.

The court session continued in a strange atmosphere.

The later agenda items all became bland and meaningless. With Taiyi's words still hanging in the air and that chaotic aura lingering behind them, resource allocation, secret realm exploration, and personnel appointments all seemed irrelevant. The demons' thoughts had drifted to the coming war, to the eerie power surrounding Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and to that mad declaration: "Carve the laws of Heaven onto every inch of the Great Wilderness."

Half an hour later, the court session finally ended.

The demons bowed and withdrew, each leaving quickly, as if afraid they would be called back if they moved too slowly. Taiyi noticed that Bai Ze gave him another deep look before leaving. That gaze was so complicated that Taiyi could not read it at once. Many of the other civil and military officials also wore strange expressions as they departed in low-voiced discussion.

Soon, only the two brothers remained in the hall.

Di Jun stepped down from the platform, his footsteps heavy. With a wave of his hand, he set up a soundproof barrier. A golden curtain rose, separating the inside from the outside like two different worlds. Then he walked before Taiyi, stared into his younger brother's eyes for a long while, and finally spoke. "Now that there's no one else here, tell me the truth—what exactly happened just now?"

Taiyi had expected this question.

He did not answer immediately. Instead, he raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and moved his thoughts. A wisp of flame rose from his palm. Its core was pure gold, radiant and blazing—the true nature of True Sun Fire. Yet a layer of dark-red halo coiled around the outer flame. The red was so deep it resembled congealed blood. The two colors twisted together, entwining and seeping into one another, releasing an eerie aura that made one's heart tremble—sacred yet wicked, orderly yet chaotic.

"I came into contact with something... I shouldn't have touched." Taiyi spoke half-truthfully, his tone measured perfectly: three parts frankness, three parts gravity, and four parts of that stubbornness that said, I know it's dangerous, but I'm doing it anyway. "While refining the Chaos Bell, I sensed some remnants from the Chaos era. Probably lingering thoughts of Demon Gods that had stuck to the bell's body. Too much time had passed, yet they never fully dispersed. Just now, my emotions flared, my blood and qi surged, and I accidentally drew out a trace of it."

Di Jun's brows furrowed even tighter, nearly knotting together. "Remnants of the Chaos era... Demon God legacy?"

"Something like that." Taiyi withdrew the flame, though the burning sensation in his palm lingered for a long time. "This thing is violent, sure, but its power is genuinely strong. After refining it, my True Sun Fire seems to have... changed flavor somewhat."

"It's too dangerous." Di Jun shook his head and pressed a hand onto Taiyi's shoulder, using considerable force. "Those Chaos Demon Gods have been dead for countless eras. Their lingering thoughts are filled with resentment, poison, and madness. They cannot be judged by ordinary reasoning at all. You rashly touched them—be careful they don't devour your mind. By then, even I might not be able to save you."

"I know what I'm doing." Taiyi did not dodge, allowing his brother to hold his shoulder. He even smiled, and that smile carried a wildly unconcerned arrogance. "Besides... Brother, don't you think we need a little 'forbidden' power too?"

Di Jun froze.

"The fixed course of Heaven. The Witch-Demon Calamity." Taiyi spoke slowly, each word striking Di Jun's heart and making his gaze flicker. "Everyone says this is fate, a destined ending, a script written when Pangu opened Heaven and Earth. The one in Zixiao Palace says so. Those fortune-tellers throughout the Great Wilderness say so. Even in our own hearts... we've believed it to some extent, haven't we?"

Di Jun said nothing, but the hand on Taiyi's shoulder trembled faintly.

"But I don't believe it." Taiyi lifted his head, his gaze sharp as a freshly honed blade, its edge tempered in fire. "If death is truly destined, if defeat is destined, if we are destined to surrender this world—then I'll use the most forbidden methods and the most unacceptable power to carve out a way to live. Heaven won't allow it? Then I'll overturn Heaven along with everything else!"

When he said those words, that arrogance was not an act. At least, not entirely.

At that moment, Taiyi suddenly realized with perfect clarity—the shell of "Eastern Emperor Taiyi" was truly merging with the core of "Lin Yuan." That unwillingness, that fury, that urge to rebel against predetermined fate—he could no longer tell whether it came from Eastern Emperor Taiyi's memories or Lin Yuan's own cry as a transmigrator. Perhaps it was both. Perhaps they had always been the same thing: to live, to live at all costs.

Di Jun remained silent for a long time.

Long enough for the sun outside to have climbed directly overhead. Scorching sunlight poured through the star projections in the ceiling, casting glaring white patches on the floor that hurt the eyes. Tiny specks of dust drifted through the beams, slow and unhurried, like time itself.

"Go back." Di Jun finally patted his younger brother's shoulder. The gesture was heavy, and his voice revealed exhaustion he could not conceal. "Meditate properly. Refine that power completely and don't leave behind any hidden dangers. In three days... come to my chambers. We'll discuss this in detail."

"All right."

Taiyi nodded. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the hall.

The instant he stepped out of Lingxiao Palace, the midday sunlight poured down like a waterfall, unblocked and blinding enough to make him narrow his eyes instinctively. The sea of clouds churned beneath his feet. Distant palace towers blurred into hazy outlines in the fierce light, their glazed roofs reflecting dazzling brilliance until his vision swam.

[Chapter Four Sign-In Mission Complete]

[Reward Issued]

[Next Sign-In Location Hint: In three days, the core of the Sun Star (It is recommended that you fully refine the violent blood before proceeding. Danger Level at this location: ★★★★☆)]

[Detected a fundamental change in the host's power system. Chaos True Sun Fire (Prototype) has stabilized. Partial permissions of the exchange mechanism based on "Taboo Points" have been unlocked.]

[Current Taboo Points: 57 (50 points gained from this sign-in, 7 points accumulated previously)]

The system's voice rang through his mind, calm and emotionless, but the final two lines stirred something faintly within Taiyi.

An exchange mechanism?

As he transformed into a golden rainbow and streaked toward Sun Palace, he probed in his consciousness. "System, what is this exchange mechanism you mentioned?"

There was no immediate response.

Only after he passed through Sun Palace's protective grand formation and landed before his sleeping hall, carved from an entire piece of Sun Divine Wood, did the system speak again. This time, its reverberating voice seemed to contain a trace of... human consideration?

[Based on the host's current level of understanding and permissions, the explanation is as follows:]

[This system is not a device capable of creating things from nothing. So-called "exchange" is actually the use of "Taboo Points" obtained by the host—namely, the "variable authority" accumulated through defying Heaven's fixed course—as a guide. It mobilizes the "Forbidden Relic law information" and "Chaos Demon God knowledge inheritances" recorded by this system over countless years, combining them with the real energy and matter within the host's environment to perform temporary law reconstruction, knowledge infusion, or item synthesis.]

Taiyi pushed open the heavy wooden doors of his sleeping hall and entered the empty inner chamber. There were no unnecessary furnishings within, only a jade couch, an incense burner, and a Star Chart hanging on the wall—the Celestial Star Circulation Chart personally painted by Di Jun.

He sat cross-legged on the jade couch and closed his eyes, examining his body inwardly.

[Example explanation:] The system's voice continued. [If the host wishes to exchange for "Witch Blood Powder" (an item that temporarily simulates the aura of the Witch Race), the required steps are:]

[1. The host pays Taboo Points (representing the use of variable authority).]

[2. The system retrieves the "Great Witch Essence Blood Law Structure" and "Illusionary Herb Property Information" from the database.]

[3. Using the host's own Chaos True Sun Fire as a catalyst, it extracts Earth Vein Turbid Qi from the current environment (if located on land), or Tribulation Sha Qi (if located on a battlefield), as raw materials.]

[4. It performs temporary synthesis on the law level, generating a false item effective for three shichen.]

[Note: This process will consume the Demon God Origin stored by the system (obtained from feedback generated when the host completes missions), and may leave behind faint Causal Traces.]

Taiyi opened his eyes, and a flash of understanding crossed their depths.

So that was how it was.

It was not some cheat that conjured things out of thin air, but a special ability based on real laws, with costs attached and requiring clever application. The system was like a "partner" possessing a vast forbidden knowledge base and a certain degree of authority to interfere with reality, while "Taboo Points" were the "operational allowance" he had earned.

That actually put him more at ease—he had never believed in free gifts falling from the sky.

[Currently available exchange list for browsing (Basic Permissions)]

[Note: Exchanging advanced items requires satisfying environmental energy requirements and host realm requirements, and may trigger greater causal fluctuations.]

A translucent interface unfolded within his consciousness. Its style was strange—the background was a profound chaos hue, while the text consisted of twisted dark-gold runes that made one dizzy after staring at them too long.

Taiyi focused and looked over it.

[Law Knowledge Category]:

· Chaotic Divine Script (Basic Ten Characters) - 20 points: A language used by Chaos Demon Gods. When written, it can slightly disrupt local law order for ten breaths.

· Breath Concealment Art (Chaos Chapter Fragment) - 15 points: A concealment method based on chaotic aura, possessing a certain masking effect against order-based perception.

· Causality Vision (Temporary Activation) - 10 points/use: Briefly reveals causal connections between oneself and surrounding things. Lasts thirty breaths.

[Temporary Item Category]:

· Witch Blood Powder (Three Shichen) - 8 points: Simulates a Great Witch's aura. Effective against Golden Immortals and below.

· Illusionary Form Talisman (One Use) - 12 points: Can alter one's appearance and aura. Cannot be seen through by those below the early stage of Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

· Turbid Qi Pill (Three Pills) - 5 points: Contains Earth Vein Turbid Qi. Temporarily strengthens the physical body after consumption. (Demon Race members should use with caution.)

[Special Service Category]:

· Heavenly Mystery Disruption (Small Area) - 30 points: Interferes with Heavenly Mystery calculations within a hundred-li radius for one day.

· Forbidden Resonance (One Use) - 25 points: Greatly enhances resonance with the Chaos Bell for one hundred breaths.

· Crisis Warning (Passive) - Unlocked: When the host is about to encounter fatal danger, the system will provide a basic warning. Accuracy will improve as the system's restoration progresses.

The list was not long, but every item carried an unconventional air.

Taiyi's gaze lingered briefly on "Causality Vision" and "Heavenly Mystery Disruption." The former would allow him to see causality more directly—something only Saints could touch in the Great Wilderness. The latter was an excellent life-saving tool, though it was rather expensive.

But he did not exchange anything immediately.

The system had explained it clearly: exchanges would consume the system's stored Demon God Origin and leave behind Causal Traces. He was currently at the heart of the Heavenly Court. Di Jun was nearby, and Bai Ze's eyes might be watching from who knew where. Exchanging something rashly would be too risky.

Besides... he glanced at his pitiful 57 points.

He had to use them sparingly.

"System," Taiyi asked in his mind, "aside from sign-ins, what other ways are there to obtain points?"

[Secondary Acquisition Methods:]

[1. Daily acts of defiance: Any speech or action by the host that violates Heaven's fixed course or conventional logic will be settled by the system according to the resulting "ripple effect," granting a small number of points (ranging from 0.1 to 5 points).]

[2. Exploration and discovery: If the host discovers and comes into contact with unrecorded Forbidden Relics or knowledge, the system will record them and grant points as a reward (1 to 50 points, depending on their value).]

[3. Interfering with major nodes: Causing substantive interference at major fate nodes such as the Witch-Demon Calamity will grant a large number of points (starting from 100 points).]

[Note: The difficulty of acquiring points will increase as the host's "Anomaly Value" rises.]

Taiyi understood.

This was encouraging him to keep courting death, to keep becoming the variable that disrupted the Great Wilderness's script. Points were not given for free. They were "operational authority" bought with his life.

He closed the exchange interface.

Now was not the time. In three days, he had to go to the Sun Star's core to sign in. That place had a danger rating of four and a half stars, so he would definitely need to make preparations. But exchange items needed to be combined with environmental energy—the Sun Star's core certainly had no shortage of energy, but it was all the supremely yang and rigid True Sun Fire. What would be suitable to exchange there?

As Taiyi pondered, he suddenly thought of something. "System, if I exchange items at the Sun Star's core, can I use the True Sun Fire there as raw material?"

[Yes. However, please note:] The system's voice remained calm and emotionless. [True Sun Fire is an order-aligned force of supreme yang. It is fundamentally incompatible with the forbidden power of Chaos Demon Gods. Using it directly as raw material may cause synthesized items to become unstable, halve their effects, or greatly reduce their duration. It is recommended that the host use his own Chaos True Sun Fire as a medium for harmonization.]

"Understood."

Taiyi nodded, now having a plan in mind.

Over these three days, he needed to fully refine the violent blood within his body and stabilize the Chaos True Sun Fire. Then he would bring that power to the Sun Star's core—the place of his birth, and also the place where the Chaos Bell had first been nurtured.

He should be able to sign in for something good.

As for exchanges... he would assess the situation after arriving.

He closed his eyes again and began circulating his cultivation technique.

The Chaos True Sun Fire within his body flowed through his meridians. Wherever it passed, the previously pure origin of True Sun Fire became stained with a dark-red halo. The two powers were still slowly merging, the process somewhat sluggish, like water and oil that had yet to fully emulsify.

But Taiyi could feel that with every full circulation, the fusion deepened by another degree.

While he immersed himself in cultivation, the system's voice softly sounded in the depths of his consciousness, like it was speaking to itself—or making some kind of declaration:

[Host's acceptance of forbidden power: Good.]

[Chaos Demon God inheritance compatibility: Increased to 12%.]

[System personification progress: 3.1%.]

[There remains a long road before the complete awakening of the "Forbidden Essence."]

[But the first step has already been taken.]

The voice was soft, quickly dissolving into the rhythm of cultivation.

Taiyi did not hear it.

At that moment, all his focus was immersed in the fusion of power, in the unknown sign-in three days later, and in the chessboard he was laying out for himself, for the Demon Race, and for this desperate gamble to defy fate and change destiny.

Outside the hall, the sun slowly slanted westward.

The sea of clouds was dyed gold and red, layer upon layer, spreading toward the horizon like overlapping mountain ranges.

And deep within that sea of clouds, beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, in that supreme place beyond knowledge and prediction—

Heavenly Dao quietly turned its "gaze."

Though it was only for an instant.

Some things had already begun to change.