Establishing Authority!

Wow~~~

In the deepest part of the Heavenly Realm, a huge passage suddenly parted in the dark void.

A hazy golden light permeated the passageway. Before anyone could be seen, enchanting music could be heard, with celestial maidens chanting boundless divine verses.

Then came rows of palace maids scattering precious flowers and spraying incense to clear the way, followed by drums and music from the mystical soldiers, and rows of golden-armored celestial soldiers and generals flying out of the sky.

Further on, a magnificent Eight Views Imperial Carriage, ten thousand feet long, was dragged out by nine enormous, winding, and coiling golden dragons.

In an instant.

A celestial maiden scattered flowers, and auspicious light shone in countless directions.

The heavenly soldiers, generals, spirit officials, and clerks on duty in the various heavenly palaces all knelt down and bowed in respect upon seeing this magnificent formation, addressing the Emperor as "Honored One," without daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Only when the emperor's grand procession marched northwards did they dare to rise and look northwards in awe.

"That must be the newly appointed 'Great Emperor of the Purple Void of the Central Heaven and the North Pole'... It's a pity that the imperial carriage is blocking the view, so we can't see his face."

One day, the Celestial Official murmured, his words filled with regret.

"What's so interesting about this?" Another golden-armored general curled his lip. "I heard that this emperor is only at the Void Return realm, and hasn't even passed the Heavenly Tribulation yet. He's not even a Celestial Immortal. He was only promoted to a high position because the Three Pure Ones took a liking to him and accepted him as their personal disciple. Of the four emperors in the Heavenly Court today, the Great Heavenly Heaven-Emulating Earth Treasury Great Emperor Gouchen High Palace Human Emperor are both ancient True Immortals and Bodhisattvas who have long since achieved Pure Yang."

"This current Emperor Ziwei Yuxu is the weakest in strength, yet holds an extremely prestigious position. The Great Heavenly Venerable reigns supreme in the south, while he reigns supreme in the north. Just wait and see, there's plenty of fun to be had in the future."

This golden-armored general was also a Celestial Immortal. He had been forced to kneel and pay his respects due to his status and duties, and he was already very resentful. Now that there was no one else around, he naturally wanted to make amends through his words.

"Didn't you see that the Great Celestial Venerable sent out his Eight Views Imperial Carriage and Nine Radiances Canopy?" the Celestial Spirit Official said indignantly. "Besides, the fact that the Three Pure Ones could allow the Purple Star Emperor, who was only at the Void Return Realm, to assume this position proves that the Purple Star Emperor is extraordinary. Do you still dare to question the Dao Venerable's judgment?"

"I..." The golden-armored general choked with emotion.

He might dare to say a few words about Zhou Hao in private, but he would never dare to say anything about a powerful Daoist patriarch or leader of the Dao Sect.

However, he was still unconvinced by Zhou Hao, so he snorted coldly and ignored the spirit official.

In the Eight Views Imperial Carriage.

Zhou Hao, dressed in a yellow robe, sat on a futon woven from auspicious clouds from the nine heavens, with the Taibai Jinde Zhenjun 'Chang Geng Zhenxian' beside him.

This Chang Geng Zhenxian is none other than Taibai Venus in mortal mythology.

In mythology, Taibai Venus is a close advisor to the Jade Emperor, whose main job is to convey various orders to the Jade Emperor. He is portrayed as a kind-hearted person.

Zhou Hao knew that this person, despite his kind expression and seemingly harmless demeanor, was actually a renowned Pure Yang True Immortal of the human race back in ancient times.

After his master became a Dao Ancestor, regained his memories of his past life, and returned to the Dao Sect, he was able to develop the ' Li Clan,' which was originally an ordinary human tribe, into a top-tier tribe in the Heavenly Realm. This shows the abilities of this Taibai Venus.

"Senior Brother Chang Geng, are we just going straight back to the ' North Pole Star Palace ' in the Purple Tenuity Enclosure?" Zhou Hao asked. "Do we still need to go to the Dipper Ox Palace to see the Jade Emperor?"

"The Emperor is the second ruler of the Three Realms, standing with the Great Heavenly Venerable in the North and South respectively, each governing their own Bright Hall. If the Emperor were to travel to the Dipper Ox Palace with his entourage, what ceremony would the Great Heavenly Venerable use to receive the Emperor? And what ceremony would the Emperor use to pay homage to the Great Heavenly Venerable?" Taibai Venus smiled and said, "Therefore, there has been a saying since ancient times that the two emperors do not meet. If the Emperor has something to say, he can simply send a spirit official or messenger to deliver a message."

Zhou Hao thought about it and agreed.

The Jade Emperor is the Heavenly Emperor, and so am I.

Although the Jade Emperor is the most revered among the Four Emperors, no one wants to become the Heavenly Emperor and still have to bow to another one...

"Of course," Taibai Venus added, "If the Emperor meets with the Great Heavenly Venerable in private, without the formalities due to a ruler, but only as fellow Daoists, then that's a different story."

Zhou Hao understood.

To put it bluntly, today is the day I take over the North Pole Star Palace in the Heavenly Court, and I cannot do anything that would damage my dignity and status.

"Who else is under the command of the North Pole Star Palace besides Senior Brother Chang Geng?" Zhou Hao asked again. "Back in the Eight Views Palace, Master warned me that my cultivation period is short and my knowledge is not as great as yours, so I can ask you any questions. In the future, I will need your assistance more often."

Zhou Hao's words, delivered in a very humble manner, made Taibai Venus feel quite pleased.

"Your Majesty is too kind," Taibai Venus said with a smile. "Even if we are alone, I will take the liberty of addressing Your Majesty as Junior Brother."

"Although you are only Master's nominal disciple, you have always taken care of the clan for Master. You are far superior to ordinary nominal disciples," Zhou Hao said with a smile. "From now on, you may call me Junior Brother. We are fellow disciples, so there is no need for formalities."

"The proper etiquette cannot be disregarded." Taibai Venus shook his head. "On the surface, we must still address you as the Emperor."

In truth, the reason I was valued by the Three Pure Ones and received almost the same guidance as other direct disciples was because I knew how to advance and retreat, and how to distinguish right from wrong.

The slight discomfort she had felt earlier because of her junior brother's relatively weak strength vanished after Zhou Hao's kind words, and she even had the idea that 'it wouldn't be bad to properly assist this humble junior brother'.

"My junior brother resides in the Purple Tenuity Enclosure, is the Grand Master of Myriad Phenomena, surrounded by all the stars. Under his rule are three righteous gods, the 'Fairy World-Responsive Immortal Maidens ', the ' Four North Pole Saint True Lords Way, as well as the Five Qi True Lords, the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, the Six Departments of the Southern Dipper, the Twelve Yuan Chen Natal Star Lords, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and other celestial star gods," Taibai Venus introduced.

"If all divine positions were filled, there would be sixty-five true immortals and celestial gods, tens of thousands of celestial generals and star officials, and over a million celestial soldiers, officials, and strongmen below the celestial level, or even more."

so much?

Zhou Hao was secretly alarmed.

Everyone was stunned by the terrifying number.

Sixty-five true immortals and gods, tens of thousands of celestial beings... such strength is far beyond what even the ruler of a great world in the Human Realm could match.

At least in the Great Xia World, the Xia Emperor is the only Pure Yang True Immortal on the surface.

Zhou Hao was certainly aware that there were still True Immortals and Gods in the shadows, but there were definitely not as many as sixty-five.

etc.

"All the priesthoods are filled?" Zhou Hao asked. "Does Senior Brother mean there are any vacancies right now?"

"Of course there are vacancies," Taibai Venus laughed. "Even under the Great Celestial Venerable, there are only Four Great Celestial Masters and a few military commanders, totaling no more than a dozen True Immortals and Celestial Gods to assist him. Junior Brother's North Pole Star Palace has been dormant for billions of years, and even the palace's strongmen and officials were only recently assigned. As for the heavenly soldiers and generals, there are only a mere ceremonial guards of no more than ten thousand."

"Leaving aside other matters, let's just talk about the true immortals and gods. Among those who do hold positions, there are three World-Responsive Immortal Maidens who are the Emperor's deputy in command of the Netherworld. However, those three are the three great disciples of the Jade Pool Golden Mother West, the three fairies Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, Bixiao, collectively known as the ' Three Xiao Goddesses,' who wield the innate treasure ' Primordial Golden Dipper,' specializing in the interplay of the innate and acquired realms. All immortals, gods, demons, and monsters who wish to enter the cycle of reincarnation must first be spun through the Golden Cauldron to remove the karmic obstacles and magical power of their previous lives before they can be reborn."

"When the underworld still existed, the Three Xiao Sisters of Sanxiao transformed into 'Meng Po,' offering millions of souls the Meng Po Soup to forget their past lives. Later, when the Six Paths of Reincarnation collapsed, the Three Xiao Sisters of Sanxiao returned to Jade Pool and never spoke of the outside world again."

"The Jade Pool Golden Mother is the eldest disciple personally taught by the Lady Nuwa. Her status is noble, and even the most powerful beings in the Three Realms treat her with utmost respect. The Three Xiao Sisters of Sanxiao are the Jade Pool Golden Mother's most beloved disciples. It will not be easy for you, Junior Brother, to get these three to obey your summons."

"The Three Xiao Goddesses." Zhou Hao nodded solemnly.

He already knew that the renowned Pure Yang True Immortal of the Three Realms were no ordinary beings, but the fact that the first three had such impressive backgrounds made his expression turn serious.

"And then there are the Four North Pole Saint True Lords. In name, they are the four guardian deities under the Emperor, but in reality, they are disciples placed in the Heavenly Court by various powerful beings to enjoy the positions offered by the Heavenly Court. They always obey orders but not summons. Although they have many Heavenly River soldiers under their command, the ones who can really fight are all their own recruited personal soldiers," Taibai Venus continued to introduce.

"The leader Marshal Tianpeng Zhenjun, is named ' Bian Zhuang Celestial God '. He is a disciple of the powerful ' Thunder God Celestial Venerable ' and commands 360,000 personal guards."

"The second-ranked Deputy Marshal, True Lord Tianyou, is named ' Lingyou Celestial God,' and is a disciple of ' Lu Wu True God,' commanding 300,000 personal guards."

"The third-ranked Yisheng Baode Zhenjun, whose real name is ' Black Baleful Celestial God,' is a disciple of ' Free Dao Venerable,' and commands 240,000 personal guards."

"Finally, there is the Holy Spirit Responding True Lord, whose name is ' Yingwu Celestial God,' a disciple of the ' Xuanwu Great Emperor,' who commands 180,000 personal guards."

"Apart from the last two, who are disciples of powerful figures in the Dao Sect and have their masters' decrees, thus obeying their junior brothers' orders, the first two are both Chaos Gods, not easily dealt with."

"Mm." Zhou Hao nodded.

Both the Thunder God Celestial Venerable and the Lu Wu True God are Chaos True Gods, with the same foundation as their master, and are top-tier existences among the great powers of the Three Realms.

"As for the Five Qi True Lords, the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, the Six Departments of the Southern Dipper, the Twelve Yuan Chen Natal Star Lords, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and other celestial star deities, I am the Taibai Jinde True Lord. With the master's decree, I will do my best to assist my junior brother."

Taibai Venus shook his head. "But the other positions, after Donghua's reincarnation, the Golden Mother's seclusion in Jade Pool, and the change of the Heavenly Court, have become increasingly weak. Over the endless years, some have died, some have left, and some have descended to the mortal realm. Now, almost all of them are vacant."

"By the way, the Jade Emperor did bestow the title of 'True Lord of the Eastern Jupiter Wood Virtue' upon a celestial immortal from a sect in the mortal realm. However, he is merely a celestial immortal, and it is difficult for him to gain the respect of the people in the Heavenly Court. He is also having a hard time. I heard that he has been busy recently establishing Heavenly Realm for his sect and rarely visits the Heavenly Court."

"..." Zhou Hao smiled bitterly to himself.

So, nominally he has eight true immortals and gods under his command, plus 1.08 million heavenly soldiers, but right now, only Taibai Venus is truly usable.

The Wood Virtue True Lord, whose days were difficult, mentioned by Taibai Venus, is none other than the ' Yu Lin Heavenly Immortal' of the Xuan Tian Mysterious Heaven Sect.

Fortunately, with the addition of Yu Lin Immortal and many fellow disciples of the Mysterious Heaven Sect, his subordinates were not in a miserable state of utter poverty and destitution.

However, this is also good, as the vacancy in the divine office will make it easier for him to recruit and subdue the powerful beings of the Three Realms in the future.

If the entire team is at full strength, and each member is backed by powerful figures from various factions, then that would be truly a headache.

"Senior brother, I am new to the Heavenly Realm and unfamiliar with the paths. Please arrange for a spirit official to summon True Lord Mude," Zhou Hao said. "Actually, this True Lord Mude, ' Yu Lin Celestial Immortal,' is a fellow Celestial Immortal from my time in the Great Xia World, so he is not an outsider."

"Junior brother, you're a fellow disciple in the Great Xia World?" Taibai Venus was taken aback.

Zhou Hao only became famous in the Three Realms after being accepted as a disciple by the Three Pure Ones at the Immortal Fate Assembly. However, since the Immortal Fate Assembly had only ended a few days ago, little information about Zhou Hao's origins was circulating in the Three Realms.

Moreover, to true immortals and celestial beings, his previous sect was not worth caring about.

"Junior brother, I heard that the Witch Mountain Gorge Devil Palace is attacking the Divine Firmament Sect of Celestial Master Sa, and the Four Great Celestial Masters have all descended to the mortal realm to fight," said Taibai Venus. "The Divine Firmament Sect's headquarters is in Falling Thunder Ravine the Vast Wilderness Mountain Range, and the sect established by Celestial Yu Lin is also located in the Vast Wilderness Mountain Range."

"What?" Zhou Hao was startled upon hearing this.

I was aware of the alliance between the Mysterious Heaven Sect and Celestial Master Sa.

Yu Lin Tianxian established her sect's headquarters near Celestial Master Sa's sect, presumably to seek protection.

While having protection is beneficial, if a powerful enemy attacks, one cannot remain unscathed.

When the Witch Mountain Gorge Devil Palace was first brought to the Heavenly Realm by the eldest brother, he mentioned that it was the largest force of the Asura Clan in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, and that it had several powerful figures with the strength of True Immortals and Heavenly Gods.

With the strongest being only Yu Lin Tian Mysterious Heaven Sect in the Heavenly Realm, even being merely affected by the calamity would likely be enough to destroy them.

"Bang~~Bang~~Bang~~"

Zhou Hao clapped his hands three times on the Eight Views Eight Views Imperial Carriage beneath him.

The Heavenly Emperor's chariot, a pure Yang magic treasure, immediately stopped, and the nine golden dragons pulling the chariot, each at the level of a Heavenly Immortal, turned their heads to obey.

"Go to the Vast Wilderness Mountain Range of the Heavenly Realm!" Zhou Hao ordered.

Wow.

Suddenly, a huge passage opened up in the void in front of the nine golden dragons, pulling the imperial carriage into the spatial passage.

The other heavenly soldiers and generals were divided into groups of one hundred and boarded the warships in batches.

A full hundred warships followed the Eight Views Imperial Carriage.

"Junior brother, what are you going to do?" Taibai Venus asked Zhou Hao.

At this moment, Zhou Hao, who had been humble before, became cold and solemn.

"The Witch Mountain Gorge Devil Palace dares to invade the sect of the righteous gods of my Heavenly Court. If we do nothing, how can my Heavenly Court maintain its authority over the Three Realms? I hold the position of Heavenly Emperor, and my master has ordered me to carry out acts of killing. Now that I know about this matter, I cannot ignore it." Zhou Hao said repeatedly, "Senior brother, please pass on my decree, ordering the Four North Pole Saint True Lords to each lead 100,000 personal troops to the Vast Wilderness Mountain Range to jointly eliminate the demons."

Isn't the rule to obey orders but not proclamations?

Then I'll just order the troop deployment.

It all depends on whether you come or not.

Originally, Zhou Hao had planned to find an opportunity to meet the Four North Pole Saint True Lords before making further plans.

But now there's no time to worry about that.

"Senior brother, in the end, without strength, no one will be truly convinced, let alone someone with the power of a Celestial God," Zhou Hao said. "This time, let's establish our authority by taking over the Witch Mountain Gorge Devil Palace!"

Upon seeing this, Taibai Venus pondered for a moment and found nothing wrong with it.

He immediately channeled his magic power to conjure four talismans in mid-air, then summoned four spirit officials who served in the imperial carriage and ordered them to relay the message.

As for himself, he smiled and said to Zhou Hao, "Then I will accompany the Emperor on this journey. It will be a good opportunity for me to witness the Emperor's magical powers and supernatural abilities."

Some of the original divine roles and the master-disciple relationships in mythology will be slightly altered due to the needs of the plot.

For example, the Three Xiao Sisters and the Jade Pool Golden Mother.

Don't take it too seriously, guys.

After all, many things in the original work were modified. And it didn't start with me.

I'm going to sleep now, I'll continue tomorrow.