Chapter 43

Fellow Daoists have arrived. Please, take your seats.

Eh? You two have advanced in cultivation remarkably quickly!

Ever the smooth socializer, he praised Lu Tian and the others as well.

After leading the Saints into the banquet hall, Kunpeng hurried away.

With the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa about to arrive, the Ten Great Demon Sages were run off their feet.

Jieyin and Zhunti took the opportunity to send away the guards, each splitting off a strand of Divine Sense.

The two strands of Divine Sense quietly descended upon the Sun Star and investigated in secret.

The Fusang Divine Tree stood towering and majestic, and the two carefully avoided it.

The Great Luo guards noticed nothing and continued leading the pair on a tour of the Heavenly Court.

Inside the Sun God Palace, Di Jun, Taiyi, Changxi, and Xihe had gathered.

The ten little Golden Crows were protected by secret arts, yet the atmosphere in the hall was taut with hostility.

Changxi's face was pale, but she was furious. "Di Jun! You actually intend to use our children's fortune to offset the Karmic Debt of the Witch Slaying Sword?"

Xihe stood beside her, her gaze as cold as frost.

Di Jun and Taiyi's auras were completely suppressed.

Knowing himself to be in the wrong, Di Jun could only patiently persuade her. "Once the Witch Slaying Sword is completed, the Witch Clan will undoubtedly be defeated."

"After the Primordial World is unified, not only will their fortune recover, it will surpass what it was before."

"And besides..."

"And besides what?" Changxi's rage burned fiercely. "For the sake of your Witch Slaying Sword and your ambition to dominate the Primordial World, it does not matter even if all our sons die, does it?!"

Enraged beyond measure, spiritual power surged around her as she nearly blasted Di Jun awake with a spell.

Di Jun's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he said resolutely, "My mind is made up. This matter is no longer open for discussion."

"You have just given birth. Rest properly."

"Stop pestering me. This matter is settled!"

"Changxi, you cannot stop me."

"You..." Changxi still wanted to argue.

Taiyi interjected, "Sister-in-law, please rest easy."

"No one can change my brother's decision. The Imperial Sons were born bearing the mission of the demon race."

"As their father, would my brother truly treat his children's lives as a joke?"

"Everything has already been arranged. Sister-in-law, there is no need to worry."

With that, Di Jun and Taiyi left with the Imperial Sons.

Outside the temporary palace, two hidden strands of Divine Sense quietly dissipated.

Di Jun brought the Imperial Sons to a secret realm.

A sea of blood surged toward the heavens, churning without end.

Numerous demon race artifact-refining masters had gathered there, and a blood sword was gradually taking shape.

Within the time-accelerating formation, the sword had already been refined for six hundred thousand years.

Di Jun stepped into the secret realm. Looking at the blood sword and the infant in his arms, a flash of pain crossed his eyes before vanishing in an instant.

He activated the formation and placed the Imperial Son within it, then personally supervised the forging of the sword.

Meanwhile, Taiyi returned to the Heavenly Court and met with the gathered powerhouses.

"Fellow Daoists, it has been a long time. Senior Brother is occupied caring for his wife and children, so he could not attend for now. I will receive you in his place. Please forgive us!"

The moment Taiyi appeared, he became the focus of the entire hall.

As the Heavenly Emperor, he was shown every courtesy. Everyone expressed their understanding and told Di Jun to accompany his family without concern.

Lu Tian followed his master and got acquainted with the various powerhouses.

The atmosphere was harmonious, and no one wished to stir up trouble at such a time. The powerhouses gave Lu Tian and the other juniors a few small gifts, merely as tokens of good fortune.

For a moment, the scene before him made Lu Tian feel as though he had returned to his childhood before transmigrating, attending some relative's wedding banquet.

However—

Behind this seemingly harmonious atmosphere lay a false peace sustained by the demon race's formidable strength.

The Ten Great Demon Sages guarded the banquet hall, while ten Quasi-Saints presided over the place. It had long since become impregnable. Unless a Saint came in person, who would dare act recklessly here? Moreover, the Heavenly Court formation had already been activated.

Yet at that very moment, an abrupt change arose!

Houtu of the Witch Clan has come to congratulate the demon race on the Imperial Sons' grand wedding!

You demon race people are blocking my way. Could it be that I am not welcome?

Her voice rolled like a tidal wave, instantly sweeping through the entire banquet hall.

All the great powers stopped eating at once, their gazes shooting toward the entrance to the Heavenly Court. A glimmer of spiritual light flickered in Lu Tian's eyes as he struggled to peer through the Heavenly Court's restrictions—

She was a woman difficult to describe with words.

This future Earthly Sage did not possess beauty as breathtaking as Nuwa's. Her beauty was filled with strength: wheat-colored skin glowed with health, divine light flowed between her imposing brows and eyes, and the lines of muscle across her body contained pure physical power, as though she could crush Lu Tian with a casual gesture.

Though he could not sense the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power, Lu Tian instinctively trembled—he absolutely could not become her enemy!

Buzz—

An invisible wall of force spread around Daoist Jieyin, enveloping the people of the Western Teachings. Lu Tian immediately felt the pressure lessen, and only then did he see clearly: what had arrived was merely an avatar with the strength of an ordinary mortal. The Witch Clan cultivated only their bodies and inherently possessed no spiritual power.

That suffocating pressure from before was merely the tip of the iceberg of Houtu's true body's might.

This revealed just how terrifying the powerhouses of the Primordial World truly were.

The great powers Lu Tian had seen before had all restrained their pressure. Even when releasing it, they deliberately controlled it as a deterrent. Only now, facing Houtu's undisguised avatar, did Lu Tian truly understand what it meant for an ant to gaze upon the heavens.

Taiyi, is this how you receive guests?

I have even prepared a congratulatory gift.

The corners of Houtu's lips rose slightly as she casually tossed out an object. It tore through the sky and shot straight toward the banquet!

The force behind it appeared light and casual.

This mortal-body avatar was ultimately limited. Even though her true self was an Ancestor Witch, forcibly wielding her cultivation allowed her to reach no more than the Golden Immortal level.

Swish!

Eastern Emperor Taiyi intercepted the incoming object in midair.

The great powers present casually extended their Spiritual Sense.

They were several living creatures bound by laws—furry young rabbits.

"Considering that the two Demon Emperors are occupied with countless affairs each day and likely have no time to accompany their children, I specially prepared a few little playmates."

Houtu spoke with a radiant smile.

The gift did seem to contain a measure of sincere thoughtfulness.

Yet Taiyi's expression grew increasingly grim.

He tucked the young rabbits into his sleeve, his blazing gaze pinning Houtu like sharp arrows as complicated thoughts churned within him.

If the arrival had been Houtu's true body, then even at the cost of the demon race's dignity, he would have activated the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation and suppressed her on the spot!

However...

What stood before him was merely a weak avatar.

It likely had not even consumed half a drop of Houtu's true body's essence blood.

Kill her? Or not?

Taiyi fell into a dilemma.

Killing the avatar would damage the demon race's prestige while yielding no real benefit.

But if he let her go...

Faced with such blatant provocation before all the great powers of the Primordial World, where would the demon race's dignity remain?

His Spiritual Sense swept over the banquet.

The various great powers all watched from the sidelines, drinking and conversing among themselves.

Taiyi knew perfectly well that these people were waiting to watch a good show.

"Since Fellow Daoist Houtu has come to offer congratulations, the demon race shall naturally treat you with courtesy."

"Please, take a seat!"

After weighing the matter again and again, Taiyi ultimately welcomed Houtu into the Heavenly Court.

He did not believe she could make any waves in this sacred ground of the demon race!

Once he made his decision, Taiyi personally led Houtu to her seat and ordered Gui Che, one of the Ten Great Demon Sages, to remain at her side without taking a single step away.

It was said to be accompaniment, but it was truly surveillance.

Such a scene made quite a few great powers secretly feel that their trip had been worthwhile.

Amid fine wine and jade liquor, the banquet soon returned to the illusion of hosts and guests enjoying themselves together.

Deep within the Sun Star.

Di Jun emerged from the secret realm with the ten Golden Crow princes and returned to the temporary palace.

Changxi and Xihe, who had been waiting for a long time, hurried forward.

When Di Jun handed the children back, Changxi's expression changed drastically. "Di Jun... you are truly so heartless!"

She questioned him coldly.

With the Moon Goddess's power, she instantly perceived the tangled Karmic Debt within the children's bodies—it was the backlash of the Witch Slaying Sword.

The surface was calm, but beneath it, dark currents had long been surging!

Di Jun let out a soft sigh.

"I must return to the Heavenly Court first. The children are entrusted to you two."

"There will be no further mishaps in the forging of the Witch Slaying Sword. The day the divine weapon is born will be the day the demon race rules heaven and earth!"

After giving a few brief instructions, his figure disappeared from the Sun Star.

Changxi watched Di Jun depart and could only sigh faintly.

How great were the demon race's chances of victory, truly?

She tactfully asked Xihe to leave, then sat cross-legged alone with the infants in her arms. A resolute glint flashed through her eyes.

As she activated a secret art, the Karma and Karmic Debt upon the infants' bodies actually began transferring to her.

Cough... cough cough!

Changxi, whose aura had already been weak, suddenly coughed up blood, yet she still gritted her teeth and maintained the spell.

This secret technique...

Even Di Jun, Taiyi, and Xihe knew nothing of it.

Could it be...

Was this a gift of fate that the Heavenly Dao had foreseen long ago?

After Di Jun returned to the Heavenly Court, the entire celestial realm fell into celebration.

Houtu did not cause any trouble.

Her avatar had merely wanted to make the Heavenly Court uncomfortable while probing its true strength—after all, aside from Saints, who could stir up trouble in the heavily guarded Heavenly Court?

This grand feast lasted forty-nine years.

Guests came and went like a flowing stream, while the demon race did its utmost to win over every attendee.

Being invited at least meant they held no deep hatred toward the demon race.

Of course...

There were also watchers with ulterior motives, such as the Western Teachings.

When the banquet ended, Di Jun had truly persuaded several races that had long remained on the sidelines to submit.

The demon race was originally an all-encompassing alliance—Di Jun and Taiyi had united the myriad races to establish this concept.

If Styx had been willing, the Asura Race could also have become a branch of the demon race.

In truth, he had indeed been someone the demon race had desperately sought to win over,

But the lord of the Sea of Blood simply disdained the offer.

When it was time to leave, Lu Tian's senior brothers were all beaming with delight.

Through Jieyin and Zhunti's introductions, they had met many great powers and gained much from the encounter.

They had also been treated with great courtesy during their years in the Heavenly Court, and they returned fully satisfied.

As the guests gradually departed, this carefully prepared grand feast finally came to an end.

Ultimately, it had merely been a stage for Di Jun to display his strength to heaven and earth.

Lu Tian and several senior brothers left together with Jieyin and Zhunti.

That same day, Houtu also quietly departed from the Heavenly Court.

She was certainly patient.

In such circumstances, she had actually remained seated for forty-nine years.

The moment her mortal avatar left the Heavenly Court, it flew straight toward the Thirty-Third Heaven.

After flying for several thousand years, she finally left the range of the Heavenly Court formation. A spatial rift suddenly appeared before her.

Just as Houtu was about to step inside, a voice called out from behind—

"Senior Houtu, please wait!"

Houtu frowned and looked back.

The one who had come was none other than Lu Tian.

A broad smile covered his face as he hurried forward.

"Stop!"

Houtu's eyes turned cold. "Take another half-step closer, and I will have you die on the spot."

"If I make a move, Jieyin and Zhunti may not be able to save you."

Lu Tian immediately stopped.

I naturally held your divine powers in awe, Senior.

I came this time under my master's orders to discuss a matter with you, Senior.

By my master's orders, I naturally meant Jieyin and Zhunti's intentions.

Houtu's expression remained icy. "A deal? The Western Teachings have colluded with the demon clan. What is there for you to discuss with me?"

Lu Tian smiled bitterly to himself.

As expected, Ancestor Witches were difficult to communicate with.

Even invoking the Saints' names had proved useless.

Please see clearly, Senior. Our teachings have no connection with the demon clan. I, too, was merely used by them.

Only then did Houtu raise her eyelids slightly:

Lu Tian hurriedly said, "I have a fortuitous opportunity and would like to invite you, Senior, to visit the west!"

The western Earth Veins have long since collapsed. I have heard that you command the Netherworld, Senior, and that your ability to regulate mountains and rivers surpasses even my masters'.

I earnestly ask you to travel west and help us sort out the Earth Veins.