Guiding Donghua, Ziwei Star Lord Seeks a Battle

Lingxiao pondered for a long while, sorting out the full chain of cause and effect before he slowly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Donghua, the Dao Ancestor appointed you leader of the male immortals. This matter is of great benefit to the Primordial World."

"Its central purpose is to establish order in the Primordial World and quell needless slaughter. Yet to accomplish this, you must first win the recognition of all living beings in the Primordial World. Otherwise, you will ultimately bear only the empty title of leader of the immortals."

Just as he had said when discussing the Dao with Hongjun at Violet Firmament Palace years ago, the Dao Ancestor's original intention in establishing the leaders of the male and female immortals had been to use the immortal path to unite the Rogue Cultivators and dispel the conflicts born of Calamity Qi.

The Dao Ancestor's considerations had indeed been thorough.

Yet when the supreme principles of the Great Dao were put into practice, every step had always been fraught with difficulty.

In the original course of events, the scheme for the male and female immortal leaders to command all immortals and alleviate the Calamity had ultimately failed.

The Immortal Court, built by Eastern King Lord with all his heart and soul, had been no more than an epiphyllum blooming for a single night, annihilated in the blink of an eye by the Demon Race Heavenly Court of Dijun and Taiyi.

There were two cruxes to the matter:

First, Eastern King Lord possessed only the name of one personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor, but had no achievements capable of winning over the masses. His cultivation had not reached the Saint Realm, he had not attained the Primordial Dao Fruit, and he could not subdue others through force. Thus, he had never been able to gain the recognition of the foremost Great Supernatural Beings.

The so-called order of the Immortal Ranks could only restrain a few minor Rogue Cultivator immortals with no one to rely upon. It was merely a pavilion built atop shifting sand, collapsing at the first touch.

Second, the male and female immortals had been completely divided, causing Yin and Yang to fall out of balance and fortune to become unstable.

Eastern King Lord had wished to straighten out the immortal path and establish rules;

Yet Queen Mother of the West had devoted herself wholly to secluded cultivation, without the slightest desire to contend for supremacy. She had led the female immortals under her command to live in seclusion on Kunlun Immortal Island in the Western Sea, turning a deaf ear to all affairs concerning the immortal path of the Primordial World.

In the end, Eastern King Lord had been unable to support the structure alone. The Immortal Court was breached, he perished in the Eastern Sea, and all that remained was the lament of "Taiyi bathing in the Eastern Sea."

Thinking of this, Lingxiao did not quite approve in his heart.

In his view, Queen Mother of the West's actions had ultimately failed her duty. Having no ambition and avoiding strife was not inherently wrong, but having accepted the Dao Ancestor's appointment, received a Supreme-Grade Spiritual Treasure, occupied the honored position of leader of the female immortals, and claimed the fortune of Heaven and Earth, it was difficult to justify then standing idly by and accomplishing nothing.

Though the Dao Ancestor possessed many spiritual treasures, there was no reason for him to toss a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure away to be wasted.

Taking the benefits without doing the work?

That was hardly proper.

Of course, part of the reason was also that the Dao Ancestor had not spelled out the details or offered clear guidance...

These thoughts only passed through Lingxiao's mind. He did not voice them aloud.

After all, he had now become the sole Golden Crow, having taken the place of Dijun and Taiyi. That predetermined tragedy naturally had no chance of occurring.

Such matters were not for outsiders to hear.

"This..."

The hall fell silent for a moment. Seeing Lingxiao brood without speaking, Eastern King Lord's heart skipped a beat. He abruptly rose to his feet, deeply cupped his hands toward Lingxiao, and anxiously asked, "Fellow Daoist, your wisdom reaches through Heaven and Earth. You must surely see through the key to this matter. I beg you, teach me! What should I do to avoid failing the Dao Ancestor's trust and truly establish order in the immortal path?"

Lingxiao returned to his senses, raised a hand in a gesture of support, and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Donghua, there is no need for such courtesy. The way to break this impasse can be difficult, yet it can also be simple. Listen as I explain."

At these words, not only did Eastern King Lord hold his breath and concentrate, but Kunpeng, Xihe, and Changxi at the side also turned to look.

Xihe wore an immortal gown, her bearing upright and graceful. Her cool, beautiful eyes rested on Lingxiao, filled with nothing but tender trust as she listened quietly;

Changxi, meanwhile, tilted her lovely head, her almond eyes bright as stars. Her small hand lightly gripped Lingxiao's sleeve, her face full of curiosity and admiration. Even her breathing softened by several degrees.

"You need only do two things first. Once your foundation is secure, the rest can be discussed later."

Lingxiao knew well that establishing the Immortal Ranks and governing all living beings involved an immense web of karma, far more complicated than when he had established the Twelve Time Markers.

To accomplish it, one had to first secure the foundation before going far.

Otherwise, it would ultimately be nothing more than a castle in the air.

"Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist!" Eastern King Lord urgently bowed again.

"First, devote yourself to building prestige. Either purge the hidden remnants of the Demonic Cult and other wicked demons and heretical paths lurking in the Primordial World, or subdue unruly clans that cause disorder. Establish tangible merits, and let all living beings of the Primordial World see the capability of their immortal leader rather than merely guarding an empty reputation."

"Second, you must reach a consensus with Queen Mother of the West. How the two of you get along privately need not be discussed for now. Since you were both entrusted by the Dao Ancestor and accepted the duty of governing the immortals and stabilizing the Primordial World, you must accept another's trust and faithfully carry out their task. You must jointly shoulder the responsibility of managing all immortals and establishing order. Only when Yin and Yang aid one another can the foundation remain forever secure," Lingxiao instructed with care.

"I have been taught!" The more Eastern King Lord listened, the more reasonable it seemed. A thunderous crash rang through his mind, like clouds parting to reveal the sun, and understanding suddenly dawned upon him. He bowed deeply to Lingxiao once more and solemnly thanked him. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for clearing away my confusion! Donghua shall never forget this favor for as long as I live! Had you not guided me, I nearly would have strayed onto the wrong path and failed the Dao Ancestor's trust!"

After completing the courtesy, he rose and took his leave, declaring that he would certainly go to the Sun Star to offer congratulations on Lingxiao's wedding day.

Kunpeng also rose, cupped his hands toward Lingxiao in farewell, and the two left Lingxiao Palace side by side. They transformed into two streaks of light and sped directly toward the Primordial Lands.

The two had taken a liking to each other.

One wished to band together for warmth, lest he again be alone and helpless, only to be outnumbered by Jieyin, Zhunti, and the Three Pure Ones;

The other wished to firmly secure the position of immortal leader and establish the order of the Immortal Ranks, and happened to be in urgent need of the support and recognition of a foremost Great Supernatural Being like Kunpeng.

—Each had what the other needed. With a single glance, they understood one another without words, hit it off at once, and set out together.

With the departure of the two visiting Great Supernatural Beings, the Sun Star returned to tranquility.

Yet that tranquility lasted only a little over three hundred years.

Now, within the Primordial Starry Sky, though the myriad stars waxed, waned, and revolved, its core was formed by the two supreme stars that had remained unchanged through the ages: the Sun Star and Lunar Yin.

Below them was Ziwei Star, formed from Pangu's Purple Mansion. It stood at the center of the starry sky, eternal and unmoving, lord of the Heavenly Stellar Array and second in the hierarchy of stellar paths;

Below that were the three hundred and sixty-two primordial principal stars apart from those three stars;

And last came fourteen thousand eight hundred secondary stars, along with scattered minor stars as countless as the sands of the Ganges, together forming the complete configuration of the Heavenly Stellar Array of the Primordial World.

Heaven possessed the three luminaries: sun, moon, and stars. Though the sun and moon were stars, their status transcended all others.

And beneath the sun and moon, Ziwei was lord over the myriad stars.

In this age, the Sun Star had Lingxiao, a Great Sun Golden Crow, descend into the world, while Lunar Yin had Xihe and Changxi, two Lunar Jade Rabbits, take form.

On Ziwei Star, a foremost Innate Sacred Being had likewise been born. He called himself Ziwei Star Lord, taking form alongside the Upper-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Ziwei Star Tower, and the Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Ziwei Emperor Sword. His foundation was profound beyond measure.

At this moment, deep within Purple Zenith Hall on Ziwei Star.

There were no superfluous ornaments in the hall. Only Innate Ziwei Emperor Qi and starlight endlessly coiled through the air.

At the center of the hall stood a towering ancient tree with gnarled, twisting branches.

The tree rooted itself in Ziwei Star, its three hundred and sixty main branches stretching across the void like the star tracks of the Heavenly Stellar Array. From every branch hung one enormous principal star fruit and three hundred and fifty-nine lustrous secondary star fruits, totaling one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred—the exact number of one yuan cycle.

The fruits glimmered with starlight. Stellar Origin flowed within them, drawing the power of the Heavenly Stellar Array together bit by bit. The entire tree seemed to be the tangible manifestation of the Stellar Dao of the Primordial World.

Ziwei Star Lord wore an imperial robe of violet and gold, with an emperor's crown upon his head. His features were handsome, and an awe-inspiring nobility rested between his brows, though his expression had always been cold and stern.

Having just finished digesting the gains from listening to the Dao at Violet Firmament Palace, his cultivation had advanced another step. Stillness had reached its limit and stirred into movement, so he wished to travel the Primordial World and exchange techniques with the many Great Supernatural Beings to verify his own Dao path.

"Perhaps I should make a trip to the Sun Star. First, I can deliver a wedding gift; second, I can seek guidance from that Sun Sovereign and have a bout."

As this thought turned in his mind, he recalled Lingxiao's wedding. When the Dao lectures at Violet Firmament Palace had ended, Lingxiao had broadly sent out invitations, and he himself had agreed to attend.

Whoosh!

Without further hesitation, he swept his great sleeve and collected all one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred fruits from the tree.

Then, with Ziwei Star Tower above his head and Ziwei Emperor Sword at his waist, he stepped out of Purple Zenith Hall. Transforming into a streak of violet-gold starlight, wrapped in vast and surging Ziwei Emperor Qi, he sped directly toward the Sun Star.