The Demon Race Occupies the Nine Heavens, Now Able to Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with the Immortal Court and Witch Clan, Even Faintly Surpassing the Immortal Court

Zhu Yin strode swiftly up to Bodhi Hall, dressed in green, his aura steady and his entire body brimming with vitality.

He pushed open the door and saw Zhunti seated in the hall, shrouded in a faint radiance of wisdom.

"Disciple Zhu Yin pays respects to Master."

With a sweep of his sleeve, Zhunti lifted him up, his face full of smiles.

"You have been under my tutelage for barely five thousand years, yet you have broken through two major realms in succession and cultivated to Late Golden Immortal. You truly live up to my discerning eye in taking you as a disciple."

"Your method of traveling through mountains and rivers, treading upon the earth to comprehend the Dao, carries the bearing of the ancients. I hope you preserve your original heart, remain steadfast in your Dao heart, and continue forward steadily upon the path of the Great Dao."

Zhu Yin nodded solemnly.

"This disciple will remember your teachings and certainly will not disappoint your expectations."

Zhunti then answered some of his cultivation doubts before his expression turned serious.

"Three hundred years ago, the Demon Race sent an envoy with invitations, inviting your senior uncle Jieyin and me to the Nine Heavens to witness the ceremony... Dijun and Taiyi intend to establish the Heavenly Court."

"Stop entering seclusion for cultivation. In twenty years, accompany me there."

"The Demon Race possesses profound foundations, far beyond anything our Western Lands can match. This journey will greatly benefit you."

"This disciple obeys."

After leaving Bodhi Hall, Zhu Yin returned to Immaculate Hall. As he rested, he began considering the circumstances ahead.

From the golden-robed boy, he had gathered quite a bit of information. Combined with the current timing of the Demon Race establishing the Heavenly Court, he roughly determined the timeline.

This should have been the early stage of the Witch-Demon Calamity.

His master had already gone to Purple Cloud Palace twice to hear the Dao. Each sermon had lasted ten thousand years, with thirty thousand years between them. Now that the Heavenly Court was being established, it meant the great currents of the Primordial Wilderness were about to shift.

Though he had two Sages protecting him, he understood clearly that in the Primordial World, the weak were prey to the strong. No one could truly be relied upon for a lifetime.

If he wanted to freely grow flowers and grass, sip tea and admire the scenery, he would ultimately have to rely on becoming strong enough himself.

Whether it was the future struggle among the four Daoist teachings or the conflict between Buddhism and the Mystic School, as the Western Lands' foremost disciple, he could not possibly remain uninvolved.

The east was rich in treasures. Though he had been born from a plant spirit root and preferred peace over contention, he should seize this opportunity to "aid the poor" for himself—to nourish his own body and also aid the Western Lands.

Yet these plans were not urgent for now. The most important thing was still to continue increasing his strength.

Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, aside from cultivating divine abilities and tempering his physical body, Zhu Yin opened up a spiritual field before Immaculate Hall. He dug up spiritual herbs and medicines from all over Mount Sumeru that Spirit Platform Mountain did not possess, intending to bring them back to his Daoist grounds for planting.

At times, he even revealed his true form, transforming into Netherworld Bamboo and rooting himself in the spiritual field. Together with the many immortal herbs, he swayed in the wind, sensing nature's tranquility and harmony.

Naturally, he knew where to draw the line. Without permission, he had never touched so much as a leaf or blade of the precious spiritual roots, immortal treasures, and medicinal herbs.

When the twenty-year term expired, Zhu Yin arrived at Bodhi Hall as promised.

Before long, Zhunti appeared.

Master and disciple joined Jieyin, and the three ascended into the clouds together. Leaving Mount Sumeru behind, they set off for the Nine Heavens...

They were about to witness the moment the Heavenly Court was first established.

Above the Nine Heavens, the heavens stretched vast and magnificent.

Each layer of heaven was comparable to a complete world. Nine worlds stacked atop one another like a celestial staircase leading directly to the firmament, towering in grandeur and exerting pressure in every direction.

At that moment, countless streaks of light tore through the void overhead as innumerable powerful figures gathered in the nine heavens.

Among those who came were renowned great powers of the present Primordial Wilderness, three thousand Dao disciples who had emerged from Purple Cloud Palace, and no shortage of ancient old monsters who had remained hidden since primordial eras.

All had come at the invitation, to witness the establishment of the Heavenly Court.

Multicolored clouds stretched ten thousand miles across the sky, golden light blanketed the heavens, auspicious clouds rolled like an ocean, and spiritual energy fell as rain. Countless immortal palaces stood among towering peaks...

Azure jade formed the ground, glazed tiles covered the roofs, and white jade built the walls. Magnificent pavilions and jade halls rose in harmonious arrangement, while terraces and immortal palaces layered one upon another amid curling clouds and mist, their bearing extraordinary.

Most especially, every heavenly world was vast and boundless, with beautiful mountains and rivers, dense spiritual energy, erupting spiritual springs, spiritual lakes everywhere, flying waterfalls cascading across the land, spiritual beasts racing about, and medicinal herbs and immortal flowers beyond counting. It was like nine layers of immortal realms.

When these Nine Heavens were combined, the resources, spiritual opportunities, and fortune they possessed were not inferior in the slightest to the entire Primordial Wilderness continent.

With the Demon Race occupying the Nine Heavens, it now possessed the confidence to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Court and Witch Clan, even faintly surpassing the Immortal Court.

Although Zhunti and Jieyin were in the Western Lands, they were Quasi-Sage powerhouses after all. They needed only ten years to bring Zhu Yin to the Heavenly Court.

The moment they arrived beyond the outer heavens, Bai Ze, an important Demon Race minister, personally came to receive them. The great Fuxi himself accompanied them, leading the two Sages into the Heavenly Palace.

Zhu Yin followed closely behind, his eyes unable to take everything in.

This was his first time truly setting foot in the Heavenly Court. The immortal palaces before him were as beautiful as a painting, too lovely to behold. Though inwardly astonished, he kept to his limits and merely admired the sight in silence without committing any breach of etiquette.

This restraint of his once more earned Zhunti's secret approval.

Within Lingxiao Hall, guests gathered like clouds and the atmosphere was fervent.

Countless Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals and Quasi-Sage great powers had assembled. At this moment, nearly all the foremost figures of the Primordial Wilderness had arrived.

Not long after Zhunti and Jieyin took their seats, the Three Pure Ones appeared one after another as well.

Then the Demon Race's two leading figures—Dijun and Taiyi—ascended the main platform with Fuxi, Nuwa, and the other upper echelons.

Before everyone's eyes, they began offering sacrifices to heaven and proclaimed the establishment of the Heavenly Court.

Dijun declared solemnly,

"Heaven and earth are in chaos, and all living beings have no one to rely on. Today, I, Dijun, act in accordance with Heaven's will to establish the Heavenly Court above the nine heavens, set heavenly rules, harmonize yin and yang, command the stars, and shelter all living beings."

"Taiyi shall be Eastern Emperor, Nuwa shall be Wa Emperor, Fuxi shall be Xi Emperor, and Bai Ze with the other ten great demon gods shall govern the ten directions. From this day onward, the Heavenly Court shall rule over the heavens of the Primordial Wilderness. May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"

Rumble!

The instant Dijun's words fell, the Heavenly Dao trembled in response. Thunder roared amid the clouds, and vast merit descended from the heavens like a tidal sea. Golden light cascaded like a waterfall, illuminating the entire Heavenly Palace.

Part of that merit transformed into a Three-Legged Golden Crow phantom that covered heaven and earth. Though it could not be touched, every great power present was startled by the sight.

This was the fortune of destiny descending upon them, its phenomenon shaking the heavens!

The remaining merit streamed into the bodies of the Demon Race's upper echelons. Their cultivation instantly surged, and their momentum soared like a rainbow.

Dijun spoke again. "From this day forth, I am the Heavenly Emperor, ruling the heavens and eternally suppressing the Primordial Wilderness!"

His momentum surged like a rainbow, his voice shaking the nine skies.

All demons bowed in unison.

"Greetings, Heavenly Emperor! May the Heavenly Court be eternal! May the Heavenly Emperor be eternal!"

The mountain-roaring, sea-crashing voices resounded through heaven and earth, making the entire Primordial Wilderness tremble.

This establishment of the Heavenly Court was not merely a nominal organization. It was truly one "ordained by Heaven," possessing both the confidence and fortune to suppress the firmament.

Neither the dragon, phoenix, and qilin races of old nor the later Immortal Court had ever possessed authority and vision like that of the Heavenly Court today.

Some great powers secretly considered whether they ought to join the Heavenly Court.

Others wore grave expressions and began guarding against the Demon Race's rise.

Still others remained unconcerned with matters that did not concern them, standing by with folded arms.

As for Zhu Yin, he merely watched in silence.

He did not pay much attention to the Heavenly Court's rise.

After all, whom destiny favored had little to do with him.

So long as this new force did not disturb his peaceful days, he was more than happy to cultivate quietly.

However, because of Zhunti, his seat had also been elevated. He was placed among the Primordial Unity Golden Immortals, with spiritual fruits treasured by the Heavenly Court, jade nectar, and immortal delicacies spread out before him.

These were all fine things for cultivation. To Zhu Yin, they were far more tangible than any mandate of Heaven or authority.

His movements were elegant, but his hands moved with startling speed. He did not spare a single spiritual item that could be eaten, transforming all this fortune into vast energy and temporarily suppressing it within his body to refine slowly after returning.

He had transformed from a spiritual root and cultivated the Vitality Great Dao, so he naturally understood the value of every spiritual item that could nourish him.

Even the fruit pits, he collected one by one, thinking of bringing them back to Spirit Platform Mountain for planting. Perhaps they might cultivate some new innate spiritual roots and strengthen the foundations of his Daoist grounds.

Seeing this, Zhunti generously gathered up the fruit pits on his own table as well, making no attempt to hide it.