Heavenly Court.
A hundred flowers bloomed, immortal aura coiled through the air, and everything was majestic and resplendent.
Inside Lingxiao Palace,
Dijun and Taiyi sat upon the highest seats, clad in crimson and golden imperial robes. Their sovereign pressure was incomparably dense; merely sitting there gave others a crushing sense of oppression.
At this moment, Dijun wore a spring-breeze smile. He looked amiable, without the slightest air of superiority.
Under a guard's guidance, Lu Chen entered the great hall while holding a pure white cat without a single stray-colored hair.
"Since my master is currently in seclusion, this poor Daoist has come in his stead to attend the ceremony. This is the gift."
Lu Chen spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. A longsword appeared from within his sleeve, its treasure light shimmering brilliantly and its appearance quite impressive.
Of course, appearance was all this sword had going for it. It was merely a low-grade Innate Spirit Treasure.
"Come, grant him a seat!"
Dijun casually accepted the sword, and the smile on his face deepened by several degrees.
To him, let alone a low-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, even a Mid-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure was nothing remarkable.
Yet this sword carried a different meaning. It had been gifted by Tongtian.
The gift might be light, but the sentiment was weighty. It showed that Tongtian greatly valued him, valued the Demon Race.
Look at the other Sages. Laozi had brought Golden Cores he had refined himself.
Yuanshi... wore an arrogant expression, as though his very presence was already a favor bestowed upon them.
As for a congratulatory gift, naturally, there was none.
As for those two from the Western Sect... although they had brought a gift, it was only a ten-year spiritual fruit. Worse still, they had dragged their whole household along, swaggering in with over a dozen disciples whose cultivation was only at the Heavenly Immortal and True Immortal realms. Once seated, they began stuffing themselves with food and drink.
Eating would have been one thing, but they even pulled out sacks, eating while stuffing food into them, muttering, "Our Western Sect suffers bitter hardship..."
Nuwa, meanwhile, had not come. She had once forcefully made Fuxi leave the Demon Race, and her relationship with the Demon Race was currently somewhat delicate.
The difference in their standing was immediately clear.
"No wonder Tongtian was able to attain Primordial Unity. His breadth of vision says it all."
Yuanshi and Laozi had long known Lu Chen would come and were not particularly surprised. But when Zhunti and Jieyin saw Lu Chen arrive, their gazes darkened.
They had not forgotten the humiliation of that day, and Lu Chen had been the source of it.
Their expressions swiftly returned to normal. They even smiled amiably and beckoned to Lu Chen.
"Martial Nephew Lu Chen, why not come sit with us?"
Lu Chen fell silent as he looked at Zhunti, who was beckoning to him. He had to admit that there was a reason the two of them would later develop the Western Sect until it stood alone at the top, even pressing the Heavenly Court beneath it.
This patience alone was something Yuanshi could never learn in a lifetime.
Of course, Lu Chen would never actually sit with them. Those two old schemers were smiling tigers, and their methods were dark indeed.
"Daoist Friend Lu Chen, there is still an empty seat here."
Hearing this, Lu Chen looked over. Hong Yun, dressed in a Big Red Robe, was waving enthusiastically at him.
Lu Chen smiled at Zhunti. "Thank you for your kind offer, Martial Uncle, but I have not seen Daoist Friend Hong Yun for a long time and have missed him greatly."
As he spoke, Lu Chen held Bai Geng and sat down beside Hong Yun.
Zhunti nodded at his words, still smiling, though no one knew what he was thinking inside.
"Daoist Friend Lu Chen, is this a pet you have taken in? It is actually from the White Tiger Clan. The White Tiger Clan is incredibly rare these days. Daoist Friend, your fortune truly is excellent."
"Yes."
"Zhen Yuanzi, how about we also find some tiger-clan creatures to use as mounts?"
As he spoke, Hong Yun reached out and stroked Bai Geng, then looked toward Zhen Yuanzi.
"Not only can they serve as transportation, you can also hold them in your arms and pet them. Their fur feels wonderful too."
"Anything is fine."
Zhen Yuanzi nodded at Hong Yun, his eyes full of "indulgence."
These really are the Primordial World's famous pair of best friends.
Watching Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun interact so intimately, Lu Chen quietly sighed to himself.
"Stay beside us later. Do not wander around carelessly."
Zhen Yuanzi looked at Lu Chen with a serious expression.
"Mm."
Lu Chen nodded, casually picked up a precious fruit, and stuffed it into Bai Geng's mouth.
Seeing how familiar Lu Chen was with Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi,
a trace of surprise flashed through their eyes.
Hong Yun was kind-hearted and generous, an old good man, but Zhen Yuanzi was not.
The fact that they called Lu Chen Daoist Friend meant that, in some respect, Lu Chen had caught their eye and earned their recognition as an equal.
This made them curious. After making a quick calculation with their fingers, Laozi and Yuanshi exchanged a glance, horror flashing through their eyes!
Although Sages rarely felt emotional turmoil over worldly matters,
that depended on what the matter was.
They had calculated that Hong Yun had actually given the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi to Lu Chen!!!
"Eldest Brother..."
Yuanshi sent a voice transmission to Laozi.
"There is no Primordial Chaos Purple Qi on Lu Chen."
"Then where did that strand of Primordial Chaos Purple Qi go?"
The two suppressed the doubts in their hearts.
Alluring palace maidens danced in the great hall. Every one of them possessed peerless figures and inborn seductive charm; they were all women of the Fox Clan.
Though these women were all extraordinarily beautiful, the kind who, in his previous life, would have been wildly pursued and adored by countless people if picked out at random—so-called campus beauties were nowhere near their league—
perhaps because he had seen too many immortals, Lu Chen merely watched them with an indifferent expression, unable to stir even the slightest interest.
It was as though he were looking at pink skeletons.
From time to time, Lu Chen fed Bai Geng, then tucked some spiritual fruits into his sleeve.
How could one watch a fight without snacks?
"Dijun, you invited all the great powers of the Primordial World to this banquet, yet deliberately left out our Witch Clan. Where do you place the face of our Witch Clan!!"
A rough, thunderous voice rang throughout the entire Heavenly Court.
"Those barbarians have come. Big Brother, preside over the situation. I will go stop them."
Upon hearing the voice, Taiyi immediately rose and headed outside the hall.
"Let us go together. You cannot block them alone."
Dijun shook his head and rose from his high seat.
"Mm."
Taiyi nodded.
"The banquet shall continue. My second brother and I will handle a small matter."
After saying this, Dijun and Taiyi transformed into two streaks of rainbow light and flew out of the hall.
Lu Chen stood up at the same time.
"Daoist Friend Lu Chen, where are you going?"
Hong Yun asked in confusion.
"Of course I am going to watch the excitement. A scene like this is not often seen."
"Watch the excitement? Good, good, let us go together. Zhen Yuanzi, come on."
"Mm... fine."
Zhen Yuanzi looked at Lu Chen and Hong Yun, who were nearly out of the hall, helplessness appearing in his eyes as he rose and followed them.
He calculated inwardly that if they merely watched from outside, the Earth Book should be enough to keep the three of them safe.
Aside from Lu Chen's group of three leaving their seats, the other great powers remained where they were, eating and watching the fox maidens, without the slightest intention of moving their backsides.
They did not care in the least that the Witch Clan had come knocking. Besides, even while seated here, they could extend their divine senses and learn what was happening outside.
Lu Chen could do the same, but how could divine sense compare to witnessing such a scene with one's own eyes? That was far more shocking and thrilling.
He was not someone who loved joining crowds to watch a show, but he truly wanted to see the Witch-Demon War. He wanted to personally experience the terrifying majesty of the Twelve Heavenly Capitals Formation and the still-forming Zhou Tian Star-Dust Formation.
And he also wanted to see whether Hongjun would intervene...
Before you continue