In the Eastern Emperor Palace

Afterward, Houtu grew bewildered again. She had come to understand reincarnation and suspected that her path might be the reincarnation Great Dao, but she still could not work out how to attain the Dao.

Was she supposed to do as Gungun did—catch the Primordial Spirits of the fallen, cleanse them with that Treasure Cauldron, then carry them all that way to somewhere someone was about to give birth so they could reincarnate?

"No, it cannot be so simple. This is certainly not the method for attaining the reincarnation Great Dao. At most, it is merely related to it," Houtu murmured, shaking her head.

Then how, exactly, could she attain the Dao?

Houtu suddenly felt her head begin to ache. This was so hard to figure out~

The sun rose and set, and time flowed on. Three years later, on the Softbone Prairie, a tremendous aura erupted from Gungun, stirring the winds and clouds of heaven and earth.

In the void, Houtu was still struggling to devise a way to attain the Dao. At the sight, she immediately waved her hand and concealed that aura to avoid alerting the Demon Race.

"Silence! Silence! Silence!..." Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Gungun opened its mouth and chanted the word over and over. With each repetition, the Dao resonance around its body grew stronger. Finally, its eyes snapped open, gleaming like stars. It raised its head and shouted at the heavens, "Be silent!"

Then...

Thump! Its eyes closed again, and the entire bear toppled backward, lying on the ground and sleeping soundly.

After three years of passively comprehending the Dao with the aid of merit, Gungun was still at the Mid-Stage Great Immortal level, but its understanding of the law of silence had deepened somewhat. As a result, it had also become even lazier.

After all, perhaps the reason it had managed to grasp the law of silence in the first place was that it was lazy enough to want an absolutely quiet place to sleep.

"..." Watching the big, fat bear lie down and start snoring the instant it finished comprehending the Dao, Houtu no longer knew what to say.

Meanwhile, at the Demon Court.

Several Great Luo demon gods were walking out through the South Heaven Gate together, having agreed to visit an immortal mountain in the primordial world for drinks. Who could have expected a sudden shout to rise from below?

"Be silent!"

"Ah-" The demon gods' voices abruptly caught in their throats. At the same time, the boundless magical power within them became like a pool of stagnant water, slipping beyond their control as though it no longer existed. What the hell was going on?

Clang~ Just as these demon gods and the demon soldiers and generals guarding the South Heaven Gate were growing alarmed, even panicked, a bell rang from within the gate. The next instant, they all returned to normal. They could speak again, and their magical power once more answered their commands.

They immediately breathed sighs of relief, then turned and bowed toward the interior of the South Heaven Gate, saying in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty, Eastern Emperor!"

Within the Eastern Emperor Palace.

Taiyi stood with his hands clasped behind his back atop jade steps ten thousand feet high, surrounded by endless starlight. Beside him stood a handsome, fair-skinned youth clad in purple divine armor, with a pair of dragon horns growing from his forehead.

"The law of silence. Houtu, you have found yourself an excellent battle pet indeed," Eastern Emperor Taiyi said coolly.

Although Houtu had acted swiftly to conceal Gungun's aura, Taiyi had still noticed it. It did not make him nervous, however. A Great Immortal who had mastered a law was still only a Great Immortal. Such strength could not influence the outcome of the War of the Liches, nor could it withstand even a single exchange with him. Besides...

Taiyi glanced at Ao Yue beside him, and the faintest hint of a smile crossed his impassive face.

Now he, too, had a guardian whose origins and destined fate stood among the very finest in the primordial world, one who was certainly superior to that Iron-Eating Beast, not inferior. Thus, he had no reason whatsoever to feel nervous, let alone jealous.

Still, that Iron-Eating Beast was quite impressive. It was blessed with great fortune, possessed considerable cultivation, and looked very cute as well. If he could...

Something suddenly occurred to Taiyi. Lowering his eyes, he stood there in thought for a while. Then,

He turned to Ao Yue and said, "A Yue, you dealt with that Iron-Eating Beast a hundred years ago. What sort of bear do you think it is?" Under Eastern Emperor Taiyi's treatment, Ao Yue had now fully recovered from the injuries Kunpeng had inflicted. To repay Taiyi for saving him, he had voluntarily joined the Demon Race and taken the title "Great Sun Heavenly Dragon." At Taiyi's question, that endearingly goofy, big, fat face instinctively surfaced in his mind.

Then he lowered his head slightly toward Taiyi and answered, "It likes frightening people and taking petty advantages, but... it is very kind."

"Kind? Houtu is belligerent and never so much as blinks when slaughtering the sons of our Demon Race, yet her battle pet has earned the word 'kind' from you. Heh, how interesting. Yue, I have a task for you," Taiyi said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, please command me!" Ao Yue immediately dropped to one knee and addressed Taiyi with the utmost respect.

"Get up. I told you, you are my guardian, not my mount. There is no need to be so constrained. Throughout the entire Demon Race, you need not kneel to anyone, including me and my elder brother." Taiyi helped Ao Yue up and patted his shoulder as he spoke. Though his voice still carried authority, it was gentler than when he ordinarily addressed the demon gods and demon sages.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ao Yue replied after rising, his head lowered and his expression still respectful.

"Mm. I want you to go to the Softbone Prairie now and visit that Iron-Eating Beast on my behalf. See whether you can persuade it to leave the Shamans and join the Heavenly Court. I once said that, so long as it was willing to come, I would grant it a position as a demon god. That promise still stands. Moreover, if it is willing to become my mount, I will bestow this Jade Radiance Twofold-Unity Lamp upon it." As he spoke, Taiyi flicked his sleeve, and a divine lamp of green jade, some two feet tall, appeared beside them.

"The Jade Radiance Twofold-Unity Lamp? Your Majesty, this is an innate Numinous Treasure. This..." Hearing Taiyi's words and seeing the divine lamp he had produced, Ao Yue was startled and found it difficult to believe.

"It is of no consequence. Fine as the Jade Radiance Twofold-Unity Lamp is, it serves me only as a light. If that bear becomes my mount, will the lamp not still remain within the Demon Race, while we gain another Great Immortal besides?" Taiyi raised a hand to interrupt Ao Yue and spoke.

At Taiyi's explanation, understanding dawned on Ao Yue. He nodded silently, then moved his arm slightly and tucked the Jade Radiance Twofold-Unity Lamp into his sleeve. Taking a step back, he bowed to Taiyi. "Yes, Your Majesty. Your subject will attend to it at once."

"Mm. Do not forget to bring some spirit fruits before you leave. That bear likes eating them. Did it not help treat your injuries back then? The sons of our Demon Race must repay every grudge, but neither may we forget a kindness." Taiyi nodded and reminded Ao Yue.

"Your subject understands."

"Go, then. Take care on the way."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With that, Ao Yue transformed into a streak of auroral light and flew out of the Eastern Emperor Palace.