Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

An undercurrent of tension immediately arose within the hall. The Supreme Sage, with his few followers, remained indifferent and had no intention of getting involved.

Nuwa played with the five-colored stones left over from mending the sky, clearly showing little interest in the position of Heavenly Emperor.

The two Western Saints exchanged a glance, and Zhunti spoke first: "Teacher, I have taught the Medicine Master to be virtuous and talented. If he were to take charge of the Heavenly Court..."

"The Western religion's influence is far too great!" The Tongtian Sect Leader slammed his fist on the table, his Qingping Sword humming beside him. "The Heavenly Court is the legitimate authority of the East; when did it become your place to interfere?"

The Guide Daoist, counting his prayer beads, said unhurriedly, "Fellow Daoist Tongtian, you are mistaken. There was no distinction between East and West in the primordial world. Moreover, those in charge of the Heavenly Court should have the compassion to save all living beings..."

Before the words were finished, the Jade Ruyi of the Primordial Celestial Venerable slammed heavily onto the table, the crisp sound cutting off the argument.

The atmosphere inside the Dao Ancestor Hall suddenly became tense. Ignoring the Sage of Reception, the Tongtian Sect Leader directly bowed to Hongyuan and said, "Master, you are wise. My first disciple, Daoist Duobao, is blessed with profound fortune and outstanding talent. He is worthy of the position of Heavenly Emperor."

Yuanshi Tianzun gently stroked the jade ruyi and continued, "The affairs of the East should be settled by the East, but Tongtian's disciples are all unorthodox cultivators. If they were to take charge of the Heavenly Court, they would likely find it difficult to command respect. My disciple Limozi is a manifestation of innate pure energy, with a pure lineage and profound cultivation. He is the more suitable candidate."

He glanced sideways at the Qingping Sword at Tongtian's waist, his words laced with barbs.

Tongtian's smile remained, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. The feud between Yuxu Palace and Biyou Palace, which had lasted for tens of thousands of years, was now festered with a new one.

"That is incorrect!" The Sage of Guidance hastily revealed his golden form. "The Heavenly Emperor should have the heart to universally save all sentient beings. I, the Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva of the West..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Sage Zhunti grabbed his robe, and the Bodhi branch nearly knocked over the table.

Nuwa watched from the sidelines, playing with a red embroidered ball, while the Supreme Sage kept his eyes closed, meditating. The four sages' argument grew louder, and the clouds before the Dao Ancestor's seat churned like boiling water.

"Enough with the noise!" Hongyuan slammed his finger on the table, the thunderous sound of the Purple Heaven causing even the saint's true spirit to tremble. Once everyone fell silent, the Dao Ancestor's gaze swept over his disciples, whose expressions varied: "Where are Haotian and Yaochi?"

Two young boys with their hair in tufts stepped forward in response, and their figures gradually grew taller under the astonished gazes of the saints.

In the blink of an eye, Haotian transformed into a heroic and valiant deity with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, while Yaochi became a graceful and elegant goddess of the Nine Heavens.

The two were surrounded by auspicious clouds, with the Haotian Mirror and the plain-colored cloud banner bestowed by Hongyuan hanging above their heads.

"From this day forward, they shall take charge of the Heavenly Court." The Investiture of the Gods flew out of the Dao Ancestor's sleeve and landed in Haotian's hands. "You should all assist them well."

Jieyin stared at the innate spiritual treasure, his Adam's apple bobbing. The Three Treasures Jade Ruyi in Yuanshi Guang's sleeve flickered uncertainly. Tongtian snorted coldly and flung his sleeve away.

Outside the palace, the weather in the thirty-three heavens suddenly changed, and the aura of a great calamity had quietly spread.

At the bestowal ceremony by Dao Ancestor Hongyuan, Haotian was delighted to receive his natal divine artifacts, the Haotian Mirror and the Haotian Pagoda.

These two innate treasures, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities, caused his strength to surge instantly.

Yaochi obtained the Plain Cloud Banner from the Five Banners of the Primordial Chaos. This top-tier defensive artifact attracted the burning gaze of Sage Zhunti as soon as it was revealed, since the entire Western Sect could not gather a magic weapon of this caliber.

The Dao Ancestor's rewards weren't over yet. He casually added a primordial jade hairpin as an accessory to Yaochi, and also transferred the peach tree, the foremost of the ten spiritual roots, to her name.

The sage Zhunti was stunned. Although he was a sage, he only had two or three innate treasures to show for himself.

Last time, his scheme to manipulate the Six Paths of Reincarnation failed, and he even lost the blessed pestle and the Six Roots Purification Bamboo to Zhou Yi. Now, he's penniless, unable to even produce a decent treasure. He's living a truly frustrating life.

"From this day forward, Haotian shall hold the Heavenly Emperor's Seal, and Yaochi shall receive the title of Queen Mother." As soon as Hongyuan's words fell, the Heavenly Dao responded and showered down golden light of merit across the sky.

These two boys, who were originally serving tea and water, saw their cultivation levels skyrocket to the Quasi-Saint realm.

If those powerful beings in the primordial world who had toiled for hundreds of millions of years to reach the threshold of Quasi-Saint were to see this scene, they would probably be so angry that they would shut up on the spot. A single name from this big shot is worth millions of years of their hard work.

As Haotian Yaochi marched triumphantly to the Heavenly Court to assume his post, and the saints were about to disperse, Zhunti suddenly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting: "Master, please forgive me, this war between the Lich King and the Demon King has left the world riddled with holes. If another wave like this were to occur, the primordial world might collapse!"

These words left all the sages present bewildered, except for Laozi, who had been resting with his eyes closed. He suddenly opened his eyes and gave Zhunti a meaningful look.

The Dao Ancestor nodded slightly: "Now that the human race is rising, there are already five Quasi-Saints..."

The conversation suddenly stopped, and undercurrents immediately surged within the Zixiao Palace.

The saints remained outwardly calm, but inwardly they were calculating how to divide the huge cake of human destiny.

Zhunti swung the Seven Treasures Tree, spitting as he paced: "That Zhou Yi of the human race has only been cultivating for a few years? Now he's on par with Taiyi! If he continues like this, the prehistoric world will probably be torn into eight pieces."

As he spoke, he stole a glance at the Dao Ancestor's expression, his prayer beads spinning rapidly in his hand.

Jieyin chimed in at the opportune moment: "In my opinion, we should build a pigeon coop for these quasi-saints. As long as the human race isn't wiped out, don't let them run wild, lest they cause a major conflict and destroy the heavens and earth." Under his cassock, he was calculating with his fingers, wondering how much the water level of the Underworld's Merit Pool would rise.

Daozu half-raised his eyelids: "Continue." The phantom of the Heavenly Dao Chains appeared and disappeared at his fingertips.

Nuwa's red embroidered ball in her sleeve suddenly became hot; these two donkeys were clearly about to break the backbone of the human race!

Just as she was about to speak, Taiqing pressed down on her wrist with his whisk.

Sure enough, the Dao Ancestor made his decision immediately: "Nuwa and Taiqing, you two build a retirement home for the human race. All those above the Great Luo level are to be confined to the Fire Cloud Cave, and are not allowed to leave unless their entire clan is exterminated."

Zhunti's lips twitched, and he almost burst out laughing. He quickly formed a hand seal to stabilize his golden body.

Jieyin's clasped hands were trembling. Without Zhou Yi and his gang of troublemakers, wouldn't those remnant souls of the witch clan in the underworld be at their mercy? He seemed to see golden lotuses of merit blooming all over Mount Ling.

Taiqing turned around, brandishing the Tai Chi diagram: "Junior Sister, how about adding a few more seals to the Fire Cloud Cave?"

Nuwa, her face dark, unleashed the Mountain and River Map, and within the scroll, the golden dragon representing the human race's destiny suddenly lost two of its whiskers.

A thunderous roar erupted from beyond the thirty-third heaven, causing the alchemy furnace in the Eight Views Palace to spew forth black smoke.

Each sage, with their own thoughts, returned to the primordial world from the Zixiao Palace beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. Along the way, Nuwa deliberately slowed her cloud flight to travel alongside Taiqing, and brought up the matter entrusted to her by Dao Ancestor Hongyuan.

"Since it was the teacher who gave the order, we should implement it as soon as possible. Why don't we summon the human princess to inform her first? I think he will give face to the Dao Ancestor." The Sage of Taiqing suggested, stroking his beard.

Nuwa nodded in agreement: "Senior brother's consideration is thorough. I also happen to have something to discuss with Zhouyi. Why don't I step forward?" Seeing Taiqing nod in agreement, she immediately rode a cloud back to the temple and summoned her personal attendant: "Go quickly to the human race and tell the princess to come to Nuwa Palace immediately."

When the pageboy Lingzhuzi arrived at the sacred land of the human race, he found Zhou Yi examining the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams.

Since the Lich War, the reputation of this quasi-saint peak expert has resounded throughout the primordial world.

"By order of the Sage, Lingzhuzi requests that the Princess move to the Thirty-Third Heaven." The boy bowed respectfully, only to find the other staring at him thoughtfully.