Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

"You jest, Demon Master."

Bai Ze stepped out from the right. This demon sage's third eye swirled on his head, his voice gentle yet tinged with doubt, "The Demon Core Technique can at most create Golden Immortals; how can it possibly meet the needs of a Great Luo Immortal?"

Kunpeng's lips curled into a chilling smile: "This method was originally created by us. What difficulty is there in further developing it to grant cultivators the power of the Great Luo Realm?"

He opened his palm, and a ball of eerie light appeared within it. Countless fine runes could be seen flowing within the light, which was the original Demon Core Technique.

"What will be the price?" Fuxi suddenly spoke, the Hetu and Luoshu in his hand shining brightly, the illusory image of the Eight Trigrams spinning wildly. "I have deduced that if this method is successful, what I will see is a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, filled with the remains of demons."

Kunpeng's smile remained unchanged, but the runes within the eerie light on his hand shifted, becoming even more sinister.

"There is naturally a price to pay. Those who cultivate this method must constantly devour the demon cores of their fellow cultivators. To create a Great Luo Golden Immortal, one must at least... devour hundreds of millions of demons."

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the hall.

One Great Luo Immortal... equals at least hundreds of millions of demons!

That number is quite large even among the demon race in the celestial realm!

Moreover, those who can have their demon cores devoured must be at least True Immortals or higher, as they are all part of the foundation of the demon race!

"absurd!"

The two horns on the top of Zi Tie's head flashed with a dangerous light as it roared, "A single Great Luo Immortal needs to devour billions of their own kind. With hundreds of Great Luo Immortal demons being born, the demon race's fortune will inevitably collapse! At that time, even before the Witch Clan arrives, the karma bestowed by Heaven will be enough to annihilate our true spirits!"

"But this is the only way to gather enough numbers of Ronaldo in the short term."

Kunpeng withdrew its eerie light, its voice becoming deep and resonant, "The strength of the Witch Clan is growing stronger every day. Just now, the Twelve Ancestral Witches began practicing the Great Formation of the Heavenly Gods and Demons at Mount Buzhou. You all felt it; who can stop that terrifying power?"

"Gentlemen, we don't have much time left...!"

"Time...is running out!"

The hall fell silent once again.

Di Jun slowly leaned back onto the throne, his fingers unconsciously stroking the Dao patterns on the armrest.

As the Heavenly Emperor, he knew better than anyone what the Great Luo Method proposed by Kunpeng meant—it was a path of no return, like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Taiyi suddenly spoke, his voice like the clang of metal on metal: "After the Demon Core Technique has been deduced to the Great Luo level, is there still a future for cultivators?"

Kunpeng remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "A Great Luo who has devoured the achievements of billions of his own kind has had his origins defiled and his foundation destroyed. He will be stuck at this level for life, and his combat strength will be less than one-tenth of that of a normal Great Luo."

"How is that any different from cannon fodder?" Yingzhao gripped the halberd in his hand tightly.

"But what the Zhou Tian Star Array needs is a 'device' to draw upon the origin of the stars."

A dark light flickered in Kunpeng's eyes. "When the formation is in operation, the master only needs to circulate the power of the stars' origin; a high level of Dao realm is not required. These Great Luo demons are enough to make the formation unleash its power. Even if it cannot unleash its full power, it is enough to contend with the phantom of Pangu."

"and then?"

Bai Ze stepped forward, and a dense array of deduction results appeared in front of him. "What should we do with these 'pseudo-Daluo' after the war? They have the power of Daluo but no corresponding Dao realm. Their minds have also been distorted by the devouring process. They are bloodthirsty by nature and will surely become a scourge."

Moreover, the karma created by devouring billions of demons will cling to their fate like a malignant tumor. Even if they defeat the Witch Clan, how will their future differ from that of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clan?

The debate erupted in the hall.

Some demon saints agreed, believing it to be the only way out, while others vehemently condemned the method, arguing it would lead the demon race into an endless abyss.

The voices of the demon saints grew louder and louder, and the pressure of the quasi-saints clashed in the hall...!

Di Jun remained silent.

His gaze swept over every face in the hall—the resolute look in Taiyi's eyes, the worry between Fuxi's brows, the cold smile on Kunpeng's lips, the pity on Bai Ze's face...!

The demon race must not perish.

He is a divine being born from the sun, the destined demon emperor.

From the moment he established the demon race and built the Heavenly Court, his path was bound to the entire race.

The Witch Clan rules the land, and the Demon Clan rules the heavens; this was the last bit of time that the Dao Ancestor bought for them.

But the Twelve Ancestral Witches were not content with this. They claimed to be descendants of Pangu and fed on demons.

This is a battle for the Dao, a life-or-death struggle for the survival of our race.

That's enough.

Di Jun finally spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful, oppressive aura like the sun, instantly overwhelming all the arguments.

All the demons looked over.

Di Jun slowly rose, the true fire of the sun on his imperial robes spreading throughout the entire hall. He looked at Kunpeng: "The Demon Master's method can indeed solve the immediate crisis. But—" He changed the subject, "What Bai Ze said is also reasonable. Devouring the foundations of billions of demons damages our own fortune, and coupled with overwhelming karma, we cannot bear it."

"Then what does Your Majesty mean...?" Kunpeng narrowed his eyes.

"I need a solution that can quickly create Great Luo Immortals without damaging the foundation of the demon race." Di Jun's gaze swept over all the powerful demons. "Gentlemen, do you have a good plan?"

No one answered from inside the hall.

This demand for both... is it really impossible for them to meet?

Just as the main hall fell silent again, clear and melodious celestial music suddenly came from outside the Lingxiao Palace.

"Perhaps, I have a way to help Your Majesty."

The voice was like moonlight flowing down, clear and cool yet warm.

As the words were spoken, two stunningly beautiful figures gracefully entered from outside the palace gate.

The woman on the left, dressed in a flowing, silver-white gown with wide sleeves and a crown woven from laurel branches from the moon, possessed an exquisite and unparalleled beauty, her entire being radiating a moonlit glow. She was none other than Xihe, the primordial goddess born of the moon and the Heavenly Empress of the Heavenly Court.

The woman on the right wore a light purple gauze dress, with a star-shaped hairpin tucked into her hair. Her features were exquisite, and her temperament was gentle yet lively. She was also Changxi, a celestial being born of the Moon Star and the Heavenly Empress.

The two women walked side by side, and wherever they went, the blazing true fire of the sun in the palace would spontaneously part to make way, turning into a warm and soft light.

The moon and the sun, which are inherently mutually generating and restraining, are now harmoniously intertwined, demonstrating the profound cultivation and spiritual attainment of the two goddesses.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Heavenly Empress!"

All the demon saints in the hall bowed in unison.

Even a proud and arrogant person like Kunpeng lowered his head slightly—these two were not only the Heavenly Empresses, but also the Lords of the Taiyin Star, whose cultivation far surpassed his and whose status was highly respected...!

A hint of surprise flashed in Di Jun's eyes as he quickly stepped down from the throne: "Why are you here? Weren't you recovering your lost essence on Taiyin Star?"

Xihe bowed slightly, her moonlit skirt rippling: "Sensing the aura emanating from the Three Pure Ones and the Witch Clan, I felt uneasy, so my sister and I came to investigate."

She looked up at Di Jun, her eyes reflecting the worry between his brows. "I just heard Your Majesty troubled by the matter of the mastermind behind the Zhou Tian Star Array?"

Changxi also said softly, "I overheard your debate outside the hall just now. Although that Demon Core Technique can create Great Luo Realm demons in a short time, it also undermines the foundation of the demon race, leading to endless troubles...!"