This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 442 - 440: Establishing the Celestial Court! [Vote for us, medium cup!]

"The first Heavenly Dao council was convened."

The old Divine Court had already collapsed. While Wu Wang made an effort to maintain a peaceful mind, the Head Manager had constructed the new Divine Court.

Wu Wang generally understood what Zhong had said.

Thus, it could be seen that the Eastern Emperor's Bell could not directly appear in the present; it had come from the future, against the flow of time, and required certain anchors as points of entry.

These anchors were the beings that, on the timeline where the Eastern Emperor's Bell came into existence, could still be found by Wu Wang's side in the end.

Therefore, the Eastern Emperor's Bell, by tricking the predecessors, placed Jingwei next to Wu Wang's mother. Afterwards, the Bell could protect his mother and Jingwei at any time.

Wu Wang buried the guilt in his heart. When he stepped out of the sealed area, a slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

This smile...

Apart from being a bit uglier than a crying face, it was simply flawless.

According to Wu Wang's request, the newly constructed Divine Court was filled with elements of Tai Chi and the Eight Trigrams—the overall structure was circular, with rows of seats distributed across concentric rings. Directly below was the Yin Yang Eight Trigrams Disk, where sixteen chairs were placed.

When Wu Wang arrived, fourteen figures were already seated, their arrangement not strictly following the order dictated by the Heavenly Dao.

Actually, it could also be said that, except for the one seat deliberately adorned with pale golden stripes, the other seats were all identical.

As soon as Wu Wang appeared, the gods waiting in various places immediately rose to their feet.

"Please, take your seats."

Wu Wang said softly and walked to his chair, his eyes full of weariness.

Young Master extended a small hand and laid it on the back of Wu Wang's hand, speaking softly, "Why not rest first?"

"Once today is over, we can rest however we like."

Wu Wang rallied his spirits and looked at the Human Emperor Shen Nong, who sat directly opposite him.

At that moment, Shen Nong wore his usual expression, as if everything had already been revealed in his divinations.

"Predecessor," Wu Wang called out.

"The leader of the Heavenly Dao should possess dignity," Shen Nong said with a smile. "In the future, you may address me as Human Emperor or by my title."

"Dignity doesn't need to be spoken of," Wu Wang responded solemnly. "On this journey so far, Predecessor, you have taken the most care of me. You were key in restraining Emperor Shun and also the greatest contributor to the situation we have today.

Without you, Predecessor, I would not have established the Heavenly Dao, so there is no reason to change the way I address you now."

Shen Nong nodded with a smile, not dwelling on the matter.

Yet Wu Wang sighed, leaned back in his chair, and spoke softly,

"There's something you need to know, Predecessor."

The Divine Court was quiet, with all the gods' eyes fixed on Wu Wang.

Wu Wang's voice remained calm.

"Just now, while the Candle Dragon attacked the Heaven and Earth Seal, Emperor Shun abducted my mother, the Ice God, and my Dao companion, Jingwei."

Shen Nong frowned slightly and did not speak for a long while.

The gods seated with them, such as Queen Mother of the West and Xihe, had calm expressions at that moment. The Head Manager's eyes showed a hint of irritation, and Young Master pursed her lips slightly.

Shen Nong said in a deep voice, "My divinations have shown that our friend Cang Xue is fated for this calamity, and my beloved daughter may assist her in turning misfortune into fortune. You need not worry too much. However… without a marriage certificate or a public announcement, the term 'Dao companion' should not be used so freely."

Wu Wang: ...

He really dislikes it that much!

"Alright," Wu Wang said. "Once the world is stable, I will rescue them, solve the Candle Dragon's problem along the way, and there's one more thing."

Wu Wang's mouth twitched slightly as he spoke softly,

"In the past, when Human Emperor Fu Xi of the Human Domain was nearing the end of his lifespan, he came to the Heaven Palace alone and forcefully abducted Emperor Shun's true self, saying he wanted to imbue Emperor Shun with humanity. This must have driven Emperor Shun mad.

As a result, Emperor Shun developed three different personalities: Heavenly Emperor Emperor Shun, the evil of Fu Xi he had conceptualized, and the Sanxian Daoist from his last life in the Human Domain.

According to the accurate information I've received, Emperor Shun used the same method Fu Xi had used on him, on the Candle Dragon."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a buzz arose in the Divine Court. Gods began whispering among themselves, all muttering about Emperor Shun.

Shen Nong asked, "Emperor Shun has gone mad?"

"Half-mad," Wu Wang said. "This is good news. The powerful enemy we will face has merged from two into one, and the Candle Dragon has thus gained a weakness.

The bad news, however, is that both Emperor Shun and the Candle Dragon have now become slaves of chaos, driven by it to destroy the order within our world.

The external threat seems to have become somewhat more serious."

Yun Zhongjun said with a smile, "There's no need for concern, everyone. The advantage lies with the Heavenly Dao."

Earth God spoke slowly, "The structure of the Heavenly Dao is indeed more robust than the original Divine Court. With the Dao of Life becoming the cornerstone of the Heavenly Dao, the power of the Heavenly Dao is directly dependent on the Power of Living Beings. Essentially, it has taken a significant step from relying on the faith of living beings to depending on their very existence."

Yun Zhongjun raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "This is just the beginning. Our Emperor here has a series of grand plans."

"Oh?"

Queen Mother of the West turned to Wu Wang, her eyes revealing a bit of curiosity. "Is the framework of the Heavenly Dao still incomplete?"

Wu Wang nodded and said to Shen Nong, "Predecessor, do you remember the plan we discussed in the Human Domain—to create a false myth, and then use this myth to replace the Heaven Palace and shake the faith living beings have in its gods?"

"Indeed," Shen Nong remarked, stroking his beard. "It's just that I didn't expect that before we even implemented it, you had already taken over the Heaven Palace, rendering much of my effort needless."

This plan should have actually been implemented; it was one of the most crucial plans on the 'possible line' that led to victory, Wu Wang sighed inwardly.

Of course, Wu Wang wouldn't elaborate on that but instead said, "Although we haven't had the chance to use it, some of the framework we discussed can be directly implemented.

Before, we were fabricating myths; now, we are going to create them."

Shen Nong nodded with a smile.

Wu Wang looked around, his gaze moving past the strong gods in front of him to the Innate Gods on the periphery.

He said, "The first item on today's agenda is to reform the Heaven Palace into the Celestial Court. The Celestial Court exists for two primary purposes: first, to protect all living beings, and second, to safeguard the Heavenly Dao.

In the Celestial Court, the Emperor is supreme, leading as the head of the Heavenly Dao and holding the power of the Celestial Court.

Below the Emperor, two positions of honor are established: Eastern Duke and Western Mother. The Eastern Duke shall govern male gods and immortals, while the Western Mother shall govern female gods and immortals, thereby establishing their respective authority.

The first Eastern Duke shall be the Cloud Dream God, and the first Western Mother shall be the Queen Mother of the West. Does anyone object?"

The gods all responded in succession; there was not a single voice of dissent.

Wu Wang continued,

"We will establish the Five Directions' Rulers, who will be in charge of the east, south, west, north, and central regions, corresponding to the Five Elements Gods: Earth for the center, Metal for the west, Water for the north, Wood for the east, and Fire for the south.

The Five Directions' Rulers are responsible for guarding their respective directions and are permitted to establish their own divine beasts to promote their virtues.

Currently, the Earth God and Wood God have assumed their positions. The position of the Fire God is concurrently held by the Human Emperor—this is only a concurrent role; the Human Emperor is not part of the Celestial Court's hierarchy.

The Gold God is being reformed as a newborn; the Celestial Court will nurture his virtues. Once confirmed to be of great virtue and having accrued sufficient merit, he may join the Five Directions' Rulers.

The Water Dao has drifted into the Outer Sky; the Heavenly Dao will reclaim it.

Thus, the Eastern Duke, Western Mother, and the Five Directions' Rulers encompass all Innate Gods, as well as powerful beings who may later enter the Celestial Court.

Is there any objection?"

The gods responded one by one, their voices much louder than before.

A bit more confidence welled up in Wu Wang's heart.

In simple terms, this is the 'personnel team' of the Celestial Court, forming the core staff. These seem to be positions of great authority, but in fact, they don't hold much real power, merely being responsible for distributing some benefits.

This was also what Wu Wang and Yun Zhongjun had discussed: separating power from duties and detaching the gods from their Great Daos.

What came next was the main event.

Wu Wang said, "The Celestial Court governs heaven and earth on behalf of the Heavenly Dao. Its duties… cough, its authority primarily involves two aspects: one related to living beings, and one not.

The Celestial Court will have three primary divine positions, directly responsible to the Lord of the Celestial Court, the leader of the Heavenly Dao.

First is the Prime Minister of the Celestial Court. If the Emperor is absent, the Prime Minister has the authority to temporarily handle all affairs. The first Prime Minister is the Cloud Dream God, who will refer to himself as 'Jun,' namely Yun Zhongjun."

Yun Zhongjun stood and cupped his fists towards everyone, exuding his majesty.

The gods each stood up to return the salute, and voices of congratulation arose one after another.

A knowing look passed between them; it was clear he would be an absolute pillar of the Celestial Court in the future.

After Yun Zhongjun sat down and the sounds around him quieted, Wu Wang continued,

"Second is the Head of Civil Officials of the Celestial Court, who will be referred to as 'Gong.' The first to hold this position is the Head Manager—think of a good title for yourself."

The Head Manager frowned at Wu Wang, then stood up.

Before the gods could begin their congratulations, the Head Manager spoke softly, "I am a sinner."

Wu Wang raised his hand, signaling him to say no more. "We haven't reached that part yet. You made great contributions in establishing the Celestial Court; the rewards due to you will certainly not be overlooked."

"Yes," the Head Manager cupped his fists and took his seat.

This silenced the gods who had wanted to offer flattery.

Wu Wang said, "Third is the Head of Military Officials of the Celestial Court, the Grand Marshal of the Celestial Court's Forces! The first to hold this position will be the Earth God."

The Earth God also frowned, looking at Wu Wang with some helplessness.

This title, Grand Marshal of the Celestial Court's Forces, isn't it a bit frivolous? Why can't I choose my own name?

The Earth God stood up to give thanks, surrounded by waves of congratulatory voices.

Without pausing, Wu Wang immediately announced the subsequent levels of divine positions and their corresponding authority, generally categorized based on whether they pertained to living or non-living entities.

Below the Heavenly Emperor, Prime Minister, and Heads of Civil and Military Officials, there are thirteen halls: nine related to administrative affairs and four to military matters.

Military matters, overseen by the four halls led by the Earth God, are the simplest. They are divided by east, south, west, and north to maintain peace in all directions, directly superseding the original authority of the Five Elements Gods and rendering them largely symbolic.

The administrative affairs of the nine halls are much more complex. They are: the Hall of Reproduction (in charge of procreation and marital matters), the Hall of Life and Death (in charge of lifespan, plagues, and death), the Temple of the Sun and Moon (in charge of the rising and setting of the sun and moon), the Temple of Celestial Phenomena (in charge of the four seasons and weather like wind, rain, thunder, and snow), the Temple of Mountains and Rivers (in charge of mountains, rivers, and lakes), the Temple of the Four Seas (in charge of matters concerning the Four Seas), the Temple of Spiritual Harmony (in charge of matters concerning the Hundred Races), the Temple of Celestial Virtue (promoting goodness), and the Temple of Heavenly Punishment (punishing evil).

Among these, the Temple of Heavenly Punishment has the authority to oversee all divine positions in the Celestial Court, while the Temple of Celestial Virtue has the right to nominate divine positions for promotion—essentially sidelining the Eastern Duke and the Western Mother.

Each of the nine halls will have one Hall Master, three to twelve primary gods, and a number of deputy gods three times that of the primary gods.

In total, the number of primary divine positions in the Celestial Court will not exceed three hundred and sixty. They are directly inscribed upon the Heavenly Dao and acknowledged by it.

The Hall Masters whom Wu Wang directly appointed included: Young Master as Hall Master of the Hall of Reproduction, Wood God as Hall Master of the Hall of Life and Death, and Xihe as Hall Master of the Temple of the Sun and Moon. The Temple of Celestial Virtue would be temporarily managed by Yun Zhongjun until a reliable Hall Master could be selected.

The Wood God was truly in a miserable position.

His role as Hall Master seemed to hold real power, but the two major gods involved in his hall were the Head Manager and Xiao Ming. The former was the Wood God's immediate superior, and the latter was the precious daughter of the Celestial Court's supreme ruler.

The Wood God, a fence-sitter, was effectively pinned by Wu Wang in this position.

Once the framework of the Celestial Court was established, all the gods understood what the future would look like.

Their god positions were preserved, but to obtain divine positions, they would have to 'compete for the posts.' After being assessed by the Temple of Celestial Virtue, they would be nominated before His Majesty the Eastern Emperor, who could grant the divine position with a stroke of his vermilion pen.

This was quite troublesome.

Even some strong gods, led by the God of Thunderstorms, felt that it didn't really matter whether or not they held these divine positions.

But the second item on the agenda for this Heavenly Dao council endowed these divine positions with an incomparable value.

"Divine Power."

Wu Wang stood up, hands behind his back, and walked behind his seat. Strolling slowly, he spoke aloud,

"This is the power that allows Innate Gods to become stronger, but it is not suitable for the future Celestial Court.

My friends, these divine positions are not all intended for Innate Gods; in fact, the corresponding military positions are similar—living beings will have a place among them.

Do living beings need Divine Power? Not necessarily.

Therefore, we need to establish a new standard, and this standard is merit and karmic hindrance."

The gods did not understand.

A god asked, "What are merit and karmic hindrance?"

"First, merit is condensed by the power of the Heavenly Dao and can be transformed into Divine Power."

Wu Wang opened his left hand, a golden glow swirling in his palm.

"Second, merit can be converted into pure Spiritual Power and provide enlightenment from the Heavenly Dao. This so-called enlightenment from the Heavenly Dao is based on all the Great Daos that it governs, providing those who acquire merit with cultivation insights."

All the gods understood at once; this was a benefit for the Human Domain.

But their thinking was too simplistic.

"Merit primarily comes from three sources.

First, for divine positions within the Celestial Court, allocated periodically by the Heavenly Dao, with fixed amounts based on rank.

Second, as rewards from the Heavenly Dao. Anyone who makes meritorious contributions or performs good deeds acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao will receive rewards.

Third, incense merit, which is the faith of all beings you have encountered before.

The Heavenly Dao does not directly handle incense merit. However, incense merit lacks the enlightenment from the Heavenly Dao and contains the thoughts of living beings, making it somewhat impure; it has both advantages and disadvantages.

Therefore, merit is classified into two categories: one is Heavenly Dao merit, and the other is incense merit.

However, whether incense can be spread throughout the world is subject to assessment by the Celestial Court."

Having said that, Wu Wang waited quietly for a while.

Although he really wanted to say, 'Applaud if you understand,' the occasion was extremely solemn, so of course, he couldn't act casually.

The gods quickly nodded in understanding.

Wu Wang opened his right hand, within which a mass of black light surged. A black lotus bloomed from the light, exuding an ominous force.

"This is karmic hindrance.

Karmic hindrance descends from the Heavenly Dao. It has the effects of eroding Divine Power, obstructing enlightenment, and fostering inner demons. When karmic hindrance accumulates to a certain degree, it will attract Heavenly Punishment from the Heavenly Dao—our Temple of Heavenly Punishment possesses the authority to monitor karmic hindrance.

I can also reveal something else to all of you.

Merit and karmic hindrance are generated by the Heavenly Dao following the mysteries of Yin and Yang. Heavenly Dao merit and Heavenly Dao karmic hindrance are corresponding. Simply put, as long as there is a vessel capable of bearing enough karmic hindrance, the Heavenly Dao can bestow a corresponding amount of merit.

But take note: without the permission of the Heavenly Dao, merit and karmic hindrance cannot offset each other.

Merit is merit, and transgression is transgression. Even if you possess an immense amount of merit that could gild you from the inside out, if you commit an offense and are afflicted with karmic hindrance by the Heavenly Dao, there are only two ways to cleanse it.

The first way is to endure Heavenly Punishment. The second is to be imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao, where the karmic hindrance will gradually dissipate.

As for what happens during imprisonment… you should all consider it carefully."

Wu Wang's voice grew cold.

"Thus, the Heavenly Dao is impartial; violating the rules of the Heavenly Dao will incur karmic hindrance, which also indirectly accumulates merit for the world.

Excess merit can be channeled into the Heaven and Earth Seal to reinforce the world.

The Heavenly Dao has just been established, and the Heaven and Earth Seal is unstable. I won't beat around the bush any longer. Let's proceed to the third agenda item:

The Reckoning."

The entire hall fell silent.

Wu Wang spoke, "Bring forth the gods who were previously rejected by the Heavenly Dao!"

"At once!"

Yun Zhongjun stood up to accept the order. With the Earth God and Wood God following, the three gods rushed out of the grand hall. Before long, they returned with a large contingent of Divine Guards, escorting one hundred twenty-five Innate Gods.

These Innate Gods were deathly pale, currently suppressed by the power of the Heavenly Dao, with no capacity for resistance.

They couldn't even speak; they could only bow their heads in submission.

"Head Manager," Wu Wang said, "Proceed."

"Yes," the Head Manager calmly walked to the front of these Innate Gods, bowed his head slowly, and knelt, but kept his chest out and head raised, not prostrating.

Wu Wang's somewhat chilly voice echoed everywhere.

"I hope everyone understands one thing: with the establishment of the Heavenly Dao, how powerful a Divine Spirit is individually has lost much of its significance. There are now eyes watching over each of you from above.

You may seek pleasure within reasonable limits—that is permissible. But if you wantonly oppress living beings or other gods, that is not acceptable.

The crimes of these Innate Gods have all been verified.

Among them, the thirty-five Innate Gods at the very front should be familiar to you. They gathered around Emperor Shun, instigated the dark turmoil against the Human Domain, and ruled over the Hundred Races with terrifying methods.

Their deaths would not be a pity!

Except for the Head Manager, escort the others to the Temple of Heavenly Punishment! The Heavenly Dao shall inflict karmic hindrance upon them! Extract their Great Daos to be integrated into the Heavenly Dao's sequence, destroy their physical bodies, extinguish their divine consciousness, and scatter their souls, leaving not a trace to remain in Heaven and Earth!"

RUMBLE—

Thunder rolled as thirty-five black bolts struck, making the thirty-five Innate Gods tremble violently. Flames of black lotuses appeared around them.

The Heavenly Dao instantly generated a large amount of merit.

The Divine Guards roared their assent and immediately moved forward to drag them away.

The Head Manager remained in place, his gaze fixed on Wu Wang.

Wu Wang did not keep him waiting long and continued,

"The Head Manager once served as Emperor Shun's accomplice, committing unforgivable sins against the Human Domain and the twelve major clans of living beings, and deserved to have his soul scattered.

However, having come to his senses in time and contributed to the rebellion against Emperor Shun, his punishment is thus reduced by one degree.

The karmic hindrance imposed by the Heavenly Dao remains unchanged. The Head Manager shall offer his own Great Dao to the Heavenly Dao, his divine body shall be destroyed, and his Divine Soul will be imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao to serve the Celestial Court. All merit earned during this time will be automatically dedicated to the Celestial Court. Only when the karmic hindrance has completely dissipated will he regain his freedom."

Wu Wang waved his hand. "Go."

The Head Manager sighed softly, slowly bowed his head, and kowtowed. "Thank you, Eastern Emperor, for sparing my life."

"I've calculated your karmic hindrance," Wu Wang said blandly. "Roughly speaking, serving the Heavenly Dao and the Celestial Court for about one million, two hundred fifty thousand years will allow the merit you earn to cleanse it."

The gods were momentarily silenced, but the Head Manager accepted it composedly, stood up, and walked out of the grand hall.

No sooner had he stepped outside than a pitch-black divine thunderbolt descended upon him.

Soon after, the Head Manager returned to the hall radiating golden light, yet he no longer possessed a tangible body, having been granted a semi-ethereal form by the Heavenly Dao.

The punishment he received was similar to that of the second group of Innate Gods.

However, those gods were additionally condemned with the words 'never to be recorded as an official god of the Heaven Palace' and were also imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao, effectively rendering them completely useless.

The Reckoning was not solely directed at these hundred-odd gods.

After this phase concluded, the vast majority of gods present had accrued both karmic hindrance and merit, with the general trend being that karmic hindrance exceeded merit.

The Heavenly Dao reaped immense profit.

Young Master and Queen Mother of the West gained a great deal of merit.

Queen Mother of the West found this quite novel, and upon closer examination, her eyes sparkled with fascination.

With the completion of these three steps, the framework of the entire Celestial Court was finally solidified.

Young Master asked, somewhat puzzled, "Your Majesty, why... is there no position for the Human Emperor?"

"The Human Emperor leads the Human Dao," Wu Wang said with a smile. "The Human Dao will become the entity that monitors the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao will grant the Human Dao an unyielding flame. After the Human Emperor abdicates, he may come to the Celestial Court to serve."

"Excellent."

Shen Nong nodded with a smile.

Wu Wang looked up at the gods, admonished them once more, and then handed over subsequent matters to Yun Zhongjun and the Head Manager. He then left the hall with the Human Emperor, hurrying to the next event.

The next event was the grand banquet with the leaders of the various races.

Wu Wang had set up the framework of the Celestial Court; next would be the scene of gods vying for divine positions. The Temple of Celestial Virtue was bound to be very busy.

Upon leaving the great hall, a Divine General approached to report that the grand banquet was still in preparation.

Wu Wang invited Shen Nong for a stroll in the Old Heavenly Palace, and Shen Nong gladly agreed.

Shen Nong said with a laugh, "Not bad at all; you've solved such a difficult problem almost without a fight."

"Nothing good about it; this is just the beginning."

Wu Wang sighed dejectedly.

"Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Today, we've established the framework. Next, we have to busy ourselves with subduing the gods, restructuring the Divine General system, and dealing with the mess of hundreds of Divine Realms under the Emperor's City.

For the divine positions in the Celestial Court, I plan to reserve one hundred and eight spots for the Human Domain, ensuring that three temples and at least eighteen primary god positions are for the current experts of the Human Domain.

Predecessor… if you think it's too few, we can discuss increasing it."

"Not too few, not at all."

Shen Nong waved his hand and sighed, "The Human Domain is probably going to face some turmoil soon."

"Whenever you need me, Predecessor, you can summon me," Wu Wang said. "Once the Celestial Court stabilizes Central Mountain, I will go to the Human Domain to preach the Heavenly Dao and open up parts of the Innate Great Daos for cultivators to comprehend.

Furthermore, experts from the Human Domain who come to serve in the Celestial Court can receive a benefit."

"What benefit?"

"The Lifespan Dao has been entirely offered to the Heavenly Dao," Wu Wang said with a smile. "With the Heavenly Dao's permission, the Lifespan Dao can grant living beings longevity without any backlash.

However, this longevity is not dependent on the Lifespan Dao itself, but on longevity granted by the Heavenly Dao.

Come, Predecessor, you gifted me so many elixirs back then; now let me return one."

As he spoke, Wu Wang opened his left hand, within which a hazy golden Void Pill slowly rotated.

"What is this?"

"Longevity." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Wu Wang answered with a smile. Seeing Shen Nong's hesitation, he suddenly acted, pressing the Void Pill into Shen Nong's arm.

In the next instant, traces of the Heavenly Dao appeared, wrapping Shen Nong in a beam of golden light. A wisp of grey qi emerged from around Shen Nong's body and was directly eradicated by the golden light.

Wu Wang said, "In the future, as long as the Heavenly Dao exists, and as long as you, Predecessor, do not wish to die or accumulate too much karmic hindrance, your longevity will not be destroyed."

Shen Nong's face showed emotion as he looked at his palm and then looked up at Wu Wang.

Wu Wang looked up at the sky and murmured, "Jingwei and Mother, I will definitely bring them back. With you, Predecessor, monitoring the Heavenly Dao from the outside, I can finally be at ease.

Let's not say any sentimental words. I still have things to attend to. Let's leave it at that for now; I'll see you at the banquet later."

With that, Wu Wang stepped forward, his figure riding the clouds as he advanced.

Shen Nong asked, "Is there anything else urgent?"

"Ah, I'm going to use three-tenths of the Power of Merit that the Heavenly Dao just received to reinforce the Heaven and Earth Seal, primarily to cut off the Candle Dragon's path of return."

Wu Wang waved his hand without looking back, and his figure disappeared in a flash.

Within the domain covered by the Heavenly Dao, Wu Wang's abilities had been magnified to their limits.

In other words, to oppose the Eastern Emperor, one must overcome the Heavenly Dao; this was the leader of the Heavenly Dao, the new emperor of the Celestial Court.

...

「In the Outer Sky, the Candle Dragon, shrunk ten thousandfold, was slowly returning to its original size.」

It raised its head to look at the Heaven and Earth Seal, observing the nearly perfect Yin-Yang Diagram, and made some calculations in its heart.

Above the Candle Dragon's head, four dark figures emerged simultaneously, looking up in silence.

Emperor Shun said with a smile, "Just by using half of the living beings from the Outer Sky as a sacrifice, we could set up a Formation to blast open this seal."

The shadow on the left said, "If we do this, isn't it too cruel? What will breaking the seal accomplish?"

Emperor Shun said, "With the Candle Dragon's powerful divine body under our control, do you think we are merely wandering aimlessly in the Outer Sky?"

"Here in the Outer Sky... look... it's not too bad either. It's just a bit cramped, but there are at least three wildlands."

"Shut up."

"Alright." The Sanxian Daoist fell silent.

Emperor Shun looked towards the shadow in front of him: a middle-aged man enveloped in black mist, his Divine Soul clearly sealed, as his eyes were vacant.

Emperor Shun asked in a low voice, "What do you think, Daoist Fu Xi?"

"I am but a false persona derived from your own self."

"More of this nonsense. If you hadn't merged with me, how could I have mastered the Great Dao of Formations? In that case, the Ice God's existence wouldn't be very significant…"

BUZZ!

The Heaven and Earth Seal suddenly flickered with light.

Right before Emperor Shun's eyes, the Yin and Yang symbols and the Eight Trigrams markings suddenly expanded several times, completely enveloping the Heaven and Earth Seal. A vast Divine Power appeared within, and the Heaven and Earth Seal instantly thickened threefold!

Emperor Shun's expression changed as he muttered, "How did he do it?"

The Sanxian Daoist clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "So, we still need the Ice God. The proper way back is likely completely cut off now, unless you destroy all living beings and Divine Spirits in the Outer Sky."

A faint smile appeared on 'Fu Xi's' lips.

"I am but a false persona derived from your own self."

"SCRAM!"