Volume One: The Lich Calamity - 233 Punishment of the Starry Sky, The Scheme of Ziwei

Until the moment the North Sea waters had receded by half, ten thousand beams of starlight descended from the firmament, striking the two of them directly.

They were nearly struck down, their primordial spirits left withered and frail, with more than half of their essence dissipated. Di Jun frowned, roaring in fury at the star-filled sky, yet he found no one willing to heed him. In the end, the two were forced to return empty-handed.

Following Di Jun's ignominious return to the Heavenly Court, the prestige of the Court plummeted to a new low. Furthermore, with the Sages now manifesting in the world, countless individuals across the Primordial Land gifted with exceptional talent and origin sought to apprentice themselves under the Sages.

For many, the first choice was Mount Kunlun, not only because it was the shared residence of the Three Pure Ones but also because they represented the orthodox teachings of the Profound Sect. Though Nüwa was a personal disciple of Hongjun, she had established no sect and did not contend for destiny. As for the two Sages of the West, they were held in low regard by the masses.

For a time, the flow of visitors to Mount Kunlun was endless. However, as time passed, they realized that gaining entry into Mount Kunlun was not as easy as they had imagined. The Chan Sect, founded by Yuan Shi, only accepted those with superior origins, great fortune, and extraordinary talent. While Tongtian claimed that all living beings could join his sect, it was futile if one could not even meet him. To ascend Mount Kunlun, one had to pass the trials set by the Three Pure Ones before having any chance of joining their ranks.

The Grand Pure Sage, Tai Shang, had founded the Human Sect and held no interest in other races. As for the human race, they were far away on the shores of the East Sea; aside from the twelve ancestors of humanity, few could ever hope to reach Mount Kunlun. Even if they arrived, they rarely passed the trials. As for the Supreme Pure Sage, Tongtian, he had only taken Duo Bao as a personal disciple; the rest were, at most, named disciples, with barely any outer-sect members to be seen.

The strictness of the Three Pure Ones in accepting disciples soon became widely known, which ironically led many beings to join the Western Sect instead. After all, the Western Sect at least boasted the presence of two Sages.

The emergence of the great Sage sects directly provoked Di Jun and the demon race of the Heavenly Court. Consequently, minor skirmishes between the Heavenly Court and the demon tribes became frequent, with large-scale battles occurring from time to time. Now, with the twelve earthly branches returning to their positions, the star gods of the ancient heavens began to increase in number once more.

On the Ziwei Emperor Star, Emperor Wei Chen sat opposite Chen Rui. Sensing the aura radiating from Chen Rui, Wei Chen spoke eloquently.

"Great Dao Venerable, what profound cultivation! You must be on the verge of a breakthrough, must you not?"

Chen Rui heard this and cast a calm, indifferent glance at him.

"You are merely waiting for an opportunity yourself! Why the rush?"

Chen Rui had vaguely sensed the many recent maneuvers by Wei Chen, but he harbored no particular thoughts on the matter. In truth, he held a somewhat favorable view of Wei Chen—he possessed both the strength and the following. Now that the Primordial Land had begun to tread the right path, the worries Qing Xuan once held had ceased to exist.

"You called me here this time—surely you have already made your plans?"

"It seems that truly, perhaps nothing in the Primordial Land can be hidden from you, Venerable."

To Chen Rui’s inquiry, Wei Chen merely smiled, choosing instead to speak of other matters.

"You are worried about nothing more than Hongjun's side! If you had not manifested, or if you had failed to seize the opportunity during your last tribulation, then there would be no suspense in this matter. But since you have grasped that chance and undergone a rebirth, you still possess tremendous opportunity. Most importantly, you have an inherent advantage."

After saying this, Chen Rui picked up the spiritual tea before him and began to savor it. Seeing this, Wei Chen looked at him with great anticipation.

"Wei Chen truly wishes for the Venerable to assist me!"

"Are you so certain that I would help you?" Chen Rui stared at Wei Chen, unfazed.

"Didn't the Venerable just say that I am currently the most suitable candidate? Does that not constitute my greatest advantage?" Wei Chen looked at Chen Rui with unshakable conviction, speaking with composure.

"You are quite confident, but let us not rush this. Why not speak first of your other intentions?" Chen Rui smiled slightly and spoke softly.

"What does the Venerable mean by this? Would you care to explain?"

"You are still speaking in riddles with me! Since that is the case, I shall name one: Mount Tai."

As soon as Chen Rui finished speaking, Wei Chen’s complexion finally changed, a hint of unease appearing on his face.

"Having such thoughts is not necessarily wrong, but have you considered how others might view them?" Chen Rui narrowed his eyes, gazing steadily at him.

"This... I admit that was not fully considered."

"Ambition is a good thing, but one must never act on mere impulse. Otherwise, how can you be sure that the Heavenly Emperor of today will not become the you of tomorrow?"

These few short sentences made cold sweat bead on Wei Chen’s forehead.

"However, since I have spoken to you this way, it means I believe in your outward appearance. But what you ultimately become depends on yourself."

While offering guidance, Chen Rui also endeavored to keep him in check. In truth, he was quite impressed with Ziwei in many respects, and he did not wish for the other to be blinded by immediate interests.

"Enough, attend to your duties first. Should you truly need help, I will not refuse."

With these words, Chen Rui vanished from the Ziwei Star. Watching him depart, Wei Chen turned his gaze toward the Primordial Earth. He knew his schemes could not be hidden from Qing Xuan, but he had not expected the other to be so well-informed.

"I will certainly not let that cautionary tale become my tomorrow," Wei Chen declared, his voice echoing through the Ziwei Imperial Palace.

In the Sea of Blood, witnessing the ever-increasing number of lost souls, the situation was looking grim.

"Father God, the number of lost souls in the Sea of Blood continues to rise! Although the Underworld has the attraction of the Reincarnation Other Shore Flower, this cannot go on forever; it is simply not a sustainable solution!" reported Da Zi Zai Tian and the others to Ming He, who stood above.

"Alas, currently only the Asura tribe can remain in the Sea of Blood for long; it is difficult for other beings to stay. You must put more effort into this matter."

After hearing their report, Ming He felt a splitting headache. Yet, he was equally helpless.

"By the way, have the newly born members of the Asura tribe been properly restrained?"

Since the birth of the Asura Path, Ming He no longer had to create each member individually, which had saved him a great deal of trouble.

"Father God, rest assured. The newly born tribesmen in the Sea of Blood are all under proper management."

Suddenly, Ming He stood up abruptly and gazed at the Primordial Earth with a grave expression.

In the East of the Primordial Land, at Mount Tai, just as Ming He sensed something, a vast amount of starlight energy suddenly gathered above the mountain. However, it existed for only a fleeting moment; save for a very few, almost no one in the Primordial Land detected the change.

On Mount Kunlun, Tai Shang looked at the starry sky with an unnatural expression when the starlight descended, then cast his gaze toward Mount Tai.

"Strange, why did I discover nothing?" Yuan Shi asked, perplexed.