Chapter 525

When the Immortal Bell rang, Zhang Jian followed the Three Yuan Emperor into the Lingxiao Divine Hall.

The Divine Court was vast and magnificent, the celestial movements grand and mighty.

At this time, countless beams of magnificent divine light continuously fell from the heavenly void, descending into the divine thrones on both sides—each one vast, radiant, and flashing with various luminous powers.

Among them, Zhang Jian also saw many familiar figures.

For example, the Ancestral Teacher of King Yu had also arrived, seated in the upper position, beneath the Six Heavenly Emperors.

In the center, there were two magnificent and radiant divine thrones, with boundless light and flame flowing and turning, as if they were the central point of the universe.

Two figures stood upright at the center of the heavens, bathed in nine-colored divine light that illuminated heaven and earth, causing even the gods to pale in comparison.

Zhang Jian merely glanced at them, then quickly averted his gaze.

He knew they must be the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West.

On the lower platform, the other five of the Six Emperors were seated.

The Western Emperor of the Great Constant, the Northern Emperor of the Purple Microcosm, the Eastern Emperor of the Azure Splendor, the Southern Emperor of Longevity, and the Emperor Who Follows Heaven and Emulates the Earth.

The sequence of the Three Official Emperors is ten; at this time, they were positioned in the middle tier among the gods.

The three great divine thrones stood side by side.

Zhang Jian and the Blessing Emperor, along with the Three Laws Emperor, each held a jade tablet and stood behind the three emperors, responsible for recording the proceedings.

At the foot of the central throne, a white-robed immortal and an old immortal with a smiling face stepped forward from within.

No introduction needed—Zhang Jian knew they were the favored ones of the Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Lord.

The Great White Star Lord!

At this moment, the Great White Star Lord stepped into the center of the great hall, his body radiating a soft white-gold Dao resonance; his cultivation was extraordinarily strong and terrifying.

His gaze swept over the immortals, and his voice echoed throughout the Lingxiao Hall:

"All Immortal Lords, all Emperors, all Upper Gods—today's grand court assembly is convened by the Míluó Heavenly Emperor Palace, with three agenda items!

By convention, all Immortal Lords, Emperors, and Upper Gods have the right to freely express their opinions; Emperors possess one veto power; if the vast majority of Immortal Lords reach consensus, they shall hold the right to reconsider!"

"Now, the grand court assembly begins!"

He spoke with ease, and after announcing the start of the assembly, he immediately brought forth the first agenda item.

He slightly raised his horsetail whisk, bowed slightly toward the divine throne of the Eastern Emperor of Azure Splendor, and said with a smile:

"Agenda One: Concerning the vacancy of the Nine Abysses Emperor of the Netherworld, the Eastern Emperor of Azure Splendor proposes that the Nine Directional Heavenly Realm's Nether Moon Ghost Emperor be appointed as acting Emperor of the position. All Immortal Lords, Emperors, and Upper Gods may now vote on this!

If there are no objections, it shall be passed directly!"

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Lords, Upper Gods, and Emperors in the Heavenly Court remained expressionless—clearly unwilling to challenge the Eastern Emperor of Azure Splendor on this matter—and thus passed it directly.

Even the Emperor of Fengdu and the Ten Kings of the Yin-Yang Heavenly Son did not oppose.

Zhang Jian silently reflected: when the Eastern Emperor of Azure Splendor had recruited him, he had also issued an immortal decree, granting him the treatment of a Nine Abysses Emperor.

He did not know whether this was indeed the divine throne of the Nine Abysses Emperor, ranked ninth in sequence.

Seeing this, the Great White Star Lord had the nearby heavenly official record it, then spoke clearly:

"Agenda Two: The great world calamity accompanying the rebirth of the Lotus Immortal Maiden is approaching. After assessment by the Heavenly Court system, its accumulated decaying calamity power is profound and likely irreversible. Please, all Immortal Lords and Upper Gods, vote on this!"

His eyes grew solemn, and then he spoke in a deep voice:

"One: The gods of the Heavenly Court shall fully assist this world in overcoming the calamity. If in favor, please state your reasons!"

"Two: The gods of the Heavenly Court shall actively participate in the calamity, triggering a great Nirvana of heaven and earth—also, please state your reasons!"

"Three: The gods shall not intervene in the name of the Heavenly Court—please state your reasons!"

"If there are objections, please, all Immortal Lords and Upper Gods, add your comments!"

"What to add? The琉璃 world has long been riddled with holes by demonic corruption, slaughter rampant within, no benevolence or teaching—nothing but irredeemable scum. We of the Heavenly Realm sent the Lotus Immortal Maiden down to save the realm, yet they slander her as an outer-realm demon god, suppress her. I propose sending an Upper God with ten thousand heavenly troops to destroy this realm. By old custom, half the spoils go to Heaven, half to oneself—freely chosen by oneself!"

A cold voice came from afar. Zhang Jian turned toward the sound, his gaze falling upon a divine throne surrounded by countless flowing white-gold imperial auras.

Among the many Immortal Lords, Emperors, and Upper Gods, this throne ranked only in the middle, yet the power it displayed was extraordinarily magnificent and terrifying.

It was likely that of a Dao Lord!

And very possibly, a mighty primordial Dao Lord who commands the War God's throne of slaughter and killing.

"Third Uncle Ancestor, which immortal god is this White Emperor Dao Lord?"

Seeing this, Zhang Jian's heart stirred, and he could not help but whisper his question.

The Water Official Emperor's expression remained unchanged, but his voice came from the front row:

"That is the Western White Emperor Dao Lord!"

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered slightly. Though newly arrived in the Central Heavenly Realm, he knew that many Upper Gods and Immortal Lords bore the name White Emperor, though their titles differed somewhat.

For example, beneath the Heavenly Emperor's throne, the Great White Star Lord also bore the beautiful title of White Emperor.

In ancient times, he had also taken the form of the White Emperor to wander the heavens, wielding White Emperor authority.

But to bear White Emperor as one's Daoist title naturally indicates cultivation beyond the ordinary.

After a brief pause, the Water Official Emperor's voice came again:

"This White Emperor, speaking of him, you still have some familial connection!"

"Familial connection? Impossible?"

Zhang Jian's heart stirred; his face subtly changed.

At this moment, Zhang Jian also noticed the direction of the White Emperor's throne—the Western White Emperor Dao Lord's sharp eyes briefly swept over his direction, that gaze making Zhang Jian unable to suppress a feeling like needles on his back.

Fortunately, that gaze shifted away instantly.

Zhang Jian took a deep breath.

Clearly, this Western White Emperor Dao Lord should be an ancestor of the Ying clan.

He had destroyed the Ying clan—clearly a great offense to this Western White Emperor Dao Lord—but fortunately, he later forcibly married Ying Jiang, thus leaving a bloodline for the Ying clan, and did not utterly offend this Western White Emperor Dao Lord to death.

"The琉璃 world has already gradually tilted toward the demon realm—destroying it is an excellent choice! This deity seconds the motion!"

"Seconded!"

As the gods voted, Zhang Jian's eyes swept over the assembly, and he saw that more than half of the celestials present agreed with the motion!

Tai Bai Jin Xing glanced again at the two supremes on the imperial throne, as well as the other four Heavenly Emperors, and seeing that none of the Heavenly Emperors objected, he immediately spoke.

"The resolution is passed. Now, all celestial officials, please record: in the Sixth Yan Era of the Jade Emperor's Calendar, the 18,000,000th year, the gods have passed the resolution to destroy the Jade Liuli World!"

After a slight pause, Tai Bai Xingjun stroked his beard slightly and smiled.

"The Western White Emperor Daoist initiated this proposal; I wonder if you have any candidates to recommend to lead this endeavor!"

The Daoist seated on the White Emperor's divine throne heard this and gave a light smile.

"To carry out such a world-ending act, one must needs a being of great power; at the very least, a War God of Rank Seven or above is required, or else a Great Immortal, for the Emperor to exert himself!"

"I have heard that within the Fire Cloud Cave Heaven, a foreign human emperor has recently been born, his Dao Fruit outstanding, possessing great mighty power, having grasped the Great Dao, and now holding the office of Lingyuan Emperor. I believe all the celestial venerables are curious as to what abilities this emperor possesses to have ascended on his own, yet he fears Rank Eight and occupies the deputy palace of the Three Yuan Ling Guan!"

"I implore the Great Heavenly Venerable, and all the esteemed Emperors, to grant this young celestial god an opportunity to demonstrate himself!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian's expression stirred—this Western White Emperor Daoist had actually nominated him?

He felt a dark unease in his heart.

He sensed this was probably not a good thing?

After all, he had greatly offended this Western White Emperor Daoist in the lower realm—why would the other party do him a favor?

However, adhering to the warning of that 'Ancestor,' to look more and speak less, Zhang Jian continued merely to hold the tablet in his hand and record.

Of course, more importantly, Zhang Jian saw the Water Official Emperor and his own ancestral master seated above, both showing no unusual expression.

Yet Zhang Jian could still notice that at this moment, many celestials had their eyes fixed upon him.

Streams of vast and mighty divine sense, carrying scrutiny or perhaps curiosity, swept over him.

At this moment, however, the Water Official Emperor spoke slowly and calmly.

"This is improper. The Lingyuan Emperor has just arrived in the Heavenly Court; his celestial retinue is not yet formed, nor can he command his heavenly troops and generals, making unity above and below difficult, and thus risking a mishap in the Heavenly Court's dispatch. I implore the Great Heavenly Venerable to seek another capable general to accomplish the feat of breaking the boundary!"

As his words fell, he saw celestials in the distance echoing in agreement.

"The Water Official Emperor is correct; the Lingyuan Emperor has only recently arrived in the Heavenly Court, his celestial retinue is not yet formed, and he is not suitable to participate in such a major affair!"

"

Zhang Jian looked over, only to see that it was a great deity clad in water-blue divine robes.

The Water Virtue Star Lord of the Rain Department!

At this moment, the Water Virtue Star Lord wore a faint smile and also returned a friendly smile to him.

Zhang Jian immediately understood—this was an ally!

At this moment, however, another deity clad in a great red robe laughed and spoke.

"The matter of breaking the boundary should be handled by one who oversees slaughter and war, or who holds the authority of war; it would be more fitting for such a supreme god to act. I nominate one: Fu Yuan, the Commander-in-Chief under the Great Heavenly Venerable, the Star Lord of the Seven Killings of the Northern Dipper, who governs slaughter, life and death, fortune and longevity—surely this also includes the life and death of a great world. To preside over this matter would be most fitting!"

This was the Fire Virtue Star Lord, head of the Fire Department.

Zhang Jian observed this Fire Virtue Star Lord exchanging glances with the Three Yuan Emperor, and feared he might also be one of his own people.

He secretly thought, if he did not understand the origins of this matter, he would be willing to go and accomplish it.

If he did not go out to earn some extra income, during ancestral worship he would always gain something!

But recalling the warning of the Qingxia Daoist, he endured it.

After the matter, he would come to understand its full details.

The Western White Emperor Daoist watched this scene and merely gave a light smile, without insisting.

He seemed merely to have mentioned it in passing, with serene winds and calm clouds.

Yet Zhang Jian felt a slight stir in his heart, sensing that this Western White Emperor Daoist would not so easily let him go.

Only to see that the Fire Virtue Star Lord's proposal was quickly approved by a portion of the great divine beings.

While most of the other celestials remained silent, evidently acquiescing to this, Tai Bai Xingjun then directly announced in court that Fu Yuan, the Star Lord of the Southern Dipper, would be the chief commander, and furthermore allowed him to select elite troops from the various branches of the heavenly troops, and for the Star Lords to rush to the Jade Liuli World.

After the second agenda item concluded, the Tai Bai Xingjun beneath the imperial throne became solemn and respectful.

"Agendum Three: The Great Heavenly Venerable has received news that the soul of the Ancestral Dragon is once again turning in the heavens of all realms. All celestial venerables, supreme gods, and emperors may present their views on three aspects: one, to strike early and kill it; two, to wait until the Ancestral Dragon's Dao Fruit matures, then remove the Dao Fruit before killing it; third, to adopt extermination measures, sparing no cost to exterminate the Ancestral Dragon's soul!"

Upon hearing these words filled with killing intent from above, Zhang Jian felt gooseflesh rise all over his body.

He did not know where this Ancestral Dragon's soul came from, that it would cause the Heavenly Court to harbor such malice.

The Water Official Emperor beside him noticed Zhang Jian's unusual expression and sent a mental transmission.

"Ah Yu, this Ancestral Dragon's soul is a great calamity left from ancient times; it is said to be an ancient hegemon of astonishing influence. After his fall, he underwent multiple tribulations, each time bringing deep disaster to heaven and earth. The last time, he formed one immortal Qin state, and sought to rebel against heaven, whereupon the Great Heavenly Venerable sent troops to exterminate him. Yet even now, the poison of the immortal Qin remains undispelled, spreading its poison through heaven and earth!"

"Therefore, whenever he appears, the Heavenly Court will immediately dispatch troops to exterminate him, even if he comes from a prominent immortal clan, he cannot escape the encirclement and slaughter by the Heavenly Court's troops and generals!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian silently nodded; he had many suspicions in his heart.

Yet this item, the Heavenly Court's central celestials almost unanimously passed the third resolution.

……

After court adjourned, Tianhe Zhenren summoned Zhang Jian to the official residence of the Three Yuan Emperor.

Yet he again brought up the matter of destroying the Jade Liuli World.

"Ah Yu, you must by no means look down on the matter of breaking the boundary; this matter is of great importance. If done well, it will allow a great world to avoid the risk of falling into the demon realm, counting as a great merit; if done poorly, one will inevitably lose armor and abandon weapons, losing all face!"

"Moreover, a great world containing such depleted qi will inevitably attract evil demons and heretics, and even other celestials to intervene; and when the other great world collapses, it will necessarily give birth to some portion of extremely valuable heavenly and earthly treasures, even primordial relics, innate relics emerging into the world. Without sufficient background, or without summoning enough strong ones to join forces, this cannot be accomplished!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian's heart became clear.

"Thank you, Emperor, for your protection. Had it not been for your guidance, this disciple might have fallen into that Daoist's evil scheme!"

Seated above, Tianhe Zhenren chuckled, and Zhang Jian, taking the opportunity, poured a cup of fragrant tea for the 'leader' beside him.

Tianhe Zhenren again said:

"However, after some time, going together to watch the excitement is also possible—it can also be considered broadening one's horizons!"

Zhang Jian's eyes moved; he naturally enjoyed such excitement.

Moreover, with elders accompanying, safety is guaranteed.

Tianhe Zhenren laughed and said.

"The matter of breaking the boundary should occur in two hundred years; when the auspicious time arrives, we can go together to observe it a bit!"

Zhang Jian slightly nodded.

After finishing the miscellaneous affairs of the Three Yuan Lingguan Hall, Zhang Jian returned to the Lingyuan Emperor's Mansion.

The Lingyuan Emperor's Mansion will be his residence for a long time in the Central Heavenly Realm; he still needs to re-plan and construct it.

The Lingyuan Emperor's Mansion is currently just an empty emperor's mansion; aside from the spiritual veins being connected, other supporting facilities need to be procured by himself.

For example, the Two Realms Pool, which is the incense passage connecting the upper and lower realms.

He has strong incense in the Zhou Mountain Realm; if he does not establish an incense passage to draw incense in, it would be too wasteful.

Moreover, after establishing the Two Realms Pool, the incense of other immortals and deities under his command can also enter from here.

Next are the standard cultivation chambers, as well as divine springs, or standardized immortal pools, or places for alchemy and artifact forging.

Additionally, the heavenly court will also grant the configuration of the Taiyue Tianbei connecting to the heavenly court's library, or alternatively, access to the heavenly court's spiritual network for efficient handling of various mundane affairs.

Without the Taiyue Tianbei, whether contacting subordinates or receiving messages, everything would become very primitive.

Furthermore, the Tongshan Dao Tong also had sect elders host an entrance immortal banquet for him, and they might also wish to discuss the matter of appointing two civil and military immortal judges in his mansion.

After all, he is a mid-level immortal official.

Make a decision early to avoid unexpected complications!

After completing numerous miscellaneous tasks, Zhang Jian finally had free time to refine the 'Ancestor' feedback-obtained Star of Fate!

In the Lingyuan Emperor's Mansion.

Zhang Jian prepared to refine part of the Star of Fate in advance before going to watch the excitement.

Zhang Jian slowly merged it into the depths of the Mountains and Rivers State Map, as if a star merging into the azure heavens and starry sky.

As for how to completely integrate this heavenly and earthly treasure into the Mountains and Rivers State Map, round and harmonious integration first requires Zhang Jian's own exertion.

But Zhang Jian could sense that even a slight refinement would surely benefit his Mountains and Rivers State Map immensely.

At this moment, Zhang Jian could feel that as he gradually refines a portion of the Star of Fate.

The structure model of the Mountains and Rivers State Map further solidifies.

The power of the several heavenly and earthly treasures within it also, having received catalysis, is now further releasing.

The Heart of Dimension, the Innate Yin Yang Law Dao Seed, the Hunyuan Shengzhu Pearl, and the Samsara Divine Stone — their powers are further merging together.

Worth mentioning is that Zhang Jian sensed that even if the Mountains and Rivers State Map has been tempered to this degree, he still has a long way to go before fully refining these four heavenly and earthly treasures.

Perhaps even stepping into the Dao Jun level may not necessarily allow complete integration of several heavenly and earthly treasures.

Their origins are too formidable.

But for Zhang Jian, this is indeed a great fortune.

It can save him many years of arduous cultivation.