Chapter 557

Inside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

Fuxi, Nuwa, the demon master Kunpeng, and the ten great demon sages were all present.

After ten thousand years of recuperation, Shangyang's severed arm had long been restored; his aura as a peak Grand Luo Golden Immortal was steady and heavy, only a hint of restrained killing intent appeared between his brows.

When Emperor Jun personally took Gu Yuan's hand and walked out from behind the hall, the entire hall fell silent at once.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Eastern Augustness!"

All the demons bowed in unison, their voices shaking the nine heavens.

Kunpeng stood in the front row, head lowered, yet his peripheral vision couldn't help but furtively size up Gu Yuan walking beside Emperor Jun.

Ten thousand years have passed.

This Eastern Augustness still possessed only early-stage Golden Immortal cultivation, his frame slightly frail, his complexion pale, appearing as weak as ever.

Yet Kunpeng felt an inexplicable chill rise in his heart.

Back then, it was this youth who looked like he could expire at any moment, who feigned a faint offhandedly, prompting the Heavenly Emperor to investigate the wilderness thoroughly, tracing the clue to force out the Witch Clan's ancient vicious formation;

And it was his few words that caused the demon clan to close their borders and forge the Stellar Banner, stubbornly turning the Witch Clan's great formation into a dud.

In Kunpeng's eyes, every tiny movement of Gu Yuan, even each cough, seemed to be calculating some earth-shattering affair.

"Your Highness's injury… appears to be no serious matter."

Fuxi smiled, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in salute.

Gu Yuan returned a slight bow to Fuxi: "Thank you, Emperor Xi, for your concern; I am fine."

Emperor Jun walked to the Heavenly Emperor's throne, did not sit, but scanned the hall's officials and spoke loudly:

"The Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Array is complete; the heavenly court's foundation is secure."

"Today, I, together with the Eastern Augustness, Emperor Xi, Emperor Nuwa, and the demon master, will go to the Chaos Purple Xiao Palace to listen to the Dao."

"The ten great demon sages shall guard the heavenly court, each holding their directional formation eyes; without my imperial decree, none may open the heavenly gate without permission!"

"We obey your decree!" the ten great demon sages replied in unison.

Emperor Jun nodded, no longer delaying, and waved his hand.

Boom!

Outside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the void suddenly split open; nine massive fire jiao exuding Taiyi Golden Immortal pressure pulled a sky-covering nine-dragon sandalwood carriage, which slowly emerged from the sea of clouds.

Emperor Jun first mounted the jade carriage, then carefully helped Gu Yuan aboard, letting him sit on the most comfortable cushion beside him.

Fuxi and Nuwa each rode auspicious clouds, while Kunpeng transformed into a streak of black light guarding the side.

"Set forth!"

With a soaring dragon's roar, the nine-dragon sandalwood carriage turned into a crimson-gold divine rainbow piercing heaven and earth, tearing through the nine heavenly vaults and racing toward the boundless chaos beyond the wilderness!

Beyond the wilderness's heavenly canopy lay an endless expanse of chaotic void.

The murky chaotic currents surged like a violent tsunami, earth, water, fire, and wind rampaged everywhere, and from time to time enormous void rifts spread, devouring all around.

The environment here is extremely perilous; any being below a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who steps in will be instantly assimilated and annihilated by the violent chaotic qi, losing both body and Dao.

The nine-dragon sandalwood carriage traversed the chaos.

The nine fire jiao blazed with scorching divine fire, continually dispersing the approaching chaotic storms.

Emperor Jun sat upright at the front of the carriage, with the River Chart and Luo Book hovering above his head, shedding brilliant starlight curtains that protected the entire carriage, not even a whisper of the violent wind leaking inside.

He occasionally glanced back at Gu Yuan behind him, fearing the chaotic currents might strike his brother's fragile primordial spirit.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuan, seated on the soft cushion, held a miniature illusion of the Eastern Augustness Bell, leisurely gazing at the chaotic scenery outside the window.

In his perception, this chaos, though violent, was far inferior to the boundary sea beyond the primordial immortal realm.

Here the laws are primitive and crude; though earth, water, fire, and wind are fierce, they still operate within some grand heavenly Dao framework.

Shortly thereafter, the chaotic mist ahead suddenly thinned.

An ancient, majestic Dao palace, its entire structure built of an unknown blue-gray stone, hovered silently in the chaos's center.

Above the Dao palace hung a purple-gold plaque inscribed with profound Daoist divine characters spelling three large characters—Purple Xiao Palace.

The Dao palace's gates were tightly shut, before which lay an expansive white jade plaza.

Upon the plaza at this moment had already gathered dozens of figures emanating vast pressure.

The nine-dragon sandalwood carriage tore through the chaos, crashing down with a flood of crimson-gold divine radiance at the edge of the white jade plaza.

Such an ostentatious, domineering entrance instantly drew the gaze of every powerhouse present.

"The Heavenly Emperor Emperor Jun has arrived."

"What a grand spectacle—nine Taiyi Golden Immortal-level fire jiao pulling the carriage; only the heavenly court in the wilderness possesses such foundation."

Murmurs of private talk rose around the plaza.

The carriage came to a halt; Emperor Jun stepped down first, his eyes beneath the Heaven-Piercing Crown flashing like lightning, his peak quasi-sage aura spreading unrestrained, shaking the surrounding chaotic currents to retreat several zhang.

Fuxi and Nuwa retracted their auspicious clouds and landed behind him.

The demon master Kunpeng wore a grim expression, arms crossed, standing to one side.

Immediately, under everyone's gaze, Emperor Jun turned, personally reached out, and helped a white-robed youth from the carriage down.

The youth's visage was handsome and refined, yet his complexion was slightly pale, his aura barely that of a low-level Golden Immortal, making him strikingly out of place among the many at least late-stage Grand Luo Golden Immortal powerhouses present.

"Huh? Who is that?"

"Early-stage Golden Immortal? With such cultivation, how could he have passed through the chaotic void?"

"You've been in seclusion too long; that is Emperor Jun's younger brother, the Eastern Augustness Taiyi ennobled by the demon clan's heavenly court! Rumor says he suffered a primordial deficiency at birth, a crippled Dao foundation, a useless waste."

"Bringing a mere Golden Immortal to the Purple Xiao Palace to listen to the Dao? The Patriarch expounds profound quasi-sage mysteries—could he possibly understand half a word? Utter nonsense."

On the left side of the plaza, three figures wrapped in pure qi sat cross-legged.

The central figure was an old man with white hair, a withered face, his eyes half-open, half-closed—none other than the Grand Pure One, Laozi.

The right side bore sword‑browed, starry eyes that pierced the heavens, with four faintly visible fierce sword auras on his back; seeing Di Jun help Gu Yuan alight from the carriage, he cracked a grin.

"Although this bird‑brained Di Jun is overbearing, he's not bad to his own brothers."

Meanwhile, Yuanshi Tianzun seated on the left had a stern, solemn visage, but his brows were tightly furrowed.

Yuanshi glanced at Gu Yuan's frail figure, a flash of undisguised disgust and contempt flickering in his eyes, and he let out a cold snort.

"You fur‑clad, horn‑wearing, wet‑born, egg‑hatched lot, after throwing together a slapdash heavenly court, you actually think you're the lord of heaven and earth."

"The Purple Aurora Palace is the sacred land where the Dao Ancestor transmits the Dao—how solemn and holy! Yet you bring a crippled Golden Immortal here to gawk, utterly clueless, a disgrace to the sanctity of the holy gate!"

Yuanshi's voice was not deliberately suppressed, riding the chaotic qi flow as it echoed across the white jade plaza.

Swish!

Di Jun's steps came to an abrupt halt.

In his eyes, two clumps of substantialized great‑sun golden flame burst forth explosively, and killing intent surged wildly around him in an instant.

"Yuanshi! What did you say?!"

Di Jun snapped his head around, glaring fixedly at Yuanshi Tianzun, his right hand already resting on the hilt of his Emperor's Sword at his waist.

"The River Chart and Luo Book trembled violently above his head, boundless starlight transforming into countless world‑destroying swords that pointed straight toward the direction of the Three Pure Ones."

"His younger brother is the most important person in his life!"

"Whoever dares to insult his brother, even if it be the Three Pure Ones, he will dare to draw his sword and fight!"