Chapter 208

At the very first moment of the newly arrived yuanhui, Di Jun took the lead and began to proclaim the wilderness with everyone.

Heavenly Dao above, I, Di Jun (Qi, Taiyi, Fuxi, Nüwa), today establish the Heavenly Court.

We shall take justice as our standard, order as our framework, govern all spirits, protect and bless the peace of the wilderness. Let good and evil be repaid, cause and effect unfailing.

We will make the Heavenly Court's might extend to the four seas, its grace reach the eight wilds, and all things be orderly. I will defend the dignity of the Heavenly Court with supreme courage and boundless wisdom.

Between heaven and earth, the Dao's resonance sounded; countless streams of qi surged like a flood, flowing straight toward the five.

From today onward, I, Di Jun, shall be the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court; I must uphold the Heavenly Dao, govern all beings, deter the wicked, and shelter the good.

From today onward, I, Taiyi, shall be the Eastern Emperor of the Heavenly Court; I must assist the Heavenly Emperor, protect and bless the Heavenly Court, sweep away evil influences, and awe the eight directions.

From today onward, I, Qi, shall be the Qi Emperor of the Heavenly Court; I must hold a compassionate heart, draw auspicious light, bestow grace upon all beings, so that prosperity endures and peace lasts forever.

From today onward, I, Fuxi, shall be the Fuxi Emperor of the Heavenly Court; I will exhaust my wisdom, spread benevolence to the four seas, bestow blessings upon the eight wilds, exhaustively study the changes of yin and yang, and fix the order of all beings.

From today onward, I, Nüwa, shall be the Nüwa Emperor of the Heavenly Court; I will exhaustively investigate creation, protect and bless all beings, bestow blessings upon the myriad spirits of the world. I will nurture all things with a loving heart.

After everyone took their oath, the five spoke in unison:

From this day forward, the Heavenly Court is established, using the Chaos Bell, the River Chart and Luo Book, the innate twelve-grade world-purifying white lotus, and the Map of Mountains and Rivers to suppress the qi flow, hoping the Heavenly Dao will observe.

Thunder roared in the sky; countless clouds of merit-gold gathered at Mount Buzhou, heavenly flowers scattered across the wilderness, manifestations took form, and a goddess came to support and send the merit-gold clouds.

These manifestations, upon approaching Di Jun and his companions, gradually faded, leaving only the merit-gold clouds divided into seven portions.

Di Jun and Qi each received roughly two portions; those two layers of merit-gold clouds slowly merged into Di Jun's body, his whole body radiated light, his aura grew ever stronger, and his cultivation caught up to Qi's level.

Qi, however, did not directly absorb the merit-gold clouds; instead, as before, he let them form a merit-gold wheel that hovered behind him.

Nüwa, Fuxi, and Taiyi each received roughly one portion; except for Fuxi, who directly absorbed it, Nüwa and Taiyi, like Qi, did not directly use it.

The remaining two portions of merit, one large and one small, the small part being roughly one layer, flew into the wilderness and belonged to all the water deities.

The large portion, however, belonged to the multitude of star deities.

By this moment, the Heavenly Court had fully revealed itself in the wilderness, and the five also constructed their own palaces at the five directions in the God-Sky Heaven.

Di Jun took the central position, establishing the Lingxiao Hall.

Taiyi took the eastern position, establishing the Donghuang Palace.

Qi took the northern position, establishing the Qi Emperor's Palace.

Fuxi took the western position, establishing the Fuxi Emperor's Palace.

Nüwa took the southern position, establishing the Nüwa Emperor's Palace.

Under them, the many subordinate deities also set up temporary offices in the remaining days, each of the eight departments occupying a day, so most deities thus had residences in several days at once.

Thus, the basic framework of the Heavenly Court was finally established and began to operate.

God-Sky Heaven.

Now that the Heavenly Court has been established, it is time for us to begin revealing its renown in the wilderness.

Di Jun's gaze was firm as he looked into the distance; behind him, Taiyi, Fuxi, Nüwa, and Qi all wore solemn expressions, ready to display grand ambitions.

Qi, you and I had long ago agreed that you would command all the water deities, purify the wilderness, and eliminate the effects of the previous great calamity.

Di Jun looked first at Qi, who naturally would not disappoint him; moreover, this matter had long been planned, and he was skilled at it.

There is no objection; we had this idea from the start, only delayed until now to coincide with the emergence of the Heavenly Court.

Now that the Heavenly Court has appeared, I naturally will not shirk responsibility.

Qi smiled, contemplating where to begin, for this undertaking was of great importance; whether it was the elite east of the wilderness, the north that had endured two great calamities, or the west stricken by disaster, each seemed to have a claim to priority.

Taiyi, since Qi is responsible for purifying heaven and earth, you shall lead the myriad star deities to subdue the various tribes of the wilderness, and Fuxi will cooperate with you.

However, the specifics of the scale still need to be discussed further with Fuxi, we must hear his opinion; if the two disagree, we will set it aside for now, and later the five of us will deliberate together.

Di Jun said to Taiyi, worried that Taiyi's methods of subjugation were too rough, so he simply dispatched his own strategist, Fuxi, along with him.

Taiyi said indifferently: 'Rest assured, most people in the wilderness are no match for me; when the heavenly troops arrive, they will surely not refuse to join.'

Seeing Taiyi like this, Di Jun felt uneasy, turned to Fuxi and said: 'Taiyi sometimes acts too directly; there may be instability, so please bear more responsibility and intervene when necessary.'

Fuxi laughed and said:

Rest assured, Taiyi is not ignorant of affairs; moreover, his words have some merit, for they were able to submit to the three tribes before, and naturally they will now submit to the Heavenly Court.

Di Jun sighed: 'I hope so, but although we hold the advantage, we must not become overconfident; in all things, a little caution is best.'

Taiyi and Fuxi, seeing Di Jun thus, also understood his pressure, nodded in unison, indicating they would keep it in mind.

Fellow Daoist Nüwa, you will have to work hard for a while; most of the star deities will go with Taiyi and Fuxi to conquer the wilderness, but the starry heavens must not undergo change.

We must coordinate the remaining star deities, organize the heavens, and ensure that during their conquest they do not affect the wilderness.

What Di Jun said is not empty; although most stellar changes have little impact on the wilderness, if they all become anomalous, then the wilderness may never find peace.

Nüwa felt somewhat at a loss:

It's not that I'm unwilling; I simply lack experience in organizing the stars, and fear I might cause chaos.

Di Jun knew Nüwa's concern, and spoke to comfort her:

No problem; I will take charge of it, and any slight abnormality is no major hindrance.

Seeing Di Jun thus, Nüwa relaxed a little, nodded and agreed.

Seeing the matters settled, Qi did not linger, turned and left; here the general work had been divided, but he still needed to contact the many water deities and consider the details.

He lightly struck the Divine Staff of Controlling Water on the ground; a light curtain appeared, and after a moment the images of the Four Great Water Deities emerged within it.

Upon seeing Qi, they all exclaimed in unison: 'Greetings, Qi Emperor!'

They had long before decided to join the Heavenly Court; now they naturally have a hierarchy of rank.

With the establishment of the Heavenly Court, they also enjoyed the surge of qi flow, and now they naturally submit wholeheartedly.

No need for excessive courtesy; since the great calamity, the wilderness has suffered greatly, its impact profound, and to this day it has not been eliminated.

Now that the Heavenly Court has just appeared, it is only fitting that we take action; before long, I will again expound the Dao in the wilderness, purifying the myriad calamity-resentments of heaven and earth.

This is both to proclaim the compassionate name of the Heavenly Court and to feel the hardships of heaven and earth, giving rise to reluctance; thus I undertake this journey.

You too must, within your respective river basins, expound the Dao to purify heaven and earth; the influence of the Honghuang calamity has not yet faded, so this must not be halted.

The Four Rivers Water Gods had long anticipated this in their hearts; upon hearing this order, they were naturally not surprised, yet still spoke in reply: 'We pray for the Emperor's grace and mercy; this is indeed the fortune of Honghuang. We shall naturally follow; as long as the disaster has not ended, we will never cease waiting.'

Qi saw their state and smiled with satisfaction; although he was not yet accustomed to their attitude, he also found enjoyment in it.

He waved his hand and dispersed the light curtain; this was the Heavenly Court's first appointment since its inception. Qi knew they would not perfunctorily go through the motions, so he did not interfere further, merely pondering where he should begin expounding the Dao.

After much hesitation, Qi ultimately decided to take the Eastern Sea as the starting point, setting the direction to northeast‑southwest, taking into account the impact on Honghuang.

Since the goal was set, Qi did not linger in the Heavenly Court, but immediately rushed to the shore of the Eastern Sea.

Upon reaching Yunmeng Marsh, he summoned the White Spirit to serve as his mount for expounding the Dao, so that it too could share a bit of merit as cultivation nourishment.

Not long after—within a thousand years—Qi arrived at the Eastern Sea's shore to begin his second tour of expounding the Dao; the Scripture of the White Lotus Purifying the World, Universally Transforming and Illuminating the Dao, the Primordial True Classic, once again resonated throughout Honghuang.

At this time, Taiyi and Fuxi also began their own conquest campaigns; their ambitions were vast, and any tribe possessing the Daluo realm—whether Daluo Golden Immortals or Luo Tianzun gods—had to undergo it.

The toll of the Chaos Bell rang incessantly across Honghuang; first the star gods arrived, urging them to join and submit to heavenly regulation, and any who refused could not escape the divine might of Taiyi.

In the future, Taiyi, too, gained far‑reaching fame in this process; the Honghuang beings called him the first war god of Honghuang, and the World Honored One addressed him as Donghuang Taiyi.

After Yinglong, he became the second person in the world whom people regarded as invincible.

In the future, Qi likewise earned his own title in Honghuang; his two rounds of expounding the Dao had far‑reaching influence, and people called him 'Divine Clarity, Purifying the World, Universally Bestowing Vast Faith, Wise Teacher'.

Furthermore, as the Water God of Yunmeng Marsh, he daily expounded the Dao atop the white lotus, residing in the northern quarter of the Divine Clarity Heaven; others also called him 'Divine Clarity Heaven Yunmeng Deliverance‑from‑Calamity Purifying the World Great Heavenly Sovereign, Northern Yuan Qi Great Emperor'.

When Hongjun, with great difficulty, used the Jade Butterfly of Creation, aided by the Heavenly Dao, to defeat Yangmei and force his retreat from Honghuang, he returned from the scant remnants of the Heaven Beyond Heaven.

What he saw before him was this unfamiliar Honghuang; originally, the heavenly realm should not have emerged at this time, only to be forcibly torn open, leaving Honghuang's fate dominated by a single lineage.

"Alas! What situation is this? How can a mere cloud‑meeting cause the situation to shift unpredictably, leaving even this poor Daoist unable to grasp it!"

Hongjun frowned, unsure how to deal with the Heavenly Court, this colossal entity before him.

Of course, the most important point is that he himself knows he lacks the ability to handle it; he once tried to see whether he could enter the heavenly realm, but the eventual outcome was unsatisfactory.

Qi and Di Jun, among others, could enter; regardless of the reason, Hongjun knew that before he attained union with the Dao, he likely could not interfere.

After much thought, Hongjun finally said bluntly:

"Let it fall into chaos; best to let it devolve into a mess of porridge. This poor Daoist is merely a Hunyuan Dao practitioner, has not yet proven the Dao, nor is he a sage of heaven and earth—what good does meddling do?"

Having spoken, he ignored the crack appearing on the Jade Disc of Creation, turned and headed for Jade Capital Mountain; after all, he could not control it, and there remained plenty of merit, so let the crack be—no matter.

To see off Yangmei, he paid a considerable price, suffering grave wounds; now he has resolved that, once his injuries heal, he will immediately begin expounding the Dao to prepare for union with the Dao.

As for how Honghuang will change, that is left to its beings; whether good or bad, it depends entirely on themselves, and as long as the spread of the immortal Dao is unaffected, he will no longer intervene.

With Hongjun's return, in this world there is currently no one able to stop the Heavenly Court's people, and Honghuang will thoroughly enter a short‑lived era of Heavenly Court exclusivity.

Countless ambitious souls all schemed to enter the Heavenly Court, hoping to siphon off a share of its fortune.

In the past, most of the gods who had some renown in Honghuang did not refuse the Heavenly Court's invitation; those eager for power vied with each other, while the indifferent took up idle posts.

Or there are some widely renowned individuals who truly have no intention of joining, yet even if they wished to refuse, they could not escape the invitation of Taiyi wielding the Chaos Bell.

The Heavenly Court, too, was gradually finding its footing through gradual adjustment, levying taxes in Honghuang or directly seizing various resource points.

Of the spiritual objects collected, a small portion of the finest entries go into the Heavenly Court's treasury, to be exchanged for merits earned by its personnel; the majority are taken into the storehouses of Qi, Di Jun, and others.

Medium‑ and high‑grade spiritual objects mostly enter the Heavenly Court's treasury, serving as wages for its personnel or as provisions for banquets.

Low‑grade and inferior spiritual objects tend to accumulate in the Heavenly Court‑controlled Honghuang storehouses, used for construction in Honghuang or for disaster relief.

The existence of the Heavenly Court also brought a buffer between Honghuang's various clans, giving them space to mediate conflicts—or, put another way, a stepping down.

For the long‑neglected Honghuang, the Heavenly Court at this time is undoubtedly a hundred benefits with no harm; even the ever‑expanding Wu Clan now falls under its jurisdiction.

However, the twelve ancestral Wu, proud and lofty, have never joined the Heavenly Court, but under normal circumstances they do not refuse its demands.

At present, for most of the strange beasts of Honghuang, joining the Heavenly Court makes a fine destination, second only to becoming mounts of the innate divinities.

That said, the Heavenly Court's actual sphere of influence is limited, extending only to the relatively powerful tribes.

As for tribes of average or lesser strength, the Heavenly Court possesses virtually no authority over them.

The Heavenly Court's influence on them is mediated through the great tribes it has subdued; for the minuscule clans, the dignity it confers is far inferior to that of the surrounding major tribes.

Even when collecting taxes, the Heavenly Court must go through those great tribes, which then pass the levy down layer by layer, rather than gathering it directly.

Although the Heavenly Court pays close attention to this link, fearing that someone might learn the law and break it to reap huge profits, this phenomenon persists despite repeated bans.

This was also a major headache for the early Heavenly Court, since its foundations were weak and there were too many places where it could operate.

Qi also had no remedy for this; although they could probe heavenly secrets, they could not constantly do so.

Only by continually drawing talent from Honghuang and expanding the grassroots could this be resolved; yet at present Honghuang's populace is sparse, and what it lacks most is talent.

This undoubtedly caused Di Jun immense distress, yet he could only endure it.

(End of chapter)