Chapter 231: with translation of chapter title

The Five Emperors personally attend, officials hold audience, to pay respects to the Central Holy Primordial Heavenly Emperor, Your Majesty.

An attendant beside them loudly chanted, the gods stepped into the hall, facing the seat at the central uppermost position where Di Jun sat, they shouted in worship: 'We celebrate the Holy Majesty of the Heavenly Emperor, bearing myriad Dao to endure eternally; the Emperor above, divine might vast, we pay homage.'

Di Jun slightly lowered his head, raised his right hand slightly, making a gesture to help them up, and said: 'All my beloved subjects, rise.'

Thank you, Your Majesty.

The gods then rose, and an attendant beside them again shouted:

Officials bow their heads, to pay respects to the Eastern Holy Primordial Eastern Emperor Lord.

The gods slightly turned their upper bodies, facing Di Jun's eastern side where Taiyi resides, bowed their heads and paid homage: 'We greet Your Majesty, the Eastern Emperor; we wish the Emperor blessings, longevity, health, and protection of all beings.'

Taiyi raised his hand and said: 'All officials, rise.'

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Repeating this, officials paid homage to Qi Emperor, Nüwa Emperor, Xi Emperor; after paying respects to the five emperors one by one, they then entered this court discussion.

This was Qi's first time attending the court assembly, and also the first time the Heavenly Court saw all five emperors attend court together; the gods of the Heavenly Court gathered, and there were also external officials present to observe the rites.

The likes of the Three Pure Ones, Gou Hui, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches were also present; they did not bow and worship, yet all rose from their seats and silently observed the rites.

All external gods have come; those who did not come have already turned to follow the Dao of Immortals, no longer regarding themselves as innate divinities; since this is so, they naturally need not attend.

Of course, it is not that they do not wish to remain innate divinities, but after turning to the Dao of Immortals, they can no longer share even a bit of the divine fate's qi flow.

If they stubbornly clung to being innate divinities, it would only invite ridicule; fortunately, their qi flow was already extraordinary, and upon entering the Dao of Immortals, sharing the immortal qi flow, though their overall qi flow suffered some loss, it was still tolerable.

Moreover, the Dao of Immortals is flourishing and promising; whether it is superior or inferior remains unknown.

The gods gazed upon the five emperors seated above, their hearts filled with boundless ambition; although some innate divinities have turned to cultivate the Dao of Immortals, ultimately the rulers of the wilderness are still the innate divinities.

Kunpeng, leading the Heavenly Court officials, showed utmost sincerity in every gesture; especially as the gods paid their respects, under the pull of qi flow, auspicious signs manifested behind the five emperors, displaying immense dignity.

Di Jun's body was surrounded by endless flowing stars, changing with time, commanding all heavens; in the gods' eyes, beholding Di Jun was like seeing an emperor among the stars, a divine sovereign of heavenly might.

Behind Taiyi, a golden crow spread its wings and soared, like a great sun descending upon him; the gods could not recognize it.

Behind Nüwa, auspicious signs evolved myriad spirits, birth and death cycling, from beginning to end, never ceasing.

Fuxi's body displayed auspicious signs evolving heaven and earth, with transformations most wondrous; even the gods could not behold its full aspect, from its subtle mysteries they glimpsed scales and claws, and the gods also gained some insight.

Qi, however, was clear rippling waves; its auspicious sign was the purest yet also the most extensive, encompassing the symbols of the other four emperors, allowing it to stand independent of the four pillars while remaining closely connected.

After the rites, Di Jun finally spoke: 'It has been a long time since we last held a court assembly; many changes have occurred in the Heavenly Court, and the gods are not fully aware; today's assembly will focus on the current affairs of the Heavenly Court, and everyone needs to understand them better.'

'We have been apart from the wilderness for about four yuan meetings; even the Heavenly Court's present income and expenditure are unknown, so let us take this opportunity to discuss it together.'

'Since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, quite a long time has passed; during this period, merits and faults have accrued, and it is time to award and punish.'

The gods of the Heavenly Court present immediately replied in unison: 'Yes!'

'Among the upper four divisions, let the Thunder Division speak first, then the Fire, Plague, and Fight Divisions in turn.'

'Among the lower four divisions, the stars and constellations, the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, the Walking Rain and Rising Clouds, and the gods of good and evil will follow in turn.'

In Di Jun's words, according to the complex situation of the reports, he set the order for the eight divisions to speak; the gods had no objection.

The Thunder Division belongs to Qi, but Qi seldom oversees it; mostly Fuxi represents it, and later, due to his going out to expound the Dao, to this day there has been no person in charge.

At this time, for the report, only the most prestigious among them could represent, and that person is Qiming (Chang Geng).

'Reporting to the Heavenly Emperor, since the establishment of the Thunder Division, seventy-four yuan meetings have passed; we have punished evil and exterminated the wicked, over 14 million, all of whom are Golden Immortals or above, mostly after the great calamities, still indulging in slaughter.'

'Among them, the Eastern Continent has about 2.4 million, the Southern Continent about 3.2 million, the Northern Continent about 3.6 million, and the Western Continent the most, as the demonic path was widely spread, thus about 4.8 million.'

'After a long time, this can be considered as having spread the might of our Heavenly Court widely into people's hearts, and the atmosphere of the wilderness has become clear.'

Qi and Di Jun both felt a jolt in their hearts; they never expected that among the wilderness there would be so many evil cultivators, and hearing his words, they all started at the Golden Immortal level, which left everyone somewhat unprepared.

In fact, not only Qi, Di Jun, Taiyi, Fuxi, and Nüwa, but even the reporter Qiming was startled; one would feel there are hardly any in a year, yet upon looking at the total, the number of those executed is actually so great.

Even the Heavenly Court that took action was so surprised, let alone those who came to listen, like the Three Pure Ones; for a moment, the gods found it hard to accept.

However, Qiming's report was not yet finished; hearing him continue: 'Besides this, the Thunder Division inspected the myriad clans of the wilderness; among them, those who outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied, those excessively greedy for wealth, rebels, and those violently resisting the Heavenly Court's audits, in conjunction with the Fight Division, were exterminated clan by clan, totaling 1,376 clans.'

'We beheaded the outstanding among them, 421 individuals, all of whom were Great Luo Golden Immortals.'

'Thus the Thunder Division's report is complete; the remainder, please Heavenly Emperor, reveal your will.'

Qiming bowed and performed the rites, silently awaiting Di Jun's words, while Di Jun merely turned his gaze to Qi, for the Thunder Division ultimately belongs to Qi, and thus its rewards and punishments are naturally decided by Qi.

Qi spoke: 'The Heavenly Court has existed for a long time; the wilderness is vast, and the number of rebellious evildoers slain is so great, showing their hardship; naturally there will be rewards.'

'Thunder Division personnel, hear the order: you have merit to heaven and earth; your toil and hardship are evident; I grant you a thousand superior spirit fruits, ten thousand golden pills, one hundred thousand bottles of spirit dew, and a thousand zhang of crimson clouds, as a reward.'

The gods of the Thunder Division immediately rejoiced exceedingly, kneeling and bowing in thanks: 'We thank Your Majesty Qi for your great grace!'

'Now rise.'

Qi nodded with a smile; the gods present were also shocked by the Heavenly Court's grand gesture, their eyes filled with envy, especially those who had not joined the Heavenly Court, even more so.

Seeing everyone rise, Qi again spoke: 'Qiming, Chang Geng, hear the order.'

Immediately, two voices sounded simultaneously from Qiming's body:

'Qiming (Chang Geng) hears the order.'

'I have mostly been in quiet cultivation before, having little oversight of the Thunder Division; you have managed it much, and now the Thunder Division runs smoothly, you too have merit.'

'I transmit my command: Qiming and Chang Geng, for your merit in managing the Thunder Division, I hereby specially reward you, bestowing the title of Nine Heavens Responding Origin Thunder Sound Universal Salvation Heavenly Lord, to oversee the Thunder Division.' Saying this, Qi looked with satisfaction at Qiming (Chang Geng) and smiled:

'I hope you will not disappoint my expectations and will not disgrace the name of the Thunder Division.'

Qiming (Chang Geng) immediately knelt excitedly, head bowed low, nearly touching the ground, saying: 'Qiming (Chang Geng) will surely not disappoint Your Majesty Qi's great expectations!'

Qi then said: 'Good, now withdraw, and do not interfere with others.'

'Yes!'

Qiming then steadily withdrew, happily returning to the Thunder Division ranks, and his comrades all celebrated him without cease.

As the Thunder Division's report ended, countless clouds of merit-gold condensed at the horizon, drawing everyone's gaze; seen slowly drifting across, they crossed the interval of the nine heavenly layers and fell before everyone's eyes.

The sound of the Dao rang in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall; the merit-gold clouds slowly drifted toward the Thunder Division's personnel, and according to the Heavenly Dao's reckoning of merit, they fell separately, with Qiming receiving a particularly abundant share.

Qi also gained not a little, about three-tenths of the total merit-gold clouds; this immediately made many innate divinities present envious, eagerly anticipating the upcoming work reports.

Those primordial divine beings who have not joined the Heavenly Court—most of them can already be called envious, for merit is hard to come by, nearly omnipotent in its use; unless one is a heavenly god or earthly deity, it is rarely obtainable.

As for the top primordial divine beings of the Primordial Wilderness at present, they too feel a bit envious, like Hongyun Zhenyuanzi and the others; seeking merit involves toil, not to mention it delays cultivation.

Meanwhile, those now in the Heavenly Court can both share in the qi fortune to accelerate their own cultivation and, in their spare time, earn merit—undoubtedly enviable.

Many primordial divine beings have begun to ponder whether, after this assembly, they should join the Heavenly Court, yet they hesitate due to the Heavenly Court's tangled karma.

After the crowd had calmed, Empress Nüwa spoke: "Do not waste everyone's time; Fire Division, come forward and report."

Yes.

One figure stepped forward from the crowd—none other than Bai Ze, whom countless well-wishers call one of the Heavenly Court's Ten Great Generals. Seeing him approach slowly, he first bowed in salute before saying: "Your Majesty Empress Nüwa, since the establishment of the Fire Division, we have widely bestowed kindness in the Primordial Wilderness, maintaining heavenly and earthly order; our current main task is to adjust the balance of the three categories in the Primordial Wilderness and hasten the recovery of the vitality of its beings."

Since the great calamity, up to now, the population of the Primordial Wilderness has increased more than thirtyfold; the balance of the three categories on Bei Fang, the Eastern Continent, and Nan Fang has nearly stabilized.

Although the Primordial Wilderness remains vast yet sparsely populated, if we steadily proceed, within thirty aeons it will surely not fall short of the era of the three clans.

Within a hundred aeons, it will surely far surpass its peak; compared to the rule of the three clans, the Heavenly Court's speed of restoring the Primordial Wilderness will be nearly several times that.

However, due to the Heavenly Court's plan, the Western Continent (Xifang Dalu)'s beings are now withered; fortunately, after waiting a little more than ten aeons, the foundations of the other three continents will be solid, allowing the Western shortfall to be made up in the short term.

Next, regarding the gathering of the Primordial Wilderness beings' fortune, under the Fire Division's control, most of the Primordial Wilderness's beings now know the name of the Heavenly Court.

Knowing that they can survive only under the Heavenly Court's protection, combined with the Primordial Wilderness's vitality, calculations show that the Heavenly Court now occupies about sixty percent of the Primordial Wilderness's beings' fortune, even slightly exceeding it.

Upon hearing Bai Ze's words, not only Empress Nüwa and Emperor Qi, but even Di Jun, Taiyi, and Fuxi could not help but nod; the Heavenly Court has only existed for seventy-four aeons, yet it has made such progress—thanks to the Fire Division, this achievement is indispensable.

Bai Ze could not help but lift his head slightly to observe the attitudes of the several heavenly emperors; seeing their smiles, he then relaxed and bowed with clasped hands, saying:

As for the details, your servant will later write a letter and submit it to Your Majesty; as for the Fire Division's subsequent work, it is to prepare the land matters previously discussed, the regulations of which your servant has already recorded and will soon submit to Your Majesty.

The Fire Division's report is now complete; please, Your Majesty, offer your comments.

Empress Nüwa pondered a moment, gave it some thought, then said: "The Fire Division's progress far exceeds our expectations; such merit naturally deserves a reward."

The Fire Division's personnel obey the command.

The gods of the Fire Division instantly rejoiced greatly, anticipating the forthcoming reward, and in unison said: "Yes!"

Since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, the Fire Division has contributed to restoring the Primordial Wilderness's heaven and earth, been beneficial to the Heavenly Court's grand plan, and far surpassed previous expectations.

Bestow 1,200 superior spirit fruits, 15,000 Golden Cores, 120,000 bottles of spirit dew, and 3,000 zhang of scarlet clouds as a reward and encouragement.

The gods of the Fire Division were overjoyed beyond expectation; although the Thunder Division's previous reward was already considered extremely generous, they had not expected to receive something even better.

However, they also know that the Thunder Division has the fewest gods, so each might receive double what they get, but considering its merits, there is little to complain about.

After all, the Thunder Division's earlier feat—slaying 14 million Golden Immortals and above—had indeed shocked everyone, making them feel awe.

We thank Your Majesty for your great grace.

The gods of the Fire Division chorused, and Empress Nüwa lightly laughed: "Your reward is already extremely generous; I hope you continue to strive, so as to exalt the Heavenly Court's dignity, let the Primordial Wilderness recover its former state soon, and dispel the influence of the previous calamity as quickly as possible."

We, your servants, will obey the command and dare not forget Empress Nüwa's words.

Hmm, go on then.

Seeing the Fire Division's gods withdraw, Empress Nüwa glanced at where Emperor Qi stood, a flicker of conflict crossing her brow, and said: "Emperor Qi, we are alike; although the Fire Division falls under my jurisdiction, I rarely intervene in its operations, and unlike you, Your Majesty Emperor Qi, who broke through early, I now seem to have fallen somewhat short."

Now the position of Fire Division chief is vacant; Emperor Qi, do you have anyone in mind who you think could shoulder such a great responsibility?

Emperor Qi heard this and was momentarily stunned, not knowing why Empress Nüwa would suddenly say this; for they five had already discussed the contents of this meeting, with rewards and punishments roughly decided.

Those capable of succeeding as head of a division must consider many factors, seeking the best choice; Empress Nüwa surely already has someone in mind.

However, at this court assembly, Emperor Qi could not press further, so he could only deflect by saying:

"I do not understand the Thunder Division's affairs, and I know even less about the Fire Division's; as for the choice, Empress Nüwa, you should decide it yourself."

Empress Nüwa's brows furrowed slightly; there are also capable people in the Fire Division, but she finds it hard to decide, after all, the decision affects all beings of the Primordial Wilderness, making it somewhat difficult for her.

She wanted to consult others' opinions, but when she had previously asked, Di Jun refused to speak, Taiyi was just as clueless as she, her elder brother's whereabouts unknown, and he only appeared when the court assembly began, making it inconvenient for her to inquire.

As a result, the matter was dragged to the present; Emperor Qi also gave no answer, leaving Empress Nüwa no choice but to let her gaze sweep over the leading figures of the Fire Division.

One is Bai Ze, a renowned sage of the Primordial Wilderness; his joining the Heavenly Court was originally forced by Taiyi, which makes Empress Nüwa find it hard to trust him.

The other is Shang Yang, likewise called one of the Heavenly Court's Ten Great Generals, but in wisdom he falls considerably short of Bai Ze; after a moment's hesitation, Empress Nüwa then said:

Bai Ze, obey the order.

(End of chapter)