Chapter 280: with translation of chapter title

The Heavenly Court mobilized, countless clouds were summoned, obscuring the sky and blotting out the sun, heading straight for Xifang Dalu.

The Heavenly Court's proclamation had already spread everywhere, and the gods, seeing the Heavenly Court raise the banner of pacifying rebellion, also understood its attitude toward this matter.

Among them, it directly designated Dong Wanggong and those various immortal lords as the leaders and chief figures of the Immortal Court's rebel faction.

As for those who helped the Immortal Court resist the Wu Clan but did not join the Immortal Court, the Heavenly Court claimed they had been beguiled by Dong Wanggong and the like.

They were urged to awaken early and not mix into this turmoil, otherwise they would all be treated as rebels.

This undoubtedly caused the western sentient beings to hesitate, especially those cultivators who followed Jieyin and Zhunti.

Of course, those who hesitated were not only those cultivators; even Jieyin and Zhunti could not help but have their thoughts waver.

Dong Wanggong naturally noticed this as well, and his response was to launch a frenzied campaign of persuasion.

He spread the claim that if the Immortal Court failed, the Wu Clan would rule the entirety of Xifang Dalu, and repeatedly recounted how the Heavenly Court had abandoned Xifang Dalu.

But with the arrival of the Thunder Department, twelve huge bronze pillars were brought and erected at the border between the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan.

It was declared that henceforth the Wu Clan's territory must not cross the bronze pillars, and the thoughts of the western beings settled accordingly; all of Dong Wanggong's efforts came to nothing.

This move drew curses from both the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan. Faced with the arriving ancestor witch Dijiang, as a senior god of the Thunder Department, Qiming Changeng merely replied calmly:

"This is the order of the Heavenly Court; the Wu Clan may not overstep the boundary. If you have objections, you may go to the Heavenly Court and tell the sovereigns."

Dijiang heard this, his brows knit tightly, and he spoke somewhat displeased:

"Xifang Dalu was originally promised to the Wu Clan by the sovereigns of the Heavenly Court themselves; why now do you so arbitrarily draw boundaries?"

"Such changing orders from morning to evening—do you truly think the Wu Clan is weak and bullyable?"

Dijiang's words revealed resentment, and his questioning tone annoyed Qiming and Changeng; as senior gods of the Heavenly Court, when had they ever been spoken to in such a tone! Faced with Dijiang's stern attitude, Qiming and Changeng's eyes flashed with a hint of contempt, and in unison they jeered: "Since the Heavenly Court's promise, handing Xifang Dalu over to you, more than twenty yuanhui have passed; the Heavenly Court has already given you ample time."

"The Heavenly Court also gave considerable help. When the Immortal Court had not yet arrived, you occupied half of Xifang Dalu."

"After the Immortal Court arrived, you still held half of Xifang Dalu, showing no noticeable decline."

"Such conduct leaves only two possibilities: either your abilities are insufficient, you are truly useless, and despite the Heavenly Court's aid you cannot fully accomplish anything, lacking any enterprising spirit."

"For such people, what further help could the Heavenly Court offer? Giving it to you, the Wu Clan could not even hold onto it—it would be wasted effort."

When the words fell, Qiming Changeng fell silent, seemingly waiting for something.

Dijiang was about to erupt in anger, a terrifying killing aura spreading around him, intending to strike back at the provocation to show that the Wu Clan's dignity could not be trampled.

But just before he would act, the anger in Dijiang's eyes suddenly vanished, and his terrifying aura settled into calm.

The opponent was no ordinary person; a strike would only drag the Wu Clan into the abyss, and now the Wu Clan's strength is insufficient to lightly provoke war.

Dijiang gave up acting, yet absolutely refused to accept the other's words; just as he was about to rebut, he saw the expectation in Qiming Changeng's eyes.

Sensing something amiss, Dijiang's aura completely dissipated into nothingness, leaving only a calm demeanor, as if allowing mockery.

Qiming Changeng felt a momentary disappointment, but then continued speaking contemptuously:

"Secondly, naturally it is the Wu Clan's wolfish cub ambition, desiring to collude with these rebels, using the Immortal Court's threat to nurture bandits for self‑strengthening."

"But looking at your shriveled appearance, it seems the Heavenly Court's original choice to let you graze the west was truly fooled by the false bravado you once put on."

Hearing Qiming and Changeng's words, Dijiang finally perceived the hidden danger; if he had begun to rebut or strike, he would have fallen straight into their trap.

By then, the Heavenly Court would likely, after dealing with the Immortal Court, turn its guns on the Wu Clan.

Gazing at the silent Dijiang, Qiming Changeng grew more wary, thinking secretly: "This person can endure so much; he will surely become a major threat to the Heavenly Court. After settling the Immortal Court, they will report to the sovereigns, urging greater vigilance."

Dijiang looked at the two before him, who made no preparations, while the bronze pillars stood upright; feeling stifled, he also perceived the Heavenly Court's hidden malice.

Without a word, Dijiang turned and left. This was not the moment to rise; Houtu was still in the Heavenly Court, and after retrieving his sister Houtu he would surely avenge today! The situation has changed; the Heavenly Court does not intend to hand over all the Immortal Court's lands to the Wu Clan. He must confer with his other siblings to decide how to respond next.

Only half of Xifang Dalu cannot satisfy the Wu Clan's future need for rapidly growing strength.

West of Mount Buzhou, if a cultivator were to ascend to the cloud layer, they could behold this breathtaking sight before them.

Countless heavenly troops and generals marched in formation; those below the rank of heavenly immortal, even heavenly immortals themselves in this torrent occupied only a small part, the majority being mystic immortals and golden immortals.

A million armored troops encircled the Five Emperors' carriages, using the sky‑filling clouds as a road, with Daluo Golden Immortals pulling the carriages; the clouds surged like a vast sea, upholding those splendid carriages.

Qi rode the white ox, Nüwa the azure phoenix, Fuxi the dragon horse, Taiyi the qilin, Di Jun the six dragons—all were Daluo Golden Immortals.

Wherever the carriages passed, celestial music rang bright, exotic scents assailed the nose, and fragrant vapors filled the air—truly extraordinary.

When the mounts moved, four stalks of golden lotus sprouted from their feet; light blossomed on the petals, and flowers grew from the light, at once ten thousand golden lotuses shone in the air—truly a splendid display.

At the vanguard of the great army were Yinglong and many divine generals, both clearing the way and guarding against assassins aiming to strike the sovereign and destroy the carriage.

The possibility of such an attack was virtually nil, they did not mind it in their hearts, but the appearance had to be maintained.

After all, when the great army marches onlookers unknown in number, we cannot let the Heavenly Court's dignity fall.

"We feel this sortie is overly ostentatious; is it not somewhat improper?"

Nüwa, experiencing this for the first time, with a million heavenly troops and generals guarding, a quasi‑sage clearing the way, all serving them—this scene inevitably makes one feel somewhat hard to bear.

Qi and Di Jun, Taiyi and Fuxi also experienced this for the first time; after all, such a scale of armored forces, even at the peak of the three clans, could not possess such strength.

Not to mention them, even the leading Yinglong and the accompanying heavenly troops felt ill at ease.

However, they were not suffering; rather they felt honored, those closely tied to the Heavenly Court, taking this opportunity of the Heavenly Court's military use, set their sights on joining the Heavenly Court.

Although Qi had often expounded the Dao, and his followers were not few, a spectacle like this had never occurred before, and it left an impression etched to the bone.

Unlike Nüwa, seeing the Heavenly Court's military might, Qi instead felt boundless heroic spirit arise; Taiyi, Di Jun, Fuxi and the others shared a similar mindset.

Gazing ahead at the vast expanse of heaven and earth, whether birds in the forest, cultivators who have attained the Way, or exalted innate deities, all gave way far off.

This feeling as if heaven and earth were conquered by oneself left Qi, Di Jun, Taiyi and Fuxi utterly fascinated.

At this moment, it seemed as if all beings of the primordial world existed for them alone.

Di Jun felt his heart surge with excitement, as if he were born for this very purpose, his Dao lying in the ever‑expanding heavenly road! Faced with Nüwa's question, Di Jun replied with considerable soaring elation:

"What's improper? Now that you and I are the lords of the Heavenly Court, myriad beings prostrate at our feet; we repay them with peaceful, stable, prosperous lives—such honor, any enjoyment under heaven, you and I can bear."

"Not to mention merely marching with the troops in ostentatious display; even such an equal sacrifice is rightly ours."

"Nearly a hundred yuanhui of toil and exertion, aside from cultivation, consist of ceaselessly making up for the deficiencies of the primordial world for the lives of all beings; the number who have received your and my blessings is no less than hundreds of millions of billions!"

You and I have built such a glorious achievement, such a prosperous primordial wilderness—thanks to our efforts; what harm is there in being a little kinder to ourselves? Moreover, our life can already be considered hard.

Now we merely walk about ostentatiously; as long as we're at ease, we can stop.

Nüwa, hearing this, felt a bit dazed, thinking it really was so; aside from cultivation, it seemed that most of her thoughts were tangled in the Heavenly Court and among the myriad peoples of the primordial wilderness.

Treating oneself well is at most occasionally seeking some relaxation, feasting with friends; it really does seem a bit hard.

Those who obtained spiritual fruits and resources thanks to the Heavenly Court, even without it, seem never to have lacked them; in fact, they seem even more at ease.

Nüwa remained silent for a moment; Fuxi thought his sister still felt a bit awkward, and he also advised from the side:

Just rest easy and enjoy it; such glory is what we earned through hard work. Look at those in the Heavenly Court—aren't they also sharing in this honor?

This time we set out, though the display is grand, it's merely for war, and not because we indulge in pleasure. The Heavenly Court's dispatch of troops is a righteous army; why hide it?

Now, with greater grandeur, it can actually help the Heavenly Court gather more popular support, and also let the peoples under its rule understand just how strong its protective power is.

By the way, it also cuts off the ambitions of rebellious ministers and traitors; if we don't intimidate them a bit, over time they might truly think the Heavenly Court lacks strength.

Nüwa, seeing her brother's advice, immediately responded and explained:

What you say is absolutely right. I didn't speak earlier not because I thought the Heavenly Court's move was improper, but because I was thinking of what Di Jun said earlier—since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, I seem to have indeed led a somewhat hard life.

Not to mention being as carefree as before; now even gathering together is fraught with difficulty.

Taiyi, seeing everyone's lively discussion, also joined in and said: 'I feel the same; even though having Yinglong help me makes the affairs of the Dipper Department relatively simple, those documents inevitably consume a lot of energy.'

I also don't know how many bandits there are in the world, enough to make me work all night! Once I have a moment of leisure, my mind is either on documents or on replies.

Taiyi, speaking to this point, seemed to feel a bit indignant, growing weary of those evildoers causing chaos everywhere, feeling they could never be killed enough.

Qi, on the other hand, didn't feel that; Qiming Changeng rarely came to bother him, and perhaps it was just that he couldn't be found.

However, he had long ago delegated full authority over the Department of Thunder; even his own seal was merely placed in the main hall for anyone to use.

Anyway, the Department of Thunder's affairs don't involve the peoples of the primordial wilderness; it simply needs to eradicate evil, and its staff are far fewer than other departments, with no risk of corruption.

Not personally overseeing it would at most waste a little resources; the Heavenly Court is vast, the Department of Thunder's budget is ample, and it wouldn't cause any mistakes due to resources.

Faced with the two's complaints, Qi found it hard to empathize, but his concern for the Heavenly Court was no less than anyone else's; he simply directed it more toward the several heavenly sovereigns.

Qi, thinking this, felt his mind calm considerably; but seeing the two complain even more, he immediately sensed the atmosphere was off and quickly changed the subject:

Never mind; as innate divinities, since we have such ability, we must naturally bear the responsibility—after all, it's just a bit of hardship, nothing unbearable.

Whenever I think that the peoples of the primordial wilderness will benefit from this, those hardships are like a gust of wind and frost brushing past—just a momentary thing.

Only when the ice and snow melt will we see the spring breezes and autumn harvests of the primordial wilderness peoples, and they too will reap great benefits.

Nüwa and Taiyi nodded, watching the primordial wilderness gradually improve under their hands, which indeed filled them with immense fulfillment.

Qi saw the two stop complaining and spoke again:

Di Jun, Fuxi, Taiyi, this time the great army's sortie has surely harvested a great deal of the peoples' fortune for the Heavenly Court; I'm sure you all feel it.

If in the future the Heavenly Court regularly organizes such military expeditions, with us and the peoples of the primordial wilderness reviewing them to display the Heavenly Court's strength, would that be acceptable?

This would both deter those ambitious sorts and wicked people, and also gather much of the peoples' fortune—indeed a win‑win.

Di Jun and Fuxi quite agreed, feeling that keeping troops for a thousand days only to use them momentarily would be a pity; if people were often pulled out to gather a wave of the peoples' fortune, that would not be bad.

However, the details still need further discussion; we cannot decide on a whim, after all military matters are no small affair, and we cannot bypass those officials.

Taiyi thought further, feeling that if we wanted to display it, we would need to select a target.

Otherwise, merely letting the peoples of the primordial wilderness watch would be too dull, unable to fully show the Heavenly Court's strength, making the effect insignificant.

Rather, at that time we could directly split the heavenly troops into several parts and launch a competition to slay heretical cultivators and rebels; that would add some excitement.

This would also cleanse the primordial wilderness; if later there aren't enough heretical cultivators and rebels, we could simply label those ambitious people as rebels.

After all, waiting for them to accumulate strength before rising and then acting would be overly passive; better to take the initiative.

Anyway, the Dao Ancestor has already merged with the Dao; under heaven, no one can block the Heavenly Court's might.

The more he thought about it, the more Taiyi felt this plan was splendid, truly astonishing even to heavenly beings.

PS: Today a reader asked about donations for extra chapters; I'll mention it here: a donation of ten thousand gets an extra chapter, each chapter no less than 3000 characters, and an individual can accumulate.

It's not that the author is desperate for money; after platform fees and taxes, only about forty remains, which really isn't much.

Then if there is an alliance leader, an extra addition of no less than fifty thousand characters will be made. (End of chapter)