Chapter 308

"When the Yuanhui period ends, the Heavenly Court's great assembly is convened; all virtuous men of heaven and earth may come to attend."

"When the heavenly mechanism manifests, all the gods sense it; although the Wu Clan does not cultivate the Primordial Spirit Great Dao and cannot perceive the heavenly mechanism, there is nevertheless someone within the clan who assists."

"The remnants of the Celestial Court, Mu Lunjun, after being captured by the Wu Clan, joined the clan; thereafter, any changes in the heavenly mechanism are naturally reported by him."

"Brothers and sisters, the Heavenly Court's great assembly is about to convene; if anyone among you wishes to go, you may accompany me."

"Moreover, at this Heavenly Court assembly, all the gods will be coming and going, so we can examine it thoroughly to see what its foundations truly are."

"Di Jiang's voice rang out in the hall, and after a slight hesitation, Zhu Jiuyin spoke:"

"This time I'll go to the Heavenly Court as well; I want to see just how the Heavenly Court compares to the Wu Clan, whether there is really as great a gap as Hou Tu's sister described."

"Gong Gong pondered, then said: 'I'll go too; the Wu Clan's development is now stable, and my department will be fine without me for a short while, and going to broaden my horizons is not bad.'"

"Gong Gong was about to speak when Di Jiang directly interrupted: 'This time you, Gong Gong, are not going to the Heavenly Court; your temper is too violent, and if you cause a conflict there, we won't be able to handle it.'"

"Upon hearing this, Gong Gong wanted to get angry, but realized that if he lashed out he would give his elder brother leverage, so he could only snort coldly and then sit alone in the corner, seething."

"Seeing this, the ancestral witches couldn't help but smile, and Hou Tu also spoke to console him:"

"This trip to the Heavenly Court is of great importance; those innate gods are proud and haughty, and you will inevitably suffer some slight; by not going you spare yourself their bullying."

"If you were to act up then, you'd just be creating needless resentment for yourself; if I weren't more familiar with the Heavenly Court and had some friends there, I would stay behind to keep you company."

"Seeing Hou Tu's consolation, Gong Gong could not say much more; he merely turned his head away, pretending not to hear."

"The ancestral witches also couldn't be bothered to join in, and Xuan Ming also wanted to see what splendor the Heavenly Court held, so he said: 'Since Hou Tu is going as well, I'll go with her to see what the Heavenly Court looks like and who its outstanding individuals are.'"

"Di Jiang waited a moment, seeing that the others indeed had no intention of going, then made the decision and said: 'All right, then for this trip to the Heavenly Court, I and Hou Tu will lead, with Zhu Jiuyin, Xuan Ming, and Gong Gong accompanying us.'"

"Upon reaching the Heavenly Realm, Hou Tu and I will together visit the deity Qi, presenting the father god's essence blood; Zhu Jiuyin and Xuan Ming will visit Di Jun to show the Wu Clan's submission."

"As for Gong Gong, you will go to visit Fuxi to discuss the matter of tax payment; after everything is settled, we will all go together to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to participate in the Heavenly Court assembly."

"The rest of you, while we are away, must guard the Wu Clan well; do not let the poor ghosts under Jieyin and Zhunti's command cross the border to steal and plunder."

"If they were merely ordinary spiritual herbs, it would be fine, but do not let them enter the essential grounds to cause damage, for the Wu Clan still relies on these things to pay taxes."

"The Heavenly Court won't care what befalls us; they only see resources!"

"The ancestral witches all spoke in unison:"

"Yes!"

"Di Jiang smiled satisfiedly, looked over everyone, then loudly declared: 'All matters are settled; let's go!'"

"As his words fell, his qi and blood boiled, the power of laws permeated, and he led the way; Hou Tu and the others followed likewise."

"At this moment in the Heavenly Court, Qi was playing a game of Go with the master of Xikunlun, Ju Hui; Qi held the black stones, Ju Hui the white, and they discussed the Dao on the board."

"Ju Hui, have you already decided to join our Heavenly Court? Know that although the Heavenly Court is powerful, in this primordial wilderness there is still a state of chaos."

"Qi's voice, though flat, betrayed concern, as if genuinely worrying for Ju Hui, but it was merely polite talk."

"If Ju Hui agrees but then truly does not join the Heavenly Court, what awaits her is likely a mistake by a female immortal; once the Heavenly Court has a pretext, Xikunlun will face its suppression."

"Ju Hui naturally knows this; she smiled faintly and replied: 'The Heavenly Court is the lord of the primordial wilderness; as long as the Heavenly Court endures, how could there be any talk of chaos in the wilderness? Your Majesty Qi is being overly modest.'"

"Now that Ju Hui has come to seek Your Majesty, she must already have a plan in mind; taking advantage of this Heavenly Court assembly, she has come specially to ask for advice."

"We hope Your Majesty Qi will, in consideration of our past association listening to lectures at the Zixiao Palace, grant us some preferential treatment."

"Upon hearing this, Qi then laughed: 'Ju Hui, you are being too modest; if you join the Heavenly Court, we will treat you with the position of Queen Mother, your responsibilities remaining as before, and you may still reside in Xikunlun.'"

"In ordinary times, you need only oversee the female immortals of Xikunlun, ensuring they cause no trouble; as for other mundane affairs, the Heavenly Court will send personnel to manage them."

"If fugitives flee to Xikunlun, and the Heavenly Court's garrison there is insufficient, you must also lend a hand to help."

"Besides that, there are no other duties; it should not affect your cultivation, and of course, if the Heavenly Court issues an edict, you must obey it."

"Ju Hui saw that it was not too troublesome, so she nodded and agreed; as for the treatment, she actually did not care much, for she was not wealthy, yet she lacked nothing needed for cultivation."

"Qi did not elaborate further on this; stipends are set by the Heavenly Court, so his words are useless—just let her observe the subsequent arrangements."

"Seeing Ju Hui's agreement, Qi smiled and said: 'Good, then if that is the case, how about announcing your joining the Heavenly Court at the assembly?'"

"Ju Hui also replied:"

"Since the Heavenly Court already has a plan, Ju Hui finds nothing improper."

"Meanwhile, Nüwa was in seclusion; the red embroidered ball floated within the quiet chamber, emitting a faint glow that illuminated Nüwa's face."

"When the heavenly mechanism manifested, Nüwa slowly opened her eyes and said: 'So it is; I once felt that this treasure contained an opportunity for me, related to my severing the three corpses and proving the Dao, but in the past I was indeed too negligent.'"

"Now, as one of the Heavenly Court's sovereigns, I have an elder brother's protection and the support of surrounding friends; with the Heavenly Court's strength, I can afford to relax a bit."

"Yet I have neglected my own responsibility; the path of the Great Dao ultimately requires self-discipline, and no matter how others protect me, I must still walk it myself."

"The Heavenly Court merely ignores the chaos, while I can only attend to trivial matters, capable of nothing significant."

"Fortunately, I have awakened now, and it is not too late; otherwise, when the great calamity arrives, I would not even have a shred of strength to turn things around."

"At present the red embroidered ball is about to be refined; once completed, I can sever the second corpse! I shall not be inferior to Qi or Yinglong!"

"By then the Heavenly Court will also benefit from this; my position as sovereign will have some use, and since the assembly is about to convene, I shall leave seclusion."

"Having said that, Nüwa slowly rose from the mat, and the red embroidered ball retracted back into her body."

"After bidding farewell to Ju Hui, Qi then rose and departed; the scene left only the unsettled chessboard, and looking down, one sees that the black stones have formed the momentum of a great dragon."

"In the Yuxiao Heaven, Di Jun and Chang Xi sat together in the courtyard; laurel blossoms slowly opened, exuding a refreshing fragrance, and they too were playing a game. However, the position on the board is somewhat puzzling, showing no trace of killing intent."

"As a petal fluttered through the air, Di Jiang rose from his stone seat, lightly seated beside Chang Xi, and they joined hands, fingers tightly clasped."

"Leaning lightly against each other, feeling quite at ease, Chang Xi spoke: 'These days the Heavenly Court assembly is about to convene; elder sister is busy nonstop, yet you, the Heavenly Emperor, are at ease, sneaking over to see me—truly delightful.'"

"'Today you are not accompanying His Majesty Qi and the Eastern Emperor, nor going to discuss the Dao with His Majesty Xi; how do you have the inclination to come see me?'"

"Di Jun heard Chang Xi's teasing, knowing she was blaming him for not visiting her in a long time, and not knowing how to express himself, he could only laugh and explain:"

"'Affairs in the Heavenly Court are busy; I, together with Qi and Fuxi and the others, am engaged in discussing official matters, and now that I have a little free time, I have hurried to see you.'"

"'Yet I did not expect that, having just arrived, a game still unfinished, I would hear you speak thus, leaving me unsure what to do.'"

"'As for Xi He, her being busy is no problem; if she were not busy, we would have another opportunity to talk and meet.'"

"Chang Xi, upon hearing this, glanced at Di Jun, lightly biting his earlobe with her silver teeth, rather playful, and laughed: 'If elder sister were to know that lately she has been so busy merely to give us two a chance for a private rendezvous, she would surely not let me off lightly.'"

"You're also a bad person, using power for personal gain, lusting after your subordinates' beauty, yet you somehow let me fall for your tricks, and I suffer every day waiting in vain."

"Let me ask you, when do you plan to let the world know about our relationship? Don't deceive me, or do you think what we have cannot see the light of day?"

"When he said the last sentence, Chang Xi's face darkened, and the teeth biting Di Jun's ear exerted some force, leaving a faint tooth mark on his earlobe."

"Seeing this, Di Jun couldn't help but wryly smile and said: 'How can you act like this again? When did I ever say we cannot see the light? And besides, you should know—right from our first meeting, the Sun and Moon Essence Wheel had already given a hint.'"

"Moreover, we are a pair made by heaven and earth; I am lesser yang, you are lesser yin, yin and yang unite—this can be called the Great Dao."

"This is something everyone in the world knows; it has long been announced to all."

"Hearing Di Jun say this, Chang Xi's expression eased a little, but he still insisted: 'I don't care; announcing it to the world can wait, but at the very least you must bring me to meet the other few sovereigns—they are your closest friends, and they should at least know of my existence.'"

"This is my bottom line; otherwise I'd become a nameless person. Though we have united in the Great Dao, we don't need to be as famous throughout the world as the Primordial Phoenix and Primordial Phoenix, but at least someone should know of us!"

"Di Jun felt a headache; not having announced it to the world was simply because he worried about letting Qi, Fuxi, and others know. As for how outsiders view it, he didn't care."

"Only Qi and Fuxi, among others—outsiders at least out of respect for their status as the Heavenly Emperor, dare not joke, mostly sighing that they are a divine couple."

"But if Qi and Fuxi were to find out, I fear that in the coming few yuanhui, whenever we privately drink and feast, we would inevitably be teased."

"Looking at the earnest Chang Xi before him, Di Jun could only let out a long sigh and then say helplessly:"

"Forget it; if you truly want this, then as you wish—we've been together so long, it's time to tell them a thing or two."

"As for announcing it to the world, that's even easier—after we meet Qi and the others, we can pick an auspicious day, become dao partners, and hold a grand assembly, how about that?"

"Chang Xi first felt joy, then suddenly raised his brows and said:"

"That sounds wonderful, but why does your tone carry reluctance? If you truly aren't willing, you needn't do this—just leave!"

"Although my status as Chang Xi isn't as exalted as yours, I'm not a toady; I will never force myself on you!"

"After Chang Xi finished speaking, he felt his tone was too harsh, so he softened it:"

"But if there really is some difficulty, you can openly tell me; I'm not unreasonable, and if you have troubles, I will naturally understand."

"Di Jun held Chang Xi in his arms and whispered a laugh by his ear:"

"Saying it's a trouble, it's not that serious—just a bit of difficulty, and it's not because of you; the others are the same."

"Hearing this, Chang Xi felt doubtful and said:"

"If it's not my problem, then what difficulty do you have?"

"Di Jun gave a wry smile and said: 'In your daily encounters with Qi and Fuxi, how do you find them?'"

"After Chang Xi carefully recalled, he replied:"

"His Majesty Xi Huang is an extremely gentle person, truly a warm and virtuous gentleman; in dealing with people and affairs he is exceedingly amiable, conducts himself with silent nurturing yet meticulous precision—he is a rare gentleman in the world."

"As for His Majesty Qi Huang, I have seen him less, but from a single glance I know he is one who stresses principles and reasons."

"Furthermore, he spreads the Great Dao widely in the Wasteland, having made a great reputation."

"Divine Heavenly Words Purifying the World, Vast and Broad Virtuous Teacher; Cloud Dream Solving Calamities Purifying the World Great Heavenly Venerable, the title of Northern Yuan Qi Great Emperor—just saying his name is a strain, showing how widespread his fame is."

"Judging from the few times I've met him, he is also rather pure and good."

"Di Jun wryly shook his head and said: 'You've only had little contact with them; they aren't as one-sided as you describe. Calling Fuxi a warm and virtuous gentleman is acceptable, and even that is stretching it.'"

"Qi a pure and good person? Look at the water deities—how many aren't evil gods? Where does the notion of purity come from?"

"You will eventually have to tell them; since we've come this far, let me first speak with you, so you can prepare early for meeting them later."

"Among us five, Qi is actually the leader; although I am the Heavenly Emperor, I merely manage the affairs of the Heavenly Court."

"In our friendship, we entrust our lives to each other, with no status difference; based on past experience, in major matters Qi commands the most prestige."

"Although he spreads the Great Dao widely, he is the teacher of the Wasteland yet emphasizes the principle of the Three Powers; he also had many martial exploits in earlier years, though they are not transmitted in the Wasteland."

"Among us five, the most fond of play is Qi—though outsiders have never seen it."

"If our relationship were to reach their ears, then at future banquets we would likely be unable to relax."

"Chang Xi heard this and was stunned."

"PS: Lust is like a wolf and tiger; from now on we must avoid it!"

"(End of Chapter)"