Chapter 251: If the Heavenly Dao won't work, that doesn't mean my Humanity won't!

In Zixiao Palace, Hongjun looked expressionlessly at the Three Pure Ones and the Western Two Sages below as they vied for the Heavenly Court, and a nameless fire could not help but surge in his heart.

He had not expected that these Saints, who usually styled themselves as spokespersons for the Heavenly Dao, would actually bicker endlessly over a mere pittance of cultivation resources, even coming close to blows.

Hongjun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.

He knew that the current landscape of the Great Desolation had changed drastically; the Earthly Dao and Humanity had been established, and the Heavenly Dao Faction truly needed to solidify its position.

But if these Saints under his command continued to act in this manner, they clearly could not bring him any help, and might instead cause the Heavenly Dao Faction to fall into an even more passive situation.

Thinking of this, Hongjun decided to take action personally to appoint suitable leaders for the Heavenly Court.

Thus, he raised his hand and beckoned, and the attendants Haotian and Yaochi from within Zixiao Palace appeared before him.

Hongjun looked at the two before him, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. Although Haotian and Yaochi were still shallow in cultivation, their temperaments were pure and kind, they possessed a deep faith in the Heavenly Dao, and they were absolutely obedient to him.

"Follow me to the Heavenly Court!"

Hongjun said calmly, and with a wave of his hand, he took Haotian and Yaochi and vanished from Zixiao Palace, appearing next within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall of the Heavenly Court.

Their appearance naturally caught the attention of the Three Pure Ones and the Western Two Sages at once.

The Saints immediately stopped their arguing and hurriedly stepped forward to bow and salute toward Hongjun: "Greetings, Master (Dao Ancestor)!"

Hongjun glanced at them indifferently and spoke slowly, his voice spreading throughout the entire Great Desolation: "From this day forth, Haotian and Yaochi shall be the masters of the Heavenly Court. Haotian shall be the Head of Male Immortals of the Heavenly Realm, enfeoffed as the Jade Emperor; Yaochi shall be the Head of Female Immortals of the Heavenly Realm, enfeoffed as the Queen Mother. You shall all obey their commands and guard the Heavenly Court together."

Once these words were spoken, the Three Pure Ones, the Western Two Sages, and the others below were all astonished.

They had never expected that after they had argued for so long without a result, Hongjun would suddenly parachute in two leaders to manage the Heavenly Court.

For a time, everyone looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what to do.

Did the Dao Ancestor mean that he wanted them, these Saints, to obey the orders of Haotian and Yaochi from now on?! Haotian and Yaochi were also stunned; they had never expected such good fortune to befall them.

But then, they reacted, and amidst their excitement and ecstasy, they both hurriedly stepped forward and knelt: "Many thanks for the Dao Ancestor's great kindness; we shall certainly do our utmost to guard the Heavenly Court."

Hongjun nodded and added: "After the disciples of each sect enter the Heavenly Court, you shall be responsible for arranging their places of residence. You may go now!"

Haotian and Yaochi were even more excited for a moment.

This was absolutely immense authority! Moreover, they vaguely sensed that Hongjun was clearly deciding to let them manage the disciples of the four sects: the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, the Ren Sect, and the Western Sect!

Both of them hurriedly shouted again: "We respectfully obey the Dao Ancestor's holy decree!"

Hongjun spoke no more, merely waving his hand to dismiss them.

Afterward, Hongjun's gaze swept toward the Three Pure Ones, the Western Two Sages, and the others again, finding that their expressions were now significantly uglier.

Hongjun said coldly: "You must understand that the Heavenly Dao is supreme, and you are all subjects of the Heavenly Dao. Now that the Earthly Dao and Humanity have been established, the landscape of the Great Desolation has changed drastically. You must work together to resist the erosion of the Earthly Dao and Humanity. If you continue to fight endlessly over a pittance of cultivation resources, do not blame me for being heartless."

Upon hearing this, the Three Pure Ones, the Western Two Sages, and the others all felt a chill in their hearts.

They knew that Hongjun was warning them that if they did not obey his orders, there would likely be even more serious consequences awaiting them.

Thus, everyone lowered their heads and agreed, indicating their willingness to comply with Hongjun's decision.

Seeing this, Hongjun nodded with satisfaction.

Of course, he also knew that it was unrealistic to expect several Saints to obey the commands of Haotian and Yaochi from now on.

Therefore, his tone softened slightly: "The settlement of your disciples shall be left to Haotian and Yaochi. Now, all of you go beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and prepare to open up your respective dojos! Whoever finishes opening their dojo first, I shall let them contemplate the Creation Jade Slip first!"

The Saints understood the implication in his words—that they, the Saints, would not need to obey the commands of Haotian and Yaochi—and for a moment, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterward, they hurriedly bowed to accept the order and rushed off toward the space beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Even Jieyin Daoren, who had still been bringing disciples into the Heavenly Court, immediately headed toward the space beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Of course, they naturally did not forget to hurriedly instruct their disciples to obey the arrangements of Haotian and Yaochi, so as not to anger the Dao Ancestor again.

After Hongjun finished all these arrangements, he took one last look at the Primordial Land, moved his body, and left the Heavenly Court, returning to Zixiao Palace.

……

In the Primordial Land, within Witch City.

The words Hongjun had just spoken to enfeoff Haotian and Yaochi naturally reached the ears of Lu Yun and the others.

The crowd, who had been immersed in the joy of the banquet, all fell silent at once, and then their gazes all landed squarely on Lu Yun.

Without a doubt, Lu Yun was now the absolute center of their faction.

Now that everyone saw Hongjun making the first move, they naturally looked forward to seeing what response Lu Yun would make.

However, before Lu Yun could speak, Houtu suddenly said: "The Wu Clan just reported that the disciples under the Three Pure Ones and the Western Two Sages have just collectively relocated, and it seems they are heading straight for the Heavenly Court!"

Hearing this news, everyone present could not help but become more nervous, all guessing what Hongjun's intentions were in both enfeoffing Haotian and Yaochi and having the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Saints move into the Heavenly Court.

Lu Yun, on the contrary, was not in a hurry; he just chuckled and said unhurriedly: "It seems our Dao Ancestor is already impatient to start a new round of confrontation!"

Nuwa asked: "Lu Yun, do you have any response strategy?"

Lu Yun shook his head lightly and said: "No need to pay attention to the movements of the Heavenly Dao Faction; we just need to do our own things well!"

Everyone looked at each other.

Dijiang could not help but say: "Lu Yun, you have always had many ideas, so what should we do first?"

Lu Yun scanned the crowd, pondered for a moment, and said: "It seems everyone has had enough to eat and drink, so be it! Since that is the case, I will make some arrangements!"

Everyone could not help but perk up, their eyes nervously fixed on Lu Yun.

Lu Yun looked at Houtu and said: "First, regarding the Wu Clan, Houtu, I hope you will arrange for the clansmen to head to the Nether Blood Sea as soon as possible, and you twelve Ancestral Witches must also personally oversee the Netherworld to let the Underworld function completely."

"No problem!"

Houtu agreed readily, stood up directly, and said: "I can arrange it now!" The other Ancestral Witches had no objections either.

Thus, under their command, the many members of the Wu Clan throughout the Great Desolation moved rapidly toward the Nether Blood Sea.

The Wu Clan within Witch City naturally left in its entirety at the first opportunity, leaving the vast Witch City to the Human Race just like that, without the slightest bit of heartache.

After Lu Yun watched the Wu Clan leave, his gaze fell upon the sisters Xihe and Changxi.

He smiled and said: "Xihe, Changxi, the remaining Demon Race shall be managed by you from now on. I will have Lady Nuwa coordinate with you first to move them into the Outer Space!"

"Good!"

The sisters Xihe and Changxi both nodded.

Nuwa had no objections to this, so she stood up immediately and handed the two Spiritual Treasures to the Xihe sisters.

Nuwa said, "These items are the Zhaoyao Banner and the Demon-Refining Pot; from now on, they shall be under your sisters' stewardship!"

The Xihe sisters accepted them gladly, then left with Nuwa to go and take charge of those Demon Race members who had surrendered to the Human Race.

After they left, Lu Yun's gaze fell upon the Three Ancestors of the Human Race: Suirenshi, Zhiyishi, and Youchao-shi.

He said solemnly, "Three elders, the next stage of the Human Race's development is to multiply and flourish! Using the Human Path of Proving the Dao as the center, spread out across the entire Great Desolation!"

The Three Ancestors of the Human Race looked at each other, then immediately stood up and bowed in obedience: "Yes, Your Majesty the Saint Emperor!"

Lu Yun could feel that the three of them were very excited right now.

After all, with the Wu Clan heading to the Netherworld and the remnants of the Demon Race moving into Outer Space, countless places across the entire Primordial Land had been vacated; this was enough for the Human Race to develop extensively!

It would not be long before the Human Race would completely become the sole protagonist of the Primordial Land! After Suirenshi and the others left together, the many humans in Witch City also followed and departed one after another.

He looked again at the Great Luo Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals from other tribes who had supported the Human Race and said, "A single flower blooming does not make a spring. You all contributed great effort this time, so you should, like the Human Race, develop vigorously within the Great Desolation. The Humanity I wish to see is one where everyone blossoms in a hundred ways!"

Upon hearing this, the people of the various tribes also became excited, hurriedly standing up to express their gratitude to Lu Yun.

Afterward, they each led their tribes away, preparing to rush back and seize territory!

The entire Witch City suddenly became even more empty.

Lu Yun looked at the remaining people before him, who were the Quasi-Saints Fuxi, Zhenyuanzi, the Queen Mother of the West, Zhulong, and others.

He first looked at Zhulong and smiled, "This time, Fellow Daoist Zhulong, your contribution is immense. I wonder if you have decided whether to use this merit for yourself or for the Dragon Clan?"

Hearing this, the face of the previously expectant Zhulong could not help but stiffen.

Clearly, he had not expected that Lu Yun would give him a choice between two options! If he chose for himself, it was very likely that Lu Yun would give him a chance to become a Human Dao Saint, but in that case, the Heavenly Scourge upon the Dragon Clan could not be lifted, and vice versa!

However, thinking about it, it made sense; although he had fought quite desperately this time, the Dragon Clan had never shown their faces, nor had they participated in this battle.

If he were to gain the opportunity to become a Saint and also allow the Dragon Clan to receive huge benefits solely because of his own merit, it would be somewhat unfair to the other tribes that had participated in the battle with their entire clans.

Zhulong was conflicted for a moment.

After careful consideration, Zhulong finally made his decision. He took a deep breath and said solemnly to Lu Yun, "Your Majesty the Saint Emperor, Zhulong is willing to use this merit for the Dragon Clan."

Hearing this, a glimmer of appreciation flashed in Lu Yun's eyes, and he nodded with a smile.

"Zhulong, that you can prioritize the interests of the Dragon Clan is truly the fortune of the Dragon Clan."

He raised his hand and waved it; the Kongtong Seal suddenly burst forth with brilliant light, and a majestic surge of Humanity Power poured out from it, enveloping the Primordial Land.

"Today, I, Lu Yun, in the name of the spokesperson for Humanity, appoint the Dragon Clan as the Rain-Governing God Clan of the Great Desolation, responsible for regulating the water vapor of the Great Desolation, so that it may nourish all things and flourish endlessly."

Lu Yun's voice was solemn and majestic, spreading throughout the entire Great Desolation.

As Lu Yun's words fell, Zhulong and the powerful members of the Dragon Clan across the Great Desolation all felt a warm force surge into their bodies.

This force not only made them feel refreshed but also made their connection with the Primordial Land become much closer.

With the blessing of Humanity Luck, the Heavenly Dao's power of rejection toward them dissipated rapidly.

Across the Great Desolation, the Dragon Clan members who had lived in hardship due to the rejection of the Heavenly Dao now felt an unprecedented sense of ease and freedom. They cheered one after another, bowing toward the direction of Witch City to thank the Saint Emperor for his grace.

Zhulong was also incredibly excited and hurriedly stepped forward to thank Lu Yun: "Many thanks for the grace of Your Majesty the Saint Emperor! The Dragon Clan will certainly do our utmost to fulfill the duty of governing rain and bring blessings to the living beings of the Great Desolation."

However, amidst Zhulong's excitement, it was not difficult to see a trace of loneliness in his heart.

After all, he had given up the opportunity to become a Saint personally and chose to seek welfare for the entire Dragon Clan.

Fuxi, who was on the side, smiled and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him: "Fellow Daoist Zhulong, there is not only one path to becoming a Saint. Everything you have done for the Dragon Clan is enough to prove your greatness. In the future, you will surely find the path that belongs to you."

Hearing this, a warm current surged in Zhulong's heart, and he said, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Fuxi."

Immediately, Zhulong knew he should not remain here any longer. Although he was curious about what rewards Lu Yun would give to others, he still tactfully turned and left, preparing to return to the Dragon Clan to begin arranging the divine office of governing rain.

After he left, Lu Yun's gaze fell upon Zhenyuanzi.

He smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhenyuan, I know that over these years, besides Proving the Way, you have had another knot in your heart: the death of your old friend, Hongyun!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhenyuanzi's mind was violently shaken, and he looked at Lu Yun with burning eyes.

He did not know why Lu Yun had suddenly brought up Hongyun, but a certain guess vaguely emerged—a guess he himself dared not believe.

Lu Yun stopped keeping him in suspense and said directly, "Therefore, do you intend to use this merit for yourself, or for your old friend, Hongyun?"

"Boom!"

Zhenyuanzi only felt his brain go "boom," as if it were about to explode.

He said in disbelief, "Your Majesty the Saint Emperor, do you mean you can resurrect Hongyun? But even the Dao Ancestor, Hongjun, said he had no way to do it!"

Lu Yun just smiled indifferently and said, "Under the rules of the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun naturally cannot resurrect someone who has been reduced to ashes for his own selfish reasons, but that does not mean the rules of Humanity have no way!"

(End of this chapter)