Kunpeng fled the Darknorth Sea, abandoning his territory. He originally hadn’t planned to flee, but his instincts told him that Wutian would come again if he stayed. This was an enmity sowed when Kunpeng egged Di Jun to take a crueler approach when forging Titanslayer, the sword quenched in human souls.
Although he was unwilling, Kunpeng still chose to run away. Even if he killed Wutian and eliminated the source of the problem, would Tongtian let him go? Not to mention killing, some Saints might even attack him for daring to injure their disciples. He had no other choice.
"Damn it all!" Kunpeng's roar shook the surrounding sea and land.
He would have never encouraged Di Jun’s action if he knew this would happen. If he knew that Di Jun would force him into submission, he would have never participated in assaulting Redcloud Ancestor. All the consequences of his choices circled back to him.
After fleeing millions of li from the Darknorth Sea, Kunpeng stopped near the center of the Earthly Realm. The first thing he did was find a safe location to recuperate from his wounds. Even now, he could hear the cries of millions of humans echoing in his mind from the burn. It was almost like a curse.
Just as Kunpeng returned to his humanoid form, he raised his guard again as he saw a streak of lightning flying toward him. The lightning stopped in front of Kunpeng, revealing a devilishly handsome man with three faces and six arms exuding the aura of a Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament.
Kunpeng pursed his brows as he tried to recall who the shura in front of him was. Then, his eyes flashed with recognition. The shura was the strongest of the four Shura Kings, Sakra.
"What does Minghe want?" Kunpeng and Minghe didn't interact much after both assaulted Redcloud Ancestor. Both of them feared Redcloud Ancestor's retaliation, especially after he became a Saint of Heaven. It was why Kunpeng didn't hide in the West.
Sakra revealed a leisurely smile. "Minghe no longer has the power to command me."
Kunpeng frowned at Sakra's disrespect. Although shuras were belligerent and sinful, they would still address Minghe as the Shura Ancestor for the grace of creation. For Sakra to not even do this didn't bode well.
"What does a little Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament want with me?" Kunpeng questioned.
"Little?" Sakra repeated and then chuckled. "Didn't Wutian teach you to be more humble?"
Kunpeng bristled. If he hadn't been injured, he would have already struck and killed Sakra. "Leave now unless you want to enter my stomach."
"I'll leave when my business is done," Sakra said as he stared at Kunpeng, causing the latter to raise his guard. "Become my mount."
"What gall!" Kunpeng screeched, almost all semblance of sanity gone. "Not even Saints of Heaven have the right to ride me, much less a worm like you!"
Kunpeng didn't bother saying anymore as he lunged towards Sakra with a clawed hand. "Die!"
Sakra didn't panic, forming a lightning bolt in his hand. He threw it like a lance at Kunpeng. Kunpeng sneered and didn't bother blocking, but he had miscalculated big time.
The lightning bolt pierced his chest and aggravated his wounds. He spewed out a mouthful of blood. "How?!"
Sakra didn't answer as he caught the returning lightning bolt. "I have to thank that Wutian. If he hadn't injured you, I would have had to spare more effort to subdue you without anyone noticing. These humans are quite interesting, reaching such a high level of strength."
"Now," Sakra stared at Kunpeng. "Submit or die."
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"Senior Brother!" Xuandu called out in concern when Wutian returned. "What happened?"
Although Wutian appeared uninjured outwardly, Xuandu could sense his weak aura. However, Wutian shook his head. "It's nothing. I just had to pluck some feathers from an ugly bird."
Xuandu didn't understand what he meant, but Wutian didn't give him time to understand. He had already threw a book toward Xuandu. "Give this to Fuxi."
"Celestial River Diagram?!" Xuandu's hands trembled as he clutched the book. This was a top-grade innate spiritual artifact! Although Laozi had given him an innate spiritual artifact, it couldn't compare to the Celestial River Diagram.
A flash of envy appeared in Xuandu's heart, but he quickly suppressed it. Xuandu didn't know where the Celestial River Diagram had disappeared to after Di Jun's death, but judging by Wutian's fluctuating aura, it couldn't have been easy to obtain.
"I thank you on behalf of humanity, Martial Ancestor," Xuandu said as he saluted Wutian with the utmost reverence.
Wutian waved his hand. "No need to thank me. I'm simply doing what I should. You would have done the same in my shoes. Now go. The sooner Fuxi gets it, the fewer deaths will occur."
"As Senior Brother says." Xuandu stored the Celestial River Diagram and flew into the distance.
Wutian watched as Xuandu's figure turned into a speck. Once that speck disappeared into the horizon, he turned around and sat on the prayer mat, facing the shrine again. Martial intent flowed around him as he began to perfect the cultivation method he crafted for humanity.
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Fuxi's eyes brightened when he saw Xuandu flying back. When Xuandu hadn’t returned for a few days, he couldn't help but fear something had gone wrong.
"Teacher," he called out as soon as Xuandu landed.
"No need to be so impatient," Xuandu said. “Have a look at this.”
A book surrounded by starlight appeared in Xuandu's hand. Fuxi stared transfixed as it floated in front of him. Something stirred deep inside his memories, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't unlock it.
"Quickly refine it," Xuandu said, chuckling at Fuxi's dazed state. "The Martial Ancestor paid a high price to obtain it for you. He hopes that you can solve the problem sooner to save more lives."
Fuxi broke out of his stupor and nodded with a heavy heart. "I won't fail the Martial Ancestor's expectations."
He knelt in the Human Temple's direction and then left. Fuxi flew toward the river where he first tested the fishing net, his first invention that changed the lives of numerous humans.
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Fuxi sat at the riverbank and started to refine the artifact. His eyes widened upon learning of the artifact's name. He couldn't fathom how Demon Emperor Di Jun's lifebound artifact would aid him, but he trusted the Martial Ancestor's and his teacher's judgment.
The more restrictions he refined, the deeper Fuxi immersed himself in the intricacies of the Celestial River Diagram. It was as if he was relearning lost knowledge yet gaining new knowledge simultaneously. It was a strange state, one that allowed Fuxi to delve into the profound laws of the world.
The reincarnated demon emperor spent a total of forty-eight days refining the artifact. On the forty-ninth day, Fuxi opened his eyes and saw the world for what it truly was. It was as if he had been blindfolded since birth and only shed the shackles now.
The sky above Fuxi rippled as a yin-yang diagram appeared.
Fuxi formed a hand seal. "Eight trigrams form! Qian, Kun, Kan, Zhen, Li, Dui, Gen, and Xun! Qian represents the sky, Kun represents the earth, Kan represents water, Zhen represents thunder, Li represents fire, Dui represents lakes, Gen represents mountains, and Xun represents wind!"
An octogram encapsulated the yin-yang diagram as Fuxi finished his words. Above each edge, three rows of bars, each with their unique differences, appeared on all sides. This was the symbol of the eight trigrams.
"The eight trigrams split all things into eight ways and divide yin and yang to perceive the world. Eight Trigrams Divination form!"
When Fuxi finished, his voice echoed into the ears of all humans. Anyone who heard it felt the mystical song of the dao, yet could not comprehend it. Nevertheless, their spirits were elevated.
The eight trigrams symbol shrunk and floated behind Fuxi like a halo, coating him in a sage-like glow. Although he hadn't entered the Quasi-Saint Realm, his power had already reached the threshold. Now, it was a matter of time before he attained the realm.
The sage light and eight trigrams behind Fuxi disappeared, but the wisdom in his eyes did not. With the Eight Trigrams Divination, Fuxi could divine fortune and misfortune, appraise land, predict the stars' path, and map the human body.
With the divination technique, humanity would no longer build settlements on unsuitable land, avoid disasters, and could test one’s talent. However, Fuxi could not perform the divination for every human, which was why he must return to teach them to his followers. As more people learned the technique, the faster they could guide humanity to the path of prosperity.
This would be Fuxi's final trial, and now, he just needed to guide humanity until the right time before he ascended to become the heavenly sovereign of humanity.
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From the Throne of Heaven, Tongtian retracted her gaze. She pinched her fingers and raised an eyebrow. When Fuxi created the Eight Trigrams Divinations, all the Saints of Heaven sensed it. The slight moment exposed the inner workings of the Three Realms.
Anyone who had seen it would be exposed to the purest laws and gain the chance to comprehend them. However, only the Saints could perceive the chance, and no one else was close enough. Many immortals' intestines would turn green with regret upon learning of their missed chance.
'I didn't expect Fuxi to start comprehending the Law of Heavenly Secrets when he hadn't during his time as a demon emperor. It looks like reincarnating into a human has increased his potential. However, he lost the chance to enter the Primordial Origin Realm forever. Was this trade-off worth it?' Tongtian thought.
She shook her head in pity before focusing on other matters. Fuxi's creation of the eight trigrams gave her an idea. The exposure didn't just reveal the three thousand laws but also the River of Time and Six Paths of Samsara.
If she could somehow cause the River of Time to reveal its inner workings, then the time needed to master the Law of Time would drastically shorten.
However, how could she induce such an effect? Even when she named the measurements of time—day, month, and year—the River of Time didn't appear. 'That's it!'
She only named the units of time that already existed. What she needed to do was create a unit herself. Tongtian didn't delay and summoned the great emperors inside the Thirty-Three Heavens to Eminence Heaven Palace. All four arrived swiftly. This was Tongtian's first summon, and none of them dared to loiter and test Tongtian.
Chief of which was Haotian. He couldn't help but link Tongtian's summoning to him welcoming the Dragon Clan to Heavenly Court. Sweat slid down Haotian's brows as he respectfully saluted Tongtian with the other great emperors and waited.
Tongtian scanned the four great emperors below. She didn't say anything and simply observed the four, allowing them to stew in their emotions.
Of the great emperors, only Daoist Randeng didn't arrive since he was dispatched to the Underworld. Unless anything earth-shattering happened in the Underworld that would require him to report it, he would stay. Not that Tongtian wouldn't have already known, considering her power as a Saint of Heaven.
Yaochi was the calmest of the four, showing no nervousness at all. The second was Antarctic Immortal Weng. However, he still showed some trepidation. Not that shocking, considering he knew exactly what his master would do to him if he displeased Tongtian.
Haotian hid his apprehension well, but his little movements could not escape Tongtian's eyes. The most anxious one was undoubtedly Luya. It was not hard to figure out why. He feared that Tongtian would strip him of position and chance to reignite the glory of the Demon Clan.
Finally, after enough time had passed, Tongtian spoke. "I plan to conduct a banquet and invite all Saints and major powers to the Heavenly Court."
At this, Haotian and Luya sighed in relief.
"The banquet will occur in nine thousand years and be known as the Zodiac Conference," Tongtian said. She turned towards Yaochi. "Emperor of Curved Array, you shall be responsible for catering and decorating the banquet. Bring out all the longevity peaches you have accumulated. After the banquet is over, select some loose immortals to join and bolster your ranks."
"Yes, Your Eminence," Yaochi said as she received the order. She could not hide the hint of excitement in her eyes. Did this mean she got Tongtian's approval?
Tongtian turned her sight towards Haotian. She almost released a playful smile. "Emperor Greenflower, you shall be responsible for inviting the Saints and major powers. The seating arrangements will also be delegated to you."
"Yes, Your Eminence," Haotian said without disrupting his calm facade, but inside, he was smiling bitterly.
Sending invitations to the Saints of Heavens and other major powers wasn't a hard task. He just needed to make sure not to invite taboo forces like the fallen Demon Clan. It was the seating arrangements that troubled him.
On the surface, it seemed easier than sending invitations, but it was the opposite in reality. For example, how should he seat the great emperors compared to the Saints' disciples? On that matter, how should he seat the Saints? Should he place them all on the same level or differentiate them? All these nuances brought endless difficulties.
"Your Eminence, should I send an invite to Fuxi?" Haotian asked.
"No," Tongtian said. "Inviting him would only disrupt his duties. Until the human rulers accomplish their duties, the Heavenly Court should reduce its interaction with them. Alright, dismissed."
Haotian wanted to ask more questions, but hearing the dismissal, he had no choice but to leave. As he walked out, he glanced at Yaochi and said, "Senior Sister gave me quite a difficult task."
Yaochi glanced back. "Don't you think you did something to incur Her Eminence's displeasure?"
Haotian paused and sunk into thought. He didn't notice as Yaochi walked ahead.
'She's right,' Haotian thought. He had thought that Tongtian did not plan to pursue his independent actions, but the reality was that she was punishing him without revealing it.
Haotian clenched his fist and stared at Eminence Heaven Palace. He simply did his duties as the East Great Emperor of Greenflower. Did it warrant punishment? He should have been rewarded for contributing to the prosperity and management of the Three Realms, not this.
Tongtian shook her head as she watched Haotian leave in a huff. She didn't mind punishing him for real if he played tricks while arranging the seats. What superior liked a subordinate constantly vying for power?
Ridding her thoughts of the matter, Tongtian's body vanished from Eminence Heaven Palace. She reappeared in the chaos outside of the Three Realms. If she had turned back, she would have seen the faint silhouette of a titanic tree.
A smile formed on Tongtian's face as she saw the fragment of a broken world flying closer to her. Shitian, her Past Incarnation, had brought her prize back.