Thirty percent of the golden clouds of merits descended onto Di Jun. Once he absorbed it all, he yelled, "SEVER!"
A powerful pressure that reached sixty thousand li was released. A golden-robed man flew out of Di Jun's three flowers, and he officially entered the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm.
All those present stared in shock. They didn't realize they could use Karmic Merit to sever a Corpse and improve their cultivation. In reality, Karmic Merit had many uses such as upgrading an artifact, turning it into a meritorious artifact, or increasing one’s cultivation. Even just condensing into a halo of merit could act as a deterrent against those who wanted to kill them.
Di Jun stored his Corpse back in his fiery clouds and flowers. He looked at the second level, where Taiyi, Nuwa, and Fuxi stood. His gaze paused a moment over the Three Purities, but that was it.
"We confer Taiyi, the position of Eastern Emperor of the Heavenly Court!"
As soon as Di Jun said those words, ten percent of the golden clouds of merit descended onto Taiyi. Unlike Di Jun, he didn't directly break through to the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm, and the merit formed a merit halo behind his head.
Di Jun didn't call attention to Taiyi's actions, turning toward Fuxi and Nuwa. "We confer Fuxi the position of Western Emperor of the Heavenly Court!"
Like with Taiyi, ten percent of the clouds of merit directly descended onto Fuxi, and he directly broke through into the Quasi-Saint Realm.
"I thank the Heavenly Emperor for your grace!"
After Fuxi stored his Corpse, Di Jun turned toward Nuwa. His momentum had increased to the point that all those in the Great Unity Realm unconsciously kneeled in his presence.
"We confer Nuwa, the position of Southern Emperor of the Heavenly Court!"
Ten percent of the golden clouds of merit descended onto Nuwa. She absorbed them like Di Jun and her brother. Her aura continuously approached the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm, but frustratingly, she never broke through.
Nuwa hid her disappointment and thanked Di Jun.
Di Jun turned his gaze towards the Ten Demon Sages. All of them looked at Di Jun with hints of expectation, and Di Jun did not disappoint. He officially conferred the demon sages as the Ten Generals of the Heavenly Court.
Ten percent of the golden clouds of merits descended onto them. Each one only got one percent, and only Bai Ze directly broke through into the Quasi-Saint Realm. Although the others did not break through, their cultivation rose to the peak of the Great Firmament Realm and was only a step away from becoming Quasi-Saints.
Di Jun continued to confer officials until the end. The remaining clouds of merit descended onto the whole demon race, raising their strength by a minor stage. Overall, the Demon Clan's strength had risen to a new level.
"From now on, we the Heavenly Court will bear the Mandate of Heaven and rule the Great Desolation!"
The Demon Clan, now members of the Heavenly Court, kneeled and cheered. Di Jun's aura washed over them, giving him the bearing of an emperor. Only a few guests at the Quasi-Saint Realm or only one step away could resist kneeling from Di Jun's momentum.
Most of them had many more thoughts as they watched the splendorous scene. The Heavenly Court had utterly eclipsed the Titan Tribe and Violet Manor in power. Not only had Di Jun reached the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm, but they had gained two new Quasi-Saints for a grand total of five!
Tongtian's perception of the Demon Clan's luck changed. Before, it seemed to be an amalgamation of every demon in existence, but now, the form changed into that of the sky. The sun, moon, and stars hung in that sky, shining brilliantly.
Suddenly, Tongtian smiled and glanced toward South Heaven Gate.
"DI JUN, YOU SMELLY CROW, WE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE YOU OR HEAVEN, ONLY PANGU!"
Di Jun's smile froze, and terrifying coldness entered his eyes. He led the newly appointed demon emperors, ten generals, and the Demon Clan to South Heaven Gate, where he confronted an army of the Titan Tribe.
"Di Jiang, Our rule has been acknowledged by the Way of Heaven. Submit or die," Di Jun said.
"Are you blind, you dumb bird? What heaven? We only revere Pangu!" Zhurong shouted.
"It's deaf, you blind idiot!" Gonggong said.
"Who're you calling blind, you coward!" Zhurong shouted.
The titans' argument didn't appease Di Jun at all. It only made him angrier. "You have the gall to argue in front of Us? Emperors, generals, and Our loyal soldiers smite down these blasphemous barbarians and paint the land with their blood as an offering to the Way of Heaven!"
Di Jun charged at Di Jiang with the Celestial River Diagram in hand. Behind him, the Starry Sky appeared, and with a wave of his arms, comets shot towards Di Jiang.
Di Jiang snorted and waved his hands. The comets roaring towards him disappeared, and in the next moment, they shot back at Di Jun, smashing the Starry Sky behind him.
Di Jun narrowed his eyes and increased the power of his attack. Instead of comets, the attack directly formed starlight shining down at Di Jiang.
Di Jiang repeated the same trick, but only some of the beams of starlight twisted and were not sent back. The rest torched his body, burning his flesh.
"Di Jiang!" Jiuyin shouted as he joined the fight. Using his innate temporal abilities, he caused the starlight to lose energy and revert the injuries on Di Jiang's body.
Di Jun snorted and pressed the attack.
Di Jiang no longer tried to tank the attacks head-on. Using his innate spatial abilities, he weaved through the starlight and made himself and Jiuyin immaterial. Although they couldn't gain the upper hand, they tied down Di Jun.
At another battlefield, Taiyi eyed Zhurong. He didn't say anything and just charged at Zhurong with flames covering his fist.
Zhurong, upon seeing Taiyi's charge, sneered and used his innate ability to shroud his fist in flames.
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When the two fists clashed, a fiery explosion engulfed the surroundings. When the smoke cleared, Taiyi remained in place, but Zhurong had been forced back over fifty steps with an expression of disbelief.
His most prized skill, his mastery over fire, had been defeated? Zhurong roared, unwilling to admit defeat, and charged at Taiyi again with his whole body shrouded in flames.
"That idiot!" Gonggong said as he rushed behind Zhurong. He pointed his hand at Taiyi and shot torrents of water.
Taiyi waved his hand. A wall of flame appeared, blocking the torrents. The flame extinguished the water and created a massive fog. When the two titans rushed into the fog, Taiyi used his superior cultivation and abilities to suppress the two.
"Let me help!" Rushou, the Titan of Metal, said. His skin had turned into a metallic silver that shone under the fiery lights of the sun and flames. Tianwu and Qiangliang, the Titans of Wind and Thunder, joined the siege against Taiyi.
Against five titans, not even Taiyi dared to fight them head-on with his body alone. He retreated and summoned the Chaos Bell. The giant bell rang, dealing sonic damage to the five titans. They froze for a moment, especially Zhurong.
Using this chance, Taiyi controlled the Chaos Bell to smash Zhurong.
Gonggong unleashed a piercing stream of water, Tianwu called forth a cyclone, Qiangliang unleashed a thunderous sonic boom, and Rushou hurled metal shards. The four elemental attacks slammed the Chaos Bell and stopped it in midair.
Taiyi frowned, tightening his control over the bell. However, the titans cooperated seamlessly. Where one would not be able to contend against the Chaos Bell, the others made up for it.
The titans had practiced numerous tactics after their unfortunate duel with Yuanshi in order to make up for their inability to use artifacts. They had grown in strength and coordination. Every single one of them reached the Peak Great Firmament Realm equivalent, so they were barely able to contend with the early Quasi-Saint Taiyi and the Chaos Bell.
Fuxi turned his eyes toward Shebisi, the Titan of Storm. The Fuxi Qin appeared in his hands, and with a thrum of the strings, numerous lyrical blades manifested towards the titan.
Shebisi roared, and clouds exploded out of him. They rose above his head and called forth lightning, thunder, rain, and wind. They shattered the Fuxi's lyrical blades in an instant. The titan charged, bringing the storm with him.
Frowning, Fuxi played his qin faster. Strings erupted from the Fuxi Qin and formed a sonorous formation, amplifying the sound of his songs.
The storm and musical formation clashed. Thunder constantly disrupted the instrument's notes, but not for long. As lightning flew towards Fuxi, the sound of a pipa pierced the air, forcing the lightning to a halt. When the wind sliced towards him, a flute whistled, calming the winds. And when rain splattered onto him, the beats of a drum repelled the droplets.
This was Fuxi's formation, Myriad Songbirth Formation!
While the war between song and storm continued, Nuwa locked onto Houtu and Xuanming, the only two female titans. She didn't have a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact like Taiyi, but she reached the peak of the Early Quasi-Saint and had the confidence to handle two titans.
Her spiritual artifact, the Treasured Lotus Lantern, flickered and released a wave of light that surrounded her and the two titans.
"Shall we?"
Houtu and Xuanming said nothing as they charged in unison at Nuwa. They were a sight to behold; female titans were not any bit inferior to male titans in brute strength.
Xuanming formed raindrops around her and fired at Nuwa. If Tongtian were to see the attack, she would have called it a mythological gatling gun. Houtu used her power of the land to summon spikes behind and below Nuwa.
Nuwa's Treasured Lotus Lantern flickered again and encased her in a green sphere, blocking the raindrops and spikes. She brought her hand in front of the lantern, and a lotus of light formed above her palms.
She flicked the lotus at Xuanming. The lotus seemed to float slowly towards the Titan of Rain, but it was actually incredibly fast.
Xuanming gathered the raindrops into one gigantic ball and shot it at the spectral flower, but it only shattered a few petals. Just as it was about to land on Xuanming, a stone slab erupted from the ground, blocking it. When the lotus lost the energy sustaining it, the stone slab crumbled, its integrity forever destroyed.
Houtu and Xuanming shared a look as they focused wholeheartedly on Nuwa. Nuwa, for her part, didn't seem to care much as she focused on maintaining her green barrier of light.
Bai Ze saw there were still two titans left. "Go stall Jumang, I'll take Jizi."
The nine demon sages obeyed Bai Ze's orders, speeding towards the Titan of Wood. As for Bai Ze himself, he charged directly at Jizi, the Titan of Lightning.
In the first clash between Bai Ze and Jizi, Bai Ze was knocked back with a pale face. Although he had reached the Quasi-Saint Realm, his flesh had not changed and was still at least two levels lower than a titan.
An apparition of a four-legged beast appeared behind Bai Zei. It had white fur, Bai Ze's face, nine eyes, and six horns on its head. This was Bai Ze's true form.
Under Bai Ze's control, the lightning bolts hurled from Jizi altered their course and struck the ground of Buzhou Mountain. Jizi snorted. He clad himself in lightning and charged at the demon sage.
Having already learned his lesson, Bai Ze avoided physical confrontation with the Titan of Lightning, delaying him for as long as he could.
While their leaders fought, the giants of the Titan Tribes and the demons fought. The demons did not have as many high-end combatants as the Titan Tribe, but they were more numerous.
For every giant that fell, at least a hundred to a thousand demons died. As the battle raged on between the two forces, the peak of Buzhou Mountain was dyed red with blood, taking on a baleful air.
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Di Jiang couldn't help but glance at the battle between the giants and demons. The battle between the titans and the top echelon of Heavenly Court produced no casualties so far, but the same couldn't be said for everywhere else.
Unlike the demons, who had a far higher reproduction rate, the Titan Tribe's natural reproduction was pitifully low, and they couldn't always rely on the blood pool within Pangu Temple.
"How dare you look away," Di Jun snarled as he launched three-hundred and sixty-five beams of starlight at Di Jiang and Jiuyin. Even with the combined efforts of the two, they suffered significant injuries.
"Are you worried about the giants?" Di Jun asked. "You shouldn't be because your life will end here!"
Three flowers and fiery red clouds appeared behind Di Jun. Two of the flowers were occupied by Di Jun's two Corpses, but only one of them jumped out. He was clad in red and wore red battle armor with a spear in hand.
"Let me give you despair!" Di Jun said.
Upon seeing Di Jun reveal his Corpse, Taiyi increased the frequency of his attacks, bombarding the five titans and tilting the battle in his favor.
Nuwa didn't reveal her Corpse because she didn't have one. She had used the Law of Creation to temper her qi and enter the Quasi-Saint Realm.
Fuxi and Bai Ze didn't release their Corpses either. Since they used merit to advance and sever a Corpse, they needed time to stabilize the Corpse or risk losing them. Losing a Corpse would not only cost them to revert back to Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament but if they could not re-cultivate, their path may be severed forever.
Di Jiang and Jiuyin shared a look. "Everyone return and regroup!"
The twelve titans immediately disengaged from their opponents, suffering minor injuries to do so. When the twelve titans gathered together, Di Jun and his demon emperors and demon sages also stood together and looked at the twelve titans.
"If you surrender now, We can consider letting you live," Di Jun said.
Di Jiang snorted. "It's you who should be begging for your lives now."
"Pangu Genesis Formation, form!"
The twelve titans floated into the air in a certain pattern. Di Jun and the others wanted to stop it, but a mysterious immense pressure froze them in their place.
Blood red energy leaked from the titans, encasing them in a humanoid shell. The shell gained flesh and blood before skin covered the entire body. A thick mane of hair grew from its head, and a bushy beard covered his face.
Even if they had never seen him before, all creatures instinctively knew him.
For he was Pangu.