Yuanshi's face directly darkened. "A toad wanting to eat swan meat. Who does that flat-feathered crow think he is?"
Although Laozi's expression didn't change, he didn't rebuke Yuanshi either. It could be seen that he silently agreed with Yuanshi’s words.
Nuwa internally sighed at the Grand Purity and Jade Purity's adverse reactions, but as long as she could convince Tongtian, then all would be well. There was a reason Di Jun allowed her to deliver Taiyi's request. If Taiyi married Changxi, then it would be adding flowers to gold, pretty to look at but ultimately nothing substantial.
Marrying Tongtian, on the other hand, meant so much more. Tongtian was one of the destined Saints of Heaven, and unlike Nuwa and Fuxi, Di Jun had absolute trust in Taiyi. In addition, bringing Tongtian to their side meant adding all Three Purities to the Heavenly Court's forces.
Why wouldn't Di Jun agree?
Nuwa turned to Tongtian and almost flinched. Although Tongtian had a smile on her face and restrained her qi, Nuwa could feel the sword-like glint in her eyes and sharp aura surrounding her. Sweat formed on her brows, but she still forced a smile.
"Don't be so hasty to reject," Nuwa quickly said. "If you are willing to marry Daoist Taiyi, he is willing to give you this as the betrothal gift."
When Nuwa revealed the gift, the siblings’ expressions changed upon seeing the miniature bronze bell floating in front of them. It was one of the three cardinal spiritual artifacts formed from one of the three pieces of Pangu's Heaven Opening Ax, the Chaos Bell!
Laozi's eyes calmed down again. Although the Chaos Bell was powerful, he possessed the Taiji Diagram, so he didn't necessarily need it. Yuanshi possessed the Pangu Banner, so among the Three Purities, only Tongtian didn't have one of the three Heaven Opening Treasures. He didn't know if she would agree under the allure of the Chaos Bell.
Yuanshi sternly addressed her. "Third Sister, don't be bewitched by the treasure. Second Brother will find a better treasure for you."
Tongtian, who had been dazed by the appearance of the Chaos Bell, turned and glared at Yuanshi with a dark expression. "Shut up."
Yuanshi wilted. Why was Tongtian mad now? He was just looking out for her.
Tongtian faced Nuwa. "Junior Sister, please return. Even if Taiyi offers up the whole Heavenly Court, I will never agree to his proposal."
Seeing her steel-like determination, Nuwa could only sigh. She waved her hand to store the Chaos Bell before leaving. She should count her blessings; at least the Three Purities didn't directly attack and take the Chaos Bell as she feared.
But perhaps this was because of their wariness towards Heavenly Court. The Starry Sky War Array was not just a trophy on display but a veritable contender for the top formation in the Great Desolation. Aside from the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation or the Pangu Genesis Formation, no one but Saints could fight back, and Saints had yet to appear in heaven and earth.
Tongtian returned to her Supreme Purity Hall, focusing on comprehending the Law of Time and the Law of Space. Yuanshi, for his part, stared at her back before sighing and returning to Jade Purity Hall.
A thousand years later, Yuanshi successfully severed his obsession and formed his Self Corpse.
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Di Jun sighed for the umpteenth time. He looked towards his brother, watching him pace back and forth in the grand hall of Eminence Heaven Palace. Di Jun counted his lucky stars that it was only the two of them here, or the prestige of the two brothers might take a hit.
"You don't have to worry about the Chaos Bell," Di Jun said. "No matter how powerful the Three Purities are, they are not yet Saints. They still have to fear the power of the Heavenly Court."
Taiyi furrowed his brow but didn't say anything. His head snapped towards the entrance when he felt Nuwa's aura.
Not long later, Nuwa entered the hall with a smiling face, and Taiyi's heart soared. She nodded toward Di Jun and said, "Congratulations to Daoist Di Jun for your heavenly marriage."
Taiyi waited for Nuwa's congratulation, but the corners of his lips that had been quirking upward disappeared when Nuwa stopped speaking. She waved her hand, and the Chaos Bell returned to him; the meaning was obvious.
"My apologies, Daoist Tongtian." Nuwa stopped for a moment as she deliberated her following words. "She has a sincere heart towards the Great Dao and does not seek to entangle herself with any matters."
Taiyi stood there frozen, staring at the bell. His hand finally grabbed the bronze bell, and his knuckles whitened from his sheer grip on the artifact. It was to the point that Di Jun and Nuwa thought he might rack the cardinal spiritual artifact.
Di Jun sighed. He rose from his throne to pat his brother on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. The Three Purities claim to be Pangu's orthodox lineage, their arrogance can be imagined. We will show them their folly once we defeat the Titan Tribe, even if they are Saints. For now, let's choose another prospective wife for you."
Taiyi's back was towards him, so Di Jun didn't see his face darken with each sentence he spoke. Taiyi pushed Di Jun's hand away and walked out of Eminence Heaven Palace, leaving a confused Di Jun.
Nuwa seemed to have guessed something upon seeing Taiyi's face. When Di Jun turned his inquiring gaze on her, she only shook her head. "Daoist Di Jun, I can only advise you not to bring the matter of marriage up to your brother in the future. He has his own plans."
Di Jun nodded, still not understanding.
Nuwa didn't move to leave but instead waved her hand to reveal an orange-colored flag. "Daoist Di Jun, this is the Demon Summoning Banner I refined by merging the immortal gourd I obtained and the Demon Banner. It's a high-grade cardinal spiritual artifact."
Di Jun looked at the flag that had floated in front of him, wondering why Nuwa had given it to him. Although a high-grade cardinal spiritual artifact was good, he didn't lack treasures as the Heavenly Emperor, and it wasn’t worth much if he didn't practice the law contained within.
"Its offensive and defensive power are lacking, but it has two unique features. As long as a demon sends a strand of their truesoul into the Demon Summoning Banner, their life and death will be under the user's control. Furthermore, if the demon perishes, they can revive as long as a strand of their truesoul remains in the Demon Summoning Banner."
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Though Di Jun wasn't interested in the Demon Summoning Banner before, after hearing of its abilities, he could not ignore it. He could not allow it to stay in anyone but his hand. Di Jun took a deep look at Nuwa and cupped his fists. "Then We will thank Daoist Nuwa for this gift."
Nuwa smiled and left.
She didn't pursue authority and didn't want to embroil herself in the politics of Heavenly Court. She was content to bear the name and quietly cultivate, but it seemed that Di Jun had begun to be wary of her and Fuxi after the Dao Ancestor's third sermon.
Nuwa hadn't noticed, but Fuxi did. After Fuxi brought it to her attention, Nuwa had thought it through and knew the Demon Summoning Banner must not stay in her possession. Now, with the hot potato out of her hand, she returned to Southern Emperor Palace to cultivate.
She wanted to focus on comprehending the Grandmist Violet Qi. She was already under heavy pressure from the Titan Tribe and their Pangu Genesis Formation, but after meeting with the Three Purities, she realized her inadequacies.
Compared to Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian, she was too weak. She still hadn't forgotten how Jieyin had entered the Quasi-Saint Realm before the Dao Ancestor's second sermon. After attaining the treasures in the Sealed Treasure Stone, Nuwa estimated that Jieyin was at least at the Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm or maybe even at the Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm.
At this rate, of the Dao Ancestor's six disciples, she might have become the weakest. Nuwa had her own pride and wouldn't allow this, especially since Jieyin and Zhunti were only nominal disciples and got their status through shameless begging.
She tried to decipher the Grandmist Violet Qi, but there was no reaction. Helpless, she could only focus on severing her second Corpse and entering the Advanced Quasi Saint Realm.
However, before she could enter the Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm, someone severed a Corpse ahead of her. Six hundred years later, Taiyi entered the Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm.
Pressed by a slight sense of urgency, she severed her evil thoughts two hundred years later and successfully entered the Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm.
Now, Heavenly Court had two advanced Quasi-Saints.
While Nuwa and Taiyi were cultivating, Heavenly Court progressed in its own way. Since Nuwa had returned from the Supreme Yin Star and Kunlun Mountain, Heavenly Court had been preparing for the Heavenly Emperor's marriage.
They sent out numerous invitations to major powers, such as Kunlun Mountain's Three Purities, Mount Sumeru's Jieyin and Zhunti, Darknorth Palace's Kunpeng, Firesource Grotto’s Redcloud Ancestor, Wuzhuang Temple's Zhen Yuanzi, and many more. The one major power they didn't invite was the Titan Tribe.
In Darknorth Palace, Kunpeng pondered on whether or not to attend, but after some hesitation, he decided to go. His Darknorth Palace didn't possess a powerful formation like Violet Manor, and offending Heavenly Court was not a wise decision.
Redcloud Ancestor, as usual, decided to attend with Zhen Yuanzi. They were born of different sources, but they were closer than real brothers.
In the West, Jieyin and Zhunti discussed whether to attend or not.
"Senior Brother, what should we do?" Zhunti asked. Truthfully, he didn't want to go. Even if they went, what benefits could they grab for the West?
"Di Jun is still the Heavenly Emperor after all, and we aren't yet Saints," Jieyin explained. "Even if we become Saints, the role of the Heavenly Emperor cannot be underestimated."
"When the Three Purities become Saints of Heaven, do you think they will obey the Heavenly Court? Will Di Jun be satisfied with the status quo? Heavenly Court will only have Nuwa as a Saint, but if they ally with us, they can contend with the Three Purities. Naturally, the West will benefit if Di Jun is smart," Jieyin finished.
Zhunti smiled. "I was too short-sighted. Senior Brother is wise."
Jieyin smiled in compassion and said, "Let us go. The West is still a distance away. It's better to arrive early than late."
The two disciple brothers turned into two golden streaks of light across the sky. When the two arrived, they were led to an area near South Heaven Gate. Only when the groom returned with the bride would the guests be seated.
There, Zhunti searched around but couldn't find the Three Purities. "Are they not here?"
Jieyin clapped his hands together. "If they aren't, all the better for us."
When the sun directly shone above the Thirty-Three Heavens, Di Jun appeared in front of everyone. He wore red wedding robes and set off on his marriage sedan. Although it was nominally called a marriage sedan, it was a top-grade acquired spiritual artifact created specifically for Di Jun's wedding.
The sedan was composed of two parts, the Dragon Chariot and the Phoenix Carriage. The chariot was refined with the bones of dragons and had nine dragons sculpted on it, pulled by twelve dragon horses. It exuded a draconic aura that enhanced Di Jun's majesty when he stood in it.
The carriage pulled by the chariot was refined using Waterlight Moon Jade and had phoenixes engraved on it. If the chariot represented yang, the carriage represented yin.
Di Jun steered the marriage sedan to the Supreme Lunar Star. While watching the marriage sedan disappear into the distance, Zhunti couldn't hide his envious eyes. The materials were incredibly invaluable, but Heavenly Court used them for a mere marriage sedan. Seeing such extravagance only reminded Zhunti of how barren the West was.
The marriage sedan arrived at the Supreme Yin Star, and Xihe stepped onto the Phoenix Carriage. Like Di Jun, she wore festive red robes.
When Di Jun drove the marriage sedan back to South Heaven Gate, all the guests watched curiously as Xihe stepped off. When they saw her face, they couldn't help but be enamored. Even if there was a goddess of beauty born at this moment, no one could surpass Xihe's radiance at this moment, be it in physical features or aura.
From then on, the phrase “a woman was most beautiful at her wedding” appeared in the Great Desolation.
With Di Jun and Xihe in the lead, they led everyone to the second level of the Thirty-Three Heavens. The top layer was where Eminence Heaven Palace was located and where the Heavenly Emperor held court and lived. The second layer, Jade Lake Wonderland, belonged to the Heavenly Empress.
Di Jun and Xihe stood in front of the altar with their hands connected. Nuwa stood in front of them and summoned the Red Hydrangea above their heads.
"The Way of Heaven above, I feel that the yin and yang of the world are disorderly. I hereby establish the marriage as the representative of supreme yang and supreme yin. With the heavenly marriage established, yin and yang will no longer be in chaos and reinforce each other!"
After Nuwa's prayer, golden clouds of merit appeared above Thirty-Three Heavens. The amount of merit was not as substantial as when Di Jun established Heavenly Court, but it still caused all the gods present to look on in envy, especially Kunpeng.
The merit split into three parts. Di Jun and Xihe both received forty percent of the total merits, while Nuwa's Red Hydrangea absorbed the last twenty percent.
"Sever!"
A woman with seventy-percent similarities appeared next to Xihe as she successfully entered the Quasi-Saint Realm. She continued to absorb the merit and stabilized her cultivation at the Early Quasi-Saint Realm. Di Jun also severed a Corpse and successfully entered the Advance Quasi-Saint Realm, attracting the envy of numerous guests.
They also thought of establishing a marriage, but they soon gave up. The reason Di Jun and Xihe gained so much merit was because of their identities as the Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Empress. If they did it, it would only tie their luck and merit with another person for no reason.
Nuwa was also satisfied. She could feel the power of her Red Hydrangea increase by another level. She was already planning on finding the candidates for the earthly and mortal marriages.
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, a familiar party crasher arrived.
"Heavenly marriage, have you asked for our permission, you pair of flat-feathered crows!?"