Chapter 50: Emperor Jun's Ambition

  Zhuang Xiong had a bit of a habit from his past life, and every day when he walked alone, he would always use his three eyes and six ears to observe the surroundings. Just now, he was using it to find the location of the Jade Pool, but as he passed by the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, he suddenly heard Tai Yi's voice coming from inside: "Big brother, that old guy from the Qilin clan still won't say anything."

  Zhuang Xiong nodded slightly, thinking to himself: "Ah, not bad, I didn't expect the Qilin tribe to be hiding in the Heavenly Court just as I suspected." But then he suddenly reacted, Taiyi? How could Taiyi appear in the Heavenly Court? And what else did he want to ask the Qilin tribe about? Zhuang Xiong furrowed his brow, but in his heart, Yang Mei's words involuntarily surfaced. It seemed that he was about to unintentionally uncover a great secret.

  Zhuang Xiong was thinking, but then he heard Emperor Jun's voice coming from inside again: "It doesn't matter, we don't need those guys anymore. The guy who escaped to our Tiangong that year has already woken up. I promised to help him reincarnate, and he has already told me."

  Zhuang Xiong's heart moved, and he used a stealth technique to quietly approach the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall. He was now at the peak of the quasi-saint later stage, while Emperor Taiyi was only at the initial stage of the peak, but neither of them detected anything, and this heavenly court had always been unknown to anyone, so their vigilance would not be too high.

  The Heavenly Court is a place that doesn't need to be said, it's really worthy of being called golden light in all directions, auspicious air in thousands of ways, jade pillars carved with dragons, colorful phoenixes soaring in the sky, shining brightly but not falling into common patterns, famous flowers always blooming, trees and grass always green, indeed a beautiful scenery.

  Zhuang Xiong quietly approached the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, but did not enter. He stood still at the door and looked inside. Indeed, it was Emperor Jun with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, yet profound and deep-minded, along with the overbearing and cruel Tai Yi.

  At this time, the king's aura on Di Jun's body seemed to be even thicker, but his eyes were also more gloomy. It was as if he had been hiding his true nature in front of people all along, and now it was completely exposed. His handsome face seemed to have become even more sinister and venomous. As for Tai Yi, he still seemed to have the same brutish and tyrannical demeanor, but perhaps after going through numerous killings, the brutal killing intent in his eyes had grown even thicker. A faint blood-red glow seemed to be surrounding his body.

  Taiyi's eyebrows rose as he heard Emperor Jun say that he already knew the information he wanted to know, and said: "Since those Qilins are useless now, why don't I go kill them? Keeping them is also useless, and if we're not careful, they might leak the news."

  Di Jun rebuked lightly: "Tai Yi, how many times have I said it? From now on, don't shout 'kill' at every turn. You will also need to lead a group of subordinates in the future, how can you do without using your brain?"

  Taiyi smiled and said, "I just need to follow Brother around, what do I need with any followers? If you really want to give me some, give me a group of top-notch experts, I'll go help Brother take care of those who don't listen."

  Di Jun's gloomy eyes also revealed a hint of warmth, and he smiled: "How could you possibly always follow me? When the time comes and we conquer this vast expanse, I'll give you a piece of land to govern, do with it as you please."

  Taiyi smiled and said, "I still think it's more comfortable to follow Brother around, no need to think for myself. But I don't understand, why not kill these Qilin? We're asking them for information like this, they must have already known our purpose, if they speak out, afraid it will ruin our big plan."

  Di Jun said: "I'm not unwilling to kill, but I can't kill. Do you know why I went to such great lengths to save that person and find the Qilin tribe?"

  Taiyi felt a bit bewildered and asked: "Why? Didn't brother say he could help you become a saint?"

  Di Jun shook his head and said, "I don't hide anything from you, but such an important matter, you actually know nothing about it. I wonder what you've been listening to."

  Taiyi smiled and said, "I only know they have something that can help you become a saint, brother. Then I'll ask them the things you want to know, and it's not my concern why or how you become a saint. Anyway, you won't treat me unfairly."

  Zhuang Xiong's heart skipped a beat, the path to sainthood? However, he thought of Yang Mei's words again, it seemed that Yang Mei had said that among the three clans, there was a way to cultivate and become a saint, but this way would inevitably lead to a great war with the heavens as soon as it appeared in the world. The demon clan also seemed to know about this way, and at the time, he had suspected that it was Di Jun, who would have thought that it was indeed so. Now, however, he wanted to see what kind of great way Di Jun was seeking.

  Di Jun heard Tai Yi say this, and couldn't help but smile bitterly as he shook his head. "This matter is related to the position of honor," he said. "When heaven and earth first opened up, the Heavenly Way was established, and many great gods were born in response to heaven and earth. As a result, positions of honor came into existence. For example, the Four Sacred Beasts that guard the four extremes of heaven and earth are positions of honor. Positions of honor have their big and small ones, and their functions are also different. Generally speaking, positions of honor only receive recognition from the Heavenly Way, making it easier for them to comprehend the Heavenly Way than others. The higher the position of honor, the easier it is to comprehend the Heavenly Way, and the faster one's cultivation will improve. However, these things all have a limit, not a limit set by the Heavenly Way, but rather our own personal limits."

  Di Jun glanced at Tai Yi, seeing that he was still listening intently, and couldn't help but nod his head in satisfaction. This younger brother would only listen so seriously because of his cultivation, so he continued to say: "I don't know if you still remember the words of Hong Jun Dao Zu from Zi Xuan Palace?"

  Taiyi furrowed his brow and said, "Is it that this time you heard the Tao is still in the Daluo Jinxian realm? Then there's no need to come next time?"

  Di Jun said: "It's this sentence, but not all of it. There's another one - the way of the saint has those who are destined to attain it. The same way, you and I have heard is only at the peak of the early stage of quasi-sainthood, but breaking through is fraught with danger. And can you see the ones in front? San Qing and that bear-like Daoist are already at the late stage of quasi-sainthood. It can be said that after Da Zong's third lecture, these few will have the most hope of becoming saints. Next would be Jie Yin, Zhun Ti, Ming He, Zhen Yuan Zi, Nu Wa, Kun Peng, and Hong Yun, who are also at the middle stage of quasi-sainthood, with cultivation higher than ours. Why? One reason is destiny, but I think it's more because of innate talent."

  Taiyi said with a calm expression, "You and I are brothers born from the Taiyang Palace, our innate talents can be considered good and extraordinary. Even if we're not as capable, it shouldn't be this different. There must be other reasons at play here. Let's investigate thoroughly. If there's still a glimmer of hope, even if our talents aren't up to par, we can make up for it with diligence. Why bother making such a big fuss and worrying ourselves to death?"

  Di Jun smiled bitterly: "I didn't know, but I asked clearly, it's just that you didn't notice. Others can be said to have good luck, but I know that the three Qing and Xiong Daoren were able to upgrade to quasi-saint later period is due to Pangu's opening of heaven merit. Pangu's opening of heaven has great merit with heaven and earth, those four people all have Pangu's merit, it should be said that they are destined to become saints, we can't compare to them. As for others, the difference is not much, however, I estimate that the Daozu will prioritize taking care of the first row of seated ones, letting them further pull away from us. It can be said that our opportunities have already become extremely slim."

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but nod slightly, indeed Emperor Jun had the air of a king and the talent of a hero. He could see the subtle and know the obvious, his message was clear, his judgment was accurate, and his thinking was clear and distinct. It was evident that he was a talented person. However, his mind was a bit too deep, and since they were not on the same path as himself, it would be better to guard against him in the future.

  Taiyi furrowed his brow and thought for half a day, then irritably scratched his head with his hand and exclaimed: "I just can't figure out these problems, so you think about it, big brother. Just tell me what to do when the time comes."

  Di Jun smiled and shook his head, saying: "If we can contend, of course we will, but we must also leave a way out for ourselves. Those three Qing and Xiong Dao people have great merits, it's certain that we can't surpass them. However, if there are other opportunities, my Hetu Luoshu is still more skilled at trapping people. At that time, I'll still have to kill you, but from the performance of these few people in the Purple Mansion, it's clear that they're not ordinary people. Even with the Dong Huang Zhong, you should be careful."

  Taiyi smiled and said: "I know this, I'm good at killing people. When the time comes, just follow your brother's orders."

  He nodded and said, "Then it's my plan. This is the way we left for ourselves, also our last chance. I was born in the Sun Palace, indeed earlier than you. I've seen the Three Clans War and felt something fishy at that time. Although the war was caused by Luo Yu's provocation, the conflict lasted for tens of thousands of years. The three clans were not short of great gods and wise men, but why did they still fight endlessly? My natal spiritual treasure is the Hetu Luoshu, and I've also studied troop deployment. At first, I thought it was for training soldiers, but later I felt it wasn't. The three clans should be fighting for something, something very important. Although I didn't know what it was at that time, I could see that no one got that thing in the Three Clans War."

  Taiyi rubbed his head again, looking somewhat annoyed, and said: "But brother, I still don't see what you're saying has to do with becoming a saint?"

  Di Jun glared at him and said, "Listen carefully, we're almost there."

  Taiyi suddenly stopped talking as if he had been choked.

  Di Jun said, "I've always thought that thing was important, so I've been looking for an opportunity to get in touch with the three clans and gather some information. However, I couldn't just go up and ask them directly. Luckily, the Qilin clan gave me this chance. They discovered the Heavenly Court, and I've been paying attention to them, also discovering the Heavenly Court - a place where no one knows about. They're all gathered together here, so I can ask them without worrying about being found out by others. Unlike the Dragon Clan with its numerous members, I wouldn't know who to ask, and the Phoenix Clan's suppression of the underground volcano makes it hard to find their leader."

  Taiyi couldn't help but ask: "But the Qilin clan didn't say anything either? And why didn't they kill them?"

  Di Jun let out a helpless sigh, seemingly too lazy to bother with further explanations, and said: "Originally, we should have asked the Qilin tribe about this, but that person who escaped to our Taiyang Palace is also a remnant of the Three Clans War. He's actually a member of the Feng Huang tribe. I only found out today that he's actually the Hun Dun Demon God, who managed to survive Pan Gu's creation of the world and later participated in the Three Clans War. However, he was killed and only his true spirit escaped, coincidentally arriving at our Taiyang Palace."

  Taiyi said, "No matter what his identity is, isn't it thanks to Brother's rescue that he still has a life left? Never mind him, Brother, tell me about the thing that can make one a saint and why we can't kill the Qilin tribe instead."

  Zhuang Xiong rolled his eyes, this dead Taizhen actually interrupted Emperor Jun's words. Although he was very curious about the things left behind by the three tribes that could become sacred, from Yang Mei, it was clear that this thing was not good and required a large force to accomplish. Zhuang Xiong had already obtained half of the sacred position, so why would he go to great lengths to plot for these things? He wanted to know more about the Chaos Demon mentioned by Emperor Jun, who was the lucky one who survived the Pan Gu's creation of heaven and earth and the Dragon Phoenix's initial calamity.

  Unfortunately, Di Jun did not hear Zhuang Xiong's words and said: "The reason why Qilin cannot be killed is because of its noble status. The Qilin tribe now represents the auspiciousness of heaven and earth, and it is something that cannot be killed, but can become sacred, which is also a noble status."

  Taiyi furrowed his brow and said, "Brother didn't say that the position of honor is only helpful for understanding the Way of Heaven and speeding up cultivation? Why can it make one a saint? If brother needs the position of honor, this heavenly court is still ownerless land, and it's also a noble position beyond compare. Brother wants it, isn't it within easy reach?"

  Di Jun said: "The throne of this Heavenly Court is naturally to be taken, but relying solely on the throne of the Heavenly Court is not enough to become a saint. In this world, there is a mysterious throne - the Lord of the Primordial Chaos, ruling over all living things in the Primordial Chaos. Regardless of who becomes the Lord of the Primordial Chaos, they can immediately become a saint. In those days, it was the Qilin clan that discovered the Heavenly Court and wanted to combine the master of the Heavenly Court with the master of the Primordial Chaos land, but unexpectedly discovered this secret. If one becomes the Lord of the Primordial Chaos, then all living things in the world are under control, the Heavenly Dao is impartial, and the thought of all living things is used as a guarantee. If one becomes the Lord of the Primordial Chaos, they can become a saint at once, and even manipulate the Heavenly Dao with the power of all living things, being all-powerful."

  Taiyi was caught off guard in an instant, his eyes wide with shock, and he was stunned.

  Zhuang Xiong was also stunned, thinking carefully that if he could really take on the role of the master of the Hong Huang, it might indeed be possible to achieve such an effect. However, this idea was also a bit too crazy. How many lives would need to be slaughtered? How many tribes would need to be destroyed? Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but think that it would be more reliable to ask Hong Jun for a sacred position instead. No wonder the world was in chaos as soon as this path was revealed, no wonder the Heavenly Dao was calculating against you, and even Hong Jun was plotting against you. Your ambition and appetite were truly enormous, people say that bears have big hearts, but I, Zhuang Xiong, admit that my heart is not as big as your golden crow's heart.

  Taiyi also came to his senses at this time, and after a moment of contemplation, he said: "Brother, isn't it inappropriate for you to invite so many powerful gods this time? This matter is indeed very important. Others are fine, but that Nüwa's cultivation is even higher than yours, and there's also another brother, Fuxi, whose cultivation is not weaker. Moreover, her relationship with Xiong Daoren is not ordinary. That Xiong Daoren is a fierce person, and he seems to be very unfriendly towards us brothers. Brother, don't do something that will harm others."

  Zhuang Xiong's heart skipped a beat as he heard them mention Nüwa, and he perked up his ears to listen carefully to Emperor Jun's answer. He thought to himself: "Emperor Jun, you'd better be careful with your words. If I find out that you have any ill intentions towards my sister Nüwa, even if the heavens try to stop me, I will definitely kill you."