CHAPTER 947: CHAPTER 966: SCHEMES OF ALL SIDES

The Demons Palace was too quiet, only the heavy breathing of Donghuang Taiyi could be heard. His eyes grew increasingly fiery, clearly moved by the Marquis of Wind’s suggestion.

"Your Majesty, think about it. As long as you achieve the Saint Position, you can naturally become the new Heavenly Emperor. Besides, we do not intend to oppose Heavenly Emperor Ye. Once you attain the Saint Position, it’s already a foregone conclusion. Heavenly Emperor Ye will need your assistance, so he surely won’t hold us accountable."

The Marquis of Wind continued to persuade, his words growing more fervent, and he spoke with reason and evidence.

Clearly, the Marquis of Wind made a lot of sense.

If Donghuang Taiyi achieved the position of a Heavenly Dao Saint, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have much to say. Moreover, Donghuang Taiyi had no intention of rebellion and would become a great support for Ye Xuan.

One must know that Ye Xuan had grievances with several Heavenly Dao Saints, and a battle between saints could happen at any time. If Donghuang Taiyi becomes a saint, it is already a certainty, and Ye Xuan would not push Donghuang Taiyi to the opposing side.

"Bold! Your intentions are punishable!"

Suddenly, a cold and harsh rebuke came, as Emperor Jun looked at the Marquis of Wind with a murderous gaze. Terrifying demonic light burst forth, as if ready to slay the Marquis of Wind at the next moment.

"Emperor Jun, you...?"

Confronted with Emperor Jun’s murderous intent, the Marquis of Wind was greatly startled. He didn’t understand why he had provoked Emperor Jun’s killing intent, nor did he know what he had done wrong.

"Second brother, what are you doing?" Donghuang Taiyi frowned slightly.

"Elder brother, you are confused."

Emperor Jun sighed deeply and then glared fiercely at the Marquis of Wind, saying, "Elder brother, don’t let greed blind your eyes. Have you forgotten what kind of person Heavenly Emperor Ye is like?"

"What kind of person?"

Donghuang Taiyi’s expression suddenly froze, and within just three breaths’ time, it turned pale, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, and his pupils were extremely stagnant.

Looking at Donghuang Taiyi’s pale complexion, Emperor Jun exhaled deeply, saying, "Elder brother, Heavenly Emperor Ye is someone with a decisive nature, a person with iron-blooded means. Anyone who defies his will is bound to face a life and death calamity."

"The Marquis of Wind seems reasonable, but that is only applicable to ordinary people, and Heavenly Emperor Ye cannot be judged by common sense."

"Do not forget, brother, how Nuwa was cast down from the Saint Position. Does elder brother wish to follow in her footsteps?"

Emperor Jun’s words grew increasingly intense. Donghuang Taiyi was drenched in cold sweat, and the Marquis of Wind fell to his knees, clearly terrified by Emperor Jun’s remarks.

"Though the Saint Position is desirable, it is beyond our reach. If not for second brother’s reminder today, I might have made a grave mistake." Donghuang Taiyi expressed his lingering fear.

"Your Majesty, this old minister acknowledges his sin." The Marquis of Wind knelt and kowtowed, trembling like a sieve.

"This time only, there will be no next. If there is a repeat offense, do not blame this emperor for disregarding years of ruler-minister sentiment." Donghuang Taiyi coldly rebuked.

"Elder brother, since Ziwei’s sainthood is settled, we must show complete submission and never let Heavenly Emperor Ye see our Demon Race as a threat." Emperor Jun said softly.

"Rest assured, second brother. I was only blinded by greed just now, but I have now realized my mistake. Besides, without Heavenly Emperor Ye, our Demon Race would not exist today. We can never repay such a great kindness." Donghuang Taiyi replied.

...

Doushuai Temple.

Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad sat cross-legged in front of the Furnace of Eight Trigrams, as a batch of Nine Revolutions Golden Pills was being fiercely refined in the Samadhi Fire. However, Lord Lao Zi sighed repeatedly, clearly not focused on this batch of elixir.

"Sainthood is a distant goal, and now that Ye Xuan has given the Hongmeng Purple Qi to Ziwei, doesn’t that cut off my path to sainthood?" Lord Lao Zi murmured to himself, with a deep sense of resentment in his eyes.

Originally, he agreed to enter the Heavenly Court under Ye Xuan, hoping to escape the control of Laozi, and Ye Xuan used the Heavenly Punishment Halberd to sever his connection with Laozi, allowing him to truly become an individual.

However, Lord Lao Zi possessed Laozi’s memories, as well as his Daoist skills and divine skills, and apart from the One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones technique, he was conversant in all of Laozi’s magic and divine skills.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, Lord Lao Zi was naturally unwilling to remain merely a Quasi-Saint; he was fully qualified to become a new Saint.

Unfortunately, the Saint Position eluded him, and he dared not express any dissatisfaction, only indulging in self-pity.

**Creak!**

Suddenly, the sound of the palace door being pushed open was heard, followed by a somber voice behind Lord Lao Zi.

"Lord Lao Zi, as long as you agree to one condition from my family head, you can completely become a new Heavenly Dao Saint."

"Hmm?"

Lord Lao Zi was suddenly startled. His Doushuai Temple was a forbidden land of the Heavenly Court, housing a large number of immortal pills, and apart from Ye Xuan, who could freely come and go, anyone who wanted to meet him needed to report first.

Moreover, the Thirty-Three Layered Heaven was now as impregnable as a fortress. Outsiders couldn’t even think about entering Dou Shuai Palace, let alone the South Heavenly Gate. Yet, someone had suddenly appeared behind him, as if it were an unattended area. This utterly shocked Lord Lao Zi.

Suddenly turning around, he saw a face that was neither too unfamiliar nor too familiar.

"Is it you?"

...

Youluo Palace.

Minghe Ancestor and Huangquan Ancestor toasted each other, while Kunpeng fiddled with a Jade Scroll at the side, clearly gathered for a small get-together.

"Who would have thought, truly, who would have thought, that Ziwei is going to become a Saint." Minghe Ancestor sighed bitterly, draining his cup of wine as if trying to quench the melancholy in his heart.

"Heavenly Emperor has intentions for him to become a Saint; it’s an unchangeable fact, so you should just accept it." Huangquan Ancestor teased.

"But... but Ziwei is a mere minor Daluo... if the Saint Position was given to others, I might accept it... but him..." Minghe Ancestor sighed again, refilling his cup and drinking.

"And what if you’re not convinced?"

Kunpeng smirked and said, "No one can defy the will of Heavenly Emperor Ye. Since he has passed the Saint Position to Ziwei, we must all naturally follow the will of the Heavenly Emperor. Crying here isn’t going to help you."

"Hmph, Kunpeng, you talk so easily, but I think you’re the least convinced!" Minghe Ancestor was already frustrated, and Kunpeng’s teasing further displeased him, leading him to retort.

"I am not convinced by Ziwei, but I am convinced by Heavenly Emperor Ye, unlike you, Minghe Ancestor. You’re unconvinced in your heart yet hold it in, which is utterly laughable." Kunpeng sneered.

**Bang!**

Minghe Ancestor slammed the table, already irritable, and now Kunpeng further provoked him, all his fury surged, making Kunpeng the target of his anger.

"Kunpeng, how dare you ridicule me, do you believe I won’t break those bird wings of yours?"

**Clang!**

Kunpeng casually smashed his cup onto the ground, defiantly meeting Minghe Ancestor’s gaze and retorted coldly, "Others may fear you, Minghe, but I, Kunpeng, do not regard you. Don’t think that just because you have the Netherworld Blood Sea as backing, you can bully me."