Primordial Era: The Great Celestial Venerable on the Road to Mythology

Chapter 7: Displaying Strength and Subduing the Immortals

Haotian withdrew his gaze, and his aura suddenly changed. It was no longer the chaotic and unfathomable state he had been in during his seclusion, but had returned to normal, almost the same as before.

"Someone come here."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire Heavenly Court.

A moment later, Yaochi, Yaoji, and Taibai Jinxing arrived together.

Yaochi, dressed in a phoenix robe, was dignified and elegant, with an unprecedented composure in her expression. It seemed that she had also made progress during this opportunity.

Yao Ji followed closely behind, her aura as a Taiyi Golden Immortal was calm and solid, a far cry from when she first returned to the Heavenly Court.

Venus Li Changgeng still had that same smiling and kind look, but the glint in his eyes was even brighter than before.

"Congratulations on Your Majesty's return from seclusion!" The three bowed in unison.

Haotian waved his hand, his gaze falling on Taibai Jinxing: "Taibai, you've worked hard these past few days. How many people have you recruited?"

Venus, the White Star, respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, in the past hundred years, I have recruited 36,000 celestial soldiers and 800 celestial generals. Most of the celestial soldiers are rogue cultivators of the human race, with cultivation levels between Earth Immortal and Celestial Immortal; among the celestial generals, there are over 50 True Immortals, over 10 Profound Immortals, and 3 Golden Immortals. There is also one Taiyi Golden Immortal..."

Haotian nodded slightly. The fact that Taibai had managed to recruit so many people showed he had put in considerable effort. After all, the Heavenly Court's current situation meant its position in the prehistoric world was far from high.

"Very good," Haotian said. "I will reward you in due time."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Venus replied without a doubt. As a star spirit, he was most aware of the changes in the Thirty-Three Heavens and the Primordial Stars. This Your Majesty had completely taken control of the Primordial Starry Sky.

Yaochi then spoke up: "Your Majesty, the cultivators outside have been waiting for quite some time. Some are quite resentful, and others... seem to have come with the intention of testing us."

Haotian smiled faintly upon hearing this.

He naturally knew this. The disciples of the three religions, the disciples of the Western Sect, the disciples of powerful figures from all sides, and even some arrogant rogue cultivators—why would they come here just to comprehend the Dao? Most of them were probably sent by their masters to investigate the true nature of this new Heavenly Emperor and the movements of the Heavenly Court.

"Let them in." Haotian waved his hand. "If they want to test the waters, let them come and investigate. The Heavenly Court is never afraid of anyone."

"Your Majesty, if someone is deliberately causing trouble..." Yao Ji said with some worry.

Haotian's eyes sharpened, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "Then that's perfect—make an example of someone."

---

The Southern Gate of Heaven slowly opened.

Two rows of heavenly soldiers emerged, each wielding a spear, and stood on either side. Although their imposing presence was not particularly grand, they still possessed a certain majesty of the Heavenly Court.

Venus stood before the gate and proclaimed loudly, "The Heavenly Emperor has decreed that all fellow Daoists are invited to enter the Heavenly Court to observe and jointly comprehend the Great Dao!"

Upon hearing this, the cultivators who had been waiting outside for a long time immediately became agitated.

Some were delighted, some sneered, some remained expressionless, and some were eager to try.

"Finally, the door's open! I thought this Heavenly Emperor was going to leave us hanging outside forever!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, this is the Heavenly Court!"

"What are you afraid of? We're not here to cause trouble, we're just here to observe. What can he do to us?"

"That's right, let's go in and take a look!"

In an instant, a huge crowd surged into the South Heavenly Gate.

Taibai Jinxing smiled, but secretly he had already memorized all those cultivators. He knew in his heart which ones were rogue cultivators, which ones were disciples of the three religions, which ones were members of the Western Sect, which ones had unfriendly expressions, and which ones had ulterior motives.

The cultivators passed through the South Heavenly Gate, ascended the Heavenly Ladder, traversed several heavens, and finally arrived at the plaza in front of the Lingxiao Palace.

The plaza stretched out endlessly, paved with white jade, and shrouded in mist. Cranes danced on both sides, and auspicious beasts presented their blessings, giving it a somewhat celestial air.

only--

"That's all?" A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, tinged with disdain. "A mere tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers, not even a decent general. Is this the new Heavenly Court?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was a cultivator dressed in a blue Taoist robe with a mocking smile on his lips.

Someone recognized him and whispered, "That's Chi Jingzi, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect..."

As soon as Chi Jingzi said this, several voices of agreement immediately rose from the crowd.

"Yes, the Heavenly Court is in a far worse state than the ancient Demon Court."

"Where is the Heavenly Emperor? Why doesn't he come out to see us? He certainly doesn't put on airs."

"I've heard that this Heavenly Emperor was originally a pageboy under the Dao Ancestor, and his cultivation is only at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level. How powerful could he possibly be?"

Various voices rose and fell: some were watching the spectacle, some were fanning the flames, while the rest remained silent, simply observing the farce with indifference.

Just then—

An immense and unparalleled pressure descended from the sky!

The oppressive force came suddenly and without warning, like the ancient divine mountain Buzhou pressing down heavily on everyone.

The cultivators who had been discussing this momentarily changed their expressions drastically.

"This is……"

"A Grand Luo Golden Immortal? No! This is many times stronger than a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!"

"Is it... a quasi-saint?"

"Impossible! How could Haotian become a Quasi-Saint? My teacher said he was just a Great Luo Golden Immortal."

Chi Jingzi's face also turned pale. The oppressive aura seemed to be directed at him, causing his legs to tremble and making him almost unable to stand.

Just as everyone was filled with fear, a clear voice rang out from the Lingxiao Palace, unhurried yet resounding through the heavens:

"I've heard that someone wishes to see me?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a figure slowly walked out of the hall.

Wearing a golden dragon robe and a crown, with a beaded curtain hanging down, the person's face was faintly visible behind the curtain, only a pair of eyes, the left eye reflecting the Milky Way, the right eye containing the heavens, so deep that it seemed to devour everything.

It was Haotian.

He descended the steps one by one, and with each step he took, golden lotuses bloomed beneath his feet, causing the void to tremble.

His aura was still at the Great Luo realm, but the pressure he exerted not only did not weaken, but instead grew stronger.

The cultivators in the square were mostly forced to the ground by their lower cultivation levels, with only those at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level able to barely hold on. Even a veteran powerhouse like Zhen Yuanzi felt a faint sense of pressure.

Chi Jingzi, who was being given special "care," turned ashen-faced. He found himself unable to move, as if he were being held firmly by an invisible hand. If he did not resist with all his might, he would probably end up in the same sorry state as those low-level cultivators.

Haotian walked to the center of the square, stopped, and slowly scanned the crowd with his gaze.

With that single glance, everyone felt as if their very being had been laid bare, leaving them with no secrets whatsoever.

"I am Haotian." His voice was calm, yet it possessed an undeniable majesty. "Lord of the Heavenly Court, Great Heavenly Venerable of the Three Realms."

"Fellow Daoists have come from afar, and I should treat you with the utmost courtesy. However..."

His gaze fell on Chi Jingzi, and the corners of his lips slightly lifted.

"Just now, while I was in the palace, I seemed to hear someone questioning me?"

Chi Jingzi froze, forcing himself to say, "I...I..."

"No need to explain," Haotian interrupted him. "You are a disciple of the Chan Sect, a disciple of Senior Brother Yuanshi. This time, I will give Senior Brother Yuanshi face. If you speak rudely again next time, I will teach you the rules of the prehistoric world."

Having said that, he withdrew his suppressive power.

"Hmph! The Heavenly Emperor has overstepped his bounds." Guang Chengzi snorted coldly and stepped forward. "The disciples of a sage are taught by the sage himself. The Heavenly Emperor's words are presumptuous."

As the senior disciple of the Chan Sect, how could he sit idly by and watch his junior brother be humiliated? Moreover, this matter concerns the reputation of the Chan Sect, so he should step forward.

Haotian did not argue with him. In the primordial world, strength reigns supreme; why waste words? He ignored Guang Chengzi and addressed the crowd, proclaiming loudly:

"As you can see, the Heavenly Court is newly established and everything needs to be rebuilt. I will not deny that the Heavenly Court is currently weak in both military and generals, and is indeed no match for those great religions and powers that have been established for thousands of years."

The cultivators exchanged bewildered glances, not expecting the Heavenly Emperor to be so candid.

"However—" Haotian's tone suddenly sharpened as he changed the subject, "The Heavenly Court was personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor and is ordained by Heaven. The vastness of the Three Realms and the expanse of the Primordial World are all under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction. I have invited you all here today not to show off or to demonstrate my power, but simply to tell you one thing."

He paused, then said, word by word:

"From this day forward, the Heavenly Court shall officially open its doors to talented individuals."

"Regardless of birth, social status, or race, as long as one is of good character and sincerely submits, one will have a place in the Heavenly Court!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the square.

"Really? Regardless of background?"

"The Heavenly Court is casting a wide net!"

"But Heaven's resources are limited; how many people can it support?"

"Let's wait and see..."

Haotian ignored the crowd's discussions and continued, "Of course, I also know that some of you are just here to watch the show, and some of you are even here on your master's orders to investigate the Heavenly Court's movements."

He smiled slightly, a smile that held a profound meaning.

"It's alright. I will tell you clearly that the Heavenly Court is the place that maintains the order of the primordial world, and anyone who disrupts the order of the primordial world will be punished by the Heavenly Court."

Having said that, he gently raised his right hand.

boom--

The ancient stars suddenly shone brightly! The thirty-three heavens trembled violently!

Everyone felt that a power capable of destroying the world was gathering in Haotian's hand, as if he could turn this square and everyone else into nothingness with just a thought.

That power lasted only three breaths before vanishing without a trace.

Haotian lowered his hand, his expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

"Disperse. Those who wish to stay, go and register with Venus. Those who wish to leave, the Heavenly Court will not see you off."

After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the Lingxiao Palace without looking back.

The square was completely silent.

After a long silence, a trembling voice finally rang out:

"This...this is really a Great Immortal? You're kidding me..."

Many people in the crowd looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and awe.

Those who originally harbored ill intentions were now deathly pale, devoid of any further thoughts.

They finally understood one thing—

This Heavenly Emperor is by no means a benevolent person.