Chapter Eighty-Five: The "Might" of the Celestial Court

The Heavenly Court had entered a period of rapid development. Whether it was the celestial soldiers and generals, or the cultivation of Haotian and the Jade Pool herself, all had become a formidable force within the Great Wilderness. Of course, this could not have happened without the extraordinary contributions of the Spiritual Sect. Whenever any power dared to defy the Heavenly Court, before the Old Man Under the Moon even needed to speak, Haotian would command the Star Lords of the Celestial Cycle to suppress the rebellion. In this way, who in the Three Realms did not know the majesty of Haotian, the Supreme Emperor?

Yet, as the influence of the Heavenly Court grew in the Great Wilderness, both Haotian and the Jade Pool increasingly sensed the Spiritual Sect disciples had become a force too great for them to control, creating an invisible rift between them. It wasn’t until one day, when Haotian no longer relied on the power of the Star Lords’ celestial bodies, that he approached the Old Man Under the Moon. The Old Man understood Haotian’s intentions at once: “You merely wish to deny me my share of the spoils. If so, I’ll simply withdraw from the world.” Thus, Haotian and the Old Man came to an agreement: without Haotian’s explicit permission, the disciples of the Spiritual Sect would remain at their own doors, forbidden from participating in battle.

In truth, when the disciples of the Spiritual Sect first came to aid Haotian in establishing the Heavenly Court, they did so with a sense of condescension. Now, having outlived their usefulness, they found themselves cast aside, which was infuriating. But the Old Man Under the Moon merely said to his disciples, “His misfortune will come.” This was a veiled warning that, without the protection of the Spiritual Sect, the Heavenly Court was bound to stumble.

Hearing their teacher’s words, the disciples’ resentment lessened, though now they eagerly awaited to see just how Haotian, the lord of the Heavenly Court, would suffer his fall.

At this time, the Heavenly Court’s strength was immense: there was the “famous” diplomat, the Great White Star Lord; the Barefoot Immortal who never wore shoes; Haotian’s troublesome sister, the Celestial Jade Yao; and Marshal Tianpeng, commander of one hundred thousand water troops of the Heavenly River—

Since the agreement with the Old Man Under the Moon, the Spiritual Sect’s disciples no longer spoke up at major court affairs, instead watching coldly from the sidelines. Thus, the Heavenly Court became the stage for Haotian and the Jade Pool alone.

“Regarding the remnant Witch Tribe, what do you all advise?” Haotian’s imperial presence was now more commanding than ever, his kingly aura subduing all, none daring to meet his gaze.

“In my humble opinion, they should be appeased.” This was the Witch Tribe—he himself, being one of the Three Pure Ones, was deeply entwined with them. The remaining witch clans must be preserved, especially as they had all but become humans, protected only by a handful of powerful Great Witches.

Tongtian knew what was to come—wasn’t there supposed to be the event of Xing Tian rebelling against heaven? Xing Tian was from the Witch Tribe, and this would grant the Heavenly Court a thread of hope. Should this fiend appear, wouldn’t he turn the Heavenly Court upside down?

“I second the Old Man Under the Moon’s words,” Great White Star Lord stepped forward, bowing to Haotian.

Even Great White Star Lord, whom Haotian regarded as his confidant, had spoken up, which infuriated Haotian.

Now was the perfect time for the sons of the Heavenly Court to win titles and glory, and an opportunity to raise the Court’s prestige to its peak. But why was this so?

In the Great Wilderness, only a handful of powers were truly formidable: the Four Sages and their sects, the goddess Nuwa who had not established a sect herself, and the Witch Tribe, who had always been at odds with the Heavenly Court. The sects had their sages above them, so Haotian could not act against them directly. As for the Demon Tribe, Nuwa herself watched over them, and the Heavenly Court was powerless despite the richness of their “resources.”

The Netherworld and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were already within Tongtian’s sphere of influence, yet Tongtian had ceded them to the Heavenly Court for governance, further bolstering the Court’s fortunes. Haotian could not help but consider ways to check Tongtian’s power.

Tongtian was on good terms with Empress Houtu of the Underworld, so attacking the Witch Tribe was a direct slap to Tongtian’s face. Haotian believed it was time to break free of the Spiritual Sect’s control and thus sought to test Tongtian’s limits—attacking the Witch Tribe was his way of probing the sage’s bottom line.

But Tongtian responded with cold indifference: “You wish to shame me? Then be prepared to pay the price!”

In the end, not even Great White Star Lord and the others could stop the ambitious Haotian, while the Jade Pool stood by her husband, cheering him on. This made all the celestial generals see clearly who truly ruled the Heavenly Court.

At this moment, the Old Man Under the Moon cast a glance at the Jade Pool’s belly. “You want to challenge me? Then let Princess Longji be born, and as for—” His gaze shifted to Jade Yao, and a look of disdain appeared on his face.

The mighty soldiers and generals of the Heavenly Court finally revealed their true nature. Banners were raised, war drums sounded, and they surrounded the remnant Witch Tribe in overwhelming force.

“Can the Heavenly Court not grant us mercy and spare our lives?” Suddenly, from among the terrified witches, one stepped forward and pleaded to the heavens.

A bolt of black lightning crashed down, aiming for the witch, but with agile movements, they narrowly dodged it.

Marshal Tianpeng revealed himself in the sky, declaring to the witches below, “You of the Witch Tribe are abandoned by the heavens. How dare you expect mercy? Only by vanishing from the Great Wilderness can you fulfill your fate.”

This is why Marshal Tianpeng, though a divine general of the Heavenly Court, eventually entered the animal realm of the Six Paths. Having sown the seeds today, he would have to make amends in the future.

“If heaven will not tolerate my tribe, then my name shall be Xing Tian. ‘Tian’ means to overturn; ‘Xing’ means to slay.” Thus spoke the fearless deity Xing Tian, who bowed to no power.

These words seemed to enrage Marshal Tianpeng, who at his command poured three thousand torrents of weak water from the Heavenly River. In his effort to protect his people, Xing Tian was captured; all the witches were slaughtered, and Xing Tian taken to the Heavenly Court.

The moment Xing Tian declared his name, “Xing Tian,” a cold wind swept through the Hall of Supreme Harmony—a place where the wind had never blown before—sending a chill through all the celestial generals.

Haotian, watching Xing Tian’s oath through the Celestial Mirror, snorted angrily, dispersing the foul wind with a wave, and ordered Marshal Tianpeng to intensify the campaign against the witches—but the one calling himself Xing Tian must be kept alive for the Emperor’s punishment!

Xing Tian was bound and brought to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Haotian said to him, “Since you are so stubborn, you shall go to meet your father, Pangu.”

With a grand wave, he was about to drag Xing Tian to the Execution Platform, when suddenly a voice rang out, “Your Majesty, wait! I have words for this Xing Tian.”

Haotian looked up—wasn’t that the Old Man Under the Moon? What could he want? “Granted,” Haotian replied, not giving it much thought.

“You impudent child, you dare make a move against me? You will soon know how deep the waters of the Great Wilderness run!” the Old Man thought to himself.

Stepping forward, the Old Man Under the Moon shouted at Xing Tian, “Who are you? Just a remnant of the Witch Tribe! How dare you defy the might of the Heavenly Court?” Yet even as he condemned Xing Tian, he secretly whispered, “Without your head, you still have your body! I will now impart to you the Great Art!”

Haotian watched the Old Man ranting, and his instincts told him the Old Man was up to something. He quickly interrupted the tirade and ordered Xing Tian to the Execution Platform.

The Execution Platform was forged from the source of innate star matter, able to suppress the powers of all demonkind. But Xing Tian was of the Witch Tribe; when his head was struck off, the art he had learned from the Old Man instantly fused within him. He broke his chains and sent the celestial generals flying.

Though beheaded, Xing Tian still had his body and, having mastered the Great Art, used his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth. With a thunderous roar, “Axe! Shield!” his left hand gripped a sharp axe and his right a sturdy shield, and he charged straight toward the Thirty-Three Heavens!

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Haotian’s gaze swept venomously over the Old Man Under the Moon. “This is the fate of those who defy the Heavenly Court!” he proclaimed.

The Old Man Under the Moon merely smacked his lips in silence, inwardly laughing coldly. “You were so arrogant—soon you’ll see what’s coming for you!”

Just then, a soldier burst in, prostrating before Haotian and shouting, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Xing Tian has breached the Thirty-Three Heavens!”