The sky rumbled with rolling thunderclouds, the Heavenly Dao enraged. Lightning tribulations boiled like water, roaring incessantly, yet never descended.
This was because the Heavenly Dao commanded celestial punishments, while the Queen Mother of the West controlled the thunderous ones!
She was the God of the Western Hua Taiyin, her destiny inherently above all Immortals, the highest in status. Just as the East King Duke represented the Yang, she was the Yin; only with both Yin and Yang could perfection be achieved.
Furthermore, the Queen Mother had invited three supreme great powers today!
Dou Mu Yuan Jun and Bi Xia Yuan Jun were both beings that the Heavenly Dao protected, not punished.
Even counting Qing Ling, the Heavenly Dao had no cause or consequence to punish.
This was a matter of sheer numbers, where strength in numbers rendered punishment impossible.
In Qing Ling's view, this was the power of a team. The Queen Mother of the West had effectively rallied Dou Mu Yuan Jun and Bi Xia Yuan Jun, both incredibly high-ranking female Immortals in Taoism. As fellow female Immortals, they naturally gravitated together.
The Queen Mother of the West let out a cold laugh. Her Plain Cloud Realm Banner rose, auspicious clouds shimmering with myriad splendors. Ten thousand Immortals ascended to Lotus Mountain, the bright star visible from afar. The Queen Mother, with her elegant hands, held a hibiscus, her steps light as she ascended the Taiqing. Her flowing robes trailed like wide sashes, her figure dancing as she ascended into the heavens.
"If the Heavenly Punishment wishes to descend, let it! I wish to see how you, this Heavenly Dao, shall punish the Immortal Path!"
The Queen Mother stepped onto the sacrificial platform, her cloud-like hair adorned with bejeweled hairpins, her imposing presence radiating to all nine directions.
She still proclaimed the celestial testimony that had been snatched away!
Her possessions could not be easily taken just by being a step ahead!
"Today, I, the ruler of the Western Kunlun, the Queen Mother of the West, as the foremost of all Immortals, the King of Immortals!
I possess a banner, the Plain Cloud Realm Banner; when its pennant sways, ten thousand Immortals gather from all directions.
I possess a register, the Queen Mother's Golden Register; its pages record all female Immortals who have ascended to Golden Immortal status in the mortal world.
I possess a law, the Queen Mother's Immortal Punishment; I hold dominion over the Immortal Path, wielding lightning!"
As her words fell, the vast heavens seemed to stretch infinitely, the myriad void forming a Taiji diagram. Thunderous might descended upon the world, divine lightning in the form of dragons and snakes snaked through the air. Billions of lightning bolts illuminated the peak of Western Kunlun, illuminating the Queen Mother of the West, whose divine position was now enshrined in the hearts of all Immortals.
Immortals from all four directions prostrated themselves, their voices rising in unison, "Greetings, Queen Mother!"
"Greetings, Queen Mother!"
"Greetings, Queen Mother!"
Qing Ling's mind raced, considering various possibilities. He stepped forward, "The Queen Mother has established her status as Immortal King at the Western Kunlun. From this day forth, she commands the path of all Immortals. May the Earth bear witness!"
With these words, between Heaven and Earth, the Earth acknowledged!
This time, it was the Earthly Dao that recognized and initiated the Heaven-Earth authentication!
A smile bloomed on the Queen Mother's face, her gratitude unspoken.
Qing Ling returned her smile and then looked towards the sky.
In the Primordial World, any matter, whether involving great powers or the Great Dao, required the recognition of Heaven and Earth to be considered legitimate and truly accepted.
Now that the Earthly Dao had acknowledged, the pressure fell entirely upon the Heavenly Dao.
After all, the Heavenly Dao had already acknowledged the East King Duke as the foremost of all Immortals.
But if the Earthly Dao initiated the Heaven-Earth authentication, the Heavenly Dao had to respond!
The gazes of all beings were fixed on the long-brewing but yet-to-descend heavenly tribulation. The Heavenly Dao itself seemed to carry a heavier burden.
The Heavenly Dao found itself in a dilemma. The old sage on Jade Capital Mountain reluctantly opened his eyes, his words lightly transmitted to all beings:
"The East King Duke is the foremost of all male Immortals, and the Queen Mother of the West is the foremost of all female Immortals. These two Immortal Kings shall jointly govern the Immortals of Heaven and Earth!"
The rolling thunder of the Heavenly Dao dispersed. A portion of merit descended upon the Queen Mother of the West. She swept her sleeve, collecting the Xuanhuang energy, and looked at everyone with a smile, saying, "Today, I thank all my fellow Daoists."
The assembled Immortals quickly responded that they dared not accept such thanks.
The three supreme great powers merely expressed that the Queen Mother was too polite.
Dou Mu Yuan Jun and Bi Xia Yuan Jun had done nothing apparent, yet their mere presence had accomplished much.
Qing Ling's endorsement of the Earthly Dao had secured her position as the legitimate Immortal King. While the outcome was two Immortal Kings, it was still no easy feat.
After all, the Heavenly Dao was supreme, above all their Daos. Any so-called victory was merely a form of containment.
The Queen Mother of the West smiled, widely inviting guests from all directions. Besides the three supreme great powers, five or six great powers of Heaven and Earth attended, along with over a dozen Grand Unity Golden Immortals and numerous Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals.
The Immortals commenced a grand banquet, their laughter and conversation filling the air. Auspicious clouds stretched for thousands of miles. Displays of Immortal arts, elixirs, and rare delicacies were abundant. The Immortals chatted about the affairs of the world, far removed from the suffering of the mortal realm, living lives of freedom and ease.
At the same moment, on the Sun Star, Di Jun said to Tai Yi, "The Primordial World is gradually becoming peaceful. Why don't we go for a tour?"
Tai Yi shook his head, "Eldest Brother, it's best not to venture carelessly into the Primordial World. It appears peaceful, but it is fraught with hidden dangers. With your and my cultivation, neither being a great power nor having reached the Quasi-Saint realm, we might encounter peril."
Di Jun smiled, "Without danger, how can one achieve the Dao? Ultimately, we must venture beyond this Sun Star!"
Tai Yi, seeing his resolve, reluctantly replied, "But my current cultivation is at a critical juncture. It will take at least one Yuan Hui before I can complete it!"
Di Jun chuckled, "No matter. I can go alone. If you can harness the True Fire of the Black Phoenix Saint King's nascent soul for your own use, you will become immortal. From then on, you can shield me from disaster!"
The brothers shared a laugh. The Golden Crow's heart was one, the sun was singular, grand and brilliant.
A Golden Crow flew into the Primordial World. Di Jun, this highly ambitious Daoist, began his ascent onto the stage of the Primordial World!
On Jade Capital Mountain, Hong Jun gazed towards Western Kunlun, silent.
This event made him realize the threat posed by the united ancient great powers. For the Heavenly Dao to fully control the Primordial World, it had to reclaim the innate authority of these great powers!
Hong Jun frowned deeply. If not for the variable of the ancient great god Ku Rong, he would have already become a Saint. Now, the inscrutable destiny of the Heavenly Dao, as time progressed, had likely undergone changes.
In the Eastern Wasteland, myriad bats flew through the sky, a hundred leopards traversed the clouds. A palanquin descended, and Qing Ling returned to Du Guang.
On the twenty-first heaven, Qing Ling stood alone at a high vantage point, surveying the winds and clouds of the world below.
To the east of the Eastern Wasteland, above the Eastern Sea, a powerful aura pressed down like a mountain, turning the Eastern Sea into a prison, confining dragons in an abyss!
Hong Jun's schemes were truly terrifying.
With such a foremost male Immortal residing in the Eastern Sea, gathering the vital energies of the four directions, how could the Dragon Clan possibly grow stronger?
In the Four Dragon Palaces, the four young Dragon Kings could only remain confined to their palaces. As for governing the Four Seas, it was a mere mockery.
The Ancestral Dragon Huang Long had not intervened. After all, when the Dragon Clan ruled the Primordial Seas, the Ancestral Dragon and the other ancestors merely served as a deterrent; they never directly intervened.
A powerful race was far more than just a single strong individual.
The four Dragon Kings would grow step by step, starting from controlling their Dragon Palaces, gradually venturing out, and using their own strength to truly govern the Four Seas, rather than merely holding the title of Dragon King!
On Penglai Immortal Island in the Eastern Sea, the ancestors of many vassal clans who had betrayed the Dragon Clan had mostly come here, becoming guests of the East King Duke.
The male Immortals of the world would gradually gather at Penglai Immortal Island, and the female Immortals would gather at Western Kunlun. Before the Wu Clan and the Demon Clan grew powerful, these two major forces would be the top-tier powers of the Primordial World.
However, unlike the domineering Three Clans, the foremost of Immortals was not a ruler of the Primordial World. Immortals were difficult to restrain. These two major forces were like an organization, rather than a state with cohesive power.
Qing Ling stared at Penglai Immortal Island for a long time. His objective had been achieved.
At least, the foremost of male and female Immortals had become adversaries, rather than harmoniously co-ruling the Primordial World as Immortal Kings.
The current Qing Ling merely had to wait patiently for his second ally to emerge: the Demon Clan!
The East King Duke was appointed by the Dao Ancestor and recognized by the Heavenly Dao. Qing Ling had no reason to act against him.
Moreover, with the East King Duke now having severed two corpses and with numerous male Immortals by his side, any conflict would result in losses for the inhabitants of the Eastern Wasteland.
He and the East King Duke, or Mu Gong, were fated enemies!
Each was striving to bring about the other's demise!
Although the East King Duke was now an Immortal King, seemingly holding the initiative, Qing Ling held the advantage of being the Ancestor of the Wood Dao on the Great Dao.
Furthermore, the Primordial World was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with many great powers. Many recognized him as the Immortal King, but many others did not!
However, with the immense fortune bestowed upon the East King Duke, his strength was likely growing rapidly.
Qing Ling mused that to surpass the protagonists of an era, one was destined to tread an unconventional path!
He once again looked towards his future self, seated amidst a sea of彼岸 flowers.
Simultaneously, in the ancestral lair of the Dragon Clan, Huang Long also raised his head to look at Jian Mu.
The three looked at each other. They were himself, yet they were three distinct individuals!
Qing Ling looked at his future and past selves. His past self carried the karma of the Dragon Clan, making it difficult to alter significantly.
It seemed that his plans must now focus on his future self.
For the future was unknown, and within the unknown lay all possibilities!
A smile flickered in Qing Ling's eyes as he slowly said, "Daoist Friend Qing Xuan, it is time for you to emerge!"