After the sun set on this day, Fairy Qing Niao welcomed the last named female immortal on the roster. Afterward, she personally ascended the Nine Heavens, seeking an audience with the Celestial Empress outside the South Heaven Gate.
The demon saint guarding the South Heaven Gate welcomed her into the Celestial Empress's palace to meet Chang Xi.
Chang Xi wore a resplendent golden robe; the empress's court attire did not diminish her majesty.
She smiled faintly, "Thank you, Fairy Qing Niao, for your trouble."
Qing Niao's face showed neither sadness nor joy. She simply presented the golden ledger and said in a clear voice, "From this day forth, there shall be only the Celestial Empress's golden ledger in heaven and earth. The Western Kunlun has sealed its mountains and withdrawn from the world. We only hope, Your Majesty, that you will be benevolent towards all female immortals under heaven."
Celestial Empress Chang Xi smiled and said, "I shall not fail the Queen Mother's intentions."
Qing Niao bowed and turned to descend from the Heavenly Court.
She did not wish to linger in this place for another moment.
No one in the Heavenly Court troubled her. She was not merely an envoy representing the Queen Mother of the West, but a powerful being of heaven and earth herself. Even Chang Xi had to show her a measure of respect.
She stood outside the South Heaven Gate, gazing back at the Heavenly Court. She saw the sea of clouds rolling and churning for millions of miles, with demons and immortals settling down everywhere. Pavilions, terraces, waterside pavilions, and flowers, all resplendent and dazzling, with eaves sharply angled upwards.
The guarding great power, the Seven Xuan Demon Saint, smiled and said, "Fairy Qing Niao, have you taken a liking to the beautiful scenery of the Heavenly Court?"
Qing Niao nodded and said, "The Empress Wa is truly worthy of the name Master of Creation Dao; such remarkable skill!"
The Seven Xuan Demon Saint's face was suffused with pride. "Empress Wa's great divine abilities are unparalleled throughout the Primordial World."
As he spoke, a brilliant, pure white full moon suddenly rose from the Heavenly Court, illuminating the Nine Heavens.
A majestic voice descended from the Nine Heavens, directly reaching the ears of all beings.
"Today, I, Celestial Empress Chang Xi, the Sovereign of Guanghan, the Divine Being of Shaoyin, have received the names of all female immortals under heaven into the golden ledger. Those who reach the Xuanxian realm may receive an invitation to ascend the Immortal Ascension Terrace outside the South Heaven Gate!
I willingly abandon my divine status as Shaoyin, and for the countless demons under heaven, I seek virtue from the moon, bestowing the Great Yin Hua, named: Imperial Flowing Nectar, to nurture all demons!
From this day forth, there is no Divine Chang Xi on the Great Yin Star, only the Celestial Court's Five Emperors, Celestial Empress Xi He!"
The words shook heaven and earth, causing the sun and moon to shine together.
On the Great Yin Star, Chang E sighed, "Sister, is that man truly worth you forsaking your entire divine status, abandoning the moon and embracing the sun?"
All the demons under heaven bowed in gratitude. The ignorant demons only knew that a great figure in the Heavenly Court had bestowed blessings upon them, granting them more opportunities for the Great Dao.
However, the elder demons understood that Celestial Empress had sacrificed the nobility of being the Divine of Great Yin for all the demons under heaven.
The demons had never seen her face, yet all received her benevolence.
On the Great Yin Star, Chang E's divine status was assumed, and all the authority of the Great Yin fell upon her. She became the new Master of Great Yin!
The Great Yin poured down endless Imperial Flowing Nectar, surging into the earth and enlightening countless demons.
Chang Xi, no, now Celestial Empress Xi He, became the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.
Di Jun was the Demon Emperor, the Father of Ten Thousand Demons, and the Celestial Empress was the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.
Fu Xi was the Xi Emperor, the foremost of the demon race, and all demons addressed him as uncle or elder ancestor.
Eastern Emperor Tai Yi was the yang of all demons under heaven, the faith of the male demons, the extreme of yang.
Nu Wa was the yin of all demons under heaven, the faith of the female demons, the extreme of yin.
The Demon Ancestor was the progenitor of all demons under heaven, the ancestor of the demon race.
The Five Emperors and One Ancestor had thus established the demon race's bloodline and lineage, forming a complete tribal relationship. With a myriad of tribes, how difficult it was to become one race! Yet, the demons, this one race, had achieved it.
Upon Jian Mu, Qing Ling opened his eyes and observed the Primordial World below. The demons were excited and grateful, thriving and flourishing. The demons had become a unified race with a shared bloodline, and he could not help but feel joy.
As the Demon Ancestor, he ought to bring fortune to all demons.
For these countless demons under heaven, every demon called him Ancestor. All the countless demons under heaven would worship him, their Demon Ancestor, whether in the future or in the present.
Qing Ling extended a hand and bestowed the authority of the Dao upon the Dudang region.
Dudang already possessed spirits. This place, increasingly influenced by Qing Ling's wood Dao great abilities, grew closer to Jian Mu's aura, and spirits gradually emerged.
Qing Ling's enlightenment today caused Dudang to give birth to a divine being, the first Earth God in heaven and earth!
"This humble old man pays his respects to the Lord, and thanks the Lord for his compassion!"
A short, stooped old man bowed respectfully to Qing Ling.
Qing Ling said, "From now on, all who achieve Celestial Demon status in the Primordial World must be received by you to ascend the Immortal Ascension Terrace of the Heavenly Court."
The Dudang Earth God looked troubled and said, "This humble old man is willing, but I lack such great divine abilities."
Qing Ling smiled and said, "No matter! I grant you the authority to command Jian Mu's decree. Jian Mu's height allows one to observe all of the Primordial World. Whenever a Celestial Demon ascends, you shall mobilize Jian Mu's branches and leaves, transforming them into a heavenly ladder to help them ascend to the Nine Heavens!"
The Dudang Earth God was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Thank you, Lord!"
"You may go now!"
The Earth God busied himself with Jian Mu to carry out his duties.
With his great power, though not skilled in combat, he was protected by Jian Mu's branches. Even if powerful witches were to kill and obstruct him in the future, they would not be able to harm this little Earth God.
From then on, Celestial Demons constantly ascended to the Heavenly Court, with Jian Mu's heavenly ladder guiding them to the Immortal Ascension Terrace outside the South Heaven Gate.
Therefore, all demons under heaven regarded Jian Mu as an auspicious sign. Whenever Jian Mu appeared, a Celestial Demon was born.
The demon race was prosperous, and the witch race was also continuously growing stronger.
The witch race had already created witch script, possessing a method for civilizational inheritance. All witches were strong, natural warriors. Countless earth witches and heaven witches grew, even reaching the realms of Witch Elder and Witch Venerable. As their numbers continuously expanded, the strongest post-natal realm of the witch race, the Great Witch, emerged!
Upon the earth, the witch race was powerful, while the demon race was weak. Hence, the Heavenly Court dispatched twenty-eight Heavenly Demon Saints to descend upon the Primordial World and establish twenty-eight demon territories. All who entered the witch territory were killed.
The powerful witches naturally would not stand by idly. They deliberately chose not to prey on beings outside the twenty-eight territories, but exclusively hunted and killed beings within them.
Even if the witch race suffered casualties, they did not give up.
This was because beings within the twenty-eight territories were not necessarily demons, but all within the twenty-eight territories were demons!
They were the future foundation of the demon race, the new generation of demons. If these young demons were lost, the future of the demon race would be lost. The wisdom of the witch race was terrifyingly intelligent.
The conflict between the witches and demons intensified daily. How could the elders of the demon race in the Heavenly Court, who originated from the earth, stand by and watch the witches slaughter their own kin on the earth?
For a time, many great demons from the demon Heavenly Court descended, thousands upon thousands of demon lords, led by the twenty-eight demon saints, fighting against the witches to protect the countless beings within the twenty-eight territories.
However, the conflict between the two races stopped at the realm of Demon Saint and Great Witch.
Although a Great Witch's physical combat strength surpassed that of a Demon Saint, they lacked the Da Luo realm. The Demon Saints, with their divine abilities, formations, and mastery of heaven, earth, divination, the five elements, eight trigrams, sun, moon, and stars as formations, managed to barely protect their territories through careful planning.
...
In the blink of an eye, a Yuan Hui later.
On this day, a bloody killing aura swept across more than half of the Primordial World in an instant, arriving before Jian Mu. The person said with a wronged expression, "Dao Master, please seek justice for me!"
Qing Ling, seeing the visitor in such a disheveled state, could not help but chuckle. He descended Jian Mu and said with a half-smile, "How is it that you, the God of Slaughter, also have times when you need to seek help from others?"