The ten Golden Crows of the Demon Clan were born, bringing great joy to the Heavenly Emperor and the entire Demon Clan. Ten princes, not nine princes and one crown prince.
The Heavenly Court had a tradition of five emperors. If these ten princes were to achieve Emperor-level combat strength, they would naturally become the new generation of the ten emperors of the Demon Clan!
The Demon Clan rejoiced. With the Heavenly Emperor having princes, and the Demon Clan having princes, it was equivalent to the Demon Clan having descendants and a lineage. The emperors of the Demon Clan would all stabilize the Demon Clan, greatly contributing to the stability and unity of the entire race.
The Heavenly Realm celebrated, and the Heavenly Emperor widely invited powerful beings from all directions. From the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, any renowned powerful being received an invitation. Angels of the Heavenly Court were dispatched to the dojos of these powerful beings, offering congratulations on the thousandth birthday of the ten princes.
Of course, there was no need to send invitations to the Witch Clan; they would not have come even if invited. Thus, the Witch and Demon Clans tacitly ignored each other.
Among the powerful beings who received invitations, some attended in person, some sent disciples, and some chose not to attend.
In short, on the thousandth birthday of the ten Golden Crows, the South Heavenly Gate of the Heavenly Court was wide open, guarded by thirty-six Demon Saints and overseen by three Demon Gods. Guests arrived and departed ceaselessly.
Normally a rare sight, Da Luo Golden Immortals were now ubiquitous in the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court was divided into three grand banquets. Female immortals went to the Empress's Palace, while male immortals were divided into the Upper and Lower Palaces for powerful beings. Ordinary immortals or those who came to offer congratulations could enter the Heavenly Court and witness the grand occasion. The powerful beings above the ordinary were hosted by the Heavenly Emperor in the Myriad Stars Palace.
Besides the Demon Saints of the Heavenly Court, attendees included rogue cultivators from the East Sea, powerful beings from the Ten Continents and Three Islands, reclusive powerful beings from the North, and powerful beings from the West and South.
The hundreds of seats were divided into three tiers: lower, middle, and upper. The lower seats were naturally for unattached rogue cultivator powerful beings. The middle seats were also for rogue cultivator powerful beings, but those who had achieved Heaven and Earth power or had severed one corpse, as well as some ancient powerful beings or a few venerable powerful beings who sent disciples in their stead.
The highest tier of seats, numbering just over thirty, comprised renowned ancient powerful beings and patriarchs who were objects of worship for countless cultivators.
Among them were the Three Immortals of Fortune, Longevity, and Prosperity from Penglai Island. They managed Penglai Immortal Island, a sacred land for rogue cultivators, and held significant influence in the East Sea.
There was Zhen Yuanzi, revered as the Ancestor of Earth Immortals by countless gods of mountains, rivers, and lands.
There was Ming He of the Sea of Blood, whose mere presence exuded an awe-inspiring murderous aura.
There was Daoist Burning Lamp from Spirit Vulture Mountain in the West, who, though not widely known, had already severed two corpses.
There was an attendee from the Phoenix Clan of the Southern Undying Volcano, Chong Ming, who had been suppressed by Qing Ling in the past, but was now a supreme powerful being of the twenty-fourth heaven.
Of the three ancient clans, the Qilin Clan was the most reclusive. The Demon Clan could not even send them an invitation, so naturally, no one came. The Four Dragon Kings of the Four Seas from the Dragon Clan did attend, but they were seated at most in the middle tier.
Although Queen Mother of the West was not present, her seat was reserved. For these supreme powerful beings, whether they attended or not, a seat was set once an invitation was sent, showing respect even if it remained empty.
Several Grand Elders from major Southern sects, though only newly entering the supreme realm, also occupied the upper seats. In total, there were about sixteen or seventeen supreme powerful beings seated.
There were still many supreme powerful beings in the Primordial World who did not attend, did not receive invitations, and chose to ignore the Demon Clan.
Many more powerful beings had already entered the outer chaos of the heavens, and would not return unless a boundless kalpa occurred. Coupled with those who lived in seclusion and were unknown, this was the extent of the attendees.
Three of the five Saints were present. Among the Three Pure Ones, only Tong Tian came, taking the position of honored guest on the right. Zhun Ti and Jie Yin sat in the honored guest position on the left.
In the center, directly above the main hall, was the resplendent seat of the Heavenly Emperor. To the right of the Heavenly Emperor's seat was the Demon Ancestor's seat, and to the left was the Eastern Emperor's seat. To the right of Qing Ling was the Demon Master's seat, and to the left of Tai Yi was the Xi Huang's seat, which remained even though he had fallen. As for the Empress, she was hosting the female immortals in the Empress's Palace and thus did not require a seat here.
In the Primordial World, the right was considered more honorable, and the weight of the Demon Clan's several Emperor-level figures was evident to all the powerful beings.
Tong Tian sat in the honored guest position on the right. To his right was Zhen Yuanzi, and further right were the Three Immortals of Fortune, Longevity, and Prosperity, followed by several supreme powerful beings of less renown. Behind Tong Tian stood his two disciples, Duobao and Jin Ling, silent. All the powerful beings were waiting for the arrival of the hosts.
Tong Tian was surprised. He had assumed that in the Heavenly Court, excluding Nuwa, the Eastern Emperor would be second only to the Heavenly Emperor. Now, it seemed the Demon Ancestor was the second most influential figure. He felt curiosity, hostility stemming from his brother's rivalry, and a sense of mystery towards the Demon Ancestor. This was what his eldest brother had told him.
Opposite him, Zhun Ti saw the two behind Tong Tian and smiled, "Senior Brother Tong Tian, your two disciples are truly rare in their innate intelligence. They would be worthy of being your personal disciples."
Tong Tian laughed heartily, "Junior Brother Zhun Ti flatters me. It is their fortune that my humble disciples have caught your eye. Quickly thank your Uncle-Master?"
Duobao and Jin Ling stepped forward and bowed, "Thank you, Uncle-Master, for your praise. We juniors are unworthy." Although Tong Tian spoke with humility, his face clearly showed pride. It was natural for a master to be pleased with his disciples' excellence.
Zhen Yuanzi sat silently, his gaze fixed between his eyes and nose, his nose and mouth, speaking not a word. Behind him, Qing Feng and Ming Yue also maintained stern faces, daring not to laugh. A celestial attendant respectfully poured him a cup of Nine Heavens Nectar. In the attendant's eyes, there was suppressed envy. This cup of Nine Heavens Nectar alone was worth more than ten thousand years of hard cultivation for a Golden Immortal. Yet, these powerful beings treated it with such indifference.
Finding it uninteresting, Zhen Yuanzi took a sip of the nectar, acknowledging it as a rare delicacy.
Just then, Fu Lao, one of the Three Immortals of Fortune, Longevity, and Prosperity beside him, subtly transmitted, "Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuan, how have you been lately?"
Zhen Yuanzi was startled and transmitted back, "Thanks to Old Fortune Star's good fortune, everything is naturally well. After the banquet, I was still planning to borrow more of your good luck, Old Fortune Star!"
Fu Lao transmitted back with a joyous laugh, "Grand Immortal elevates me. Grand Immortal, your cultivation is profound. I heard you were favored by the Lord of Earth some years ago and entered the path of Earth. I am no match for you. I would have thought you the most leisurely of all. How did you get involved in this murky situation?"
Zhen Yuanzi was surprised, "Murky situation? Old Fortune Star, are you referring to the Demon Clan using this banquet to accomplish something significant?"
Fu Lao sighed, "Naturally. The Demon Clan is ascendant now, and even the Witch Clan yields to them. I fear the Demon Clan intends to drag us supreme powerful beings into their affairs."
Zhen Yuanzi feigned ignorance while understanding clearly, "I heard that the three elders were ordered by the Demon Ancestor in the past to succeed Dong Wang Gong in managing Penglai Immortal Island. You must have a deep connection with the Demon Ancestor, so you can rest assured."
Fu Lao felt bitter. There was no deep connection. The Demon Ancestor had merely helped the three of them back then. Today's banquet, relying on that shallow connection with the Demon Ancestor, might not allow them to escape unscathed.