After Nuwa and Fuxi departed, Bai Mei addressed the assembled demons:
"As you have all heard, the two elders have entrusted us with the responsibility of overseeing you. Therefore, I hope you will all cooperate with my work!"
The demons nodded in agreement.
Bai Mei felt he had not only failed Nuwa and Fuxi's expectations but also feared that the many demon tribes originating from Buzhou Mountain might displease Nuwa and Fuxi. If they were driven away, he and the countless demons would truly have nowhere to go.
Bai Mei immediately spoke to everyone present: "The two elders dislike noise. Let us all manage our subordinates properly and refrain from acting recklessly, lest we displease them!"
Having just witnessed Nuwa and Fuxi, the demons knew Bai Mei was right. They quickly pledged that nothing of the sort would happen.
Although Bai Mei had been enlightened by Nuwa, he had only just gained sentience when Nuwa and Fuxi left Buzhou Mountain. He was unsure of their preferences.
He then said to the demons: "The two elders are cultivators who practice detachment. Unlike us, they dislike bloodshed. We must also restrain our subordinates and avoid causing trouble!"
After the demons agreed, Bai Mei could think of nothing more. He dismissed them, telling them to attend to their own affairs.
In the Demon Court, the demon generals dispatched by Di Jun had successfully subdued many major demon tribes, and the Demon Court was gradually growing stronger.
As Di Jun observed the increasing strength of the Demon Court, his bottleneck in the Imperial Great Dao finally showed signs of loosening. Di Jun then went into seclusion to cultivate with Tai Yi, leaving Bai Ze to manage the affairs of the Demon Court.
Bai Ze's performance during this time had impressed the other eleven demon generals, and they raised no objections to Di Jun's arrangement.
Upon arriving at the Demon Court with Di Jun and Tai Yi, Xi He and Chang Xi were also given residences there. The twelve demon generals, aware of their relationship with their Demon Emperor, treated both with great respect.
In the Five Zhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Hong Yun stubbornly lingered, refusing to leave Zhen Yuanzi's temple. Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of Earth Immortals, sensed that a great upheaval was brewing in the world.
Hong Yun watched Zhen Yuanzi staring blankly at the horizon, wondering why Zhen Yuanzi was not driving him away today.
Ever since Hong Yun had visited the Five Zhuang Temple with Tai Yi previously, he had resided there. During this time, Hong Yun had consumed almost all of Zhen Yuanzi's provisions.
Zhen Yuanzi had been urging Hong Yun to return to his Huoyun Cave, but Hong Yun's thick skin in Zhen Yuanzi's presence made him impossible to evict, no matter how Zhen Yuanzi tried.
Today, Zhen Yuanzi was unusually quiet. Hong Yun approached him and waved his hand in front of Zhen Yuanzi, saying, "Why aren't you chasing me away anymore? You used to drive me away every day, and now that you're silent, I'm starting to feel unaccustomed to it!"
Zhen Yuanzi rolled his eyes at Hong Yun and said sternly, "I feel that the world has changed. You should stay in my Five Zhuang Temple for now and do not leave lightly!"
Seeing Zhen Yuanzi's serious expression, Hong Yun knew he was not joking. He asked, "What have you sensed? Is it because of the establishment of the Demon Court some time ago?"
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head and replied, "I don't know, I just feel like the world is different! In any case, you stay here with me! This place is protected by the Book of Earth, and nothing will happen!"
Seeing Zhen Yuanzi's grave demeanor, Hong Yun decided to tease him. "You used to chase me away every day, and I'm tired of being here anyway. I was just planning to go back!"
As soon as Hong Yun finished speaking, Zhen Yuanzi stated decisively, "No. Even I cannot fathom what has happened in the world. If you go out, you might fall into danger. You should go into seclusion with me within the barrier of the Book of Earth! I will not let you leave!"
With that said, Zhen Yuanzi summoned Qing Feng and Ming Yue, instructed them to close the mountain, and then pulled Hong Yun towards the depths of the Five Zhuang Temple.
Hong Yun had not expected his casual joke to provoke such a strong reaction from Zhen Yuanzi.
Being dragged along by Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun struggled and said, "Brother Yu Shi, this is not right. Let go of me! This is imprisonment! Ah! Let go of me!"
...
On Mount Sumeru in the West, two Daoists sat facing each other. One of them spoke, "Senior Brother, I feel like this world has changed, yet I cannot discern the reason. Do you feel it?"
The other replied, "It has indeed changed. However, I don't feel it has any impact on us. Something major must be happening in the East!"
"The East? Senior Brother, wasn't that Daoist who broke one of my branches, stole our Six Roots Pure Staff, and beat us up last time from the East?"
Jieyin glanced at Zhun Ti and said, "That Daoist is Taishang, the eldest of the Kunlun Three Pure Ones!"
Upon hearing this, Zhun Ti's face contorted with malice. "Senior Brother, my cultivation has improved considerably recently. Why don't we two go to his Kunlun Mountain, retrieve the Six Roots Pure Staff, and beat up that 'Taishang' fellow? That would clear our grievances!"
Although Jieyin also wished to reclaim the Six Roots Pure Staff, he could not see through the current situation in the East. He replied, "Junior Brother, the heavenly secrets are unclear. We should not venture recklessly. Let's go in some time later!"
Hearing Jieyin's words, Zhun Ti could only nod. "As Senior Brother says, we will go some time later!"
Jieyin nodded and also took Zhun Ti into seclusion.
In the Nether Blood Sea, waves of blood surged and churned. A crimson figure deep within the blood sea muttered, "The heavenly secrets are obscure. It seems another major event is about to occur in this world!"
This blood sea was born from the residual impure blood of Pangu after his death during the creation of the world, mixed with the resentment of the Chaos Demon Gods who were slain by Pangu. It was a place of extreme impurity and malevolence.
The crimson figure was a being nurtured by this blood sea, named "Ancestor Ming He."
Ancestor Ming He sat upon a lotus platform, a supreme innate spiritual treasure. It shared the same origin as the Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus held by Tong Tian and was named the "Twelve-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus."
Seated upon this red lotus, it was impenetrable. It burned with karmic energy to produce karmic fire, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities, and was also a supreme defensive treasure.
To the left and right of Ancestor Ming He were two swords, named "Yuan Tu" and "A Bi." These were both born with Ming He. They could corrupt one's primordial spirit, damage one's physical body, kill without incurring karma, and possessed unparalleled killing intent, making them formidable weapons for Ming He.
The souls of all beings in heaven and earth gathered here after death, causing the place to become increasingly wicked and sinister.
Ancestor Ming He sensed the anomaly in the world but did not dwell on it, continuing his secluded cultivation.