"Then I must thank you, fellow Daoist." Upon hearing this, Queen Mother of the West smiled faintly. The days of being blocked at her gates by Donghuang Taiyi were finally coming to an end. Her so-called involvement with Yi Tianxing was nothing more than a staged act. Once the matter was over, they would part ways with no further entanglements. All that mattered was remembering this favor and repaying it when the time came.
"Donghuang Taiyi visits on the first and fifteenth of each month. That means… tomorrow is the fifteenth. He'll be coming to Kunlun," Yi Tianxing said after a moment of thought.
"Indeed. Then I must trouble you again, fellow Daoist," Queen Mother of the West responded once more. "The palace has already prepared quarters for your rest."
She turned to the side and called out, "Qingyu, take the Sacred King Yi to his residence."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A female immortal dressed in a cyan palace robe stepped forward. One could tell from her bearing alone that she was extraordinary—like one in ten thousand even among mortals. And unlike any worldly woman, she radiated a celestial grace that was both pleasing to the eye and soothing to the soul.
"Sacred King Yi, please come with me," the immortal named Qingyu said gently.
Yi Tianxing didn't hesitate. He nodded slightly to Queen Mother of the West and followed Qingyu toward his temporary residence. The Kunlun Heavenly Palace was vast—within it lay entire worlds. Countless palaces stood inside, with residences too many to count. Each was inhabited by celestial maidens of extraordinary beauty. Among female cultivators, once a certain realm was reached, one's life essence would transform, and it became nearly impossible to find anyone unattractive.
Since this was merely a Dharma body, there was no need for actual cultivation.
The night passed in silence.
At dawn, the sun rose slowly in the sky.
In the void, a red sun climbed into the heavens. If one looked closely, they might see a massive divine tree standing proudly within the burning sun—radiating majesty in all directions.
In East Kunlun, Yuanshi Tianzun opened his eyes from meditation. He looked toward the void with a hint of disdain and amusement in his gaze.
In Biyou Palace, the Lord of Heaven opened his eyes as well. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he gently flicked the body of the Azure Lotus Sword. The crisp sound of sword cries echoed through the palace.
"Another shameless scoundrel has emerged in this world. How boring. Truly boring," he muttered.
On the Lunar Star, within a divine palace, a peerless goddess opened her eyes and looked coldly toward Kunlun. Her expression darkened as she sneered, "Shameless beyond compare."
She was none other than the Innate Moon Goddess, born from the origin of the Lunar Star—also known as the Lunar Immortal Maiden. Her true name was Wangshu. A natural ruler of the Lunar Star, she had perished during the Great Cataclysm of the previous era. Now, reborn in this era, she had returned in seclusion to cultivate in the depths of the moon.
Besides her, the Lunar Star had also given rise to two other goddesses born of the Innate Lesser Yin Qi: Changxi and Xihe.
Together, the three were known throughout the Great Desolation as the Three Goddesses of the Lunar Star, with Wangshu as their leader.
In time, Xihe married Emperor Jun, while Changxi suffered an accident, reincarnated as Chang'e, and fell in love with Hou Yi—leaving behind a beautiful legend. But in Wangshu's eyes, Emperor Jun was nothing but a warlord, and Donghuang Taiyi? Even worse. A thick-skinned pest who had shamelessly lingered at Kunlun's gates for days on end.
Frankly, she felt nothing but contempt for Donghuang Taiyi.
To her, he had no dignity whatsoever—certainly not worthy of being called a great power.
On Mount Sumeru, beneath a colossal Bodhi Tree, sat two figures—one with a solemn expression, the other smiling. They were none other than Jieyin and Zhunti.
Zhunti chuckled and said, "Senior brother, it seems Donghuang Taiyi has reached a realm where face and shamelessness are indistinguishable. I should follow his lead and catch up."
Jieyin shook his head. "Junior brother, your reincarnated avatar has perished. It's time to cultivate in earnest. Set aside other matters for now. The War of the Era is what truly matters."
"Don't worry, senior brother. The War of the Era won't happen until the era's end. In the meantime, we should still compete where we must. In my view, that broken Supreme Ancestral Vein should be retrieved when the opportunity arises."
Zhunti spoke calmly.
Although the War of the Era was far off, improving one's cultivation was still the most pressing task. At their level, advancement was extremely difficult. The only things that could help them were fortune, karmic position, or the highest-level resources. For fortune, even supreme powers like them had to personally fight.
"That monkey has returned to origin. It's not yet his time to emerge. However, before returning, he scattered countless strands of his hair into reincarnation. Some of them have achieved remarkable things. Perhaps we can make use of them," Jieyin said.
Supreme ancestral veins were treasures none could ignore—not even them.
"Rest assured, senior brother. I've already sent people to prepare. No one should dare compete with us for this ancestral vein," Zhunti said confidently. "If anyone dares interfere, we may just chop off their hand."
"Now, with the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans stationed beyond the heavens, and the Calamity Qi just beginning to dissipate, the laws of heaven and earth are at their clearest. This is a rare chance to face the world's origin directly. Junior brother, let's return to comprehending the Dao. We must strive to go even further. The Hunyuan Realm is not the end—it's merely another step."
Jieyin nodded solemnly.
Whoosh!!
Suddenly, a golden rainbow light streaked across the void from the Solar Star and landed above Western Kunlun.
There stood a man in a golden imperial robe, exuding an aura of absolute dominance. His golden eyes radiated defiance and imperial majesty—an innate emperor through and through.
Donghuang Taiyi, the Demon Emperor!!
In that instant, countless eyes across heaven and earth turned toward him—some with dread, some with envy, others with disdain. But none of it fazed Donghuang Taiyi in the slightest. He acted as though they didn't exist.
His shamelessness had long since been tempered to perfection.
"Taiyi requests an audience with fellow Daoist Jinmu. I hope for a meeting," he called out loudly.
His voice echoed across the entire Kunlun Mountain Range. At that moment, he truly abandoned all pretenses. What did dignity matter to a sovereign? Once crowned, modesty and shame were discarded like old clothes.
"Donghuang Taiyi, give it up. I will not see you. As a supreme power of the world, do you not feel shame behaving like this?" Queen Mother of the West's voice rang out, cold and unyielding.
"There's a saying among mortals: 'Graceful lady, noble suitor.' Taiyi is merely pursuing his own happiness. What is there to be ashamed of?" Donghuang Taiyi said calmly with a smile.
Clearly, he had no intention of leaving without achieving his goal.
If he couldn't enter, then he would wait.
He had time. He had patience.
"Well then, Donghuang. Since you won't give up, I'll make you give up. I already have a Dao companion," Queen Mother of the West said icily.
"…What?"
At that moment, from across the world, shocked gasps rang out from countless supreme experts in their secluded realms. None had expected this twist.
Queen Mother of the West had a Dao companion? There had never been even a whisper of such a thing. The revelation was utterly stunning—enough to leave minds reeling.
Yet no one dared to say for sure if it was true or not. In this post-cataclysmic era where even heavenly secrets were obscured, no one could easily divine the affairs of other top-tier beings.
Still, Queen Mother of the West was not one to sully her own name. As a woman, her reputation mattered—such things were no laughing matter.
"You must be joking, fellow Daoist Jinmu. There's no need to tarnish your own name just to fool me," Donghuang Taiyi said grimly, his smile vanishing.
"Hmph. Matters concerning my name are not to be joked about," Queen Mother of the West replied coldly.
"Who is it? Dongwang gong?" Donghuang Taiyi said with a frosty expression.
If it were really Dongwang gong, he wouldn't mind another fight.
"It is I."
A voice echoed through the void. Then, a figure appeared out of thin air before the gates of Kunlun Mountain.
It was none other than Yi Tianxing.
He stood proudly in the air, his aura no less powerful than Donghuang Taiyi's. The two seemed evenly matched, neither showing the slightest fear.
"You… Yi Tianxing, Sacred King of the Great Yi Sacred Court," Donghuang Taiyi recognized him instantly, his brows furrowing as a chill flashed through his gaze—murderous intent faintly brewing.
"It's him!"
"So it's Sacred King Yi!"
"Who would have thought it'd be him? How did Queen Mother of the West become involved with Yi Tianxing?"
"Wait... I remember now! Yi Tianxing attended two of those recent supreme gatherings—both with Queen Mother of the West present. And the last one was held inside the Great Yi Sacred Court itself. It must've happened then!"
"Still, how did no one catch wind of this? That's some next-level secrecy."
All across the realms, countless supreme beings erupted in excitement. This gossip was too explosive—far too delicious to ignore.
Most of them spent their time cultivating, comprehending the Dao, and deepening their own great paths. There was little entertainment in their lives. But now?
Now, the drama unfolding at Kunlun had lit a blazing fire of curiosity in every heart.
Even the top beings among the myriad races—like the Beast God of the beastmen, Chi You of the barbarians, Jehovah of the angelic gods, Tianyi of the winged ones, and the Eye Ancestor of the three-eyed gods—were all riveted.
A grand show was about to begin.