The Eternal God Emperor and the Demon Ancestor

Chapter 88 Dan Yuan Conference 4

The Western Confucian Realm is a Confucian and Taoist force that was established by the Heavenly Realm. Its initial purpose was to suppress the four realms of Qin (music), Qi (chess), Shu (calligraphy), and Hua (painting) and to vie for the orthodox position of Confucianism and Taoism in the heavens. For tens of thousands of years, thanks to the strong support and abundant resources from the Heavenly Realm, the Confucian Realm has successively given birth to several new gods, and its strength has continued to expand. It has repeatedly suppressed the four realms of Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua, and is unparalleled in its prominence among the Confucian and Taoist realms in the heavens. It seems to have the potential to replace the four realms and become the new center of Confucianism and Taoism.

At this moment, inside the Cultural Hall at the heart of the Confucian world, incense smoke swirled, and the Confucian and Taoist literary energy remained concentrated. Several True Gods dressed in Confucian robes sat solemnly in the hall, their auras deep and focused. Each of them was a powerful figure in the Divine Realm, their bodies intertwined with literary energy and divine power, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty. At the head of the hall sat an elderly man dressed in plain brocade robes, his hair and beard completely white. His face was gaunt, his eyes deep as the starry sky, and his literary energy was restrained, yet it revealed a profound weight and majesty that had witnessed countless ages. He was Yan Maoqing, one of the great gods of the Confucian world, with a cultivation level at the peak of the Taibai Realm.

Yan Maoqing's origins are extraordinary. He was born in the Heavenly Realm, but his mother was a true goddess of the Kunlun Realm's Book Sect. He cultivated in the Kunlun Realm from a young age and was once a disciple of the Kunlun Realm's Book Sect. He was a contemporary of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor and has lived for several lifetimes. He is knowledgeable and profound. Later, when the Heavenly Realm supported the Confucian Realm and suppressed the Four Realms of Music, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, he joined the Confucian Realm and became a key figure in suppressing the Four Realms, holding a revered position in the Confucian Realm.

Inside the hall, a true god with a sinister face, dressed in a gray Confucian robe, rose and bowed to Yan Maoqing, speaking cautiously: "Senior Yan, the Mingde God of the Primordial Realm is now presiding over the Deer Cry Banquet and the All-Nation Trials, extending invitations to Confucian and Daoist practitioners from all heavens. The scale of this event is immense. Should our Confucian community send someone to attend?"

This true god, named Qin Hui, was originally from a prestigious family in the painting world and was a top-tier Confucian and Taoist genius. However, tens of thousands of years ago, for his own selfish gain, he betrayed the painting world, secretly colluding with the Heavenly Realm and revealing the whereabouts of the true gods of the painting world. As a result, several true gods of the painting world were hunted down by the gods of the Hell Realm. He, on the other hand, relied on the resources bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Realm and the legacies of several true gods to break through to the divine realm and survive to this day. After this incident, he was regarded as a mortal enemy by the four realms of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, who wished they could grind him to dust. Now, he holds a high position in the Confucian world, but he lives in constant fear.

Upon hearing this, Yan Maoqing sat upright in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest. A hint of amusement and seriousness flashed in his eyes as he slowly spoke: "Mingde's actions are quite deliberate. He wants to emulate the Tianren Academy of the Second Confucian Ancestor and the Kunlun Academy of the Third Confucian Ancestor, to restart the ancient Confucian and Taoist grand ceremony. He wants to rival the two ancient Confucian Ancestors and compete for the Confucian and Taoist lineage of the heavens. His ambition is no less than that of Murong Ru in the past. He is probably determined to obtain the position of the Five Ancestors of Confucianism and Taoism."

The Deer Cry Banquet originated from the Celestial Academy founded by the Second Confucian Ancestor, while the Myriad Nations Examination was the grand ceremony of the Kunlun Academy of Books established by the Third Confucian Ancestor; both are symbols of the orthodox Confucianism of ancient times. The Mingde Divine Venerable's current reopening of the two assemblies is clearly intended to win over the hearts and minds of Confucianists across the heavens and establish the orthodox status of Confucianism in the prehistoric world. This is undoubtedly a huge threat to the Western Confucian world, which is determined to control the orthodox Confucian system.

Yan Maoqing pondered for a moment, then his expression suddenly turned serious. He said in a deep voice, "Our Confucian community must send someone to participate in the Two Sessions. If we don't go, it will be tantamount to voluntarily giving up the Confucian tradition of the heavens and handing over the central position of Confucianism, which we have painstakingly built up over tens of thousands of years, to the Primordial World. In the future, our Confucian community will have no place to stand among the Confucian traditions of the heavens!"

His gaze shifted to Qin Hui, and his tone left no room for doubt: "Huizhi, you come from a prestigious family in the art world, and you are related by marriage to the Mingde Divine Lord's father's family. You are also most familiar with the situation in the Primordial Realm and the four realms of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This time, leading the team to the Primordial Realm to participate in the affairs of the two associations will be entrusted to you."

Upon hearing this, Qin Hui's face turned deathly pale, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. Filled with dread, he quickly bowed and declined, saying, "Senior, this junior dares not shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Please choose another capable person!"

He knew in his heart that he had long since betrayed the Painting Realm, his hands stained with the blood of its gods. The Painting Realm's Winter Abyss God had now recovered his cultivation and hated him to the core. On this journey to the Primordial Realm, the true gods of the four realms of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting would surely gather; if they encountered him, he would be doomed.

Moreover, the Divine Venerable Mingde has now broken through to the Heavenly Perfection realm, making him a top-tier power in the Heavenly Court with a revered status. If he were to favor the four realms of Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua, even if I were to die in the Primordial Realm, the Heavenly Realm would never dare to confront the Divine Venerable Mingde directly for his sake, and the Heavenly Palace would never offend a supreme power at the Heavenly Perfection realm for the sake of a traitor. Going there now would be tantamount to walking into a trap, with a slim chance of survival.

However, Qin Hui's refusal was met with unanimous opposition from the other true gods in the hall as soon as it was uttered.

"True God Qin Hui, this matter cannot be left to anyone but you. You are most familiar with the Primordial Realm and are rightfully suited to shoulder this heavy responsibility!"

"We are all traitors to the four realms of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If we were to go, we would surely be punished by the gods of the four realms. Only you are the most suitable to go!"

The other True Gods in the hall were all traitors who had defected from the Four Realms of Music, Chess, Calligraphy and Painting. Each of them was deeply sinful and had a guilty conscience. They were even more afraid of facing the True Gods of the Four Realms than Qin Hui, fearing that once they went to the Primordial Realm, they would never be able to return. Naturally, they all tried their best to refuse and throw this hot potato to Qin Hui.

Seeing everyone's attempts to shirk responsibility, Qin Hui felt both angry and afraid, yet utterly helpless. Yan Maoqing had already made up his mind, and with the gods in the hall unanimously pressuring him, he had no room to refuse. He could only stand there, his face pale, his heart filled with despair.

At the border between Beiju Luzhou and Xiniu Hezhou, layers upon layers of void, spatial laws intertwined to form an invisible barrier, isolating the hustle and bustle of the mortal world. A magnificent temple floats above the chaotic energy veins; this is the Tongming Palace under the Heavenly Palace.

This palace was forged by the Heavenly Palace using countless divine materials and the combined power of all the heavenly craftsmen. Its foundation is made of meteoric iron, and its roof tiles are ancient celestial crystals. Thousands of divine runes are engraved upon it, shimmering with brilliant divine light day and night. Even across billions of miles of starry sky, one can see the auspicious aura of its towering peak reaching into the heavens. The Heavenly Court's Pill Refining Assembly, held once every thirty thousand years, is scheduled to take place here. This grand event, gathering gods from all the heavens and myriad realms and encompassing the universe's top-tier alchemical treasures, is the grandest ceremony in the entire Heavenly Court's territory.

The Tongming Hall was now lavishly decorated, filled with celestial energy and radiant light, exuding the supreme grandeur of the Heavenly Court.

Hundreds of ethereal fairies, clad in colorful robes, moved nimbly among the banquet tables in the hall. Each of them possessed unfathomable cultivation, with the lowest level being the Saint King realm. A spiritual light surrounded their hands as they carefully arranged various rare treasures, celestial fruits, and divine wines. The tables were laden with exotic flowers and fruits, each a rare treasure in the universe, something an ordinary cultivator might never even glimpse in their entire life—yet here, they were merely ordinary decorations at the banquet.

The most common of these is a pure white, ethereal fruit, imbued with the Daoist principles of illusory reality. Named the True-Illusion Sacred Fruit, it grows within the seamless void, ripening only once every ten thousand years. It contains pure sacred laws; even a Great Saint Realm expert consuming just one can directly increase their number of sacred rules by a billion, saving them from long periods of arduous cultivation. It is a cultivation resource coveted by countless Great Saints. However, at this Divine Banquet of the Pill Refining Assembly, the True-Illusion Sacred Fruit is merely a decorative item used to satisfy the gods' appetites. Casually placed and unremarkable, it exudes extravagance and grandeur.

In the passageway of the hall, hundreds of golden-armored holy generals, clad in gilded armor and exuding an aura as imposing as mountains, marched in formation. Each of them had reached the Great Saint realm, or at least stepped into the threshold of Great Sainthood. Their divine power was restrained, their steps steady, and each step caused the space within the hall to tremble slightly. These holy generals were all members of the Heavenly Palace's Imperial Guard, specifically responsible for transporting the artifacts and maintaining order for this grand event. At this moment, they were working together to carry jade wine jars, their surfaces engraved with ancient divine runes, the seals shimmering with spiritual light, emitting an extremely rich and mellow aroma that permeated the entire hall. The mere smell of it stirred the mind and soothed the spirit.

Within the wine jar lay the Nine Treasures Jade Elixir, a treasured artifact of the Heavenly Palace for countless years. This wine possessed an astonishing origin, made primarily from nine different divine medicinal herbs and leaves, combined with the essence of a divine spring, brewed using a special ancient method, and then sealed and nurtured in a jade jar for millennia before its final form. Legend has it that this wine was personally brewed by an ancient Celestial Venerable, containing the Venerable's Daoist essence and the spirit of the divine herbs. Even a cultivator at the Divine Realm, upon taking a sip, would fall into a state of profound enlightenment, comprehending the laws of heaven and earth within its dream. Its potency was in no way inferior to ordinary divine pills; it was the foundation of the Heavenly Court, a rare treasure even for the Boundless Realm, reserved only for the once-every-thousand-year Pill Refining Assembly to entertain the gods and celestial beings.

As the time for the Dan Yuan Conference drew ever closer, the void outside the Yan Tian Palace trembled continuously. Divine rainbows traversing the Milky Way streaked across the sky, and gods from all realms and ancient civilizations arrived one after another, stepping through the air to attend this unprecedented grand event.

Outside the palace plaza, divine figures flickered, their auras intertwined. The oppressive power of great gods and the divine light of true gods rose and fell, yet no one dared to act recklessly. They all strictly adhered to the rules of the Heavenly Court, entering in order. Each arriving deity represented a great world or a top-tier power. They rode divine chariots or rode divine beasts, their bodies protected by divine light, exuding an aura of majesty and displaying the nobility of the gods of the heavens.

Before long, a divine rainbow as blazing as the sun streaked across the eastern horizon. Within the rainbow, several figures stood, the leader dressed in a crimson-gold divine robe, his face resolute, his body surging with pure yang energy. In his hand he held a divine sword, entirely crimson, with ancient runes engraved on its blade. As soon as the sword was drawn half an inch from its sheath, pure yang divine fire swept through the void, even scorching and slightly distorting the space itself.

This person is none other than Feng Yunba of the Feng Clan in the Pangu Realm, the fourth son of the Feng Clan Chief. He wields the Pure Yang Divine Sword passed down from the Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable of the Feng Clan. His cultivation has already reached the Taixu Realm, making him a top-tier expert among the Heavenly Court's great gods. Back then, on the battlefield of the Kunlun Realm, he fought valiantly with the Pure Yang Divine Sword, slaying several true gods from the Hell Realm, becoming famous in one battle, and his reputation resounded throughout the heavens.

"Hahaha, it's been a long time since we last met, Fourth Master Feng! Back on the Kunlun battlefield, Fourth Master wielded the Pure Yang Divine Sword and swept through the gods of hell. That unparalleled prowess still resonates in our hearts!"

A hearty laugh rang out, and a group of gods dressed in star-patterned robes quickly stepped forward. The leader had a refined appearance, with starlight flowing through his beard and hair. His cultivation was also unfathomable. He was none other than Yu Yuanxing, the leading god of the Thousand Star Civilization and the cousin of the current Thousand Star Heavenly Lord. He held a revered position in the Thousand Star Civilization and wielded many divine powers within the civilization.

Upon seeing that it was Yu Yuanxing from the Thousand Star Civilization who had come to greet him, Feng Yunba's face immediately lit up with joy. He quickly withdrew the oppressive aura of the Pure Yang Divine Sword, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Senior Yu Yuanxing, it's been ten thousand years! I never expected you to grace this grand event with your presence. It's truly an honor!"

The two were old acquaintances, having fought side-by-side on the battlefields of the heavens, and their friendship was deep. Their reunion was naturally exceptionally warm. Feng Yunba carefully examined Yu Yuanxing, sensing the lingering, not yet fully concealed, aura of the Tai Xu Realm emanating from him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he sincerely exclaimed, "Senior's aura is profound, your Daoist principles are perfect! You've just broken through to the Tai Xu Realm! Truly a cause for celebration! Congratulations on reaching the pinnacle of the Great God Realm!"

It should be understood that the Taixu Realm is the watershed between the Great God Realm and the Great God Realm. Countless Great Gods spend their entire lives trying to cross it. Even for a top ancient civilization like the Thousand Stars Civilization, it is by no means easy to cultivate a Great God in the Taixu Realm. For Yuyuan Star to break through such a bottleneck within ten thousand years is truly a great event.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuanxing stroked his beard, his face filled with satisfaction and emotion, and said with a smile, "Fourth Master, you flatter me. My breakthrough is entirely thanks to Lord Zhenyu!"

He paused, his tone growing increasingly respectful: "Earlier, the Old Celestial Lord learned that Lord Zhenyu possessed divine alchemy skills and could refine supreme divine pills. He then took out the most precious medicinal herbs accumulated over countless years by our Thousand Star Civilization and made a special trip to the Five Elements Temple to earnestly request Lord Zhenyu's assistance in refining the medicine. Lord Zhenyu generously agreed and refined a batch of top-tier divine pills. I was fortunate enough to receive one, and after consuming it, the bottleneck that had plagued me for millennia instantly loosened, allowing me to successfully enter the Tai Xu Realm!"

Upon hearing these words, Feng Yunba was immediately shocked, and his eyes were filled with astonishment as he looked at Yu Yuanxing.

He knew that the legendary True Universe God was the newly promoted supreme alchemist of the Heavenly Court, and with his cultivation, he was backed by supreme figures such as the Five Elements Master and the Bright Virtue God, making him incredibly powerful. However, he never expected that the divine pills refined by True Universe would be so potent, capable of directly helping a great god break through the bottleneck of the Void Realm. Such alchemy skills were rare even in the entire universe.

Thinking of his ancestor, who had already sent all the ancient divine medicines treasured by the clan to the Five Elements Temple, earnestly requesting True Universe Divine Lord to refine them, Feng Yunba's heart was filled with boundless anticipation. He had been stuck in the Tai Xu Realm for many years, unable to advance to the Three Stops Realm. If he could obtain a divine pill refined by True Universe Divine Lord, he would surely be able to break through in one fell swoop, reaching the Three Stops Realm and further enhancing his strength.

"Lord Zhenyu is truly a genius, with unparalleled skill in alchemy. Our Feng Clan has already sent the divine medicine to the Five Elements Temple, and we will have to rely on Lord Zhenyu in the future." Feng Yunba exclaimed sincerely, his awe for Zhenyu growing even stronger.

As the two chatted idly at the palace gate, more and more gods entered the Yantian Palace. Gods from the various world-ruling powers of the Heavenly Court, top ancient civilizations, and ancient inherited forces entered one after another.

According to the rules of the Heavenly Court, only Great Gods at the Taixu Realm and above are qualified to enter the inner hall and enjoy top-level privileges at this Dan Yuan Assembly; while ordinary True Gods can only sit in the hall according to their ranking on the Heavenly Merit Ranking of their respective worlds, and are not allowed to overstep their bounds. The arrangement of seats in the inner hall is even more particular, with the closer to the front, the more prestigious the power behind them and the more esteemed their status.

Among the crowd, a group of gods dressed in three-colored robes, with a gentle yet formidable aura, stood out. They were the gods of the primordial world.

This was the first time that the gods of the Primordial World had participated in such a top-level Heavenly Court event as the Dan Yuan Conference. Everyone was both excited and apprehensive. However, when they saw that their seats were arranged in the front of the inner hall, they were all shocked and then understood.

This position has always been reserved for top-tier deities from the Pangu Realm, the Thousand Star Civilization, and the Myriad Ruins Realm; it is the core circle of these top-tier deities. The Primordial Realm is merely a newly emerging world, and in terms of foundation and strength, it is far inferior to these established top-tier forces. The reason it has obtained this honor is entirely because True Universe God-Monarch stands behind it.

The other gods in the hall, even though they were all veteran gods and leaders of top powers, none of them dared to underestimate the gods of the prehistoric world. Instead, they all cast friendly glances at them and even took the initiative to greet and befriend them.

Everyone knows that Zhenyu Shenjun now wields immense power in the Heavenly Court and possesses unparalleled strength among all the heavens. Even experts at the Boundless Realm must give him some respect. The Primordial Realm is a force that Zhenyu Shenjun personally supported, and it is backed by supreme figures such as Mingde Shenzun and the Five Elements Guanzhu. Offending the Primordial Realm is tantamount to offending Zhenyu Shenjun, and no one dares to bear such consequences.

In an instant, the hall was filled with gods, the sounds of Taoism intertwined, and the aroma of wine and elixirs permeated the air. Various forces exchanged pleasantries and subtle undercurrents, and a grand cosmic gathering concerning the allocation of resources across the heavens, the opportunity for divine elixirs, and the power struggles of various factions had begun.