The crowd held their breath. With the descent of the four strikes of celestial lightning, the Demon Empire was officially established, with Zhu Tian as its first sovereign ruler.
Being able to witness the founding of the Demon Empire with their own eyes made the journey well worth it.
Zhu Tian's expression was majestic, his voice deep and rumbling as he turned his gaze upon the Phoenix Clan attendees who had come at his invitation.
"Phoenix Clan! The Demon Empire has just been founded, and now is precisely the time when assistance is needed. If you are willing to join the Demon Empire now, We promise you will be treated generously!
"If you are unwilling, the Calamity of the Golden Age is fast approaching. For the sake of the demon race's future, We will have no choice but to resort to certain measures!"
The major factions in attendance were startled. Was Supreme Zhu Tian planning to strike while the iron was hot, subdue the Phoenix Clan in one fell swoop, and unify the Demon Domain?
The hearts of the Phoenix Clan members turned cold. They had guessed Zhu Tian would move against them after founding the Demon Empire, but they had not expected him to take the offensive so quickly.
Jiang Mingzi, the old clan head of the Phoenix Clan, stood up and flicked his sleeve with a cold snort. Strands of flame drifted from his body as he assumed a guarded posture.
"Supreme Zhu Tian, do not think I am blind to your intentions! Unifying the Demon Domain, conquering the East Sea, elevating the Demon Empire into the greatest power beneath the heavens—your next step will be to invade Great Xia and the Buddhist Kingdom!
"When that time comes, every race aside from your Dijiang Clan will be nothing more than cannon fodder dragged to the front lines to fight, all merely to satisfy your ambition!"
Zhu Tian unleashed his aura. It was the combined pressure of his own might alongside ten Tribulation Transcendence Demon Emperors—towering like an immovable mountain. Bearing down on Jiang Mingzi, it caused his bones to creak and groan.
With a cold, aloof expression, Zhu Tian looked down dismissively at Jiang Mingzi, who was struggling desperately against the pressure. "A junior like you has no manners at all! Forget you—even if Jiang Lianyi were to face Us, she would politely address Us as Fellow Daoist!
"Your horizons are narrow. You never lived through the events of antiquity, so you cannot begin to empathize with Us, nor do you know the terror of the Calamity of the Golden Age. What right do you have to fathom Our thoughts?!
"To pit Us against the entire world based on nothing more than groundless nonsense—you truly do not know how the word 'death' is written!"
Zhu Tian radiated a terrifying aura. He was not furious because Jiang Mingzi was wildly guessing; on the contrary, Jiang Mingzi's deduction was spot on.
The Demon Empire had just been established and its foundations were still unsteady; it was in no position to confront two formidable foes like Great Xia and the Buddhist Kingdom simultaneously. He had to feign fury and denounce Jiang Mingzi's words as pure slander.
To think there was an intelligent person in the Phoenix Clan after all—pity his wits were deployed in the wrong place!
Jiang Mingzi quietly reached a hand into his robes. He still carried several supreme treasures left behind by the ancient ancestor, capable of delivering a vicious blow to Zhu Tian at a critical moment.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures appeared side by side next to Jiang Mingzi.
"That's the Old Ancestor of the Demon Domain Dragon Clan!"
"And the one from the East Sea Dragon Clan!"
The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan of the Demon Domain shared a common fate; if one flourished, both flourished, and if one fell, both suffered. If the Demon Empire subdued the Phoenix Clan, the Dragon Clan would be next. They could not simply sit by and watch Zhu Tian treat the Phoenix Clan this way.
On the surface, both Dragon Clans had only sent Body Integration cultivators to attend the grand ceremony, but in secret, two Tribulation Transcendence experts had come along.
Between the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, three Tribulation Transcendence masters stood together!
"Overestimating yourselves."
Zhu Tian sneered. Ten Tribulation Transcendence great demons stepped forward. At a single command from him, the ten demons would clash in a bloodbath with the three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators from the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
Once those three were defeated, he could naturally brand them with master-servant imprints.
His method of warfare was snowballing: by taking control of every enemy he defeated, his own faction would grow ever larger.
He dared to claim antiquity as his witness and declare himself the Foremost Beneath the Immortals precisely because of this confidence.
With him and ten Tribulation Transcendence cultivators combined, he was guaranteed victory against any ancient half-immortal!
Still, Zhu Tian did not dare act rashly. Among the three was a Tribulation Transcendence expert from the East Sea Dragon Clan. If he truly struck down someone from the East Sea Dragon Clan, conquering the East Sea in the future would become exceedingly difficult.
For a moment, both sides were locked in a stalemate.
Fortunately, Zhu Tian had anticipated such a scenario long ago.
"Haha! The demon race founds an empire and approaches unification—how could such a momentous occasion proceed without our Heavenly Court Cult?"
Hearty laughter rang out from beneath the stage. Seeing this, the onlookers nearby quickly scattered, clearing an open space.
In the center of the clearing stood Young Cult Master Lu and the black-robed figure.
Leaping into the air, the two soared up onto the Altar of Heaven. Though they were only two individuals, their presence faintly formed a three-way standoff.
"Who are you?!"
Zhu Tian frowned, looking displeased at the pair.
"It's Young Cult Master Lu of the Heavenly Court Cult!"
"It's him! He actually came too!"
"Makes sense. Supreme Zhu Tian is an ancient half-immortal; it would be weirder if the Heavenly Court Cult didn't show up."
"They say the Heavenly Court Cult's roots trace back to the ancient Heavenly Court, overseen by Dou Tianzun—a genuine celestial!"
"Is this going to be a clash of ancient powers?"
"Who is that one in black robes? Another Guardian Heavenly King?"
"Quite possibly!"
The crowd below instantly grew agitated. The arrival of the Heavenly Court Cult made the situation even more chaotic. What now—were they about to fight?
Concealed within the crowd, Mu Baiyi and Vice Cult Master Shi had finally waited long enough to see the Heavenly Court Cult take the stage.
"The Heavenly Court Cult really did come. When Supreme Zhu Tian sent invitations to the major factions, Young Cult Master Lu was already in the Demon Domain. Appearing here at such a critical juncture means he must have an objective!"
"Indeed. But who could that person in the black robe be? If it's merely a Guardian Heavenly King, they probably wouldn't be able to handle this situation. To stand on equal footing with Zhu Tian... could the Heavenly Court Cult Master himself have arrived?"
The two murmured quietly. Even though the Dijiang Clan had not invited them, that had not stopped them from coming to watch the spectacle.
Among the plans Young Cult Master Lu had laid out for the Nine Nether Cult, there had been an item titled "External Outreach to the Demon Domain." At first, they had wondered: with so many demon races standing tall, whom were they supposed to contact?
Now the answer was revealed: Zhu Tian was unifying the Demon Domain, so they needed to contact the Demon Empire!
"Could this also have been part of Young Cult Master Lu's foresight... or perhaps Zhu Tian founding the Demon Empire was the Heavenly Court Cult's handiwork all along?"
The two exchanged glances and saw the terror in each other's eyes. If this was merely the Young Cult Master possessing such horrifying calculation, what manner of figure must the Cult Master be?!
Terrifying.
The corner of Zhu Tian's mouth curled into a sneer. "Heavenly Court? What utter drivel!"
The Heavenly Court had merely been a fabricated notion concocted by the Four Ancient Celestials—how could it truly exist?
Perceptive observers noticed the hostility in Zhu Tian's tone. He seemed... not to acknowledge the Heavenly Court?
Just as Lu Yang was preparing to improvise a few lines, a disdainful voice rang out.
However, this voice came from the Dijiang Clan on the lower rostrums.
"Since when could any stray cat or dog walk right onto the Altar of Heaven?"
The speaker kicked off the ground and flew onto the Altar of Heaven. Tilting his chin up slightly, he looked down his nose at Lu Yang with supreme arrogance.
"So you're that supposedly formidable Young Cult Master Lu who is rumored to have fought to a draw against Lu Yang of the Dao Seeking Sect? You don't look like much!
"In my eyes, whether it's you or Lu Yang, you're both vastly overrated geniuses. When there is no tiger on the mountain, the monkey reigns supreme, that's all."
"And you are?"
"Zhu Yunwu!"
Personal disciple to Supreme Zhu Tian, peerless prodigy of the Dijiang Clan—Zhu Yunwu!
Chapter 612