East King Duke watched Di Jiang's shadow vanish into the horizon, the tension in his spine finally uncoiling. He let out a breath so long it felt as if his very soul were deflating, then sank back onto his throne. He was alive. He had cheated the Sovereign of Space with a tapestry of lies, and now, he had a window of opportunity.
He wasn't a disciple. He wasn't a Saint. But he was the Head of Male Immortals. The title was a gift from the heavens, and it was time to cash it in.
"If I cannot sit at the Saint's feet," he whispered to the empty garden, "then I shall sit upon a throne of my own making."
A few streaks of light descended upon the island—local masters who had sensed the Witch's departure and came to investigate. Leading them was Mysterious Water, a man draped in azure robes whose very essence was a distillation of divine tides. Beside him stood Metal Stone, a figure carved from the yellowed rock of the world's dawn. They were followed by others—Empty Abyss, Yuanmu—all veterans of the three thousand guests of Zixiao Palace.
"Fellow Daoist!" Mysterious Water called out, his eyes darting toward the ruined caves. "What happened? Why did Di Jiang descend upon you with such fury?"
Metal Stone chuckled, his voice like grinding gravel. "Is our Head of Immortals so high-status now that even the Ancestral Witches come to pay their respects?"
The joke hit a nerve, but East King Duke didn't flinch. He saw the opening. He sat up straight, a manufactured majesty settling over his features. He didn't look like a man who had been threatened; he looked like a man who had been consulted.
"It was nothing of consequence," the Duke said, his voice smooth and untroubled. "I have decided to establish an Immortal Court to bring order to this chaotic age. Di Jiang heard the rumors and rushed over to offer his... enthusiastic congratulations. The Witches are a clumsy breed; they broke a few stones in their excitement."
The silence was absolute. The gathered immortals shared a look of stunned disbelief. An Immortal Court? Congratulated by a Witch? The respect in their eyes shifted from perfunctory to profound. If the Duke could tame a Witch and hold a mandate from the Saint, then he was the most viable horse to back in the Great Desolation.
"Then allow us to add our own congratulations," Mysterious Water said, bowing low.
The Duke didn't waste time. He released a deliberate, heavy pulse of his Quasi-Saint aura, letting the weight of his cultivation fill the garden. "The Court is young. It needs masters of vision to create a legacy that will outlast the stars. Would you join me?"
They didn't hesitate. In a world of blood and lightning, the protection of a Saint-appointed King was a prize too great to ignore. "We are willing!" they shouted in unison.
The Duke's ambition caught fire. He manifested cloud-thrones for them, his mind already mapping the bureaucracy of heaven. "The Dao Ancestor spoke of a 'Heavenly Court,'" he mused. "Perhaps he was waiting for me to take the hint. Since he hasn't appointed another, the Immortal Court shall be his instrument."
"Our first step," Mysterious Water suggested, leaning in, "must be recruitment. We need the elite."
"Gather the prestigious," Empty Abyss added, his eyes sharp with a cold, political intelligence. "If the heads of the great houses submit, the rest of the world will follow like a tide."
The Duke nodded, eyeing Empty Abyss with newfound interest. "And who would you start with, Fellow Daoist?"
Empty Abyss smiled. "The Three Crows of the Sun Star. Their power is undeniable. If the Immortal Court holds the fire of the Sun, our legitimacy will be total."
The Duke's brow furrowed. "The Crows are arrogant. They ignored the Saint's own suggestion to lead. Why would they bow to me?"
Empty Abyss chuckled. "That was before the Six Saints were named. Now, the Crows are trapped between the Sanqing and the Westerners—all mortal enemies, and all destined for godhood. The pressure on the Sun Star must be suffocating. If we offer them a place in a coalition of immortals, they will see it as a lifeline."
The logic was a perfect lure. The Duke saw it clearly: a desperate Ling Xiao bowing to his crown for protection. "It is settled! Empty Abyss, if you bring the Crows into the fold, you shall be the Immortal Master of my Court, the teacher of a million souls."
"The Immortal King's trust will not be misplaced!" Empty Abyss replied, already shifting his honorifics.
Empty Abyss streaked across the sky, his heart hammering with the thrill of his new rank. He reached the solar atmosphere of the Sun Star and cleared his throat, his voice amplified by his Dao.
"Fellow Daoists of the Sun! I am Empty Abyss of the Immortal Court! I am here on a mission of state! Show yourselves!"
The silence stretched for a long minute. Then, a ripple passed through the solar flares. A young boy draped in imperial purple robes drifted out. His face was youthful, but his aura was a deep, substantial thing—a Grand Unity foundation that felt almost as thick as Empty Abyss's own.
Empty Abyss blinked in surprise. A servant? With such cultivation?
"What business do you have with my Master?" Ziwei Boy asked, his gaze suspicious and entirely unimpressed.