Chapter Thirty: The Invasion of the Witch Tribe

Buzhou Mountain.

Now, Buzhou Mountain had long since become a sacred ground in the eyes of countless beings under the rule of the Heavenly Court. Over the past centuries, countless powerful creatures had migrated here. The Heavenly Realm atop Buzhou Mountain was even more coveted—countless beings yearned for it, and many from the lower ranks considered entering the Heavenly Court to be the highest honor.

But it was no longer so easy to enter the Heavenly Court; at the very least, one needed the cultivation of a Celestial Immortal, and to reside within, one had to be at least a Golden Immortal. Having unified tens of thousands of demon kings large and small across the wilderness, the number of Golden Immortals now under the Heavenly Court's rule approached one hundred thousand, with dozens of Taiyi Golden Immortals among them.

A thunderous roar split the air.

Li Tian drove his imperial chariot, drawn by nine five-clawed golden dragons soaring through the clouds, accompanied by radiant, multicolored clouds emanating from the chariot itself—a display of supreme prestige. This spectacle was visible for ten thousand miles in every direction, leaving countless ancient beings staring in awe.

"The Heavenly Emperor has arrived."

Fuxi was in the Heavenly Court, earnestly discussing state affairs with several dozen demon kings who were Taiyi Golden Immortals, when he suddenly sensed Li Tian's presence and couldn't help but smile.

The other demon kings were momentarily stunned at the news. Naturally, they were all familiar with the Heavenly Emperor—after all, nearly all of them had been "invited" here by Li Tian himself.

"Come, let us go together to welcome the Heavenly Emperor."

Fuxi smiled, and together with Nuwa, led the Taiyi Golden Immortal demon kings toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. The other Golden Immortal demon kings, upon hearing the news, also hurried over in grand procession.

Moments later, accompanied by the resonant cries of dragons, Li Tian's resplendent nine-dragon chariot slowly descended from the distant sky.

"Welcome, Heavenly Emperor!"

Tens of thousands of demon kings, seeing Li Tian atop the chariot from afar, were all invigorated. Truly worthy of being the Heavenly Emperor—he even used dragons to draw his chariot!

"No need for excessive ceremony."

Li Tian brought the nine-dragon chariot down before the Southern Heavenly Gate, smiled at the assembled crowd, then dismounted and flew toward them.

"Did you miss me, little sister Nuwa?"

After glancing over the crowd, Li Tian stopped before Nuwa and asked with a smile.

"Not at all." Embarrassed by Li Tian's teasing in front of so many, Nuwa was nearly ready to strangle him.

Li Tian couldn't help but laugh. Surveying the eager faces of the many demon kings around him, he waved his hand grandly and said, "To the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

Arriving at the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony, Li Tian went straight to the central throne and seated himself. The others soon followed, numbering around a thousand—all key figures in the Heavenly Court.

Fuxi entered as well, taking the foremost position. Once everyone had gathered, he clasped his hands and began his report to Li Tian on the affairs of the Heavenly Court over recent years.

In fact, there were no major incidents—mainly statistics on the numbers of Golden Immortals, Celestial Immortals, Earth Immortals, and so forth under the Heavenly Court's rule, as well as the respective treatment of demon kings at all levels.

Currently, each of the dozens of Taiyi Golden Immortal demon kings had been granted their own palace, while the other Golden Immortal demon kings had all settled in the Heavenly Realm, building their own abodes.

After covering these assorted matters, Fuxi brought up a less favorable piece of news.

"According to reports from our scouts, the Wu Tribe has recently been gathering their clansmen en masse, and it seems they intend to challenge the Heavenly Court."

Li Tian furrowed his brow. At this stage, he was not eager to confront the Wu Tribe. With his current strength, the Heavenly Court and the Wu Tribe were evenly matched at best; if war broke out, victory was by no means assured. Even if they did win in the end, it would be a costly victory with no real benefit—not worth the risk.

"Heavenly Emperor, I, Zhitie, request to go to battle!"

At this, a burly, dark-skinned giant stepped forward, clasped his hands, and spoke in a deep voice.

Zhitie, whose true form was a great-horned water buffalo that fed on iron and steel, possessed a body as tough as a supreme treasure and immense strength. With cultivation at the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal, he was originally one of the ten great demon saints in the annals of the wilderness.

After Zhitie stepped forward, other ancient demon saints such as Yingzhao, Jimeng, and Guiche also declared their willingness to fight, eager to make an impression before Li Tian—if only to become better known to him.

"There is no need for further words."

Naturally, Li Tian would not allow them to recklessly attack the Wu Tribe. After all, the twelve Ancestor Witches were all late-stage Daluo Golden Immortals, unrivaled in close quarters, far beyond what these demon kings could contend with.

"The Wu Tribe is powerful, their strength nearly equal to our Heavenly Court. I truly do not wish to start a war at this time… Yet with the Wu Tribe stirring, they likely won't let matters rest so easily. I fear a great battle may soon be upon us…"

Li Tian spoke gravely, even as his mind searched for ways to avoid the impending conflict. In the original history of the wilderness, the great war between the Wu and the Demon Tribes erupted because the Wu Tribe sought to feed upon the demons, and the demons, in turn, sought to protect their kin. But he himself had not instigated such a conflict; at present, there was no clash of interests between the Heavenly Court and the Wu Tribe.

Frowning, Li Tian decided to confer with Fuxi. "You are all dismissed to make your preparations. Consolidate all our strength and remain ready at all times, in case the Wu Tribe attacks."

"As you command, Heavenly Emperor!" The crowd bowed in unison and withdrew from the Hall of Supreme Harmony in scattered groups.

Soon, only Li Tian, Nuwa, and Fuxi remained in the grand hall.

"Fuxi, do you have any means to avoid war?" Li Tian looked at Fuxi and asked.

Fuxi frowned deeply and, after a moment's thought, shook his head.

Li Tian's own brow furrowed further. Even Fuxi had no solution?

However, at that moment, inspiration struck Li Tian, and he recalled the original history of the wilderness, a smile forming on his lips.

"Fuxi, you needn't worry. I can guarantee that a war won't break out this time."

"Hmm?" Fuxi looked puzzled, but Li Tian only gave a mysterious smile and departed from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

He had suddenly remembered that in the original history, Hongjun himself had intervened to prevent the first great war between the Wu and the Demon Tribes.

If that was the case, then surely Hongjun would step in to prevent the first war between the Heavenly Court and the Wu Tribe this time as well?

Thinking thus, Li Tian's mood lightened considerably. As long as there was no battle, all was well. In his view, he already held the position of Saint; once he achieved true sainthood, dealing with the Wu Tribe would be a trifling matter.

...

Ever since the news of the Wu Tribe's impending attack, the atmosphere throughout the Heavenly Court had grown tense. Elite forces scattered across the wilderness were rallying under the summons of the great demon kings, rushing toward Buzhou Mountain at the greatest speed.

But Li Tian, knowing there would be no battle, was unconcerned. He continued to live leisurely day by day, taking Nuwa on excursions for pleasure.

"Heavenly brother, just what have you thought of?" One day, Nuwa could no longer restrain her curiosity and asked.

"Guess," Li Tian replied with a laugh, gently tapping Nuwa's delicate nose, eliciting a coquettish protest.

...

Time slipped by unnoticed, until finally, one day, tens of millions of Wu Tribe members, led by the twelve Ancestor Witches, arrived at Buzhou Mountain in a menacing tide.

Upon hearing the news, Li Tian did not dare be careless. He immediately summoned all the great demon kings, leading the bulk of the Heavenly Court's forces down Buzhou Mountain in a massive procession.

Under the rule of the Heavenly Court, there were now tens of billions of Celestial and Earth Immortals—one hundred times the number of the Wu Tribe. Yet in terms of overall strength, they were only just about equal to the Wu.