Chicken feet delivery, what's not to like?
Seeing that all three had chosen their people, Tongtian grew anxious. He had argued for a long time without finding a single one. Just as he was about to speak, Xuantian quietly transmitted his voice to Tongtian, saying, "Junior Brother Tongtian, why don't you send some of your disciples to Haotian? It would be a way to establish a good relationship with Haotian." Although Tongtian was reluctant, he had no choice but to do so. Even if he had to, he could still try to place some of his disciples in the Six Offices. So he said to Haotian, "Junior Brother Haotian, my disciples don't have many people with profound magical powers, but they do have many with profound virtues. If Junior Brother Haotian doesn't mind, you can place them in the Six Offices to help Junior Brother Haotian manage the Heavenly Court." Haotian naturally understood what Tongtian was planning, but he put on a grateful expression and thanked Tongtian deeply, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Senior Brother Tongtian. Haotian is extremely grateful and will definitely repay you in the future."
Seeing that the Five Emperors had been assigned, Xuan Tian realized it was time to determine the Six Great Offices. After repeated, friendly negotiations based on equality, the Six Great Offices of the Heavenly Court were also finalized. Tong Tian did not receive any of the Six Emperors' positions, but instead chose the positions of Revenue and Works; Laozi chose the position of Rites; Yuanshi chose the position of Justice; since the Heavenly Court's soldiers were mostly composed of demons, Nuwa received the position of Military Officer, and Haotian received the position of Civil Officer. Only Xuan Tian did not take any position, quietly watching everyone divide the spoils.
After everyone had agreed on everything, Haotian sent Yaochi to report the results of their discussion to Hongjun. Haotian then accompanied the other saints in the main hall to await their reply. Thus, the Heavenly Court was roughly set up, only needing to be reported to Hongjun before it could officially open for business.
Yaochi returned shortly afterward, her face filled with sorrow. She said, "The Lord has issued a decree that matters of the Heavenly Court should be discussed between the senior brothers and Haotian. Once the discussion is complete, you may leave Zixiao Palace without further reporting. You are not to return without being summoned." Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads and left Zixiao Palace one after another.
"Now that our teacher has instructed us to plan ahead, we can go to the Heavenly Court first and then discuss it further," Laozi said. The other sages agreed; now that the power had been divided, they were just waiting to establish the Heavenly Court.
The group then arrived at the Heavenly Court. Everywhere they looked, there were ruins and desolation; the grandeur of the royal palace was nowhere to be seen. Haotian and Yaochi, seeing the Heavenly Court in such a state, felt a chill run down their spines, muttering repeatedly, "Is this the Heavenly Court? Is this the Heavenly Court?" They looked utterly incredulous. Xuantian chuckled and walked up to them, softly saying, "The Heavenly Court was destroyed in the war between the Lich King and the Demon King. Please remember this scene of ruin, Junior Brother Haotian and Junior Sister Yaochi, and take it as a warning. Practice benevolent governance, accumulate merit, and never defy Heaven."
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. Haotian and Yaochi will keep your words in mind. When we ascend the throne in the future, we will do more benevolent governance, accumulate more merits, and earnestly perform our duties on behalf of Heaven, educating all people." Haotian and Yaochi replied respectfully.
"Since that's the case, you two should first pay homage to the Heavenly Dao, swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao, re-establish the Heavenly Court, assume the duties of Heaven, govern the primordial wilderness, and widely educate the people. The Heavenly Dao will surely be moved and you will be rewarded with merit. This is a virtuous act and should not be neglected," Xuan Tian said solemnly. Lao Zi and the others were completely bewildered. Re-establishing the Heavenly Court required offering sacrifices to the Heavenly Dao, which was understandable, but it didn't need to be made so serious. They didn't know what Xuan Tian was up to, but they remained silent, quietly waiting to see the outcome.
Seeing Hongyun's serious tone, Haotian and Yaochi dared not delay. They hurriedly knelt on the command platform and kowtowed nine times towards the direction of Zixiao Palace, continuously praying to the Heavenly Dao. Just as they finished their nine kowtows, the ruins and collapsed palaces of the Heavenly Court slowly disappeared into the void, vanishing in no time. Even the command platform where they had prayed was gone, leaving the entire Heavenly Court as a flat plain, devoid of anything. As everyone wondered what was happening, something flew from the Heavenly Palace, growing larger as it approached. Only then did everyone realize that it was a colossal palace, covering tens of millions of miles, emitting countless golden rays, and enveloped in thousands of auspicious wisps of energy. This was truly a celestial realm. At the entrance to the palace stands a colossal pillar that reaches the heavens, its height unknown. Inside the pillar rises a massive archway, crafted from deep blue glazed tiles and adorned with gleaming precious jade. From afar, the three ancient seal characters "South Heavenly Gate" are clearly visible.
Looking further in, wisps of ethereal clouds, like wisps of smoke, swirled and churned, from which faint celestial music drifted gently, ethereal and melodious. Several spirit birds and cranes flew freely by, stirring up a celestial breeze that swayed lightly like flowing water. Further in, there was a grand hall with several large pillars in front, entwined with golden-scaled, sun-drenched dragons. There were also several long bridges, upon which soaring phoenixes with colorful plumage and red crowns circled. Beneath the great pillars, a golden carriage path connects the South Heavenly Gate to the main hall, which is the Lingxiao Palace, where celestial officials pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor. The main hall is surrounded by several winding corridors, exquisitely crafted in every detail; three eaves and four clusters, with dragons and phoenixes soaring in layers; inside the main hall, nine white jade steps divide the hall into upper and lower levels. The upper level has a throne with nine dragons and nine phoenixes, the main seats of the Heavenly Emperor and Empress; the lower level has several purple-gold pillars supporting the hall, where the three ranks of court officials stand; around the Lingxiao Palace are countless celestial palaces, such as the Cloud-Sending Palace, the Vaishravana Palace, the Five Bright Palace, the Sun Palace, the Transformation Palace, the Bliss Palace, the Limitless Palace... each palace has a golden beast on its ridge; there are also several other palaces, such as the Court Assembly Hall, the Lingxu Hall, the Precious Light Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Spirit Official Hall, the Nourishing Heart Hall, the Pilgrimage Hall, the Cloud-Swallowing Hall, the Precious Completion Hall... each palace has jade unicorns on its pillars. Gardens, cities, bustling markets, and checkpoints were scattered around the palaces, making the imperial city virtually impregnable. This imperial city was extravagantly luxurious, possessing everything imaginable. Even more remarkable was that the Lingxiao Palace was guarded by the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, four celestial beasts of extraordinary strength, all at the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. Presumably, they were sent by Hongjun to protect Haotian. Moreover, behind the Lingxiao Palace was a Peach Garden, containing nearly ten thousand purple-veined immortal peach trees, their enormous peaches incredibly tempting. Palaces also rose among the celestial stars, with the Twenty-Eight Constellations guarding the Western Pole Hook Array Shang Star; the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends guarding the Northern Pole Purple Star Emperor Star; the stellar power of the celestial phenomena shone directly into the Heavenly Court. This influx of the essence of the sun, moon, and stars made the Heavenly Court incredibly spiritually vibrant, no less so than before the shattering of the primordial world (I really don't know what the Heavenly Court looks like, so I'm just copying someone else's description).
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