Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

After a long while, the Jade Emperor's voice finally rang out: "Granted."

The immortals were shocked—even this was agreed to?

The Jade Emperor then proclaimed: "Ye Feng, a Golden Immortal from the mortal realm, has today submitted to the Heavenly Court and is hereby bestowed the title of Emperor Tai, ranking above the first rank. He is exempt from bowing before the Emperor. He will assume the duties of the Sun God, bearing the responsibility of bringing glory to the Three Realms. The Emperor Tai Palace is hereby ordered to be built, and the court session is adjourned immediately."

Having finished speaking, he did not allow any further discussion and quickly ended the court assembly, giving the immortals no chance to question or argue.

Even Ye Feng was slightly surprised.

He had initially thought this was merely a test, and he expected it to be rejected, given the immense power and prestige of the position of Emperor. However, he was surprised that the Jade Emperor agreed so readily.

He quietly stroked the bamboo cane hidden in his sleeve with his right hand, and the truth was already clear in his mind.

—The Jade Emperor, as expected, recognized the origin of this magical artifact. His efforts in bringing it into the palace had not been in vain.

The immortals took their leave one after another, and the court assembly came to an end.

The monkey heard everything clearly, and after the crowd dispersed, its gaze towards Ye Feng suddenly became somewhat bittersweet.

He was originally quite satisfied with the position of "Golden Monkey Grand Marshal", but in the blink of an eye, his senior brother became the "Thai Emperor".

In comparison, his own title suddenly seemed bland and meaningless, like a chicken bone.

Just as he was pondering, Wu De Xingjun strolled over with a half-smile on his face, cupped his hands and said, "Golden Monkey Grand Marshal, we will be colleagues from now on. Please come with me and get to know the five hundred spirit officials of the Heavenly Court."

The so-called "spirit officials" are guards in various palaces of the Heavenly Court, totaling five hundred, all under the control of the Martial Virtue Star Lord.

Among them, the most renowned was Wang Lingguan. Although he belonged to the Thunder Department, he was actually an assistant under the True Lord Yousheng, wielding immense power and influence even within the Plague Department. Even the Martial Virtue Star Lord dared not easily offend him.

The daily activities of the various spirit officials are mostly led by the King Spirit Official, who is known as the "head of the five hundred spirit officials".

In the original Journey to the West, Sun Wukong escaped from the Eight Trigrams Furnace and fought his way to the outside of the Tongming Hall and in front of the Lingxiao Hall, where he was stopped by Wang Lingguan. The two fought fiercely and were evenly matched until You Sheng Zhenjun sent thirty-six thunder generals to surround and subdue him, making it impossible for him to advance an inch.

To some extent, Wang Lingguan was comparable in strength to the monkey.

And its master, You Sheng Zhen Jun, is even more famous—he is none other than the "True Martial Demon-Subduing Emperor".

Facing the Martial Virtue Star Lord, the monkey showed no fear, cupped his hands and laughed, "Perfect timing, brother, please lead the way."

After nodding to Ye Feng, he left with him.

Meanwhile, on Ye Feng's side, just as the Jade Emperor was personally bestowing the title of "Great Emperor Tai," a system notification quietly sounded:

[Ancestral Witch Blood Essence, Acquired.]

However, he did not check the reward on the spot.

This object is extremely sensitive and contains overwhelming malevolent energy. Once it is revealed in the Heavenly Court, it will surely attract the attention of all parties.

At that time, they will be unable to defend themselves and may face encirclement and suppression.

—The name of the Witch Clan is already infamous.

They were nothing but a bunch of arrogant fools, with only one thing on their minds—to gather the remnants of the Ancestral Witches' souls and revive the former glory of the ancient Witch Clan.

After the primordial chaos collapsed, both the Wu and Yao races suffered severe damage and their vitality was greatly diminished. Despite this, many powerful individuals from both races still survived.

However, although the demon race is no longer as powerful as it once was in the four continents, it still occupies the mountains, rivers, forests and marshes, reigning supreme and living a carefree life.

And the Wu tribe? They have almost disappeared.

The reason is simple—they were basically all slaughtered.

Just look at what those great shamans of the Wu tribe did to find out.

The great sorcerer Xing Tian believed that Haotian was unworthy to rule the Three Realms. At the very beginning of the Heavenly Court's establishment, he openly challenged the imperial throne, intending to seize it and rule the world with sorcery, thus reshaping the universe.

As a result, his head was cut off by the Great Celestial Venerable, and his body fled extremely fast, disappearing into the primordial starry sky, never to be seen again.

Its head was suppressed at the foot of Shouyang Mountain, never to be seen again.

Then there's the Great Witch Chi You, who forged the Great Array of Heavenly Gods and Demons, intending to merge with the remnants of the Ancestral Witches' souls, gathering the power of the twelve Ancestral Witches into one, and thus becoming the thirteenth Ancestral Witch. He also clashed with Xuanyuan for the throne of the Human Emperor, sparking a great war.

At that time, the Heavenly Court and the Chan Sect joined forces to deal with the situation: Guang Chengzi personally taught Xuanyuan the Great Way of Governing the World, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden descended to the mortal world to assist in the battle, and there were also ancient powerful allies such as the Dragon Clan Yinglong, the Wind God and the Rain Master who participated in the battle, which finally defeated them.

After the defeat, Chi You's physical body remained intact, making him difficult to kill completely. The only way to quell the chaos was to use the incomparably powerful dragon steed to tear him apart into five pieces and seal each part separately.

These two examples alone demonstrate just how fanatical the Wu tribe is.

In their hearts, there is no thought of compromise or coexistence; it is only a matter of life and death, a fight to the death, with no other way out.

In contrast, the demon race was much more rational. Even though they harbored resentment towards the new Heavenly Court, they knew how to assess the situation and never went to the point of no return, thus managing to live a comfortable and peaceful life.

That is why it would be extremely foolish for Ye Feng to actually use the Ancestral Witch's blood essence.

At this moment, Venus slowly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled: "Your Majesty, is this position satisfactory?"

He is a man of good manners and understanding, and has now quietly changed his tune.

Ye Feng smiled slightly, suddenly understanding the mindset of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven back then—no matter what kind of being, in the end, everyone cares about their reputation.

"Not bad, not bad."

Venus said, "Your Majesty, please come with me. Let's go to the residence first and complete the handover procedures along the way."

Ye Feng had no objection.

Venus led him out of the Lingxiao Palace and strolled around the Heavenly Palace.

This was the first time Ye Feng had truly taken the time to calmly observe the entirety of the Heavenly Palace, and he was immediately overwhelmed with awe.

Words cannot describe even a fraction of its magnificence, and paintings can hardly capture its spirit. Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly know what a celestial palace is, and what the pinnacle of all realms is.

Each palace, each hall, and even each level of heaven has a unique atmosphere and an extraordinary layout.

Continuing onward, they finally arrived at the Sun Palace—the abode of the Sun Star Lord.

As previously announced, two star deities and their officials had been waiting respectfully before the palace for some time, and even the imperial robes were ready: a nine-day golden crow imperial robe, with golden light flowing around it, and golden crows spreading their wings on the robe, as if about to break through the sky and fly away.

Ye Feng immediately recognized it as a rare magical artifact.

Venus smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this robe originally belonged to the first Heavenly Emperor, Di Jun. It has been stored in the Heavenly Treasury for countless years without being used. The Great Heavenly Venerable, upon learning of your appointment, specially ordered it to be taken out and bestowed upon you. This is truly an honor."

Ye Feng's heart trembled slightly; it was actually an old item from Di Jun.

He stepped forward and gently stroked it; the touch was warm and soft, perfectly matching his own aura. He immediately realized that this robe was indeed woven from golden crow feathers, with exquisite craftsmanship, incorporating many weapon-refining techniques, far surpassing the clothes he was wearing.

He was overjoyed, though he was secretly puzzled as to why the Jade Emperor treated him so well—even knowing that he was a disciple of a sage, it was hard to explain such favor—but how could he refuse a benefit that was offered to him?

So he entered the main hall and changed into a new robe.

In an instant, his demeanor changed drastically. He was draped in a golden robe, exuding an aura of nobility and majesty, resembling a celestial emperor.

Venus exclaimed, "Wearing this robe, the Emperor looks as if he were Emperor Jun reborn, radiating heroic spirit that commands respect."

Ye Feng waved his sleeve lightly and replied with a faint smile, "You flatter me, Star Lord."

Venus then introduced a person dressed in the robes of the Sun: "This is the Sun Star Lord. From this day forward, he will be a subordinate deity of the Emperor and will explain to you his divine duties and daily responsibilities."

The Sun Star Lord bowed and addressed him as "Emperor".

Ye Feng nodded in return.

He then pointed to another star lord with a crimson crown on his head: "This is the Pleiades Star Lord, also a subordinate deity of the Emperor, who assists in managing the hours and announcing the dawn."

Ye Feng recognized this person—in "Journey to the West," when the Scorpion Demon was causing trouble, it was this Rooster God who appeared, crowed, and subdued the evil spirit.

After exchanging greetings, both parties became acquainted.

Following this, Venus introduced the other subordinate deities: some served the daily needs, some managed rituals, some relayed messages… wherever needed, someone was specifically assigned to their role. The rules were numerous and the details were trivial, causing Ye Feng to frown slightly and feel a headache coming on.

Moreover, next to the Sun Palace, the Heavenly Court's Ministry of Works selected a patch of empty clouds specifically for the construction of the Thai King's Palace.

The celestial craftsmen who came on orders were no ordinary people; their skills were profound.

They chanted incantations, and various rare treasures flew out from their sleeves. In an instant, buildings rose from the ground, requiring no foundation or chisels, taking shape entirely through their magical power.

In less than an hour, the outline of the palace appeared; about three incense sticks later, a magnificent and majestic palace stood tall in the clouds, its imposing presence beyond description.

A golden plaque hangs high in front of the hall, bearing the three large characters "Thai Royal Palace," with a dazzling sun totem imprinted in the center.

After the project was completed, the craftsmen arranged many celestial artifacts in the hall—jade tables, cloud beds, spirit lamps, incense burners, all of which were exquisite.

After the arrangements were made, the officials of the Ministry of Works bowed and took their leave.

After finishing explaining everything, Venus rode away on a cloud.

Ye Feng stepped into the new hall, looked around at the four walls, and felt refreshed and relaxed, far surpassing the Yiyuan Palace of Huaguo Mountain.

He gently knocked on the pillar, the sound clear and melodious like a bell, the lingering echo faintly mixed with the sound of metal.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that this pillar was actually mixed with Taiyi Refined Gold—a rare treasure from the Four Continents, the first choice for refining weapons, and a prize that cultivation sects in the lower realms often fought tooth and nail for.

He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, gaining a deeper understanding of the extravagance of the Heavenly Court.

Before they had settled in for long, the Sun Star Lord and the Pleiades Star Lord came to visit together.

After bowing, the Sun God presented a token and respectfully said, "Your Majesty holds the divine office of the Sun. This is the Crimson Sun Token, which can control sunrise and sunset and regulate the movement of the Sun. It should rightfully be held by Your Majesty personally."

Ye Feng took it; it was slightly warm to the touch, but upon closer inspection, he found nothing unusual.

The Pleiades Constellation Officer then spoke up: "Your Majesty, please come with me, and allow me to explain to you the laws governing the sun's movement and our duties."

The two led the way and soon arrived at a vast altar.

Even Ye Feng, with his vast experience and knowledge, couldn't help but feel a jolt at this moment.

The altar was so magnificent that it far exceeded the ability to describe it with the word "vast"; it was boundless and beyond comprehension.

He estimated in his mind that the four continents were already vast and boundless, with towering mountains and valleys reaching into the Milky Way, and many of the giant mountains were even larger than the Earth where he had lived.

The altar in front of us is probably more than a hundred Earths stacked on top of each other in diameter!

At the edge of the altar stood a device resembling an armillary sphere, which the three stepped onto.

Ye Feng still looked stunned.

Once on the platform, he realized that the entire altar was hollow. Looking down, he could see endless clouds surging and the scenery of the four continents clearly visible.

The Pleiades Star Lord pointed and said, "Your Majesty, this object is called the 'Corona Instrument.' You only need to embed the Crimson Sun Token into it to control the sun's trajectory."

Ye Feng observed it closely and saw that the instrument itself was of a suitable size, and there was indeed a groove in the center that matched the shape of the token in his hand.

The Pleiades Constellation Official continued, "This instrument has been in operation for many years, and its mechanism is complete. Each activation can maintain the sun's celestial cycle for a full year. During this time, the alternation of day and night and the rotation of the seasons occur automatically without intervention. When the cycle ends, the sun will return to this altar. Without the Crimson Sun Token in the Emperor's possession, it cannot set off again."

Ye Feng was secretly delighted: He only had to take action once a year, which was quite leisurely. Very good.

However, the next moment, a single sentence from the Pleiades Constellation made him freeze instantly.