The 68th Hexagram of I Ching: Wei Ji

  In the Lingxiao Hall of the Heavenly Court, a group of immortals were drinking and making merry, filled with joyful voices and laughter. The Jade Emperor was enjoying himself with his ministers. The ministers were also extremely excited, as the elimination of Chiyou was the greatest victory since the establishment of the Heavenly Court. This had greatly boosted the prestige of the Heavenly Court in the Primordial Chaos, which would bring immense benefits to its reputation among the human race.

  The Jade Emperor had always thought that Chi You, although once the great shaman of the Wu tribe, had already reincarnated as a human and the Wu tribe would not make a big fuss over his death. However, things turned out to be beyond his expectations. When Xing Tian received the news from the Rain Master, he couldn't help but ignite a fierce anger in his heart. Although the Wu tribe had declined since the Great War of the Witch and the Demon, a camel was still bigger than a horse. The Heaven's behavior was clearly not taking the Wu tribe seriously. In a fit of rage, Xing Tian picked up his giant axe and set off alone towards the Heavenly Court.

  When Xing Tian held the divine axe, his body was filled with a murderous aura, and he stepped into the Lingxiao Treasure Hall with a gloomy face. The Jade Emperor only then realized that his plan had gone wrong, as the Chi You incident had already caused the Wu tribe to oppose the Heavenly Court. Xing Tian's sharp gaze swept across the people in the hall, and the laughter of the immortals came to an abrupt halt.

  Guang Chengzi, after Chi You's defeat, received an invitation from the Heavenly Court to celebrate in heaven. Coincidentally, he ran into Xing Tian. Originally, Xing Tian had been defeated by Chi You multiple times and already harbored hatred towards the Wu tribe. Seeing Xing Tian immediately ignited the anger in his heart. He heard him say: "So it's a remnant of the Wu tribe. During the great war between the Wu and the Yao, you were lucky to have escaped with your life. Why aren't you staying honestly on Beijuzhou Island? What are you doing here at the Heavenly Court? Could it be that you think your life is too long?"

  Xing Tian coldly glanced at Guang Cheng Zi, ignoring his sarcasm, and turned to gaze directly at the lofty Jade Emperor Haotian, asking in a chilly tone: "In the battle for the throne, my brother Chi You was defeated and destroyed. Does Your Majesty know about this?"

  Haotian's face was expressionless as he nodded and said, "Of course I know. In the battle for the throne, the Jiuli tribe suffered a great defeat and returned in disarray. Da Yu Xiang fell, and if I didn't even know this, then there would be no need for me to be the Heavenly Emperor."

  Xing Tian stood upright, his eyes fixed intently on Huang Tian, and asked: "The Heavenly Emperor knows that it's good, so the Heavenly Court's intervention in the Human Emperor's dispute is also permitted by the Heavenly Emperor?"

  The Jade Emperor nodded, a faint bitter smile on his face, and said: "Ren Huang Xuan Yuan was recognized by the sage, Chi You's rebellion against the heavens should have such consequences, it is also the grand trend of the heavenly way."

  After hearing the Jade Emperor's words, Xingtian's expression became even more calm and he said slowly: "I heard that Your Majesty sent the Ninth Heaven Xuannu, a female official beside Queen Mother Wangmu, to descend into the mortal world and assist the Human Emperor Xuanyuan, and also opened the 'Zhou Tian Star Battle Array' of the Heavenly Court. I wonder if this is true?"

  Hao Tian was startled by Xing Tian's words and was about to speak when a long, mocking laugh came from the side.

  "Hahaha……" Guang Chengzi stood up and shouted: "Chi You disrespected the Human Emperor, committed crimes against his superiors, and attempted to bring chaos to humanity. He got what was coming to him, it's only natural. The Heavenly Court intervened in accordance with the heavenly way. But as for you, Xing Tian, as the leader of the Witch tribe, how dare you privately attack the Heavenly Court? You clearly don't put the Heavenly Emperor in your eyes, you should be punished!"

  Xing Tian heard the provocative words of Guang Chengzi, closed his tiger eyes, raised his head to the sky and remained silent. After a long while, he muttered: "After the great war between the witches and the monsters, all the ancestors returned to heaven and earth. Chi You died for the revival of the witch tribe, but I, Xing Tian, as the leader of the great witch, have not achieved anything. Today is the day when I will make a contribution to the witch tribe."

  Xing Tian finished speaking and let out a loud roar, the sorrowful aura around him was swept away, replaced by an aura of fierce killing intent. The heavenly court's deities were locked onto Xing Tian's killing intent, suddenly feeling as if they had thorns on their backs, each one silent like a cicada in winter. Only Guang Cheng Zi and a few other deities could maintain their composure, most of them being disciples of the various major sects, adopting an attitude of watching from the sidelines.

  Witnessing Xing Tian's arrogance, I was also furious in my heart. In my mind, I secretly thought: "I am the Heavenly Emperor personally appointed by the founder of Taoism. You, Xing Tian, dare to be so contemptuous of me? You really deserve to die! If I don't let you know my power, how can I still control the officials in heaven and on earth? People will think that Huang Tian is easy to bully."

  The Jade Emperor had the heart to establish his authority in front of all the immortals, and he didn't call on his subordinates. He personally wielded a precious sword and fought against Xingtian. The Heavenly Emperor was originally a Taoist boy by the side of Hongjun Daozu, and it's unknown how many years he had followed him. His magical powers were extremely fierce, and he had already reached the state of quasi-sainthood. The Heavenly Mirror in his hand was also a top-grade pre-heavenly treasure, with extraordinary power. Xingtian, on the other hand, was also a great witch doctor of the Wu tribe, renowned for his exceptional martial arts and magical powers, as well as his rich combat experience. The two of them engaged in a fierce battle, killing each other until the sky grew dark, leaving people watching in awe and confusion.

  The Jade Emperor, Haotian, in order to avoid damaging the Heavenly Court due to the battle, intentionally lured Xingtian away from the Heavenly Court. Under his deliberate guidance, the two gradually fought out of the Heavenly Court and unknowingly arrived beside Changyang Mountain.

  The Jade Emperor followed the Taoist ancestor Hongjun for many years, with countless magical powers, and gradually gained the upper hand. Taking advantage of Xingtian's unpreparedness, he cut off his head with one sword. All that was heard was a "ka" sound, and Xingtian's head fell to the ground. It was also because Xingtian relied on his powerful golden body as a great sorcerer, but he did not expect that the precious sword in the Jade Emperor's hand was the 'Sorcery-Beheading Sword' refined by the demon emperor Jun many years ago, so he would have lost without being prepared.

  Xing Tian refined the witchcraft of the Wu tribe, and his magic was unpredictable. He had long combined his soul with his body, so even though he lost his head, he did not die. On one hand, he held up a shield to defend against Yu Huang's attack, and on the other hand, he freed up a hand to search for his head on the ground, wanting to put it back in place. When Yu Huang saw that Xing Tian was still alive after being beheaded, he was extremely surprised, and also feared that if Xing Tian really found his head, he would have to engage in another fierce battle. Therefore, Yu Huang swung down the "Witch-Slaying Sword" in his hand, instantly opening up a huge crevice on Changyang Mountain, and Xing Tian's head fell into the crevice, which then closed again.

  The Jade Emperor, Haotian, was still a bit uneasy, so he stretched out his hand and cast a seal to lock up Changyang Mountain. Only then did he turn around to observe Xingtian's reaction. However, he didn't notice that before he had cast the seal, there was a sudden movement beneath Changyang Mountain, and Xingtian's head disappeared without a trace.

  Xing Tian, despite having no head, had not diminished in his perceptual abilities. Xing Tian knew that the Jade Emperor, Huang Tian, must have hidden his own head away, and he might never be able to find it again. At this moment, Xing Tian couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow, as the cold, eerie glow of his divine axe cast an otherworldly light on his headless body, making him appear all the more tragic and desolate.

  The Jade Emperor, Haotian, felt extremely pleased with himself after hiding Xingtian's skull, for Xingtian was the second most powerful being in the Wu tribe, next only to Zuwu. The fact that he had defeated him would greatly enhance his prestige among the gods.

  Just as the Jade Emperor was secretly rejoicing, he saw Xingtian's body suddenly change, his upper clothes falling to the ground, revealing his armpits and navel. Enraged, Xingtian concentrated all his magical powers on these three places, greatly increasing his sensitivity. He used his armpits as eyes and his navel as a mouth, wielding his halberd, wanting to fight the Jade Emperor again. His surging battle intent enveloped the sky and earth of Changyang Mountain, constantly rolling towards the Jade Emperor. In this instant, the sky and earth became gloomy, as if affected by Xingtian's overwhelming killing intent, thus displaying such an ominous sign.

  The Jade Emperor was shocked at the sight, and for a moment he was actually intimidated by Xingtian's aura, standing still on the spot. He didn't even take advantage of Xingtian's distraction to launch a sneak attack, which turned him into an upright and honest Heavenly Emperor in the eyes of the heavenly gods. As a result, some of the smaller gods who were not entirely loyal to the Heavenly Court also returned to the fold.

  Xing Tian danced with his halberd, gradually mastering his new body. When he discovered the existence of Yu Huang Da Di and Huang Tian, a raging fire erupted in his heart like a volcanic explosion.

  Xing Tian saw the Jade Emperor standing there, holding an axe in both hands and chopping towards the Jade Emperor. At this time, the Jade Emperor finally came to his senses, calling out in distress, wondering how he could be so foolish as not to have taken advantage of the opportunity to kill Xing Tian, but instead allowed him to catch his breath. In the current situation, due to the urgency of the moment, he had no choice but to raise the Huantian Mirror and release a bright light screen to barely hold off the attack.

  The divine axe chopped down on the light screen, and in an instant, the light screen was shattered by the violent magic. The axe and mirror clashed, and the Heaven Punishing Axe was bounced high into the air, while the Mirror of Heaven wailed and plummeted downwards like a shooting star.

  The Jade Emperor, Haotian, let out a low growl, and a thread of fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The blow that Xingtian had just dealt had shattered the true spirit seal he had left in the Haotian Mirror, and under the shock to his mind and spirit, he had already suffered serious injury.

  Xing Tian did not want to give his opponent a chance to catch their breath, and immediately flew up to pounce on him. The divine axe in his hand was still chopping down towards the Jade Emperor's head. This axe move was extremely slow, with a condensed and heavy force that had yet to reach its target, but the powerful air current it generated blew the Jade Emperor's robes into a rustling sound.

  Facing the increasingly close giant axe, Jade Emperor Haotian felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart and could only raise the beheading sword in his hand to meet the incoming giant axe. However, he was already seriously injured from the previous blow, so he couldn't completely withstand the sharpness of Xingtian's halberd axe. The demon emperor sword in his hand was knocked open, and the 'halberd axe' broke through the Jade Emperor's protective divine light with ease.

  At the critical moment, just as the Three Realms' Supreme was about to meet his demise, a small flag filled with divine energy flew onto the head of the Jade Emperor Haotian, billowing in the wind and transforming into layers of divine clouds that blocked this fatal blow. This flag was none other than the Western Colorless Cloud Boundary Flag, also known as the Gathered Immortals Flag, from the Five Directions Flags of Heaven and Earth. It turned out that the Queen Mother of the West had arrived.