Chapter 12
"The universe divides into Yin and Yang, therefore those who wield order must be one Yang and one Yin, one male and one female."
The Sage raised his gaze, first casting a glance at the calmly seated Fuguang.
Then.
He turned his eyes to Dongwangong, who was dressed in purple-gold robes and exuded an aura of supreme nobility.
The Sage spoke again:
"Dongwangong, you are the incarnation of the Primordial Eastern Florescence's ultimate, true, and pure Yang breath. You shall be the Head of Male Immortals in the Primordial World."
"I bestow upon you the Dragon-Head Walking Stick, designating you as Lord Wood. Hereafter, all males in the Primordial World who attain immortality must ascend to the Purple Chamber, pay homage to Lord Wood, and enter the Immortal Registry."
As his words fell.
An Innate Spiritual Treasure radiating supreme-grade fluctuations—the Dragon-Head Walking Stick, along with the Purple Chamber Immortal Registry—descended and landed before Dongwangong.
"My thanks to the Sage!"
Though Dongwangong's expression remained calm, golden light flashed deep within his eyes.
He could not conceal the excitement surging in his heart.
Such a reaction, falling into the eyes of the vast majority of male immortals among the Three Thousand Guests, inevitably caused them to frown.
At the same time.
Quite a few male immortals subconsciously cast their gazes toward Fuguang, the one the Sage had looked at first—
Clearly, Fuguang, the person the Sage had favored with his first glance, ought to have been the best candidate for the Head of Male Immortals.
Yet for some reason, the Sage ultimately did not choose Fuguang.
Of course.
In doing so, the Sage must have had his own reasons.
However, comparing Dongwangong's undisguised excitement with Fuguang's calm demeanor sitting nearby, the superiority of the two was instantly clear.
Fuguang was—compared to that fellow Dongwangong—
much more pleasing to the eye!
Not to mention that he had pioneered the Literary Dao and brought everyone some recreational and mind-refining pursuits outside of cultivation, just look at his poise—unfazed by insult or favor, humble and serene. He was simply incomparable to Dongwangong, who looked ambitious at first glance.
The attitude of the Three Thousand Guests was self-evident.
Unfortunately, Dongwangong, who was in a state of wild elation, clearly did not pay much attention to it.
Even if he had noticed, he would have brushed it off as unimportant.
He was the Head of Male Immortals appointed by the Sage; who would dare disobey, and who could remain unconvinced?
Naturally, Dongwangong did not behave too outrageously either.
The Sage naturally noticed all this, but he made no reaction whatsoever.
He merely shifted his gaze, looking toward Xiwangmu among the many Daluo female immortals:
"Xiwangmu, you are the incarnation of the Primordial Western Florescence's ultimate, wondrous, and pure Yin breath. You shall be the Head of Female Immortals in the Primordial World."
"I bestow upon you the Western Plain-Cloud Flag, designating you as Queen Mother. Hereafter, all females in locomotives of immortality in the Primordial World must register their names in the Golden Tome and pay homage to the Queen Mother."
As the Sage's voice faded.
Among the many Daluo female immortals, a graceful, noble, and gently-tempered Daluo female immortal—Xiwangmu—rose and bowed in gratitude:
"My thanks to the Sage!"
Unlike Dongwangong, whose feigned composure could barely mask his inner agitation, Xiwangmu remained completely poised and calm from the moment she stood to bow until she accepted the spiritual treasure and the Golden Tome, maintaining an air of great dignity.
With the somewhat pretentious Dongwangong preceding her, Xiwangmu instantly won over a great deal of favorable impression from the Three Thousand Guests.
Of course.
More importantly—
Female immortals in the Primordial World were fewer than male immortals, and Daluo female immortals were scarcer still.
Therefore, many Daluo female immortals mostly knew one another and even maintained quite good relations, making the competitive atmosphere far less intense than on the male immortals' side.
And since Xiwangmu was the Head of Female Immortals, naturally she had no jurisdiction over the male immortals.
So her situation was somewhat unique.
Having arranged the matters of the Head of Male Immortals and the Head of Female Immortals, the Sage had nothing further to say.
He spoke:
"Three Yuanhuis from now, Zixiao Palace will open once more. All of you, take your leave!"
As his voice fell.
The Sage's figure had already vanished without a trace.
The Three Thousand Guests in the palace wore dazed expressions for a moment before standing up one after another, preparing to leave.
Amidst the crowd.
Fuguang, who had acted as a mere spectator throughout the entire proceedings, also stood up and straightened his robes.
Then.
He bowed respectfully toward the high platform where the Sage had lectured:
"Many thanks to the Sage for imparting the Dao!"
Not again!
Seeing Fuguang's unique behavior, the Three Thousand Guests who had arrived earlier than him and been tricked previously all twitched the corners of their mouths.
Then, one after another, they followed his example and bowed toward the high platform.
By Fuguang's side, Xihe and Changxi looked at each other in bewilderment and likewise gave a bow.
Even the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and others who had already taken strides toward the exit of Zixiao Palace stopped in their tracks, turned around, and bowed as well.
Having finished their bows, the Three Thousand Guests cast various odd, surprised, and annoyed glances at Fuguang—
What a show-off!
Most of the Three Thousand Guests, who hadn't even thought of the bowing issue in the first place, complained inwardly.
Especially the Three Pure Ones—
The three of them had even received the benefit of having their doubts resolved by the Sage, yet they had actually forgotten to show gratitude.
They felt more than a little flustered.
Facing the gazes of the Three Thousand Guests.
Fuguang turned around completely unbothered to look at Xihe and Changxi beside him, who also wore slightly peculiar expressions.
He extended an invitation:
"Two fellow daoists, shall we travel together?"
Hearing Fuguang's invitation, Changxi nodded in agreement.
Xihe nodded as well:
"Naturally, why not!"
Before long.
The three of them left Zixiao Palace chatting and laughing. Fuguang summoned his superior-grade acquired Merit Spiritual Treasure, the Black Crow Token, which cast down protective golden light to shroud himself and the two Taiyin goddesses, and directly entered the Chaos, returning toward the Primordial World.
Within the crowd.
Watching Fuguang leave in the company of Xihe and Changxi, Dongwangong—surrounded by several Daluo male immortals—saw a flash of contemplation in his eyes, and his brow furrowed slightly.
The Sage had looked at Fuguang first.
This—
Dongwangong naturally knew about it!
Therefore,
even though Dongwangong had now been enthroned as the Head of Male Immortals, after the initial joy subsided, a lingering thorn remained in his heart.
It seemed—
the candidate for the Head of Male Immortals didn't necessarily have to be him after all!
That Fuguang from the Sun Star was also qualified.
After all—
when the Sage appointed the Head of Female Immortals, he hadn't looked at anyone other than Xiwangmu at all!
A tiny thorn had been faintly planted in Dongwangong's heart.