The Heavenly Court had been re-established after the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, but in those early years, Daoism was far from the dominant power it would later become.
At the time, countless schools of thought flourished side by side. Immortals from many traditions held positions within the Heavenly Court, and even the ancient Huang-Lao sages, the forerunners of Daoism itself, possessed little real influence.
In theory, the Ruist scholars should have been the natural rulers of Heaven. Their influence in the mortal world surpassed every other school. Yet their teachings focused on governing humanity rather than pursuing immortality. They devoted themselves to serving worthy rulers and preserving the wisdom of the sages, showing little interest in ascending to godhood.
As a result, their presence in Heaven remained limited. Even the few immortals associated with the Ruist tradition were typically practitioners who blended Ruist and Daoist teachings.
The Legalists, by contrast, wielded tremendous authority within the Heavenly Court.
Their problem was that their power depended heavily on mortal dynasties.
When Emperor Wu of Han suppressed the Hundred Schools and elevated a single ideological framework, the Legalists lost much of the political support that sustained them. Though they remained influential on the surface, anyone paying attention could see the cracks beneath that facade.
The real struggle for dominance lay between the Huang-Lao school, the military strategists, and the Yin-Yang masters.
Each possessed unique strengths.
None could secure a decisive advantage.
That stalemate lasted until the arrival of Zhang Daoling.
A disciple of the Huang-Lao tradition, Zhang Daoling had served within the imperial government and earned respect from both scholars and military leaders alike.
After unifying the scattered Huang-Lao sects throughout the mortal world, he gradually absorbed the declining Yin-Yang school, the Mohists, and the healers. The first foundations of what would become Daoism began to take shape.
But even that wasn't enough.
The event that truly transformed Daoism into a dominant force came later.
Zhang Daoling marched north and eradicated the witch and demon threats that plagued the lands of Ba and Shu.
Put simply, it was war.
The emerging Daoist tradition stood alone against the surviving powers of the demon race.
One battle determined the future.
One battle reshaped Heaven.
The Huang-Lao school, with its emphasis on non-action and natural order, did not oppose a younger successor replacing it. After consulting Laozi, Daoism entered the Heavenly Court as a religious institution and rapidly expanded its influence, absorbing territory and authority from numerous rival schools.
Before long, it became the single most powerful force in Heaven.
That war marked the rise of Daoism.
And the key to that victory was not a single immortal or sage.
It was the million Daoist soldiers who fought and bled to carve out that future.
Those same soldiers had remained passive until now.
They watched from the sidelines.
Then Drex Valen made his decision.
Drex had never been sentimental. He was always more interested in what came next than preserving what already existed.
More importantly, he had never placed much value on these gods.
Watching them stand idle while Yang Jian was surrounded and attacked had left him deeply disappointed.
So, without warning and without ceremony, they were swallowed by the Black Hole Dimension.
Nothing remained.
Only the gods Drex had personally created survived.
Xingtian, the War God, was one of those creations.
He had been made so recently that even Yang Jian had only confirmed his identity through the authority of his divine office. Before that moment, he hadn't even known such a giant existed within the Heavenly Court.
Then there were the other new gods Drex had created according to his own preferences.
Ignis, the God of Fire.
Tidebreaker, the God of Water.
Tempest, the God of Thunder.
And many more besides.
Standing beside Drex was another of his creations.
The Moon Goddess, Luna.
She seemed less like a woman and more like moonlight given form.
Her beauty radiated with such brilliance that the world itself appeared dimmer in comparison.
She possessed the elegance of polished jade, skin as flawless as fresh snow, and a grace that flowed like still water beneath an autumn moon.
Her emerald brows framed luminous eyes.
Her waist was slender as a willow branch.
Though her expression remained distant and calm, every movement carried an effortless charm capable of captivating anyone who looked upon her.
The soft rustle of her robes, the delicate chime of jade ornaments, and the ethereal arrangement of her dark hair gave her the appearance of someone who had stepped directly out of an ancient masterpiece.
Even history's greatest beauties would have seemed ordinary beside her.
She required no adornment.
No cosmetics.
No embellishment.
Her beauty felt timeless.
Unique.
Perhaps unmatched across all ages.
There were very few true beauties within the celestial realms.
The "Chang'e" pursued by Zhu Bajie in ancient stories was not a specific goddess at all, but merely a title used for certain celestial maidens.
A genuine goddess worthy of legend was far rarer.
And the office of Moon Goddess was far more important than most would imagine.
Its authority exceeded even that of the Taiyin Star Lord.
According to older myths, particularly those originating from the ancient state of Chu, the Taiyin Star Lord had merely been one of the celestial officials serving beneath the Moon Goddess, and one who had even attempted to divide her authority.
Of course, Drex knew none of that.
He simply remembered hearing of a moon goddess named Luna and thought the position sounded important.
So he created her.
The remarkable part was that her beauty wasn't his work.
Drex lacked that kind of artistic refinement.
Left to his own devices, he would have created another tall, long-legged beauty with dramatic curves and an intimidating presence.
Luna's classical elegance came entirely from the Black Hole Dimension itself.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Court Dimension still retained enough mythological records for the Black Hole Dimension to reconstruct her properly.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible.
Drex had even considered creating a Sun God.
Then he discovered that the Heavenly Court's records contained far too many solar deities.
There was Solara, wife of the Heavenly Emperor Di Jun.
There were various solar deities and star lords.
The position was far less straightforward than he expected.
"Your Majesty, allow me to assist them."
One of Drex's newly created gods stepped forward eagerly.
It was Chi You.
One of the most famous divine figures of the ancient age.
The earthly incarnation of the Lord of War.
Legends described Chi You as a being born from primordial origins, a monstrous warrior who challenged the Yellow Emperor himself.
Ancient records described him as possessing eight arms, eight toes, and a form unlike any ordinary man.
The references to his eight toes stemmed from his bovine features. Like an ox, he possessed cloven hooves.
His unusual head was often misunderstood by later generations.
The true meaning was much simpler.
His appearance was unlike anything commonly found beneath Heaven.
Horns grew from his skull.
His features resembled a fusion of man and beast.
Combining the various myths and descriptions painted a clear picture of the legendary warlord who once fought against the Yellow Emperor.
Twin horns.
Four eyes.
Eight arms.
A bronze head.
An iron brow.
The body of a man.
The hooves of an ox.
When Chi You rose into the heavens, standing hundreds of feet tall, the atmosphere itself seemed to change.
The scent of burning iron spread across the Nine Heavens.
Then came another smell.
Blood.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
As though countless battlefields had awakened at once.