The Great Heavenly Venerate laughed and said, "Though he is a wolf at heart with wild ambitions, he has rendered great merit. If we do not grant him a reward, I fear he will grow cold-hearted and his disloyalty will only deepen."

The Queen Mother did not know what he intended, so she spoke a fair word and said, "The reward Your Majesty granted is indeed somewhat meager. Heavenly King Chen's merit is no small thing, and on top of that he bears the connection of Emperor Houtu Earth. To merely give him the title of Holy Master without any substantive benefit is truly hard to justify."

The Great Heavenly Venerate was just about to draft an edict to reward Chen Shi when he suddenly recalled something and said, "Heavenly King Chen's merit is great. Should his wife also be given some reward and title? As for this matter, it ought to be conferred by Zi Tong."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "She is a Fairy and also a descendant of Yin Shang. This realm of ours was seized from her clan; how could I be the one to ennoble her? Better let the Queen Mother of the West grant her a title. She is the one who oversees the Fairies; it is not convenient for me to interfere." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The Great Heavenly Venerate laughed and said, "The Queen Mother of the West and the East King were but expedient arrangements in those days to divide the power of the Three Pure Ones Realm. Now that the Primordial Talisman has appeared, the difference between Immortal Gods is no longer so great. You may confer it yourself."

The Queen Mother also intended to reclaim part of the authority from the Queen Mother of the West, so she pondered and said, "Why not then confer upon her the title of Primordial Monarch Tan. Her name is Dun, and she is of the Great Shang Royal Family. By granting her the title of Consort, we let her know that Great Shang is already past; she is now only the Heavenly King's Wife of Heavenly King Chen. She is now a Daluo Golden Immortal, and the title of Primordial Monarch is one she can well bear."

The Great Heavenly Venerate praised, "Zi Tong has conferred most aptly."

He pondered briefly, then ordered that an edict be drafted, rewarding Chen Shi and many on Golden Turtle Island with Treasures, and granting to Chen Shi Penglai West together with several nearby "Treasure Lands" that had been polluted by the Outer Dao. Fearing that Little Dun would once more weep and complain, he opened the Heavenly Court's treasure vault and bestowed rather more rewards.

The Queen Mother likewise drafted an edict, conferring upon Little Dun the title of Primordial Monarch Tan and rewarding her with some Treasures.

When all was handled, the Great Heavenly Venerate again asked, "In Zi Tong's view, after Heavenly King Chen has transmitted the Primordial Talisman, will there still be an Opening Tribulation in this world?"

The Queen Mother was astonished. In the past, when the Great Heavenly Venerate spoke with her, it was always a word here and a word there, rarely touching on proper affairs, not allowing her to meddle in the Heavenly Court. Today was somewhat strange; he actually began discussing serious matters with her.

"By rights there should be no Opening Tribulation. Previously, quite a few Immortals made attempts, sending some worlds of the Earth Immortal Realm back to the Dark Sea, and indeed they thereby avoided the Opening Tribulation and did not fall. In those days it even caused a great disturbance, leading to the Earth Immortal Realm growing ever smaller, and Your Majesty flew into a great Thunderous rage over it."

Here the Queen Mother paused and then said, "Yet I have always felt there is something strange and improper in this matter. If, by being in the Dark Sea, surrounded by the Outer Dao, one can be free of calamity and tribulation, then looking at it as a whole, the Earth Immortal Realm is likewise surrounded by the Dark Sea. Why then does it suffer an Opening Tribulation?"

The Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate said approvingly, "Zi Tong speaks reason. But then, why do those worlds that returned to the Dark Sea not undergo an Opening Tribulation, while my Earth Immortal Realm does?"

The Queen Mother conjectured, "In my humble view, the Opening Tribulation may indeed have some relation to the Dark Sea and the Outer Dao, but the relation is not as great as imagined. Perhaps the Outer Dao can ward off a portion of the Opening Tribulation, making Tribulation Crossin easier, but it cannot cause the Opening Tribulation itself to vanish."

The Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate, hearing this, slightly furrowed his brow and said, "Zi Tong's meaning is?"

The Queen Mother said, "In former times the scale of the Opening Tribulations in the Dark Sea was very small, and they could be crossed with ease. Yet this time, the scale of the Opening Tribulation may far surpass the past; even if one hides within the Dark Sea, one may not be without tribulation."

The Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate deeply agreed and said, "The intensity of this Opening Tribulation has greatly increased; there have already been omens. Western Heaven and the Three Pure Ones Realm both feel it will be hard to cross the tribulation and have had no choice but to seek out the Outer Dao."

Opening Tribulations are divided into Meeting Tribulations and Primordial Meeting Tribulations. Meeting Tribulations are relatively small in scale; ordinary Immortals, even without sheltering under the protection of the Three Pure Ones Realm and Western Heaven, can still cross them. Though there are deaths and injuries, those who fall are often people of overwhelming guilt and sin.

The power of the Primordial Meeting Tribulation, however, is exceedingly domineering and fierce. In such a tribulation, even Daluo Golden Immortals are unable to survive it; without the protection of the Three Pure Ones Realm or Western Heaven, they generally perish and their Dao is extinguished.

Unless, like Chang Chun Emperor and others, they pollute themselves with the Outer Dao, using that to cross the tribulation.

Yet over the previous several Meeting Tribulations, the might of each grew greater, to the point that even the Three Pure Ones Realm and Western Heaven felt unstable, finding it hard to shield their disciples. They feared that when the Primordial Meeting Tribulation arrived, the Three Pure Ones Realm and Western Heaven would not be able to hold, so they had no choice but to seek aid from the Outer Dao.

The Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerate rested his hopes on the coming of the Primordial Meeting Tribulation to weaken the strength of the Three Pure Ones Realm and Western Heaven, and this hope was likewise based on the ferocity of this Primordial Meeting Tribulation.

"Heavenly King Chen's transmission of the Primordial Talisman means that this Opening Tribulation may become the mildest Opening Tribulation in the history of the Earth Immortal Realm. This is Heavenly King Chen's merit; I fear it will add no small amount to his incense."

The Queen Mother said, "His Divine Cultivation is bound to grow with each passing day."

The Great Heavenly Venerate said, "If he can become one of the Heavenly Dao Divine People, he will surely be the finest Heavenly Dao Treasure!"

The Queen Mother recalled something and hurriedly said, "Those Heavenly Dao Divine People have been in the Mud World all along, devoting themselves to Cultivation of the Divine Dao, and have not returned. If they come back and Cultivate the Primordial Talisman and refine away the Divine Dao, I fear they will then cast off the Heavenly Court's control!"

"No matter. Their Cultivation of the Primordial Talisman will only make them stronger; as for escaping the Heavenly Court's control, that is even more impossible. Their Physical Bodies have long perished. Without relying on the Heavenly Court, could they possibly rely on the Immortal Court?"

"Your Majesty must still guard against them losing control once they come into contact with the Primordial Talisman."

...

Chen Shi and Little Dun sat within the Liuli Glazed Tile Chariot, the two of them looking out. What they saw was the marks of war everywhere between Heaven and Earth. The Immortal Mountains floating in the air were often shattered; many an Immortal Sect had been breached, their Mountain Protection Arrays destroyed, the casualties grievous, thick smoke still billowing.

There were also Immortal Cities that had been taken. The Heavenly Gods and Immortals guarding those Immortal Cities were escorted outside the city walls; an overseeing Immortal raised the Immortal Slaying Saber or God-slaying Sword, and one head after another fell to the ground.