Heaven's history could be split into three Grand Eras: the Immemorial, the Prosperous and the Anarchic eras.
The Prosperous Era corresponded to the time span between the First Emperor's coronation and Agiri's eighth Cosmic Tribulation. The Anarchic Era was the chaos that followed afterward. But while at a first glance, Agiri's descent into madness looked like the source of all troubles, as she swept the officials, the God Empress knew that they merely inherited an accumulation of latent threats dating back to the Immemorial Era.
"Divine Mother, why don't I see Jiyan?" A handsome youth with the white hair and blue eyes of the Empyrean race asked. Like all those sitting at the God Empress' side, he wore a white and gold robe embroidered with a golden orchid. In the 33 Heavens, members of the imperial clan aside, none could wear that orchid symbol.
"Your father's sudden death left her disturbed, so I'm letting her grieve in jails," the God Empress calmly replied. Heaven ranked its princes and princesses by their cultivation base. In this generation's seven divine princes, the youth ranked second, making him one of the key contenders for the throne.
However, he wasn't the empress' son. None of them were. And though he'd long gotten used to her ruthlessness, hearing her so casually speak of her only child's fate, the second prince wondered if he shouldn't find himself a less despotic backer. But as he experienced his internal struggle, the God Empress' eyes locked on the banquet hall's entrance.
The imperial kins' eyes followed her gaze, spotting a group of seven men and five women led by a gray-haired senior. Over two meters tall and dressed in golden armor, the old man easily towered above anyone on the scene. Wrinkles stretched his face, an unusual sight for a celestial of his rank, yet his flaming-gold eyes burned with an irresistible martial pressure that forced all to look at him in awe.
Still, despite knowing that the old man could reduce them all to dust with a finger snap, the spirit servants tasked with welcoming the guests all blocked his path.
"What? Is our Golden Crow clan no longer welcome to the Peach Banquet?" Asked a tall, bearded man at the old deity's side. Anyone that glanced at them could see that the two were close relatives. But unlike the old deity's peaceful yet imposing look, the bearded god's eyes brimmed with a tyrannical pressure.
Forced back by the bearded god's glance, the spirit servants recoiled, sweat pouring from their foreheads. Most needed all their willpower to remain standing, but one still managed to say:
"Regardless of position or rank, imperial guards aside, no one can bring armors or weapons into the Divine Palace. Your Lordship, please don't give us trouble," the spirit servant said, and bowed toward the bearded god.
In the banquet hall, silence fell. From imperial kins to chit-chatting officials, all stared at the 13 Golden Crow clansmen. Regardless of gender, they all wore golden armors and held long sword scabbards in their right hands. Following the First Emperor's coronation, the Highest Heaven rarely, if ever, welcomed such overbearing guests. Even without a God Emperor's suppression, most hegemonic clans wouldn't dare antagonize the imperial family.
The Dragons didn't dare.
The Phoenixes didn't dare.
The Great Rocs didn't dare.
But the Golden Crows dared, because they had this old man.
"Since I set foot on the cultivation road, there are only two things I never let go off: my armor and my sword. His Majesty, the Heaven-Warding Emperor himself, granted me the eternal right to bring armor and sword into the Divine Palace. Your words challenge and disrespect his will, but considering your age and ignorance, I can forgive you," the old deity said. A mild, yet overpowering force surged from his eyes, pushing all spirit servants out of his path.
Without further hindrances, the Golden Crows walked in. Regardless of their inherent dispositions, all exuded that same oppressive martial air that made many civil officials of the same cultivation level shiver. And as the old man crossed the banquet hall to reach her table, the God Empress inwardly cursed the First Emperor.
At the beginning of the Immemorial Era, the Star-Devouring Serpent Emperor swallowed the Primordial Dragon, crushed the Ancient Roc, sent the Three-Legged Crow into exile and forced the Divine Phoenix to become his consort.
But becoming the matchless ruler of all creation, the one before whom all divine clans bowed, couldn't sate the Serpent Emperor's limitless appetite. He forced all clans to provide him with 300 consorts and swallowed worlds upon worlds until the Heavenly Realm took its current shape.
The only active member left of the Divine Four, the Three-Legged Crow knew that her cultivation had reached its limits and could never overpower the Serpent Emperor, so she gathered all her most outstanding disciples, and attempted to train the resistance—they all failed her.
It wasn't until a mortal cultivated the Golden Crow Celestial Nature and ascended to Heaven that the Three-Legged Crow found her long-sought successor. She took him as her disciple, taught him all she knew, and even managed to transfer her cultivation base to him. He surpassed all her expectations and became the Golden Crow Ancestor.
Around the same time, a white-haired man appeared. Some claim that celestials escaped to foreign dimensions and sought the man's help. Others that Heaven's wrath birthed him. But regardless of the truth, that mysterious man led a rebellion against the Serpent Emperor.
At first on the losing trend, the mysterious man was saved by the timely assistance of the Golden Crow. Together, they destroyed the Serpent Emperor, forced his clan into submission, and restored order to Heaven.
The mysterious savior became the Heaven Warding Emperor, first ruler of the 33 remaining Heavens, and ancestor of the Empyrean race, while the Golden Crow Ancestor remained Grand Marshal of the Divine Army.
And in the God Empress' eyes, this is where her ancestor went astray.
"Even mortal emperors know that the most meritorious officials to a new dynasty's founding must be executed. But not only did he let the beast live, he even left him with full control of the army. The first emperor was a mighty fool," this was the empress' appraisal of her clan founder. And many secretly agreed.
No one knew how someone stranded at the peak of the Empyrean Monarch Realm managed to outlive all God Emperors. But the Golden Crow Ancestor did. And after crossing over 30 Cosmic Tribulations, his true depth was impossible to estimate.
Still, the empress didn't flinch.
"Golden Crow Ancestor, it's not even been a full week since His Majesty's death. Are you that eager to rebel?" She asked with a provocative smile.
"You also know that it's not even been a week? I thought you'd forgotten," the Golden Crow Ancestor said coolly, "Your husband's ashes haven't fully dispersed that you're already trying to gauge the officials and ensure their loyalty. Dilnaz girl, aren't you too eager?"
Perhaps too direct for the officials' taste, the words were like nails pricking their disloyal hearts.
"Golden Crow, how dare you use the God Empress' given name?"
"It was His Majesty himself who forbade state mourning. What gives you the right to question his will?"
"For an imperial kin's misdeeds, we have the Ministry of the Imperial Household. If they fail to do their job, we still have the Censorate. Only those two departments hold the right to admonish the empress. They have yet to open their mouths, why do you?"
Eager to please the God Empress, one hot-heated official after the other rose to question the Golden Crow Ancestor. Without an ounce of anger, he raised his scabbard and tapped the ground. Like the ripple of a water drop falling into a lake, gentle vibration waves spread across the banquet hall and paralyzed the bodily functions of all aggressive officials.
Regardless of their cultivation levels, none could move an inch. Terror-stricken, the officials floundered, fearing that the blade of Heaven's most ancient deity was about to lop their heads off.
"Her ancestor called me big brother. If not for his sake, her head would now be rolling on the floor. Having been in seclusion for over 200,000 years, I didn't witness any of the events that made you all despise our late sovereign. My mistake. But considering your current actions, I can see the wisdom in his late moves.
And now that I've returned, I must tell you one thing.
Fight for the crown if you will, I do not care. My Divine Army exists for two reasons only: to protect the emperor's dignity and slaughter all that disturb the citizens' peace.
Insult his late majesty's memory, endanger the common man's livelihood, and you can follow these three to the grave." Three heads emerged from the Golden Crow Ancestor's cosmic pouch and dropped on the empress' table.
This time, even she couldn't keep her composure.
"The Third Heaven's Celestial Marquis, the old ancestor of the White Tiger clan, the Black Dragon Monarch…" Not even a day after he returned from seclusion, the Golden Crow Ancestor had already executed one world ruler, and two Monarch-level existences.
Actions spoke louder than words. Officials and imperial kins alike gulped, keeping their mouths tightly shut. Seeing this, the twelve top-ranking Golden Crows at the ancestor's side all sneered.
"I've said all I had to. Rajan, my grandson, will stay to observe your behavior. Enjoy your...banquet." Without a care for the empress' response, the Golden Crow Ancestor spun and left.
Of his twelve kinsmen, only Rajan, the bearded god, remained behind. With no scruples, he took a random seat and lounged on his left side. As the Fourth Heaven's marquis, clan lord of the Golden Crow clan and sect master of the Eternal Sun sect, Rajan's strength and status stood at the world's summit. Even without his grandfather, few could oppose him.
But to ensure a foolproof plan, he used the emperor's sudden death to pull his grandfather out of seclusion. As Divine Laws had no effect on Monarchs, the Golden Crow Ancestor only remembered the good, and never experienced the erratic bouts of Agiri's final years. But Rajan did, and saw it as a sign that the imperial clan…had lost the Mandate of Heaven.
...
By now, the pages and fairies had brought their plates and wine jugs to the banquet hall's doors, unaware of the confrontation that just went down. But though they stepped aside to let the 12 Gods pass, for a second, the Golden Crow Ancestor paused, and as if alerted by an unknown force, he peered through tens of thousands to spot Harun.
His brows creased, and after dispatching a few mental messages, he led his descendants away.