Shi Ji's Worry, the Investiture of the Gods Calamity Approaches

Shi Ji stood where she was, her mind still buzzing.

She stared blankly at Qin Feng's receding figure as he vanished through the hall doors, then looked down at the Jade Slip personally crafted by Empress Yun Xiao in her hand. It all felt like a dream.

He had refused the invitation of the Three Virtuous Goddesses.

And had even told them to come visit him instead.

If word of this got out, probably no one in the entire primordial world would believe it.

Yet it had happened.

Moreover, that fellow cultivator who had uttered such outrageous words had acted as though it were only natural from beginning to end, as if this were simply how things should be.

Her vision had been too narrow.

Shi Ji took a deep breath. The shock on her stunning face gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented resolve and reverence.

Her fellow cultivator's world had never been something she could fathom.

All she needed to do was obey him unconditionally and trust him.

She no longer hesitated. Turning at once, she summoned Caiyun Attendant, who served under her.

"Take this Jade Slip and head to Three Immortals Island immediately. Relay my fellow cultivator's words to the three Empresses exactly as spoken."

Shi Ji's voice was cool and resolute, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

The words "my fellow cultivator" came from her lips so naturally, brimming with proud satisfaction.

Caiyun Attendant accepted the Jade Slip, and her little face instantly went pale.

Though she had not dared inspect the contents of the Jade Slip, she had heard every word of the conversation between Qin Feng and Shi Ji.

She was supposed to refuse the Three Virtuous Goddesses? And tell the three Empresses to come visit in person?

Th-this was not delivering a message. This was delivering herself to her death!

"Empress... th-this..." Caiyun Attendant's legs went weak with terror, and she could barely speak.

Shi Ji glared, and the pressure belonging to a Grand Unity Golden Immortal instantly descended.

"What are you afraid of? If the sky falls, my fellow cultivator will hold it up! Just deliver the message. If anything happens, Azure Stone Palace will bear full responsibility!"

Feeling the resolve in Shi Ji's voice, as well as that confidence rising from the depths of her being, Caiyun Attendant's heart trembled. She knew there was no room left to turn back.

Gritting her teeth and stamping her foot, she decided to risk it all!

"Yes! This child obeys!"

As soon as the words fell, Caiyun Attendant transformed into a streak of light and sped toward Three Immortals Island in the East Sea, carrying the resolve to die.

And the delivery of this message was destined to stir an unprecedented storm within the tranquil Interception Sect.

Three Immortals Island.

The Three Sisters—Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao—were drinking tea and discussing the Dao with their elder brother, Zhao Gongming.

Several days had passed since they sent out the invitation.

Bi Xiao, the most impatient of them, had long been unable to sit still.

"Big Sister, do you think Senior Qin Feng will come? It's already been several days. Why hasn't there been any sign of him?"

Qiong Xiao wore an expectant expression as well. "Yes, I wonder whether Fairy Caiyun has returned from delivering the invitation. I really want to meet that great hero soon!"

Only Yun Xiao remained as calm as ever. Holding her teacup, she gently blew on the steam.

"Be patient. An expert of his stature naturally has his own principles. We need only wait for good news."

Just then, a streak of light shot swiftly from the horizon. Carrying a hint of panic, it landed outside the great hall.

It was Caiyun Attendant from under Shi Ji's command.

"She's back!"

Bi Xiao's eyes lit up, and she was the first to rush out. Qiong Xiao and Zhao Gongming followed close behind.

"How did it go? What did that senior say? Did he agree?" Bi Xiao fired off questions like a string of firecrackers, her little face full of excitement.

Startled by the scene before her, Caiyun Attendant dropped to her knees with a thud, trembling all over like a leaf.

"R-reporting to the three Empresses and Lord Gongming..."

She tremblingly presented the Jade Slip in her hands. Then she drew a deep breath and, gathering all her strength, repeated Qin Feng's words exactly as they had been spoken.

"My Palace Master said... Azure Stone Palace has only recently been established, and he is busy with many affairs, so he cannot leave for the time being."

The moment those words were spoken, the smile on Bi Xiao's face froze.

Qiong Xiao and Zhao Gongming also looked utterly stunned.

Could not leave?

What kind of excuse was that?

Yet before they could react, Caiyun Attendant's next words struck everyone's minds like Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.

"My Palace Master also said... if the three Empresses truly wish to discuss the Dao, they may come to Azure Stone Palace. He will welcome them with open doors."

Silence.

The entire hall instantly sank into deathly stillness.

Bi Xiao's almond eyes widened round, and her little mouth formed an "O," as though she had heard some absurd fantasy.

Qiong Xiao was equally incredulous, so stunned that she forgot to set down her teacup.

Even Zhao Gongming, always so composed, felt his mind buzzing as it completely shut down.

He had refused?

Not only had he refused, he had told them to come visit him instead?

This...

"How outrageous!"

A furious shout shattered the silence.

Bi Xiao slammed her palm onto the table, trembling with rage as her pretty face flushed red.

"Who does he think he is? A Saint? We invited him with the best of intentions, yet he dares act so high and mighty, completely ungrateful! Who does he think he is?"

"Exactly! This is far too arrogant! I've never seen anyone this overbearing in my life!" Qiong Xiao was also filled with righteous indignation, feeling that her goodwill had been treated like donkey liver and lungs.

As personal disciples of the Saint of the Interception Sect, Great Powers at the Quasi-Saint level, they had extended an olive branch of their own accord. What an honor was that in the primordial world?

Yet not only had the other party failed to feel grateful, he had adopted such a superior attitude?

This was no longer a slap in the face. It was grinding their faces into the ground again and again!

However, just as the two sisters were consumed by fury and nearly ready to charge straight to Skeleton Mountain to reclaim their dignity, a cool voice drifted out.

"Enough."

It was Yun Xiao.

At some point, she had risen to her feet. Her incomparably beautiful face, once as still as an ancient well, now bore an unprecedented gravity and shock.

She was not angry, nor did she rebuke anyone. She merely stared fixedly at the Jade Slip, as though she wished to see through it.

"Big Sister! Aren't you angry? That guy..." Bi Xiao wanted to say more, but Yun Xiao stopped her with a glance.

"You are mistaken."

Yun Xiao spoke slowly, her voice carrying an inexplicable tremor.

"This is not arrogance. This is... absolute confidence!"

"He simply does not regard us, the Interception Sect, or even the Saints as worthy of notice! In his world, he alone is the only rule!"

At those words, Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao froze.

Zhao Gongming's heart also shook violently, as though he had vaguely grasped something.

Yun Xiao's gaze became incomparably profound, as if she were performing a terrifying deduction.

"Think about it. Why did he say Azure Stone Palace was busy with affairs? Was he truly occupied? No! He was telling us that his dojo, his territory, was more important than an invitation from Three Immortals Island! He was declaring that his Azure Stone Palace was the true sacred ground for discussing the Dao in this primordial world!"

"His asking us to come to Azure Stone Palace was not humiliation either. It was... a gift!"

"A gift granting us the qualification to enter his world!"

Boom!

Yun Xiao's words exploded in the minds of Qiong Xiao, Bi Xiao, and Zhao Gongming like successive thunderclaps.

They were completely dumbfounded.

It could... be understood that way?

"C-could it be... that we are overthinking this?" Bi Xiao stammered, feeling her entire worldview suffer a massive blow.

"It cannot be wrong!" Yun Xiao said decisively. "Someone who can withstand a Saint's decree head-on and toy with the Chan Sect in the palm of his hand—how could his perspective and bearing be something we can fathom?"

"He is not putting on airs. He is showing us his Dao! A supreme Great Dao that stands above all things, with only himself reigning supreme!"

Zhao Gongming broke out in cold sweat. Suddenly slapping his thigh, he came to a realization.

"That's right! I remember now! Azure Stone Palace is no ordinary cave dwelling. It is a terrifying fortress built from Supreme Formations and innate spirit veins! Its spiritual energy is even greater than that of our master's Golden Ao Island! That place truly qualifies as a sacred ground for discussing the Dao!"

Those words completely subdued Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao.

The anger in their eyes gradually gave way to emotions called shock and awe.

So... that was how it was?

That senior's realm had already reached such an unimaginable height?

They had judged a noble heart with petty minds!

This response quickly spread through the Interception Sect, instantly causing an uproar.

Some believed Qin Feng was arrogant and ungrateful, and that he would sooner or later suffer greatly for it.

But more disciples of the Interception Sect who knew of Qin Feng's feats, especially those who had heard Yun Xiao's analysis, felt that this was the bearing of a true expert.

For a time, speculation about Qin Feng's identity and strength became increasingly outrageous. Some even believed he might be a reclusive Chaos Demon God!

Azure Stone Palace.

After seeing off the messenger, the place returned to its usual tranquility.

Qin Feng reclined against a throne carved from a single piece of innate warm jade, while Shi Ji nestled beside him like a docile kitten, gently peeling a purple-gold grape for him.

This rare peace filled her with immense comfort and happiness.

Yet for some reason, as she watched the occasional streaks of light carrying ominous auras flash across the sky, and felt the increasingly oppressive killing intent between heaven and earth, as though water might drip from it, a deep worry appeared on her beautiful face.

She stopped what she was doing, raised her head slightly, and softly said to Qin Feng.

"Fellow cultivator, I keep feeling uneasy. It seems some great terror is about to descend."

Qin Feng opened his eyes and looked at her slightly pale little face. "What is it?"

Under Qin Feng's gentle gaze, Shi Ji seemed to find an outlet. She poured out all the fear that had long accumulated in her heart.

From a Friend of the Jie Sect, she had heard a shocking secret enough to make the entire primordial world tremble.

"I heard... several Saint Lords signed an Investiture of the Gods at Purple Firmament Palace..."

Shi Ji's voice grew softer and softer, trembling uncontrollably.

"Those whose names are on the list are Calamity Persons of the immortal path's killing tribulation. After they die, their souls will be seized by the Investiture of the Gods and enslaved by the Heavenly Court forever, with no freedom left!"

"They say... this calamity will sweep across the Three Realms, and no one can escape it!"

By the end, tears had already filled her beautiful phoenix eyes, and her delicate body trembled faintly.

She lifted her head and looked at Qin Feng with an almost pleading gaze. Her voice shook as she said, "Fellow cultivator, I attained the Dao as a Stone Goblin. Though I joined the Interception Sect, my foundation is shallow, and I have no one to rely on. Those people of the Chan Sect have always regarded beings like us as furred and horned creatures, born wet or from eggs, and they wish to eliminate us as quickly as possible."

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid that I... might be one of those whose names are on the list."

This was the greatest fear buried deep within her heart.

Her origins were a mark she could never erase, and the source of her inferiority and unease.

Qin Feng listened quietly to the end, without any expression on his face.

He merely reached out and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Shi Ji's eyes, his movements tender.

Then, an incomparably calm voice, carrying a dominance enough to make all gods and Buddhas tremble, slowly rang through the hall.

"A name on the list?"

"I would like to see who dares write your name on it."