Sect Master Tongtian returned from the Purple Cloud Palace, his mind heavy with worries all along the way.
He walked straight into the main hall of Biyou Palace and happened to see Daoist Duobao holding a register as he checked something.
"Master, you're back?" Duobao looked up, saw that Tongtian's expression was off, and hurriedly set down the register before stepping forward to bow. "Your complexion... doesn't look good. Did something major happen in the Purple Cloud Palace?"
Duobao, as the Interception Sect's chief disciple, knew that Tongtian had been summoned earlier.
Tongtian looked at his chief disciple. After a long silence, he finally let out a heavy sigh and sat down upon the cloud bed.
"A major matter... it truly is a major matter." His voice was hoarse. "Duobao, sit."
Duobao obeyed and took a seat on a cushion below, an ominous feeling rising in his heart.
Tongtian slowly recounted everything that had happened in the Purple Cloud Palace.
When he heard that the Investiture of the Gods required three hundred and sixty-five righteous deities, Duobao shot to his feet, his face turning pale. "How... how could this be? Master, why does this tribulation target only the Mystic Gate?"
"Because it is a rule set by the Dao Ancestor." Tongtian gave a bitter smile. "Master is the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao. His words are Heaven's will."
Duobao forced himself to calm down and thought it through carefully. "Master, there are so many positions in the Investiture of the Gods, while the Human Teachings and Chan Sect together have only a few dozen people. This shortfall... won't it all fall upon our Interception Sect?"
Tongtian slowly nodded. "That's right. So just now... I made a decision."
"What decision?"
"I will speak with your senior uncle Taishang and junior uncle