Outside Shouyang Mountain, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning appeared.
The calm he had shown in Eight Sceneries Palace was gone, replaced by a face full of murderous fury.
"Eldest Brother is too detached from worldly matters. There is no use discussing this with him!"
"I would be better off making plans on my own as soon as possible! Hmph!"
Meanwhile.
Laozi in Eight Sceneries Palace had also lost his earlier composure.
"Why did that child appear?"
"Could it be that Tongtian has been secretly plotting behind our backs?"
While Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning and Laozi pondered the trip to Zixiao Palace, Zhunti and Jieyin in the west were not idle either.
As the two most fond of stirring up trouble, Zhunti and Jieyin possessed an exceptionally sharp sense for the development and control of events.
Jieyin looked at Zhunti, who was meditating on a cushion, and said:
"Eldest Brother. We had agreed long ago that only the Three Sects of the east needed to sign the Investiture of the Gods Scroll."
"But now Qin Hong has appeared out of nowhere. Not only did he use this chance to threaten the Dao Ancestor and make him displeased with our west, he even damaged the Investiture of the Gods Scroll. Now, I fear our Western Sect will be drawn into the Investiture of the Gods Calamity as well!"
"Eldest Brother, we must make preparations early. We should preserve the Western Sect as much as possible, weaken the Three Sects of the east, and seize benefits while we can!"
At the mention of benefits, Jieyin's breathing grew heavier.
"That is exactly how it should be!"
How could Zhunti fail to consider this after hearing Jieyin's words? He immediately gritted his teeth and said:
"That little brat from Tongtian's side is truly hateful!"
"And that Investiture of the Gods Scroll too. It was supposed to be an Innate Spirit Treasure, yet it got damaged just like that!"
"What has happened cannot be changed by talking about it now. You and I must plan ahead as soon as possible."
"Once Teacher repairs the Investiture of the Gods Scroll, we will go and plead our case again!"
"Our west was already inferior to the east. If we have to endure another immeasurable calamity, we will be completely ruined."
"Exactly!" Jieyin picked up the conversation.
"The Dao Ancestor owes our west. He should compensate us!"
"If he refuses when the time comes, you and I will simply stay in Zixiao Palace and never leave!"
"Good!"
It had to be said that Zhunti and Jieyin, when they were wholeheartedly focused on their ambitions, possessed a rather unique charm.
Considering the difficult position the two of them faced—
The west was already lacking in spiritual energy and had few heavenly treasures. Their Western Sect had only just begun to take shape and was completely unable to compare to any one of the Three Sects of the east.
Among the Saints, the two of them were also the weakest.
Yet with such a terrible hand, they had somehow managed to play it like four twos and a pair of jokers.
Through schemes on many fronts, they used the Investiture of the Gods Calamity to suppress the Interception Sect until it was nearly destroyed. Several of the Sect of Enlightenment's Twelve Golden Immortals also entered the Western Sect, leaving the Twelve Golden Immortals in name only. As for the Human Sect, it had always had few members to begin with.
With that, the rise of the Western Sect became unstoppable. Even if Laozi and Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning wanted to stop it, they no longer had the ability.
That had been how the original plot was supposed to unfold. But now, Qin Hong had damaged the Investiture of the Gods Scroll, causing deviations in karma and fate. The Investiture of the Gods Calamity became filled with unforeseen changes.
On Golden Ao Island, within Biyou Palace, the abnormal influx of spiritual power caused by Qin Hong's use of the title Pangu's Affection continued.
However, with Sect Master Tongtian's Saint's decree in place, no one dared ask about it.
Those who dared ask, such as Laozi and Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning, could not be bothered to concern themselves with such matters.
After all, Saints cultivating and causing a little commotion from time to time was perfectly normal.
At that moment, inside Biyou Palace,
Sect Master Tongtian was also pondering everything that had happened in Zixiao Palace. From time to time, he calculated with his fingers, trying to find the key point.
Although Sect Master Tongtian had always seemed content to let Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning bully him, that was only because he could not be bothered to argue. As for his temperament and other qualities, they were all Saints. How much worse could he be?
Previously, he had been protecting Qin Hong to prevent petty villains from using the matter as an excuse. Now that he had returned to his palace, he began carefully considering the impact the destruction of the Investiture of the Gods Scroll would have on himself and the Interception Sect.
"Haha, Hong'er, well done!"
After weighing the matter, Sect Master Tongtian concluded that the damage to the Investiture of the Gods Scroll brought him more benefits than harm!
When the Saints had first discussed the number of names to be placed on the Investiture of the Gods Scroll, Tongtian had been unwilling from the start. The Sect of Enlightenment had caused this mess, so why should the Interception Sect help clean it up?
But Hongjun had presided over the matter, so Sect Master Tongtian had no choice but to agree.
When they discussed it, Nuwa simply refused to get involved. She neither sought benefits nor plotted against anyone.
But the remaining few were no easy opponents. Laozi and Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning both feared harm to the interests of their Human Sect and Sect of Enlightenment, so they joined the two fire-stirrers from the Western Sect in targeting Tongtian and the Interception Sect.
In the end, the Sect of Enlightenment was clearly the true culprit, yet Tongtian's Interception Sect received the most assigned places?
At the time, Tongtian had only one thought: They were openly treating the Interception Sect as if it were nothing. Could their bullying have been any more obvious?
But although he understood it in his heart, he had been helpless.
Now things were different. With a little flick of Qin Hong's hand, the Investiture of the Gods Scroll had been destroyed!
"Hehe, I never expected Hong'er to give his father such a grand gift right after being born!"
"Still, I cannot let down my guard. Although the Investiture of the Gods Scroll has been damaged and karma and fate have deviated, the Interception Sect is simply too large. A tall tree catches the wind, and Heaven's Way will surely not let us go. If we wish to pass through this safely, we must still make careful plans!"
Afterward, Sect Master Tongtian issued a decree ordering the disciples of the Interception Sect to be extremely cautious when traveling through the Primordial World. Unless necessary, they were not to wander about the Primordial World and were to cultivate quietly within their cave abodes.
A few days later, Sect Master Tongtian received Hongjun's decree that the Investiture of the Gods Scroll had been repaired. He set out once more for Zixiao Palace, where the Three Sects would sign the Investiture of the Gods Scroll.
Not long after Sect Master Tongtian left, Qin Hong emerged from the secret chamber. The instant he ended his seclusion, the abnormalities caused by Pangu's Affection receded like a tide.
"Whew... That felt great. With my current strength, even without Dad backing me up, there are not many in the Primordial World who can touch me!"
Feeling the bright sunlight, Qin Hong could not help stretching lazily.
"Investiture of the Gods, here I come!"
Looking at the scenic Golden Ao Island before him, shrouded in immortal mist, Qin Hong could not help feeling boundless ambition rise within him.
"The fate of the Interception Sect being destroyed? To hell with that. As long as I am here, I will never allow it to happen!"
After venting, Qin Hong began to think quietly.
"Now that the Investiture of the Gods Scroll has been damaged, there are flaws in karma and fate."
"But the Interception Sect is simply too large. A tall tree catches the wind, and Heaven's Way will definitely not let us off!"
"Still, Heaven's Way, you may be strong, but I, Qin Hong, am not someone to be trifled with either. Let us see whose schemes are superior!"
Having made up his mind, Qin Hong tapped the ground with the tip of his foot and headed off the island.
Along the way, he occasionally saw groups of Interception Sect disciples flying through the air, chatting and laughing.
Upon seeing Qin Hong, they all greeted him kindly.
Those of lower seniority respectfully addressed Qin Hong as Little Martial Uncle, and Qin Hong answered each of them with a smile.
Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted toward him, followed by a burst of charming laughter from afar.
"Oh my, isn't this Little Junior Brother?"
Before you continue