That voice came from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.
It contained not the slightest trace of mana, yet it carried the supreme authority of the Heavenly Dao.
The moment it rang out, the waters of the East Sea froze, and Golden Ao Island's Mountain Protection Array let out waves of mournful cries.
At that instant, all the laws between heaven and earth seemed to have been forcibly put on pause.
The golden light that had caught Guangchengzi slowly condensed into a vague yet majestic figure.
His features could not be seen, but merely standing there, he became the center of the universe and the source of all Dao.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate!
The Sage of the Chan Sect had arrived in person!
"Master!"
Chi Jingzi and the others felt as though they had been granted a pardon. They dropped to their knees with a thud, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
Never before had they felt so wronged and stifled.
Yet Primordial Heavenly Venerate paid them no heed.
His gaze pierced through the void and landed deep within Golden Ao Island, in the direction of the Jade Palace.
His question was like an interrogation by the Heavenly Dao, filled with shock, fury, and bewilderment.
"Tongtian!"
"Is this the fine disciple you raised?!"
"What... what the hell is going on here?!"
Before his words had faded.
From within the Jade Palace, an equally tyrannical Heaven-Slaying Sword Intent, seemingly capable of severing past, present, and future, shot into the sky!
The sword intent collided with the Sage's pressure, forcefully pressing the entire sea level of the East Sea down tens of thousands of feet!
A figure in azure silently appeared before Golden Ao Island's mountain gate.
His black hair fell over his shoulders, and his gaze was wild and defiant.
It was none other than the Interception Sect's Sage, Sect Leader Tongtian.
He had sensed Primordial Heavenly Venerate's anger and assumed the Chan Sect was ready to tear all pretenses apart and fight. He had already prepared to unleash the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.
But the instant he appeared, he too froze.
He saw the glaring red welcome banner.
He saw the intact jade table before the mountain gate, still flickering with the light of formations.
He saw, in a corner, the innocent-looking Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals lined up in a queue.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the golden, floating Sky-High Fine, as well as Guangchengzi, whose face had gone deathly pale beneath its glow.
The brand of "Primordial Era Dishonored Executor" on Guangchengzi's primordial spirit was so clear, so... horrifyingly conspicuous.
A crack appeared in Sect Leader Tongtian's eternally stern expression.
He remained silent for three breaths before slowly turning to look at his eldest disciple.
"Duobao, did your Dao Protector... cause this again?"
Daoist Duobao's mouth twitched. He could only nod stiffly.
Sect Leader Tongtian drew a deep breath. When he looked again at Primordial Heavenly Venerate's vague figure, most of the battle intent in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an extremely complicated expression mixed with sympathy, amusement, and a faint hint of schadenfreude.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate clearly noticed the change in his expression, and his fury intensified.
"Tongtian! You can still laugh!"
He pointed at the brand on Guangchengzi's primordial spirit, his voice trembling.
"The foremost disciple of my Chan Sect has been sullied in Dao heart and ruined in reputation by your despicable methods! If you do not give me an explanation today, do not blame me for disregarding our brotherhood!"
When a Sage grew angry, heaven and earth changed color.
The entirety of Golden Ao Island began to shake violently.
Just then.
That weak voice rang out once more, utterly out of place.
"Disciple Chen Changsheng pays respects to Uncle-Master Yuanshi and Master."
Supported by two disciples, Chen Changsheng trembled as he walked out and bowed from afar to the two Sages.
His face was pale and his aura weak, as if he would ascend into immortality at any moment.
"Please calm your anger, Uncle-Master."
He coughed twice before speaking in an incomparably sincere and respectful tone.
"This matter was not an intentional humiliation of Senior Brother Guangchengzi by our Interception Sect."
"Rather, our sect... is currently trial-running a brand-new Civilization Conflict Resolution Solution intended to reduce slaughter in the Primordial World and quantify Karmic Cause and Effect."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's pressure abruptly stalled.
Sect Leader Tongtian also cast him a curious look.
Civilization... what solution?
Ignoring the Sages' bewilderment, Chen Changsheng began explaining at his own pace, as though delivering a work report.
"Uncle-Master, you are wise and discerning. The Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods is approaching, Killing Intent fills heaven and earth, and the slightest misstep could trigger an endless Killing Tribulation, causing the disciples of our Three Teachings to answer the names upon the Investiture of the Gods."
"This disciple is untalented, yet Master has entrusted me with great faith. I have the undeserved honor of serving as Dao Protector, and day and night I have pondered how to preserve a measure of strength for the Interception Sect, and even for the entire Mystic Sect, during this great tribulation."
"After much thought, there is only one word: 'standards.'"
He pointed at the fine, his expression solemn.
"Senior Brother Guangchengzi came today, and our sect should have welcomed him with open arms. Yet in a moment of anger, he attempted to destroy our sect's public property. This was the 'cause.'"
"Our sect's formation automatically counterattacked and calculated the corresponding 'effect' based on the damage his actions could potentially cause. This transformed intangible Karmic Cause and Effect into data that could be seen and calculated."
"The fine is not the goal. It is meant to make Senior Brother understand that every action he takes requires him to pay a corresponding price. This is 'quantification.'"
"In this way, conflicts can be prevented from escalating without limit, and a sectarian dispute that might have ended in rivers of blood can be contained within a negotiable bill. This is 'civilization.'"
His speech plunged everyone present, including the two Sages, into an eerie silence.
Even Primordial Heavenly Venerate's vague figure seemed to have frozen.
He had lived through countless Yuanhuis, listened to Dao Ancestor Hongjun expound the Dao, and witnessed Pangu split open heaven and earth.
Yet he had never heard such... outrageous nonsense that somehow left no room for rebuttal!
"As for that 'dishonored' brand..."
Chen Changsheng shifted the topic, helplessness appearing on his face.
"That was even less the work of our sect."
"Our sect's Calamity Aversion Department discovered a hidden mechanism by chance after organizing countless laws of the Heavenly Dao. We call it the Heavenly Dao Credit System."
"This system appears to be a safeguard established by the Heavenly Dao to maintain the stability of its operations. It automatically activates whenever the potential damage a living being's actions could cause to the Primordial World's stability exceeds the total Karmic Cause and Effect and fortune that being can repay."
"Senior Brother Guangchengzi's Heaven-Turning Seal was too powerful and had already exceeded that threshold. So... the Heavenly Dao automatically blacklisted him."
Chen Changsheng spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.
"Uncle-Master, Master, every word this disciple has spoken is true. Throughout this entire matter, our sect was merely handling things passively according to the Process. This is also our first time encountering such a situation."
A deathly silence filled heaven and earth.
As Sect Leader Tongtian looked at Chen Changsheng, a trace of horror flashed deep in his eyes.
He knew his disciple was strange, but he had never expected him to be strange to this extent!
He could talk the dead into being alive!
He could paint black as white!
Most terrifying of all, his explanation vaguely conformed to the principles of the Heavenly Dao's operation, leaving no way to disprove it!
Primordial Heavenly Venerate fell silent.
His Sage wisdom, sufficient to see through the Three Realms, suddenly seemed inadequate.
According to Chen Changsheng, his Chan Sect disciples were not victims at all. Instead, they had become unruly troublemakers who destroyed things at will, ended up owing the Heavenly Dao a mountain of debt, and were forcibly put under enforcement... deadbeat debtors?
If he acted again, would that not confirm that the Chan Sect was unreasonable and even intended to oppose the Heavenly Dao?
He could not bear that blame!
"Fine... fine... what an Interception Sect!"
Only after a long while did Primordial Heavenly Venerate's voice sound again.
The fury from before had vanished from that voice, leaving only a bone-deep chill and exhaustion.
"Tongtian, take care of yourself!"
As his words fell, the vague figure did not linger any longer.
With a flash of golden light, he swept up the unconscious Guangchengzi and the eleven Golden Immortals who had long since lost their wits, vanishing from above the East Sea in an instant.
He had come with overwhelming momentum, acting as the Heavenly Dao's executor of punishment.
He left in utter disarray, like a beaten dog.
A crisis that could have sparked a war between Sages dissipated just like that beneath a few forms and a heap of blame.
Only after the Sage's pressure had completely vanished.
Did thunderous cheers erupt across Golden Ao Island.
Every Interception Sect disciple looked at the still-coughing figure, who seemed ready to collapse at any moment, with fanatical eyes as though gazing upon a god.
Defeat the enemy without fighting!
Drive back a Sage with a few laughing words!
The Dao Protector was terrifying indeed!
Sect Leader Tongtian waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.
Before long, only he and Chen Changsheng remained in the entire plaza.
He slowly walked up to Chen Changsheng. The complicated expression on his face had long since faded, replaced by unprecedented gravity.
He did not ask about those Processes, nor did he ask about the so-called Heavenly Dao Credit System.
He merely stared fixedly into Chen Changsheng's eyes, as though trying to see through the origin of his soul.
After a long time, he slowly spoke and asked the question that made every hair on Chen Changsheng's body stand on end.
"Changsheng."
"Tell your master the truth."
"Are you... the reincarnation of a Chaos Demon God?"
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