Sage Personal Arrival, You Call This a Workflow?

That voice came from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

It contained not a trace of magical power, yet it was imbued with the supreme authority of the Heavenly Dao.

The mere sound of it froze the waters of the East Sea and sent the Mountain Protection Array of Golden Ao Island wailing in anguish.

All the laws of heaven and earth, in that instant, seemed forcibly pressed to a halt.

The golden light that had caught Guangchengzi slowly coalesced into a blurry, majestic figure.

His face was indistinct, but merely standing there, he became the center of the universe, the source of all paths.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate!

The Sage of the Chan Sect had arrived in person!

"Master!"

Chi Jingzi and the others felt as if pardoned from a great calamity. They fell to their knees with a thud, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

Never had they felt so wronged, so stifled, as at this moment.

Yet, Primordial Heavenly Venerate paid them no heed.

His gaze pierced through the void, landing deep within Golden Ao Island, toward the direction of the Jade Palace.

His question came like a trial of the Heavenly Dao, filled with shock and bewilderment.

"Tongtian!"

"Is this the fine disciple you've taught?!"

"What... what in the hell is going on here?!"

Before his words faded.

From the Jade Palace, a Heaven-Slaying Sword Intent, equally domineering, as if capable of severing past, present, and future, shot into the sky!

The sword intent clashed with the Sage's Pressure, and the entire surface of the East Sea was forcibly pressed down by tens of thousands of zhang!

A figure in green robes appeared silently before the mountain gate of Golden Ao Island.

Black hair cascaded over his shoulders, his eyes wild and proud.

It was the Jie Sect's Sage, Sect Leader Tongtian.

He had sensed Primordial Heavenly Venerate's fury, assuming the Chan Sect was about to tear up all pretense and start a fight, and had already prepared to unleash the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

But the moment he appeared, he too froze.

He saw that glaring red welcome banner.

He saw the intact jade table before the mountain gate, its array light still flickering.

He saw the group of Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals in the corner, lined up, looking utterly innocent.

Finally, his gaze landed on the golden, shimmering "Sky-High Fine" suspended in midair, and on Guangchengzi, whose face was drained white by the fine's radiance.

On Guangchengzi's Primordial Spirit, the brand of "Primordial Era Dishonored Executor" was so clear, so... shocking.

A crack appeared on Sect Leader Tongtian's eternally stern face.

He was silent for a full three breaths before slowly turning his head to look at his eldest disciple.

"Duobao, is this... another one of your Dao Protectors' schemes?"

The corner of Daoist Duobao's mouth twitched. He could only steel himself and nod.

Sect Leader Tongtian took a deep breath. When he looked back at Primordial Heavenly Venerate's blurry figure, the battle intent in his eyes had mostly faded, replaced by an extremely complex expression—a mix of sympathy, amusement, and a hint of schadenfreude.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate clearly sensed the shift in his demeanor, and his fury burned even hotter.

"Tongtian! You still dare to laugh?!"

He pointed at the brand on Guangchengzi's Primordial Spirit, his voice trembling.

"The leading disciple of my Chan Sect has been defiled in his Dao heart and ruined in reputation by such base means from you! Today, if you do not give an explanation, do not blame me for disregarding the bond between us brothers!"

When a Sage rages, heaven and earth change color.

The entire Golden Ao Island began to shake violently.

Just then.

That weak voice rang out again, untimely as ever.

"Your disciple, Chen Changsheng, pays respects to Uncle-Master Yuanshi, and to Master."

Supported by two disciples, Chen Changsheng tottered out and made a distant bow to the two Sages.

His face was pale, his aura faint, as if he might ascend to immortality at any moment.

"Uncle-Master, calm your anger."

He coughed lightly twice, speaking with a tone of utmost sincerity and respect.

"This matter is not that our Jie Sect intended to humiliate Brother Guangchengzi."

"Rather, our sect... is currently trialing a brand-new 'Civilization Conflict Resolution Solution,' designed to reduce slaughter in the Primordial Era and quantify Karmic Cause and Effect."

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's Pressure abruptly faltered.

Sect Leader Tongtian also cast a curious glance.

Civilization... what plan?

Chen Changsheng paid no heed to the Sages' astonishment. He continued on his own, in the unhurried tone of someone reporting on work, explaining without haste.

"Uncle, please see clearly. Now that the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods is imminent, Sha Qi pervades heaven and earth. With the slightest misstep, it will stir boundless Killing Tribulation, forcing the disciples of our three sects to answer to the names on the Investiture of the Gods."

"Your unworthy nephew, trusted by my master and unworthily serving as Dao Protector, has pondered day and night how to preserve a shred of vitality for my Jie Sect, and even for the entire Mystic Sect, amid this great tribulation."

"After much thought, only one word remains: 'standardization.'"

He pointed at that ticket, his expression solemn.

"Elder Brother Guangchengzi came today, and my sect should have swept the mats to welcome him. But in a moment of agitation, he sought to destroy public property of my sect—this is the 'cause.'"

"My sect's formation automatically counterattacked and, based on the potential losses from his actions, automatically calculated the corresponding 'effect.' This turns the ethereal concept of cause and effect into visible, calculable data."

"The fine is not the goal, but to make Elder Brother understand that every action of his requires a corresponding price to be paid. This is 'quantification.'"

"Thus, we can avoid the infinite escalation of conflict, controlling a sectarian dispute that could have flowed with blood within a negotiable bill. This is 'civilization.'"

These words plunged everyone present, including the two Sages, into an eerie silence.

Even the blurry figure of Primordial Heavenly Venerate seemed to freeze.

He had lived through countless Yuanhui, heard Dao Ancestor Hongjun preach the Dao, and witnessed Pangu's Creation of Heaven and Earth.

Yet he had never heard such... absurd reasoning, which somehow left you unable to find a point to refute!

"As for that 'breach of trust' mark..."

Chen Changsheng shifted his tone, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face.

"That is even less the doing of my sect."

"It is a hidden mechanism my sect's Calamity Aversion Department stumbled upon after collating countless Heavenly Dao principles. We call it the 'Heavenly Dao Credit System.'"

"This system seems to be an insurance mechanism set by the Heavenly Dao to maintain the stability of its own operation. Any living being whose actions cause potential damage to the stability of the Primordial World exceeding the sum of cause and effect and luck they can repay will automatically trigger it."

"Elder Brother Guangchengzi's Heaven-Turning Seal strike was too powerful, exceeding that threshold. So... the Heavenly Dao automatically 'blacklisted' him."

Chen Changsheng spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.

"Uncle, Master, every word your disciple speaks is true. Throughout this entire affair, my sect has only been passively following procedures. This is our first time encountering such a situation, too."

Heaven and earth fell into dead silence.

Sect Leader Tongtian looked at Chen Changsheng, a flicker of shock deep in his eyes.

He knew this disciple of his was devious, but he never imagined he could be this devious!

He could talk the dead into being alive!

He could paint black as white!

Most terrifying of all, this set of arguments vaguely aligned with the workings of the Heavenly Dao, leaving you utterly unable to disprove them!

Primordial Heavenly Venerate fell silent.

His Sage wisdom, capable of penetrating the Three Realms, now seemed somewhat inadequate.

According to Chen Changsheng's account, his Chan Sect disciples were not the victims, but rather rule-breakers who wantonly destroyed things, ended up deeply in debt to the Heavenly Dao, and were forcibly executed... deadbeats?

If he struck again, wouldn't that confirm that the Chan Sect was unreasonable, even opposing the Heavenly Dao?

This black pot, he could not carry!

"Good... good... a fine Jie Sect indeed!"

After a long while, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's voice rang out again.

The voice no longer held its earlier fury, only a bone-deep coldness and weariness.

"Tongtian, take care of yourself!"

With these words, the blurry figure lingered no longer.

A flash of golden light swept up the unconscious Guangchengzi on the ground, along with the eleven utterly demoralized Golden Immortals, and vanished in an instant over the East Sea.

They came, with overwhelming force, to execute Heaven's punishment.

They left, in utter disgrace, like dogs with their tails between their legs.

A crisis that could have sparked a war among Sages dissipated into smoke with a few forms and a black pot.

Only after the Sage's Pressure had completely vanished.

Did Golden Ao Island erupt in thunderous cheers.

All the Jie Sect disciples gazed with fanatical, godlike reverence at that figure still coughing, as if about to collapse at any moment.

Subdue the Enemy Without Fighting!

With a laugh and a word, a Sage retreats!

The Dao Protector, terrifying beyond compare!

Sect Leader Tongtian waved his hand, signaling the crowd to disperse.

The entire square soon held only him and Chen Changsheng.

He walked slowly to stand before Chen Changsheng, the complex expression on his face already faded, replaced by a gravity unlike any before.

He did not ask about the procedures, nor did he inquire about the so-called "Heavenly Dao Credit System."

He simply stared fixedly into Chen Changsheng's eyes, as if trying to pierce through to the very origin of his soul.

After a long silence, he spoke slowly, voicing the question that made every hair on Chen Changsheng's body stand on end.

"Changsheng."

"Tell your master the truth."

"You... are you a reincarnated Chaos Demon God?"