"Disobeying your master's orders is disobedience. Stop making excuses and come in to see me!"
Hearing this, Xian Junyu was somewhat surprised.
Go in to see Master? Is he going to beat me again? That can't be, right?
"Master, you're not going to whip me over such a trivial matter again, are you? Surely you're not that petty?" Xian Junyu asked cautiously.
He didn't want to go in if he was going to be beaten. He had even begun considering making a run for it, but before he received confirmation, he didn't dare flee recklessly.
"When did I say I was going to beat you over this trivial matter? Your master has something serious to discuss with you!"
"Hm? You want to run again? You've got some nerve! Try running today!"
Realizing that his First Disciple was thinking about escaping again, Tongtian's tone instantly turned grim, and he issued warning after warning.
Hearing that he wasn't going to be beaten, Xian Junyu immediately abandoned the thought of running away. As he walked in, he wondered what the matter could be.
Yet even after reaching the main hall, he still couldn't figure out what serious business Master had with him.
"Your disciple Xian Junyu pays his respects to Master!"
Looking at the unruly boy below, Tongtian rolled his eyes and then said flatly:
"Later, come with me to your First Senior Uncle's place. Once we're there, behave yourself. Do you understand?"
"Go see First Senior Uncle?"
Xian Junyu was utterly confused.
Why did Master suddenly want to see First Senior Uncle for no apparent reason? Surely nothing had happened at Mount Kunlun recently?
"Master, may I ask what we're going to see First Senior Uncle about..."
The moment Xian Junyu finished speaking, Tongtian scolded him, "Why do you ask so many questions? Just follow me quietly when I tell you to!"
Tongtian took a deep breath and immediately suppressed the agitation in his heart. He didn't know why, but he always found it so easy to become emotional when facing this First Disciple of his.
Phew! This unruly boy has driven me mad.
After calming himself down, Tongtian explained evenly:
"Your grandmaster sent us a message, asking us to go to the Purple Firmament Palace to discuss the matter of the Heavenly Court. It is probably about choosing the Lord of the Heavenly Court!"
"Your First Senior Uncle, your Second Martial Uncle, and I have decided to discuss it first!"
After hearing the explanation, Xian Junyu suddenly understood.
So they were choosing the Heavenly Emperor. This was the moment for the Daoist Child Haotian of the Purple Firmament Palace to shine. Dao Ancestor Hongjun had already chosen someone, so what was there to discuss?
Unfortunately, the Three Pure Ones knew nothing of this.
"Oh, so that's what this is about. Then let's go!"
Xian Junyu instantly lost all interest. The candidate had already been decided, so what were they discussing?
He followed his Master, bored out of his mind, toward Saint Taiqing's Daoist Sanctuary.
Saint Taiqing Laozi's Daoist Sanctuary was not luxurious. It was merely a slightly larger courtyard.
When they arrived, they saw Xuandu and Nan Ji standing at the entrance.
"Xuandu pays his respects to Martial Uncle and Senior Brother!"
"Nan Ji pays his respects to Martial Uncle and Senior Brother!"
Seeing Saint Shangqing's Martial Uncle and Senior Brother Xian Junyu arrive, the two quickly stepped forward to salute.
"That's enough."
Looking at the two Martial Nephews, Tongtian merely waved his hand casually, showing no particular concern.
"Martial Uncle, Teacher and Martial Uncle Yuanshi are already waiting for you. Please come in!" As the host, Xuandu respectfully invited Martial Uncle Tongtian inside.
"Mm."
Tongtian nodded slightly and walked straight in, leaving the three First Disciples of the Three Teachings outside.
Once his Master had gone inside and there was no one left to control him, Xian Junyu plopped himself down on the stone platform at the entrance, displaying not the slightest trace of an Immortal's bearing.
Seeing this, Xuandu and Nan Ji said nothing. There was nothing they could do. Xian Junyu was the most senior person here—who would dare criticize him?
"Senior Brother, have you heard about what happened this time?" Xuandu asked.
"Mm, I heard a little. Is it about the Lord of the Heavenly Court? We are disciples of Saints. The position of Lord of the Heavenly Court isn't particularly attractive to us!"
Xian Junyu looked completely indifferent. He didn't care about the position of Lord of the Heavenly Court at all.
"That's true, but this is the Lord of the Heavenly Court we're talking about. It was personally decided by our grandmasters, and that person will certainly rule over the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man..." Nan Ji spoke with some excitement.
With the Witch Clan gone, it was almost certain that the Heavenly Court would rule the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Heavenly Emperor's status would certainly be no lower than that of a Saint's disciple.
Moreover, the Lord of the Heavenly Court would command the largest share of the Heavenly Court's Fortune. Whether in terms of status or assistance to one's cultivation, the benefits would be considerable.
It was only natural for Nan Ji to yearn for it.
"The Primordial follows the law of the jungle: the weak are eliminated and the strong survive. That is an unchanging law. As long as you have strength, where would you not be respected?"
"With our innate foundations and talent, achieving the cultivation of a Quasi-Saint is only a matter of time. Or are you saying, Martial Brother Nan Ji, that becoming the Lord of the Heavenly Court would allow you to scheme for a Saint Position?"
Xian Junyu looked at Nan Ji with a serious expression.
He truly hadn't expected Nan Ji to have designs on the position of Heavenly Emperor. Wasn't the position of a Saint's First Disciple good enough?
Well, he admitted that becoming the Heavenly Emperor was certainly more attractive than being a Saint's disciple. But beneath the Saints, everyone was an ant. Being the Heavenly Emperor was nothing special.
Hearing this, Nan Ji first nodded, then shook his head.
He did have designs on the Heavenly Court, but not for the position of Heavenly Emperor. What he wanted was the Heavenly Court's enormous Fortune.
As for scheming for a Saint Position, he had never considered it. If Fortune could truly make one a Saint, Di Jun and Taiyi, who had once ruled the Primordial, would never have ended up in such a state.
"The position of Heavenly Emperor and the Saint Position are things this junior neither values nor dares to scheme for. However, with the Witch-Demon era having ended, our grandmasters now wish to reopen the Heavenly Court!"
"That necessarily means the Heavenly Court will rule the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man. By then, the Heavenly Court will possess an unprecedented amount of Fortune. Senior Brother, don't you have any thoughts about it?"
As he spoke, Nan Ji carefully scrutinized the two Senior Brothers before him.
They were all the First Disciples of their respective teachings and were all intelligent people. Surely they had thought of this.
Xuandu and Xian Junyu fell briefly silent upon hearing this.
With such an enormous amount of Fortune, it was clearly impossible for the Heavenly Emperor to take it all for himself. Fortune was a precious thing; it was impossible to have no thoughts about it.
Especially for Xian Junyu, scheming to obtain a share of the Heavenly Court's Fortune was already part of his plans.
"Even if we have thoughts about it, it isn't something we should be considering right now. The Lord of the Heavenly Court hasn't even been decided. Why think about this already?"
Xian Junyu appeared unconcerned on the surface, but inwardly, he had placed even greater emphasis on this matter.
Haotian was the predetermined Heavenly Emperor. There was nothing to discuss about that, and he wasn't among the candidates to consider. However, the Four Imperial Positions were worth studying.
"Senior Brother is right. We can discuss scheming for Fortune after the Lord of the Heavenly Court has been decided. A Golden Crow Crown Prince doesn't have the ability to rule the Three Realms. I wonder who this position will ultimately go to!"
Xuandu was also extremely curious about who would become the Heavenly Emperor.
"Whoever it goes to, it can't go to the Demon Clan. Since it will be decided by several Saints and our grandmaster, we only need to wait and divide the Fortune!"
Nan Ji didn't care about the Heavenly Emperor, but he cared deeply about obtaining a share of the Fortune.
Before you continue