The Heavenly Emperor is Haotian After All

As for why he still had to check his body...

It was because Tongtian had explained to him the matter of not using pills to enhance his cultivation; if not for that, he truly might not have agreed to it.

"That's fine too, saves us the trouble of wasting words. Second Brother, Third Brother, let's go!"

Without dwelling further, the three departed Mount Kunlun and headed straight for the Purple Firmament Palace.

On Xian Junyu's side, having been directly sent out, he was utterly helpless.

Damn it. This time he was definitely going to catch Hongjun's attention. He hoped that old man wouldn't take a mere little cultivator like him seriously.

Otherwise, life from now on would really be tough.

"Junior Disciple Brother, what did Master summon you in for? Can you tell us?"

"Yes, Junior Disciple Brother, could you share it with us?"

Seeing their Junior Disciple Brother Xian Junyu emerge, Xuandu and Nan Ji asked with curiosity.

Already a bit irritated by this matter, Xian Junyu flatly refused when the two pressed him again.

"No."

"Each of you, return to your Cave Dwellings. When the Uncles return, everything will be clear. See you later."

With that, Xian Junyu flew off without looking back, returning to his Daoist Sanctuary to wait.

As for Xuandu and Nan Ji, they were left completely baffled.

"What's gotten into Junior Disciple Brother? He seems to be in a bad mood?"

"Who knows what's wrong, but something big must be going on!"

Back at his Daoist Sanctuary, Xian Junyu did nothing but lock himself in the Artifact Refining Room, quietly waiting for his Master Tongtian to return.

Meanwhile, in the Purple Firmament Palace, things unfolded much as before. Nuwa and Houtu recommended no one, while Jieyin and Zhunti pushed hard for their Western disciples.

The Three Pure Ones jointly recommended Xian Junyu.

The name Xian Junyu entered Hongjun's ears for the first time, but that was all—it merely entered his ears. He had no interest whatsoever in these nominal grand-disciples.

He didn't even bother to look into it.

In the end, Hongjun repeatedly rejected the candidates recommended by the Saints, pushing forward his two Daoist Children, Haotian and Yaochi, and directly appointing their positions.

They would be the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother.

With the matter settled, the Three Pure Ones returned in disappointment.

When Tongtian got back to his Daoist Sanctuary, he summoned Xian Junyu, sat high on his Cushion, and said nothing.

Xian Junyu simply stood there, unusually refraining from his usual antics. He knew his Master hadn't gotten what he wanted and was in a terrible mood.

The master and disciple stayed like that, neither speaking.

After a long silence, Tongtian finally broke it.

"Yu'er, this time I'm afraid I've let you down. The three of us did not—"

"Master, you need not say more. Your disciple understands everything!"

To keep his Master from feeling guilty, Xian Junyu quickly cut him off.

The position was already reserved from the start; no one could covet the seat of Lord of the Heavenly Court. For his Master to feel guilty over this was utterly pointless.

"You understand?"

Tongtian was slightly surprised.

He hadn't even said anything yet. Where could the brat have learned this? The Purple Firmament Palace held only the Saints, and divination couldn't reach them. How could he possibly know?

Yet Xian Junyu's next words gave him another small shock.

"That's right, Master. You're not very good at hiding things—I could tell from your expression..."

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"I reckon this trip to the Purple Firmament Palace didn't go smoothly. If it had, you wouldn't have come back and sat in silence for so long; instead, you'd have told your disciple to prepare for the Heavenly Court!"

Xian Junyu explained slowly, showing no disappointment at not obtaining the position of Heavenly Emperor.

On the contrary, he was unusually calm.

"Sigh... This time, I was far too naive. I never expected the Dao Ancestor had already prepared for this. It seems the Heavenly Court was never meant to be ours..."

Failing to push his eldest disciple onto the throne of Heavenly Emperor, Tongtian felt a pang of loss.

But when he thought of that Daoist Child Haotian, he was both disdainful and irritated.

"Hmph! Haotian is merely a Daoist Child at a Saint's doorstep—what qualifications does he have to be Lord of the Heavenly Court? Utter nonsense!"

"A petty little man, destined never to grace the halls of greatness!"

Tongtian cursed Haotian relentlessly, his words dripping with contempt. He said everything nasty he could think of, stopping just short of cursing his mother.

Xian Junyu had initially wanted to advise his Master not to underestimate Haotian, but seeing how furious his Master was right now, he chose not to invite trouble.

If he spoke now, his Master would only grow angrier.

Let him vent, let him curse—once it was out, things would settle.

After cursing Haotian for the time it took two cups of tea to cool, Tongtian finally stopped. He looked at Xian Junyu and said flatly:

"Letting that brat Haotian slip through the back door was unavoidable. As for failing to take the Heavenly Court, Yu'er, don't dwell on it. Staying in the sect is no loss—here, you remain free..."

Afraid that Xian Junyu might harbor some resentment, Tongtian kept offering reassurances.

But Tongtian was overthinking it entirely. Xian Junyu couldn't care less about the position of Heavenly Emperor.

"Master, rest assured. Your disciple won't dwell on it. I never thought much of that Heavenly Emperor seat anyway. As long as I have cultivation, it's all the same wherever I am!"

Xian Junyu wore a perfectly composed expression.

Seeing that the brat didn't seem to be putting on a front, Tongtian finally relaxed. After all, if one couldn't steady their Dao heart, it would greatly hinder their cultivation.

"Mm, if you can think this way, I am relieved."

"Then, Master, your disciple will take his leave and go clean the Daoist Sanctuary..."

With that, Xian Junyu turned to leave.

Just as the brat was about to go, Tongtian let out a sigh and said:

"Ah, forget it. You don't need to clean the sanctuary. The three-hundred-year punishment is almost up—I'll let you off early. You may return."

"Thank you, Master. Your disciple takes his leave!"

After bowing in salute, Xian Junyu walked straight out.

He had already endured 299 years. The last paltry three hundred or so days? He truly couldn't care less. A few hundred days—just a nap and they'd pass.

Leaving his Master's Daoist Sanctuary and heading back to his Cave Dwelling, Xian Junyu noticed many newly excavated caves nearby. He shook his head slightly.

"The Jie Sect teaches without discrimination. Recruiting so many disciples boosts our fortune, but it also carries great risk. If left unregulated, my sect will eventually be dragged down."

"It seems I need to draft a proper set of sect rules..."

Before he could sigh much longer, he arrived at his Cave Dwelling—one he hadn't seen in three hundred years.

Not far from his dwelling were several newly excavated caves belonging to sect disciples. 'Not far' was relative, though—they were still several li away.

And Xian Junyu's return to his cave was spotted by a nearby Jie Sect Inner Sect Disciple.

"Eh? That guy looks familiar... Oh, I remember now—isn't he that menial worker from Master's sanctuary? What's he doing going to Senior Disciple Brother's cave?"

"Could he be trying to sneak in and take something while Senior Disciple Brother is away?"

The more this Inner Sect Disciple thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. If it had been any other Jie Sect disciple, he wouldn't have jumped to such a conclusion.

But this was just a menial disciple, low in status—so he couldn't help but think that way.

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