Hearing Haotian's words, Yaochi couldn't help furrowing her delicate brows.
Haotian really was the type to stay silent until he spoke—and then make a shocking announcement!
But he'd already gone toe-to-toe with the Sages, so perhaps a shocking announcement was nothing.
It was just that when the Black Tortoise fell, his resentment had surged skyward, clouding his true spirit.
Otherwise, the Sages would never have allowed him to wreak havoc in the northern part of the Primordial World.
Besides, the Black Tortoise had supported the heavens with his four limbs, and the Merit he'd accumulated was immense.
It was no less than Houtu's had been back then.
If his true spirit hadn't been clouded by resentment, those Sages would have fought to take his reincarnated self as a disciple.
But in reality, the Sages had all ignored him.
The reason was simple: even the Sages were powerless to help.
Toss the Black Tortoise's body into Chaos?
What would happen to his true spirit?
The Black Tortoise had, after all, made great contributions to the Primordial World.
His Merit was no exaggeration.
If Chaos ground his true spirit away,
who would bear the resulting Karmic Debt?
In his current state, the Black Tortoise was a pillar of heaven whose continued existence brought an unending stream of Merit.
Even the Sages couldn't handle this, yet Haotian planned to do it.
Should she praise his admirable courage?
Or say that he was overestimating himself?
In the end, Yaochi didn't say any of that.
Instead, she asked, "Since Your Majesty says so, do you have a way to solve the problem?
If not, that's all right. Even the Sages are helpless when it comes to the Black Tortoise.
It's only natural that we can't think of a solution either."
As she asked Haotian how he planned to solve the problem, Yaochi didn't forget to reassure him.
Haotian understood what Yaochi meant as soon as he heard her.
He tossed out several Jade Slips. "This is a set of Array Formations.
Set them up as instructed, and they'll draw in all the Grievance and Fiendish Energy in the surrounding area.
As for the treasure that will convert the energy, I've just finished making it.
Take the treasures with you and head to the Northern Region.
Follow the instructions on the Jade Slips to set up the formations.
As for the most dangerous part—the Black Tortoise's body—I'll handle that myself."
Seeing that Haotian had already taken care of everything and that all that remained was setting up the formations, Yaochi's gaze toward him finally changed.
Until now, she had looked at Haotian purely as a friend.
Now, however, there was a hint of an indescribable tenderness in her eyes.
After all, Haotian had prepared everything and could have kept all the Merit for himself by going alone.
But instead, he chose to share the opportunity, which meant he would undoubtedly receive less Merit.
Yaochi then said softly, "Since Your Majesty has prepared everything, you should go and handle this yourself.
As the Heavenly Emperor, you should have more Merit at your side.
That will help you face complicated situations with greater ease in the future."
After Yaochi finished speaking, Tai Bai Jin Xing added, "The Empress is right!
Your Majesty is the ruler of the Heavenly Court. Its safety rests entirely on your shoulders.
It would be best for Your Majesty to handle the matter of Merit personally."
Haotian shook his head slightly and turned to Yaochi. "We are Dao companions. Supporting one another is only right.
If you have more Merit at your side, I'll be able to worry less."
Then Haotian turned to Yaoji and Tai Bai Jin Xing.
"As for you two,
one of you is my younger sister, and the other is my trusted aide.
You'll inevitably have to travel through the Primordial World in the future.
Without Merit at your side, it won't be very safe.
There are countless cultivators in this world, and sooner or later you'll end up fighting others.
With Merit to protect you, I can feel at ease sending you to handle matters.
Enough!
My decision is final!
There's no need to say anything more.
Once you've taken your treasures, we'll set off for the Northern Region.
After this is done, I have other matters to attend to."
As he spoke, Haotian swept his sleeve, releasing tens of thousands of Small Bottles.
Since Haotian had put it that way, Yaochi and the others didn't press the matter.
With a wave of their hands, they collected the treasures.
But in their hearts, they secretly resolved that no matter what happened in the future,
they would do their best to help Haotian, the Heavenly Emperor.
Once Yaochi and the others had collected the treasures, Haotian said, "Let's set off."
With that, Haotian took the three of them toward the North Heaven Gate.
They passed through the North Heaven Gate and were transported to the Northern Region before long.
Looking at the distant land shrouded in black mist, Haotian said slowly, "We'll split up here and handle our tasks separately.
If you run into danger, don't try to tough it out.
Just escape first.
I'll take care of everything afterward."
Yaochi and the others nodded in agreement.
As Haotian and his companions went their separate ways, Zhunti spoke to Jieyin atop Mount Sumeru. "Senior Brother!
Do you think Haotian really came up with a way to solve the Black Tortoise problem?
It doesn't seem very reliable to me."
Jieyin considered the matter for a moment before replying, "Perhaps he did.
Otherwise, Haotian wouldn't have made this trip.
Who would have thought that a mere attendant possessed such ability?
But that's not the point.
We should consider what it would mean for the balance of power in the Primordial World if Haotian really solves the problem in the Northern Region."
Zhunti immediately understood.
"You mean that after this,
the Demon Race will be able to recover some of its strength before long?"
Jieyin nodded after Zhunti finished speaking.
If Haotian dealt with the Grievance and Fiendish Energy in the Northern Region,
then the Innate Spiritual Qi there would immediately return to what it had been before.
With a much wider area to live in,
the Demon Race's population would surely grow.
It would only take a few dozen Yuanhui for the number of lower-ranking Demon Race cultivators to reach a substantial level.
After a moment, Jieyin said quietly, "I'm afraid that's not all!
I just made a calculation.
The result showed that thousands of Blessed Lands will appear in the Northern Region.
There was no sign of this before. It only appeared after Haotian went there."
Hearing Jieyin's words, Zhunti drew in a sharp breath.
"Senior Brother!
Why don't we learn from him?
If we could create thousands of Blessed Lands in the Western Region, our situation would improve greatly."
Jieyin nodded. "I've naturally had the same idea.
But first, we need to see exactly how Haotian does it."
In Wa Imperial Palace,
Empress Nuwa was also wondering what changes Haotian's trip might bring to the Demon Race.
After pondering for a while, she performed a calculation.
She reached the same conclusion as Jieyin.
Therefore, she was optimistic about Haotian's trip.
She hoped Haotian really could clear away the Grievance and Fiendish Energy in the Northern Region.
Even if he couldn't clear it all, clearing away as much as possible would still help.
On Golden Ao Island, Master Tongtian was the most excited of all.
Compared with the Two Sages of the West, who wanted to "learn from him," and Nuwa, who wanted the Demon Race to recover,
Master Tongtian would undoubtedly benefit the most among the Six Sages.
That was because he had personally killed the Black Tortoise.
The Karmic Debt caused by the Black Tortoise had weighed on him ever since.
As a Sage, Master Tongtian was beyond the reach of cause and effect, impervious to all tribulations.
But his disciples would still suffer for it.
Now that Haotian might solve the problem in the north, the damage to his Interception Sect would undoubtedly be much less.
At that thought, Master Tongtian suddenly felt
that Haotian actually wasn't so bad after all.
Before you continue