Investiture of the Gods: Voluntarily Joining the List, the Human Sect Enters the Heavenly Court

Primordial Lord caught sight of the Investiture of the Gods Scroll flying toward him, and his face twitched violently. He silently groaned to himself. Why had his big brother tossed this hot potato to him?

He hurriedly said, "Every disciple under my tutelage possesses great fortune and exceptional comprehension. They are all exceptionally gifted. How could they possibly be placed on the Investiture of the Gods Scroll? Absolutely not!"

Before his words had even faded, Primordial Lord pushed the Investiture of the Gods Scroll straight toward Sect Master Tongtian without hesitation, then added, "The Interception Sect is full of lowly creatures with fur and horns, born from the damp or hatched from eggs. They deserve to be placed on the Investiture of the Gods Scroll. That is where they ultimately belong."

"Yuanshi! How... how could you act this way!" Sect Master Tongtian was beside himself with fury this time. He glared at Primordial Lord, his entire body radiating a terrifying aura.

Primordial Lord had actually disparaged the disciples under his tutelage in front of so many outsiders. How could Tongtian possibly tolerate that?

"Yuanshi, did you not hear what Teacher said? This disaster arose because Guangchengzi and the others under your tutelage triggered the killing tribulation! In my view, you should be the one to sign the Investiture of the Gods Scroll!"

The angrier Tongtian became, the tighter he clenched his fists. His knuckles had turned white from the pressure.

His voice boomed through the air like thunder, making everyone nearby's ears ring.

When Zhunti heard Tongtian say this, he was secretly delighted. He hurried to chime in and back him up. "Sect Master Tongtian is absolutely right! This calamity was indeed triggered by disciples of your Chan Sect. Your Chan Sect should be the one to take responsibility!"

As he spoke, he kept a furtive eye on Primordial Lord and Laozi, watching their expressions change.

Seeing this, Jieyin quickly followed suit, nodding in agreement. "My junior brother is absolutely right! This matter has nothing to do with our Western Sect."

After saying this, he stood quietly to one side, waiting for the others to respond.

Primordial Lord gave a cold snort and retorted sternly, "Hmph! Stop spouting nonsense! The disciples of the Interception Sect spend all their time cultivating Magic Power, yet never bother to cultivate their virtue. They deserve to be placed on the Investiture of the Gods Scroll!"

His gaze was sharp as a sword as he fixed it on Tongtian and the others opposite him.

Zhunti's heart stirred when he heard Primordial Lord say this. On reflection, Primordial Lord did have a point. Although the disciples of the Interception Sect were all highly skilled, many relied on their strength and looked down on everyone else. They especially scorned the disciples of the Western Sect.

Thinking this, he immediately voiced his agreement. "Senior Brother Yuanshi is absolutely right! The disciples of the Interception Sect are far too unruly and disrespectful, and they neglect their virtue. They truly deserve to be punished."

Jieyin continued unhurriedly, "My junior brother is absolutely right."

And so, the five of them argued back and forth, each insisting on their own position and refusing to yield. The scene quickly descended into chaos.

The entire Purple Heavens Palace erupted in commotion, filled with overlapping shouts and arguments.

The Five Sages engaged in a fierce dispute over who bore responsibility for the calamity. Before long, they were all red in the face, and the argument showed no sign of stopping.

Just then, with the atmosphere so tense it seemed water could drip from the air, Nuwa suddenly broke the silence. "If none of you are willing to sign, then I will go first."

Before her words had even faded, she waved her hand, and the Investiture of the Gods Scroll flew before her as if it were alive. She picked up a brush and swiftly wrote on the scroll, her strokes flowing like water.

The Five Sages present were dumbstruck. Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who was usually inscrutable, could not help but freeze. The same thought arose in all six of their minds: What is going on? How could she send her own disciples away so easily?

Dao Ancestor Hongjun was the first to recover. He steadied himself and said gravely, "Since Daoist Nuwa has signed, you should stop hesitating and sign as well."

Although the Five Sages were all deeply unwilling, they had no choice now.

Taiqing Laozi looked at the Investiture of the Gods Scroll before him, his brows knitted tightly. He thought to himself that Xuandu was the only disciple under his tutelage, and he could never bear to send him onto the scroll.

After thinking it over, he reluctantly wrote the name of his Good Corpse, Taishang Laojun.

Primordial Lord looked just as troubled. After a moment's thought, he wrote down only the names of a few Nominal Disciples, then handed the scroll to Sect Master Tongtian beside him.

Tongtian took the scroll and let out a long sigh. He followed suit, writing down the names of several unimportant Nominal Disciples.

When it was Jieyin and Zhunti's turn, they came to a standstill.

The two exchanged glances, both looking utterly miserable. They truly did not want to write down the name of a single disciple on the Investiture of the Gods Scroll!

After all, the Western Sect had few disciples to begin with. Zhunti had gone to extraordinary lengths to bring them over from the East.

The two felt Dao Ancestor Hongjun's piercing gaze fall upon them and shuddered. Still, they gritted their teeth, picked up the brush, and slowly wrote down the first name.

But when they tried to write down a second name, the brush in their hands felt as heavy as a mountain. No matter what, they could not bring it down.

Writing each name was a tremendous torment for them. It felt as though their hearts were being slashed open, blood pouring out in a steady stream.

Seeing this, Zhunti simply threw down the brush and stopped writing. He turned around and clung to Dao Ancestor Hongjun's leg like a child.

Weeping and sniffling, he pleaded, "Teacher! We really can't write any more! Just think about it. The disciples our Western Sect has today were raised through countless hardships and an enormous amount of effort by my senior brother and me! Please, Teacher, show us mercy and take pity on our Western Sect!"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun looked down at Zhunti, who was crying miserably with a woeful expression, then glanced at the other four Sages.

The other four all looked just as reluctant and helpless.

He sighed softly and waved his hand. "Enough, enough. Since this is so difficult for you, there is no need to sign any further. As for this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, everything will be left to Heaven's will. Each of you must accept your fate."

At Dao Ancestor Hongjun's words, the Five Sages all breathed a long sigh of relief. The tension they had been holding finally eased.

At that moment, Primordial Lord stepped forward and respectfully asked Dao Ancestor Hongjun, "Teacher, when will this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation officially begin?"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun stroked his beard and replied slowly, "When the one who bears Heaven's mandate appears in the world, the time for the investiture will have come. That person will wield the Investiture of the Gods Scroll and the mighty God-Beating Whip, and will determine the course of this Investiture of the Gods War."

"The one who bears Heaven's mandate..." The others looked at one another, involuntarily murmuring those words as if they wished to engrave them deep in their souls.

Their gazes met, filled with confusion and anticipation.

Taiqing Laozi stepped forward, respectfully saluted Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who sat atop the clouds, radiating boundless majesty, and asked, "Teacher, what traits does the one who bears Heaven's mandate have? Please enlighten us."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun gave a slight nod. His eyes, as deep as the universe, gazed down at the others as he replied slowly, "The one who bears Heaven's mandate carries the Flying Bear Sign. This is ordained by the Heavenly Dao. You need only find someone with the Flying Bear Sign."

As he spoke, he gave his sleeve a light wave, and the Investiture of the Gods Scroll in his hand vanished in a streak of light.

After that, Dao Ancestor Hongjun turned to Empress Nuwa, who stood beside him with an elegant bearing and captivating beauty, and said earnestly, "Daoist Nuwa, although this tribulation is closely tied to the fate of the Human Race, it would be unwise for us, given our status, to interfere at will."

Nuwa's beautiful eyes shifted as she met Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze. Only then did she slowly nod and reply, "Very well." Her voice was clear and sweet as heavenly music, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.

Once matters had temporarily come to an end, the Sages rose and left the Purple Heavens Palace. Their figures gradually disappeared beyond the palace gates, leaving the place quiet once more.

After returning to the Human Dao Hall and resting briefly, Nuwa immediately summoned the people of the Human Sect again.

Everyone gathered together, waiting intently for Nuwa to speak.

Nuwa recounted everything that had happened in the Purple Heavens Palace, her voice clear and steady, as though every word held profound meaning.

Everyone listened with complete concentration, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

When Nuwa finished, Su Mu stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and said, "Teacher, in my view, the other Sages will surely be unwilling to send their disciples to serve in the Heavenly Court. Why don't we act first? That way, we may even earn some merit."

Nuwa gave a slight nod, agreeing with Su Mu, then said, "Very well. Su Mu, take your junior brothers and sisters to the Heavenly Court at once."

"Understood!" Su Mu answered. He turned to the group of fellow disciples behind him and called out, "Everyone, follow me!" Then he strode out of the Human Dao Hall first, leading the others toward the Heavenly Court.

There were seven of them in all. They hurried along at great speed and reached the Heavenly Court before long.

From a distance, the Heavenly Court looked majestic and imposing, with towers and pavilions arranged in an orderly fashion amid clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

They were ushered into Yaochi. Su Mu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and respectfully addressed Yaochi, "Empress, our teacher, Nuwa, heard that the Heavenly Court is short-handed, so she sent us to offer our assistance."

When Yaochi saw Su Mu, she was startled. She remembered Su Mu very well, especially the terrifying strength he had displayed when he slew a Saint. Even now, the memory still made her uneasy.

Seeing Su Mu now, she even mistook him for someone who had truly attained Sainthood.

But after taking a closer look, she realized that Su Mu was only at the Peak Golden Immortal of the Origin realm. She immediately understood: he must have used some special method back then to give himself the power of a Saint for a short time.

Yaochi hurriedly replied, "Oh my, we are truly grateful to Empress Nuwa! Please, all of you, have a seat and rest for a while. I'll go fetch my senior brother."

As she spoke, she also called over several clever and well-behaved maids, instructing them to quickly bring out delicious immortal fruits for their distinguished guests.

Once everything had been arranged, she hurriedly turned and left, making her way toward the place where Haotian was in seclusion.

Before long, she arrived at the stone door Haotian had shut tight.

After stopping before it, she cleared her throat and respectfully called, "Senior Brother..."

Haotian was cultivating in seclusion within the secret chamber. Hearing a familiar voice outside, he furrowed his brows slightly.

When he saw that it was Yaochi, his expression grew even more displeased. He said sternly, "Junior Sister, I'm at a critical point in my seclusion. You can handle all the affairs of the Heavenly Court. I'm on the verge of breaking through my bottleneck, so I mustn't be disturbed in the slightest."

Yaochi did not give up. Instead, she immediately continued, "Senior Brother, this is an unusual situation. Su Mu has arrived at the Heavenly Court with many disciples of the Human Sect."

"What? Su Mu?" At the sound of that name, the impatience vanished from Haotian's face, and he sat bolt upright.

Su Mu was no ordinary person. With Nuwa, the highly respected Human Dao Spokesperson, backing him, Haotian knew he could not afford to neglect this matter.

So, though he was deeply reluctant, he could only sigh helplessly, rise, and open the stone door.

Haotian then hurried behind his junior sister. Before long, they arrived in Yaochi.

Upon seeing everyone, Haotian quickly put on a smile, clasped his hands, and bowed. "I'm truly sorry, everyone. I was in seclusion just now and didn't expect you to visit. But now that I know you've honored us with your presence, I wouldn't dare delay. I came straight here to meet you."

Everyone present rose to their feet, each wearing a respectful expression, clearly intent on showing Haotian the respect he was due.

Su Mu stepped forward first, cupped his hands, bowed, and called out, "Su Mu greets the Great Celestial Venerable!" His loud voice rang through the entire hall.

"Everyone, please sit." Seeing how courteous they were, Haotian was delighted and quickly waved for them to take their seats. His usually stern face now wore a kindly smile.

Once everyone had sat down again, Su Mu spoke once more. "We have come today to pay our respects to the Great Celestial Venerable because we have a request. We would all like to find positions in the Heavenly Court. We hope the Great Celestial Venerable will grant our request." Su Mu looked eagerly at Haotian, awaiting his reply.

Hearing this, Haotian froze for a moment, then looked delighted and nodded without hesitation. "Of course! You are all capable people. It would be my good fortune if you stayed to serve in the Heavenly Court! I will certainly arrange suitable positions for you."