Before Biyou Palace, immortal mist swirled.
Xuandu stood outside the palace gates, his heart stirring at the words "Dao Ancestor has arrived in person."
The Witch-Demon Tribulation was approaching, and the Heavenly Secret was shrouded in darkness.
Why had he suddenly come to Golden Ao Island at this moment?
Xuandu forcibly suppressed his turbulent thoughts, his face returning to calm.
Since the Dao Ancestor had come in person, even a Personal Disciple like him—let alone his master, Sect Leader Tongtian—had to greet him respectfully and wait patiently.
"I see."
Xuandu gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
He quietly stepped aside and stood waiting with Jinguang Xian and Piluxian.
His aura drew in until he seemed an ordinary mortal, as if he had merged with the clouds and mist around him.
Time passed slowly in the silence.
The gates of Biyou Palace remained shut, and not a sound could be heard from within.
When the Dao Ancestor and a Sage spoke, their Words Followed Law, forming a barrier of their own that outsiders could not see through.
Xuandu lowered his gaze, his thoughts racing.
Was the Dao Ancestor's visit related to the Witch-Demon War?
To the Human Race Tribulation?
Or to... him, an anomalous Golden Immortal of the Origin?
He had no way of knowing.
Though a Golden Immortal of the Origin had transcended the constraints of the Heavenly Dao and possessed Self-Forming Laws,
before a Supreme Existence like the Dao Ancestor, whose Body Merged with Heavenly Dao, he was still no more than a drop in the ocean.
Just as Xuandu's thoughts stirred—
"Vmmm!"
The gates of Biyou Palace opened soundlessly, just a crack.
An indescribable Daoist resonance spilled from within.
Then Sect Leader Tongtian's clear, calm voice rang in Xuandu's ears:
"Xuandu, come in."
At these words, Xuandu dared not delay.
He gave the two junior fellow disciples beside him a slight nod, then stepped forward. In an instant, he passed through the gates and entered Biyou Palace.
The palace looked much as it always had.
The cloud platform and jade seat stood in place, the Qingping Sword hung suspended, and the Myriad Immortals Array Diagram shimmered in and out of sight.
Sect Leader Tongtian sat on the cloud platform, his Sword Qi restrained and his expression calm.
However—
Xuandu glanced around, and his heart tightened.
There was no sign of the Dao Ancestor inside the palace.
Only the faint lingering aura of the Heavenly Dao proved that an unparalleled existence had indeed been there.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun had already left.
Suppressing his questions, Xuandu hurried forward and bowed.
"Your disciple Xuandu pays his respects to Master."
Sect Leader Tongtian's gaze settled on Xuandu, and a hint of unfathomable complexity flashed in his eyes.
"What brings you back in such a hurry?"
His voice was mild, but held a faint trace of gravity.
Xuandu straightened, not daring to waste time, and immediately spoke.
"Master, when your disciple went to the East Sea Coast, he witnessed the Demon Race running rampant and slaughtering the Human Race. Countless of our people were plunged into misery."
His voice was somber. He briefly reported how Ghost Chariot had slaughtered the people in the valley, how he had intervened and killed him, and how he had purged the Demon Race from the East Sea Coast.
Then he raised his head, his gaze resolute.
"Your disciple begs Master's permission to lead the people of the Great Wilderness Human Race into our Interception Sect!"
"They need not all become true disciples. Even if they become Outer Sect or Registered Disciples, they can still receive the protection of the Interception Sect's Fortune and gain a Glimmer of Hope!"
"This will save the Human Race from annihilation while also bolstering our sect's prestige. Our fortunes will be linked, and we can strengthen one another!"
Yet when he finished speaking,
Sect Leader Tongtian did not answer at once.
He gazed silently at Xuandu, the complexity in his eyes deepening.
A brief silence fell over Biyou Palace.
At the sight of this, a foreboding feeling rose in Xuandu's heart.
Sure enough.
A moment later, Sect Leader Tongtian spoke slowly, his voice carrying an indescribable weight.
"Your teacher already gave his instruction regarding the reason for your visit."
!!!
Xuandu's heart jolted!
The Dao Ancestor... had already foreseen that he would come for this?
Sect Leader Tongtian continued, his tone even.
"Your teacher said that the Witch-Demon Tribulation is a Heavenly Dao's Predetermined Number. The Human Race must undergo this tribulation, and will rise after it."
"This is the will of Heaven. Sages must not interfere recklessly and disrupt the course of fate."
He looked at Xuandu, his gaze profound.
"Therefore, until the Witch-Demon Tribulation ends, I cannot accept any more Human Race disciples."
At these words, Xuandu stood frozen.
The Dao Ancestor had personally issued a decree to prevent the Human Race from joining the Interception Sect?
Why?
Simply because it was Heaven's will? Because the Human Race was fated to suffer this tribulation?
Because of those words, "predetermined number," would countless upon countless members of the Human Race be refined into the Witch-Slaying Sword?
Xuandu's fists clenched unconsciously inside his sleeves.
But then he paused.
He had noticed his master's wording: "Sages must not interfere."
And besides, what did his master's inability to accept Human Race disciples have to do with him?
Sect Leader Tongtian watched Xuandu in silence, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
To remain calm under such circumstances—this disciple truly had an extraordinary temperament.
His tone shifted, taking on an indescribable implication.
"The teachings of the Interception Sect are to seize a Glimmer of Hope."
"If you act in your own name to protect the Human Race, to seize that Glimmer of Hope for them..."
Sect Leader Tongtian left his words unfinished.
But Xuandu understood.
In an instant, his mind cleared!
That was right!
The Dao Ancestor's decree bound the Interception Sect and his master, a Sage.
It did not bind Xuandu personally!
Though he was a Personal Disciple of the Interception Sect, he was also Xuandu of the Human Race!
If he accepted disciples and taught them the Dao in his own name, protecting his people, he would not be violating the Dao Ancestor's decree against large-scale protection by a sect!
This was the crack the Dao Ancestor had left in the cold decree of Heaven!
This was the Glimmer of Hope the Interception Sect sought!
"Your disciple understands!"
Xuandu nodded firmly, a light rekindling in his eyes.
He bowed deeply to Sect Leader Tongtian.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"
Sect Leader Tongtian gave a slight nod, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Since you understand, go."
"You may decide for yourself what to do."
"Yes! Your disciple takes his leave!"
Xuandu hesitated no longer. After bowing once more, he turned and strode away.
His steps were firm, without the slightest trace of doubt.
Sect Leader Tongtian watched Xuandu disappear beyond the palace gates.
Then he turned his gaze to the lingering aura of the Heavenly Dao in the void and murmured,
"Teacher... You came in person to deliver your decree, yet you left this ambiguity..."
"Were you truly trying to stop this, or were you... tacitly allowing it?"
His whisper faded into the empty Great Hall, unanswered.
Xuandu left Biyou Palace without exchanging more than a brief greeting with Jinguang Xian and Piluxian.
Then his figure became a streak of blue light, soaring into the sky and racing toward the East Sea Coast.
He had to get back as soon as possible!
The Dao Ancestor's decree had been issued, and the Demon Court was about to act.
He had to make every moment count!
As he crossed the void, Xuandu's gaze sharpened.
Since he could not protect the Human Race on a large scale in the name of the Interception Sect,
he would accept disciples in his own name and teach them the Interception Sect's Daoist arts.
Officially, these disciples would be his, Xuandu's, disciples—and at the same time, Jie Sect Second Generation Disciples!
If the Demon Court dared to slaughter them again, it would no longer be targeting a helpless, vulnerable Human Race.
It would be provoking the Interception Sect!
And, by extension, slapping his Sage Master in the face!
This was a stratagem they could not counter!
Even the Dao Ancestor would have nothing to say.
After all, seizing a Glimmer of Hope was the very core of the Interception Sect's teachings!
By doing this, he would seize that faint Glimmer of Hope for the Human Race with his own hands, right in the middle of a deathtrap!
"Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi... If you know what's good for you, you'll stop."
"If you insist on going through with this..."
Before you continue