Prophecy Fulfilled, Is the Jie Sect Truly the Main Force of the Investiture of the Gods?

The Primordial World, East Sea, Golden Turtle Island.

Biyou Palace.

"It's ruined, everything is truly ruined now!"

"That scoundrel Haotian actually ran to Zixiao Palace to lodge a complaint!"

"It isn't just Haotian who went; I heard that Uncle-Master Taiqing has already arrived at Zixiao Palace a step ahead of him."

"Uncle-Master Yuanshi has also left Kunlun Mountain, and those two Sages from the Western Sect haven't even bothered with Mount Sumeru; they are rushing to Zixiao Palace as we speak."

"Everything Eldest Senior Brother said three hundred years ago has actually come to pass!"

"The Investiture of the Gods List—could it really be about to manifest?"

"With one's true spirit on the list, one is henceforth driven by the Heavenly Court. Life and death are no longer in one's own hands, the Great Dao is severed, and there is no more freedom... This is no Investiture of the Gods List; it is clearly a Soul-Locking List, a Life-Urging List, and a Path-Severing List!"

The once serene and solemn Biyou Palace was, for the first time, uncharacteristically noisy.

Inside the main hall, the core disciples of the Jie Sect were gathered.

Daoist Duobao stood on the left, his brows tightly locked.

Holy Mother Jinling's expression was icy, though a flicker of irrepressible anger hid in the depths of her eyes.

Holy Mother Wudang remained silent.

Holy Mother Guiling paced back and forth, clearly agitated to the extreme.

Among the outer disciples, Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao Sisters were all present.

Yun Xiao's expression was the calmest, though a hint of gravity deepened within her clear eyes.

Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao, however, were clearly struggling to suppress their temper.

There was no helping it.

The matter was simply too significant.

It was so significant that even the Jie Sect, which boasted ten thousand immortals and was hailed as the greatest sect in the Primordial World, could not afford to be careless.

Three hundred years ago, Zhao Xuan, the first disciple under Master Tongtian, had spoken a single sentence within Biyou Palace.

Haotian of the Heavenly Court would surely go to Zixiao Palace to lodge a complaint.

The Dao Ancestor Hongjun would surely summon all the Sages to discuss the matter.

Following this, the Investiture of the Gods List would surely manifest.

Disciples of the three sects would be drawn into the tribulation to be invested as gods.

When Zhao Xuan first uttered these words, the entire Biyou Palace had been in an uproar.

It was not that they did not respect Zhao Xuan as their Eldest Senior Brother.

In fact, Zhao Xuan held a very special status within the Jie Sect.

He was not the most famous disciple of the sect.

In terms of reputation in the outside world, Daoist Duobao, Holy Mother Jinling, Holy Mother Guiling, and even Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao Sisters were far more renowned than he was.

He was also not the disciple who liked to manage affairs.

The daily operations of the Jie Sect were mostly handled by Daoist Duobao, Holy Mother Jinling, and the others.

But those familiar with the Jie Sect knew that Zhao Xuan was the very first disciple to follow Master Tongtian.

Long before the Three Pure Ones had separated and while Master Tongtian was still on Kunlun Mountain, Zhao Xuan had already entered the Shangqing lineage.

Later, when the Three Pure Ones separated and Master Tongtian traveled east to establish the Jie Sect, Zhao Xuan followed him to Golden Turtle Island.

Over these many years, Zhao Xuan rarely fought with others and rarely displayed his power in public.

Yet, whenever he spoke, everyone in the Jie Sect—even Daoist Duobao, the second-ranked direct disciple—would listen with the utmost seriousness.

However, those words from three hundred years ago were simply too outrageous.

They were so outrageous that even coming from Zhao Xuan, few Jie Sect disciples dared to believe them.

The Heavenly Court lacked personnel—what did that have to do with the Jie Sect?

If Haotian could not hold his position as the Heavenly Emperor, that was simply because Haotian lacked the ability.

A dignified Heavenly Emperor, backed by the Dao Ancestor and nominally ruling the three realms, yet unable to assemble a decent staff for his Heavenly Court.

If one didn't blame Haotian for his incompetence, were they supposed to blame the disciples of the three sects for not volunteering to be his subjects?

What kind of logic was that?

Furthermore, even if the Heavenly Court truly lacked people, and even if the Dao Ancestor truly intended for the disciples of the three sects to enter the Heavenly Court as gods, it should be divided equally among the three sects.

Uncle-Master Taiqing had the Human Sect.

Uncle-Master Yuanshi had the Chan Sect.

Master Tongtian had the Jie Sect.

And those two from the Western Sect, despite constantly claiming that the West was barren, had at least established the Western Sect.

Then there was the Demon Race under the command of the Saint Nuwa.

Although the Tribulation of the Sorcerer and Demon had ended and both the Sorcerer and Demon Races had suffered heavy losses, a starved camel is still larger than a horse. Within the Demon Race, there were still many top-tier experts capable of serving in the Heavenly Court.

Since all these Saints had subordinates they could use, why must the Jie Sect be the one to suffer in the end?

Could it be that the Xuandu of Uncle Taiqing could not be on the list?

Could it be that the Twelve Golden Immortals of Uncle Yuanshi were all pure and free from tribulation?

Could it be that those two from the Western Sect would only open their mouths to cry poverty, yet not have to pay a single price?

Could the Demon Race also stay out of it just because they were the ones who started the War of the Sorcerer and Demon back then?

At the time, the disciples of the Jie Sect basically thought this way.

Some disciples even felt in their hearts that their Senior Brother Zhao Xuan had been in seclusion for too long and had become somewhat obsessed with divining the heavenly secrets.

After all, what was the situation of the Jie Sect now?

Ten thousand immortals came to pay homage!

In the Primordial World, who did not know of the prosperity of the Jie Sect?

In the East Sea, Jie Sect disciples suppressed demons and monsters.

In the Southern Wilderness, Jie Sect disciples pacified the poisonous miasma.

If there was great chaos among the loose cultivators overseas, it was often Jie Sect disciples who stepped in to mediate.

When human tribes were harassed by evil cultivators, it was often Jie Sect disciples who lent a helping hand.

Even in the Heavenly Court, many immortal officials were now selected from the branch disciples of the Jie Sect.

Looking at the entire Primordial World, in terms of the number of disciples, momentum, fortune, and influence across the Primordial World, the Jie Sect was undoubtedly number one.

In such a situation, who could have imagined that having the most disciples and the greatest momentum would actually become the Jie Sect's greatest hidden danger?

But now.

Haotian had gone to Zixiao Palace.

Taiqing had gone to Zixiao Palace.

Yuanshi Tianzun had also gone to Zixiao Palace.

The two Saints of the Western Sect had likewise gone to Zixiao Palace.

Even Master Tongtian had been summoned to Zixiao Palace by the decree of the Dao Ancestor.

What did this mean?

It meant that Zhao Xuan's first prediction from three hundred years ago had already come true.

Haotian had truly gone to weep and complain.

The Dao Ancestor had truly summoned all the Saints to discuss matters.

So, was it now time for the Investiture of the Gods List to emerge and for the disciples of the three sects to enter the tribulation?

Thinking of this, the crowd of Jie Sect disciples, who had previously felt that Zhao Xuan was being an alarmist, finally could not sit still.

Holy Mother Guiling was the first to speak, unable to hold back:

"Where is Senior Brother?"

"What time is it, and why is he still in the back hall?"

"Since Senior Brother calculated today three hundred years ago, he must have already thought of a way to deal with it."

Holy Mother Guiling's temper had never been good.

Especially when it involved the Chan Sect and the Heavenly Court, her temper was even more explosive.

The reason was simple.

Over the years, Chan Sect disciples had often used words like "fur-clad and horned," "born from wet eggs," and "ignorant of etiquette" to humiliate the Jie Sect.

Others might be able to endure such words.

Holy Mother Guiling truly could not.

What?

If one's origin was not that of an innate great god, were they unworthy of cultivating the Dao?

If one's true form was not an immortal root or spiritual jade, were they destined to be looked down upon?

The Primordial World was so vast; was the Great Dao opened by Uncle Yuanshi's family?

Were only his Chan Sect disciples allowed to cultivate, while others were forbidden from seeking the Dao?

What was even more infuriating was that while Chan Sect disciples looked down on the Jie Sect, they simultaneously enjoyed the stability brought about by Jie Sect disciples suppressing demons and monsters and maintaining order throughout the Primordial World.

When the East Sea was in chaos, where were the Chan Sect disciples?

When the poisonous miasma erupted in the Southern Wilderness, where were the Chan Sect disciples?

Where were the disciples of the Chan Sect when human cities were being slaughtered by evil cultivators?

When it came down to it, wasn't it just because their Chan Sect disciples were few in number and each one was far too precious to be bothered with such troublesome karma?

Fine.

They were noble.

They were the true immortals of fortune and virtue.

They did not touch the mortal world.

Then who was supposed to deal with this mess?

In the end, it always fell to the disciples of the Jie Sect!

Yet after doing all the work, the Jie Sect received no credit, only the labels of being "too murderous," "lacking in virtue," and "born of fur and eggs."

Where in this world was there any justice in such logic?

Holy Mother Guiling grew angrier the more she thought about it.

"Three hundred years ago, the Eldest Senior Brother said the Investiture of the Gods List would appear and that the Jie Sect would be the primary force used to fill it. At the time, I thought he was being too severe."

"Now that I think about it, how was that severe?"

"It is clear that we were simply too foolish!"

"The Heavenly Court lacks people, the Human Sect has few members, the Chan Sect disciples are too precious, and the Western Sect is poor as a church mouse. When you calculate it all, aren't the disciples of my Jie Sect the most numerous, the easiest to bully, and the easiest to frame?"

As these words fell, the great hall suddenly went silent.