Silence lay over Golden Turtle Island.
Not a single person stepped forward.
Zhao Xuan said:
"Who else is willing to fill the list in someone else's place?"
Still, no one stepped forward.
Daoist Duobao spoke.
"I, Duobao, refuse to accept it."
Holy Mother Wudang said:
"I, Wudang, refuse to accept it."
Holy Mother Guiling said:
"I, Gui Ling, refuse to accept it."
Zhao Gongming said:
"I, Zhao Gongming, refuse to accept it."
The Three Xiao Sisters spoke in unison.
"We, the Three Xiao Sisters, refuse to accept it."
Wen Zhong cupped his hands.
"I, Wen Zhong, refuse to accept it."
The Ten Heavenly Lords, the Four Saints of Nine Dragon Island, Fire Spirit Holy Mother, and the Ten Thousand Immortals of the Outer Sect all bowed their heads.
"We refuse to accept it!"
As that cry fell, the Interception Sect's fortune surged above Golden Turtle Island.
Great swathes of the black aura tethered to the Investiture of the Gods List snapped apart on the spot.
A batch of Interception Sect names faded from the list completely.
Vast sections of the Heavenly Court's register of divine offices emptied in turn.
Yuanshi Tianzun's expression finally darkened.
"Tongtian, are you going to take the Interception Sect off the list?"
Master Tongtian said:
"They have already seen how they will die."
"They refuse to accept it."
"Why should I still send them to their deaths?"
Yuanshi Tianzun said:
"With vacancies in the investiture of the gods, the Three Realms will be unstable."
Master Tongtian said:
"If the Three Realms are unstable, we can deliberate again."
"But filling the gaps with the lives of my Jie Sect disciples is out of the question."
Yuanshi Tianzun said no more.
Yuqing Immortal Light rose from Kunlun, forming a giant palm that descended toward the Investiture of the