An Unpaid Debt, Heavenly Court's Shenanigans

Heavenly Court.

High Heaven Hall.

Taibai Jinxing had just returned to find Haotian standing in the center of the hall.

Dozens of urgent reports were scattered across the floor.

The Water Department, the Dou Department, the Thunder Department, and the Lower Realm Heaven Patrol Division were all reporting emergencies.

As Haotian listened to Taibai Jinxing's report on his visit to Golden Turtle Island, his expression grew increasingly cold.

When he heard that Zhao Xuan had told him to go to Golden Turtle Island in person, Haotian finally lost his temper.

"Presumptuous!"

"Who does he, Zhao Xuan, think he is, daring to ask Me to go and invite him personally?"

Inside the High Heaven Hall, the gathered immortal officials lowered their heads even further.

No one dared to intervene.

To speak up now would be to walk straight into the line of fire.

Taibai Jinxing remained silent, merely presenting the jade slip Zhao Xuan had given him.

Haotian cast a cold glance at it.

"What is this?"

"Zhao Xuan asked this old minister to present it to Your Majesty."

"He said this is the debt the Heavenly Court owes the disciples of the Jie Sect for these past years."

Haotian's eyes darkened.

"Debt?"

He reached out to snatch the jade slip and swept it with his divine sense.

The next moment, Haotian's expression shifted.

The jade slip contained meticulous records.

In a certain year, Jie Sect disciple Qingxiaozi guarded the third Sea Eye of the East Sea, blocking a demonic tide on behalf of the Water Department; his Dao foundation was damaged, and while the Heavenly Court recorded a first-class merit, he was only rewarded with three low-grade spirit pills.

In a certain year, Jie Sect disciple Daoist Chisong patrolled the North Star Domain and discovered a shift in the stellar nodes; he spent thirty-six days repairing them alone, yet the credit was claimed by a star official of the Dou Department.

In a certain year, Jie Sect disciple Yu Hua assisted the Thunder Department in capturing an evil cultivator; afterward, the remnants of the evil cultivator's sect sought revenge, and two of Yu Hua's disciples were killed, yet the Thunder Department did nothing.

In a certain year, Jie Sect disciple Lingya Immortal helped the Heavenly Court mediate a conflict between rogue cultivators overseas, earning the resentment of both sides; the Heavenly Court withdrew its personnel afterward, leaving Lingya Immortal to clean up the mess alone.

In a certain year...

One by one.

Item by item.

They were not earth-shattering events.

Yet every single one stung.

Because they were too specific.

Specific down to the date.

Specific down to the names.

Specific down to which Heavenly Court department official took over.

Specific down to who claimed the credit and who took the fall.

The more Haotian read, the uglier his expression became.

It was impossible for him to know these trivial details, of course.

After all, the Heavenly Court was vast, and as the Heavenly Emperor, he could not monitor the rewards and punishments of every assisting disciple.

But not knowing did not mean these things did not happen.

Now that Zhao Xuan had laid them out, it was equivalent to tearing a piece off the Heavenly Court's polished facade.

Taibai Jinxing whispered:

"Your Majesty, Zhao Xuan also said that if the Heavenly Court does not provide an explanation regarding the Qingxiaozi incident, the Jie Sect will seek it themselves."

Haotian gripped the jade slip tightly.

Crack.

The jade slip began to fracture.

"Is he threatening Me?"

Taibai Jinxing said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, the problem now is not whether Zhao Xuan is threatening us."

"It is that these debts cannot be allowed to spread."

Haotian looked at him coldly.

Taibai Jinxing steeled himself and continued, "If word gets out, it will be difficult for the Heavenly Court to borrow people from the Jie Sect again."

"Not just the Jie Sect."

"Other rogue cultivators will also wonder if they will end up with the same fate after working for the Heavenly Court."

Haotian did not speak.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy.

After a long while, Haotian suddenly asked, "Where are the people from the Water Department?"

Taibai Jinxing hurriedly replied, "They are already waiting outside the hall."

"Let them in."

Soon, several immortal officials from the Water Department were brought into the hall, led by Xuan Lang. Once they entered, they all knelt down.

"Your Majesty."

Haotian threw the cracked jade slip in front of him.

"Regarding that matter with Qingxiaozi, who ordered you to apprehend him?"

"Your Majesty, we only intended to bring him back to the Water Department for questioning."

"Questioning?"

Haotian sneered.

"Taking Heavenly Soldiers to the outskirts of Golden Turtle Island to apprehend a Jie Sect disciple is called questioning?"

"And this matter, did you ever report it to me?"

General Xuan Lang's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

"I acted in haste, Your Majesty."

"The Sea Eye incident resulted in the deaths of seven immortal officials; the Water Department had to investigate the cause."

Haotian stared at him.

"Then, was there a problem with the formation map or not?"

General Xuan Lang opened his mouth.

He dared not speak.

Haotian understood.

"Fool!"

General Xuan Lang immediately kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Haotian's fingers trembled with rage.

The Jie Sect had just withdrawn their people, and the Water Department was already shifting the blame.

Shifting the blame was one thing, but they had been caught red-handed by Zhao Xuan.

This was handing the hilt of a blade to the Jie Sect, and the Jie Sect could point the tip at the Heavenly Court at any moment!

Haotian took a deep breath.

"Pass down the order."

"For his improper handling of affairs, Xuan Lang is sentenced to guard the third Sea Eye of the East Sea for a thousand years."

"All immortal officials involved in the Water Department are to be strictly investigated."

General Xuan Lang's face turned deathly pale.

"Your Majesty!"

Haotian did not look at him.

"Drag him away."

The Heavenly Soldiers stepped forward and dragged Xuan Lang out of the High Heaven Hall.

Xuan Lang's voice grew fainter and fainter.

The immortal officials in the hall felt a chill in their hearts.

They knew that Haotian was giving an explanation to the Jie Sect.

But this was an explanation Haotian gave with great resentment.

Because it was not something he had wanted to give voluntarily.

It had to be given.

Taibai Jinxing whispered:

"Your Majesty, regarding Golden Turtle Island..."

Haotian fell silent.

Go to Golden Turtle Island in person?

He did not want to go.

He was the Heavenly Emperor.

If word got out that he had personally gone to invite the disciples of the Jie Sect, where would his face be left?

Yet if he did not go, the holes in the Heavenly Court would only continue to widen.

Haotian closed his eyes, reopening them only after several breaths.

"Draft more people."

"Hold out for three days first."

"I do not believe that without the Jie Sect disciples, the Heavenly Court truly cannot function."

Taibai Jinxing's lips moved, but in the end, he lowered his head.

"Yes."

The first day.

The Heavenly Court forcibly deployed the divine generals of the Thunder Department to the East Sea to suppress the Sea Eye.

The Thunder Department generals were indeed capable fighters.

With a blast of thunder magic, a large swathe of the demon tide was scattered on the spot.

But the Sea Eye was not a monster.

Suppressing the sea required more than just brute force.

While the Thunder Department generals scattered the demon tide, they also shook the already unstable Sea Eye into even greater chaos.

In less than half a day, the spiritual tide of the third Sea Eye tripled.

The East Sea Dragon Palace submitted a report overnight.

They stated that if things continued this way, over a dozen nearby islands would be dragged to the bottom of the sea.

The second day.

The Dou Department sent star officials to repair the nodes of the North Star Domain.

Those star officials were not lacking in deductive ability, but they were unfamiliar with the array patterns left behind by the Jie Sect disciples over the years.

After forced repairs, three of the seven nodes stabilized, while four fell into disarray.

One small star deviated from its orbit and crashed into an overseas immortal mountain.

The master of the immortal mountain was a Daluo rogue cultivator who was so enraged he marched straight to the Heavenly Court, blocking the South Heaven Gate and cursing for half a day.

The Heavenly Court, being in the wrong, had no choice but to endure it.

The third day.

Evil cultivators in the lower realm caused chaos.

The Heavenly Court dispatched heavenly soldiers to suppress them.

The evil cultivators were not wiped out; instead, the commotion caused by the heavenly soldiers disturbed several nearby demon dens.

Once the demons and evil cultivators joined forces, the situation became even more chaotic.

What could have been quietly resolved by three Jie Sect disciples was handled by the Heavenly Court with three thousand heavenly soldiers, eventually escalating into a small-scale military disaster.

The news reached Golden Turtle Island one piece at a time.

Holy Mother Guiling laughed so hard she slapped the table.

"Trash!"

"Truly a bunch of trash!"

"I never realized it before, but the Heavenly Court is actually this incompetent."

Zhao Gongming was also somewhat speechless.

"Sending the Thunder Department to suppress the Sea Eye—to think they could come up with that."

Holy Mother Jinling said coldly:

"It is not that they could not come up with anything else; it is that they have no one else to use."

Holy Mother Wudang said softly:

"In the past, there were others to do it for them, so naturally, they never needed to learn."

The words caused everyone to fall silent for a moment.

Indeed.

In the past, there had been others to do it for them.

The disciples of the Jie Sect had guarded the Sea Eye, patrolled the star domains, captured evil cultivators, and mediated disputes among rogue cultivators on their behalf.

As time passed, the Heavenly Court itself had forgotten how to do these things.

Holy Mother Guiling looked toward Zhao Xuan.

"Senior Brother, it has been three days."

"Haotian still hasn't come."

Zhao Xuan flipped through the jade slip in his hand without raising his head.

"He is waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Waiting for the Heavenly Court to patch the hole itself."

Holy Mother Guiling scoffed.

"Have they patched it?"

"No."

"Then why does he still wait?"

Zhao Xuan finally looked up.

"Because he is the Heavenly Emperor."

"The Heavenly Emperor cares about his face."

Zhao Gongming asked:

"And what about us?"

"We wait."