Above the East Sea.
Zhao Xuan put away the Jade Slip.
Yet everyone's eyes remained fixed on his palm.
Yuxu Palace had not corrected its mistake.
This Account Temporarily Sealed.
To be discussed again once the Investiture of the Gods List was issued.
Just a few short lines.
Like nails.
They were nailed to Guangchengzi's face.
And to the good name Yuxu Palace had built up.
The Jie Sect disciples felt their blood heat in their chests.
The Heavenly Court's immortal officials felt chills crawl down their backs.
The Dragon Palace's old officials kept their heads lowered, barely daring to breathe.
Haotian stood on the sea, his expression frighteningly grim.
He had come to Golden Turtle Island in person.
He had issued a Heavenly Court Petition.
He had watched as Zhao Xuan put the Chan Sect on the record.
On this trip, the Heavenly Court had lost face.
The Chan Sect had failed to slip away cleanly, too.
And every word Zhao Xuan said was justified.
No one could find fault with him.
Holy Mother Guiling had held it in for a long while, but finally burst out laughing.
"Magnificent."
"Absolutely magnificent."
"Before, they were always invoking the Heavenly Mandate and preaching righteousness."
"Why have they all gone quiet today?"
Zhao Gongming looked toward Kunlun, his voice heavy.
"They aren't afraid of us taking action."
"They're afraid of this Jade Slip."
"If we fight, they can call the Jie Sect overbearing."
"But once it's written down, they can't wriggle out of it."
The Jie Sect disciples around them listened, their eyes shining.
They had once thought the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect were competing over the Dao.
Whose magic was greater.
Whose magic treasures were stronger.
Whose formations were deadlier.
Only today did they understand.
A single Jade Slip could still force the Chan Sect's foremost disciple to lower his head and leave.
Zhao Xuan paid no heed to everyone's emotions.
He looked toward the depths of the East Sea.
The Black-Blue Spirit Tide was still churning around the Third Sea Eye.
It was simply much lower than before.
Qingxiaozi's voice transmission came quickly.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"The Sea Eye is temporarily under control."
"But we can't withdraw the formation."
Zhao Xuan asked:
"How long can it hold?"
"Three days."
"If the Water Department doesn't tamper with the formation core, it can hold for seven."
Zhao Xuan turned to look at Haotian.
"Your Majesty, did you hear that?"
"Tell the Water Department to stop tampering with it."
"The Third Sea Eye can hold for four more days."
Haotian said coldly:
"I will have the Water Department cooperate."
Zhao Xuan nodded.
"Words alone prove nothing."
Haotian's gaze darkened.
"What else do you want?"
Zhao Xuan raised a hand.
Another blank Jade Slip appeared.
"Qingxiaozi will temporarily take charge of the formation at the Third Sea Eye."
"The Water Department and the Dragon Palace must not alter the formation flags without permission."
"They must not replace the formation core without permission."
"They must not act in defiance of orders."
"If they disobey, the Heavenly Court will bear responsibility for any backlash."
The sea fell silent.
The Water Department's immortal officials turned deathly pale.
The Dragon Palace's old officials abruptly looked up, too.
Haotian stared at Zhao Xuan.
"You even intend to interfere with the Heavenly Court's Water Department?"
Zhao Xuan replied:
"Your Majesty asked Qingxiaozi to take charge of the formation."
"If the person in charge can't even protect the formation flags, who will be held responsible when something goes wrong?"
Holy Mother Guiling sneered.
"Who else could it be?"
"Of course they'll blame the Jie Sect again."
Zhao Gongming added:
"So write it down first."
"That way, the Water Department won't 'forget' again later."
Haotian fell silent.
Taibai Jinxing said quietly:
"Your Majesty, this order can be issued."
"The Third Sea Eye cannot withstand another round of tampering."
Haotian glanced at him.
Taibai Jinxing did not back down.
The Water Department had already tampered with it once.
The Thunder Department had already made a mess trying to repair it once.
If they caused another disturbance, the Third Sea Eye would truly collapse.
A few breaths later.
Haotian raised his hand.
The Heavenly Emperor Seal appeared once more.
Golden light fell.
The second Jade Slip was stamped.
Zhao Xuan took it and glanced over it.
Then he tossed it toward the depths of the East Sea.
"Qingxiaozi."
"Keep it."
Qingxiaozi's voice came back.
"This disciple accepts the order."
A flash of light shone through the undersea formation.
The two petitions hung one above the other within the Sea-Suppressing Array.
The Black-Blue Spirit Tide sank another half a foot.
The Water Department's immortal officials stared at the two Jade Slips, their faces twisted in dismay.
From this day on.
The Third Sea Eye's burden could no longer be dumped on Qingxiaozi.
There were records here.
There were petitions.
There was the Heavenly Emperor Seal.
If they wanted to revisit old grievances, they would first have to get past Zhao Xuan.
After that.
Zhao Xuan looked toward the depths of the East Sea.
"Qingxiaozi."
The undersea formation glimmered faintly.
Qingxiaozi's voice came through.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"Are there any Dragon Palace people with you?"
After a moment, Qingxiaozi replied:
"Yes."
"The Dragon Palace elder from earlier has been waiting outside the formation."
Zhao Xuan nodded.
"Let him listen."
The seabed fell silent.
Soon, the trembling voice of the Dragon Palace elder came through the formation's light.
"This old official is here."
Zhao Xuan's voice was calm.
"Qingxiaozi has guarded the Sea Eye for your East Sea for two thousand years."
"Every time the spirit tide surges, the Dragon Palace sends someone to ask for help."
"After each appeal, you push the matter onto the Heavenly Court."
"Now that the Sea Eye is temporarily stable..."
"It's time to go over the Dragon Palace's accounts, too."
On the other side of the formation.
The Dragon Palace elder was clearly flustered.
"Immortal, once this old official returns, I will certainly report the matter to the Dragon King..."
Zhao Xuan cut him off.
"Seven days."
"While Qingxiaozi guards the Third Sea Eye."
"How many times the Dragon Palace asks for help."
"How much supplies it owes."
"How many deliveries were delayed."
"How many times it shirked responsibility."
"Send the full account to Golden Turtle Island."
The Dragon Palace elder's voice grew even softer.
"And if anything is missing..."
Zhao Xuan replied:
"I'll go to the Dragon Palace and collect it myself."
The array's light beneath the sea fell silent for a moment.
Then the Dragon Palace's old minister spoke in a strained voice.
"Yes."
"This old minister will remember."
Holy Mother Guiling's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She suddenly felt that even beating someone up directly wasn't as satisfying.
Watching them spit out the accounts, one item at a time—
that was even better.
Haotian turned around.
"Taibai."
Taibai Jinxing immediately stepped forward.
"I am here."
"Return to the Heavenly Court."
"Yes."
Before leaving, Haotian glanced at Zhao Xuan.
"Zhao Xuan."
"The accounts you recorded today may not be acknowledged by everyone."
Zhao Xuan's expression didn't change.
"If they won't acknowledge them today, they will tomorrow."
"If not tomorrow, then when the Investiture of the Gods List appears."
"One day, they will acknowledge them."
Haotian's gaze darkened.
In the end, he said nothing more.
The Celestial Emperor Chariot pierced the clouds and departed.
Taibai Jinxing followed close behind.
The immortals of the Heavenly Court hurriedly withdrew as well.
At last, the East Sea regained some semblance of calm.
But the Interception Sect disciples outside Golden Turtle Island did not disperse.
They looked at Zhao Xuan.
There was only one word in their eyes.
Respect.
The matter with Qingxiaozi had made everything clear to them.
When Senior Disciple Brother told them to retreat,
it wasn't because they were enduring humiliation.
It was because they were pulling their hands back first—
so everyone could see clearly
who had been doing the work,
who had been reaping the benefits,
and who had been slinging accusations.
Zhao Xuan swept his gaze over the crowd.
"Remember today."
"From now on, Interception Sect disciples may lend a hand."
"But whoever asks must put it in writing."
"Whoever benefits must bear the consequences."
"If anyone tries to wriggle out of their debt, record it all on a Jade Slip for me, so our Interception Sect doesn't suffer those silent injustices again!"
The disciples answered in unison:
"This disciple will remember!"
Their voices carried across the East Sea.
In the distance, the Dragon Clan members who had yet to leave, the Water Department Immortal Officials, and many overseas rogue cultivators watching from the sidelines all heard them.
Their hearts sank at the same time.
From this day on,
the Interception Sect that had always answered every call was gone for good.
High Heaven Hall.
Haotian had just returned to the Heavenly Court.
More than a dozen urgent reports flew into the hall at once.
Taibai Jinxing took one and looked it over. His expression changed immediately.
"Your Majesty."
"The North Star Domain is in turmoil again."
"Of the seven nodes, the Dou Department has stabilized only two."
"For the other five, we may still need the Interception Sect disciples who used to maintain the formation veins to step in."
Haotian's gaze was chilling.
"We have to ask them again?"
That word now stung like a thorn.
Taibai Jinxing lowered his head and said nothing.
Another immortal official hurried into the hall.
"Your Majesty."
"The poisonous miasma in the Southern Wilderness has erupted."
"The Interception Sect disciples who had been suppressing it have already returned to their mountain."
"The local Mountain and Earth Gods can't hold it back."
"Three Human Race tribes have already fled."
A third immortal official entered the hall.
"Your Majesty."
"The rogue cultivators' battle on Green Gauze Island has spiraled out of control."
"Both sides say that Immortal Lingya of the Interception Sect used to mediate their disputes."
"Now that no one is keeping them in check, the dead and wounded number more than ten thousand."
One urgent report after another slammed down.
Haotian's expression grew grimmer and grimmer.
At last, he understood.
The Third Sea Eye in the East Sea had only been the first.
After the Interception Sect withdrew its people, all the little leaks scattered throughout the Primordial World had started springing open.
No one had thought they were serious before.
Someone had been plugging them.
Now the people who had been patching those holes had returned to Golden Turtle Island.
Only then did the Heavenly Court realize—
it simply didn't have that many people.
An immortal official said in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, should we ask the Interception Sect again—"
Before he could finish,
Haotian looked at him coldly.
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