Second Jade Slip Stamped, Dragon Palace Also Faces Reckoning

Above the East Sea.

Zhao Xuan tucked the jade slip away.

Yet, everyone's gaze remained fixed on his palm.

Yuxu Palace had not corrected its mistake.

This debt was temporarily sealed.

To be revisited once the Investiture of the Gods List appeared.

A mere few lines of text.

Like nails.

Driven into the face of Guangchengzi.

And driven into the pristine reputation of Yuxu Palace.

The disciples of the Jie Sect felt their chests burn with fervor.

The immortal officials of the Heavenly Court felt a chill run down their spines.

The veteran ministers of the Dragon Palace kept their heads bowed, their breathing growing shallow.

Haotian stood upon the surface of the sea, his expression terrifyingly dark.

He had come to Golden Turtle Island in person.

He had delivered the invitation from the Heavenly Court.

He had watched as the Chan Sect was put on record by Zhao Xuan.

On this trip, the Heavenly Court had lost face.

The Chan Sect had failed to walk away unscathed.

Yet, every word Zhao Xuan spoke was grounded in reason.

No one could find a single fault.

Holy Mother Guiling held back for a long time before finally bursting into laughter.

"Satisfying."

"Too satisfying."

"In the past, they spoke of heavenly destiny and righteousness at every turn."

"Why are they silent today?"

Zhao Gongming looked toward the direction of Kunlun, his voice heavy.

"They aren't afraid of us resorting to force."

"They are afraid of this jade slip."

"If we fought, they could call the Jie Sect barbaric."

"But once it is written down, they cannot deny it."

The surrounding Jie Sect disciples' eyes lit up as they listened.

Previously, they believed the conflict between the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect was about Daoist arts.

Whose magic power was higher.

Whose dharma treasure was stronger.

Whose formation was more ruthless.

Only today did they realize.

A single jade slip could just as easily force the first disciple of the Chan Sect to bow his head and leave.

Zhao Xuan paid no heed to the emotions of the crowd.

He looked toward the depths of the East Sea.

The Black-Blue Spirit Tide of the Third Sea Eye was still churning.

It was merely much lower than before.

Qingxiaozi's voice transmission arrived quickly.

"Senior Brother."

"The sea eye is temporarily suppressed."

"But the formation cannot be withdrawn."

Zhao Xuan asked:

"How long can you hold it?"

"Three days."

"If the Water Department stops tampering with the formation eye, it can hold for seven days."

Zhao Xuan turned his head to look at Haotian.

"Your Majesty, did you hear that?"

"Tell the Water Department not to move it again."

"The Third Sea Eye can last four more days."

Haotian said coldly:

"I will have the Water Department cooperate."

Zhao Xuan nodded.

"Words are not enough."

Haotian's gaze darkened.

"What else do you want?"

Zhao Xuan raised his hand.

Another blank jade slip appeared.

"The Third Sea Eye shall be temporarily commanded by Qingxiaozi."

"The Water Department and the Dragon Palace must not alter the formation flags without authorization."

"They must not change the formation eye."

"They must not act beyond their orders."

"Should they violate these orders, all backlash shall be borne by the Heavenly Court."

The surface of the sea fell silent.

The faces of the Water Department's immortal officials turned deathly pale.

The old ministers of the Dragon Palace also snapped their heads up.

Haotian stared at Zhao Xuan.

"You want to control the Heavenly Court's Water Department as well?"

Zhao Xuan replied:

"Your Majesty appointed Qingxiaozi to command the formation."

"If the commander cannot even protect the formation flags, then who is to be blamed when something goes wrong?"

Holy Mother Guiling sneered.

"Who else could it be?"

"Naturally, it would be blamed on my Jie Sect again."

Zhao Gongming added:

"So, write it down first."

"Lest the Water Department forgets again in the future."

Haotian remained silent.

Taibai Jinxing whispered:

"Your Majesty, this order should be issued."

"The Third Sea Eye cannot withstand another chaotic interference."

Haotian glanced at him.

Taibai Jinxing did not back down.

The Water Department had already meddled once.

The Thunder Department had also made a chaotic attempt to patch it once.

If they messed around again, the Third Sea Eye would truly collapse completely.

After several breaths.

Haotian raised his hand.

The Heavenly Emperor Seal appeared once more.

Golden light descended.

The second jade slip was completed.

Zhao Xuan took it and glanced at it.

Then, he tossed it into the depths of the East Sea.

"Qingxiaozi."

"Take them."

Qingxiaozi's voice drifted over.

"This disciple obeys."

A flash of light erupted from the array on the seabed.

Two invitations, one above the other, hung suspended within the Sea-Suppressing Array.

The Black-Blue Spirit Tide receded by another half-inch.

The immortal official of the Water Department stared at the two jade slips, his expression turning incredibly unsightly.

From this day forward.

The blame for the Third Sea Eye could no longer be pinned on Qingxiaozi.

There were records here.

There were invitations.

There was the Heavenly Emperor Seal.

If anyone wanted to dredge up old accounts, they would have to get past Zhao Xuan first.

Afterward.

Zhao Xuan looked toward the depths of the East Sea.

"Qingxiaozi."

The array light on the seabed brightened slightly.

Qingxiaozi's voice came through.

"Senior Brother."

"Are the people from the Dragon Palace by your side?"

A moment later.

Qingxiaozi replied:

"They are."

"The old minister from the Dragon Palace has been waiting outside the array this entire time."

Zhao Xuan nodded.

"Let him listen."

The seabed fell silent.

Soon, the trembling voice of the Dragon Palace's old minister emerged from the array light.

"This old minister is here."

Zhao Xuan's voice was very flat.

"Qingxiaozi has guarded the sea eye for your East Sea for two thousand years."

"Every time the spirit tide erupted, the Dragon Palace sent people to request reinforcements."

"Yet every time the request was fulfilled, you pushed the responsibility onto the Heavenly Court."

"Now that the sea eye has temporarily stabilized."

"It is time to settle the Dragon Palace's accounts."

On the other end of the array light.

The old minister of the Dragon Palace was clearly panicked.

"Exalted Immortal, once this old minister returns, I will certainly report this to the Dragon King..."

Zhao Xuan cut him off.

"Seven days."

"During the time Qingxiaozi guarded the Third Sea Eye."

"How many times did the Dragon Palace request reinforcements?"

"How many supplies were owed?"

"How many provisions were delayed?"

"How many times did you shirk responsibility?"

"Send it all to Golden Turtle Island."

The old minister's voice dropped even lower.

"And if there are any omissions..."

Zhao Xuan said:

"I will go to the Dragon Palace to collect them myself."

The light of the formation beneath the sea fell silent for a moment.

Then, the strained voice of an old Dragon Palace minister drifted out.

"Yes."

"This old minister will remember."

Holy Mother Guiling's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

She suddenly felt that beating people up directly wasn't even this satisfying.

Watching them cough up their debts, stroke by stroke.

That was even better.

Haotian turned around.

"Taibai."

Taibai Jinxing immediately stepped forward.

"This minister is here."

"Return to the Heavenly Court."

"Yes."

Before leaving, Haotian cast a glance at Zhao Xuan.

"Zhao Xuan."

"The debts you have recorded today—not everyone will necessarily acknowledge them."

Zhao Xuan's expression remained unchanged.

"If they don't acknowledge them today, they will tomorrow."

"If they don't acknowledge them tomorrow, they will 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 Heavenly Emperor's carriage broke through the clouds and departed.

Taibai Jinxing followed closely behind.

The immortals of the Heavenly Court also hurriedly retreated.

The East Sea finally regained a measure of peace.

Yet, the Jie Sect disciples outside Golden Turtle Island did not disperse.

They looked at Zhao Xuan.

In their eyes, there was only one word.

Submission.

The matter of Qingxiaozi had made them see clearly.

When their Senior Brother told them to retreat.

It wasn't about enduring.

It was about pulling back their hand first.

To let everyone see clearly.

Who had been doing the work all this time.

Who had been reaping the benefits.

And who had been pinning labels on others.

Zhao Xuan swept his gaze over the crowd.

"Remember today."

"From now on, it is fine for Jie Sect disciples to take action."

"But whoever requests it, must sign their name."

"Whoever benefits, must bear the karma."

"Whoever tries to welch on a debt, record it all on jade slips for me, so that my Jie Sect doesn't have to suffer those losses in silence again!"

The disciples shouted in unison:

"We disciples will remember!"

The sound echoed across the East Sea.

In the distance, the Dragon race, the Water Department immortal officials, and many overseas rogue cultivators who had not yet dispersed, all heard it.

Their hearts sank in unison.

From this day forth.

The Jie Sect that answered every plea would never return.

High Heaven Hall.

Haotian had just returned to the Heavenly Court.

Over a dozen urgent reports flew into the hall simultaneously.

Taibai Jinxing took them and glanced over, his expression changing instantly.

"Your Majesty."

"The North Star Domain is in chaos again."

"Of the seven nodes, the Dou Department has only managed to stabilize two."

"As for the other five, I fear we must ask the Jie Sect disciples who originally maintained the array veins to intervene."

Haotian's eyes were chillingly cold.

"Ask again?"

That word now pierced his ears like a thorn.

Taibai Jinxing lowered his head and remained silent.

Another immortal official hurried into the hall.

"Your Majesty."

"The poisonous miasma in the Southern Wilderness has erupted."

"The Jie Sect disciples who originally suppressed the miasma have already returned to their mountain."

"The local mountain and land gods cannot contain it."

"Three human tribes have already fled."

A third immortal official entered the hall.

"Your Majesty."

"A battle between rogue cultivators on Green Gauze Island has spiraled out of control."

"Both sides claim that Lingya Immortal of the Jie Sect used to mediate for them."

"Now that no one is there to hold the field, casualties have already exceeded ten thousand."

Urgent report after urgent report rained down.

Haotian's expression grew increasingly grim.

He finally realized.

The Third Sea Eye in the East Sea was merely the first.

Once the Jie Sect withdrew their people, all those small leaks across the Primordial World began to gush.

No one had considered them serious before.

Because someone was plugging them.

Now that those who plugged the holes had returned to Golden Turtle Island.

The Heavenly Court finally discovered.

They simply did not have enough people at their disposal.

An immortal official whispered:

"Your Majesty, shall we ask the Jie Sect once more..."

Before he could finish.

Haotian cast a cold, sharp gaze in his direction.