Haotian's gaze turned cold.
The immortal official immediately fell to his knees.
"I spoke out of turn, Your Majesty."
Haotian returned to his imperial throne.
His expression darkened.
Every time he asked for help, another mark was added to the ledger.
Every mark added another debt.
What Zhao Xuan was waiting for now was for the Heavenly Court to keep asking.
He couldn't go to the Interception Sect for every little problem.
The Investiture of the Gods List hadn't even appeared, yet the Heavenly Court was already piling up debts it could never repay.
That wouldn't do.
Taibai Jinxing said quietly,
"Your Majesty, perhaps there is another way."
Haotian looked toward him.
"Speak."
Taibai Jinxing considered his words for a moment.
"The Interception Sect has the moral high ground now because the Heavenly Court was the one that asked for help."
"But the chaos in the Primordial World will ultimately harm all living beings."
"So besides our Heavenly Court..."
"The East Sea Dragon Palace can ask for help."
"The Human Race tribes can ask for help."
"Independent cultivators overseas can ask for help."
"The immortal sects in various regions can ask for help."
"And all we need to do is..."
"Not stop them."
Silence fell over the hall.
Haotian understood.
This move would shove the whole mess right to the gates of Golden Turtle Island.
The Heavenly Court wouldn't ask.
It would let all living beings ask.
If the Interception Sect intervened, it would be entangled in karma once more.
If the Interception Sect closed its doors, resentment among the people would naturally rise.
After a long while,
Haotian slowly said,
"Pass down the order."
"If chaos breaks out anywhere, they may go to Golden Turtle Island for help on their own."
"The Heavenly Court will not stop them."
Taibai Jinxing lowered his head.
"Your servant obeys."
But inwardly, he sighed.
Once this order went out,
the last shred of goodwill between the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect would be gone.
Kunlun Mountain.
Yuxu Palace.
Guangchengzi knelt in the hall.
His face was pale.
Yuanshi Tianzun sat atop the cloud dais, his expression indifferent.
All Twelve Golden Immortals were present in the hall.
No one spoke.
News of what had happened in the East Sea had already reached Kunlun.
Zhao Xuan had backed Guangchengzi into a corner, leaving him speechless.
Yuanshi had spoken in person, yet all he could do was take Guangchengzi back with him.
For the Chan Sect, the whole affair had been humiliating.
Guangchengzi said quietly,
"This disciple has failed."
Yuanshi looked at him.
"Where did you lose?"
Guangchengzi's fingers tightened.
"This disciple shouldn't have argued with Zhao Xuan."
Yuanshi said coldly,
"Wrong."
Guangchengzi froze.
Yuanshi said,
"You lost because you tried to settle accounts with him."
The immortals in the hall were shaken.
Yuanshi continued,
"Zhao Xuan never wanted to win a few arguments with you."
"He wanted to drag the Chan Sect in front of the ledger."
"The more you argue with him..."
"The more he writes down."
"The harder you try to suppress him..."
"The more he can claim the Chan Sect has a guilty conscience."
"This isn't a contest of magic."
"It's a trap."
Guangchengzi bowed his head even lower.
"Please guide me, Master."
Yuanshi didn't answer at once.
He raised his eyes toward the Heavenly Court.
The clouds inside Yuxu Palace stilled.
A moment later,
Yuanshi said coolly,
"Haotian has made his move."
Guangchengzi froze.
"Master, you mean..."
Yuanshi said,
"He doesn't dare ask the Interception Sect for help anymore."
"So he's letting all the people of the Primordial World ask on their own."
The immortals in the hall stirred.
Chijingzi said quietly,
"That is a clever move."
"When the people come to Golden Turtle Island for help, if the Interception Sect saves them, it will be entangled in karma once more."
"If the Interception Sect refuses, it will lose the people's trust."
A trace of coldness flashed in Guangchengzi's eyes as well.
"Zhao Xuan could force the Heavenly Court to put things in writing."
"But could he force all the people of the Primordial World to put things in writing too?"
Yuanshi glanced at him.
"So you weren't wrong to lose today."
Guangchengzi's face paled slightly, and he immediately lowered his head.
Yuanshi's voice was calm.
"Zhao Xuan knows how to keep accounts."
"Then don't get tangled up with him over the ledger."
"He wants evidence."
"Then let the cries of the people pile up at Golden Turtle Island's gates."
"Let's see if he opens them."
Silence settled over the hall.
Guangchengzi said quietly,
"What if he still insists on setting rules?"
Yuanshi said indifferently,
"The more rules he sets..."
"The faster resentment will grow among the people."
"When lives are at stake, no one wants to look at the ledger first."
"They'll only care whether the Interception Sect opens its doors."
At last, Guangchengzi understood.
This time, the Chan Sect didn't need to get involved in person.
The Heavenly Court had already pushed the people toward Golden Turtle Island.
Yuxu Palace only needed to watch and wait.
Wait for resentment to rise.
Wait for the pleas for help to grow louder.
Wait for the whole Primordial World to start asking why the Interception Sect kept its doors closed.
That debt would naturally fall back on Zhao Xuan.
Yuanshi slowly closed his eyes.
"Guangchengzi."
"This disciple is here."
"Send word to the Chan Sect disciples in every region."
"They must not discuss the ledger."
"They must not argue with the Interception Sect."
"If disaster strikes, they need remember only one thing."
Guangchengzi looked up.
Yuanshi's voice was cool.
"Remember whether the Interception Sect saves them or not."
Guangchengzi's eyes flashed with understanding.
Then he bowed low.
"This disciple understands."
Golden Turtle Island.
Zhao Xuan stood outside Biyou Palace.
Holy Mother Jinling handed him a Jade Slip for sending messages.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"The Heavenly Court has issued an order to every region."
"If chaos breaks out, they may come to Golden Turtle Island for help on their own."
Holy Mother Guiling's expression turned cold.
"How underhanded."
"They're not asking themselves anymore. They're making the people ask instead."
"They want to use the people to pressure us."
Zhao Gongming frowned.
"If we don't save them, outsiders will probably say the Interception Sect is heartless."
"But if we do, we'll be entangled in karma all over again."
"This situation is hard to handle."
Zhao Xuan took the Jade Slip and glanced over it.
Then he smiled.
"Finally."
Holy Mother Guiling froze.
"Senior Disciple Brother, you expected this?"
Zhao Xuan said:
"The Heavenly Court wouldn't dare invite them one by one."
"The Chan Sect doesn't want to get involved personally."
"So they can only make all living beings pressure the Interception Sect."
Holy Mother Jinling asked:
"What should we do?"
Zhao Xuan looked up toward the Primordial Continent.
"They want all living beings to come begging."
"Then let them come."
Holy Mother Guiling grew anxious.
"We're really letting them come?"
Zhao Xuan said:
"They can come."
"They can beg, too."
"But starting today, we'll erect three steles outside Golden Turtle Island."
"On the first, we'll state clearly what disaster befell those seeking help."
"On the second, we'll state clearly who was originally responsible for handling it."
"On the third, we'll state clearly who will bear the credit, karmic consequences, and cost after the Interception Sect intervenes."
Everyone froze.
Zhao Xuan's voice was calm.
"They want all living beings to question my intentions."
"Then I'll let all living beings take a look first."
"At the suffering they've endured."
"And see who failed to help them."
As soon as he finished speaking,
several streaks of light came staggering across the distant sea.
The leading figure's robes were stained with blood, and gray-green miasma from the Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma still clung to his body.
The moment he landed outside Golden Turtle Island, he fell to his knees.
"Immortals of the Interception Sect, please save us!"
"The Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma has run amok. Three Human Race tribes have already fled their homes."
"If this goes on, tens of millions will die in the miasma!"
Holy Mother Guiling's expression changed.
Zhao Gongming furrowed his brows, too.
The Human Race.
And tens of millions of them.
This blade had come swiftly.
And struck precisely.
Holy Mother Jinling looked at Zhao Xuan.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
Zhao Xuan didn't move.
He merely looked at the Human Race envoy kneeling on the sea.
"Who sent you here?"
The man froze.
"I... We heard that the immortals of the Interception Sect have always been compassionate. In the past, when the Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma—"
Zhao Xuan cut him off.
"I asked you."
"Who told you to come to Golden Turtle Island to beg the Interception Sect for help?"
The man's face paled.
"It was... the local Mountain and Earth Gods. They said the Heavenly Court didn't have enough people, so we should seek help on our own."
Holy Mother Guiling sneered.
"Just as I thought."
Zhao Xuan raised a hand and pointed.
Outside Golden Turtle Island, three stone steles rose from the seabed.
Boom!
The steles stood upon the surface of the sea.
First Stele: Where the disaster came from.
Second Stele: Who should have handled it.
Third Stele: Who bears the credit and karmic consequences.
Zhao Xuan looked at the Human Race envoy.
"If you want the Interception Sect to intervene, that's fine."
"Write it down first."
"Why did the Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma run amok?"
"Why couldn't the local Mountain and Earth Gods suppress it?"
"Why did the Heavenly Court send you to Golden Turtle Island?"
"Make it clear."
"Then I'll decide whether to save you."
The Human Race envoy looked up, his face deathly pale.
"Immortal, saving lives is what matters!"
Zhao Xuan's expression didn't change.
"That's all the more reason to make it clear."
"Otherwise, today my Interception Sect saves the people,"
"and tomorrow, someone will say"
"that the chaos in the Southern Wilderness was caused by the Interception Sect's delay in helping."
"What then?"
The sea fell silent.
The Human Race envoy gripped his brush, his fingers trembling.
Meanwhile, high in the clouds in the distance,
several Heavenly Court officials had quietly come to a stop.
Zhao Xuan didn't look up.
But his voice carried to them.
"Since you're here,"
"don't hide and watch."
"Come down."
Before you continue