Want to Use the People to Pressure the Interception Sect? Then Write the Heavenly Court on It First!

"Come down."

The two words fell.

The figures in the clouds froze.

They had wanted to retreat.

But Zhao Xuan's gaze had already turned their way.

Outside Golden Turtle Island.

Three stone tablets stood on the surface of the sea.

There were no words on them.

Yet they were like three mountains.

They pressed the Southern Wilderness envoys down until they dared not raise their heads.

They also left the Immortal Officials of the Heavenly Court in the clouds with nowhere to advance or retreat.

Holy Mother Guiling looked up.

"Still hiding?"

"Do I have to invite you?"

The aura in the clouds wavered.

A moment later.

Three Immortal Officials of the Heavenly Court descended from the clouds.

The man at the front wore the official robes of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, his expression grim.

He cupped his hands toward Zhao Xuan.

"Greetings, Immortal Zhao Xuan."

Zhao Xuan looked at him.

"Who sent you?"

The Immortal Official fell silent for a moment.

"This subordinate was on patrol in the area."

Zhao Xuan said:

"Write."

The Immortal Official was taken aback.

"Write what?"

Zhao Xuan pointed to the second stone tablet.

"Write why you were patrolling outside Golden Turtle Island."

"Write why the Heavenly Court had just ordered all regions to seek help on their own, and you came here with the Southern Wilderness envoys."

"Write whether you came to inspect the disaster or to see if the Interception Sect would save them."

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court went pale.

"Immortal, you go too far."

"This subordinate was merely carrying out orders."

Zhao Xuan nodded.

"Whose orders?"

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court opened his mouth.

He had no answer.

Zhao Xuan did not look at him again.

He turned to the Southern Wilderness envoy.

"You write first."

The Southern Wilderness envoy stood before the tablet.

He held the jade brush Zhao Xuan had given him.

His knuckles were white.

He looked at the first tablet.

Where did the disaster come from?

Those four words had already appeared.

His throat bobbed.

"Immortal."

"The Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma has erupted. There really is no time to lose."

Zhao Xuan said:

"Then write it clearly."

"Only when it's clear will we know how to save them."

The Southern Wilderness envoy lowered his head.

At last, he put brush to stone.

The first stroke fell.

The stone tablet shuddered softly.

The Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma showed signs of unrest three months ago.

The local Mountain and Earth Gods reported it to the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court did not respond.

The second stroke fell.

The poisonous miasma erupted seven days ago.

Three Human Race tribes fled their homes.

The Jie Sect disciple who had been suppressing the poisonous miasma had already been summoned back to the mountain.

The local Earth and Mountain Gods could not hold it back.

The third stroke fell.

The Heavenly Patrol Bureau sent word.

They could go to Golden Turtle Island to seek help on their own.

Boom!

The first stone tablet suddenly lit up.

The sea shook.

The Southern Wilderness envoy jerked his head up.

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court's expression changed on the spot.

Once these words were written.

They could not be changed.

Because this was no confession.

This was cause and effect.

Where the disaster came from.

Who had failed in their duty first.

Who had sent the people here.

It was all carved into the tablet.

Zhao Xuan looked at the second tablet.

"Keep going."

The Southern Wilderness envoy's hand trembled.

"Who should have been responsible..."

He gritted his teeth.

And continued writing.

The Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma was under the watch of the local Mountain and Earth Gods.

After it was reported, the Heavenly Patrol Bureau of the Heavenly Court was responsible for coordinating a response.

If the poisonous miasma spread, the Thunder Department, Water Department, and Plague Department had to join forces to suppress it.

For the past three thousand years, Daoist Qingyi of the Interception Sect had assisted in suppressing it.

The final line was written.

The second stone tablet lit up.

Boom!

The distant sea of clouds roiled.

Several rogue cultivators hiding even farther away turned pale.

They had come to see whether the Interception Sect would open its doors and save the people.

But now that they had seen the inscription, they realized something was wrong.

The Heavenly Court had been informed about the Southern Wilderness Poisonous Miasma.

It had also been assigned responsibility.

The Jie Sect disciple had only helped in the past.

Now that the disciple had returned to the mountain.

The Heavenly Court could not suppress the miasma.

So it had sent the Human Race to seek help from the Interception Sect.

What was that supposed to mean?

Holy Mother Guiling sneered.

"Well written."

"Keep going. Write on the third tablet."

The Southern Wilderness envoy looked toward the third tablet.

Who should bear the credit and the consequences?

This time, he hesitated for a long while, unable to put brush to stone.

Because he did not know what to write either.

Zhao Xuan said:

"Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court."

"You write."

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau jerked his head up.

"Me?"

Zhao Xuan said:

"Your people sent word about the Southern Wilderness disaster."

"And you watched the people come to Golden Turtle Island."

"If the Interception Sect takes action, who gets the credit?"

"Who bears the consequences?"

"If the poisonous miasma turns on them later, who will be held responsible?"

"If someone says the Interception Sect was too slow to save them, who will answer for that?"

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court went pale.

"This matter... This matter must be reported to the Heavenly Court."

Zhao Xuan nodded.

"Then write it."

"The Heavenly Court has yet to assign responsibility."

"The Heavenly Patrol Bureau does not dare put it in writing."

"The people of the Southern Wilderness have already arrived outside Golden Turtle Island."

"The consequences of their plea for help remain unresolved for now."

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court's eyelid twitched.

"Immortal, if you write this, what will become of the Heavenly Court's dignity?"

Zhao Xuan looked at him.

"When tens of thousands fled the Southern Wilderness."

"Did you think of the Heavenly Court's dignity?"

"When the Mountain and Earth Gods reported the disaster and no one paid them heed."

"Did you think of the Heavenly Court's dignity?"

"When you sent the Human Race to Golden Turtle Island to seek help."

"Did you think of the Interception Sect's dignity?"

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court's lips trembled.

He could not utter a single word.

Zhao Xuan said:

"Write."

The Immortal Official did not move.

Holy Mother Guiling took a step forward.

The sea sank a full inch.

"My Senior Disciple Brother told you to write."

"Can't you understand?"

The Immortal Official of the Heavenly Court's fingers trembled.

At last, he took the jade brush.

He made the first stroke on the third stele.

The Heavenly Court had yet to assign responsibility.

The Heavenly Patrol Bureau didn't dare put anything in writing.

Boom!

The third stone stele suddenly lit up.

The Three Steles trembled together.

Where had the disaster come from?

Who should have been responsible?

Who would bear the merit and the karmic consequences?

Three beams of written light shot into the clouds.

The East Sea trembled.

The Southern Wilderness trembled.

Countless rogue cultivators of the Primordial World who had been watching felt their hearts leap at once.

They saw it.

And they weren't the only ones.

Mountain and Earth Gods across the lands saw it too.

Many Immortal Officials of the Heavenly Court saw it as well.

The words on the three steles transformed into a curtain of karmic light, hanging over a corner of the Primordial World.

The Southern Wilderness envoy stared blankly at the stone steles.

Suddenly, he understood.

Zhao Xuan hadn't rescued them immediately.

But he hadn't driven them away, either.

Zhao Xuan had let them write.

Write where the disaster had come from.

Write who should have been responsible.

Write who had driven them to Golden Turtle Island.

Once those words had been written,

the Human Race of the Southern Wilderness would no longer be a blade in the Heavenly Court's hand.

They had become witnesses.

Zhao Xuan looked at the Southern Wilderness envoy.

"Now."

"You may ask for help."

The Southern Wilderness envoy froze.

Then he bowed heavily.

"We beg the immortals of the Interception Sect to save the Human Race of the Southern Wilderness."

Zhao Xuan nodded.

Then he turned to Holy Mother Jinling.

"Jin Ling."

Holy Mother Jinling stepped forward.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"Send word to Daoist Qingyi."

"Go to the Southern Wilderness."

"Suppress only the poisonous miasma."

"Do not accept orders from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau."

"Do not be directed by the Mountain and Earth Gods."

"Record all expenses jointly under the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, the Mountain and Earth Gods of the Southern Wilderness, and the human tribes."

"Whoever refuses to acknowledge it, the Three Steles will stand as proof."

Holy Mother Jinling said solemnly,

"Yes."

The Southern Wilderness envoy's eyes were red.

He bowed again.

"Thank you, Immortal."

Zhao Xuan looked at him.

"You're thanking the wrong person."

The Southern Wilderness envoy froze.

Zhao Xuan said,

"You should thank the Jie Sect disciple who suppressed the poisonous miasma for you over the past three thousand years."

"And you should ask the Heavenly Court."

"Why did you have to flee for your lives as soon as he returned to the mountain?"

The Southern Wilderness envoy went rigid.

After a long while, he slowly turned.

He looked at the Immortal Official of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

There was something more in that gaze now.

The fear was still there.

But so was resentment.

In the distance,

several Immortal Officials of the Heavenly Court had gone deathly pale.

They finally realized just how ruthless these three steles were.

The Heavenly Court had wanted the masses to pressure the Interception Sect.

Zhao Xuan had turned the tables and made the masses see the Heavenly Court's dereliction of duty.

In this contest,

the Heavenly Court had lost far more miserably.

Just then,

the third stone stele trembled once more.

A thread of pale golden merit flew from the direction of the Southern Wilderness.

It didn't fall toward the Heavenly Court.

It didn't fall toward the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

Nor did it fall toward the Mountain and Earth Gods.

It circled around everyone and went straight into the first stone stele.

Then another strand split off and flew toward Golden Turtle Island.

The immortals' expressions changed completely.

Holy Mother Guiling's eyes flew wide open.

"Merit?"

Zhao Gongming was stunned too.

"These three steles actually drew in merit?"

Zhao Xuan watched that thread of merit, his eyes shifting slightly.

The next moment,

from the direction of the Heavenly Court,

an enraged shout rang out.

"Zhao Xuan!"