A Bloody Truth, Unveiling the Immortals' Endings Ahead of Time

Inside Biyou Palace, a deathly silence reigned.

A death sentence.

These two words struck the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer.

Zhao Xuan continued:

"You all always felt that what I said three hundred years ago was too harsh."

"You thought it was alarmist to say that the Jie Sect would perish, that you would die, and that our Master would be confined to Zixiao Palace."

"But have you ever considered: if the Investiture of the Gods List was truly for the order of the Three Realms, why didn't the Heavenly Court cultivate its own immortal officials?"

"If the Investiture of the Gods was truly to punish those with shallow foundations, why were the first to trigger the killing tribulation not my Jie Sect, but the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect?"

"If the Investiture of the Gods was truly to be shared fairly among the three sects, why does Uncle Taiqing have only Xuandu, why does Uncle Yuanshi have only the Twelve Golden Immortals, and why is the West conveniently barren, while only my Jie Sect boasts ten thousand immortals coming to pay homage?"

"Is it a coincidence?"

"It is too coincidental."

"It is so coincidental that it seems as if the entire Investiture of the Gods List was crafted from the very beginning based on the number of disciples in my Jie Sect."

As these words fell, the expression of Daoist Duobao changed abruptly.

"Senior Brother, watch your tongue!"

Zhao Xuan looked at Duobao.

"Watch my tongue?"

"At a time like this, you still want me to watch my tongue?"

"Are you waiting until the Investiture of the Gods List hangs over Golden Turtle Island, until the Chan Sect disciples come knocking at our door, until the Two Western Sages begin to convert my Jie Sect disciples, and until our Master sets up the Immortal-Slaughtering Sword Formation only to be besieged by four sages—are you still going to tell me to watch my tongue then?"

Daoist Duobao froze.

Zhao Xuan's voice turned cold:

"Duobao, you are a personal disciple of the Jie Sect; you have responsibility and you have grace."

"But your greatest flaw is that you always feel there is still room for maneuver."

"You think the Sages care about their reputation."

"You think the Dao Ancestor will be impartial."

"You think that since the three sects all originate from the Xuan Sect, they wouldn't go to such extremes."

"You think that as long as my Jie Sect argues our case reasonably, the Investiture of the Gods List won't be dumped entirely upon us."

"But I ask you: if reasoning were useful, why didn't Haotian go to the Ren Sect, the Chan Sect, or the West, but instead had the Dao Ancestor summon the three sects to discuss the Investiture?"

"If reputation were useful, why have those two from the West spent these years crying about how barren the West is while constantly coming to the East to scavenge for benefits?"

"If camaraderie were useful, why do the disciples under Uncle Yuanshi constantly refer to my Jie Sect as nothing but wet-born, egg-hatched creatures?"

"If impartiality were useful, then the Investiture of the Gods List should never have appeared in the first place!"

Daoist Duobao's face turned a shade of green and white as he listened.

He wanted to refute, but he found he had no way to do so.

Because every word Zhao Xuan spoke was the truth.

Holy Mother Jinling said in a deep voice:

"Senior Brother, if it is truly so, then we fight."

"Though my Jie Sect disciples come from various backgrounds, there is not a single coward among us."

"If the Chan Sect dares to scheme against my Jie Sect, then we shall settle it with a battle."

"If the Heavenly Court dares to come demanding people, let Haotian come to Golden Turtle Island himself to learn a lesson."

"If the West dares to convert my Jie Sect disciples, then we shall chop off their hands."

As these words were spoken, the eyes of many Jie Sect disciples lit up.

Right.

Fight!

When have the disciples of the Jie Sect ever been afraid?

If it comes to a battle of magic, they are not afraid.

If it comes to risking their lives, they are even less afraid.

Zhao Gongming also stepped forward:

"Senior Sister Jinling is right."

"Senior Brother, if the Investiture of the Gods List is truly aimed at my Jie Sect, then we cannot sit idly by and wait for death."

"At worst, we will turn the world upside down!"

Bi Xiao spoke even more bluntly:

"I simply do not believe that the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect can truly surpass the ten thousand immortals of our Jie Sect!"

For a moment, the desire for battle surged within Biyou Palace.

Yet, Zhao Xuan merely watched them quietly.

Then, he asked a single question:

"How will you fight?"

The crowd was stunned.

Zhao Xuan looked toward Holy Mother Jinling.

"Junior Sister Jinling, can you defeat Uncle-Master Yuanshi?"

Holy Mother Jinling fell silent.

Zhao Xuan looked toward Zhao Gongming.

"Junior Brother Gongming, can you hold off Uncle-Master Taiqing?"

Zhao Gongming had no words.

Zhao Xuan then looked toward the Three Xiao Sisters.

"The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation of you three junior sisters is indeed formidable, but if a sage were to personally enter the fray, could you withstand them?"

Bi Xiao instinctively replied:

"How could a sage personally take action against juniors?"

Zhao Xuan laughed.

This time, his laughter was bone-chilling.

"Why couldn't they?"

"Do not forget, this Investiture of the Gods was initiated by the sages themselves. They are manipulating everything from behind the scenes. If the situation spirals out of control, why would they not intervene?"

"Do not speak to me of how Master's Four Immortal-Slaying Swords cannot be broken without four sages, for you can count carefully—how many sages do they have on their side?"

Boom!

These words fell like a thunderclap.

The expressions of everyone present shifted drastically.

The Taiqing Sage Taishang, the Yuqing Sage Yuanshi, the Western Sage Jieyin, and the Western Sage Zhunti.

Exactly four!

The Four Immortal-Slaying Swords could not be broken without four sages, and the opposition had exactly four sages.

Calculated this way, would the deterrent power of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords not become a mere decoration?!

Yet Zhao Xuan did not stop; he intended to tear away that layer of the bloody future entirely.

"In the glimpse of the future I have seen."

"Junior Brother Gongming, you will descend the mountain to assist the Shang, using the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Pearls to soundly defeat the immortals of the Chan Sect."

Just as Zhao Gongming was about to speak, Zhao Xuan's next words fell:

"Then Lu Ya will use the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book to curse away your soul, and you will die in utter humiliation."

Zhao Gongming's body stiffened.

The faces of the Three Xiao Sisters changed abruptly.

Zhao Xuan looked at Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao:

"To avenge Gongming, you three junior sisters will set up the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, shaving away the Three Flowers atop the heads and the Five Qi within the chests of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect."

"You will win that battle beautifully."

"And then?"

Zhao Xuan's voice paused.

"The two sages, Taiqing and Yuqing, will personally enter the fray."

"Yun Xiao will be crushed beneath Qilin Cliff."

"Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao will perish."

"The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation will be broken."

Bi Xiao's face turned deathly pale.

Even Yun Xiao could no longer maintain her composure.

Zhao Xuan then looked toward Holy Mother Jinling:

"Junior Sister Jinling, you will fight valiantly against the crowd of immortals in the Ten Thousand Immortal Formation, only to be ambushed by Randeng in the end, your true spirit ascending to the list."

A cold light surged in Holy Mother Jinling's eyes.

He looked toward Holy Mother Guiling:

"Junior Sister Guiling, your fate is even more miserable."

"You neither made it onto the list nor entered the cycle of reincarnation; instead, you were drained of all your essence and blood by Mosquito Daoist, your body and soul perishing."

Holy Mother Guiling's expression shifted.

Zhao Xuan looked toward Holy Mother Wudang:

"Junior Sister Wudang, you survived."

"Yet, of the four direct disciples of the Jie Sect, you were the only one left in the end."

"You watched helplessly as the ten thousand immortals of the Jie Sect withered away, Master was confined to Zixiao Palace, and the orthodoxy of the Jie Sect was nearly severed."

"Living like that is not necessarily easier than death."

Holy Mother Wudang lowered her head, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, Zhao Xuan looked toward Daoist Duobao.

Daoist Duobao's heart gave a violent jolt.

Zhao Xuan said slowly:

"Duobao, you will be taken away by Uncle Taiqing."

"Later, you will transform the Hu into Buddha."

"You will enter the West."

"And become the Lord of the Buddhist Sect."

BOOM!

The aura around Daoist Duobao instantly spiraled out of control.

"Senior Brother!"

"You must not speak such nonsense!"

Zhao Xuan said calmly:

"I also wish that I had seen it wrong."

"Unfortunately, the facts are exactly as I said."

"Just as when I clearly stated that the Sages would gather at Zixiao Palace to discuss the Investiture Great Calamity."

"Whether you believe it or not, these things... will all become reality!"

Inside Biyou Palace, there was absolute silence.

This time, no one spoke of fighting.

It was not that they dared not.

It was that they finally realized the Investiture Great Calamity Zhao Xuan spoke of was not a mere skirmish between the disciples of the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect.

This involved the Sages descending into the fray.

This was the final verdict of the Dao Ancestor.

This was the irresistible trend of the Heavenly Dao.

This was a trap that had treated the Jie Sect as expendable material from the very beginning.

Relying purely on hot-bloodedness, loyalty, or the courage to fight and kill could not break this trap.

"Senior Brother."

After a long while, Yun Xiao asked softly:

"Then tell us, what should we do?"