Biyou Palace was deathly silent.
Death.
Those two words struck everyone like a hammer to the heart.
Zhao Xuan continued:
"You've always thought I went too far three hundred years ago."
"That I was scaremongering when I said the Interception Sect would fall, that you would die, and that Master would be confined to Zixiao Palace."
"But have you ever wondered: if the Investiture of the Gods List is truly meant to maintain order in the Three Realms, why doesn't the Heavenly Court train its own immortal officials?"
"If the Investiture of the Gods is truly meant to punish those of shallow cultivation, why were the first to incur a killing tribulation not our Interception Sect, but the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect?"
"If the Three Teachings are truly meant to share the burden fairly, why does Senior Uncle Taiqing have only Xuandu, Senior Uncle Yuanshi only the Twelve Golden Immortals, and the Western Sect just the right amount of poverty—while our Interception Sect alone has ten thousand immortals flocking to it?"
"A coincidence?"
"Too much of one."
"Almost as if the Investiture of the Gods List had been made from the very beginning to match the number of our disciples."
Daoist Duobao's expression changed sharply.
"Senior Disciple Brother, be careful what you say!"
Zhao Xuan looked at Duobao.
"Be careful?"
"Even now, you're telling me to be careful?"
"Will you still tell me that when the Investiture of the Gods List hangs over Golden Turtle Island, Chan Sect disciples come knocking, the Two Western Sages start taking away our disciples, and Master is besieged by Four Saints after setting up the Immortal-Slaughtering Sword Formation?"
Duobao froze.
Zhao Xuan's voice turned cold:
"Duobao, you're a direct disciple of the Interception Sect. You have courage and composure."
"But your greatest flaw is that you always think there's room to turn things around."
"You think Saints care about their reputations."
"You think the Dao Ancestor will be fair."
"You think the Three Teachings share roots in the Xuan Sect, so they won't take things too far."
"You think that if our sect makes its case, the entire Investiture of the Gods List won't fall on our shoulders."
"But tell me this: if reason matters, why didn't Haotian go to the Human Sect, the Chan Sect, or the Western Sect? Why did he have the Dao Ancestor summon the Three Teachings to discuss the Investiture of the Gods?"
"If reputation matters, why have those two from the Western Sect spent all these years crying poverty while going around the East begging for favors?"
"If fellow disciples matter, why do Yuanshi's disciples keep calling ours creatures hatched from eggs and born in damp places?"
"If fairness matters, the Investiture of the Gods List should never have existed!"
Duobao's face flushed, then went pale.
He wanted to argue, but found he had no answer.
Every word Zhao Xuan had said was true.
Holy Mother Jinling said gravely:
"Senior Disciple Brother, if that's how it is, then we fight."
"Our disciples come from many backgrounds, but none of us are cowards."
"If the Chan Sect dares scheme against us, we'll meet them in battle."
"If the Heavenly Court dares demand our people, Haotian can come to Golden Turtle Island and try to take them himself."
"If the Western Sect dares take our disciples, we'll cut off their hands."
At that, many disciples' eyes lit up.
Yes.
Fight!
When had the Interception Sect ever been afraid?
If it came to a contest of spells, they were ready.
If it came to fighting to the death, they were readier still.
Zhao Gongming stepped forward too:
"Senior Sister Jin Ling is right."
"Senior Disciple Brother, if the Investiture of the Gods List is aimed at our sect, we can't just sit here and wait to die."
"We'll turn the world upside down if we have to!"
Bi Xiao was even more blunt:
"I refuse to believe the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect can defeat our Ten Thousand Immortals!"
The air in Biyou Palace filled with fighting spirit.
Zhao Xuan merely watched them in silence.
Then he asked:
"How?"
Everyone faltered.
Zhao Xuan looked at Holy Mother Jinling.
"Junior Sister Jin Ling, can you defeat Senior Uncle Yuanshi?"
Holy Mother Jinling fell silent.
Zhao Xuan looked at Zhao Gongming.
"Junior Brother Gongming, can you hold off Senior Uncle Taiqing?"
Zhao Gongming had no answer.
Zhao Xuan turned to the Three Xiao Sisters.
"Your Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation is formidable. But if a Saint enters the battle himself, can you stop him?"
Bi Xiao said instinctively:
"How could a Saint attack his juniors himself?"
Zhao Xuan laughed.
This time, his laugh was ice-cold.
"Why couldn't he?"
"Don't forget, the Saints started this Investiture of the Gods. They're controlling everything from behind the scenes. If matters slip out of their control, what makes you think they won't intervene?"
"And don't tell me Master's Four Immortal-Slaying Swords can only be broken by Four Saints. Count carefully. How many Saints do they have?"
Boom!
His words struck like thunder.
Every face changed.
Saint Taiqing, Saint Yuanshi of Yuqing, Saint Jieyin of the West, and Saint Zhunti of the West.
Exactly four!
The Four Immortal-Slaying Swords could only be broken by Four Saints, and their opponents had exactly four Saints.
Didn't that make the swords' deterrent power worthless?!
But Zhao Xuan was not finished. He intended to lay that bloody future bare.
"In the glimpse of the future I saw..."
"Junior Brother Gongming, you'll leave the mountain to aid Shang and use the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Pearls to rout the immortals of the Chan Sect."
Zhao Gongming was about to speak when Zhao Xuan continued:
"Then Lu Ya will use the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book to draw away your soul. You'll die a wretched death."
Zhao Gongming went rigid.
The Three Xiao Sisters' faces changed dramatically.
Zhao Xuan looked at Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao:
"To avenge Gongming, you three will set up the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation and strip the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect of the three flowers above their heads and the five qi within their chests."
"You'll win that battle brilliantly."
"And then?"
Zhao Xuan paused.
"Saint Taiqing and Saint Yuanshi will enter the battle themselves."
"Yun Xiao will be imprisoned beneath Qilin Cliff."
"Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao will die."
"The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation will be broken."
Bi Xiao went deathly pale.
Even Yun Xiao could no longer remain calm.
Zhao Xuan turned to Holy Mother Jinling:
"Junior Sister Jin Ling, you'll battle many immortals in the Ten Thousand Immortal Formation. In the end, Randeng will ambush you, and your true spirit will go onto the list."
A cold glint flared in Holy Mother Jinling's eyes.
He looked at Holy Mother Guiling:
"Junior Sister Gui Ling, your fate will be worse."
"You won't make it onto the list, nor will you reincarnate. The Mosquito Daoist will drain you of blood and essence, killing you utterly."
Holy Mother Guiling's expression changed.
Zhao Xuan looked at Holy Mother Wudang:
"Junior Sister Wudang, you'll survive."
"But of the Interception Sect's four direct disciples, you'll be the only one left."
"You'll watch the Ten Thousand Immortals fall, Master be confined to Purple Heaven, and our lineage all but die out."
"Living through that may be no easier than dying."
Holy Mother Wudang lowered her head and said nothing for a long time.
Finally, Zhao Xuan looked at Daoist Duobao.
Duobao's heart lurched.
Zhao Xuan spoke slowly:
"Duobao, Senior Uncle Taiqing will take you away."
"Later, you'll take part in Transforming Hu into Buddha."
"You'll enter the Western Sect."
"And become the head of Buddhism."
Boom!
The aura around Daoist Duobao instantly surged out of control.
"Senior Disciple Brother!"
"You can't make such claims lightly!"
Zhao Xuan said calmly:
"I wish I'd seen it wrong too."
"Unfortunately, that is what will happen."
"Just as I told you the Saints would gather at Zixiao Palace to discuss the Investiture of the Gods."
"Believe it or not, all of this... will come to pass!"
Biyou Palace fell utterly silent.
This time, no one called for a fight.
It was not because they lacked courage.
They had finally realized that the Investiture Great Calamity Zhao Xuan spoke of was no ordinary battle between disciples of the Interception Sect and the Chan Sect.
The Saints would take the field.
The Dao Ancestor had already decided the outcome.
The Heavenly Dao's momentum was behind it.
From the start, this scheme had treated the Interception Sect as something to be used up.
Passion, loyalty, and a willingness to fight and kill would never be enough to break it.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
After a long while, Yun Xiao asked softly:
"Then what should we do?"
Before you continue