This time, there was no heavenly thunder.
Yet the hearts of the Ten Thousand Immortals on Golden Turtle Island felt as though they had been struck hard.
Master Tongtian stood before Biyou Palace, his gaze finally turning utterly cold.
When it had written of his disciples' deaths, of their true spirits entering the list, of Orthodoxy Withered, he had said nothing.
But when this line appeared,
the very atmosphere of Golden Turtle Island sank.
Losing the sect.
Those two words were far too heavy.
For a Saint, disciples entering the tribulation, followers dwindling, and the sect's lineage collapsing meant losing the sect.
If the Investiture of the Gods succeeded,
Heavenly Court Gains Divinity.
The Chan Sect avoided the tribulation.
The Western Sect Gains Power.
The Xuan Sect Order was established.
But what did Tongtian gain?
All his disciples dead.
His orthodoxy shattered.
The Ten Thousand Immortals withered away.
And in the end, he would even be condemned as one who did not understand the Heavenly Mandate.
Tongtian looked at that page.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Only the hand within his sleeve slowly closed around the hilt of the Green Duckweed Sword.
Outside Golden Turtle Island,
Zhao Xuan stopped writing.
On the fourth page, benefits and costs stood side by side.
On the left were the gains of the four sides.
On the right was the Cost of the Investiture paid by the Jie Sect.
Clear and distinct.
Plain for all to see.
There was not the slightest mystery to it.
Nor was there the slightest concealment.
Who benefited.
Who paid with their lives.
This should have been the simplest logic.
Yet this game of Investiture of the Gods was precisely not like that.
Zhao Xuan raised his head and looked toward the Investiture of the Gods List.
"Investiture of the Gods List."
"You say the Jie Sect should enter the tribulation."
"Then today, I will make this clear."
"Heavenly Court Gains Divinity. Why should Heavenly Court not pay with its own lives?"
Within High Heaven Hall,
Haotian's expression changed drastically.
Yet Zhao Xuan's voice did not stop.
"The Chan Sect avoids the tribulation. Why should the Chan Sect not pay with its own lives?"
Within Yuxu Palace,
the Twelve Golden Immortals all changed expression.
"The Western Sect Gains Power. Why should the Western Sect not pay with its own lives?"
Upon Mount Sumeru,
Zhunti's smile vanished completely.
"The Xuan Sect Order is established. Why should all branches of the Xuan Sect not bear it together?"
Between heaven and earth in the Primordial World,
countless gazes fell upon that General Ledger.
Zhao Xuan said, word by word, "Why, in the end,
"must only my Jie Sect pay with its lives?"
As soon as those words fell,
the Ten Thousand Immortals on Golden Turtle Island could no longer suppress themselves.
Some had reddened eyes.
Some gritted their teeth and growled.
Some clutched their magic treasures tightly.
Some looked at the shadow of the Investiture of the Gods List as though they wished to tear it apart.
They had not suddenly become so impassioned.
They had finally understood.
Before, they had only known that the Investiture of the Gods was unjust.
Now, they knew where that injustice lay.
Before, they had only known that someone was plotting against the Jie Sect.
Now, they knew who was taking the benefits and who was making the Jie Sect pay with its lives.
That clarity hurt even more than anger.
Zhao Xuan turned and looked toward the Ten Thousand Immortals of Golden Turtle Island.
"My fellow disciples."
"Do you see clearly now?"
No one answered.
Yet every gaze had already given him the answer.
Zhao Xuan pointed at the fourth page.
"This is the Investiture of the Gods."
"It is not as simple as Heavenly Court lacking people."
"It is not as pleasant-sounding as disciples of the three sects entering the tribulation."
"Nor is it as fair as judging the depth of one's foundation or the weight of one's merit and fortune."
"It writes the gains of all four sides as the Heavenly Mandate."
"Then writes the losses of the Jie Sect as what is only right."
"They profit; that is the greater cause."
"We pay with our lives; that is the Heavenly Mandate."
"They avoid the tribulation; that is purity."
"If we refuse to die, we do not understand the bigger picture."
"They take the divine positions, fortune, order, and future."
"We are left with corpses, true spirits, infamy, and severed paths."
"And then they will tell the Primordial World."
"The Jie Sect—"
"does not understand the Heavenly Mandate!"
On Golden Turtle Island, some Jie Sect disciples lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling slightly.
They were not crying.
They were furious beyond measure.
Bi Xiao's eyes were red.
"Why?"
At last, she asked those three words.
They were soft.
Yet they were the same words in the hearts of the Ten Thousand Immortals.
Why?
Why did Heavenly Court lack people, so the Jie Sect had to die?
Why did the Chan Sect avoid the tribulation, so the Jie Sect had to die?
Why did the Western Sect gain power, so the Jie Sect had to die?
Why did the Xuan Sect need stability, and still the Jie Sect had to die?
Zhao Xuan turned back.
He looked at the Investiture of the Gods List.
"I ask this on behalf of the Jie Sect."
"And on behalf of all those forced by the Heavenly Mandate to bow their heads."
"The benefits of the Investiture of the Gods are taken by all four sides."
"The Cost of the Investiture falls upon the Jie Sect alone."
"Is this called the Heavenly Mandate?"
"Or is it called dividing the spoils?"
Dividing the spoils.
The moment those two words emerged,
within High Heaven Hall, Haotian suddenly stepped forward.
"Zhao Xuan!"
That furious shout finally carried through the Haotian Mirror.
But as the sound fell,
a line of small text appeared on the fourth page of the Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger.
Heavenly Court has responded.
Haotian's expression abruptly froze.
Taibai Jinxing closed his eyes.
This was bad.
Zhao Xuan had waited for this.
Outside Golden Turtle Island,
Zhao Xuan raised his eyes toward Heavenly Court.
"Since the Heavenly Emperor has responded,"
"then please answer."
"Heavenly Court Gains Divinity."
"Why should Heavenly Court not pay with its own lives?"
Haotian's fury caught hard in his throat.
How could he answer?
Say that Heavenly Court had no one?
Then the Jie Sect deserved to die?
Say that Heavenly Court ruled the Three Realms?
Then why was it unwilling even to bear the price of replenishing its divine positions itself?
Say that the Investiture of the Gods was the Dao Ancestor's decree?
Then he would be pushing every debt back to Zixiao Palace.
Haotian could not answer.
Nor did he dare to.
The immortals within High Heaven Hall looked worse than the last.
They had never seen the Heavenly Emperor so trapped between advance and retreat.
Zhao Xuan did not urge him.
He simply waited.
After waiting for a moment,
Haotian remained silent.
So Zhao Xuan lifted his brush and wrote upon the fourth page:
Heavenly Court Gains Divinity, yet will not answer for its cost.
When that stroke fell,
before the Haotian Mirror, Haotian's face turned livid.
Within Yuxu Palace,
Guangchengzi looked at that line and felt his scalp go numb.
Because he had suddenly realized that if the Chan Sect spoke up now, it would meet the same fate.
Zhao Xuan would ask:
The Chan Sect avoided the calamity, so why did the Chan Sect not pay with lives?
Who could answer?
How could they answer?
Which of the Twelve Golden Immortals would be willing to enter the rolls?
Who would be willing to be driven by the Heavenly Court after death?
Who would be willing to see their immortal path cut off?
No one was willing.
Since no one was willing, then do not say the Jie Sect deserved to die.
That was the cruelest part of this account.
It did not curse.
It only asked.
It asked until you did not dare admit it.
Nor did you dare deny it.
Outside Golden Turtle Island.
Zhao Xuan indeed looked toward Yuxu Palace.
"Chan Sect."
"Can you answer?"
Within Yuxu Palace, no one responded.
Zhao Xuan set down his brush.
The Chan Sect avoided the calamity, yet did not answer for its cost.
He looked toward the Western Sect again.
"Western Sect."
"Can you answer?"
Upon Mount Sumeru.
Zhunti's gaze was deep and unfathomable.
Jieyin lowered his eyes in silence.
Zhao Xuan wrote again.
The Western Sect gained power, yet did not answer for its cost.
At last.
Zhao Xuan no longer looked at the Heavenly Court.
No longer at Yuxu Palace.
Nor at Mount Sumeru.
He merely lowered his head and looked at the final blank line on the fourth page.
That line was written: Xuan Sect Order.
Yet beneath that line, no one had ever written down the cost.
Zhao Xuan slowly spoke.
"The Heavenly Court gains divinity, yet the Heavenly Court does not answer."
"The Chan Sect avoids the calamity, yet the Chan Sect does not answer."
"The Western Sect gains power, yet the Western Sect does not answer."
"And Xuan Sect Order."
"Have the heavens and earth of the Primordial World, the myriad spirits and all living beings, ever seen it?"
As those words fell.
Heaven and earth suddenly became terrifyingly silent.
Within High Heaven Hall, Haotian lowered his eyes.
Within Yuxu Palace, Guangchengzi clenched his fingers.
Upon Mount Sumeru, Zhunti no longer smiled.
Before Biyou Palace, Tongtian did not move.
Throughout the Primordial World, everyone who had heard the words "Heavenly Mandate" fell silent at that moment.
They had finally understood.
The Heavenly Mandate had to settle its debts as well.
In this account of the Investiture of the Gods, everyone wanted to take the benefits.
Yet no one was willing to pay with their life.
On Golden Turtle Island, the Ten Thousand Immortals held their breath.
Zhao Xuan stood before the Three Steles, his brush still suspended in his hand.
Only the final blank line remained on the fourth page.
Xuan Sect Order.
Yet no one answered for its cost.
Until a certain moment.
Beyond the Nine Heavens.
Within the chaos.
Inside an ancient Daoist palace eternally wreathed in Purple Aura.
A soft sigh suddenly rang out.
Before you continue