Inside the High Heaven Hall.
Haotian looked at the register before him.
The Investiture of the Gods List had withdrawn.
Zixiao Palace had temporarily sealed this account.
Yet the words on the fourth page of the Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger still hung before his eyes like nails.
Heavenly Court Gains Divinity.
Its cost remained unaccounted for.
The hand in Haotian's sleeve slowly clenched.
Past merits could no longer be questioned.
The moment they were questioned, Zhao Xuan would have accounts to settle.
The Heavenly Court had requested aid.
The Dragon Palace had benefited.
The Human Race had received protection.
The Mountain and Earth Gods had received favors.
Zhao Xuan could dig up every single entry and use it against them.
Taibai Jinxing stood below the hall.
His head was lowered.
He did not speak first.
Haotian glanced at him.
"Taibai."
Taibai Jinxing bowed.
"Your servant is here."
"The Ten Thousand Immortals of the Jie Sect."
"Are every one of them clean?"
Taibai Jinxing's fingertips tightened slightly.
He understood.
Haotian was changing blades.
They would not question old merits.
They would question actual crimes.
They would not ask whom the Jie Sect had served.
They would ask whether there were filthy people among the Jie Sect disciples.
Taibai Jinxing fell silent for a moment.
"Your Majesty, if we do this, there will be no turning back."
Haotian's Heavenly Eye turned cold.
"I want evidence."
Taibai Jinxing closed his eyes briefly.
Then he took out a register.
He had possessed this register for a long time.
He had simply been unwilling to present it.
There were too many Jie Sect disciples.
And many of them had helped the Heavenly Court.
Among them were innocent people.
Naturally, there were guilty ones as well.
He presented the register.
Haotian opened the first page.
The first name.
Chang'er Dingguang Xian.
Haotian looked at the name.
"This man?"
Taibai Jinxing said quietly, "An Outer Sect disciple of the Jie Sect."
"His cultivation is not weak."
"He is extremely well-liked."
"He often stands up for Outer Sect disciples."
"And he often pays respects before the direct disciples."
Haotian frowned.
"Well-liked?"
Taibai Jinxing lowered his voice further.
"Precisely because he is well-liked, it will be all the uglier."
Haotian's Heavenly Eye shifted.
Taibai Jinxing continued, "He once used Shangqing's name to force independent cultivators overseas to surrender their cave dwellings."
"He has also seized spiritual springs by force."
"And he made two young Outer Sect disciples bear karmic burdens for him."
"The evidence is incomplete."
"But there are leads."
Haotian turned to the second page.
The second name.
Ma Yuan.
Haotian's Heavenly Eye stopped.
Taibai Jinxing said quietly, "Immortal of One Qi Ma Yuan."
"His methods are ruthless."
"His reputation outside is exceedingly notorious."
"The living beings in several cave dwellings were harmed by his cultivation methods."
"If this man is proven guilty, it will be enough to make all beings of the Primordial World change color."
Haotian looked at the two names.
At last, he laughed.
It was a cold laugh.
"Good."
"We'll begin with them."
Taibai Jinxing did not smile.
He merely lowered his head.
Haotian closed the register.
"Pass the order."
"Investigate Long-Ears."
"Investigate Ma Yuan."
"Then investigate the rest of their misdeeds."
"I want the Primordial World to see."
"Among Shangqing's disciples."
"Just how much they have hidden."
Taibai Jinxing bowed his head.
"Your servant accepts the decree."
Kunlun Mountain.
Inside Yuxu Palace.
Yuanshi Tianzun sat upon a Cloud Bed.
The hall was very quiet.
Antarctic Immortal stood below with his head lowered.
Yuanshi did not look at him.
His gaze passed through the void and fell upon the High Heaven Hall above the Nine Heavens.
Before Haotian, that register was slowly being opened.
The first page.
Chang'er Dingguang Xian.
--
The second page.
Ma Yuan.
Yuanshi looked at those two names.
His gaze did not ripple in the slightest.
Antarctic Immortal said quietly, "Master."
"Haotian intends to investigate the actual crimes of the Jie Sect disciples."
Yuanshi said indifferently, "This time."
"He has not chosen the wrong blade."
Antarctic Immortal raised his head.
Yuanshi continued looking toward the High Heaven Hall.
"Zhao Xuan has already laid bare the old merits."
"Questioning old accounts again will only bring humiliation upon oneself."
"Question the disciples."
"That will be useful."
Antarctic Immortal immediately understood.
"Should this disciple help the Heavenly Court gather evidence?"
Yuanshi lowered his gaze.
"Not help the Heavenly Court."
Antarctic Immortal paused.
Yuanshi's voice was frigid.
"Help the Investiture of the Gods."
Antarctic Immortal's heart trembled.
"This disciple understands."
Yuanshi said slowly, "The better liked Chang'er Dingguang Xian is, the uglier it will be."
"The more notorious Ma Yuan is, the more effectively he can suppress others."
"If these two are proven guilty."
"The words 'teach without distinction.'"
"Will bite back at Tongtian."
Antarctic Immortal lowered his head.
"This disciple will investigate at once."
Yuanshi closed his eyes.
"Go."
"Do not let the Heavenly Court monopolize this blade."
Antarctic Immortal bowed.
"This disciple accepts the order."
Yuqing Immortal Light quietly left the hall.
Without a sound.
Yet it too headed toward the East Sea.
Golden Turtle Island.
The mountain gate closed.
Sea mist pressed against the island's exterior.
Before Biyou Palace, Outer Sect disciples stood in rows on both sides.
No one dared speak loudly.
Daoist Duobao sat before the desk.
Three registers lay spread open.
The Outer Sect.
Collateral branches.
Walking abroad.
Holy Mother Jinling stood to the left.
Her sword remained sheathed.
Holy Mother Guiling's face was gloomy.
Bi Xiao guarded the mountain gate.
Qiong Xiao held the Jade Slip.
Yun Xiao stood beside Zhao Xuan.
Zhao Xuan sat before the hall.
The Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger lay before him.
The General Ledger was closed.
Yet everyone knew.
Once this ledger was opened, it would record more than the debts of outsiders.
Daoist Duobao turned over the first volume.
His finger paused over a name.
He looked up.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
Zhao Xuan said, "Read it."
Daoist Duobao said quietly, "Ma Yuan."
The instant that name fell.
The atmosphere before the hall changed at once.
Someone instinctively took half a step back.
Ma Yuan.
Immortal of One Qi Ma Yuan.
Among the Outer Sect, his reputation had always been poor.
His cultivation was not weak.
His methods were exceedingly ruthless.
He loved using the words "Jie Sect disciple" to oppress others.
Whenever anyone mentioned him in the past, they would go out of their way to avoid him.
Holy Mother Guiling's gaze turned cold.
"He is on the island too?"
Bi Xiao's voice was clear and cold.
"He was not allowed to leave."
Soon.
Ma Yuan was escorted in.
He was not alone.
Seven or eight Outer Sect disciples followed behind him.
These people were held under guard by Enforcement Disciples, yet showed little fear.
Cold sneers still hung on some of their lips.
Some eyed the people before the hall askance.
Others muttered under their breath.
"Killing a few demons and evildoers warrants such a grand display?"
"The Investiture Great Calamity is already here, and you are still investigating our own people."
"If every disciple walking abroad is investigated, how many people will Golden Turtle Island have left?"
Holy Mother Guiling's eyes flashed with frost.
"Shut up."
Those few lowered their heads slightly.
Yet they were not truly afraid.
Ma Yuan raised his head and looked at Zhao Xuan.
There was even a trace of a smile on his face.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"This disciple does not know what crime he has committed."
Holy Mother Guiling sneered.
"You do not know?"
Ma Yuan spread his hands.
"This disciple cultivates the art of slaughter."
"When walking abroad, my methods are naturally somewhat harsher."
"If killing a few demons and evildoers counts as a crime, how are Jie Sect disciples supposed to descend the mountain in the future?"
The people behind him immediately joined in.
"Senior Brother Ma Yuan is right."
"When walking abroad, who does not get blood on their hands?"
"We Jie Sect disciples are not like those Chan Sect immortals who hide in the mountains and cultivate in peace."
"If every account is checked one by one, who does not bear some karma?"
"Today, Senior Brother Ma Yuan is investigated."
"Tomorrow, will all of us in the Outer Sect be investigated as well?"
As those words fell.
The expressions of quite a few Outer Sect disciples before the hall changed.
The words were unpleasant.
But they were poisonous.
They forcefully tied Ma Yuan's evil deeds to the notion that everyone walking abroad bore karma.
They pushed their own crimes onto the entire Outer Sect.
Daoist Duobao frowned deeply.
Yun Xiao's gaze turned cold.
Zhao Xuan said nothing.
He merely looked at Qiong Xiao.
"Evidence."
Qiong Xiao raised a hand.
The first Jade Slip lit up.
A small temple in a desolate mountain appeared.
The temple gates had been torn down.
The incense altar had been broken in two.
Several minor mountain cultivators knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.
Ma Yuan sat inside the temple.
Beneath his foot was the temple master's Dharma seal.
Ma Yuan took one look, his smile unchanged.
"That temple master colluded with demons and evildoers."
"This disciple was merely cleaning filth from beyond our gates. Was that wrong?"
Qiong Xiao opened the second Jade Slip.
A small tribal settlement appeared.
Its protective formation had been torn apart.
Women, children, and the elderly had been driven to one side.
Several young clansmen knelt on the ground, even suppressing their sobs in their throats.
An Outer Sect disciple behind Ma Yuan scoffed.
"This counts too?"
"That small clan hid spiritual materials and refused to hand them over."
"Senior Brother Ma Yuan merely took what should have been taken."
Another added, "They were weak."
"They could not protect those spiritual materials."
"Who could they blame?"
The atmosphere before the hall turned icy at once.
Holy Mother Guiling's eyes reddened.
"Say that again."
That man flinched.
Yet after glancing at Ma Yuan, he forced himself to remain standing rather than kneel.
Ma Yuan finally put away his smile.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"This disciple admits that his methods were somewhat harsh."
"But over the years, this disciple has also built prestige for the Jie Sect while abroad."
"Among those wandering cultivators outside, who would not yield three parts upon hearing the words 'Jie Sect disciple'?"
"Is that not a good thing?"
Zhao Xuan still said nothing.
Holy Mother Jinling spoke.
"The third one."
The third Jade Slip lit up.
A wandering cultivator stood before Ma Yuan, his voice trembling.
"This place has already sent a Protection Request Note to Golden Turtle Island."
Ma Yuan merely smiled.
"I am a Jie Sect disciple."
"Who are you asking for protection from?"
As those words fell.
The hall fell completely silent.
This time, even the few who had spoken for Ma Yuan stopped.
Not out of fear.
They had simply realized at last that those words were far too ugly.
Ma Yuan's expression darkened slightly.
He stared at Zhao Xuan.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"This disciple will say this upfront."
"I was not the only one who did this."
He pointed behind himself.
"They all acted with me."
"And more than just these few have benefited."
"If crimes are truly settled today, more than seven or eight people will be dragged in."
Those Outer Sect disciples immediately found their confidence again.
Someone directly raised his head.
"Senior Disciple Brother."
"We did indeed act alongside Senior Brother Ma Yuan."
"But the law does not punish the masses."
"If everyone is punished, the Outer Sect will surely fall into chaos."
"With the Investiture Great Calamity upon us, does Senior Disciple Brother truly intend to break our own people first?"
Ma Yuan looked at Zhao Xuan.
A trace of provocation showed in his eyes.
He had been certain Zhao Xuan would not dare.
Because Zhao Xuan had to preserve the Jie Sect's reputation.
Because Zhao Xuan would not dare crush an entire string of Outer Sect disciples to death while purging the sect.
So Zhao Xuan did not dare!
But what happened next somewhat exceeded Ma Yuan's expectations.
Because after he finished speaking.
Zhao Xuan's expression did not change at all. He merely lifted his eyes slightly and spoke calmly.
"Are you finished?"
Before you continue