Inside Biyou Palace.
The atmosphere was unusually heavy.
After Yun Xiao finished asking, the immortals all turned their eyes to Zhao Xuan.
Zhao Xuan was looking at them, too.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
"Give up."
"What?"
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
The word was utterly unfamiliar to the living beings of the Primordial World.
Zhao Xuan said:
"Giving up means that, from today onward, the Interception Sect will no longer take the initiative to involve itself in any karma that has nothing to do with the Interception Sect."
"We won't deal with the demons of the East Sea."
"We won't deal with the evils plaguing the Human Race."
"We won't deal with the Heavenly Court's shortage of people."
"We won't deal with the Chan Sect's tribulation."
"We won't deal with the Western Sect's poverty."
"We won't deal with the changing dynasties of the Human Race."
"We won't even deal with the grand affairs of the Primordial World."
His words set Biyou Palace ablaze once more.
Holy Mother Jinling frowned.
"Senior Disciple Brother, wouldn't that be the same as hiding from the world and shrinking from battle?"
Zhao Gongming couldn't help speaking up, too.
"That's right, Senior Disciple Brother. If the Interception Sect refuses to deal with anything, chaos will surely erupt throughout the Primordial World."
"If no Interception Sect disciples suppress the demons of the East Sea, the Heavenly Court may not be able to keep them in check."
"If no Interception Sect disciples protect the tribes of the Human Race, I'm afraid many people will die."
"Without the Interception Sect keeping those rogue cultivators in check, they'll attack one another even more."
"Won't the Primordial World descend into chaos then?"
Zhao Xuan asked calmly:
"And what does that have to do with the Interception Sect?"
Zhao Gongming froze.
Zhao Xuan looked at him.
"Did the Interception Sect raise the demons of the East Sea?"
Zhao Gongming fell silent.
"Did the Interception Sect unleash the evils plaguing the Human Race?"
Zhao Gongming remained silent.
"Did the Interception Sect force rogue cultivators to kill one another?"
Zhao Gongming was at a loss for words.
Zhao Xuan's voice turned colder.
"If the Interception Sect didn't cause these problems, why should we be responsible for them?"
"Doesn't the Heavenly Court rule over the Three Realms?"
"Then let Haotian pacify the East Sea."
"Doesn't the Human Sect guide and educate the Human Race?"
"Then let Xuandu protect them."
"Aren't the Chan Sect's immortals True Immortals of Fortune and Virtue?"
"Then let the Twelve Golden Immortals descend the mountain and save the world."
"Doesn't the Western Sect pride itself on compassion?"
"Then let Jieyin and Zhunti send their disciples east to relieve suffering and save the afflicted."
"They spend their days claiming fortune, fame, legitimacy, and righteousness."
"So why, whenever it's time for dirty, exhausting, thankless work—or a job that'll get people killed—does everyone suddenly think of the Interception Sect?"
"Are we the hired hands of the Primordial World?"
"The Heavenly Court's reserve celestial officials?"
"The Chan Sect's expendable substitutes for tribulation?"
"Or the Western Sect's merit gift basket?"
That barrage of questions made everyone's scalp tingle.
But Holy Mother Guiling's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Exactly!"
"That's exactly right!"
"Why should the Interception Sect have to handle every blasted problem?"
Zhao Xuan continued:
"For all these years, the Interception Sect has handled too much."
"So much that the beings of the Primordial World all think it's only natural for us to take care of these things."
"When we act, they say the Interception Sect is bloodthirsty."
"When we don't, they say we lack the bigger picture."
"When we preach the Dao, they say the Interception Sect shelters scoundrels."
"When we back down, they say we're timid and afraid of trouble."
"We're wrong no matter what we do, so why bother with them?"
"From today on, whoever made a mess can clean it up themselves."
"Whoever incurred the karma can bear it themselves."
"Whoever is subject to the Heavenly Mandate can accept it themselves."
"The Interception Sect is done serving."
Done serving.
Those four words struck the hearts of every immortal in Biyou Palace.
They were too blunt.
Too audacious.
But... so satisfying!
That's right.
Done serving.
If the Heavenly Court needed people, Haotian could figure something out himself.
If the Chan Sect was caught in a tribulation, the Twelve Golden Immortals could go fill the ranks themselves.
If the Western Sect was impoverished, Jieyin and Zhunti could go cry about it themselves.
The grand affairs of the Primordial World?
What a joke.
Why should the lives of Interception Sect disciples be sacrificed for the so-called bigger picture every single time?
Who decided that?!
Still, Daoist Duobao wore a troubled expression, his concerns lingering.
"Senior Disciple Brother, this is no small matter."
"If the Interception Sect really withdraws to Golden Turtle Island, the whole Primordial World will be abuzz with gossip."
"What will become of our Master's dignity?"
Zhao Xuan turned to Duobao.
"Duobao, how have you still not understood?"
"Only the living can have dignity."
"If the Interception Sect is wiped out, what dignity will we have left to speak of?"
"When Master was confined in Zixiao Palace, did he have any dignity?"
"When the Ten Thousand Immortals were put on the list, did we have any dignity?"
"When you, Duobao, entered the Western Sect and became a Buddha, did you have any dignity?"
"When Jin Ling was put on the list, Guiling died, Gongming met a tragic end, and the Three Xiao Sisters were defeated and killed, did the Interception Sect still have any dignity?"
"You would have the Interception Sect continue down the road to ruin just because you're worried about what outsiders might say."
"That isn't preserving dignity."
"That's trading the lives of the entire sect for a fig leaf that no one else would even acknowledge."
Daoist Duobao was struck as if by lightning.
The words were harsh.
But they were true.
Just then.
The void above Biyou Palace trembled faintly.
A streak of sword light returned from the boundless void.
A rainbow pierced the sun, and jade-colored rays scattered in every direction.
A cloud platform appeared within the void.
Then came layer upon layer of boundless Daoist aura and holy radiance.
The next moment.
Master Tongtian appeared on the cloud platform at the head of the hall.
He had returned from Zixiao Palace.
But Master Tongtian's expression was far from pleasant.
It wasn't anger.
It was a coldness repressed to the utmost.
Seeing him, the disciples hurriedly bowed.
"We pay our respects to Master!"
Master Tongtian didn't speak at once.
His gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Zhao Xuan.
"Xuan'er."
"You were right three hundred years ago."
That brief sentence made every heart in Biyou Palace sink.
Tongtian slowly continued:
"In Zixiao Palace, the Dao Ancestor made it clear."
"The Heavenly Court is short of people, so disciples of the Three Teachings must enter the tribulation and be deified."
"Those with deep roots will attain the immortal path."
"Those with middling roots will attain the divine path."
"Those with shallow roots will enter reincarnation."
"The Investiture of the Gods List will appear soon."
Just as expected.
The Investiture Great Calamity had come at last.
The Interception Sect immortals who had still clung to a sliver of hope grew gloomy.
They could no longer help believing what their Senior Disciple Brother had said.
Master Tongtian looked at Zhao Xuan.
"Since you foresaw all this in advance, I assume you've already thought of a way to deal with it."
"Speak."
"What do you intend to do?"
Zhao Xuan stepped forward and bowed.
"Disciple asks Master to summon all Interception Sect disciples outside the sect back at once."
"Do not enter the Heavenly Court."
"Do not answer the call to be deified."
"Do not concern ourselves with Shang-Zhou."
"Do not concern ourselves with the Chan Sect."
"Do not get involved with the Western Sect."
"Do not become entangled in any karma unrelated to the Interception Sect."
"Golden Turtle Island shall temporarily close its gates."
"The Interception Sect will give up."
At his words, Master Tongtian's eyes narrowed.
Even though he had already heard Zhao Xuan's earlier speech, he still felt shaken.
Give up.
The word was strange.
But the meaning was clear.
He was done playing.
Done fighting.
Done caring.
He wouldn't sit at the table with them anymore.
Master Tongtian asked slowly:
"What if the Chan Sect called my Interception Sect cowardly?"
Zhao Xuan said:
"Let them talk."
"What if the Heavenly Court said my Interception Sect disrespected the Heavenly Emperor?"
"Let Haotian come ask me himself."
"What if all the people of the Primordial World said my Interception Sect didn't know the bigger picture?"
Zhao Xuan looked up and said calmly:
"Then let them figure out first what, exactly, my Interception Sect owes them."
Before you continue