I'm Done Playing, Done Fighting. From Today On, the Jie Sect Will Just Rot!

Inside Biyou Palace.

The atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

After Yun Xiao finished her question, the gazes of the immortals fell one after another upon Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan was also looking at them.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly.

"Rotting away."

"What?"

The crowd was stunned in unison.

This term was far too unfamiliar to the beings of the Primordial World.

Zhao Xuan said:

"What is meant by rotting away is that from this day forward, our Jie Sect will no longer take the initiative to accept any karma unrelated to the Jie Sect."

"The demons of the East Sea—we will not manage them."

"The evil spirits of the human race—we will not manage them."

"The Heavenly Court lacks personnel—we will not manage it."

"The Chan Sect faces a tribulation—we will not manage it."

"The Western Sect is barren—we will not manage it."

"The rise and fall of human dynasties—we will not manage them."

"The grand situation of the Primordial World—we will not manage that either."

Once these words were spoken, Biyou Palace erupted once more.

Holy Mother Jinling frowned and said:

"Senior Brother, isn't this just avoiding the world and fearing battle?"

Zhao Gongming could not help but add:

"Indeed, Senior Brother. If our Jie Sect manages nothing, chaos will inevitably arise throughout the Primordial World."

"If the demons of the East Sea are not suppressed by Jie Sect disciples, the Heavenly Court may not be able to hold them down."

"If the human tribes are not protected by Jie Sect disciples, they will likely suffer heavy casualties."

"Without the restraint of our Jie Sect, those rogue cultivators will only attack one another even more."

"When that time comes, won't the Primordial World be in total chaos?"

Zhao Xuan asked indifferently:

"And what does that have to do with our Jie Sect?"

Zhao Gongming was taken aback.

Zhao Xuan looked at him:

"Are the demons of the East Sea raised by our Jie Sect?"

Zhao Gongming was silent.

"Are the evil spirits of the human race released by our Jie Sect?"

Zhao Gongming remained silent.

"Are the rogue cultivators attacking one another forced to kill by our Jie Sect?"

Zhao Gongming was speechless.

Zhao Xuan's voice grew colder:

"Since it was not caused by our Jie Sect, why should our Jie Sect be responsible for it?"

"Does the Heavenly Court not rule the three realms?"

"Let Haotian go pacify the East Sea."

"Does the Human Sect not educate the human race?"

"Let Xuandu go protect the human race."

"Are the Twelve Golden Immortals not virtuous immortals?"

"Let them descend the mountain to save the world."

"Is the Western Sect not compassionate?"

"Let Jieyin and Zhunti send their disciples to the East to save the suffering."

"They occupy the luck, the reputation, the orthodoxy, and the moral high ground on ordinary days."

"Why is it that whenever there is dirty, tiring, bitter, or suicidal work, they all think of our Jie Sect?"

"Is our Jie Sect the coolie of the Primordial World?"

"Are we the Heavenly Court's reserve of minor immortals?"

"Are we the Chan Sect's expendable fodder for the Kalpa?"

"Or are we the Western Sect's gift package of merit?"

This rapid-fire succession of questions left everyone's scalp tingling.

Holy Mother Guiling's eyes, however, grew brighter and brighter.

"Exactly!"

"That is the very logic of it!"

"Why must the Jie Sect be responsible for every single miserable mess?"

Zhao Xuan continued:

"Over these years, the Jie Sect has managed far too much."

"So much so that all living beings in the Primordial World believe it is only natural for the Jie Sect to handle these matters."

"When we act, they say the Jie Sect is too murderous."

"When we do not act, they say the Jie Sect lacks the bigger picture."

"When we preach, they say the Jie Sect harbors filth and corruption."

"When we concede, they say the Jie Sect is cowardly and timid."

"If we are wrong either way, then why bother with them at all?"

"From this day forth, whoever makes a hole must patch it themselves."

"Whoever creates karma must bear it themselves."

"Whoever faces their heavenly fate must accept it themselves."

"The Jie Sect will no longer serve."

No longer serve.

As these four words fell, the hearts of all the immortals within Biyou Palace trembled in unison.

The words were too blunt.

Too bold.

But... they were too satisfying!

Indeed.

No longer serving.

If the Heavenly Court lacks personnel, let Haotian find his own way.

If the Chan Sect faces a Kalpa, let the Twelve Golden Immortals fill the void themselves.

If the West is barren, let Jieyin and Zhunti weep for themselves.

The grand situation of the Primordial World?

A joke.

Why must the lives of Jie Sect disciples be sacrificed to preserve this so-called grand situation every single time?

Who made that rule?!

However, Daoist Duobao's expression was complex, and he remained hesitant.

"Senior Brother, this matter is too significant."

"If the Jie Sect truly retreats to Golden Turtle Island, the Primordial World will surely be in an uproar."

"Where will that leave Master's reputation?"

Zhao Xuan looked at Duobao.

"Duobao, why do you still not understand?"

"Reputation is something only the living possess."

"If the Jie Sect is destroyed, what reputation is there to speak of?"

"When Master was confined to Zixiao Palace, did he have reputation?"

"When the ten thousand immortals were listed on the Investiture, was there reputation?"

"When you, Duobao, entered the West to become a Buddha, was there reputation?"

"When Jin Ling was listed, Holy Mother Guiling died, Gongming suffered a miserable death, and the Three Xiao Sisters were defeated and perished, did the Jie Sect still have reputation?"

"You are now willing to lead the Jie Sect further down the path to death just because of what the outside world might think."

"This is not about preserving reputation."

"This is sacrificing the lives of all the disciples in the sect to buy a fig leaf that others will never even acknowledge."

Daoist Duobao stood as if struck by lightning.

These words were heavy.

But they were also true.

At this moment.

The void above Biyou Palace trembled slightly.

A streak of sword light returned from the endless void.

It pierced the sun like a long rainbow, scattering jade-colored clouds.

A cloud platform manifested within the void.

Following it were layers upon layers of endless Dao rhymes and the profound light of a Saint.

The next moment.

The figure of Master Tongtian appeared on the cloud platform at the head of the hall.

He had returned from Zixiao Palace.

Yet, at this moment, Master Tongtian's expression was far from pleasant.

It was not anger.

It was a coldness suppressed to the extreme.

Seeing this, the disciples hurriedly bowed:

"Greetings, Master!"

Master Tongtian did not speak immediately.

His gaze swept over the crowd before finally landing on Zhao Xuan.

"Xuan'er."

"You were right three hundred years ago."

This short sentence caused the hearts of everyone in Biyou Palace to sink completely.

Tongtian said slowly:

"In Zixiao Palace, the Dao Ancestor has already made it clear."

"The Heavenly Court lacks personnel, so the disciples of the three sects must enter the calamity and be invested as gods."

"Those with deep roots shall attain the Immortal Dao."

"Those with secondary roots shall attain the Divine Dao."

"Those with shallow roots shall enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"The Investiture of the Gods List will be revealed in a few days."

As expected.

The Investiture Great Calamity had arrived after all.

The expressions of the Jie Sect immortals, who still held a glimmer of hope, turned gloomy.

They now had no choice but to believe the words of their senior brother.

Master Tongtian looked at Zhao Xuan.

"Since you foresaw all of this in advance, you must have already thought of a way to deal with it."

"Speak."

"What do you intend to do?"

Zhao Xuan stepped forward and bowed low.

"Disciple requests that Master immediately recall all Jie Sect disciples currently abroad."

"Do not enter the Heavenly Court."

"Do not respond to the Investiture."

"Ignore the Shang-Zhou conflict."

"Pay no mind to the Chan Sect."

"Do not engage with the Western Sect."

"Do not touch any karma unrelated to the Jie Sect."

"Seal Golden Turtle Island temporarily."

"The Jie Sect shall simply rot away."

As these words were spoken, Master Tongtian's eyes narrowed slightly.

Even though he had already heard Zhao Xuan's previous words, he still felt a sense of shock.

Rot away.

It was a strange term.

But the meaning was clear.

He was done playing.

He was done competing.

He was done caring.

He would no longer sit at the table with them.

Master Tongtian asked slowly:

"What if the Chan Sect calls the Jie Sect cowardly?"

Zhao Xuan replied:

"Let them say it."

"What if the Heavenly Court says the Jie Sect does not respect the Heavenly Emperor?"

"Let Haotian come and invite us himself."

"What if the beings of the Primordial World say the Jie Sect lacks the bigger picture?"

Zhao Xuan looked up and said calmly:

"Then let them first figure out what exactly the Jie Sect owes them."