If Every Exchange Is Entered in the Ledger, How Can the Jie Sect Walk the Primordial World?

If Every Exchange Is Entered in the Ledger, How Can the Jie Sect Walk the Primordial World?

The phantom of the Lotus Throne did not answer.

Zhao Xuan looked at the General Ledger.

"Write it.

[The Western Sect states that it will return to Mount Sumeru to investigate.]

The words fell.

The phantom Lotus Throne on the golden letter dimmed slightly.

Zhao Xuan said, "Three days."

The phantom of the Lotus Throne paused.

Zhao Xuan said, "Within three days."

"Hand over the person who delivered the letter."

"State clearly who permitted the position of the Lotus Throne."

"Withdraw every path extended into the Jie Sect."

The phantom Lotus Throne's voice turned faintly cold.

"And if the Western Sect refuses?"

Zhao Xuan looked at him.

"Then this debt."

"Will go upward as well."

The phantom Lotus Throne asked, "Upward to where?"

Zhao Xuan did not answer.

He merely lowered his head.

On the Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger, he wrote the final line.

[This debt hangs over the Western Sect.]

The golden letter trembled.

The phantom of the Lotus Throne instantly blurred.

But that line had already been written.

It hung over the Western Sect.

Just like the debt owed by Jade Emptiness.

There was no scolding.

No fighting.

He had merely hung the debt over them.

At last, the phantom Lotus Throne's voice lowered.

"Young Friend Zhao Xuan."

"By doing this, you will leave no room for reconciliation between the Western Sect and the Jie Sect."

Zhao Xuan looked at him.

"When you delivered that letter."

"Did you leave any room for reconciliation?"

The phantom Lotus Throne remained silent.

Zhao Xuan said, "If Long-Ears truly brought the hearts of the Outer Sect into the Western Sect."

"Would you return them?"

The phantom Lotus Throne still did not speak.

Zhao Xuan put down his brush.

"Since you would not."

"Then do not speak of reconciliation."

The phantom of the Lotus Throne on the golden letter finally began to disperse.

Before it vanished, that voice rang out one last time.

"This matter will be reported to the Sage."

The air before the hall abruptly turned cold.

A Sage.

Those two words came crashing down.

Several Outer Sect disciples instinctively lowered their heads.

But Holy Mother Jinling clenched her sword.

Zhao Xuan merely nodded.

"Good."

"Tell Martial Uncle Zhunti."

"The Jie Sect will wait for him to settle the account."

The phantom Lotus Throne froze completely.

The next instant.

The golden light dispersed.

The Western Sect Golden Letter lay quietly atop the supplementary page of the General Ledger.

Zhao Xuan raised his hand.

The General Ledger closed.

Clap.

A soft sound.

For a long while, no one spoke before the hall.

Holy Mother Guiling looked at the General Ledger.

"Jade Emptiness has three days."

"The Western Sect has three days as well."

Zhao Xuan said, "Correct."

Holy Mother Jinling asked, "They will not hand them over."

Zhao Xuan said, "I know."

Holy Mother Wudang softly said, "Then are these three days still meant to show the Primordial World?"

Zhao Xuan said, "They are also meant to show the Jie Sect."

Everyone looked at him.

Zhao Xuan said, "See clearly."

"The Investiture of the Gods has not yet begun."

"Yet someone has already prepared paths for Jie Sect disciples."

"One is called tranquility."

"One is called the Lotus Throne."

He raised his eyes and swept his gaze across the immortals before the hall.

"Once the Investiture of the Gods begins."

"There will be more paths than blades."

The immortals before the hall felt their hearts sink.

The fingers of several Outer Sect disciples who had just lowered their heads tightened.

Long-Ears was already dead.

But his price had not yet been fully paid.

Zhao Xuan turned around.

He looked toward the Clear Gate Register.

"Pass down the order."

"The gate-cleansing continues."

"Within three days."

"All correspondence talismans, golden letters, decrees, and private invitations involving the Outer Sect."

"Hand them all over."

"Those who surrender them voluntarily will only have their accounts investigated."

"Those who conceal them."

He paused.

"Will be treated as Long-Ears."

The hearts of the immortals before the hall shook.

Zhao Xuan's voice was calm.

"The debt of Jade Emptiness."

"The debt of the Western Sect."

"Will be settled in three days."

"Now."

"First cleanse Golden Turtle Island."

After Zhao Xuan's words fell.

The hall remained silent for a long time.

The Western Sect Golden Letter had already been sealed into the supplementary page of the General Ledger.

The Yuqing Talisman Letter was there as well.

One talisman letter.

One golden letter.

They were like two nails driven into everyone's hearts.

Long-Ears was dead.

But the paths Long-Ears had walked might not have been the only ones.

Jade Emptiness could send letters.

The Western Sect could send invitations.

Then how many things on Golden Turtle Island had they yet to see?

Holy Mother Guiling looked toward the Outer Sect.

"Did you hear?"

"Within three days."

"Hand everything over."

"Whoever hides anything."

"Will be treated as Long-Ears."

Immediately, faces changed among the Outer Sect.

Not from guilt.

But panic.

The Jie Sect had many disciples.

The Outer Sect was even more mixed.

Over the years, as they traveled the Primordial World, who had not received a few letters?

Who had not carried a few messages for others?

Who had not accepted a few invitations?

Immortal sects hosted banquets.

Independent cultivators sought audiences.

The Heavenly Court issued assignments.

The Dragon Clan requested assistance.

The Western Sect gave teachings.

Jade Emptiness sent greetings.

In the past, much of it had not looked like a crime.

It had even seemed like prestige.

But today, Long-Ears had died before the hall.

Only then did they understand.

Some favors, once accepted for too long, became paths.

Some paths, once stepped upon, offered no way back.

An Outer Sect disciple stepped out from the crowd.

His face was pale.

He took a green Jade Slip from his sleeve.

He held it up with both hands.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"This was an invitation sent from Azure Profound Cave in the East Sea thirty years ago."

"It only invited disciples to listen to the Dao."

"This disciple went once."

"I accepted nothing."

His voice was dry.

"This disciple didn't know."

"Does this count as a private invitation?"

Zhao Xuan glanced at it.

"An invitation to listen to the Dao."

"Normal contact."

That disciple froze.

Zhao Xuan said, "No need to report it."

Quite a few Outer Sect disciples before the hall looked up at once.

Zhao Xuan looked at them.

"My Clear Gate."

"Does not require you to never see outsiders again."

"Nor does it require you to cultivate with your eyes shut."

"Listening to the Dao is permitted."

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"Attending banquets is permitted."

"Associating with fellow cultivators is also permitted."

His voice turned cold.

"But if someone uses an invitation to have you pass along Jie Sect orders."

"If someone uses a token of thanks to have you speak on an outsider's behalf."

"If someone uses a divine position, a Lotus Throne, or a pure body to put a price tag on the Jie Sect."

"Then that is no longer contact."

"It is buying lives."

Once he finished speaking.

The disciples' expressions visibly relaxed somewhat.

This was fairer as well.

Very soon.

Someone else stepped out from the Outer Sect crowd.

A second.

A third.

A fourth.

Before long, a pile of items had appeared before the hall.

Jade Slips.

Dharma notices.

Talisman tokens.

Old Heavenly Court edicts.

Dragon Palace water plaques.

Immortal sect invitations.

Several Western Sect fragrant wood beads.

And an old jade plaque yellowed with age.

A young disciple held that jade plaque in both hands.

He kept his head lowered.

His hands shook violently.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"This jade plaque was given to me by an immortal sect in the South Sea a hundred years ago."

"They said that if I ever heard any Outer Sect orders on Golden Turtle Island, I only needed to casually pass along a message."

"This disciple never passed anything on."

"Truly, I never did."

"This disciple is willing to be investigated."

Zhao Xuan looked at the jade plaque.

"Record it."

"

The Clear Gate Register inscribed its entry.

[South Sea immortal sect jade plaque.]

[Once requested that the Outer Sect gather intelligence on orders.]

[Holder surrendered it voluntarily and passed on nothing.]

[Recorded temporarily; no guilt determined.]

Recorded temporarily; no guilt determined.

As those final four words appeared.

That disciple's shoulders sagged.

His forehead pressed against the ground.

As though he finally dared to breathe.

Holy Mother Jinling did not look at them.

She looked at the talisman tokens and Dharma notices on the table.

"Over the years, outsiders have found it far too easy to reach inside."

Holy Mother Wudang said softly, "Because no one used to think there was anything wrong with it."

"Dealings throughout the Primordial World."

"The goodwill between fellow cultivators."

"They all sounded clean enough."

Holy Mother Guiling pointed at the fragrant wood beads.

"And these are clean too?"

The disciple who had handed over the beads abruptly dropped to his knees.

"Senior Sister Gui Ling!"

"This disciple truly never joined the Western Sect."

"Back then, I saved a Western Sect cultivator, and he gave these to me as thanks.

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"This disciple never used them."

"Nor did I ever speak for him."

"This disciple merely thought—"

His throat tightened.

"They were only a few beads."

"This disciple is willing to be investigated."

"If there is even half a false word, I submit to whatever punishment the sect decrees."

Zhao Xuan looked at those fragrant wood beads.

"Record it."

The Clear Gate Register inscribed another entry.

[Three Western Sect fragrant wood beads.]

[Source pending investigation.]

[Holder surrendered them voluntarily.]

That disciple knelt upon the ground, his forehead pressed to the stone.

He did not move.

Zhao Xuan said, "I said it before."

"Those who surrender items voluntarily will only have their accounts examined."

"Those who conceal them will be treated as Long-Ears was."

Low, uneasy breaths sounded before the hall.

More disciples stepped forward.

The items before the table piled higher and higher.

Until even Holy Mother Jinling's gaze darkened.

Not all of them were necessarily guilty.

But there were too many.

For all these years, the Jie Sect had been far too undefended.

Whatever others offered, Golden Turtle Island accepted.

When others called them fellow cultivators.

The Jie Sect believed them.

When others spoke of fate.

The Jie Sect did not guard against them.

When others invoked the greater good.

The Jie Sect acted.

Over time.

Outsiders' hands had reached within their gates, and they still considered it normal contact.

The Clear Gate Register turned page after page.

There was no thunder.

No furious roar.

Only line after line of words appeared.

Yet the more it continued, the colder the space before the hall became.

Suddenly.

A voice rang out.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

Everyone turned.

The speaker was an old Outer Sect disciple.

His beard and hair were half gray.

His cultivation was not high.

But his seniority within the Outer Sect was considerable.

He did not kneel.

He merely cupped his hands.

"This disciple has something to say."

Holy Mother Guiling frowned.

"Speak."

That old disciple looked toward the piled Jade Slips and Dharma notices before the table.

His voice was heavy.

"If every interaction must be entered into the register."

"How will the Outer Sect walk the Primordial World from now on?"