A Name on the List, Zhao Gongming!

Holy Mother Jinling's expression changed.

"There's more?"

Zhao Xuan said nothing.

The Clear Gate Register flipped open on its own.

The starlight was forced out bit by bit.

A name emerged.

It was not from the Outer Sect.

It was a name Zhao Xuan knew well.

Zhao Gongming.

Everyone before the hall looked up at once.

Zhao Gongming was stunned as well.

"Me?"

The starlight continued to unfold.

Behind the three characters Zhao Gongming, a line of text slowly surfaced.

[Once suppressed disputes among overseas rogue cultivators.]

[Skilled at managing goods and wealth, settling debt disputes, and securing trade routes.]

[May enter the Wealth Department.]

Wealth Department.

Those two words fell.

The color slowly drained from Zhao Gongming's face.

He was not in the Water Department.

Yet he was also hidden within the dark patterns of this private register.

Daoist Duobao suddenly stepped forward.

"This isn't the Water Department register."

Zhao Xuan looked at the starlight.

"That's right."

His voice was cold.

"The Water Department is only the first register."

The moment those words were spoken.

Every Jie Sect disciple before the hall felt their hearts sink.

The Water Department was only the first register.

What came after that?

The Wealth Department.

The Dou Department.

The Thunder Department.

The Fire Department.

The Plague Department.

Among the Heavenly Court's three hundred and sixty-five righteous gods.

How many registers were there?

And how many Jie Sect disciples' names had been written in them?

Zhao Gongming stood where he was.

For a long time, he said nothing.

He suddenly recalled the future Zhao Xuan had once spoken of.

He would die.

He would be cursed to death by the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book.

Then he would be placed on the list.

Named the God of Wealth.

At the time, he had only thought it was the fatal calamity awaiting him in the future.

Only now did he understand.

Perhaps before the Investiture of the Gods List truly descended, someone in the Heavenly Court had already seen his "value."

He could manage goods and wealth.

He could settle debt disputes.

He could secure trade routes.

Therefore, he could enter the Wealth Department.

Zhao Gongming said quietly, "So I'm on the register too."

Yun Xiao's face went pale.

Bi Xiao's eyes reddened instantly.

Qiong Xiao stepped forward.

"Who wrote it?"

"Who put my eldest brother's name in there?!"

The Clear Gate Register gave no answer.

Yet the starlight continued to spread.

Zhao Xuan raised his hand.

He slammed it down onto the Clear Gate Register.

The pages stopped.

They did not turn any further.

Holy Mother Guiling asked urgently, "Senior Disciple Brother?"

Zhao Xuan watched the starlight.

"We can't turn any further."

Holy Mother Jinling's brows furrowed.

"Why?"

Zhao Xuan said, "This isn't a single register."

"It is the All-Department Preliminary Register."

The hall fell deathly silent.

The All-Department Preliminary Register.

Those four words.

Were colder than the Water Department Preliminary Register.

Zhao Xuan raised his eyes toward the Nine Heavens.

"The Water Department."

"The Wealth Department."

"How many more departments come after them?"

"For now, we don't know."

He lowered his head and looked at Zhao Gongming's name in the Clear Gate Register.

"But one thing is certain."

Everyone looked at him.

Zhao Xuan said, "The Investiture of the Gods List has not yet descended."

"Yet someone is already choosing gods for the Heavenly Court."

Those words fell.

It was as though an invisible hand had pressed down upon the entire Golden Turtle Island.

Even the trace of Shangqing Sword Intent Master Tongtian had left in the Clear Gate Register trembled faintly.

Zhao Xuan picked up his brush.

The vermilion brush descended.

[Heavenly Court Departments Preliminary Register.]

[The Water Department has appeared.]

[A name has been found in the Wealth Department.]

[The remaining registers are unknown.]

Having written that.

He paused.

Then he said, word by word, "Seal it."

The Clear Gate Register snapped shut.

The watery light and starlight were suppressed back into the register at the same time.

Zhao Gongming still stood in place.

His fists had already clenched so tightly that they turned white.

Yun Xiao walked to his side.

She said nothing.

She merely rested a hand lightly on his sleeve.

Zhao Gongming closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, only coldness remained in his gaze.

When he opened his eyes again, only coldness remained in them.

"This debt."

"I want to investigate it myself."

Bi Xiao immediately said, "I'm going too!"

Qiong Xiao gritted her teeth.

"Count me in as well."

Yun Xiao looked at Zhao Xuan.

"If this matter leads to the Wealth Department."

"Our siblings cannot avoid it."

The atmosphere before the hall tightened once more.

Zhao Xuan looked at the four of them.

He did not agree at once.

Zhao Gongming valued loyalty.

The Three Xiao Sisters valued affection.

Once this debt was tied to the Wealth Department, someone would want to lure them down the mountain.

So Zhao Xuan said only one thing.

"You may investigate."

"But you cannot leave the mountain."

Zhao Gongming froze.

Zhao Xuan said, "Investigate the debt on Golden Turtle Island."

"No one leaves the island."

"Whoever wants you to leave the mountain."

"Is continuing this register."

Zhao Gongming's throat moved.

At last, he nodded heavily.

In the end, he nodded heavily.

Zhao Xuan looked at the Clear Gate Register.

"Send the order."

"From today onward."

"Every Jie Sect disciple who has ever assisted, defended, patrolled, suppressed, or mediated for any Heavenly Court department."

"Will all be entered into the register anew."

"Past merits remain past merits."

"The Heavenly Court's private records remain private records."

"Whoever uses past merits to lure them into accepting an appointment."

"Will be treated as buying their lives."

The vermilion brush descended.

The Vermilion Brush fell.

And at that moment.

The Clear Gate Register suddenly trembled again.

It was not watery light.

Nor was it starlight.

It was a wisp of extremely faint gray-white aura.

The moment that aura appeared, everyone before the hall felt their hearts sink for no apparent reason.

Zhao Xuan's gaze turned icy.

Because he had seen that aura before.

He had seen it in the future.

He had seen it on the Investiture of the Gods List.

The gray-white aura slowly condensed into a fragmentary shadow.

It looked like a page from a list.

A name flickered in and out of view upon that page.

Zhao Gongming.

There was another unfinished line beneath it.

[Finance----]

Only one character appeared.

The Shangqing Sword Intent on the Clear Gate Register suddenly slashed down.

That fragmentary shadow shattered on the spot.

The immortals before the hall changed expression drastically.

Zhao Gongming stared fixedly at the shattered gray-white aura.

Yun Xiao's fingers went cold.

Killing intent had already surged from Bi Xiao's eyes.

Zhao Xuan slowly raised his head.

He looked toward the Nine Heavens.

His voice was very soft.

"So that was it."

Holy Mother Guiling's voice tightened.

"What do you mean, so that was it?"

Zhao Xuan lowered his head and looked at the lingering wisp of gray-white aura on the Clear Gate Register.

"The All-Department Preliminary Register."

"It was not written by the Heavenly Court itself."

Dead silence descended before the hall.

Zhao Xuan said, enunciating every word, "It and the Investiture of the Gods List...

"...were already connected."

After those words fell, Lu Qing, who had remained silent until then, suddenly lifted his head.

His eyes were still red.

But his voice no longer trembled.

His eyes were still red.

Zhao Xuan looked at him.

Lu Qing straightened his kneeling body.

"The old account of the Third Sea Eye."

"This disciple is willing to submit it."

"Zhou Huai died there."

"This account should not be recorded only in the Jie Sect's old records."

After he finished speaking.

Chen Chao also raised his head.

"The seven transfer orders concerning the South Sea Water Veins—I am willing to submit those as well."

Han Li followed with his own words.

"I still have the old orders issued to Water Department immortal officials."

Bai Qu gritted his teeth.

"I have the Heavenly Court receipts for escorting aquatic demon prisoners as well."

One after another.

Those Outer Sect disciples whose faces had been pale moments ago slowly stepped forward.

They were still furious.

They were still hurting.

But that trembling fear had already vanished.

Zhao Xuan had not forced them to hand over their accounts.

They had brought forth those accounts of their own accord.

Zhao Xuan looked at them.

He said nothing.

Lu Qing raised a hand.

An old Jade Slip fell before the table.

"This is the account of the Third Sea Eye."

"I do not want a Water Department divine post."

"Nor do I want a single word of appreciation from the Heavenly Court."

"I only want an answer from them."

The silence before the hall was terrifying.

Then more old orders, old records, receipts, and transfer orders were placed upon the table one after another.

They were not proving their innocence.

They were demanding an accounting.

The anger in Holy Mother Guiling's eyes finally turned into a trace of satisfaction.

Holy Mother Jinling's grip on her sword slowly loosened as well.

Daoist Duobao looked at those Outer Sect disciples, his gaze faintly shaken.

Zhao Xuan finally spoke.

"Good."

He raised a hand.

The Clear Gate Register opened again.

This time, the vermilion brush did not fall upon the Outer Sect disciples' names.

Instead, it fell upon those old Heavenly Court orders before the table.

[Jie Sect Old Merit Ledger.]

[Third Sea Eye.]

[South Sea Water Veins.]

[Aquatic demon prisoners.]

[Water Department joint defense.]

[All accounts sealed.]

[The next entry: demand an accounting from the Heavenly Court.]

As the final line fell.

The entire area before Golden Turtle Island suddenly became so quiet that not the slightest sound remained.

Zhao Xuan closed the Clear Gate Register.

He looked toward the Nine Heavens.

His voice was calm.

"Golden Turtle Island's accounts.

"Six."

"Will be sealed for now."

"From this moment onward."

"We will question those outside."

He paused for a breath.

"The Heavenly Court first."

"The list has yet to be issued."

"Whose hand recorded those names?"

>