Using the Interception Sect's Strengths to Scheme Against It; Let's Test the Heavenly Court!

On the other side, after Zhao Gongming left Biyou Palace with the Three Xiao Sisters, he didn't return to his cave abode right away.

The four siblings stood atop a sea cliff.

The East Sea stretched far and wide, its waves rolling for thousands of miles.

Bi Xiao gazed at the distant place where sea met sky, her expression unusually downcast.

"Elder Brother, will the future Senior Brother Zhao Xuan spoke of really come to pass?"

Zhao Gongming fell silent for a long while.

In the past, he would have laughed and told Bi Xiao it wouldn't.

They were Jie Sect disciples.

They had their master.

They had their fellow disciples.

They feared no one.

But now, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Because Zhao Xuan had already been right about the first thing.

Haotian had really gone to Zixiao Palace.

The Investiture of the Gods List really was about to appear.

Then what about the things that came afterward?

The Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book.

The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation.

A Saint personally entering the fray.

The Three Xiao Sisters' deaths.

At the thought of it, Zhao Gongming suddenly felt an inexplicable chill.

He wasn't afraid of dying.

He was afraid that, because of a moment's loyalty, he would drag his three younger sisters into a dead end too.

Zhao Xuan was right.

What some people were scheming against was the Jie Sect disciples' loyalty to one another.

You valued your fellow disciples' bonds?

Fine, then they would kill your friend and lure you down the mountain.

You valued your siblings' bonds?

Fine, then they would kill your elder brother and lure you into setting up a formation.

You valued your sect?

Fine, then they would drag the entire Jie Sect into the Great Calamity, step by step.

In the end, every Jie Sect disciple would think they were fighting for loyalty.

But in other people's eyes, they were just names willingly stepping onto the Investiture of the Gods List, one after another.

At the thought of this, Zhao Gongming felt a chill run down his back for the first time.

Yun Xiao said softly:

"Elder Brother, if Senior Brother's words are true, then no matter what happens, we must never go down the mountain lightly again."

Qiong Xiao frowned.

"But what if someone harms one of our fellow disciples?"

Yun Xiao looked at her.

"Then we'll first investigate and make sure it isn't a trap someone deliberately laid."

Qiong Xiao froze.

Bi Xiao gritted her teeth.

"Are we supposed to hesitate even when it comes to revenge?"

Yun Xiao sighed softly.

"It's not hesitation."

"It's not letting hatred lead us by the nose."

Hearing this, Zhao Gongming couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"I never thought Yun Xiao would be the first among us siblings to see things clearly."

"Looks like Senior Disciple Brother was right. The Jie Sect has valued loyalty too much these past years."

"Valuing loyalty isn't wrong, of course."

"But if someone deliberately lays a trap using our loyalty, and we foolishly walk right into it, that isn't loyalty. It's stupidity."

Bi Xiao opened her mouth, wanting to argue.

But she suddenly realized she couldn't.

Because wasn't that exactly how they had been trapped in the future?

According to Senior Disciple Brother's prophecy:

Zhao Gongming was harmed.

The Three Xiao Sisters sought revenge for their brother.

The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation defeated the Chan Sect.

Then a Saint entered the fray.

Everything seemed to follow naturally.

But from a higher vantage point, it was clearly a path laid out long ago.

At every step, they had thought they were making their own choices.

But in reality, someone had been waiting for them up ahead all along.

That was what made it truly terrifying.

So from here on, they had to tread carefully with every step they took.

Valuing loyalty?

They needed to be alive to value it.

Otherwise, all the principles they stood by were just empty talk.

A gentle sea breeze drifted past.

The four of them possessed immense powers and boundless magical strength.

Yet at that moment, they felt a touch of desolation.

Inside Biyou Palace.

Master Tongtian summoned Zhao Xuan once more.

Only master and disciple were in the hall.

"Xuan'er, you spoke very forcefully today."

Zhao Xuan lowered his head.

"This disciple knows."

"You demanded the authority to decide the Investiture in front of everyone. That was no ordinary suggestion."

"This disciple knows that too."

Master Tongtian looked at him.

"Then why did you dare say it?"

Zhao Xuan fell silent for a moment, then raised his head.

"Because if I don't, the Jie Sect will perish."

Master Tongtian's gaze tightened.

Zhao Xuan continued:

"Master, this disciple knows that what I said today was offensive."

"I also know that not everyone in the Jie Sect will necessarily accept me."

"Junior Brother Duobao considers the greater good, Junior Sister Jin Ling favors battle, Junior Sister Gui Ling is hot-tempered, Junior Brother Gongming values loyalty, and the Three Xiao Sisters are devoted to their loved ones."

"None of these are bad things."

"But the most terrifying thing about the Investiture Great Calamity is that it uses the Jie Sect's strengths to destroy the Jie Sect."

Master Tongtian said nothing.

Zhao Xuan spoke slowly:

"The Jie Sect has many disciples, so the Investiture of the Gods List needs to be filled with Jie Sect disciples."

"The Jie Sect's disciples value loyalty, so others need only kill one person to lure out a whole crowd."

"The Jie Sect's disciples accept people regardless of their origins, so others can call us creatures born from the wet and hatched from eggs, and accuse us of lacking virtue."

"The Jie Sect's disciples are willing to stand up against injustice in the Primordial World, so others can bind us with talk of the greater good and all living beings."

"The Jie Sect's disciples respect their master and honor the Dao, so the moment Master gets involved, the Ten Thousand Immortals will all follow."

"Master, this isn't an ordinary contest of magic."

"They're taking the Jie Sect's doctrine, fortune, hearts, and temperament, and turning them into a net to trap us."

"The more we act according to the ways we've always followed, the more certain our defeat becomes."

At these words, Master Tongtian's gaze finally changed noticeably.

Because Zhao Xuan had touched on the crux of the matter.

The Jie Sect was the Jie Sect because it welcomed all without distinction, because it valued loyalty and affection, because it had countless disciples, and because it dared to seize a sliver of life from Heaven and Earth.

But if the future Investiture Great Calamity truly used these things to bind the Jie Sect in turn, then things would be troublesome.

Was Master Tongtian supposed to reject his own doctrine with his own hands?

No.

Zhao Xuan clearly understood this too.

So he immediately said:

"Master, this disciple isn't trying to reject the Jie Sect."

"Welcoming all without distinction is not wrong."

"Valuing loyalty and affection is not wrong either."

"Seizing a sliver of life for all living beings is even less so."

"What's wrong is that others take the Jie Sect's goodwill for granted."

"What's wrong is that others treat the Jie Sect's loyalty as a weakness to exploit."

"What's wrong is that others enjoy the benefits of the Jie Sect maintaining order in the Primordial World, while accusing Jie Sect disciples of failing to understand the Heavenly Mandate."

"Since that's the case, the Jie Sect doesn't need to change its path."

"We only need to withdraw our hand for a while."

"Let all the beings of the Primordial World see for themselves how long the peace they boast of can last without the Jie Sect's hand holding things together."

Master Tongtian remained silent for a long time.

Then, suddenly, he smiled.

"You want to plunge the Primordial World into chaos?"

Zhao Xuan shook his head.

"This disciple isn't the one plunging the Primordial World into chaos."

"The Primordial World is already in chaos."

"It's just that the Jie Sect's disciples have been holding it back all these years."

"Now that we stop holding it back, the chaos will naturally rise to the surface."

"But the cause and effect cannot be laid at the Jie Sect's door."

A trace of approval entered Master Tongtian's eyes.

"You've thought it through."

Zhao Xuan smiled bitterly.

"This disciple only understood after seeing the future."

"I used to think that the Ten Thousand Immortals gathering at court beneath the Jie Sect's banner was a sign of its rise."

"Only now do I understand that without sufficiently clear-headed decisions, having the Ten Thousand Immortals gather at court could also mean lining them up for slaughter."

"Having many disciples isn't wrong."

"But having many disciples and not knowing when to withdraw is a grave mistake."

Master Tongtian nodded slightly.

"What do you plan to do next?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Xuan's eyes.

"Put it to the test."

"Test what?"

"Let's test the Heavenly Court."

Master Tongtian raised an eyebrow.