Escaping Death and Redeeming His Crimes

Boom!

The Saint's palm carried the might of heaven and earth, as though the will of the entire Primordial World were crushing down upon him.

Xuan Chuan felt like a lone boat amid a raging storm, liable to be torn to pieces at any moment.

His flesh wailed, his primordial spirit trembled. It was an absolute suppression on the level of life itself, leaving him unable to summon even the slightest thought of resistance.

No! He absolutely could not die!

His fierce desire to survive and his obsession with saving Jiejiao burned within his soul like blazing fire!

Deep within his sea of consciousness, The One That Escaped spun madly at an unprecedented speed. The Creation Jade Disc Fragment radiated brilliant clear light, desperately stirring the surrounding threads of fate.

It sought a sliver of life that might exist within that certain death blow!

Buzz!

Just as the enormous azure palm was about to strike him, an extraordinarily slight, almost imperceptible distortion appeared in the space around Xuan Chuan.

Like ripples raised by a stone cast onto still water, the ripple was faint, yet it truly existed.

That tiny distortion caused the giant palm containing the Law of Destruction to deviate ever so slightly!

Bang!!!

With a dull, thunderous crash, Xuan Chuan was sent flying like a battered sack, smashing heavily into one of Biyou Palace's incomparably hard white jade pillars.

"Puh—"

He spewed out a great mouthful of golden blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs.

He felt as though countless bones had broken, his organs had been displaced, and his Golden Immortal body had suffered grievous damage. His aura instantly withered to the extreme.

Agonizing pain surged over him like a tide, nearly drowning his consciousness.

But—he had not died!

He had actually survived a furious strike from a Saint!

Though gravely wounded and on the verge of death, he was truly still alive!

"Oh?"

Upon the cloud bed, Master Tongtian gave a soft cry of surprise. The fury in his eyes was slightly replaced by doubt.

He had struck in anger. Though he had not used his full strength, it was still not something a Golden Immortal could withstand, much less evade.

That momentary deviation in the trajectory of space had been subtle, but it could not escape his perception.

A variable...? Those two words flashed through Master Tongtian's mind. At the same time, Xuan Chuan's earlier words concerning the "killing tribulation" and "Karmic Force" resurfaced in his heart.

As a Saint, how could he have sensed nothing? He simply had not wished to think deeply about it before, much less believe matters would become so severe.

Now, this disciple who had survived certain death—his words and actions all seemed to carry an unusual quality.

The Seven Attendant Immortals were even more dumbfounded as they stared in disbelief at Xuan Chuan, collapsed beneath the jade pillar. His aura was faint, yet his eyes remained open.

He had taken a Saint's palm strike head-on and survived?!

Since when had Eldest Senior Brother Xuan Chuan possessed such divine abilities?!

Xuan Chuan endured the pain that nearly tore apart his primordial spirit and used the last of his strength.

Struggling to lift his head, he continued staring fixedly at Master Tongtian. His voice was hoarse, but it carried unquestionable resolve as he shouted again:

"Mas... Master, judge clearly! Every word your disciple has spoken... came from the bottom of his heart! It is all for Jiejiao's survival!"

With every word, a thread of golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, yet his eyes shone with frightening intensity.

"Your disciple... your disciple is willing to issue a military pledge! If... if I cannot rectify the sect's affairs, purge its scum, reduce its Karmic Force, and reverse the signs of our sect's decline...

"I am willing to place myself upon the list, enter the Investiture of the Gods List, and serve the Heavenly Court for all eternity without complaint!"

The Investiture of the Gods List!

Those three words struck Master Tongtian's heart once more like a heavy hammer.

At that moment, as he looked at the blood-soaked disciple below him, whose gaze was resolute and who was even willing to gamble Investiture of the Gods itself, Master Tongtian's anger gradually subsided, replaced by a complicated emotion.

There was annoyance, doubt, scrutiny, and even... an extremely faint trace of something he himself was unwilling to acknowledge... hope.

What if... what if this disciple's words were not entirely nonsense?

What if Jiejiao truly stood on the brink of a great tribulation?

Silence.

Deathly silence filled Biyou Palace.

Only Xuan Chuan's heavy, agonized breathing could be heard.

After a long while, Master Tongtian slowly spoke. His voice had returned to calm, yet it bore unquestionable majesty:

"Xuan Chuan."

"Your disciple is here," Xuan Chuan replied with difficulty.

"You trespassed into Biyou Palace and spread wild words to mislead others. By rights, both body and soul should be destroyed."

Master Tongtian's lightning-like gaze swept over Xuan Chuan. "Considering that your original intention may have been for the sect, and that... you do possess some uncommon qualities, I shall give you an opportunity."

With a flick of his sleeve, a small hammer wrapped in violet lightning and containing terrifying Law of Thunder flew out and hovered before Xuan Chuan.

The hammer was only a little over a foot long, yet it emitted a heart-palpitating aura of destruction.

"This is the Purple Lightning Hammer. I shall lend it to you for now."

Xuan Chuan's pupils contracted. The Purple Lightning Hammer! This was one of Master Tongtian's personal treasures, possessing limitless power!

"Though you may be spared death, you cannot escape punishment! I command you to redeem your crimes through merit!" Master Tongtian's voice turned cold.

"From this day onward, you are permitted to rectify the conduct of all Jiejiao members! Investigate the karmic ties and Karmic Force of the disciples! Should there be any who corrupt the sect's customs, are entangled in Karmic Force, or refuse discipline..."

Master Tongtian paused, his tone turning icy. "Use this hammer to enforce the sect's rules! For minor offenses, whip them. For major offenses... cripple their cultivation and expel them from the sect! If you encounter rebels, kill them without mercy!"

As soon as those words fell, the faces of the Seven Attendant Immortals below changed drastically!

This... this authority was enormous! It was practically equivalent to enforcing the law on behalf of their master!

But Xuan Chuan was overjoyed! He had succeeded! Though the process had been perilous, he had won his gamble! He had obtained the legitimate authority and... weapon to reform Jiejiao!

"However!" Master Tongtian abruptly changed his tone. The Saint's might descended once more, firmly locking onto Xuan Chuan. "If there are no results within a hundred years, or if I discover that you have abused public authority for private gain and shaken the foundations of the sect..."

"There will be no need for Master to act. Your disciple shall use this hammer... to end himself, and let his true spirit enter the list!"

Xuan Chuan answered without hesitation, his words resolute. At the same time, he extended a trembling hand and seized the Purple Lightning Hammer floating before him!

Buzz!

As the Purple Lightning Hammer entered his grasp, powerful thunder energy surged through his arm and into his body. It faintly merged with his own mana, even temporarily suppressing some of his injuries.

The arcs of lightning dancing across the hammer seemed to proclaim its authority to mete out punishment on behalf of heaven!

"Hmph! Remember your words!" Master Tongtian snorted coldly. He no longer looked at Xuan Chuan and closed his eyes once more, as though entering meditation. "All of you, withdraw."

The Seven Attendant Immortals cast complicated looks at Xuan Chuan. Qiu Shou Immortal in particular had a flash of wariness and gloom deep within his eyes, but they could only bow respectfully and silently leave Biyou Palace.

Xuan Chuan forced his pain-racked body to endure as he bowed deeply to Master Tongtian upon the cloud bed. Then, gripping the heavy Purple Lightning Hammer crackling with electricity, he staggered out of Biyou Palace step by step.

Outside the palace, the sunlight was blinding.

Many Jiejiao disciples who had rushed over upon hearing the news watched from afar as Xuan Chuan emerged from Biyou Palace, covered in blood yet holding the Purple Lightning Hammer.

They whispered among themselves, their gazes filled with curiosity, awe, and an almost imperceptible... rejection and hostility.

Xuan Chuan ignored those gazes. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and straightened his body. Though severely wounded, the hand gripping the Purple Lightning Hammer was steady and powerful.

His gaze, like the sharpest sword, slowly swept across the Jiejiao disciples present, each wearing a different expression.

The rectification began now!

Then, who should be the first target used to establish his authority and purge the sect...

His gaze finally settled in one direction. There lay the cave dwelling of a certain "martial uncle" who spent years away from the sect, favored bloody flesh, and whose Karmic Force had nearly solidified into substance.