The Investiture of the Gods List Appeared, and the Heavenly Calamity Began to Emerge

The physical Southern Heavenly Gate towered above the nine heavens of the Canglan Realm. The immense white-jade gate breathed out boundless immortal qi, while twelve glazed pillars carved with nine dragons held the universe in place.

From the moment Lin Qiye climbed the long steps and laid down the rules, the entire Canglan Realm had changed.

In the starry sky, routes once cold and deserted were now packed with immortal boats, divine warships, and auspicious clouds.

Supreme Mystery True Lord, Sect Leader of the Supreme Mystery Xuanmen in the Ziwei Star Domain; Netherworld Blood Emperor, leader of the Asura Teaching in the Heavenly Demon Great Realm; Tu Shanye, patriarch of the Demon Teaching in the Primordial Demon Realm; Canghai Old Daoist, a titan among independent cultivators...

These supreme figures had once ruled their own domains and awed the heavens. Now they had shed their splendid imperial robes and sect-leader vestments for plain Xuanmen robes. With their sects' finest core disciples behind them, they waited respectfully at the foot of the long steps outside the Southern Heavenly Gate for the Primeval Xuanmen to receive and assess them.

The myriad worlds had come on pilgrimage!

No one had threatened them. No one had forced them.

A physical Southern Heaven Gate and the wondrous method of Proving the Dao Through Merit, passed down by Dao Ancestor Hongjun himself, had made the Canglan Realm the undisputed source of the Immortal Dao and the rightful Heavenly Court of the entire universe.

Atop Primeval Main Peak.

Purple Qi swirled around Ji Changkong. The immense power he had amassed as a Half-Step Human Immortal drew answering vibrations from the surrounding void and its Great Dao. Behind him, hundreds of Primeval elders rigorously examined the Merit Ledgers brought from across the heavens.

Only those who had spread word of good deeds, restored spiritual veins, or protected ordinary people during the recent period could earn the right to pass through the Southern Heavenly Gate and enter the Canglan Realm to hear the Dao.

"Supreme Mystery True Lord restored three hundred dead mining stars in the Ziwei Star Domain, established Daoist altars throughout the region to spread Xuanmen's true teachings, and accumulated one hundred thousand points of Heavenly Dao merit. Permission to enter the Southern Heaven Gate granted!"

"Netherworld Blood Emperor founded the Asura Teaching, slew twelve thousand wicked demons, quelled the blood sea's turmoil, and accumulated one hundred and twenty thousand points of Heavenly Dao merit. Permission to enter the Southern Heaven Gate granted!"

"Tu Shanye founded the Demon Teaching, restrained its myriad demons from preying on the mortal world, rescued thirty disaster-stricken Minor Thousand Worlds, and accumulated one hundred and fifty thousand points of Heavenly Dao merit. Permission to enter the Southern Heaven Gate granted!"

The resounding proclamations echoed before the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Whenever a sect leader's merits were read aloud and he was permitted to cross the Southern Heaven Gate, golden light from the Heavenly Dao descended beside him and cleansed his soul.

This order, which tied merit to the right of entry, instilled a reverence deep in the souls of cultivators across the universe—and an obsession with heeding heaven, serving the people, and doing good.

At the top of the Southern Heavenly Gate's long steps.

Lin Qiye stood beside the great white-jade gate like a towering mountain, a Broken Sword on his back and a coarse blue robe on his shoulders.

The Heavenly Eye Talisman Seal lay dormant deep in his forehead. Within him, the second level of the Eight-Nine Profound Art had fused perfectly with the Merit Divine Runes appearing across his body, giving off a heaven-subduing pressure that none could ignore.

"Holy Son Qiye."

Supreme Mystery True Lord and Netherworld Blood Emperor crossed the threshold of the Southern Heavenly Gate. Upon seeing Lin Qiye, neither dared act the slightest bit arrogant. Both bowed with utmost courtesy.

"You're too courteous, sect leaders." Lin Qiye returned the greeting, his expression calm. "Once you enter the Canglan Realm, we are all fellow practitioners of Xuanmen. Please take your seats on Primeval Main Peak."

"Thank you, Holy Son!"

The great powers of the heavens looked past Lin Qiye at the boundless Canglan Realm, where faint outlines of magnificent palaces appeared and vanished amid the immortal mist. Fervor and reverence filled their eyes.

Order had been established. An age of prosperity had begun.

Yet at the heart of this glorious scene, a barely perceptible trace of contemplation crossed Lin Qiye's brow.

He watched the great powers pass through the Southern Heavenly Gate and saw the peaceful golden light of merit filling the world. Unbidden, he recalled the lofty, all-seeing voice of Dao Ancestor Hongjun in Zixiao Palace that day:

"The Heavenly Dao turns; yin and yang give rise to each other. What reaches its peak must decline, and karma runs its course..."

"Right now, everyone across the heavens is curbing the urge to kill and doing good to accumulate merit," Lin Qiye murmured, resting a hand on the Broken Sword at his back. "But cultivators draw in the world's spiritual qi. By their very nature, they take from the Heavenly Dao's source. If everyone seeks eternal life, if no one ever falls... one day, the universe will be unable to bear the burden."

"When this peace built on merit reaches its limit, how will the next Calamity Cycle descend?"

In the quiet, peaceful Library Pavilion on the mountain behind the Primeval Xuanmen.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows across a plain wooden desk.

Su Chen still wore his faded blue robe. He leaned back in his chair at ease, long fingers resting on the corner of the desk while steam curled from the spiritual tea in his cup.

Before him, on the system panel within his sea of consciousness, his Karma Points were soaring at a staggering rate!

[Available Karma Points]: 32,600,000... 35,000,000... 38,000,000...

Whenever one of the countless beings or powerful cultivators across the heavens did a good deed, restored a region of the world, or felt even a shred of reverence and Faith toward Heavenly Court and Xuanmen, an immense share of the resulting karma crossed the stars and flowed to Su Chen.

It was an account of worship and worldly karma vast beyond measure.

"Lin Qiye's understanding is getting sharper by the day."

Sensing the thought that had crossed Lin Qiye's mind before the Southern Heavenly Gate, Su Chen smiled with warm satisfaction.

Lin Qiye was absolutely right.

No fish lived in water too clear. Order taken to its extreme would breed a new rigidity.

Immortal cultivators lived forever, taking without giving. One day, the world's spiritual qi would run dry. If no one ever died, the Heavenly Dao would grind to a halt. That ran entirely counter to the underlying logic of the unified Primordial Heavenly Dao.

"The physical Southern Heavenly Gate is in place, and the framework for the myriad worlds' pilgrimage is ready."

Su Chen set down his teacup and brushed a speck of dust from his blue robe. An unfathomable light flashed deep in his eyes.

"But what kind of Heavenly Court has a grand entrance and no immortal officials or gods inside to carry out the Heavenly Dao's duties and govern the mountains and rivers of the heavens?"

"Can Ji Changkong and Lin Qiye handle the rising and setting of suns across countless star domains, the wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and the cycle of life and death?"

The Heavenly Court now resembled a vast empire with a magnificent facade but no one to fill its essential posts. All Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Orthodox God Positions stood empty!

Someone had to govern wind and rain. Someone had to wield thunder and oversee conduct. Someone had to guard the stars, mountains, and rivers!

But would those lofty Tribulation Transcendence Stage old monsters and Primordial Sect Masters, accustomed to doing as they pleased, willingly "take jobs" in the Heavenly Court and submit to its laws and restrictions for nothing?

Of course not.

No one wanted a shackle above their head that could punish them at any moment.

Unless... the Heavenly Dao sent down a killing calamity that left them no choice!

"When order runs too smoothly, a killing calamity follows."

Su Chen narrowed his eyes and opened an entry on the system's sixth-tier exchange list. He had prepared this supreme mythic formation, the bridge to what came next, long ago:

[Concept to Evolve: Heaven-and-Earth Killing Calamity and Shortage of Divine Positions (Heavenly Dao Rule Level)] [Description]: Inject the rule of the "Investiture of the Gods Calamity" into the foundations of the Heavenly Dao. Because the powerful across the heavens avoid calamity and do good, the world's killing intent has been suppressed, only to settle into a "Karmic Killing Calamity." Divine positions in the Three Realms stand vacant. The Heavenly Dao will use the calamity to select true souls and confer divine positions! [Karma Points Cost]: 10,000,000.

[Physical Manifestation: Ancient Era Supreme Treasures—the Investiture of the Gods List and God-Striking Whip (Supreme Heavenly Dao Treasure Level)] [Description]: A supreme heavenly register and a treasure of punishment formed by the Heavenly Dao's power of creation. They can be hung above the Southern Heavenly Gate. Any cultivator or great power who falls in the killing calamity while their true soul remains intact can have a strand of that soul drawn into the Investiture of the Gods List and be appointed a "Heavenly Court Orthodox Deity." They will enjoy the worship of the myriad worlds and eternal divine life, but will forever be bound by the God-Striking Whip and Heavenly Court's laws! [Karma Points Cost]: 15,000,000.

Together, the two extraordinary entries cost a full twenty-five million Karma Points!

It was a staggering fortune, enough to create another mid-sized Great Thousand World!

But Su Chen did not hesitate.

"The Investiture of the Gods List will take its place, and the killing calamity will emerge!"

"Deduct twenty-five million Karma Points. Begin manifesting—the [Investiture of the Gods List]!"

Boom!

The instant he gave the command, twenty-five million Karma Points vanished from the depths of his sea of consciousness. They became a flood of supreme purple-gold radiance of the Heavenly Dao that surged into the underlying fabric of the physical universe!

In the Canglan Realm, above the nine heavens, before the physical Southern Heavenly Gate.

Under Ji Changkong and Lin Qiye's guidance, the great powers of the heavens were passing through the gate in orderly fashion.

Suddenly!

Hum!

A supreme roar of the Heavenly Dao, impossible to describe and laden with merciless killing intent, erupted without warning directly above the Southern Heavenly Gate!

The sky changed!

The purple-gold clouds of merit that had filled the heavens took on a thick, eerily dark-gold hue!

Deep within those dark-gold clouds, the Laws of the Great Dao, which had been running smoothly, suddenly turned razor-sharp and violent! A murderous aura beyond even the Heavenly Dao of the Canglan Realm hung over the heads of every cultivator across the heavens like an ancient divine sword!

"What's happening?! Why are the laws of heaven and earth suddenly filled with killing intent?!"

Supreme Mystery True Lord shuddered violently. His hand went to the sword at his waist, and his expression changed at once!

Netherworld Blood Emperor of the Heavenly Demon Great Realm and Patriarch Tu Shanye of the Primordial Demon Realm went rigid. Terror and vigilance blazed in their deep-set eyes.

They could clearly feel the Merit Golden Light within them, once so steady, begin to tremble violently under that dark-gold murderous aura!

"Look! Something's descending above the Southern Heavenly Gate!"

A Tribulation Transcendence patriarch from an Ancient Era clan cried out, pointing overhead.

Countless living beings stared, stunned and trembling.

Directly above the Southern Heavenly Gate's immense white-jade plaque, the void collapsed into a boundless rift in the Great Dao.

A golden scroll woven from the fabric of chaos and creation slowly descended from the rift. Ancient stars and profound divine script flowed across its surface as it came to hang vertically on the gate's right side!

The golden scroll stretched a thousand zhang, radiating the supreme authority of a heavenly register capable of subduing three thousand Great Thousand Worlds. At its top, four forceful ancient characters, imbued with the Heavenly Dao's supreme order, began to shine with dazzling immortal light—

[Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking]!

To the left of the [Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking], space split open again.

A heavy divine whip, three feet and three inches long, floated motionless in the void. Black and gold from end to end, it was divided into twenty-one sections, each engraved with four ancient Heavenly Dao talisman seals!

The whip radiated a supreme authority that could suppress cultivators' souls, shatter immortal bodies, and punish gods!

It was none other than the God-Striking Whip!

One ranking and one whip stood to either side of the Southern Heavenly Gate, holding the universe in check!

"The... Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking?! The God-Striking Whip?!"

Ji Changkong stared at the golden scroll and black-gold whip beside the Southern Heavenly Gate. His soul trembled, and the words escaped him.

Lin Qiye stepped forward. Deep in his forehead, the Heavenly Eye Talisman Seal opened of its own accord, sending a dazzling beam of dark-gold light straight toward the [Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking]!

Hum!

In Lin Qiye's Heavenly Eye vision—and in the celestial vision cast across the heavens—

The [Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking] hanging beside the Southern Heavenly Gate slowly unfurled its first page in the void!

Across the vast golden surface were listed all Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Blessed Prosperity Orthodox God Positions of the Heavenly Court!

[Eight Divisions of Orthodox Deities: The four upper divisions are Thunder, Fire, Stars, and Pestilence; the four lower divisions are Mountains, Waters, Tai Sui, and the Four Seasons!]

[Orthodox Deities of the Stars: The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits, and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends!]

[Mountains and Rivers: Orthodox Deities of the Five Sacred Mountains, Dragon Gods of the Four Great Rivers, and Land and Underworld Orthodox Deities of the Ten Directions!]

Beneath every divine position lay a glaring blank space!

Then, from above the scroll, a cold, immense voice of the Great Dao—one that seemed to pierce a thousand ages—burst through every inch of space across the star domains:

"The Great Dao turns; yin and yang succeed each other."

"Cultivators across the heavens take from the Heavenly Dao. Though they have accumulated great merit, the karma of heaven and earth remains unsettled. The killing calamity shall emerge!"

"Heavenly Court has just been established, and its divine positions stand vacant. The Heavenly Dao now sends down the [Investiture of the Gods Calamity]!"

"All cultivators who enter this killing calamity: those who survive shall advance far along the Immortal Dao and attain immortal fruition. Those who fail shall die and lose their Dao; their true souls shall enter the [Investiture of the Gods List]. They shall be appointed Heavenly Court Orthodox Deities, serve at the command of the God-Striking Whip, enjoy the worship of the myriad worlds, and live forever as gods!"

Boom!

The heavenly voice rolled through all the heavens!

Those words struck like a hundred ancient stars exploding at once. Every powerful figure in the Three Great Star Domains and Thirty-Seven Great Thousand Worlds went blank with shock, utterly unable to move!

The Investiture of the Gods Calamity!

Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Orthodox God Positions in Heavenly Court!

Those who survived would attain immortal fruition, while those who failed would die, have their true souls entered on the ranking, and be appointed Heavenly Court Orthodox Deities?!

"What... what does this mean?!"

Supreme Mystery True Lord swayed violently. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he shouted in terror and disbelief:

"The Heavenly Dao... has sent down a killing calamity?!"

"We've been doing good and accumulating merit! Why would it still send down a killing calamity?!"

Netherworld Blood Emperor sucked in a sharp breath. He stared at the God-Striking Whip on the scroll, his voice shaking:

"Those entered on the ranking... their true souls go into it after death, and they become Heavenly Court Orthodox Deities? They gain eternal divine life... but must obey the God-Striking Whip and Heavenly Court's laws forever?!"

"What kind of blessing is that? The Heavenly Dao is clearly forcing three hundred and sixty-five powerful cultivators from among us to fill Heavenly Court's divine positions!!"

He had laid the secret bare!