The Calamity of Slaughter Descends; The Heavens' Mighty Figures Face Terror and Choice

Before the Southern Heavenly Gate, the silence was deathly.

A thousand zhang overhead, the Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking slowly unfurled. Its Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Orthodox God Positions stood empty and gleaming gold, radiating a supreme authority both terrifying and exalted against the dark-gold clouds of calamity.

The God-Striking Whip hovered motionless to its left. Twenty-one ancient runes shimmered along its length, and even the faintest trace of its lingering power made the souls of Half-Step Human Immortals like Ji Changkong and Supreme Mystery True Lord ache.

It was an instrument of Heavenly Dao punishment, born to restrain cultivators' true spirits and command the gods of heaven.

"The Heavenly Dao... what a ruthless scheme!"

Supreme Mystery True Lord, master of the Supreme Mystery Immortal Sect in the Ziwei Star Domain, collapsed to the ground in a daze. Every trace of his former immortal bearing had vanished as he muttered:

"We've cultivated for ten thousand years seeking transcendence, seeking boundless freedom!"

"If we enter the Investiture of the Gods List, our true spirits will endure and we'll enjoy divine lifespans sustained by the worship of countless worlds... but we'll spend eternity under the God-Striking Whip, subject to the Heavenly Court's laws and orders, without a shred of freedom!"

"For those who seek the Dao, that's worse than death!"

"But if we refuse to enter the list..." Netherworld Blood Emperor, the First Demon Emperor of the Heavenly Demon Great Realm, picked up where he left off. His face was grim, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched. "Then we must carve a bloody path through the Investiture of the Gods Calamity that's upon us! Survive it, and we attain immortality. Fail... and we won't even qualify for the list. We'll simply be wiped from existence!"

For a moment, every mighty figure waiting before the Southern Heavenly Gate turned deathly pale.

Fear!

A new sense of suffocation, one that gripped their very souls and fates, engulfed them all.

Until now, they had believed that by following Primordial Xuanmen, doing good deeds, and accumulating merit, they could safely avoid the Calamity Cycle and live forever.

But the sudden appearance of the Investiture of the Gods List laid the cruel truth bare before them—

The Heavenly Court had vacant positions. The Heavenly Dao was reclaiming its authority!

Heaven and earth had no need for a crowd of "free and unfettered immortals" who only took and never gave. They needed "Heavenly Court officials" to govern the seasons, summon clouds and rain, and guard the mountains, rivers, and stars!

Any cultivator caught in the calamity would either withstand it through strength and merit and remain a free immortal, or fall within it, have his true spirit enter the list, and obediently "work" for the Heavenly Court!

"Holy Son..."

Ji Changkong turned to Lin Qiye, his face grave and his voice trembling:

"Now that the Investiture of the Gods Calamity has descended... are the disciples of Primordial Xuanmen caught in it too?"

At those words, Supreme Mystery True Lord, Netherworld Blood Emperor, Patriarch Tu Shanye, and even the unaffiliated Canghai Old Daoist all fixed their anxious gazes on Lin Qiye!

With Broken Sword on his back, Lin Qiye stood in coarse hemp robes that snapped in the dark-gold winds of the calamity.

Divine light blazed from the Heavenly Eye deep within his forehead. He stared at the Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking beside the Southern Heavenly Gate while driving the Eight-Nine Profound Art in his mind to its limit.

Feeling the pure will of an ancient war god and the divine patterns of merit within him, Lin Qiye drew a deep breath. His cool, commanding voice rang across the long steps of the Southern Heavenly Gate:

"Calamity comes upon heaven and earth; each is bound by his own karma."

"Those rich in merit remain untouched by the calamity. Those of lesser roots attain the Immortal Dao; those lesser still attain the divine path. Those with no roots are reduced to ashes!"

"Such is the impartiality of the Heavenly Dao!"

Lin Qiye slowly turned, his knife-sharp gaze sweeping over every mighty figure present:

"Leaders of the teachings, there is no need to panic."

"The Dao Ancestor's method of Proving the Dao Through Merit was no empty promise. The Heavenly Dao merit you have accumulated is your strongest protection in this calamity!"

"Those protected by merit retain clarity of mind and are less likely to be blinded by the calamity's baleful qi. Even if you are plotted against and killed, that merit can preserve your true spirit and grant you priority to enter the Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking, where you may be appointed to an exalted orthodox god position!"

After hearing Lin Qiye's explanation, the panic in the eyes of the once-desperate leaders finally eased a little. In its place came a complicated mixture of understanding and relief.

"So that's it... That's what merit is for!"

Supreme Mystery True Lord slapped his thigh, his eyes flashing:

"With merit protecting us, even if we die fighting in the calamity, our true spirits will survive. We can become gods in the Heavenly Court and receive worship instead of being erased completely!"

"But those vicious fiends who never earn merit and do whatever they please will truly die in the calamity. They won't even qualify for the Investiture of the Gods List!"

Netherworld Blood Emperor gave a savage laugh, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes:

"I understand! I finally understand!"

"Since the calamity cannot be avoided, I'll lead the Asura Teaching to slay the wicked fiends who earn no merit and harbor evil intentions!"

"Killing them will clear away Heaven and Earth Baleful Qi and earn merit while helping us survive the calamity! Two gains with one stroke!"

"Yes! Slay the wicked! Survive the calamity! Earn merit!"

Patriarch Tu Shanye and Canghai Old Daoist joined in, their eyes once more blazing with conviction and fervor!

The Investiture of the Gods Calamity could have plunged the entire universe into chaos. Yet Lin Qiye's explanation, grounded in the logic of the Heavenly Dao, did not shatter the order of the worlds. Instead, it gave every great power an even more fearsome drive—

Do good, earn merit, slay wicked fiends, and seize the advantage in the calamity!

Seeing order return before the gate—and the assembled powers grow even more disciplined in battle—Ji Changkong quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Lin Qiye with admiration.

But as Lin Qiye gazed at the motionless Investiture of the Gods List and God-Striking Whip, the solemnity in his heart did not lessen.

He knew all too well that the true Investiture of the Gods Calamity had only revealed the tip of the iceberg.

The struggle for the Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Orthodox God Positions would, in the days to come, become a vast contest spanning the Three Great Star Domains and dozens of great worlds!

Behind the grand spectacle of worlds in turmoil and the first signs of calamity...

In the quiet Library Pavilion on the rear mountain of Primordial Xuanmen, in the Canglan Realm...

Su Chen leaned back in his chair, listening to another explosive surge of system notifications in his mind. An inscrutable smile played on his lips as he surveyed the whole affair.

[Ding!] The Investiture of the Gods Heavenly Ranking and God-Striking Whip have been successfully manifested! The concepts of "Investiture of the Gods Calamity," "Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Orthodox God Positions," "True Spirit Entering the List," and "God-Beating Whip Punishment" have been forcibly written into the foundations of the Heavenly Dao across the worlds!

[The course of the universe has shifted completely!] The teachings across the worlds are now consumed by the desire to "accumulate merit and survive the calamity"! The legitimacy and authority of the "Heavenly Court official system" have reached 100% (beyond question)!

[Karma Points surging!] Karmic feedback from the fear of the Investiture of the Gods Calamity and the struggle for positions among the powers of the worlds: +8,000,000 points! Feedback from the changes to the teachings' rules of combat: +12,000,000 points!

[Congratulations, host. Total available Karma Points: 32,600,000!]

After the twenty-five million spent on manifestation was deducted, his vast reserve had rapidly replenished itself, climbing back above thirty-two million!

More importantly, with the Investiture of the Gods List, Su Chen had bound the lives, fates, and futures of every powerful being in the universe to the Heavenly Court system he had built.

From now on, whoever lived or died, whoever attained the Dao or entered the list... all the rewards and power would ultimately belong to him, the mastermind sitting in the Library Pavilion!

Su Chen lifted the Spirit Tea from the table and took a sip. The vast river of stars reflected in his gentle eyes:

"The Southern Heavenly Gate stands. The Investiture of the Gods List hangs in place. The teachings have spread, and Lin Qiye, my agent, has grown into his role."

"Next... it's time for Lin Qiye to carry the edict of the Investiture of the Gods List beyond the Canglan Realm and begin the supreme epic of conquering the worlds and appointing their gods."

Su Chen set down his cup, brushed off his blue robes, and looked on with eyes as calm as water.