Was I ready?
Honestly, no. I didn't even know what preparations I needed to make to face all the challenges I might encounter, but...
I refused to remain a Great Heavenly Venerable in name alone. I refused to let all the Heavenly Court's power fall into the hands of the Ancestral Bear and Ao Yue. I refused to suffer here while they lived carefree lives outside. So, even knowing the danger, I was still willing to stake everything on a gamble and see whether Master truly would leave me to my fate.
If he would, I had nothing to say. If he wouldn't, then even if the Witch Race and the Western Religion both bore a grudge against me, I had nothing to fear.
Of course, Haotian would never tell Jade Pool that Donghua had taken the Haotian Pagoda and would expose himself the moment he used it. I really hadn't thought of that before. I'd expected it to come to light someday, but certainly not today.
Still... it didn't matter anymore. The deed was done. Now all I could do was wait for the outcome.
"Whew..." With that thought, Haotian took a deep breath, then shook his head at Jade Pool. Holding her hand, he reassured her, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Jade Pool: "..."
How was I supposed to stop worrying?
Elsewhere.
To let Luo Hou clearly see how badly wounded it was, Gungun had not flashed straight to Shouyang Mountain to see Laozi. Instead, it rode in a litter carried by eight Witch Followers, so its progress was relatively slow. Even now, it was still on the road.
About an incense stick's worth of time passed. Suddenly, Gungun sensed something beneath its blanket and frowned. Then it addressed Laozi's two young Daoist attendants walking alongside