Beginning to Understand His Uncle

The Jade Emperor froze.

He clearly had not expected Tongtian to behave like this.

He was quite polite, without the slightest air of overbearing force.

And he had brought Yang Chan and Yang Jian along.

Only after drawing a deep breath did the Jade Emperor rise and cup his fists. "Haotian greets the Saint."

Though Tongtian was a Saint, he was the Lord of the Heavenly Court, and naturally could not appear servile.

Besides, Tongtian had spoken first and paid his respects. Coming from a Saint, that was already giving him more than enough face.

Haotian had secured his position as ruler of the Three Realms; naturally, he was no useless fool.

Respect went both ways.

Since Tongtian had given him face, he naturally chose to return the courtesy.

"No need to stand on ceremony, Jade Emperor. I'm sure your family has things to discuss."

"I'll go have a chat with my second elder brother first."

"Don't mind me."

With that, Tongtian smiled and withdrew from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Once Tongtian left, Haotian looked at the boy and girl before him and could not help sighing.

With Tongtian gone, he no longer needed to put on an act.

"Yang Jian, Yang Chan, you two... ah!"

"Your family really never gives me a moment's peace."

"What a mess this has become. Thank goodness the Interception Sect intervened, or it really would have been all over."

Helplessness covered the Jade Emperor's face. Looking at his nephew and niece, he found himself at a loss for words.

Even so, Yang Jian had begun to understand a little. What Tongtian, the venerable sect leader, had said was probably right.

His family had been set up by the Chan Sect.

"May I ask, Jade Emperor, what exactly happened?"

"I can no longer tell who's telling the truth and who's lying."

"Who, exactly, is my enemy?"

That was also what Yang Jian most wanted to figure out.

At present, Yang Jian's head was filled with thoughts of revenge, but the problem was that he had no idea who his enemy actually was!

He had originally thought it was the Jade Emperor, but as he learned more, it had now become the Chan Sect.

The whole affair had left Yang Jian utterly bewildered.

Who, exactly, was telling the truth?

In later years, Yang Jian possessed unrivaled cunning and a keen grasp of the bigger picture.

But right now, stripped of everything else, he was only a twelve-year-old child.

Especially when it came to matters involving the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect, the stakes were far too vast. Without enough knowledge and experience, even unrivaled cunning meant nothing.

Hearing Yang Jian's words, the Jade Emperor Haotian sighed, then began to speak.

"Normally, matters like these aren't something a boy your age should know about. But I also know that if I don't explain things clearly, I may truly end up hurting those dear to me and delighting my enemies."

"Your mother, Fairy Yunhua, is my younger sister. But her cultivation and strength of resolve were insufficient, so the splendor of the mortal world naturally dazzled her eyes."

"And you've seen the Heavenly Court's current state: just two or three cats, big and small. My title as Lord of the Heavenly Court merely sounds impressive. That was also the cause of the Investiture Calamity."

"Naturally, all my thoughts during this period have been devoted to preparing for the Investiture Calamity, so I neglected Yun Hua."

"I never expected Yun Hua to fall victim to the Chan Sect's scheme. And because of the tribulation aura, even I failed to notice."

"One day in heaven is one year below. By the time I realized what was happening, the two of you had already grown up."

"I am, after all, the Lord of the Heavenly Court. Through my own divinations, I learned of the Chan Sect's scheme. But I couldn't openly bring your family up here, so naturally, I could only do it under the pretext of arresting you."

"But that father of yours, that Chan Sect lackey, was far too ruthless. He actually used his own death and your eldest brother's to stir your family's resolve to resist me."

"What you may not know, however, is that because your father had rendered service to the Chan Sect, his soul never entered the Netherworld after his death. Instead, the Chan Sect brought him back to life, and he has now become a Chan Sect Disciple."

"As for imprisoning your mother beneath Peach Mountain, there's really nothing to it when you get down to it. She's my younger sister, after all. I couldn't let the Chan Sect keep using her, could I?"

"As for the two of you, I had no way to help. As the Lord of the Heavenly Court, I couldn't act personally. I do have a few people under me, but none of them are a match for Yu Ding Zhenren."

"So we all have to thank the Interception Sect. Otherwise, once you joined the Chan Sect and spent every day among those people, after enough time had passed, I doubt you'd believe the truth even if someone told you."

The circumstances now differed from the original story.

Under normal circumstances, the Jade Emperor would never have told Yang Jian any of this.

But Yang Jian was still young now and had not joined the Chan Sect, so naturally, it no longer mattered.

After hearing the whole story from beginning to end, Yang Jian finally fell completely silent.

He had begun to understand the Jade Emperor.

That really was how it was.

Faced with the Chan Sect's sudden move, the utterly unprepared Jade Emperor had already accomplished something remarkably difficult by coming this far.

Imprisoning his mother had merely been a way to protect her.

Now Yang Jian truly understood the Jade Emperor. After all, once he knew everything, he also felt that his mother had indeed been rather foolish.

Just thinking about it, how could an ordinary immortal maiden possibly fall in love with a mortal?

That was abnormal in itself.

Especially now that he had joined the Interception Sect, success in cultivation was inevitable, and it would inevitably demand long stretches of his life in exchange.

After all, to become powerful, one had to cultivate without cease.

And once one immersed oneself in cultivation, decades or centuries could pass at a time.

Under such circumstances, would he choose a mortal as his wife?

Cultivate for a little while, then wake up to find that his wife had died of old age? What kind of joke was that?

Thus, Yang Jian now also felt it would be better not to release his mother before the Investiture Calamity ended.

Otherwise, if the Chan Sect managed to scheme against his mother again at the most crucial moment, things would really become a spectacle.

By now, Yang Jian and his sister had let go of all their hatred toward the Jade Emperor.

"Now, can you call me Uncle?" the Jade Emperor asked with a smile.

Yang Jian and Yang Chan exchanged a glance. "Your nephew and niece greet you, Uncle!"

Meanwhile, outside the South Heaven Gate.

The entire Heavenly Court was now completely enveloped by the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

Tongtian stood outside the sword formation.

Looking at Yuanshi's dark expression not far away, he could not help revealing a faint smile.

"So it's my second elder brother. What a rare sight."

"Why aren't you staying properly in your Jade Void Palace today? What brings you running to the Heavenly Court?"

"Could it be that you're afraid I'll stab you in the back?"

"But don't worry, second elder brother. I, Tongtian, have always acted openly and honorably. Even if I stab someone, I'll only do it from the front!"

Tongtian spoke with righteous conviction.

He had no desire now to play at brotherly affection with Yuanshi.

They had already torn their robes and severed their bonds, and now, in particular, they were in the midst of the Investiture Calamity.

The two of them were enemies!

Tongtian might be ruthless, but had Yuanshi not been ruthless when he gathered the Four Saints and forced him to sign the Investiture of the Gods List?

Since he had an opportunity to suppress the Chan Sect, why shouldn't Tongtian take it?

As for provoking Yuanshi, that was even more absurd. Was Tongtian supposed to be afraid of him?