The Jade Emperor spoke with steady assurance, and Tongtian naturally had no objections.
His soul had come from a later age in the first place. As far as he was concerned, everything was negotiable as long as no one exploited him.
As for the notion that a sage had to stand high above everyone else, Tongtian had no interest in that at all.
All he wanted was to live freely and unfettered. He truly did not care much about governing the Three Realms or standing above everyone else.
"No problem. Let me state my bottom line first."
"The Heavenly Court is the ruler of the Three Realms. Everyone in the Interception Sect will abide by its laws. If the Jade Emperor issues an assignment, everyone in the Interception Sect must comply and obey unconditionally."
"My Interception Sect asks for only one thing: freedom, and equality."
"We must not be bound by the Investiture of the Gods List, nor have our true spirits controlled by others. If the Interception Sect has done no wrong or has been falsely accused, we have the right to refuse."
After hearing Tongtian's words, the Jade Emperor thought for a moment, then nodded his agreement.
There was absolutely no problem!
Tongtian's demands were not excessive. If anything, they were rather modest.
After all, the Interception Sect was one of the great sects of the Primordial World. Ten thousand immortals paying court was no mere empty boast.
In a head-on confrontation, even if the Chan Sect and the Western Teachings joined forces, the Interception Sect could firmly suppress them both as long as the sages did not intervene.
Such an enormous force was actually willing to recognize the Heavenly Court as the legitimate authority. That alone left the Jade Emperor thoroughly satisfied.
Not to mention that Tongtian seemed to have no desire whatsoever for power over the Three Realms.
"Saint Tongtian, wouldn't this be somewhat unfair to the Interception Sect?" the Jade Emperor could not help asking.
Tongtian shook his head. "The Interception Sect has no interest in governing the Three Realms, much less meddling in their affairs. We seek only freedom and everlasting life."
"Besides, there are some bastards in the Interception Sect who need to be weeded out. Without a compass and square, you cannot draw circles and squares."
After Tongtian and the Jade Emperor reached an agreement, their conversation naturally became thoroughly pleasant.
It was from this moment onward that the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect officially formed an alliance.
The Jade Emperor even swore a great oath directly to the Heavenly Dao.
"Today, I, Haotian, swear to the Heavenly Dao that the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect shall be brothers. Everything shall follow the rules we have agreed upon. Otherwise, may heavenly tribulation descend upon me and reduce me to ashes."
Seeing this, Tongtian wasted no words either.
"Today, I, Tongtian, swear to the Heavenly Dao that the Interception Sect and the Heavenly Court shall forever follow the rules we have just established. Otherwise, may the Interception Sect crumble, and may my soul be utterly scattered!"
Rumble!
As the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Court spoke, lightning flashed across the firmament. Then celestial music rang out, and purple qi came from the east.
In an instant, a thick stream of heavenly merit split into four portions. The two largest poured into the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect, while the two slightly smaller streams of Heavenly Dao merit flowed directly into the bodies of the Jade Emperor and Tongtian.
The alliance between the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect reduced slaughter and rendered a service to the Heavenly Dao.
Naturally, Heavenly Dao merit descended as a result.
This sight shook the entire Primordial World.
Heavenly Dao merit had not descended in a very long time. Many people had even forgotten such a thing existed.
But now, everyone shuddered and involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air.
What everyone found even harder to accept was that the fortunes of both the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect suddenly surged by a considerable amount.
Previously, the Interception Sect's fortune had been far weaker than the Chan Sect's, and tribulation aura had clung to it from head to toe. Now, however, everything had changed.
The tribulation aura surrounding the Interception Sect had dwindled until it was almost invisible.
Its fortune, on the other hand, had grown considerably stronger, even rising slightly above the Chan Sect's.
Zixiao Palace.
Hongjun's eyelid twitched, and his gaze suddenly grew profoundly deep.
"This Investiture Calamity is becoming harder and harder to fathom."
"We are only at the beginning of the Investiture Calamity, yet so many interesting things have already happened."
"That fellow Tongtian is rather interesting. Even I can no longer quite see through him."
"Although this has strayed from what this old Daoist originally envisioned, it can hardly be called a bad thing."
"Forget it. I won't interfere."
After muttering to himself for a while, Hongjun shook his head with a sigh and went straight into secluded cultivation.
Nuwa Palace.
Nuwa's brows were slightly furrowed. Clearly, she was somewhat taken aback as well.
After all, things had not been this lively in many years.
She increasingly felt that this Investiture Calamity was becoming more and more interesting.
Still, she had no other intentions. After all, the Investiture Calamity had nothing to do with her Nuwa Palace.
She had only a handful of attendants and outer disciples, and no personal disciples at all.
The Demon Race had also suffered devastating losses in the earlier Shaman-Demon Calamity. Now, only two or three cats, big and small, remained.
Thus, she paid no attention whatsoever to the grand tides of heaven and earth.
They could do whatever they pleased!
The Western Teachings.
Zhunti and Jieyin looked grim, their faces so dark they seemed ready to drip water.
The Investiture Calamity was becoming increasingly unfathomable to them both.
They had agreed to ally with the Chan Sect against the Interception Sect precisely because they already considered the Interception Sect too powerful.
After all, only when the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect fought to the death would the Western Teachings have an opening to invade the Primordial World.
But the problem now was that none of the Western Teachings' and the Chan Sect's schemes had shaken the Interception Sect's might, with its ten thousand immortals paying court.
Instead, the Chan Sect had suffered heavy losses, and its fortune had fallen considerably.
Now that the Interception Sect had reached an agreement with the Heavenly Court, its fortune had soared yet again.
Under these circumstances, there was simply no way the Western Teachings would be given any opportunity.
"Senior brother, what should we do?"
"Don't worry. Yuanshi is more anxious than either of us."
"You mean..."
"I doubt it will be long before the Chan Sect comes seeking an alliance with us."
West Kunlun, Jade Void Palace.
The Primordial Heavenly Venerable's face was dark, and his entire body trembled with anger.
He had never imagined that Tongtian would become so cunning.
Not only had Tongtian seen through his true intentions, but he had even struck back directly, showing no regard whatsoever for their brotherly bond.
The Chan Sect was now in grave danger, beset by troubles within and threats without.
If he could not come up with a solution soon, they would truly be in trouble.
He had to lay his plans as quickly as possible.
With that thought, he first sent a message to Jiang Ziya, ordering him to report on the situation.
As a Heavenly Dao Sage, planting a communication talisman on a disciple's body was a simple matter for him.
Upon receiving Saint Tongtian's message, Jiang Ziya hurriedly spoke.
"Reporting to the sect master: King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang, is being detained in Yin Shang's Chaoge."
"I have already established contact with Ji Fa and become the grand preceptor of Xiqi."
"Xiqi does indeed intend to rebel, but Yin Shang has too many experts, and Ji Chang is being held in Xiqi as well."
"Thus, I hope you can send powerful experts to Xiqi as soon as possible and find a way to rescue Ji Chang. Otherwise, Ji Fa will not dare rebel."
Yuanshi slowly nodded and said that he would send powerful experts to Xiqi as soon as possible.
After giving another instruction or two, he began contacting Shen Gongbao.
There were too few Chan Sect Disciples now. They could not possibly act yet, or their losses would be too great.
Thus, he hoped Shen Gongbao might have made some new gains.
If Shen Gongbao could persuade some Jie Sect Disciples to enter Xiqi and rebel against Yin Shang, things would become amusing.
The Interception Sect would fight the Interception Sect, while his Chan Sect sat back and reaped the fisherman's reward.
How wonderful would that be?
But while the vision was beautiful, reality was brutally cruel.
Before you continue