The Thirty-Three Heavens, Heavenly Court.
Lingxiao Treasure Hall.
The hall, once wreathed in Immortal Qi, majestic and solemn, now held only deathly silence.
The Haotian Jade Emperor sat on the Dragon Throne, his expression dark as still water, his fingers tapping soundlessly against the armrest.
Every tap made the hearts of the Immortals and Gods below tighten.
The Yaochi Golden Mother sat beside him, her expression equally grim, gloom churning in her phoenix eyes.
Below, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Thunder Department True God, the Fire Department Gods, the Plague Department True Gods, and the other Heavenly Court True Gods all stood with their heads bowed, not daring even to breathe loudly.
The oppressive atmosphere had reached its peak.
Just moments ago, Yin Jiao's declaration that Humanity would no longer revere the gods, but honor only itself and the deity of the Ruined Temple, had struck every immortal and god in Heavenly Court like a vicious slap across the face.
Immediately afterward, they had discovered, to their horror, something far more terrifying than losing face.
"Reporting to Your Majesty..."
An avatar of Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, braced himself and stepped forward.
He was merely a projection of his divine office, compelled by the Investiture of the Gods List to attend to his duties in the hall.
Now, his voice was dry as he said, "I... I just inspected Heavenly Court's treasury and discovered... discovered that the incense offerings and vow power offered up from the mortal world have... been cut off."
Cut off.
As those words fell, every immortal and god in the hall changed expression.
Incense offerings and vow power were one of the foundations of the Heavenly Court gods' strength.
This was especially true of the Post-Heaven True Gods invested