This Life, I, Tongtian, Will Never Enter the Investiture of the Gods!! Hongjun: Are You Insane?

As the saying went, red blossoms, white lotus roots, green lotus leaves—the Three Teachings had originally been one family.

Under Hongjun's "far-sighted planning," the Three Pure Ones turning against each other and splitting apart had been inevitable, a trend dictated by the Primordial World's greater destiny.

But...

Not now, damn it!

Just as Hongjun was nursing a headache over how to break this deadlock, he saw Tongtian return to his peak state and become capable of setting up the Immortal-Slaying Formation again. He was overjoyed.

After all, he still needed Tongtian to resolve the Witch-Demon deadlock!

How could he allow the Three Pure Ones to break up and fall out at such a critical moment?

Of course not!

"Master!"

Taiqing and Yuanshi both revealed delighted expressions upon hearing Hongjun's voice.

Tongtian, on the other hand, had a livid face, veins bulging on his forehead. Though he was gritting his teeth in fury, a master's command could not be defied, nor could the Dao Ancestor's decree be overturned!

"Phew—"

Only after a long while did Tongtian slowly exhale a foul breath, forcing down the rage in his heart. In the end, he still did not erupt.

He was practically about to crush his teeth!

The hatred made him itch all over!

What choice did he have? He was a sage of the Profound Gate, after all, and the Dao Ancestor's direct disciple.

"This disciple obeys the decree!"

Every word was squeezed out through Tongtian's clenched teeth, making his unwillingness painfully obvious.

"I shall remember this debt today. We will settle it properly another day!"

After dealing with Hongjun, Tongtian shot Taiqing and Yuanshi a vicious glare and spoke in a low voice.

Then he turned toward "Houtu" in the distance. The anger vanished from his face, replaced by a spring-breeze gentleness. He said frankly, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, Tongtian still owes you a karmic debt of gratitude. But our positions differ, and I could not defy my master's command, so I had no choice. Still, as I said before... I do not wish to forge enmity and karma with the Witch Clan. If you retreat now, I can plead with Master Dao Ancestor on behalf of the Witch Clan. What do you say?"

As he spoke, the four ancient swords suspended behind him rang continuously with sharp hums. Yet they remained restrained, forcibly suppressed.

At this sight.

The countless spectators instantly lost interest, all of them disappointed.

Sigh, no show to watch, no gossip to feast on!

Hongjun, meanwhile, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, unable to conceal the delight in his eyes.

Once the Immortal-Slaying Formation was deployed, this deadlock could be broken!

Good. Now he could finally close his eyes and rest for a while in peace!

Back at the center of the Witch-Demon battlefield.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword, Immortal-Severing Sword, Immortal-Massacring Sword, and Immortal-Trapping Sword hung high at the peak of the chaotic starry sky.

An ancient formation diagram also spread open, trembling slowly as it released boundless killing sword qi, terrifying beyond measure.

Seeing this.

The entire Witch Clan was once more enveloped in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere, and everyone unconsciously tensed up.

Now that Tongtian had emerged from seclusion before the ancestral witches, once he set up the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation again, the Witch Clan would be plunged into another immense and unknown crisis!

"Senior Chen Xuan, Sect Master Tongtian has already emerged from seclusion, while my elder brothers have yet to recover. Next... should we self-destruct the Slaughter True Body?"

The Immortal-Slaying Sword qi swept over them with overwhelming pressure. Even Houtu's true body grew inexplicably nervous, and she immediately asked.

"⊙∀⊙!!!"

Chen Xuan suddenly raised his brows, rather surprised.

No, what was going on now...

Had Houtu learned to answer before being asked!?

Self-destruct the Slaughter True Body!?

Did she really have to go that hard!?

"Uh-_-||... That won't be necessary."

As his thoughts churned, Chen Xuan responded with a wry smile.

"Could it be that Senior has another way to break this deadlock!?"

Hearing that, Houtu's beautiful eyes gleamed brightly. She was both eager and surprised, her curiosity piqued.

Chen Xuan left her on read.

He lowered his gaze toward the blue-robed swordsman and put on an expression of deep grief. "Tongtian, you are confused. How tragic, how pitiful..."

Tongtian: "?????"

Taiqing and Yuanshi: "..."

All the sages were baffled.

Tragic? What was tragic about it?

Pitiful? And what was pitiful about it?

"What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist?"

Tongtian asked, utterly confused.

"Do you still remember what I told you? Is the Witch Clan of today not the Jie Sect of the future?"

"Of course I remember. I have kept it in my heart at all times. I hope Fellow Daoist will enlighten me!"

He had taken the bait!

Chen Xuan had cast the bait before, and now the fish had finally bitten!

After pausing, Chen Xuan continued, "What master's command cannot be defied? What an utter joke. You are merely a Heavenly Dao puppet, a tool of the Profound Gate, a chess piece in old Hongjun's palm. That is all!"

A Heavenly Dao puppet!?

A tool of the Profound Gate!?

Master Hongjun's... chess piece???

Boom—

Tongtian felt as though he had been struck by lightning after hearing those words, yet he became even more confused.

The atmosphere had already been built up to this point.

Chen Xuan did not say anything further.

With a wave of his hand, he sent out a streak of light toward Tongtian.

As magic power surged, the streak of light transformed into a storybook and appeared before Tongtian.

Tongtian frowned, growing even more curious. He instinctively reached out and accepted the book.

He opened the first page—The Fallen Genius!

With a sweep of his sage's divine sense.

The final page—The Five Emperors Shatter the Void!

"?????"

"Battle Through the Heavens? Fellow Daoist Houtu, what... do you mean by this?"

Tongtian had finished reading "Battle Through the Heavens" in only a few breaths. Though still wanting more and thoroughly drawn in by the exciting story, he was even more bewildered and could not understand it at all.

"⊙∀⊙!!!!!"

"Ahem, ahem, sorry, I took the wrong storybook. This is the one!"

Realizing his blunder, Chen Xuan flushed with embarrassment and hurriedly sent out another streak of light.

How embarrassing...

Just a minor interlude. Forget it!

"Investiture of the Gods!?"

With another storybook in hand, Tongtian instinctively raised his brows. He looked like a bookworm hungry for knowledge, already unable to wait to take a look.

Although he knew that taking time to read leisurely books under these circumstances was highly inappropriate.

But there was no helping it. It was just... too good!

In the instant of a single thought from his sage's divine sense, the story within "Investiture of the Gods" began flashing through Tongtian's sea of consciousness like a revolving lantern.

During the process.

Tongtian's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, the crease between them never fading.

At first, he was expectant and excited, reading with great relish.

But gradually, he began to grit his teeth and clench his fists, fury blazing in his eyes!

By the end, an icy chill radiated from his body, and intense killing intent burst forth from his eyes!

Unwillingness!

Hatred!

Rage!

Countless negative emotions were ignited at once, exploding violently!

"Is this storybook fabricated, or is it... a true account?"

"Why do the settings and figures in this book perfectly match those of the Primordial World? This..."

"Will my Jie Sect truly end up like this in the future? The entire sect annihilated, fewer than one in ten thousand immortals surviving; either dying miserably with their Dao extinguished, their true spirits placed on the Investiture of the Gods... or being converted by the West, becoming Buddhas and Bodhisattvas... or worse, becoming someone else's mounts, ridden for all eternity?!! Outrageous!!!"

After finishing "Investiture of the Gods," Tongtian forcibly suppressed the towering rage in his heart, but his confusion only deepened.

His entire body trembled with rage!

His hands were trembling as well!

In the end.

He could no longer suppress it. Truth or falsehood, Tongtian had already immersed himself in it. Enraged beyond restraint, he threw back his head and roared—

"In this life, I, Tongtian, will never sign the Investiture of the Gods! I swear never to enter the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation!!!"

Rumble—

His voice was like Chaos Violet Heavens Divine Thunder, explosively resounding through the heavens and myriad realms.

"??????"

The sages were all dumbfounded upon hearing it, completely unable to understand why.

Only Hongjun, after hearing Tongtian's sudden declaration, felt his sage's Dao heart shake wildly without end, his Primordial Spirit swaying restlessly as well!

He was instantly struck as though by lightning, his face filled with shock and horror.

Never sign it?!

Swear never to enter the Investiture of the Gods?!!

No, Tongtian, what the hell kind of madness are you suddenly having!?

Sign your ass!

Investiture of the Gods my ass!!

It's only the Witch-Demon Calamity now. Why are you dragging things so far ahead?!!

Rebellious disciple, don't go off-script, damn it!

Are you insane!!!

Hongjun's defenses had shattered.

And he was beginning to panic!

He was panicking. He was really panicking!!