"You just need to listen to me until I finish speaking."

Yu Yuan slightly furrowed his brows, a hint of surprise flashing through his eyes.

With her phoenix eyes full of imposing authority, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother made him involuntarily harbor some unpleasant premonitions.

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother continued, "The reason Zixiao Palace issued the divine decree is that the Heavenly Emperor went to Zixiao Palace to lament, speaking of vacancies in the Heavenly Court's divine positions, with disciples of the Three Sects repeatedly refusing to ascend to Heavenly Court as gods...

In fact, he was probably planning this already when he last paid respects to the Saints of the Three Sects, only your accidental involvement thwarted it by sending Ma Yuan to ascend to the Heavenly Court as a god.

Looking back now, it seems it was not an accident after all."

She stared intensely at Yu Yuan and solemnly said, "You should not have returned to Penglai so soon, and even less should you have passed by Chongxian Island on your way back from Qingqiu...

And then you coincidentally provoked that Ma Yuan, and during your fight, you also coincidentally disrupted the Heavenly Emperor's inspection. These were all premeditated by you, weren't they?"

"No, that's not right!"

Yu Yuan decisively shook his head, firmly stating, "Everything you've mentioned has nothing to do with me at all."

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother quietly looked at him, a trace of disappointment flashing through her eyes.

With a light sigh, she said, "I have always been honest with you as your teacher and hoped that you would be completely open with me, not reserved like you are now... You actually knew all along about the calamity of Divine Enthronement for the disciples of the Three Sects, didn't you?"

Yu Yuan's gaze flickered briefly, "It's always been you questioning me, Master; this cannot be counted as being open and honest. How about this: we each ask the other three questions, and the one being asked must answer truthfully.

We will need to swear a divine oath to invite the Heavenly Dao to discern the truth from the falsehoods."

Upon hearing this, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother couldn't help but frown slightly.

It has always been the master questioning the disciple, not the other way around!

And to make a divine oath at that!

That's unheard of!

However, considering she had just spoken about being 'open and honest', she pondered for a moment and felt this could be a way to resolve her doubts.

Thereupon, she slowly nodded in agreement and said, "As you say."

Yu Yuan gave a slight smile and was the first to raise his right hand, taking a divine oath.

In his oath, if he answered any question with deceit, he would receive a small stroke of lightning as a mild reprimand—not so much a punishment through a divine oath, but rather to verify the truthfulness of his words.

After making her decision, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother did not hesitate any longer and straightforwardly took the divine oath as well.

"I'll ask first!"

Yu Yuan seized the initiative and looked at the Golden Spirit Saint Mother with all solemnity, "Master, are you willing to ascend to Heavenly Court as a deity?"

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother was slightly surprised, not expecting such a simple question.

She answered without hesitation, "I am not willing!"

After her response, she waited for a moment, but no thunderbolt struck.

"Now it's my turn to ask, right?"

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother looked at Yu Yuan, somewhat pleased with herself.

Let's see how you try to deceive me now!

Embracing such a thought, just as she was about to ask her question, Yu Yuan stated earnestly, "Yes, now it's your turn. You have two questions left."

Golden Spirit Saint Mother: "..."

"Does that count as a question?"

"Of course, it counts. You have one question left."

"..."

Watching the veins pop on the Golden Spirit Saint Mother's smooth and fair forehead and seeing the anger in her eyes almost tangibly ablaze, Yu Yuan remained unmoved and said seriously, "Now it's my turn to ask."

"Are you willing to sacrifice everything for Jie Sect?"

On hearing this question, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother, who had just been filled with rage, fell silent.

She frowned, sitting cross-legged on the cushion like a statue, pondering for a long while.

Yu Yuan did not urge her, only quietly waiting.

After about half an hour, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother finally spoke with great seriousness, "I am willing."

There was no thunderous roar.

What she said was the truth coming from a well-considered and sincere heart.

Yu Yuan sighed softly, looking at the Golden Spirit Saint Mother and said, "Now it's your turn to ask, Teacher."

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother did not hurry to speak.

She had only one last question left.

After contemplating it repeatedly, she looked at Yu Yuan seriously and said, "The question you asked just now was very strange... Do you know something unfavorable to our Jie Sect?"

"Yes!"

Yu Yuan answered straightforwardly.

"I traveled to the future through the Chaos Bell and saw the Heavenly Vault shattered, the earth sinking, all beings of the Three Realms, including the disciples of the Jie Sect, were all involved."

"So that's how it is."

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother nodded slightly, but her face showed no sign of great surprise.

She looked at Yu Yuan, a trace of relief flashing in her eyes, and said solemnly, "You don't need to worry about it, the future you've seen is not the real one...

Unlike the past that has already happened, the future is not set in stone!"

As she spoke, she made a gentle sweeping motion in the air, as if afraid Yu Yuan wouldn't understand.

A rushing river phantom appeared in the air.

She pointed at the river and explained: "Time is like this river. The calm and unwavering upstream is the past, while the roaring and turbulent downstream is the future.

The past is immutable, but the future is constantly changing.

It might turn a corner, change its course, and even within a single splash of the waves, there may be countless different futures.

The future you saw is merely one among an unlimited number of possible futures.

Sages and those adept in the Time Law can see more futures. They can even lay out plans ahead of time based on their needs, to make the future they desire become the present.

Do you understand now?"

Yu Yuan naturally understood.

He had pored over all the classics related to the Time Law in the Biyou Palace years ago and was well aware of this point.

But he also knew that if changes couldn't be made, the future he saw could very well be the real future!

However, seeing the Golden Spirit Saint Mother's unconcerned demeanor, he did not plan to elaborate.

After all, although the Three Pure Ones had split up, the fraternal bonds remain.

The Three Sects of Chan, Jie, and Tai might secretly struggle, but they maintain harmony as the origins of the Three Sects are the same.

At least on the surface, that was the case.

So, Yu Yuan nodded without saying more.

"Alright."

Having obtained the "truth" from Yu Yuan, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother seemed in a good mood and looked at him, saying, "You have one last question. What would you like to ask of me?"

Yu Yuan pondered briefly, "I would like to change the privilege of this question into borrowing the Array Map for the Four Symbols Formation, is that acceptable?"

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother asked with some curiosity, "Didn't you say you didn't have time to devote to the study of Array Dao? Have you changed your mind?"

"Yes."

Yu Yuan nodded decisively.

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother said with approval, "The Dao of arrays is one of the great Daos your Grandmaster excelled in. As an Inner Sect Disciple, it's only right that you should devote more effort to the study of arrays."

Yu Yuan nodded repeatedly, "Exactly, exactly, everything you said is correct."

The Golden Spirit Saint Mother didn't mind his perfunctory attitude, or perhaps she was used to it.

With a small movement of her mind, a corner of a hazy Array Map emerged from thin air.

"Reflect on it well, and come ask me if there is anything you do not understand."

Yu Yuan took the Array Map, thinking to himself: With this Four Symbols Formation as the net, and using Yuan Tu Avici as bait, there's no way I won't catch that big fish from the Ming River.

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