Palace of the Polestar

The Three Treasures Jade Ruyi came abruptly and its departure was just as swift.

"Greetings as I send off my fellow disciple!"

Emperor of Heaven paid his respects with a solemn bow, then settled back

into his throne known as the Supreme Seat of the Three Realms, gripping the

treasure bead on the armrest tightly.

At this moment, his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Seated atop the warm and majestic throne of the Heavenly Emperor, yet he felt

as if sitting on pins and needles!

Was it humiliation?

A little, perhaps, but not much.

The one who took action was a Saint, after all!

What could he do about it?

The Heavenly Emperor is said to be the Supreme of the Three Realms, yet the

Saints have transcended beyond the Three Realms, outside the cycle of the Five

Elements.

In front of a Saint, this Supreme of the Three Realms is less than nothing!

The Emperor of Heaven had long understood this, but it was only when the

Three Treasures Jade Ruyi arrived unexpectedly and took Yu Ding away, that he

truly and personally felt this truth.

Below the Saints, all are as ants, and that includes this Emperor of Heaven!

His gaze fell upon Yang Jian, and a sliver of comfort rose in his heart.

At least Yang Jian remained.

Had Yang Jian been taken too, it would have been as if he, the Emperor of

Heaven, was utterly insignificant.

He looked around and carefully spoke: "Yu Ding has violated the laws of Heaven

and has been taken away by the Yuqing Saint back to Kunlun for discipline.

I believe he will receive the punishment he deserves... As for Yang Jian, he

shall be detained in the Heavenly Prison for now, and we will decide his

punishment at a later date.

Next, I shall commend and reward those deserving, and express gratitude

towards the righteous assistance provided by Yu Yuan Immortal and Nanji

Immortal..."

"Your Majesty's wisdom shines brightly!"

"Thank You, Your Majesty!"

"..."

A long time later, after the gathering of the Immortal Gods had dispersed, only

the Emperor of Heaven remained alone in the Palace of the Polestar.

"Draw the curtains."

"Present the cup."

The Emperor of Heaven commanded indifferently.

A Divine General clad in Golden Armor and Golden Helmet appeared, raising a

Spiritual Treasure resembling a Glazed Cup.

This treasure, held in his hands, emitted a faint glow, enveloping the Treasure

Hall, shielding it from all cause and effect.

The Emperor of Heaven gestured for him to withdraw, then conjured a treasure

mirror that hung before him.

The mirror radiated with the faint aura of profoundness, shining brilliantly.

He stood from his throne and paid his respects to the mirror, "I thank my fellow

disciple today for sending a disciple to protect the Heavenly Court."

Meanwhile.

Within the Palace of Biyou at the Purple Ganoderma Cliff of the Penglai Holy

Realm, Hierarch Tongtian slightly raised his eyebrows and smiled without

surprise.

How could he be unaware of the motive behind the Emperor of Heaven's gesture?

It was merely using the name of gratitude as a pretext, to ingratiate himself

and possibly even to seek alignment!

It seems events of the day have served as a significant warning to the Emperor

of Heaven.

Previously, while the Emperor of Heaven paid his respects to every Saint, he

had always been trying to integrate the Heavenly Court, to be an Emperor that

truly commands the Three Realms.

But being the Heavenly Emperor is not so easy after all, is it?

The Human Sect, Chan Sect, Jie Sect, and Western Sect.

Ever since these four major Sects were founded, they were destined to contend

with each other.

This is the struggle of the Dao!

Inevitable, and non-negotiable!

And the Heavenly Emperor, caught between the Saints, still dreams of governing

the Three Realms and commanding the heavens - isn't that blatantly courting

trouble?

Forget commanding the heavens; even if he were to show partiality to one Saint,

it might attract retribution from the others.

The best outcome for him is to be an impartial puppet!

Yet now, he took the initiative to approach.

Clearly, he has made some choices.

So Hierarch Tongtian chuckled, "There's no need for formality, Your Majesty!

The Heavenly Court is the linchpin of the Three Realms and must not be

violated by just anyone!"

Emperor of Heaven, receiving a response, became excitably grateful, "It truly

was brother's help, I keep it close to my heart, and will certainly repay the

favor in the future!"

As expected.

A smile crossed Hierarch Tongtian's face.

After a moment, Emperor of Heaven respectfully ended the communication,

stowing away the treasure mirror.

Although this astral meeting did not contain substantial content, it marked a

good beginning.

Hierarch Tongtian walked to the stone Go board and took a seat, declaring

loudly, "Apprentice, come and play a game of Go with your master."

Before the words finished, Daoist Duobao had already arrived following the

voice, somewhat surprised, "Master seems to be in high spirits today. Could

it be that you have gained some enlightenment about the Dao?"

Hierarch Tongtian shook his head and said with a smile, "It has nothing to do

with the Dao. It's because of your apprentice nephew; the Emperor of Heaven

came to us of his own accord."

"Oh?"

Daoist Duobao momentarily froze, a look of surprise on his face, he said,

"Yu Yuan didn't cause a ruckus in the Heavenly Court, did he?"

Hierarch Tongtian glared at him and scolded without any patience, "Can't you

hope for something good?"

Daoist Duobao breathed a sigh of relief, and his curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

"Just tell me, what exactly did Yu Yuan do?"

"It's not a big deal." Hierarch Tongtian replied merrily, "He just outsmarted

your second master and made him suffer quite a setback."

"Wait a minute... Did I hear you wrong?"

Daoist Duobao stood up, his somewhat chubby face filled with disbelief as he

stared at Hierarch Tongtian, "With the shrewdness of my second master, who

has outmaneuvered even you many times over the years due to the struggle in

spreading the Dao, how could he possibly fall into Yu Yuan's hands?"

"Cough, cough!"

Hierarch Tongtian coughed heavily and glared at Daoist Duobao.

What unbridled truths is this disciple speaking!

Then, he said with a hint of pride, "Yu Yuan himself of course isn't enough,

but with your master's assistance, it's not such a difficult task!"

"What happened to my second master after all?"

"Want to know? Go and gather information yourself!"

"Why are you being so mysterious now? Fine, I will make a round to the Heavenly Court."

"Come back!"

"Are you willing to tell me now?"

"No, I want you to finish the game of Go before you leave."

"..."

...

Inside the Yuxu Palace.

Yuanshi Tianzun was idly moving his fingers.

Despite the chaos of the Heavenly Mechanism that even Saints have difficulty clarifying, he could feel that there seemed to be a subtle change in the fate of heaven.

"This competition, he won!"

Yuanshi Tianzun muttered to himself, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Among Saints, it's not unusual for them to scheme against each other over the struggles between major teachings.

Even during the Witch Demon Calamity of the past, the Saints did not refrain from making their moves in secret, scheming against one another, seeking advantages for their own teachings.

However, in previous competitions, Yuanshi Tianzun often emerged as the last one standing, the victor.

This is precisely why the Chan Sect could occupy the Dongsheng Divine Continent, radiate across the Southern Continent, and become the second only to the Jie Sect among the Saint teachings.

But this time, he lost.

And lost quite utterly at that.

While his attention was diverted by the Qi Fortune Divine Bird, the rival subtly extended their black hand towards his disciples.

By the time he realized something was amiss, it was already too late.

Although he forcibly intervened to save Yu Ding, the cost was immeasurable.

One could imagine that in the upcoming period, this event would ferment rapidly, sweeping through the Three Realms and Six Paths like a storm.

The image of Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals would suffer a fatal blow.

Even he, as a Saint, would inevitably attract some criticism for forcibly saving Yu Ding.

At the same time, due to this incident, the relationship between the Chan Sect and the Heavenly Court will also become delicate.

For some time to come, the fortune of the Chan Sect might wane.

And also...

He opened his eyes and looked towards the East Sea.

This third brother of his became somewhat incomprehensible to him.

Such ruthless scheming was not at all characteristic of his style.

"Swish!"

A ray of light flashed.

The Three Treasures Jade Ruyi appeared out of thin air in his hand, as if it had never left.

At the same time, another figure appeared in the vast hall.

Tall and lean, he wore a green Daoist robe, with an elegant and refined appearance, though there was a trace of bitterness and sorrow on his face.

"Wake up now!"

A booming voice resounded.

Yu Ding realized in a jolt, the overwhelming bitter emotions quickly dissipated without a trace, and his Immortal Platform in the Purple Mansion instantly returned to clarity.

"This is..."

Yu Ding turned his head to look around, only to see that the scenery here was no match for the splendor of Heaven Palace.

Merit Clouds rolled down, Innate Auspicious Clouds floated gently by.

Myriads of auspicious lights and layers of propitious qi.

On the ground, clouds and mist steamed up, immaculately clean, a sight as beautiful as a painting.

And in front of him, on that cloud bed, sat a majestic figure, whose form was obscured by surging Chaotic Qi.

At a glance, the figure seemed to be nearby, yet also as if not of this world, transcending time, leaving no trace.

"Master!"

Yu Ding was slightly shaken, understanding the cause and consequences in an instant. He "kneels with a thud" on the ground, prostrate and unable to rise: "Disciple was disturbed by foolish thoughts, thus spoiling major matters, and causing the reputation of our Chan Sect to suffer, please punish me, Master!"

He was genuinely full of regret.

If it weren't for his capture by Yu Yuan, the situation wouldn't have been like this at all!

"Stand up."

Yuanshi Tianzun's expression was indifferent, showing neither joy nor sorrow, and he said lightly, "Tell me everything you saw at Qi Mountain."

The Heavenly Mechanism within a radius of ten thousand miles around Qi Mountain still remains obscure, inaccessible even to Saints.

Yu Ding did not dare to hide anything and narrated the events earnestly.

When he heard that Yu Yuan used the Investiture of the Gods to preserve Fairy Yun Hua's undying True Spirit, Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but frown deeply, a ripple rising within his normally still, sage heart.

So, he actually didn't lose to Tongtian but to this younger generation?!

Although he had learned of Yu Yuan back when Eastern Emperor Heaven was opened, at that moment, Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but secretly praise him in his heart.

Such audacity!

Such cunning!

Clearly, he could have stopped Yang Jian from splitting the mountain but he chose not to interfere; he could have exposed Yu Ding's whereabouts early yet pretended ignorance...

This young one had clearly seen through everything long ago but remained silent, only to deliver a lethal blow at the critical moment.

Calm!

Ruthless!

No wonder Tongtian entrusted the Investiture of the Gods to him.

Pity that such a deeply-rooted person has joined the Jie Sect!

Yuanshi Tianzun sighed inwardly and looked at Yu Ding.

Once upon a time, this disciple was also exceptionally astute, mature and stable, with excellent temperament, ranking high amongst the Twelve Golden Immortals in terms of schemes.

It's just unfortunate that he held genuine mentor-disciple affection for Yang Jian, which was then clouded by the Three Corpse Worms, leading him near Peach Mountain where he should not have been.

With that thought, he looked at Yu Ding and said quietly, "From today onwards, you shall reflect in seclusion on Qilin Cliff. Unless ordered by me, you are not to leave the mountain."

Yu Ding showed a bitter expression on his face.

But he also knew that this was already the best outcome for him.

...

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