Chapter 10

Do!

A clear and resonant sound echoed from the Thirty-Third Heaven!

The Jade Emperor suddenly raised his head!

"The fish drum has sounded!" The Supreme Being of the Three Realms had a calm expression, but there was a hint of apprehension in his brows.

The fish drum was a symbol of the截教 (Jie Jiao)!

It was a treasure as significant as the Demon Summoning Banner in the Palace of Nüwa in the Primordial Heaven!

Before the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe, the Master of Jie Jiao would strike the fish drum every hundred years.

When the fish drum sounded, ten thousand immortals would come to pay homage!

After the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe, the fish drum had been silent for a thousand years!

Now, it has sounded!

"Is Master Tongtian gathering his disciples and reopening the Jie Jiao sect?" The Jade Emperor couldn't help but think this way.

Thus, the grand scenes of Jie Jiao's heyday resurfaced in his mind.

At that time, Jie Jiao was the first in the Three Realms!

The eldest disciple, Duobao, and the eldest sister, Jinling Shengmu, had already attained the Great Perfection and were even close to the realm of Quasi-Saints!

And others like Zhao Gongming of Mount Emei's Luofu Cave, the Three Fairy Ladies of Immortal Island, and the Ten Celestial Lords of Golden Turtle Island had all passed the Golden Immortal Tribulation.

At that time, Jie Jiao was like an insurmountable mountain, towering before the Three Realms!

The Bixi Palace was the first holy place in the Three Realms.

The Sage of Bixi Palace was the first sage in the Three Realms!

The Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe left Jie Jiao in decline.

Golden Immortals under his command died one after another, their true spirits ascending to the Sealing of the Gods List.

And countless Heavenly Immortals and Earthly Immortals perished!

Jie Jiao fell from grace and never recovered!

But…

But…

If the Master of Jie Jiao were to reopen the sect and re-establish Jie Jiao,

Then, within ten thousand years, Bixi Palace would likely once again be the gathering place of ten thousand immortals, looking down upon the Three Realms!

Because the Master of Jie Jiao had that power!

Even now, with the sound of the fish drum, it could immediately gather a large number of Heavenly Immortals!

Even Golden Immortals would come in droves!

"No!" The Jade Emperor came to his senses, calmed down, and finally understood something.

"Master Tongtian is not summoning his disciples!"

The sound of the fish drum summoning disciples from the Three Realms to Bixi Palace was something the Jade Emperor had heard countless times!

Since the Great Tribulation of the Witches and Demons, after the Master of Jie Jiao attained the Dao and established the Jie Jiao sect, every time the fish drum sounded, it was accompanied by a chant.

It announced the Sage's intentions and informed the Three Realms of the purpose of Bixi Palace's gathering of disciples.

But this time, the fish drum only sounded once, without any chant or the Sage's will.

It seemed as if the Sage of Jie Jiao was just bored and casually struck the fish drum!

The question was—could it be that simple?

A Sage acts without action, yet nothing is left undone.

A Sage does not act without purpose!

Especially the Master of Jie Jiao, especially at this time!

He had just drawn his sword and cut down the Western Paradise!

The shadow of the Qingping Sword and the storm it stirred were clearly seen by all with intent in the Three Realms!

That sword stroke was unpredictable and indescribable!

It was aggressive like fire, impossible to defend against!

The Sage's sword cut down the Western Paradise.

There were pools of merit shattered, bodhisattvas weeping, relics broken, and primordial spirits extinguished.

This sword stroke, without a doubt, struck the faces of the Two Sages of the West.

And it was done in front of the Three Realms, striking the faces of the Two Sages.

The implications were profound, filled with wisdom and mystery.

At least, from the Jade Emperor's perspective, it was so.

The Master of Jie Jiao had been confined for a thousand years.

He had honed his sword for a thousand years.

Now, he strikes, not at others, but at the West.

In the Jade Emperor's understanding, it could almost be interpreted as the Master of Jie Jiao's declaration to the Three Realms: "I will not let the karma with the Western Sect go unaddressed!"

"I will only strike the West, not harm the innocent!"

"All in the Three Realms, beware!"

This was in line with the Master of Jie Jiao's character.

During the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe, Jie Jiao suffered a great loss!

How could he just let it go?

He would definitely seek retribution!

It would be either the Western Sect or the Orthodox Sect.

Or, like picking the softer persimmon, directly challenging the Heavenly Court!

Now, with the Master of Jie Jiao targeting the Western Sect, the Jade Emperor was more than happy.

Diverting the disaster to the West, a cause for celebration!

What the Jade Emperor couldn't understand was: why now?

After all, the next great tribulation was still far from showing any signs!

The karma of the Three Realms had not yet shown any signs of emerging.

But now, the Jade Emperor came to his senses.

"The fish drum sounds, and the Three Realms know!"

"Master Tongtian is probably trying to flush out the snakes!"

"He wants to see the reactions of the Three Realms!"

"To find friends who can be trusted... and to discover hidden or open enemies!"

"Master Tongtian is testing the Three Realms!"

The Jade Emperor became more and more excited as he thought.

"No, no, no..."

"Master Tongtian's intentions go beyond this!"

"He struck the Western Paradise with his sword, and the Two Sages of the West did not intervene..."

"What does this mean?"

"The Two Sages of the West are not in the Western Paradise!"

This was a great secret!

If the Sages of the Western Sect are not in the Western Paradise, where are they?

When the Master of Jie Jiao struck, all with intent in the Three Realms immediately became wary.

"Now, Master Tongtian has struck the fish drum again..."

"Besides distinguishing friends from enemies and testing the Three Realms, there might be a possibility of sending a signal to his disciples!"

"When the fish drum sounds in the Three Realms, the Jie Jiao Stele will also activate, secretly revealing the Sage's decree to the minds of the Jie Jiao immortals!"

"Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!" The Jade Emperor sincerely praised in his heart: "Master Tongtian is indeed worthy of his name!"

"The fish drum sounds, openly and honestly, even if the Two Sages of the West know this, they can only watch. Otherwise, the Master of Jie Jiao could ascend to the Purple Dawn Palace and complain to the Daoist Ancestor!"

During the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe, the Golden Immortals of Jie Jiao almost all suffered, and the Master of Jie Jiao even lost the Four Executioner Swords and the Six Soul Banners granted by the Daoist Ancestor.

If the Western Sect were to now aggressively target the Jie Jiao disciples, it would be seen by the Purple Dawn Palace as the Western Sect trying to completely destroy Jie Jiao.

At that time, with the Master of Jie Jiao having the moral high ground, even if he dismantled the Western Paradise, the Purple Dawn Palace would turn a blind eye!

Therefore, the Jade Emperor knew that the Western Sect, even if they knew this, would not dare to make any moves against the Jie Jiao disciples.

"Add to that the previous sword stroke, suddenly striking!"

"Adhering to the orthodox, winning through the unexpected!"

"The Sage's strategy is profound!"

"I have learned!" The Jade Emperor rubbed his hands together.

In his eyes, the image of the Master of Jie Jiao instantly became towering, once again becoming the revered and admired senior brother he had feared and respected before the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe!

The timing of the sword stroke against the West was perfect.

Striking when the Two Sages of the West were not there.

Revealing a great secret of the Western Sect to the Three Realms!

Making the Western Sect's plans known to all, instantly!

Yet, the Western Sect was helpless.

They might have to give up their long-planned schemes, shedding tears in the process.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor suddenly remembered something.

"Do I not have the best material to test this right in front of me?"

Tianpeng Immortal!

This thought excited the Jade Emperor!

Since being appointed by the Purple Dawn Palace as the ruler of the Heavenly Court and the Supreme Being of the Three Realms,

The Jade Emperor had been eager to do something to prove himself.

Unfortunately…

The Three Realms only paid lip service to respecting him as the Heavenly Emperor.

In reality…

"How many innate treasures does the Jade Emperor have?!"

This was what a Golden Immortal privately said to a friend.

The Jade Emperor, upon hearing this, could only pretend he hadn't heard.

What else could he do?

Go to the Purple Dawn Palace and cry again?

After the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe, the Jade Emperor realized that some things are beyond human control!

The Purple Dawn Palace could protect him for a while, but not forever!

What kind of person is the Master of Jie Jiao?

Once he was caught in a great tribulation, he couldn't even protect his disciples.

How much more so for him?

Therefore, one must be strong to be strong!

With this in mind, the Jade Emperor composed himself and loudly commanded: "Where is the General of the Curtain?"

A golden-armored god, who had been standing in the back hall of the Lingxiao Palace, immediately stepped forward with a crystal lamp: "Your servant is here!"

"Lower the heavenly curtain!" the Jade Emperor ordered.

"Yes!" the god bowed: "Your servant obeys the decree!"

He immediately raised the crystal lamp, activating the wick, and it shone brightly.

A heavenly curtain slowly descended, enveloping the entire Lingxiao Palace.

This was a treasure granted by the Daoist Ancestor of the Purple Dawn Palace.

It could neither attack nor defend.

But it had one property: where the heavenly curtain fell, the heavenly fate was hidden, impossible to predict or probe!

Only then did the Jade Emperor order: "Summon Tianpeng Immortal to the audience!"

……………

Do!

The sound of the fish drum, silent for a thousand years, echoed in the depths of the Western Paradise, in the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

An ancient bodhi tree, filled with the profound mysteries of the Dao, slowly appeared.

Under the bodhi tree, sat a gaunt, compassionate Daoist.

It was the Sage of the Western Sect, Zhunti!

Zhunti slowly opened his eyes and sighed softly: "Well done! Well done!"

"When will the cycle of retribution end?"

"Master Tongtian, why cling to old grudges?"

"Why not let go?"

Although he said this, the image reflected in Zhunti's eyes made him hesitate.

In the depths of the Western Paradise, by the Merit Pool, there was a scene of desolation.

The traces left by the Qingping Sword were deeply etched into the land of the Western Paradise.

The Merit Pool, under the sword's energy, was shattered to pieces.

Countless treasures nurtured within were destroyed by the sword's energy!

Relics were scattered on the ground by the Merit Pool.

The golden body of Diguang Tathagata was shattered, mixed with the water of the Merit Pool.

His true body lay collapsed to one side, a hole in his head, dark and lifeless.

The Long-Eared Diguang Immortal, who had cultivated for a million years, could not even escape his primordial spirit and was reduced to ashes by the Qingping Sword!

But this was not the key.

The key was…

The figure of the Master of Jie Jiao remained vague, transcending the Three Realms.

After striking, he did not, as expected, re-enter the karma chessboard of the Three Realms and sit as a player again!

"Killing without incurring karma!" Zhunti clasped his hands and sighed: "Indeed, the Purple Dawn Palace ultimately favors the youngest disciple!"

This was an unavoidable matter!

The Purple Dawn Palace favored the Three Pure Ones!

Especially the youngest, the Master of Jie Jiao!

On the Treasure Cliff, the Master of Jie Jiao received the most treasures!

The Purple Dawn Palace even gave the Cosmic Dust Brush, which had accompanied it for countless ages, to the Master of Jie Jiao.

This was the treatment of a youngest disciple!

During the Sealing of the Gods Catastrophe, the Master of Jie Jiao lost the