Chapter Seventy-Six: The Miserable Guide

"Why, are you unwilling?" Li Tian looked at Zhun Ti's hesitant expression, and a cold sneer rose in his heart.

If he were in Zhun Ti's place, he would never act like this. If he wanted to make the exchange, he would do it immediately; if not, he would find a way to squeeze every last drop of value out of Jie Yin. Hesitating like this—what would Jie Yin think? Even if the exchange happened in the end, it would be difficult for Jie Yin to ever feel any true sense of belonging to the Western Sect.

"Supreme Celestial Master, aren't you asking too much?" Zhun Ti said through gritted teeth, his mouth twitching.

"Then tell me—what wouldn't be too much?" Li Tian smiled, watching him with interest.

"Well..." Zhun Ti hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "The West is poor and barren; we have little of value to offer. How about this? If the Heavenly Court ever encounters trouble, the West will be the first to come to its aid. What do you think?"

Li Tian couldn't help but laugh. If the Heavenly Court truly encountered something it couldn't resolve, would the handful of people in the West be of any use?

"Forget it. Since you can't bear to pay any price, I'll take Jie Yin with me."

He shook his head, then with a wave of his hand, light flowed forth and Jie Yin was instantly imprisoned.

"Senior Brother..." Zhun Ti watched helplessly, opening his mouth as if to speak, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to state what price he was willing to pay. Clearly, the thought of giving up on Jie Yin had won out.

Seeing this, Jie Yin felt all hope drain away. Coupled with the blow he'd just received, he was already entertaining thoughts of ending it all. But now, imprisoned by Li Tian and unable to move, he couldn't even self-destruct.

Zhun Ti glanced at Jie Yin, recalling how he'd once abandoned him and fled countless ages ago. His heart softened, and he took a step forward, pleading, "Senior Brother, can't you show a little leniency?"

"As long as you give me the Seven Treasures Mystic Tree, all can be discussed," Li Tian replied with a mocking tone.

At the mention of the Seven Treasures Mystic Tree, Zhun Ti regained his composure. Still, he made one last attempt, "We are both disciples of the Dao Ancestor—why force one another so ruthlessly?"

Li Tian ignored him, simply closed his eyes, and raised three fingers. "I'll give you the count of three. Either you leave now, or we settle this by force before discussing anything further."

With that, Li Tian began to count. Before he'd reached two, Zhun Ti hurriedly stepped in front of him, forcing a smile. "No need to ruin the harmony between brothers. I'll leave."

After all, he'd only severed one corpse before hastily becoming a saint, his strength was the weakest, and he didn't possess any notable treasures. He simply lacked the confidence to confront Li Tian.

Moreover, this was the territory of the Heavenly Court. If anything happened, Nuwa would surely arrive as well. Facing two saints, Zhun Ti felt a chill in his heart just thinking about it.

With a regretful glance at Jie Yin, Zhun Ti led Randeng away toward the West.

Seeing this, Li Tian made no move to stop them. After all, Randeng was now a disciple of Tongtian—if Zhun Ti was courting disaster by offending Tongtian, why should Li Tian interfere?

Randeng, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief at this. He'd truly feared Li Tian would detain him, given his role in the ambush against Hongyun.

Glancing at the pitiful figure of Zhun Ti ahead of him, Randeng felt awash with conflicting emotions. Was defecting to the Western Sect truly the right choice?

"Let's go."

Looking at the utterly despondent Jie Yin, Li Tian shook his head. This fellow was pitiable, indeed.

With a wave of his hand, Li Tian retrieved the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd from Jie Yin. Sweeping it with his divine sense, he found Hongyun's remnant soul within and couldn't help but feel relieved. After all, this was the future Shennong—if he'd been lost, things would have gotten interesting.

Just as he was preparing to return to the Heavenly Court, his divine sense detected Dong Wanggong and Kunpeng hurrying toward him. Shaking his head, Li Tian flashed and appeared before them, bringing Jie Yin with him.

"Dong Wanggong, Kunpeng."

"Your Majesty."

Sensing Li Tian's arrival, both Dong Wanggong and Kunpeng were startled and quickly bowed in greeting.

Yet Kunpeng noticed Jie Yin's gaze settling on him and felt a surge of guilt. Li Tian, of course, saw this and shot Kunpeng a discreet look—a warning.

That small gesture made Kunpeng break out in a cold sweat, convinced Li Tian would hold him to account. But, to his relief, Li Tian soon withdrew his gaze and feigned ignorance, which made Kunpeng breathe easier and even feel a surge of gratitude toward Li Tian.

The Heavenly Emperor—truly magnanimous!

Li Tian nodded in satisfaction. As long as Kunpeng did his work well, he would not be bothered about such petty schemes.

"The culprit responsible for Hongyun's demise is now in my hands. You two, follow me back to the Heavenly Court at once."

With a wave of his hand, Li Tian whisked Dong Wanggong, Kunpeng, and Jie Yin back to the Heavenly Court.

High upon the Lingxiao Palace, the news of Hongyun's fate spread quickly. The officials of Heaven were shocked and enraged, demanding Li Tian punish Jie Yin with severity.

Such a blatant affront to the dignity of the Heavenly Court—maliciously assassinating a high official—if left unpunished, who could say that another wouldn't end up like Hongyun?

After much discussion, Li Tian accepted Bai Ze's suggestion: Jie Yin was stripped of his cultivation and exiled into the chaos.

The execution was swift. A single Dissipation Pill was forced down Jie Yin's throat, and his cultivation plummeted from early quasi-saint to a level beneath even mortal life. The corpse he'd severed was also erased by Li Tian with a casual gesture.

As Jie Yin, now powerless, was thrown by the enforcers into the raging currents of chaos, Li Tian shook his head. He felt little emotion—though Jie Yin was pitiable, he wasn't worth any real sympathy.

Of course, Jie Yin would not die so easily. Though his cultivation was gone, his body retained its strength; as a former quasi-saint, he would not be torn apart by chaos so simply.

Meanwhile, on Penglai Island.

Tongtian, in the midst of teaching, suddenly received a letter delivered by Randeng's messenger. A quick glance revealed that Randeng intended to leave the Sect of the Interception and join the Western Sect. Tongtian was, for a moment, both angry and shocked.

But he soon shook his head. Though displeased by Randeng's actions, his pride would not allow him to pursue the matter out of spite.

He'd never much cared for Randeng, so letting him go mattered little.

"Master, what has happened?" asked Duobao, sitting below, noticing the change in Tongtian's expression.

"It's nothing," Tongtian replied, shaking his head. "Randeng has simply decided to leave the Sect of the Interception."

The disciples below were instantly in an uproar. Many who'd long disliked Randeng began to clamor for his punishment.

But in the end, Tongtian simply waved his hand and suppressed the matter.

Truth be told, seeing his disciples so passionate about Randeng's departure filled Tongtian with a sense of gratification. Even his prior dissatisfaction with Randeng faded somewhat.

Yet Zhun Ti's brazen poaching—luring men from under his own nose—Tongtian would not forget. If ever he had the chance, he would not hesitate to trample Zhun Ti underfoot as a lesson.

...