Yunxiao had long since reached a state of being unmoved by external things. Aside from a bit of novelty, he had no other thoughts. However, seeing how complex the Heavenly Court was, he couldn't help but think that the ancient Heavenly Court must have been the same. It seemed that everyone had their limits. Although Yunxiao was born early, he attained enlightenment late, and his true knowledge was still inferior to that of Huixin and the others. Yunxiao was a disciple accepted by Xuantian a thousand years after he became a saint. In terms of knowledge, Huixin and the others had at least seen true great demons and powerful figures like Dijun and Taiyi. Yunxiao naturally didn't recognize these people. He just felt that the current scale of the Heavenly Court was already very large and could not possibly grow any larger. It was just that his personal knowledge and experience had clouded his mind.

Yunxiao sighed inwardly, “Although this Heavenly Emperor seems incomparably noble, he is involved in a great deal of karma. Fortunately, we cultivators only seek to ask questions under our teachers, and in our spare time recite the three volumes of the Yellow Court Classic, passing on the Daoist tradition of our Jie Sect to the world and universally relieving the suffering of those who struggle throughout their lives. Such behavior is more practical and freer than that of the Heavenly Emperor.”

Without a word, they followed the celestial official onto a wide white jade road, several miles across, leading directly to the Lingxiao Palace of the Dou Niu Palace. Following the official, they twisted and turned, passing the Longevity Star Terrace, and arrived at the Pilgrimage Tower. Three deities from the Three Courts struck the golden bell, signaling the entry into the Lingxiao Palace. The celestial official reported back, and the divine beings summoned Yunxiao, who then entered the Lingxiao Palace. In the center of the hall, the Supreme Heavenly Sage, the Great Compassionate and Benevolent Jade Emperor, the Supreme Heavenly Venerable, the Xuanqiong High God, sat enthroned, with celestial consorts holding fans, jade maidens holding handkerchiefs, celestial generals guarding him, and celestial officials accompanying him. Civil and military officials were lined up below.

When Yunxiao met the Jade Emperor, she did not kneel, but simply bowed and said, "Yunxiao, the fairy maiden who follows the world, greets the Jade Emperor." Qiongxiao and Bixiao, who were standing nearby, were happy to see their elder sister arrive and went up to talk to her.

The celestial officials were all greatly shocked by Yunxiao's rudeness, but the Jade Emperor seemed not to have noticed and did not show any anger. However, some of the ministers below could not stand it. Wude Xingjun jumped out and said, "How dare you! This is the Supreme Emperor, who governs the Three Realms for all eternity. He is incomparably noble. Even the Three Pure Ones would have to pay their respects and stand aside to await judgment. How much more so you three mere celestial gods!"

These words were originally meant to flatter the Jade Emperor, but the Martial Virtue Star Lord hadn't experienced the Investiture of the Gods and had no idea of ​​the Three Immortal Maidens' power. He was simply arrogant because he possessed only a little martial skill. Hearing the Martial Virtue Star Lord's words, Li Jing, Nezha, and the others around him quickly moved away from him, thinking to themselves, "To say such things is truly unfilial; he will surely meet a terrible end sooner or later. It's best to stay away." The Three Pure Ones are saints, far superior to the Jade Emperor.

Hearing Wu De Xing Jun's words, Qiong Xiao was displeased, but she sneered, "You are a junior, and your words are bound to be wrong, but I will not stoop to your level. If it were someone else, I would definitely beat you until you are speechless."

Wu De Xingjun's face turned pale upon hearing this, and he angrily said, "A woman like you, who has no sense of hierarchy, what ability do you have to speak so arrogantly here? If we weren't in the Lingxiao Palace, I would definitely teach you a lesson on behalf of your master."

These words angered even the usually quiet Yunxiao, not to mention the disciples of the Jie Sect present. The disciples of the Jie Sect valued loyalty and righteousness above all else, and respected their teacher immensely. How could they allow Wude Xingjun to speak so rudely? Zhao Gongming immediately retorted angrily, "You'd better apologize properly today, or you'll regret what you said."

When the Martial Virtue Star Lord spoke, the Jade Emperor did not stop him, but instead carefully observed the celestial officials and generals listed below, taking in their expressions. The Investiture of the Gods was originally intended to supply the Heavenly Court with more immortals and gods. The Jade Emperor, being a man of great ambition, was naturally pleased with the increase in celestial soldiers and generals. However, the Sage had previously decreed the establishment of the Six Heavenly Emperors, thus dividing his power among himself. So be it; he only regretted that he had neither the strength nor the influence to speak out back then. Now, with Buddhism flourishing, figures like Li Jing and the Four Heavenly Kings in the Heavenly Court had ambiguous relationships with it. The Jade Emperor had to consider which figures truly belonged to his faction.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, the Jade Emperor gave a signal to Taibai Jinxing to step in and smooth things over. Li Changgeng, a confidant of the Jade Emperor, understood the Jade Emperor's meaning and quickly stepped in as a peacemaker: "Lord Caiyun is slightly angry, but Lord Wude is a straightforward person and did not insult the Shangqing Saint. I will have him apologize."

Wu De Xing Jun was somewhat alarmed. It turned out that the Three Immortals of Sanxiao had a sage backing them up; no wonder they were so presumptuous. Without waiting for Tai Bai Jin Xing to say anything more, he could only helplessly say, "Wu De has spoken rudely; please forgive me, three immortal ladies."

Yunxiao said calmly, "Star Lord, you are unaware of the truth, and I do not blame you. Back then, the three of us sisters were summoned by our Master Uncle Yuanshi and appointed as the Immortal Maidens of Response and Following the World, protecting the Great Emperor of the North Pole, Ziwei. We obeyed the title but not the command. Although the Jade Emperor is incomparably noble, he is not subordinate to us. Do you understand?"

Only then did Wu De Xing Jun understand why the Jade Emperor hadn't reprimanded the three of them. At this moment, Yun Xiao said again, "The three of us are in charge of the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron, only responsible for the reincarnation of immortals, mortals, humans, saints, princes, emperors, nobles, lowly, wise, and foolish in the Six Paths, and we don't concern ourselves with other matters in the Three Realms. But why have we been summoned to the palace this time?"

The last sentence was addressed to the Jade Emperor. Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor replied, "All beings must first pass through the Golden Cauldron of the Immortal Maidens before reincarnation, as she oversees the affairs of the Six Paths. Today, the Emperor of the Underworld, Fengdu, and the Ten Kings of Hell have submitted a memorial stating that some people are freely entering and leaving the sacred realms of reincarnation to hunt ghosts. The Underworld Gods and Ghost Soldiers were dispatched to capture them, but countless were killed or wounded. They also say that some souls in that realm do not return to the Underworld after death and do not enter the cycle of reincarnation. Therefore, I have invited the three Immortal Maidens to come and inquire into the matter."

The three Xiaos exchanged a glance, all feeling puzzled. None of them had noticed anything amiss. They had been tricked by Yuanshi, using a primordial spiritual treasure for childbirth, unjustly tarnishing the reputation of the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron. Yet, they were all dutiful. Qiongxiao and Bixiao, needless to say, had never neglected their duties since being listed, while Yunxiao had even placed her avatar on the list, never shirking her responsibilities. While their understanding of the Six Paths of Reincarnation might not be as extensive as that of the Ten Kings of Hell, nothing could escape their keen eyes. With Yunxiao's cultivation level, only someone who had severed two corpses or higher could do that, but how many people in the world had reached that level? Each one was a person of status, naturally not capable of such underhanded tactics. Therefore, this matter was rather strange.

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