Gold Star Taibai wasn't unfamiliar with Nezha, but he was still stunned by Nezha's words. He looked again at the massive rift. This is our test?

Do we even qualify?

How are we supposed to patch it? Even if we sacrifice our lives, it won't be enough to cover it!

The other Immortals who heard Nezha's words had expressions similar to Gold Star Taibai's.

Ultimately, someone's got to take the blame for this, but the problem is—who can take on such responsibility?

Are you going to ask the Dragon Clan?

Dragon Clan: Who's Candle Dragon again? We don't really know him. Wasn't he already detained by your Heavenly Court?

Nezha, leading a group of Immortals, arrived at the ruins. As he sifted through the debris, he began shouting loudly.

"Your Majesty, Goddess, are you still here?"

The other Immortals followed suit and shouted loudly as well, each aiming to appear as innocent as possible.

This has nothing to do with us, okay? We're just enthusiastic citizens doing our part!

As it turned out, Hao Tian and the Queen Mother didn't need rescuing. After some moments of stillness, a surge of mana erupted from beneath the ruins. Countless broken stones and beams flew away, revealing two figures—Hao Tian and the Queen Mother.

Their robes were immaculate, their spirits radiant; if not for being amidst the ruins, one might think they were attending some grand ceremony.

Whether they were putting on a show or not didn't matter; their polished appearance did indeed reassure the Immortals present.

"Greetings, Your Majesty and Goddess!" *n

Hao Tian's expression was utterly neutral, as though enduring Pangu's axe had been no more than a slight inconvenience.

"Rise, my ministers."

Nezha stood at the forefront but did not perform the ceremonial bow. His status exempted him. He scrutinized Hao Tian and the Queen Mother carefully and immediately sensed something was amiss.

Their condition was too perfect, so perfect it seemed fake. Nezha didn't know exactly how much power the Pangu's Body summoned by Zhu Jiuyin could wield, but even with their reliance on the Heavenly Realm's array to absorb the pressure, their state shouldn't have been this pristine.

Still, they were currently in the same faction, so Nezha wasn't about to undermine his own overly generous father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Hao Tian, radiating authority, said, "To the Turquoise Pool for discussion."

After speaking, he and the Queen Mother transformed into golden light and descended into the Turquoise Pool.

The Turquoise Pool, recently rebuilt after the Corrupt Demon God incident, had benefited from Shi Ji's impeccable craftsmanship. Despite the impactful blasts during this latest event, a third of the structures still remained intact.

This at least preserved a shred of the Heavenly Court's dignity, avoiding the disgrace of hosting meetings out in the wilderness.

The Heavenly Court's primary objective now was to reestablish the original order and resurrect the Immortals whose souls had entered the Investiture of the Gods.

Ever since Randeng's escape, the Investiture of the Gods had been under Hao Tian's strict control. Now, apart from him, no one knew where the list was hidden.

Hao Tian clearly understood the current situation. After making rounds, he'd rounded up the newly reset Immortals once again. As Nezha stared at their collectively miserable faces, he had only one thought: This is just way too tough!

The past debts weren't even cleared yet, and now they had to reconstruct their bodies. Their cultivation had reset to zero again, and they were saddled with another mountain of debt. It's simply unpayable! Absolutely unpayable!

Hao Tian had no intention of compensating them. Working in the Heavenly Court doesn't come with worker's compensation. Why should I reimburse you?

Self-reliance is the fundamental principle for every Heavenly Court Immortal!

And besides, he didn't have the luxury of pondering over these things right now. This matter required someone to step up, and with Candle Dragon gone, there was no one left to shoulder it—except Hao Tian himself.

After all, Hao Tian was the nominal ruler of the Three Realms.

The higher your rank, the heavier the burden you must bear!

"By the Daoist Ancestor's decree, I have governed the Three Realms with diligence and caution since taking office. Today's calamity is beyond mortal reversal, but I cannot shirk responsibility."

After he finished speaking, Hao Tian paused and looked at the crowd below. This was the moment when some individuals should step forward to support his stance, yet Hao Tian hadn't accounted for how little prestige he held among the Immortals.

The Immortals were all utterly disoriented. Who had the bandwidth to curry favor with Hao Tian right now?

As a result, the scene was left awkwardly frozen in silence.

Hao Tian glanced around and tried signaling with his eyes to Gold Star Taibai, who was standing nearby. Gold Star Taibai, however, clenched his teeth and stayed mute.

Boss, the sky's been shattered! No matter how silver-tongued I am, I can't figure out how to salvage this for you!

Hao Tian swept his gaze over the crowd, but no one except Nezha dared to meet his eyes. Perhaps it was due to this failure, or perhaps this calamity had dealt such a heavy blow to Hao Tian that his usually proud heart suddenly felt a pang of bitterness.

It turns out, I haven't been much of a Heavenly Emperor after all...

Collecting himself, Hao Tian continued, "I will bear the full responsibility for this disaster.

Under Heaven's watch, I, Hao Tian, entrusted by the Daoist Ancestor to oversee the Three Realms, acknowledge that today's irreversible calamity is of my own failure.

Therefore, I shall relinquish the title of Great Venerable and establish a new position: the Fifth Imperial, Emperor Jade of the Supreme Gold Gem Palace, to fulfill the Daoist Ancestor's lifelong expectations."

When Hao Tian finished speaking, those present were utterly stunned.

The Power of Heaven swirled above and ultimately validated Hao Tian's words. The Qi Fortune enveloping Hao Tian rapidly dissipated, leaving him with only sixty percent of what he originally held.

The ornate patterns on his crown robes started fading extensively, ultimately leaving them just slightly more intricate than Nezha's.

The Queen Mother wanted to intervene but was helpless in the moment.

Nezha didn't gain a promotion, but now there was no one in the Heavenly Court who could suppress him. With Hao Tian voluntarily stepping down a rank, Nezha was now his equal in official status. From now on, Nezha could truly wield partial authority in the Heavenly Court.

Hao Tian's decision was one of necessity. He had to give the Daoist Ancestor an explanation, and as for the enormous rift in the sky—how should it be sealed? Who would seal it?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.