Chapter 999: Good Fortune Follows at the Peak of Misfortune (I)

At the Assembly of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, hosted by the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner stood at the front of the hall and addressed the gathered leaders of the immortal sects.

"We've reviewed the submissions regarding the ownership of the East Sea Chrono Wheel," he said. "After careful consideration, we've selected three proposals that we believe to be relatively fair..."

When the Noble Dharma was slain, the East Sea Chrono Wheel and the Celestial Cosmic Ring were released. The Mount Shu Sect had reacted quickly and seized the Celestial Cosmic Ring, while the remaining East Sea Chrono Wheel became the target of a fierce scramble. The situation escalated to the brink of bloodshed.

Fortunately, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner and a few highly respected elders stepped in to stop the chaos. They agreed to place the East Sea Chrono Wheel under joint custody for the time being, with its final ownership to be decided later through proper discussion among the sects.

Two days later, the various sects submitted proposals that favored their own interests. After a round of review, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau narrowed them down to three reasonable options. Today's meeting had been called to make the final decision.

"Grand Peak Master Feng?" the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner said mid-speech, suddenly turning to the front row where the representative member of the Mount Shu Sect was seated. There, slouched in her chair with hair in complete disarray, Di Nufeng was fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Ever since learning that the Mount Shu Sect's new grand peak master was Di Nufeng, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner had already lowered his expectations. Even so, there should still be a basic level of respect. Sleeping would be acceptable, but snoring was simply too much.

"Huh?" Di Nufeng jolted awake and lifted her head. "Oh, right. I'm the grand peak master."

"I know it's you..." The Imperial Supervisory Commissioner forced a smile. He didn't have much choice in the matter. This wasn't just about giving the Mount Shu Sect face. Di Nufeng's cultivation level was not something he could ignore.

He continued, "Since you have just taken up the position of grand peak master, I suppose you have been busy. I guess it is normal to feel a little tired."

"Not really..." Di Nufeng waved her hand and yawned. "I just get sleepy when I hear old men talk."

She didn't just ignore the face-saving gesture. She threw it right back at him like a slap to the face.

The Commissioner let out a quiet sigh. "Then do your best to stay awake. The Mount Shu Sect's opinion still holds weight in these discussions."

"I know." Di Nufeng said with a nod. "You all go ahead and discuss. I'll make the final call later."

"......"

"..."

Her arrogant demeanor made nearly ninety percent of the sect leaders in the hall frown. But when she casually swept her gaze across the room, those frowns quickly disappeared.

Only one person slammed the table and rose in anger. "Damn it! In all my years, I've never seen anyone this brazen!"

The man wore close-fitting white robes and carried a longsword on his back. He was Old Li Jiu, son of the Sword Saint Old Li Ba of the Endless Sword Sect. Although he held the title of sect leader, he only handled the day-to-day matters. Everyone knew the real power in the sect still belonged to Old Li Ba.

Even so, he held the title of sect leader and was used to being treated with respect. He hadn't expected to run into someone this outrageous in such a formal setting.

It was likely because he had either been in seclusion at the sect or had only ever attended formal gatherings. He had barely interacted with Di Nufeng, or else he might have already grown used to her behavior.

Hearing his complaint, Di Nufeng remained lazily sprawled across her chair. She shrugged. "Well, now you have."

Old Li Jiu flipped his hand and reached for his sword. "Rawrarararaya! Imperial Supervisory Commissioner, forget the meeting for now. Let me fight this woman first!"

"No, no, no..." Several old men stood up at once, trying to stop him.

"Being alive is a blessing, you know..."

"That's Di Nufeng you're dealing with..."

"There's really no need for this. This is not necessary at all..."

"Sect Leader Li, Grand Peak Master Feng, let's not lose our tempers. Let's focus on the more important matters at hand," the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner said with a weary sigh. The stress of recent days was getting to him, and he could feel a vein throbbing at his temple.

"I'm not going to be petty with him," Di Nufeng said as she shook her head. "Business comes first."

Then she pointed at Old Li Jiu and said, "But if you've got guts, don't leave after the meeting."

After the commotion finally died down, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner was able to resume.

"The first proposal is to return the East Sea Chrono Wheel to the Penglai Supreme Sect," he said, glancing at Yang Shenlong seated among the delegates.

Yang Shenlong was the youngest person present, yet he carried himself with the calm and poise of a seasoned elder. Sitting upright with a composed expression, he gave off an air of maturity that far exceeded his age. Since becoming sect leader of the Penglai Supreme Sect, he had managed both internal affairs and external relations with remarkable skill. If not for the series of unfortunate events that happened suddenly, he would have done an even better job.

"After all, the East Sea Chrono Wheel was forcibly taken from the Penglai Supreme Sect by Evil Ksitigarbha not long ago. Returning it to them would not be unreasonable," the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner added.

"I object," said Zhao Liuting of the Celestial King Sect, the first to voice dissent. "Back when the Penglai Supreme Sect obtained treasures from the hidden realm, they never returned anything to its rightful owner. In fact, they were usually the ones doing the stealing. Since the East Sea Chrono Wheel was taken by evil forces, that only proves they failed to protect it. And now that it's been recovered through the efforts of all the sects, it clearly belongs to no one."

For members of the Celestial King Sect, opposing anything that benefited Penglai had become almost second nature.

Even though the Penglai Supreme Sect had already suffered one setback after another and fallen into the mud, the Celestial King Sect would stop at nothing to stomp them all the way into the grave.

After he spoke, the room fell silent for a moment.

Given the current momentum of the Heavenly Star factions, the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor had the highest chance of ascending to the ninth realm. As a result, none of the other sects wanted to publicly oppose the Celestial King Sect.

"Heh." The Imperial Supervisory Commissioner let out a chuckle. "I'm only presenting the proposals. If anyone has objections, there's no need to raise them just yet. Let me finish going through them first, and we'll discuss everything afterward."

He continued, "The second proposal is to auction the Chrono Wheel in a public sale. The highest bidder will receive it, and the proceeds will be evenly divided among the sects that participated in the battle."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the room filled with muffled laughter.

"This sounds like a Mount Shu Sect's proposal," someone scoffed.

That money-centric approach was indeed typical of the Mount Shu Sect. To be more precise, it matched Chu Liang's personal style perfectly.

Di Nufeng immediately glared and shouted, "Bullshit! We never submitted a proposal!"

She paused for a moment, then added, "I mean, I forgot."

"This was submitted by the Penglai Supreme Sect," Yang Shenlong said calmly.

Everyone turned to look at Yang Shenlong in surprise. So the proposal to return the East Sea Chrono Wheel to New Penglai hadn't even come from Yang Shenlong himself?

However, it wasn't exactly a surprise. Everyone already knew that New Penglai had become little more than a lackey of the Mount Shu Sect. The behind-the-scenes takeover wasn't public knowledge, but their close relationship was no secret. It was a far cry from how things used to be.

And so, it made perfect sense for Chu Liang to use New Penglai as a mouthpiece for his own views.