"But...
But...
Lord Heavenly Domain, if the Nine Heavens issues no decree and the You Emperor appears, are we truly to sit back and do nothing?
We are, after all, the ones in charge of maintaining the laws and order of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. To stand idly by would be unjustifiable both emotionally and logically!"
"Indeed! Setting aside whether the Nine Heavens would blame us, even if they didn't, our own pride couldn't bear it. If word gets out in the future that when the You Emperor appeared, the Immortal Court and Immortal Dynasties of our Lingluo Heavenly Domain were too scared to move...
How would we ever hold our heads high again!"
"You lot are all such damn hypocrites!
I don't even know what to say to you."
Sha Xiang Domain Master pointed at the various Immortal Dynasty Lords in the grand hall with a look of utter disdain. "Tell you to pick up your weapons and fight the You Emperor, and you don't have the guts. Tell you to hide and do nothing, and you're afraid of losing face. Do you know what this is called?
This is damn well called wanting to be a prostitute and still erect a chastity arch!"
The faces of the Immortal Dynasty Lords turned shades of green and white. They opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but words failed them. They wished to defend themselves, but there was simply no defense, nor could they think of any justification.
"Also, I've realized you motherfuckers haven't even grasped one fundamental issue."
Someone asked, "May I ask, Lord Heavenly Domain, what issue?"
"What issue?
Hahaha!"
Sha Xiang Domain Master roared with laughter, leaving everyone bewildered.
However, after his laughter subsided, his expression darkened, and he bellowed, "That motherfucker is the You Emperor!
The You Emperor, you understand?
The You Emperor who nearly burned down the Nine Heavens with a single fire back in the day! Also the damn You Emperor who split the vault of heaven with a single slash—you can still see that scar today!"
"That motherfucker has now died and come back to life! Regardless of why he's back—even if he's just back to visit brothels and seduce your wives—we must not provoke him. It's best to stay far away from him, the farther the better. And you motherfuckers still care about face in front of him?
Are you tired of living?
Or have you lived long enough?"
"Didn't you witness the You Emperor burning the Nine Heavens back then?
Haven't you learned your lesson?
Do you know what happened to those who cared about face in front of the You Emperor back then?
If you don't know, I'll tell you: dead, all dead!
Not a single one survived!"
"In front of the You Emperor, it's questionable whether even the Nine Heavens dare to care about face, and you motherfuckers still want face?
You beasts have gotten so used to throwing your weight around that you even dare to think about saving face in front of the You Emperor. You really have some nerve."
The various Immortal Dynasty Lords in the grand hall hung their heads under Sha Xiang Domain Master's scolding, not daring to utter a word.
After a moment, Sha Xiang Domain Master opened a jug of wine and gulped it down. His tone seemed to soften somewhat as he said, "Moreover, can't you motherfuckers think it through? If even you beasts care about face, would the Nine Heavens not care about face?
If the You Emperor appears and you sit back and do nothing, you feel disgraced. Would the Nine Heavens not feel disgraced?
What, do you think your face is bigger than the Nine Heavens'?"
Hearing Sha Xiang Domain Master's words, the Immortal Dynasty Lords in the hall felt as if a light had dawned upon them, experiencing a moment of sudden realization. Upon careful thought, they all felt Sha Xiang's words made perfect sense.
Everyone knew the You Emperor's existence was intolerable to heaven and earth; he might even become the future Primordial Sin Lord.
Now, people from all directions were hoping the Nine Heavens would step forward to eradicate the You Emperor and rid the world of a scourge.
And the Nine Heavens, as the overlord dominating heaven and earth in the Present Era, had an even greater obligation to uphold the laws and order of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and an even greater responsibility to protect all living beings.
If the You Emperor truly appeared and the Nine Heavens stood by and did nothing, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face; even the stability of their position as the Head of the Great Dao would become uncertain.
In other words.
The fact that the Nine Heavens had issued no decree now did not mean they would stand idly by.
The fact that the Nine Heavens showed no movement now did not mean they were silent.
Thinking of this, everyone finally understood why Sha Xiang Domain Master had persistently insisted on waiting for a decree from the Nine Heavens. The only thing they could do now was patiently wait for the Nine Heavens' decree.
"Truly worthy of being the Domain Lord. How brilliant, absolutely brilliant. We are filled with admiration."
After understanding, the Immortal Dynasty Lords began to flatter him, and Sha Xiang quite enjoyed it.
Of course.
Not all Immortal Dynasty Lords thought this way. Among them were many who did not agree with Sha Xiang Domain Master's words, especially those senior elders with greater seniority. They all felt Sha Xiang was cowardly and afraid of death, lacking any sense of duty or responsibility, utterly unworthy of being the Domain Lord of Lingluo Heavenly Domain.
It wasn't that they didn't dare to say these words to Sha Xiang's face; on the contrary, they did dare. They just knew that even if they said it, it would be useless. Sha Xiang simply wouldn't listen to their opinions and would only mock them for being pedantic.
If the You Emperor appeared, would the Immortal Court mansion ruling over Lingluo Heavenly Domain and the various Immortal Dynasties truly sit back and do nothing?
Perhaps Sha Xiang Domain Master would.
But they absolutely would not.
They were all waiting, waiting for one person: the Grand Elder of the Immortal Court mansion. As long as the Grand Elder returned, they would no longer have to endure this cowardly Domain Lord.
Just then.
A guard walked into the grand hall with a panicked expression and reported, "Domain Lord, the Gra...
The Grand Elder has returned."
Upon hearing the news of the Grand Elder's return, the expressions of the various Immortal Dynasty Lords in the grand hall varied—some worried, some delighted.
In truth.
Within the Immortal Court mansion of Lingluo Heavenly Domain, there had always been factional struggles.
One faction always followed the Grand Elder's lead.
Most of these were senior elders with greater seniority, including both Immortal Dynasty Lords and Heavenly Domain Elders.
In their hearts, the dignity and honor of the Nine Heavens Immortal Path surpassed everything. Upholding the dignity and honor of the Nine Heavens was worth sacrificing even their own lives.
The other faction felt these people led by the Grand Elder were stubborn, inflexible, and pedantic, always talking about the dignity of the Nine Heavens Immortal Path—either upholding the laws and order of the Heavenly Domain or protecting the safety of all living beings, with all this talk of responsibility and duty, which was quite annoying.
However.
The Immortal Dynasty Lords of this faction, though they disliked the Grand Elder, did not necessarily follow Sha Xiang's lead.
If those Immortal Dynasty Lords who followed the Grand Elder were self-righteous, upright individuals.
Then the Immortal Dynasty Lords of this faction were all smooth, hypocritical individuals.
As for Sha Xiang Domain Master, he was a loner, a faction of his own. Not only did those self-righteous, upright Immortal Dynasty Lords look down on him, but even those smooth, hypocritical individuals looked down on him.
Those self-righteous, upright individuals all took upholding the laws of the Heavenly Domain as their duty and protecting all living beings under heaven as their responsibility. They were righteous and indignant, loathing evil, holding the dignity of the Nine Heavens Immortal Path above all else. These individuals were incorruptible.
Those smooth, hypocritical individuals mostly just shouted slogans and put on a show, doing the surface work properly while secretly reaping benefits, feeding off both the Immortal Realms above and the sects below. As Immortal Dynasty Lords, they controlled the cultivation resources of their respective worlds, practically acting as local emperors.
As for Sha Xiang Domain Master, he was more of a maverick, too lazy to even put on a show. Apart from indulging in food, drink, and pleasure, he didn't care about anything else.