"Those fur-wearing and horn-crowned fellows of Jiejiao are truly detestable. The God-Conferring Board only has three hundred sixty-five slots, yet their Jiejiao proudly boasts of ten thousand immortals paying court. If they had simply taken those meager God-Conferring slots directly beforehand, the current God-Conferring Tribulation wouldn't even have happened. They truly have no idea how to look at the bigger picture!"
"Who's to say otherwise? We agreed the Three Teachings are as one, but those people from Jiejiao are utterly selfish and haven't considered the bonds between our Three Teachings at all. Now they actually dare to come and secretly plot against us of the Chan Sect. How despicable and shameless!"
...
Gazing at his fellow disciples who were endlessly chattering and cursing Jiejiao with every breath, Shen Gongbao could not help but sneer inwardly.
Take the God-Conferring slots directly, just like that?
Those three hundred sixty-five God-Conferring slots required individuals of profound foundational heritage to ascend to the board. Even for Jiejiao, every single person capable of ascending was a vital pillar of their strength.
Who do you all think you are?
You expect the other side to agree to such a demand with just a casual remark?
Besides, Jiejiao having many people was Jiejiao's own business. Why should they take over the Chan Sect's God-Conferring quota just because they had more people?
And they actually had the nerve to claim Jiejiao disregarded the bonds of the Three Teachings.
Had they forgotten that this God-Conferring Tribulation was originally caused by the Chan Sect itself in the first place?
If you care so much about the bonds of the Three Teachings, why don't you all fill the God-Conferring Board with your own names first!
However, the change in the Heavenly Dao mentioned by Yuanshi Tianzun came as somewhat of a surprise to Shen Gongbao.
In his previous life, Shen Gongbao did not remember the Heavenly Dao undergoing any such change.
Yet as for whether the Chan Sect's fortune declined or not, Shen Gongbao couldn't care less.
In his past life, he had worked diligently every step of the way, only to end up suppressed beneath the North Sea eye.
In this lifetime, could he possibly fare any worse than in his previous life?
Rather than worrying about such matters, it was far more practical to figure out how to slack off or persuade Yuanshi Tianzun to willingly let him leave the Chan Sect.
After a long while, seeing that everyone had finished venting their grievances, Shen Gongbao suddenly stood up and addressed Yuanshi Tianzun in a ringing voice:
"Master, although your sending Qingxu Daode Zhenjun to Jiejiao to offer a humble apology in fetters is merely a pretext, if no punishment is dealt to Qingxu Daode Zhenjun whatsoever, it will certainly fail to show Jiejiao the sincerity of Master. Therefore, for the sake of Master's grand strategy, I suggest that even if it is just for show to the people of Jiejiao, Master should impose some punishment upon Qingxu Daode Zhenjun."
Hearing this, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun, who had narrowly escaped disaster, flew into a rage. He pointed straight at Shen Gongbao and cursed bitterly:
"Good for you, Shen Gongbao! You simply can't bear to see your Senior Brother do well, and you're deliberately setting me up, aren't you?"
Shen Gongbao instantly put on an aggrieved expression:
"Senior Brother, I am only doing this for your own good. You don't want to go to Jinbie Island and fail Master's mission, do you? Moreover, this concerns the survival of countless disciples of our Chan Sect! You wouldn't want your single mistake to cause countless Chan Sect disciples to die miserably in the God-Conferring Tribulation, would you?"
Playing the innocent while waving the banner of righteousness—who couldn't do that?
If he didn't drag Qingxu Daode Zhenjun down into the mud this time, wouldn't every single Chan Sect disciple feel emboldened to step all over him, Shen Gongbao, just like before?
Where would he ever find any peace and quiet?
At these words, the surrounding fellow disciples who had intended to refute Shen Gongbao instantly snapped their mouths shut.
That's right!
What if Qingxu Daode Zhenjun failed the mission and caused them all to perish? That would be too unjust.
By comparison, wronging Qingxu Daode Zhenjun just a little seemed much more appropriate.
Seeing that everyone was already hesitating, Shen Gongbao decided to add a bit more fuel to make the fire burn even brighter:
"Master, although Senior Brother Qingxu Daode harbored some misunderstandings toward this disciple just now, upon reflection, what I said indeed contained room for misinterpretation. To demonstrate that this disciple's heart is open and frank without a shred of selfish motive, I am willing to take upon myself every single punishment meant for Senior Brother Qingxu Daode, without a single word of complaint!"
Shen Gongbao turned to Qingxu Daode Zhenjun with a look of utmost sincerity.
Yet inwardly, he was shouting at him continuously:
"Come on!"
"Want to plot against me, do you?"
"Let's both go down together!"
Looking at Shen Gongbao, who wore an expression as if he were entirely acting for his own benefit, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun gnashed his teeth in hatred.
Shen Gongbao was driving him to a dead end.
But what could he say at a time like this?
Should he say he didn't want to be punished?
If he said that, how would Yuanshi Tianzun view him should he fail to investigate the situation at Jiejiao?
And if any fellow disciples died miserably in the God-Conferring Tribulation as a result, how would the others look at him?
"Damn that Shen Gongbao!"
At this moment, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun wished he could tear Shen Gongbao's skin right off. Yet faintly, a sliver of regret began to take root in his heart.
If he hadn't deliberately targeted Shen Gongbao back then, he wouldn't have been driven to this pass now.
With no other choice, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun looked at Yuanshi Tianzun and said:
"Master, for the great cause of our Chan Sect, I, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun, am willing to accept punishment!"
Since punishment was unavoidable, he might as well salvage a good reputation from it.
At these words, satisfaction appeared on Yuanshi Tianzun's face, and he laughed heartily:
"Good, good. You are both good disciples of mine, Yuanshi Tianzun. Wuliang Xianweng, take the two of them down now and have them each given one hundred lashes with the whip!"
To Yuanshi Tianzun's words, Shen Gongbao simply scoffed inwardly. Good disciples were meant to be beaten?
Did they think a couple of nice words would make him forget the grudge?
In your dreams!
Yet Shen Gongbao also knew that he currently lacked the power to say no before Yuanshi Tianzun.
That being the case, he might as well focus on completing his task properly for now.
The moment Yuanshi Tianzun announced that he and Qingxu Daode Zhenjun were to head to Jinbie Island in the East Sea together, a new mission prompt already appeared before Shen Gongbao:
[Optional Mission 1: Investigate the abnormalities on Jinbie Island]
[Requirements: Fully mobilize subjective initiative, uncover the recent abnormalities on Jinbie Island, and secure a dominant position within the team]
[Time Limit: Thirty days]
[Difficulty: Five Stars]
[Reward: An unknown reward from Yuanshi Tianzun]
[Optional Mission 2: Withdraw from the investigative team]
[Requirements: Persuade Yuanshi Tianzun to let you withdraw from the investigative team]
[Time Limit: Three days]
[Difficulty: Three Stars]
[Reward: One Gold-tier lottery draw]
For a thankless, grueling task like going to Jinbie Island to investigate Jiejiao's abnormalities, Shen Gongbao had not the slightest bit of interest.
As for the so-called "unknown reward" spoken of by Yuanshi Tianzun?
Shen Gongbao couldn't help but sneer at it.
Why unknown?
Because Yuanshi Tianzun always played favorites and treated people differently.
What he promised to give Qingxu Daode Zhenjun was a superior-grade acquired spiritual treasure, but when it came to his turn, he would probably end up with nothing better than an inferior-grade acquired spiritual treasure.
After all, that was precisely how his own Thunder Lord Whip had been acquired in the past.
However, persuading Yuanshi Tianzun to let him withdraw from the investigation team would not be easy.
Whether he could succeed depended entirely on whether Qingxu Daode Zhenjun would cooperate.
At this thought, a mischievous grin involuntarily spread across Shen Gongbao's face.