Tianpeng stammered for a long time, stealing a few more glances at Chang'e before finally saying, "I…I just accidentally drank too much wine, mistook someone, and, uh, mistakenly…"

Tianpeng's cowardly demeanor made even Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao feel ashamed for the Human Sect. As Tianpeng's nominal superior, Nezha didn't look pleased either. It was truly disgraceful—after making such a mess, just admit it and get it over with. With the connections Tianpeng had, he'd only suffer minor consequences.

Nezha slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Mistook someone? Then who is it you planned to tease?"

No one else seemed to notice the nuance, but as Nezha spoke, a soul-captivating surge of power slammed into Tianpeng's mind and spirit. Already mentally disoriented, Tianpeng was instantly overwhelmed by Nezha's aura. His brain blanked out, and he involuntarily blurted out the truth: "Tai…Taiyin…"

"Silence!"

Nezha shot a finger at Tianpeng just as he finished speaking, and Tianpeng suddenly felt the space around him being forcibly compressed by an indiscernible power. Despite his body still being in the Turquoise Pool, he couldn't sense even a sliver of spiritual energy. He felt as if he'd been exiled inside a sealed eggshell—unable to move, speak, or summon his mana.

Nezha could no longer abide Tianpeng's disgraceful display. To think that even after causing such havoc, Tianpeng's thoughts still lingered on the Deity of the Moon! Truly a heap of mud that couldn't hold a wall. In the original timeline, Tianpeng had been part of the team collecting sutras. Though he had drifted along the way, he still managed to land a respectable position as the Scripture Altar Envoy by the end. But context matters.

Now, he was the leader of the Beiji Four Saints, the commander of one hundred thousand Heavenly River Navy troops—his rank as Grand Marshal Tianpeng dwarfed the role of a mere Purification Envoy. In terms of power, wealth could never match the might of soldiers.

"Your Majesty, Tianpeng has committed an unforgivable offense against the Heavenly Rules. I beg for severe punishment."

Tianpeng widened his eyes, wanting to defend himself, but the state of exile rendered his protests futile.

The Jade Emperor took another glance at Nezha's earlier display of power, visibly shaken. What struck him as strange was that he couldn't quite decipher the method used.

Despite Nezha being just a Daluo Golden Immortal—a single tier above Tianpeng—it was shocking for Tianpeng to be subdued so effortlessly. At the very least, Tianpeng should have been able to move. But no—he was immobilized by a mere gesture. Curious, isn't it?

The Jade Emperor was naturally aware of the sutra collection initiative. With the agreement of two Saints, the Primordial Realm faced no substantial obstacles anymore.

"Tianpeng has violated Heavenly Rules by harassing Chang'e. Strip him of his Immortal Records and cast him into reincarnation."

Tianpeng had been designated as a sutra collector by Lord Lao Zi, but the form he took during sutra collection was of no concern to the Lord. Back when Hao Tian campaigned against the Demon World, Tianpeng had spent his days idling away, and the memories of this misconduct stuck with Hao Tian ever since. Now that an opportunity had arisen to teach him a lesson, how could Hao Tian let it slip?

Nezha made no objections to the Jade Emperor's decree. For Nezha, Tianpeng was nothing but a rotten apple among his troops. Of the so-called one hundred thousand Heavenly River Navy, only three could qualify—"One hundred thousand," "Heavenly River," and "Navy." Who would want to keep someone like him around?

The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals below promptly carried out the orders, preparing to bind Tianpeng with the Tethering Immortal Rope to lock his mana. But they couldn't approach him until Nezha lifted the spell. Once relieved of the state of exile, the first thing Tianpeng did was grovel for mercy.

"Your Majesty, Emperor, spare me! I am truly in love with the Deity of the Moon!"

The Jade Emperor was utterly repulsed, as if he had swallowed a dead fly. How could the Human Sect have produced such an absurd character? He quickly waved his hand, signaling the Heavenly Generals to proceed without delay.

Two Heavenly Generals tied Tianpeng up with sealed mana and dragged him out of the Turquoise Pool, bringing the farce to an end. The Peach Banquet resumed!

These two Heavenly Generals were trusted men of the Jade Emperor, keeping watch over the Turquoise Pool. Considering how poorly the Jade Emperor thought of Tianpeng, the pair was well aware of his feelings. Begrudgingly, they carried the bound and mana-sealed Tianpeng to the Immortal Slaying Stage to erase his Immortal Records.

Tianpeng's Immortal Record was deleted, his divine status shattered, and the impurities accumulated from lazily absorbing incense offerings since ascending to Heaven instantly struck back. The moment his Immortal Record was destroyed, Tianpeng's cultivation fell sharply, his level plummeting to that of a Golden Immortal.

Under the Immortal Slaying Blade, Tianpeng's Divine Soul and Dao Fruit were split into two. The two Heavenly Generals exchanged glances before kicking Tianpeng's Divine Soul out of the Heaven Palace, sending it tumbling down to the Nine Netherworld. And yet, our ever-romantic Grand Marshal Tianpeng couldn't help but compose a poem mid-fall:

"From ancient times, amorous hearts are left with nothing but regret,

This regret lingers on, outlasting eternity.

E'er…my E'er~~~~~"

Tianpeng's scandalous conduct was already widespread in the Heavenly Court, and the two Heavenly Generals sneered openly before taking Tianpeng's Dao Fruit back to report.

Tianpeng's Divine Soul landed in the underworld, where he was greeted by the Witch Clan's ghostly enforcers, Oxhead and Horseface. Tianpeng's unrequited romance with the Deity of the Moon was practically common knowledge across the Three Realms. Unfortunately for him, the Deity of the Moon's husband was none other than Hou Yi, the Great Witch of the Houtu Tribe.

Though the Witch Clan didn't care for the Deity of the Moon—who happened to be the Heavenly Queen Xi He's younger sister—they deeply respected Hou Yi. For his wife to be harassed day after day by a scoundrel like Tianpeng was an insult they couldn't tolerate. If Tianpeng had landed in their hands earlier, they would've dealt with him long ago. Now that he finally had, there was no chance of leniency. With two heavy iron chains clanging, he was tightly bound.

Oxhead and Horseface dragged Tianpeng to the Six Dao Reincarnation Plate. Oxhead slyly flipped through a small notebook and muttered, "Brother Ma, this fellow was a god from the Heavenly Court sentenced into reincarnation. Which Dao should we assign him to?"

Before Horseface could respond, Tianpeng anxiously interjected, "The Heavenly Human Dao! Definitely the Heavenly Human Dao! I'll even accept the Human Dao if need be!"

Horseface ignored Tianpeng completely. Even at his peak strength, the two ghost enforcers hadn't feared him, let alone now. Slapping his hands together, Horseface declared, "Since the upper ranks didn't specify, we'll apply the strictest standard. I reckon the Beast Dao suits him just fine."

Oxhead chuckled lightly.

"Brother Ma, absolutely brilliant!"

At this, genuine panic set in for Tianpeng. Falling into the Beast Dao truly meant becoming a beast.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? I'm a member of Doushuai Temple! You'll pay the price for this!"

Oxhead and Horseface weren't moved in the slightest. Doushuai Temple? Everyone has a Saint backing them—what difference does it make? Besides, they were just following protocol, leaving no room for criticism.

The two dragged Tianpeng to the Six Dao Reincarnation Plate. To ensure Tianpeng had the finest reincarnation experience, they even graciously opened the VIP channel.

"Help—"

Before he could finish crying out, Horseface delivered a swift kick, sending Tianpeng spiraling into the Beast Dao. After the kick, Horseface even kindly shouted after him, "Don't lose hope, Grand Marshal Tianpeng. In your next life, cultivate well, and you might become an even handsomer beast than I am!"

With Tianpeng gone, Horseface reached up to pull off his horse-headed mask and added, "Because I'm not actually a beast."

...

Back in the Heaven Palace, the two Heavenly Generals completed their task and returned with Tianpeng's Dao Fruit. The Jade Emperor didn't spare it a glance, handing it directly to Nezha, who took it without hesitation.

After all, Tianpeng was Lao Zi's man. Though Nezha and the Jade Emperor both disapproved of him, they wouldn't go to extremes. Sealed within the Dao Fruit were all of Tianpeng's mana and abilities. When Tianpeng completed the sutra collection mission, he could use it to restore his former cultivation level.

Present among the assembly was Old Li, observing the entirety of Tianpeng's shameless behavior. He couldn't help but feel that Lao Zi's selection of sutra collectors was far from reliable. Nezha, however, found it amusing. If all four sutra collectors were perfect, they'd breeze through challenges en route and fetch the sutras with no suspense. Who'd care to pay attention? Writing a journey requires ups and downs.

Cue the music, let the dancing continue—the sutra collection was an earth-shattering matter for the Buddhist Sect, but for everyone else, it was just idle entertainment.

Thus, the first sutra collector was officially in place. As if there were unseen connections between those chosen for the role, shortly after Tianpeng's soul entered the Beast Dao to reincarnate as a pig, spiritual energy began to stir near the East Sea at an Immortal Mountain.

The majestic spiritual energy of the vast East Sea surged, retreating back and forth. With each tide, residual waves remained on the Divine Mountain, gradually absorbed by a Spirit Stone.

After the heavens collapsed, remnants from the destroyed Heavenly Realm—though largely salvaged by Nezha and other immortals—left a significant portion tumbling to the mortal plane, drastically altering the Primordial Realm's ecosystem.

The original four directions, once thriving, saw massive ecological shifts from falling debris. What was once the Human Clan's predominant habitat in the East transformed into the Southern Continent.

The edge of the East Sea, now fragmented, was renamed the Dongsheng Divine Continent.

The barren northern lands acquired a new moniker: Northern Continent.

The western region became known as West Niu Hezhou.

Additionally, due to the decimation of the Late Dao Demon God's body—whose form represented Yuan Shi Heavenly Demon's will, cleaved by Pangu's divine intervention—the Primordial Realm's absorption of the Demon God Body accelerated tremendously.

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