Chapter 160 Questioning the Heart Gorge:
The sect leader's voice echoed from afar:
"Elder Bai, we understand what you mean. We've all been here for many years, so we won't pursue this further with you."
The sect leader changed the subject: "However, Lu Yingqi's matter still needs to be dealt with! Whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, using the furnace for cultivation without permission violates the sect's rules and must be punished."
Elder Bai's eyes widened, and his mouth moved a few times, but he couldn't make a sound.
"Shang Gan, tell me, what kind of punishment should be given for unauthorized use of a furnace for cultivation?" The sect leader looked at the newly appointed adjudicator beside him, his tone much gentler.
Rong Xie's heart sank. He had overestimated the vision of the Xuan Tian Sect Master. For the Sect Master, the fact that the Xuan Tian Sect could produce an adjudicator was such an important matter that even the senior Elder Bai and the outstanding young talent Lu Yingqi could not be taken into consideration.
Shang Gan bowed to the sect leader, his voice smug: "Reporting to the sect leader, any disciple of the Ruthless Dao Palace who uses a furnace for cultivation without authorization should have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from the sect!"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, with only Shang Gan's triumphant voice echoing above Wenxin Gorge.
"Can't!"
In the silence, a voice suddenly came from the bottom of the gorge, penetrating the ears of everyone present with remarkable clarity.
Rong Xie was invigorated. He hadn't expected that someone would openly defy the sect leader of the Xuantian Sect under such circumstances.
But why does this voice sound so familiar?
Rong Xie was about ten feet away from the edge of the canyon and could not see what was below the steel-like cliff. The voice came from below, which showed that the person who spoke out for justice was below the canyon.
Considering that the sect leader and elders are all on the cliff, looking down from above, one can roughly guess who is below the gorge.
Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi.
Rong Xie took a few steps forward and looked down. Sure enough, near the bottom of the gorge, he saw a small platform where two figures stood side by side, surrounded by several giant black spikes.
The one that called out just now was Xiaozhi.
Rong Xie had never heard Xiao Zhi speak loudly before, so he didn't react immediately. Now that he thought about it, the voice was indeed Xiao Zhi's.
It was only then that Rong Xie realized that Xiao Zhi actually had the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment, and that he could indeed transmit his voice from the bottom of Wenxin Gorge.
“You cauldron, when did it become your turn to speak!” shouted the lackey cultivator beside Shang Gan.
Shang Gan sneered and said, "This is the result of breaking the rules. Anyone dares to interrupt in front of the sect leader and elders. In my opinion, if we want to rectify the sect rules and restore order, we must severely punish these two!"
"The admonisher is right. What kind of rules are they if they are not followed?"
"Just follow the rules!"
Everyone chimed in with agreement.
Rong Xie's heart sank. Seeing that Elder Bai, the only person who could speak for Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi, had also been silenced, he, as an outsider, had no way to speak. In the current situation, Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi were left at the mercy of others.
He looked at Elder Bai, but Elder Bai's face no longer showed the indignation he had shown at the beginning. Instead, it became cold and solemn, as if he had already resigned himself to his fate.
Then, Elder Bai gave the guide a look, and the guide nodded.
The sect leader sighed: "Since everyone agrees, let's proceed according to the rules."
He then looked down at Lu Yingqi at the bottom of the Questioning Heart Gorge with a seemingly understanding expression: "Lu Yingqi, we have watched you grow up step by step. Thanks to the sect's cultivation, you have been able to get to where you are today. We do not want to see your cultivation abolished."
Rong Xie's eyelids twitched twice. He wondered why the sect leader, after listening to Shang Gan, was saying such hypocritical things to Lu Yingqi. Was it to appease Elder Bai's forces?
"However, you must also understand that we are doing this with your back in mind... Your dual cultivation with the furnace is a shortcut, which violates the rules of the ruthless path. If you continue, you will only go further astray. Rather than waiting until the end to suffer the result of the destruction of your soul and spirit, it is better to start correcting it now. It is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Abandoning your cultivation does not mean that you cannot cultivate in the future. You are still young. Choose a new cultivation method and start anew. You may still be able to make a name for yourself."
The sect leader's words were very eloquent, as if he genuinely cared about Lu Yingqi's well-being. He also cited some similar examples from his predecessors, which even persuaded Rong Xie.
However, upon closer examination, those examples are extremely rare. If Lu Yingqi were to lose his cultivation at his current age, he would likely suffer a backlash and die, with no chance of getting back up. Moreover, a person's talent is limited. Lu Yingqi may have talent in the ruthless path and has not been affected by the minor branch, but that does not mean he has talent in other paths. If he were to change his cultivation method, would he still have achieved what he has today?
Rong Xie's heart sank.
These are not just possibilities that could happen to Lu Yingqi, but also to Shen Bingsi...
"Now that we've said this, Lu Yingqi, from now on, you and the Xuantian Sect go your separate ways. Take care of yourself." The sect leader raised his hand and threw out a sect leader's decree, which fell towards Wenxin Gorge.
The sect leader's command unleashed a thousand rays of azure light, urging the giant black thorns beneath the Questioning Heart Gorge to converge on Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi in the center.
"Wait a minute!" Rong Xie couldn't help but call out when he saw this.
Several unfriendly glances were directed at Rong Xie. The sect leader and the elders seemed to only just notice him. The cultivators whispered among themselves, while Shang Gan narrowed his eyes.
"Who is under the cliff?" the sect leader asked displeased.
"Disciple... is Rong Xie." Rong Xie thought for a moment, but still didn't reveal the name of the Spirit Mirror Sect. He was no longer a disciple of the Spirit Mirror Sect, and besides, it was better not to cause trouble for the Spirit Mirror Sect at this time.
"Rong Xie? Who is he?" the sect leader asked in confusion.
Someone whispered something in the sect leader's ear.
"Oh, so you're the one who helped investigate the Lu family case. It seems you also played a part in today's events," the sect leader said with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare. I was merely assisting the Mirror Palace in investigating the case. If it weren't for Senior Brother Lu's benevolent decision to sacrifice his own family for the sake of those innocent children, I wouldn't have been able to do anything," Rong Xie retorted, neither too soft nor too hard.
"Oh...do you have something to say?" The sect leader became indifferent.
“This disciple has no intention of objecting to your sect’s rules. However, is it too harsh to treat Xiaozhi, who has only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, with the same punishment? Is this to abolish his cultivation or to take his life?” Rong Xie asked.
"Xiaozhi?" The sect leader paused for a moment. "You mean that pageboy?"
"..."
Rong Xie knew that these important figures never paid attention to insignificant people, especially cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage. However, he never expected that Xiao Zhi, as one of the people involved in this heinous case in their eyes, would not even be worthy of having her name remembered.
Shang Gan sensed something and cast an inquiring glance at the sect leader. After receiving permission, he stepped forward and took over Rong Xie's words for the sect leader: "It's not that the sect leader wants to deal with the servant boy Xiao Zhi this way, but the two of them are very close and neither of them wants to leave the other. They even want to be punished together. The sect leader and elders had no choice but to resort to this tactic."
Rong Xie frowned and looked down.
What Shang Gan said might be true, but when has the Xuantian Sect started to consider personal feelings when punishing people? They're willing to be punished together, so they're just going to let them be punished together? If they're so easy to talk to, why not just let them go?
However, such a rebuttal would be tantamount to admitting Shang Gan's words: Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi are very close and do not want to be separated.
Rong Xie realized there was a trap here, and he couldn't jump in.
While he was pondering, the guide beside him spoke up: "Reporting to the sect leader, Elder Bai has something to say."
The sect leader looked displeased, but considering Elder Bai's involvement in the matter, he still raised his hand to cancel the silencing spell: "Say what you should say, and don't say what you shouldn't say. Don't make a fool of yourself in front of outsiders at your age!"
Elder Bai took a deep breath; it was clear he was furious beyond measure. His knuckles were bulging from clenching his fists. He glared hatefully at Shang Gan, his voice still hoarse from being silenced.
"Nonsense! Slander! What if I could prove that Yingqi and his page had absolutely no affair?"
The air remained quiet for a long while.
"Oh? How do you prove it? You mean they cultivated together, and even when they were being tortured, they didn't want to be separated, yet they had no feelings for each other?" The sect leader found it utterly absurd.
"Exactly!" Elder Bai sneered. "I have confidence in my disciple Lu Yingqi. He's about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. In just ten years, he has achieved such success. If he really had a secret affair with Xiaozhi, how would he face his inner demons? He was always the first to pass every illusion test and was never affected by it... In terms of a heart of ruthlessness, I'm afraid none of the sect leaders and elders are as steadfast as him."
"Do you think we haven't considered this? But according to the sect's rules, we don't talk to you about their actions, we judge by their deeds, not their intentions. What's done is done!" The elder in charge of discipline next to the sect leader shouted.
The sect leader also frowned, looking at Elder Bai with disapproval.
"I know you won't believe me even if I tell you, so I have a way to prove it directly from the facts: Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi have absolutely no illicit relationship, and his Dao heart is unwavering," Elder Bai said in a deep voice, his gaze fixed intently on the opposite cliff. "Well, do you dare to make this bet with me? If I can prove it, you will never interfere in the affairs of the Ruthless Dao Palace again, and I will decide all matters of the Dao Palace! If I cannot prove it, you will resign from your positions as elders of the Dao Palace and go into seclusion to cultivate, no longer concerning yourselves with sect affairs!"
The sect leader and all the elders were taken aback when Elder Bai made such a heavy bet.
While hesitating, Shang Gan smiled and said, "Since Elder Bai is so confident, why not explain how you will prove it? Let everyone see if your method of proof is convincing, or if only Elder Bai himself thinks he can prove it—"
The sect leader and the elders listened and nodded in agreement, finding it to be very reasonable.
All eyes were once again focused on Elder Bai.
Rong Xie already had a premonition of what Elder Bai would say. As things were pushed to the extreme step by step, his heart began to pound.
"Heh, what other way is there?" Elder Bai sneered, "Kill your wife to prove your Dao!"
In an instant, everyone's expression changed.
The sect leader and elders are all veterans, so of course they know about this method. They just didn't expect Elder Bai to have such confidence.
Shang Gan's smile deepened, as if he were enjoying the spectacle, and he crossed his arms, gazing at the two figures below the abyss.
Rong Xie was shaken. Standing here, he could not see Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi's expressions, but only two small shadows that had been standing side by side, now separated slightly, leaving a blank space between them.
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He's back! [Pity]
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