Chapter 162 The Justification for Taking Action: A Conflicting Discussion
The light smile on the lips of Elder Ziyan Zhenren of the Hehuan Sect, who was about to slip away, suddenly froze, her eyes turning cold. With a wave of her hand, purple smoke exploded and covered the group of Hehuan Sect disciples standing behind her.
An overwhelming spiritual pressure erupted in an instant.
Chong Jue acted without hesitation. The spiritual pressure of the Mahayana cultivators erupted, and apart from the Hehuan Sect disciples who were protected due to the timely reaction of True Person Ziyan, the other five teams were inevitably affected.
The disciples of Dingsheng Sect, who were opposite Chongjue, were the first to be hit. In an instant, they were swept up by the invisible wave of spiritual pressure. The lower-level disciples clutched their throats in pain and fell to the ground, while the higher-level disciples struggled silently with their faces turning purple, using all their strength to resist it.
The aloof smile that the handsome young sect leader always maintained vanished, replaced by an unprecedentedly solemn expression.
The words had barely left his mouth when Chongjue's expression changed slightly.
The disciples of Dingsheng Sect who had been groaning in pain suddenly stopped. One by one, the lower-ranking disciples who had fallen got up from the ground, while the higher-ranking disciples regained their composure, looked at each other, stretched their arms and legs, and were surprised at how quickly they had recovered.
Only Chongjue could sense that the large amount of spiritual pressure he released, especially the spiritual pressure that blasted towards the disciples of the Dingsheng Sect opposite him, was disappearing at an alarming rate.
Chong Jue focused his mind and was surprised to find that the disciples of Dingsheng Sect were shrouded in a thin, clear light, as thin as a cicada's wing. The clear light took shape by absorbing spiritual pressure, and when the last trace of spiritual pressure was absorbed, the clear light dimmed, as if it had never existed.
"The Realm Array." Chong Jue stared intently at Yuan Liu. "No wonder you're so bold."
Master Ziyan spoke up to dissuade him, saying, "Venerable One, please reconsider."
Chong Jue smiled, and a heavy black iron sword instantly appeared in his hand. He laughed heartily, "Does the Hehuan Sect also think they are right? Or does any elder of any family think they are right?"
Upon seeing the heavy sword, the five elders who had arrived together had a slight change in their eyes, but remained silent with solemn expressions.
The midday sun pierced through the clouds and shone directly down, causing sweat to drip from the foreheads of the disciples of various sects within the sect realm.
A deep silence filled the air, and all the cultivators present held their breath.
Just then, a powerful voice came from the horizon.
"Fellow Daoists, it's been a long time! How have you been?"
The cultivator, who was at the sect level, suddenly felt the heavy pressure around him dissipate. Looking up blankly, he saw a vigorous old man descending from the sky.
The place where he landed was right next to Yuan Liu.
"Oh? It's actually Peak Master Qi." Venerable Chongjue said in a deep voice upon seeing the newcomer, "Indeed, it has been a long time. You have been living in seclusion for many years, and I never expected that such a trivial matter would disturb you, venerable one."
Although Qi Qingling's cultivation level is not as high as Chong Jue's, as the oldest and still alive spiritual cultivator, his seniority and sect status are undeniable, and the various spiritual cultivation sects will give him some face.
Qi Qingling laughed heartily: "It's not that I'm avoiding the world. It's just that I'm getting old and don't want to see unpleasant people, so I don't go out. Who would have thought that all the unpleasant people would come to my door! So I had to come out and see them."
He pointed his withered, thin finger behind him: "Not only me, they came too."
A dirty and disheveled male cultivator and a calm female cultivator in a green robe also came to Yuan Liu's side.
Dong Lu nodded slightly: "Venerable Chongjue, True Man Ziyan, and everyone else."
Liu Zhiqing simply bowed perfunctorily.
Their attitude was extremely perfunctory. The elders of the Shen and Zhu families, as well as the Beast Taming Sect and the Flowing Illusion Valley, looked displeased.
Chongjue smiled: "It's rare to see the peak masters of Dingsheng Sect appear at the same time. Now, there are actually three of them."
In addition, there's the Realm Array of the Dingsheng Sect.
Chongjue casually flipped his palm, and the heavy sword that was almost unsheathed turned around again, standing upright on the ground with the hilt facing upwards.
Qi Qingling seemed not to have seen Chong Jue's sword-sheathing action and said casually, "I sent them! I'm old and have seen all sorts of strange and shameless things! But they are different, they are young! Even if they are unwilling, they still need to see more of the world and broaden their horizons."
"Qi Qingling, stop rambling. A thousand cultivators are waiting here, demanding an explanation from your Dingsheng Sect!" Lion Roar roared, and Crane Xiu angrily said.
"A thousand?" Qi Qingling's white beard trembled. "A mere thousand. On ordinary days, when fellow Daoists from various sects come to the Extreme Continent, they also take the opportunity to train in our sect's various regions. Since you have come from afar, why don't you also go to Lin Peak for a tour and fight with the demonic beasts there? It's an endless source of enjoyment."
"You old fool!" He Xiu glared and puffed out his beard. He just told them to go and clear out the demonic beasts that were running rampant in the various regions of Dingsheng Sect? Everyone knows that Dingsheng Sect may not be big in other aspects, but it is big in land and has a lot of demonic beasts.
While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of cultivators who come to Jiwu Continent for training on ordinary days, they are here this time to get an explanation, not for training!
He Xiu trembled with anger, but Shen Ting was not swayed by Qi Qingling and said directly, "What use are more opportunities for training if they are of no benefit to the world?"
Qi Qingling laughed and said, "That's why our Dingsheng Sect went all out, sending the most outstanding disciples from each peak to the Desolate Continent."
He Xiu took a few deep breaths to calm himself down: "You disciples of the Dingsheng Sect promised to support the desolate continent, but you all disappeared at this crucial moment. What do you mean by that?"
"As far as I know, the disciples sent by my sect did not turn their backs," Qi Qingling said proudly. "On the contrary, the demonic cultivator army on the eastern coast of the Desolate Continent was completely wiped out by the vigorous efforts of my sect's disciples. By the time the reinforcements arrived, most of the demonic cultivators had already retreated. Otherwise, how could you have arrived so quickly? You should have continued to deal with the demonic cultivators in the Desolate Continent."
Shen Ting snorted coldly: "Your Ji Mingran from Luanfeng disappeared without a trace along with that demon. Hongqi Sect has already thoroughly investigated and found that it was she who broke into and destroyed the Soul Devouring Formation. She is clearly involved with the demon, so how else can you deny it!"
"It's a pity about my honest junior sister," Qi Qingling said sadly. "She was attending the celebration when she got lost and wandered into the forbidden area of the Hongqi Sect. Poor thing, she was trapped there for more than a month. If she hadn't almost managed to comprehend the principles of formations and break through to the next level, she would never have been able to get out. How could she have known that demons were imprisoned inside? She just wanted to escape. After returning, she spent a full month recuperating from her injuries. As soon as she was healed, she immediately set off to exterminate the demons. Who would have thought that she would end up disappearing without a trace?"
Qi Qingling's words not only overturned the conclusions of the Five Sects one by one, but also paved the way for Ji Mingran's unfortunate yet world-loving persona.
Chongjue's face was solemn: "Then why did she hide this matter and instead tell me herself that she broke through her cultivation realm because she had a fortuitous encounter after a month of training?"
He Xiu quickly followed, saying, "She's full of lies, how can we believe her?"
Qi Qingling clapped her hands: "Being trapped in your Hongqi Sect's grand formation is exactly what training is all about! If she hadn't broken through, she might have died inside and no one would have known. Oh dear, if you ask me, why doesn't your Hongqi Sect mark the forbidden areas? It's easy for people who don't know the situation to get into trouble if they wander in by mistake."
Qi Qingling sighed sadly with his aged face: "Alas, only my junior sister is kind-hearted. She was worried that if she spoke out, it would make Hongqi Sect lose face, so she silently let the matter pass. She suffered a loss, but she endured it all and was still so kind and joking with you. What a good girl she is."
As the head of the Zhu family, Zhu Shenglin has remained silent and observant to this day, a truly astonishing feat.
He's really broadened his horizons! How could someone his age say such shameless things with such a straight face? No wonder his disciple Guan Wangzhen is so arrogant and lawless; he must have been spoiled by Qi Qingling.
Fortunately, his family background was so bad that he didn't become his disciple.
"Even so, your Hongqi Sect disciples occasionally wander into our sect's forbidden area by mistake. Your forbidden area has no markings at all, so it's no wonder that our disciples wander in by mistake."
Zhu Shengli frowned in disapproval.
The 36th generation chief disciple of the Dingsheng Sect, the head of the Five Peaks, why is he pretending to be an old geezer here? Doesn't he feel ashamed?
He glanced coldly at the disciples standing on either side of Qi Qingling. The latter's expression remained unchanged, as they were already used to their master's manner.
Zhu Shengli sighed inwardly again: Thank goodness! Thank goodness Shi Bai's master isn't him.
Chongjue: "Does Peak Master Qi mean to reprimand our sect's disciples for not following the rules?"
Qi Qingling: "Of course not. I'm just saying that every cause has an effect. You have to bear the consequences of the causes you sow. You reap what you sow. Don't you think so, Master Hexiu?"
This statement is, of course, flawless. Not only is it flawless, but it also completely overturns He Xiu's claim that Dingshengzong should compensate Hongqizong. The implication is that Hongqizong must bear the consequences of his own mistakes; otherwise, Dingshengzong will also hold Hongqizong accountable for trespassing into its forbidden area.
The Crane Immortal was speechless for a moment, then turned his head away angrily and snorted.
Chongjue's eyes darkened slightly.
They, the Hongqi Sect, originally stood on the moral high ground and intended to take advantage of the fact that the Dao Sect's Ten Cultivators had not yet discovered the discovery of the Zhu Huo to preemptively capture Ji Mingran.
So what if the Hehuan Sect is here? His reasoning is sound. Even if he makes the first move, and the Hehuan Sect reports back to the Ten Cultivators, the Ten Cultivators will only turn a blind eye.
As a result, the old man offered a different interpretation of his reasoning in just a few words.
When he makes another move, his stance will not be as firm as it was before.
The old codger has been holed up in the Dingsheng Sect for three hundred years, and he's really overlooked this sharp-tongued character.
Chongjue suppressed the irritation rising in his heart and said, "The situation of the demon is still unclear. This matter is strange. The ten cultivators of the Dao Sect also need to gather clues and find out his whereabouts. Just as Peak Master Qi said, young friend Ji has the big picture in mind and will be happy to participate and help find out the truth."
Qi Qingling sighed, "Of course she's willing, but as I said, her whereabouts are unknown."
Chong Jue pressed on: "Each sect has its own methods for finding its disciples, and sect ornaments are one of them. The Dingsheng Sect was able to find her through its sect jade token, wasn't it?"
"As expected of Venerable Chongjue, his thoughts are thorough." Qi Qingling stroked his beard and said, "The sect's jade token can indeed find her traces."
The six elders looked at him.
Qi Qingling smiled slightly: "But we have no obligation to inform you."
Crane Xiu sprang up: "You old scoundrel!"
Pfft! Shi Jinle lowered his head, trying his best to hide his barely suppressed laughter.
That's it now.
"Isn't my old man amazing!" The communication jade tablet vibrated, and a message sent by Guan Wangzhen popped out.
It's a mass message.
Shi Jinle looked up to find the group of people who had come from the sect's territory.
The fiery red hair was very eye-catching, and Shi Jinle immediately noticed Guan Wangzhen, as well as Shen Qingluo and Zhu Shibai standing beside him.
Shi Jinle was overjoyed and was about to greet him quietly when he was suddenly pressed on the shoulder.
Turning his head, he saw his master, Ziyan, shaking his head slightly.
A lazy voice rang out from the outer circle of cultivators: "Sorry, I'm late because I was dealing with sect affairs."
That sound. Shi Jinle frowned and turned to look.
One after another, the cultivators made way for the newcomer.
Nanmen Hong walked in slowly, and said with a light laugh, "When I arrived, I happened to hear Peak Master Qi say that Ji Mingran had mistakenly entered the Soul Devouring Array."
Passing by the Hehuan Sect, Nanmen Hong's gaze swept over Shi Jinle, then turned to the three disciples from the Dingsheng Sect who were taking the exam opposite him, a playful smile playing on his lips: "How come this isn't the same thing as what I know?"
Nanmen Hongchao waved to himself:
"Dan Niang, come here."
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