Are All Jie Sect's Ten Thousand Immortals Clean? Immortal of One Qi Ma Yuan!

Inside the High Heaven Hall.

Haotian stared at the scroll on his desk.

The Investiture of the Gods List had been withdrawn.

Zixiao Palace had temporarily sealed this account.

Yet, the characters on the fourth page of the Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger remained nailed before his eyes like spikes.

Heavenly Court Gains Divinity.

Without accounting for its cost.

The hand in Haotian's sleeve slowly tightened into a fist.

Past merits could no longer be questioned.

Should past merits be questioned, Zhao Xuan would have a ledger of his own.

Heavenly Court sought reinforcements.

Dragon Palace reaped the benefits.

The human race received protection.

Mountain and Earth Gods were granted favors.

Every single entry could be dug up by Zhao Xuan and used to suppress him in return.

Taibai Jinxing stood below the hall.

His head was bowed.

He did not speak first.

Haotian glanced at him.

"Taibai."

Taibai Jinxing bowed.

"Your Servant is here."

"The Ten Thousand Immortals of the Jie Sect."

"Are they all clean?"

Taibai Jinxing's fingertips tightened slightly.

He understood.

Haotian wanted to change blades.

He would not ask about past merits.

He would ask about actual crimes.

He would not ask who the Jie Sect had performed services for.

He would ask if there were any tainted individuals among the Jie Sect disciples.

Taibai Jinxing remained silent for a breath.

"Your Majesty, if this is done, there will be no turning back."

Haotian's gaze turned cold.

"I want evidence."

Taibai Jinxing closed his eyes.

Then, he produced a scroll.

He had possessed this scroll for a long time.

He had simply been unwilling to bring it out.

There were too many Jie Sect disciples.

Many had helped handle affairs in the Heavenly Court.

Among those people, there were the innocent.

And naturally, there were the guilty.

He handed over the scroll.

Haotian opened the first page.

The first name.

Chang'er Dingguang Xian.

Haotian stared at that name.

"This person?"

Taibai Jinxing whispered, "Jie Sect Outer Sect."

"His cultivation level is not low."

"He has excellent connections."

"He often stands up for the Outer Sect disciples."

"He also frequently bows before the personal disciples."

Haotian frowned.

"Good connections?"

Taibai Jinxing's voice dropped even lower.

"It is precisely because his connections are so good that it is difficult to look at."

Haotian's eyes flickered.

Taibai Jinxing continued, "He once used the name of Shangqing to force Rogue Cultivators from overseas to surrender their cave abodes."

"He has also forcibly seized spiritual springs."

"He even made two young Outer Sect disciples shoulder the karma for him."

"The evidence is incomplete."

"But there are leads."

Haotian flipped to the second page.

The second name.

Ma Yuan.

Haotian's gaze stalled.

Taibai Jinxing whispered, "Immortal of One Qi, Ma Yuan."

"His methods are ruthless."

"His notoriety is extreme throughout the outside world."

"The living beings in several cave abodes have been harmed by his cultivation techniques."

"If this person's crimes are confirmed, it will be enough to make all living beings in the Primordial World turn pale."

Haotian stared at those two names.

Finally, he let out a laugh.

It was very cold.

"Good."

"We shall start with them."

Taibai Jinxing did not smile.

He merely bowed his head.

Haotian closed the roster.

"Pass down the order."

"Investigate Chang Er."

"Investigate Ma Yuan."

"And investigate the rest of their misdeeds."

"I want to let the Primordial World see."

"The Shangqing Disciples."

"Just how much filth is hidden among them."

Taibai Jinxing bowed his head low.

"Your Servant obeys the decree."

Kunlun Mountain.

Inside Yuxu Palace.

Yuanshi Tianzun sat upon the Cloud Bed.

The hall was very quiet.

Antarctic Immortal stood below with his head bowed.

Yuanshi did not look at him.

His gaze pierced through the void, falling toward the High Heaven Hall above the nine heavens.

On Haotian's desk, that scroll of the roster was slowly being opened.

Page One.

Chang'er Dingguang Xian.

Page Two.

Ma Yuan.

Yuanshi gazed at those two names.

His eyes remained devoid of the slightest ripple.

Antarctic Immortal whispered, "Master."

"Haotian intends to investigate the crimes of the Jie Sect disciples."

Yuanshi said indifferently, "This time."

"He has not chosen the wrong blade."

Antarctic Immortal looked up.

Yuanshi continued to gaze in the direction of the High Heaven Hall.

"The old merits have already been brought to light by Zhao Xuan."

"To dredge up old accounts now would only invite humiliation."

"Questioning the disciples."

"That is what will be useful."

Antarctic Immortal understood immediately.

"Shall the disciple go to assist the Heavenly Court in gathering evidence?"

Yuanshi lowered his eyes.

"It is not to assist the Heavenly Court."

Antarctic Immortal paused.

Yuanshi's voice was icy.

"It is to assist the Investiture of the Gods."

Antarctic Immortal felt a jolt in his heart.

"The disciple understands."

Yuanshi said slowly, "The better Chang'er Dingguang Xian's reputation, the harder it will be to look at."

"The more notorious Ma Yuan is, the more effectively he can suppress others."

"If the charges against these two are proven."

"The four words 'teaching without discrimination'."

"Will then backfire on Tongtian."

Antarctic Immortal bowed his head.

"The disciple will go investigate at once."

Yuanshi closed his eyes.

"Go."

"Do not let the Heavenly Court monopolize this blade."

Antarctic Immortal bowed low.

"The disciple accepts the order."

The Yuqing Immortal Light slipped silently out of the hall.

Without a sound.

Yet it, too, headed toward the East Sea.

Golden Turtle Island.

The mountain gates were shut tight.

Sea mist pressed against the outside of the island.

Before Biyou Palace, the Outer Sect disciples stood in lines on both sides.

No one dared to speak aloud.

Daoist Duobao sat before his desk.

Three scrolls of rosters lay spread out.

Outer Sect.

Branch lineages.

Traveling outside.

Holy Mother Jinling stood to the left.

The sword remained sheathed.

Holy Mother Guiling's face was dark.

Bi Xiao guarded the mountain gate.

Qiong Xiao held the Jade Slip.

Yun Xiao stood at Zhao Xuan's side.

Zhao Xuan sat before the hall.

The Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger lay before him.

The ledger was closed.

Yet everyone knew.

Once this book was opened, it would record more than just the debts of outsiders.

Duobao flipped through the first scroll.

His finger paused on a name.

He looked up.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

Zhao Xuan said, "Read it."

Duobao whispered, "Ma Yuan."

As the name fell, the atmosphere in front of the hall changed instantly.

Someone subconsciously took half a step back.

Ma Yuan.

Immortal of One Qi, Ma Yuan.

Within the Outer Sect, his reputation had always been poor.

His cultivation was not weak.

His methods were exceptionally ruthless.

He loved to use the four words "Jie Sect disciple" to pressure others.

In the past, whenever people mentioned him, they would give him a wide berth.

Holy Mother Guiling's eyes turned cold.

"Is he on the island too?"

Bi Xiao's voice was icy.

"I didn't let him leave."

Soon.

Ma Yuan was brought up under guard.

He was not alone.

Seven or eight Outer Sect disciples followed behind him.

Though these people were held by the Enforcement Disciples, they showed little fear.

Some had cold sneers hanging from the corners of their mouths.

Others eyed the people before the hall askance.

Some even muttered in low voices.

"Is killing a few evil beings worth such a grand display?"

"The Investiture Great Calamity is already upon us, yet they investigate their own."

"If they really intend to investigate every disciple traveling outside, how many will be left on Golden Turtle Island?"

Holy Mother Guiling's eyes grew frigid.

"Shut up."

Those few lowered their heads.

But they were not truly afraid.

Ma Yuan looked up at Zhao Xuan.

There was even a hint of a smile on his face.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"This disciple does not know what crime he has committed."

Holy Mother Guiling sneered.

"You don't know?"

Ma Yuan spread his hands.

"This disciple cultivates the way of slaughter."

"When traveling abroad, my methods are naturally a bit heavy-handed."

"If killing a few evil spirits counts as a crime, how are Jie Sect disciples supposed to descend the mountain in the future?"

The few people behind him immediately chimed in.

"Senior Disciple Brother Ma Yuan is right."

"When traveling abroad, who doesn't get some blood on their hands?"

"We Jie Sect disciples are not like those Chan Sect immortals hiding away in the mountains for quiet cultivation."

"If you really want to investigate every little thing, who doesn't have some karma on them?"

"Today you investigate Senior Disciple Brother Ma Yuan."

"Tomorrow, are you going to investigate all of us in the Outer Sect?"

As these words fell, the expressions of many Outer Sect disciples in front of the hall changed.

The words were harsh.

But they were also venomous.

They forcibly dragged Ma Yuan's evil deeds toward the idea that "everyone has karma when traveling abroad."

They pushed their own guilt onto the entire Outer Sect.

Daoist Duobao frowned tightly.

Yun Xiao's eyes turned cold.

Zhao Xuan did not speak.

He only looked at Qiong Xiao.

"Evidence."

Qiong Xiao raised her hand.

The first Jade Slip lit up.

A small, desolate temple appeared.

The temple gate had been torn down.

The incense altar was broken in two.

A few small, rustic cultivators knelt on the ground, not daring to even lift their heads.

Ma Yuan sat in the temple.

Beneath his feet, he trampled the temple master's Dharma seal.

Ma Yuan took one look and his smile remained undiminished.

"That temple master was in league with evil spirits."

"This disciple was clearing out filth outside our sect, what is wrong with that?"

Qiong Xiao flipped to the second Jade Slip.

A small tribal settlement appeared.

The protective array had been torn open.

Women, children, and the elderly were driven to the side.

A few young tribesmen knelt on the ground, their cries stifled in their throats.

An Outer Sect disciple behind Ma Yuan scoffed.

"This counts as something?"

"That small tribe was hoarding spiritual materials and refused to hand them over."

"Senior Disciple Brother Ma Yuan was merely taking what should have been taken."

Another person continued: "They were weak."

"They couldn't protect their spiritual materials."

"Who can they blame?"

The atmosphere in front of the hall turned icy.

Holy Mother Guiling's eyes turned bloodshot.

"Say that again."

The man flinched.

Yet, glancing at Ma Yuan, he braced himself and refrained from kneeling.

Ma Yuan finally put away his smile.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"This disciple admits that the methods were a bit heavy-handed."

"But in these years outside, I have also forged a great reputation for the Jie Sect."

"Among those Rogue Cultivators out there, who dares not yield three points upon hearing the four words 'Jie Sect disciple'?"

"Is this not a good thing?"

Zhao Xuan still did not speak.

Holy Mother Jinling opened her mouth.

"The third one."

The third Jade Slip lit up.

A Rogue Cultivator blocked Ma Yuan's path, his voice trembling.

"A Protection Request Note has already been submitted to Golden Turtle Island for this place."

Ma Yuan merely laughed.

"I am a disciple of the Jie Sect."

"Who are you going to ask for protection?"

The voice faded.

The area in front of the hall went completely silent.

This time, the few people who had followed Ma Yuan's lead also stopped.

It was not out of fear.

It was because they finally realized that this statement was too unsightly.

Ma Yuan's expression darkened.

He stared at Zhao Xuan.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"This disciple will speak his piece first."

"This matter was not done by me alone."

He pointed behind him.

"They all acted according to my lead."

"And they are not the only ones who have received benefits."

"If we are to settle accounts by crimes today, it won't just be seven or eight people dragged into this."

Those few Outer Sect disciples immediately regained their confidence.

Someone looked up directly.

"Senior Disciple Brother."

"We did indeed follow Senior Brother Ma Yuan's lead."

"But the law does not punish the masses."

"If you punish everyone, the Outer Sect will surely descend into chaos."

"With the Investiture Great Calamity at our doorstep, does the Senior Disciple Brother truly intend to break his own people first?"

Ma Yuan looked at Zhao Xuan.

A hint of provocation appeared in his eyes.

He was certain that Zhao Xuan would not dare.

Because Zhao Xuan had to consider the reputation of the Jie Sect.

Because Zhao Xuan would not dare to suppress an entire string of Outer Sect disciples right after purging the sect.

Therefore, Zhao Xuan would not dare!

However, the subsequent development of events somewhat exceeded Ma Yuan's expectations.

Because after he finished speaking.

Zhao Xuan's expression did not change in the slightest; he only lifted his eyes slightly and spoke quietly.

"Are you finished?"