Daoist Wan, Councilor Duan, and Councilor Lan came before the several Grand Councilors. Once they had taken their places, all three bowed to the seats above.
The three Grand Councilors nodded in return.
Councilor Yue glanced at Councilor Guo, the meaning plain enough: matters of the Upper Hall should be handled by the Upper Hall itself.
Councilor Guo looked at Daoist Wan and said slowly, "Councilor Wan, there was nothing wrong with your extermination of the chaos cultivators this time. But failing to clear away the lingering poison was an error of the Upper Hall."
Daoist Wan looked upward and said, "Esteemed Councilors, allow Wan to say a word. You must all know the harm that Great Chaos poses to Origin Xia. Do not be fooled by the limited damage caused by that chaos cultivator before. From his actions, it was clear that he was cultivating disciples, supporting followers, and spreading his Dao teachings.
"Once he amassed sufficient strength, he would surely launch an offensive against us and use the power of stirring chaos to shake Origin Xia's Heavenly Order. Should such people not be eliminated while the disasters they caused were still small? If we waited until his strength grew greater before acting, Wan feared it would become even more troublesome. Therefore, Wan did not believe he had acted wrongly."
Councilor Lan, standing beside him, disagreed with his words. This was precisely the same line of argument he had used when debating him before, yet it had failed to persuade him then. How could it persuade several Grand Councilors now?
Councilor Yue turned his gaze and said, "Councilor Lan, you are also a Councilor of the Two Halls. I heard that you rejected Councilor Wan's decree. Can you state your reasons?"
Councilor Lan solemnly bowed to those above. "Lan