Lu Zhijing's expression was cold and his tone was harsh, showing that he did not take the edict from True Person Zhiyun at all.
The main reason is that Zhou Wuji is a junior; even though he has the title of True Person, his cultivation and status are far inferior to Zhou Wuji's.
With his grandson's tragic death, Lu Zhijing now has only two words on his mind: revenge.
Zhou Wuji coldly looked at Lu Zhijing. The old man originally had black hair and beard, and usually had a solemn and serious appearance, looking very imposing.
At this moment, the old man's hair was disheveled, most of his black hair had turned white, and his purple and gold Daoist robe was stained. He looked both old and somewhat disheveled.
Clearly, Lu Wuyuan's sudden and violent death was a huge blow to the old man.
He could understand the old man's anger, but it was also true that the old man didn't respect him.
Zhou Wuji wasn't angry. Lu Zhijing was the Heavenly Pivot Hall and also controlled the Lu Household. He had power, people, and money. It was normal that he was too emotional to bother with formalities.
He had never liked the old man; he was arrogant, conceited, and stubborn, and never took others seriously.
Lu Zhijing has a high level of cultivation, but it's hard to say about his abilities.
Zhou Wuji swept his long sleeves and picked up the edict from the ground. He flicked the edict lightly with his finger and said calmly, "This is the abbot's edict, bearing the Heavenly Pivot Token Seal and the Jingyang Upper Court's Law Seals."
"Does Elder Lu intend to disobey the abbot's orders?"
Lu Zhijing frowned. Zhou Wuji immediately accused him of something. This kid is really cunning.
The reason a sect is called a sect is that it has rules and regulations.
The abbot has absolute authority and controls all personnel, finances, and other power within the academy.
Even though he was the temple master, he could not disobey the official orders of the presiding official.
"The situation in Yunyang is complicated; I will explain it to the abbot myself."
Lu Zhijing waved his hand at Zhou Wuji, "Go back, you can't handle things here."
Zhou Wuji said solemnly, "The abbot has appointed me to oversee the Cloud Dragon Lower Court and to handle all matters in Yunyang."
"What does it mean that Elder Lu wants me to leave? Should I listen to you or the abbot?"
Lu Zhijing's face darkened when Zhou Wuji confronted him so directly.
The powerful Divine Sense of the Third Rank True Person was naturally released, Daoist Zhihe felt immense pressure, forcing him to step back a few steps to alleviate it.
Standing beside Zhou Wuji, Wuming's face turned pale, and his hands trembled slightly uncontrollably.
Zhou Wuji, holding the sword hilt, naturally gathered Sword Intent, shattering all of Lu Zhijing's invisible Divine Sense.
His Divine Sense was not as advanced as Lu Zhijing's, but with the blessing of the Sword Spirit realm and the wielding of a Sixth Rank sword, he was not afraid of Lu Zhijing's Divine Sense, and his Sword Intent was even sharper.
Lu Zhijing originally wanted to teach Zhou Wuji a lesson and let the kid know the power of Third Rank True Person.
In the clash of their invisible Divine Sense, he sensed that Zhou Wuji's Sword Intent was firm and powerful, something he could not easily suppress.
This kid's Sword Intent is so advanced! No wonder he could subdue Xinru and defeat the barbarians with his sword; he truly has skill.
Lu Zhijing was also somewhat surprised. At Zhou Wuji's level of cultivation, it was not something he could easily suppress by activating his Divine Sense.
Using Divine Sense to teach Zhou Wuji a lesson is nothing. But if they really turn on each other and take physical action, the situation is completely different.
Don't underestimate Zhou Wuji just because he's a junior; after all, he holds the title of a Third Rank True Person.
Lu Zhijing could only suppress his anger and say, "Kid, don't be reckless."
Before Lu Zhijing could finish speaking, Zhou Wuji interrupted him rudely, "Old Lu, you're not young anymore. Take my advice and don't do anything rash."
Being lectured to his face by a junior made Lu Zhijing so angry that his face turned pale.
Zhou Wuji didn't seem to care at all. He continued, "I also feel very sorry about what happened to Wuyuan."
"However, Mr. Lu cannot lose his mind and act recklessly in Yunyang because of this."
"Now, all sides in Yunyang are writing letters to complain, saying that you are disregarding human life and killing indiscriminately, causing public outrage and resentment."
"If you go back to the Upper Court now, the Upper Court will still do its best to protect you. If you don't know your place, the next time someone will come, it will be people from the Heavenly Master's Manor, or the Ironclad Guard."
Lu Zhijing's face was extremely ugly, and he stared fiercely at Zhou Wuji with his old eyes.
Zhou Wuji's eyes gleamed with a hidden light, yet his expression remained calm and composed.
He continued, "Even if you're not afraid of death, you should think about the Lu Household, young and old, and about the Lu Household's legacy—"
Lu Zhijing remained silent; he was extremely angry, yet he still maintained his rationality.
He could disregard other things, but he couldn't disregard the Lu Household, nor could he disregard the Lu Household's legacy.
That kid hit the nail on the head. If something happens to him, the Lu Household, without the protection of Third Rank True Person, but possessing enormous wealth, will immediately become easy prey for many.
That's just how the world works; the greater your power, the more wealth and status you can acquire.
When power and wealth are not equal, the two will naturally adjust and gradually move towards balance.
Like Zhou Wuji, who had no powerful backing or connections, yet possessed exceptional cultivation and repeatedly rendered meritorious service, the imperial court would bestow upon him a title, such as "Master."
The door will grant him power and status, and wealth will naturally gravitate towards Zhou Wuji.
Seeing that Lu Zhijing's somewhat crazed eyes had Qingming, Zhou Wuji breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of the old man going crazy, but he would have a hard time controlling the situation.
If things really get out of hand again, no matter the reason, it will be because he failed to handle things properly.
True Person Zhiyun doesn't say anything, he will still be disappointed in him.
With countless people watching, any mistake he makes will inevitably be met with criticism.
Zhou Wuji also softened his tone, and said seriously, "Elder Lu, please return to the Upper Court first. You can explain anything to the abbot in person."
"I will handle the matter in Yunyang properly. I will also investigate the matter of Wuyuan Brother Wuyuan to the end."
"We, Fourth Rank Daoist of the Northern Pole Sect, absolutely cannot die like this, without knowing why."
These words were meant to give Lu Zhijing a way out, but as for whether the murderer could be found, Zhou Wuji wouldn't make any guarantees.
The world is vast, and there are countless Devil Cultivator. The Devil Cultivator who killed Lu Wuyuan are nowhere to be found right now.
Even if a celestial master were to arrive in person, he wouldn't dare say he could definitely catch the murderer.
Lu Zhijing remained silent. Zhou Wuji stepped forward and handed the edict to Lu Zhijing: "Elder Lu, there is no time to lose. Please return to the Upper Court immediately."
"You may return if the host permits."
Lu Zhijing gripped the imperial edict tightly, his face grim as he left the main hall. Golden light shone around him, and he rode the golden light into the sky, quickly disappearing from sight.
Zhou Wuji emerged from the main hall, watching Lu Zhijing's figure disappear into the depths of the clouds. He muttered to himself, "This old Daoist's flying technique is so slow, far inferior to True Person Zhihua's Sword Evasion— "
He had witnessed True Person Zhihua's Sword Evasion before and thought that Third Rank True Person's flying speed was too fast.
Now, seeing Lu Zhijing's flying technique, it seems very slow compared to True Person Zhihua, appearing to be about the same speed as his Vanishing Shadow Yin Dragon Steed at its fastest.
The Vanishing Shadow Yin Dragon Steed, at full speed, could travel approximately forty zhang per breath, roughly the same speed as an arrow shot from a powerful bow.
According to the precise calculation method of the previous life, the fastest speed of the Vanishing Shadow Yin Dragon Steed was over 210 kilometers per hour.
Lu Zhijing was clearly not flying at full speed; this speed was already quite astonishing.
This Palace Master of the Heavenly Pivot Hall possesses refined cultivation. Ordinary Third Rank Devil Cultivator are certainly no match for Lu Zhijing.
Based on this calculation, even if he fully unleashed the Tianquan Sword Evasion, his flight speed would be comparable to that of an ordinary Third Rank cultivator.
However, Sword Evasion cannot leave the ground and is also limited by terrain, which is something that cannot be compared with flight.
Zhou Wuji had just confronted Lu Zhijing and had gotten a general idea of Divine Sense level of this Third Rank cultivator.
According to his numerical standards, Lu Zhijing's Divine Sense value exceeded one thousand.
Despite meeting with True Person Zhihua every day, he has never actually had a Divine Sense confrontation with him.
Only now did he realize that a cultivator at the Third Rank rank must have Divine Sense of at least one thousand.
His current Divine Sense is 950, which is the result of his daily cultivation and refinement of his acupoints, leading to a steady increase in Divine Sense.
When Xiaoxiang Sword reached the Heaven Tier and condensed into Sword Spirit, it did not directly enhance its Divine Sense at that time.
Over the past few days, my Divine Sense Heavenly Capital. It's almost at the thousandth level.
Unfortunately, this rapid and enormous growth of Divine Sense also tended to stabilize.
His current level of Divine Sense is about 10% lower than Lu Zhijing's.
The difference wasn't significant, and with the Sixth Rank Tianshu Treasure Sword in hand, he even had a slight advantage in the contest of Divine Sense.
The brief exchange allowed them to ascertain the approximate cultivation level of Third Rank cultivator and bring Lu Zhijing back to the Upper Court, making it a resounding success.
Zhou Wuji was also very satisfied with himself; he True Person Hongde!
On the side, Wuming looked at Zhou Wuji with admiration. The other party was the Heavenly Pivot Hall, a strong person ranked third or fourth in the Upper Court, yet he was subdued by his senior brother's few words.
"Senior brother is truly amazing!" Wuming's bright eyes sparkled. If it weren't for the presence of the Zhihe, she would have kissed her senior brother twice.
Daoist Zhihe Zhihe's expression was also somewhat complicated. He had subdued the boy with the Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps back then, but today he had subdued the mad Third Rank True Person with just a few words.
He couldn't help but feel that things were different now.
Zhou Wuji then took out a handwritten edict and handed it to Daoist Zhihe, "Senior, this is the abbot's edict."
The Daoist Zhihe opened the document and read it. The edict was very simple, instructing him to properly hand over the affairs of the Lower Court to Zhou Wuji and to return to the Upper Court to report back immediately after completing the task.
Daoist Zhihe couldn't help but sigh deeply. He put away the edict and forced himself to speak, " True Person wait a moment, Master. I will convene a meeting this morning with the Three Capitals, the Five Lords, and the heads of each hall to explain the matter clearly."
"Thank you for your trouble, senior." Zhou Wuji bowed politely.
True Person Zhihe smiled bitterly and said, " Yunyang has been in complete chaos these past two years, and I have no face to continue as abbot. It would be good if I could return to the Upper Court to retire."
"It's all about timing and luck; it's not your fault, senior," Zhou Wuji comforted him.
True Person Zhihe nodded; Zhou Wuji's words had struck a chord with him.
It wasn't that he had a problem managing the Lower Court; it was simply that all sorts of Devil Cultivator kept popping up, making Yunyang a chaotic mess.
The True Person Zhihe Man of Zhihe personally hosted a dinner for Zhou Wuji and Wuming in a side hall.
After lunch, it was already past 9 AM.
True Person Zhihe summoned everyone to the Heavenly Pivot Hall for a meeting. With a series of incidents occurring in the Lower Court Lower Court, all the important figures remained there and did not go out. Soon, everyone had arrived.
When the group arrived at the Heavenly Pivot Hall, they saw Daoist Zhihe standing at the lower level, while the most handsome man in the main seat was Zhou Wuji, dressed in flowing blue robes.
Almost everyone in the Lower Court knew Zhou Wuji, and they had heard various rumors about Zhou Wuji over the past two years.
Everyone was shocked to see Zhou Wuji appear in the Lower Court, and those who hadn't gotten along well with Zhou Wuji before were filled with apprehension.
The head of the Flying Profound Hall, Daoist Yiping, was beaming with excitement.
Zhou Wuji also came over directly and bowed to Daoist Yiping to pay his respects, showing great respect for this senior uncle.
Daoist Yiping had a very low status in the Lower Court, and most people looked down on this old Daoist who lay flat.
Seeing Zhou Wuji's respect for Daoist Yiping, everyone felt both envious and jealous.
This made Daoist Yiping extremely proud, and his chubby face became even rosier.
After waiting for Zhou Wuji to return to his original position, Daoist Zhihe announced loudly, "From this day forward, all affairs of the Lower Court will be handled by True Person Hongde— "
Even those who had some suspicions couldn't help but change their expressions upon hearing this. Many people's eyes darted around, searching for the True Person Zhijing.
Zhou Wuji stepped forward and said, "Since we are all acquaintances, I will be frank. Many things have happened in the Lower Court recently, causing widespread panic."
"I am acting on the True Person Zhiyun to manage all matters concerning the Lower Court. I request your full cooperation—"
Zhou Wuji spoke in a calm tone, but for some reason, it made everyone in the hall feel fear and apprehension. Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly bowed and agreed, and no one dared to say another word.
Around noon, news of True Person Hongde, Zhou Wuji, settling in at the Lower Court spread throughout Yunyang.