Speaking for Himself

"But..."

Mianning paused, a smile still lingering on her lips, but the smile in her eyes faded like the tide.

Upon hearing this, Su Yao's heart tightened, realizing that things were not as simple as they seemed.

He slowly turned around, took two steps forward, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the edge of the pavilion, gazing into the night.

The night breeze ruffled his soft white hair. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, his tone several degrees heavier than before:

"Before coming to Nanzhao, I passed through Yuanfu and happened to meet Brother Jingxuan of the Eight Sceneries Palace. He asked me, 'Do you know what Qixia Daozi did in Nanzhao?' I nodded. He shook his head and said, 'That Su Yao is indeed a capable person. However, he is too sharp-tempered and ruthless, often wiping out entire clans. The entire Lu Household family, all the cultivators, were slaughtered by him. If it weren't for Senior Qizhenzi intervening and obtaining an imperial decree, I wouldn't have had the Celestial Master Manor issue an imperial edict recognizing his Daoist status before even reaching the Purple Mansion.'"

He paused, then turned around, his gaze fixed on Su Yao's tense face:

Brother Jingxuan paused for a moment, then said, "The Lu Household members first crossed the line, then attacked his disciples. It is perfectly reasonable for him to come to their door to demand justice, cripple their cultivation, sever their Dao Path, and even kill them on the spot. If the Qingshi holds them accountable for this, what harm is there in me going to Jiankang myself?"

But his biggest mistake was slaughtering the entire Lu Household of cultivators, and then declaring that no member of the Lu Household would be allowed to pursue cultivation for twenty years. With such actions, does he still hold the belief that the Immortal Dao values life?

Mianning slowed his speech at this point, but his tone became more forceful:

"I didn't say a word after hearing this, but I thought to myself: What Brother Jingxuan said is true, but he lives in the Eight Sceneries Palace and his life Supreme Purity. He has never seen the dangers of Nanzhao. If you are not ruthless, others will ride roughshod over you. Although the Lu Household is the one who hurt you, it is enough for you to cripple their cultivation or kill them to establish your authority. But you wiped out their entire family. Even if there was a reason, in the eyes of outsiders, all that will be left for you are the impressions of ' Qixia Daozi, ruthless, prone to slaughter, and cruel by nature'."

He slightly turned his head, his gaze fixed on Su Yao, whose tense face had relaxed considerably.

"I'm not here to accuse you today, but to ask you one question: when you wiped out the entire Lu Household, did you fully consider the consequences of being called 'ruthless', or was it just a moment of anger that made you want to feel better first?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yao's previously tense mind completely relaxed.

He let out a long breath and was about to speak when he was interrupted again. Mianning took out a mirror and held it in mid-air. He said:

"So I made a bet with Brother Jingxuan, betting whether you were ruthless in order to establish your authority, or... or just acted on impulse?"

He looked at Su Yao's face, which seemed about to explain, and continued:

"Don't rush to explain. I made a bet with Brother Jingxuan about this, but the Jiangzhen of the Biyou Palace found out and got involved as well."

He paused:

"I've contributed a piece of Qi of Mysterious Clarity that you're sure to recognize; though not one of the initial few, it's still extremely precious. Jingxuan contributed a Seven-Revolution Golden Core, and Jiangzhen contributed a Heavenly Thunder Fruit. If you answer that you can pass this test, all three are yours."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao was utterly shocked:

Xuanming is born from the union of Lesser Yang and Lesser Yin, representing the initial interaction of Yin and Yang, before the distinction between hardness and softness, and the first wisp of "harmonious energy" between heaven and earth.

The ancestor Yun Zhongzi was able to attain enlightenment by borrowing the profound and Lesser Yin Qi of Mysterious Clarity evolved from the original Lesser Yang and Lesser Yin of Wood Duke and Golden Mother, totaling nine streams, with three streams remaining in the Purple Mansion Continent and Jade Lake respectively.

The other three were given to the Three Pure Ones, the Dao Ancestors.

Moreover, these nine streams of Qi of Mysterious Clarity are not only the initial combined energy of Lesser Yang and Lesser Yin, but also the first wisp of immortal energy at the beginning of the Immortal Dao.

After all, these two were the first to cultivate the Mysterious Gate Immortal Dao after the Three Pure Ones opened the Immortal Dao, and they were male and female, Yin and Yang respectively, making them extremely precious.

In the past, the Dao Ancestor Yuqing bestowed this energy upon the Patriarch.

The ancestral master originally resided in Hazy Clouds, but later transformed into Wu Earth Subsidiary Rank, and also included the Blazing Fire and Gui Water.

Observing this energy over thousands of years, and because both Lesser Yang and Lesser Yin are the pivots of Yin and Yang, one can comprehend the changes of Yin and Yang, and then resonate with the Remaining Rank of the Hazy Clouds, thus realizing the Rainbow Cloud Fruition. This is how the lineage of Qixia Temple in Mount Zhongnan came about.

Except for Gui Water, whose position the Patriarch had to relinquish for certain reasons, the other positions remained until the Patriarch followed in the footsteps of the Dao Ancestor and went to the heavens.

Otherwise, the patriarchs would not have established the lineage if they had not attained Fruition Position.

Originally, only the twelve Immortal Truth who Fruition Position within the Jade Pure One Sect were allowed to establish their lineage and the Jade Void Palace.

Su Yao raised his head, looked at the mirror "Illuminating the Heart" suspended in mid-air, smiled calmly, and said:

"Replying to your question, young master, I have thought it through."

His tone was calm, his gaze clear and unwavering.

"From the moment I embarked on my journey down the mountain, I knew that the world was not as simple as it was on the mountain. Every word and action would be used as a basis for criticism; every move could be used to measure the weight of Qixia Temple and Qixia Temple attitude."

"Regarding the Lu Household's matter, I had already considered all the consequences before taking action; if Jade Void punishes me, I will accept it; if Eight Sceneries comes to question me, I will accept it; if Biyou comes to hold me accountable, I will accept it as well; even if the Four Celestial Masters' Manors issues an edict to reprimand me, I will have no complaints. Or if Jiankang issues an edict to hold me accountable, I will bear it all."

He paused, his tone slightly lowering:

"I have a clear conscience about this matter."

"Although we are immortals, detached from worldly affairs, we uphold the Immortal Dao's principle of valuing life. Yet, since the three Mysterious Gate Xuanmen, they have never taught anyone to be a clay or wooden puppet to be bullied. While we possess compassion, we also have aversion; we have the virtue to guide others, and we also have the art to protect the Dao. Compassion is the courtesy we show to the virtuous, while aversion is the righteousness we show to the wicked. If one only speaks of compassion without discernment, that is not the Immortal Dao's principle of valuing life, but rather self-degradation."

"After all, the Dao Ancestor Supreme Purity eliminated witches and destroyed temples, the Dao Ancestor Yuqing slayed demons and subdued monsters, Dao Ancestor Highest Clarity killed gods and guided ghosts. I am merely imitating the Dao Ancestors."

"The Lu Household injured my disciples, crossing the line first and then launching a sneak attack. I came to demand justice, and even if I ripped a hole in the sky, I would still be in the right. But my extermination of the entire Lu Household's cultivators was not for momentary pleasure, but for the future peace of the Pear Garden, and to Proclaiming Earth's journey south would not be disturbed by outsiders. A single blow can prevent a hundred more. If I am not ruthless today, ten or twenty Lu Household Lu Household come to test me tomorrow. Now that I have killed them, those who want to be used as a butcher should think carefully: is it worth sacrificing their entire clan?"

After speaking, he bowed deeply, his gaze clear and bright.

"If the young master thinks that I have gone too far, I will accept the punishment; if he thinks it is acceptable, I will continue to do so."

He paused, then added:

"But in any case, all the blame rests solely on me."

A night breeze rose again in the pavilion, stirring Su Yao's robes.

He said no more, simply standing quietly in place, waiting for the judgment to fall from the Mind-Clarifying Mirror in Mianning's hand.