Chapter 519: Treasuremaster Angrily Rebukes Jiejiao Immortal

In a corner of a minor world, starlight glittered across the lake.

Daoist Duobao sat on a blue stone by the lake, his expression grim, lending a slightly oppressive atmosphere to the place.

In front of the blue stone, Shi Ji, an immortal of the Jie Sect, knelt, her eyes vacant and tears welling up at the corners, looking utterly weak and on the verge of tears.

Li Changshou also appeared at this moment, transformed into a young Daoist. He and Daoist Duobao planned to play good cop, bad cop, starting with Shi Ji to tear open a breach in the dark chain of 'Jie Sect registered disciples.'

"How many times has this happened?" Daoist Duobao asked in a deep voice.

Lady Shi Ji lowered her head and replied, "To answer Senior Brother, it has been ten... sixteen times."

"And roughly how many people each time?"

"Dozens..."

"Sixteen times, dozens of people!"

Daoist Duobao gritted his teeth and cursed, "Just from you alone, the Jie Sect has gained over a thousand registered disciples! Do you know the character of each of these disciples, or if they carry karmic burdens?"

Shi Ji's body trembled slightly. She bowed her head and kowtowed, "Shi Ji's sin is unforgivable. I ask Senior Brother to punish me!"

"Nonsense!"

Daoist Duobao let out a low roar. The minor world instantly darkened, spiritual energy churned between heaven and earth, and a few creatures fell into fear and unease.

"You know your sin is unforgivable, yet you so brazenly ask for my punishment?! What were you doing before? Where were you when they were engaging in such schemes here?! Why didn't you come to me and say something?"

"I..."

Shi Ji looked up as if to speak, but then lowered her head and bowed, unsure how to respond.

Li Changshou seized the moment to interject, "Senior Brother Duobao, please don't be hasty. Let me speak with this Senior Sister."

Daoist Duobao closed his eyes, still seething with indignation.

Li Changshou took two steps forward and gently said to the kneeling Shi Ji, "Senior Sister, please stand up first."

Shi Ji remained motionless, prostrate, her slender body trembling continuously.

Li Changshou earnestly persuaded her:

"The reason Senior Brother Duobao took the trouble today to disguise himself as a Heavenly Immortal Daoist and listen to your sermon was to give you a chance to atone for your mistakes. Senior Brother Duobao and I have already heard what you said to the other three Jie Sect disciples. It seems you came here to preach for them out of a sense of obligation, is that correct?"

Lady Shi Ji still did not answer, remaining prostrate.

Daoist Duobao frowned slightly, about to speak, but Li Changshou stopped him with a glance.

Li Changshou chuckled softly and said, "Senior Sister, may I guess what you're thinking about? You're afraid that Senior Brother Duobao's furious wrath will directly strike down the disciples you know, aren't you?"

Shi Ji sighed softly from her prostrate position and murmured, "Junior Brother Chang Geng, I am willing to bear all responsibilities for my sins."

"It seems, Senior Sister, that you only see this matter as tarnishing the Jie Sect's good name and damaging its reputation."

Li Changshou paused, then took a wooden board from his sleeve and levitated it before Shi Ji, saying, "Senior Sister, please look at this object."

Shi Ji, somewhat puzzled, looked up.

Li Changshou conjured a handful of sand from nearby and piled it onto the board.

"This board represents the destiny of a Great Sect; this sand represents its disciples."

"Great Sects all have Saints overseeing them, so their destinies can be considered similar. However, our Ren Sect and the Chan Sect have an additional layer of iron cladding around their boards. This illustrates the importance of a treasure that stabilizes a sect's destiny."

Li Changshou paused and asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying so far?"

Shi Ji nodded.

"The state of this board right now represents our Ren Sect: less sand, strong board," Li Changshou said, then conjured another pile of sand and placed it on top of the board.

"This is the state of the Chan Sect: though there's more sand, the board is still relatively stable. As for the Jie Sect?"

Shi Ji suddenly realized something, and her pretty face paled slightly.

With a flick of his hand, Li Changshou drew a distant sand pile towards him, forming it into a several-zhang-tall cylinder, which he pressed onto the board. The board immediately sank.

Li Changshou stated gravely, "This is the best-case scenario for the Jie Sect: the board is pressed down but not broken. But what's the reality? Because there are too many disciples, this board is wider and longer than those of the Chan or Ren Sects. However, the karmic burdens that come with them are also accelerating the board's decay."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers. Black lines appeared on the board, which began to warp under the pressure of the sand column above.

Li Changshou slowly paced beside Shi Ji, who knelt there, watching the board rapidly decay...

With another wave of his hand, wisps of sand gathered from all directions and entered the sand column.

"Now do you understand the consequences of your preaching outside, and those who invited you using it to amass vast wealth? On one hand, more sand presses down on this board; on the other hand, the board is being corroded by more karmic burdens. The ultimate result is the advent of the Great Tribulation..."

Li Changshou held a long sword in his left hand. With a flash of light, the sword swept beneath the board.

The board suddenly snapped, and the sand column crashed down, shattering into dust before Shi Ji, scattering across the ground.

Shi Ji's slender brows twitched slightly, and her face gradually turned pale.

Daoist Duobao sighed:

"Shi Ji, oh Shi Ji, think back to ancient times. You were banished by the Heavenly Dao due to the karmic burden of your killings. When you were at your wit's end, you encountered our Master's sermon. Our Master, seeing your nature was still good and that you were unaware of compassion when you manifested from a stubborn rock, found your situation forgivable and granted you a place at that very sermon site. Is this how you repay our Master! Is this how you repay the Jie Sect!"

"Senior Brother! I didn't know..."

"You didn't know this would happen?"

Li Changshou retorted, then slowly squatted down in front of Shi Ji, and gently said, "Do you know why the Red Lotus, which Senior Brother Duobao and the others risked their lives to obtain, shattered? The Jie Sect had too much karmic debt, too many beings whose destiny needed to be suppressed. The Red Lotus was insufficient and suffered a backlash from the tribulation. Senior Sister Shi Ji, the Great Tribulation is approaching. Now, the tribulation's destiny has obscured heavenly secrets, and discussions of the Great Tribulation in Zixiao Palace are drawing near. What the Jie Sect and the Dao Sect need now is not your life, or a few or a dozen other lives, but to completely put an end to this preaching-for-profit practice and reject the registered disciples admitted previously. In your left hand, you hold the future destiny of the Jie Sect. In your right, you hold the words 'loyalty' and 'integrity.' If the destiny of a Great Sect collapses, even a Saint cannot protect everyone within it. That would be fighting against the Heavenly Dao, and they would be branded enemies of the Heavenly Dao. Do you truly want to destroy the entire Jie Sect for the sake of those with malicious intentions, and watch hundreds, even thousands, of Jie Sect immortals perish?"

"Don't say anymore..."

Shi Ji's body went limp, and she sat down weakly on the ground, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

After a while, she gradually regained clarity, gave Li Changshou a wry smile, and quietly asked, "What can I do?"

Li Changshou took a treasure pouch from his sleeve and shook out a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

"Tell me everything you know. I presume those who invited you to preach were not just these few today."

Shi Ji pressed her lips tightly together. As she picked up the brush, her slender hand trembled uncontrollably.

So, three days later.

This matter, left unchecked, was unnoticed, but once investigated, it was truly shocking.

Starting with Shi Ji's breakthrough, she revealed several different groups of Jie Sect immortals she had seen during her sixteen sermons.

Li Changshou and Daoist Duobao carefully considered their options. Using Shi Ji to conceal their movements, they secretly apprehended these dozen or so Jie Sect immortals. Then, by interrogating them separately under the guise of 'atoning for their mistakes,' they obtained over a dozen lists.

Next, they compiled the Daoist titles on these lists, cross-referencing them. Those titles that appeared frequently were designated as key targets for investigation.

Daoist Duobao summoned Golden Spirit Saintess, Turtle Spirit Saintess, and Zhao Gongming. The four leading disciples acted separately and, within two days, apprehended over sixty Jie Sect immortals. They then replicated the process, obtaining over sixty more lists.

Li Changshou was responsible for organizing these lists, and in just half a day, he compiled a dense network diagram.

Creating charts was also one of Li Changshou's specialties.

At this point, a rather thorny problem appeared before him and the leading Jie Sect disciples.

The number of Jie Sect immortals involved in this matter was truly too high.

These Jie Sect immortals, who 'peddled registered disciples,' often used treasures and spirit elixirs to 'grease the palms' of those above them for their own security.

The high-level Jie Sect figures involved were countless, even including several Jie Sect immortals who had appeared in Biyou Palace on the day the Red Lotus shattered!

From top to bottom, interests were intertwined;

Uprooting them completely would severely damage their vitality.

They were still in the minor world where Shi Ji had been questioned.

Li Changshou's paper avatar stood by the lake with his hands behind his back, Lady Shi Ji standing beside him.

Duobao, Zhao Gongming, Golden Spirit Saintess, and Turtle Spirit Saintess looked at the scroll before them, covered with countless names, their expressions a mix of emotions.

Not far behind them, more than seventy figures in total hung like zongzi in the forest, bound by immortal ropes, their heads bowed in slumber.

Li Changshou glanced at Shi Ji, whose eyes were now somewhat blank, as if she had lost all vitality and spirit.

Before long, the furious curses of Golden Spirit Saintess echoed from behind them:

"These parasites! They must not be spared!"

"Golden Spirit, don't be impulsive," Zhao Gongming quickly advised. "Are you going to slay all the disciples on this list?"

Golden Spirit Saintess cursed, "They are not worthy of being called fellow disciples!"

"Senior Sister," Turtle Spirit Saintess said softly, "why not only execute those whose actions were particularly egregious? There are so many immortals on this list..."

Zhao Gongming said, "We also bear responsibility for inadequate oversight."

Daoist Duobao, with his hands behind his back, let out a long sigh, then took two steps back and sat silently on the blue stone.

Golden Spirit Saintess's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she sighed:

"What should we do? We need to make a decision quickly, whether to kill or to punish, there must be a plan. Although we acted covertly and apprehended these fellow disciples, the news is bound to leak... Senior Brother, if we don't respond promptly, there might be unnecessary incidents."

Duobao wiped his face and sat there, lost in thought.

At this moment, countless pressures converged upon Daoist Duobao, making this highly cultivated Daoist, who was considered handsome even among the slightly plump, almost turn his hair white with worry.

Thump...

Suddenly, a soft sound was heard, and the leading disciples all looked over, seeing Shi Ji kneeling beside Li Changshou.

"Junior Brother Chang Geng, you are resourceful and surely have a good strategy to resolve this situation. I deeply recognize my sin and am willing to die to atone for it. Please, Junior Brother Chang Geng, lend your aid!"

Li Changshou's brows furrowed slightly. He turned his body away, not accepting this bow.

"Get up."

Daoist Duobao said in a low voice.

Lady Shi Ji, however, buried her head even deeper.

Duobao suddenly exploded in anger, stood up, glared at Shi Ji, and with a sweep of his large hand, delivered a resounding slap to Shi Ji's face, sending her flying several dozen zhang away and crashing into the lake.

"You refuse to resolve the karmic burden you created yourself, yet you have the nerve to beg Chang Geng! You've completely disgraced our Master!"

Zhao Gongming quickly stepped forward to block Daoist Duobao. "Senior Brother, calm down, Senior Brother, calm down. Although Shi Ji has made mistakes, she has indeed been trying to atone for them these past few days..."

Turtle Spirit Saintess hastily flew into the lake and helped the soaked Shi Ji back. Shi Ji's mouth was bleeding, and she remained silent, her head bowed.

Li Changshou sighed from the side...

Never mind, I'll just consider this permission to ask for a hug from Yunxiao the next time we meet.

He slowly asked, "Does this matter truly need to be investigated further?"

"Chang Geng, you don't need to worry about this," Duobao gritted his teeth. "This great tree has already grown crooked. If we don't ruthlessly prune the extraneous branches, it will decay sooner or later!"

Li Changshou, however, said, "But Senior Brother, once the killing starts, a large number of Jie Sect immortals will surely be killed or injured, which will also deplete the sect's own destiny."

Daoist Duobao glared and retorted, "Are we just going to let it go then?"

"There actually isn't a completely safe method," Li Changshou said, "but Senior Brother, why not use this incident to convene a Grand Immortal Assembly of the Jie Sect, gathering all the immortals? First, kill one to warn a hundred, execute the ringleaders, and publicly slay a few personal disciples of the Saint whose crimes warrant death, to intimidate the other disciples. Of course, this matter requires our Martial Uncle's approval. Afterwards, you can explain the Jie Sect's current crisis, unite everyone in the sect, and achieve the effect of 'beating the bush to scare the snake.' These are just temporary solutions. When the Great Tribulation comes, please keep this roster safe, Senior Brother. Neither you nor I know what will happen in Zixiao Palace, or how the Heavenly Court will rise. To put it another way, if the Dao Sect needs the lives of immortals to fill the ashes of tribulation, then we must protect those well-behaved and good-natured fellow disciples."

These last few sentences were subtly phrased, but after hearing them, everyone present felt they made some sense.

This Great Tribulation was different from the War of the Lich or the Tribulation of Dragons and Phoenixes. It was something the Saints were 'discussing.' If a standard were truly set for how many disciples from the Jie Sect and Chan Sect would die to fill the tribulation's destiny...

The names on this roster would naturally be handled first. If the tribulation's ashes were insufficient, then each would face their own fate.

"That is indeed a method," Golden Spirit Saintess said. "Although it lacks straightforwardness, before the Great Tribulation, we cannot afford to worry about such things. If we were to just kill them now, it would be too easy for them!"

Zhao Gongming murmured, "Wouldn't doing this be a bit too unjust..."

Li Changshou stated gravely, "This matter must not be spread. Human hearts are unpredictable, let alone those of immortals with long lifespans."

He paused, then took a scroll from his sleeve.

"We should also be cautious. Let's each make a Grand Dao vow not to leak any information externally, and Senior Brother Duobao, please seal Senior Sister Shi Ji's memory of these past half-day."

Lady Shi Ji's eyes were full of helplessness. She murmured, "Junior Brother Chang Geng, I should face death this time."

"Senior Sister, there's no need for that," Li Changshou stated gravely. "There are too many Jie Sect immortals, and matters of reward and punishment must be clear, otherwise chaos will easily arise. Let's begin the vow."

Each person stepped forward, including Daoist Duobao, and made this vow of secrecy.

Still feeling uneasy, Li Changshou instructed, "As for those hanging in the forest, they will be considered the principal offenders to be executed. When displaying their faults, simply use a recording orb; there's no need to let them speak. This will prevent any further complications."

"Understood," Daoist Duobao agreed, and then looked up with a long sigh.

One month later, on Golden Turtle Island, the Grand Immortal Assembly of the Jie Sect convened.

After more than a dozen segments of recordings related to the 'registered disciples' and their sermons were displayed, the hall was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Over a hundred figures, their primordial spirits suppressed, knelt in the arena, their eyes blank.

Daoist Duobao, clad in white robes, put away the jade talisman in his hand. The 'scolding draft' within it was already memorized backwards and forwards.

He then declared, "Please, Master's decree."

To the side, Zhao Gongming took out a Saint's proclamation glowing with multicolored light and slowly unfurled it. A green gleam surged from within, filling the entire hall with a solemn and deadly atmosphere.

The proclamation was blank, without a single word, yet its sword intent soared to the heavens.

Daoist Duobao stood up, slowly took a breath, and before countless Jie Sect immortals, pointed at the kneeling men and women, declaring firmly:

"There are over sixty direct disciples of our Master, and today I must kill six of them! Although many disciples listen to our Master's sermons, today I must kill these ninety-six people! Which of them was not a being who sought the Dao and truth before our Master? Which of them was not a Jie Sect immortal who claimed to seize a glimmer of hope for all living beings in heaven and earth? They have rotted, and my heart is broken! Our Master established the Jie Sect and entrusted me with its affairs, yet now our Jie Sect is renowned as 'Ten Thousand Immortals Come to Court,' and I have allowed it to become this... I have failed our Master, I have failed our Ancestor, I have failed the Dao Sect!"

Duobao's voice boomed like thunder. The ten thousand immortals of the Jie Sect remained silent, many of the immortal ladies looking tense and lowering their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Duobao composed himself and said slowly:

"And you. As you stand in your places, looking at them, do you feel any lingering hope? Any guilt? Are some among you truly so clean? Some of you are even more despicable than them, even more deserving of being killed as a warning! Today, I advise you all: take out your Dao hearts, let them sun, wash them clean, and let them dry! With the Great Tribulation upon us, instead of uniting and facing it, you have relied on the tribulation's veil to act recklessly and wildly. What was once a sermon to collect spirit stones every thirty or fifty years has become once every three or two years, or even several times a year! That Twelve-Grade Red Lotus shattered right here in Biyou Palace, shattered before our Master! Do you know how many times our Master has searched the Chaos Sea for treasures that can stabilize the sect's destiny over the years? Do you know that when the Red Lotus shattered, our Master was smiling! Our Master cannot stand idly by like our two Senior Uncles. Our Master is ready to face the Great Tribulation with us if it cannot be avoided! And what about you? What are you all thinking right now!"

Duobao looked up and sighed deeply. The surroundings remained utterly silent.

Duobao continued, "When it was calculated that the Dao Sect would face a Great Tribulation, I initially thought it would come from demons outside heaven and earth. I traveled through the Chaos Sea and found those demons were not powerful enough. Then I thought the tribulation must stem from the rise of the Western Sect. Only later did I discover that the Great Tribulation originated from the ascendancy of the Heavenly Court and was directed at the Dao Sect. The Ren Sect has two senior/junior brothers: Senior Brother Xuandu guards Xuandu City, resisting external demonic invasion of the Primordial World. Junior Brother Chang Geng toils day and night, running all over for the Dao Sect, shifting the calamity originally aimed at the Dao Sect onto the Western Sect, thus protecting many fellow disciples. What about us? What has our Jie Sect done to alleviate the Dao Sect's Great Tribulation to this day? The Jie Sect's greatest enemy is not external, but internal. After much profound thought, I unearthed these four words from my Dao heart to share with all my junior brothers and sisters."

After speaking, Daoist Duobao waved his hand. A small mountain landed on the high platform, with one side flattened and four large characters inscribed upon it:

The Jie Sect is doomed... *cough*, no.

To have a clear conscience.

"All of you, watch this for three days and three nights."