522: Chapter 532 If you don't bow to me, your true destiny is lost!

As the Grand Elder of the Sect, it was impossible for him to be swayed by mere rumors.

As the second-in-command of the Sect, second only to True Lord Qingxu, his eyes and ears were spread throughout the Sect; in fact, he had long sensed something amiss, but he had chosen to remain still.

He had intended to wait for the True Monarch to return before making a decision, but now that someone had proactively stepped forward to tear through this facade, he simply went with the flow.

With that, he paused, his gaze landing on several Elders in the hall.

"The Zhao Family, the Zhou Clan, and the Lin Family—these three have deep connections with several of you present. It is perfect; I shall leave this matter to you to handle."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the Elders in the hall changed instantly.

Some of them were direct descendants of those families, some were Guest Elders receiving stipends, and others had married into them; regardless, their relationships were deeply intertwined.

Being named at this moment, they all remained silent, hoping to muddle through.

Lu Chenyuan was not polite about this.

"Zhao Wenyin!"

The first person called out was a middle-aged Cultivator at the Late Golden Core Stage.

His surname was Zhao, his name Wenyin, and he was indeed a direct descendant of the Zhao Family.

His expression shifted slightly, and he replied in a panic.

"Grand Elder, this matter still requires investigation; we cannot listen to only one side of the story. If we act rashly and accidentally harm fellow members of the Sect, I fear it will chill everyone's hearts."

His tone was somewhat restrained, but anyone could hear the intent to shirk responsibility in his words.

Lu Chenyuan did not even look at him and continued calling names: "Zhou Demao."

In the crowd, a middle-aged Cultivator with a fair, beardless face and wearing brocade robes was slightly startled, then stepped out of line and bowed.

"Grand Elder, my Zhou Clan has been loyal to the Dao Sect for generations and has absolutely no ulterior motives. There must be a misunderstanding, and I hope the Grand Elder will investigate clearly."

His words were flawless, but fine beads of sweat had already seeped onto his forehead.

Lu Chenyuan remained expressionless and continued calling names: "Lin Yuanshan."

The last person named was the very one pointed out by Fang Qing.

This person was a thin, elderly man with a sinister appearance.

He did not shirk responsibility like the previous two, but instead directly cupped his hands and said.

"Grand Elder, this matter is of great significance; we believe it should be considered carefully. With the Old Ancestor not yet returned and the Sect in turmoil, if we act against these families, I fear it will trigger a chain reaction. At that time, the situation may be beyond our control."

The Lin Family was one of the most prominent families in the Dao Sect, so his words were more direct than the previous two, almost a blatant refusal.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall became suddenly tense.

Everyone's gaze shifted back and forth between Lu Chenyuan and the three people who had been named; some were gloating, some were worried, and others were secretly calculating.

At this moment, Lu Chenyuan finally raised his eyes; his gaze was like a blade, sweeping across the three of them one by one.

He did not get angry, nor did he even raise his voice, but simply asked calmly.

"Are you suggesting that I am wrong?"

Zhao Wenyin hurriedly waved his hands: "I dare not, Disciple does not mean that..."

His words stopped halfway, suddenly stuck.

Because Lu Chenyuan's gaze had already landed on him; that gaze carried no emotion, yet it made him feel as if he had been seen through completely.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

Zhou Demao lowered his head, not daring to meet Lu Chenyuan's gaze.

Lin Yuanshan still wanted to say something, but upon meeting those aged yet sharp eyes, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

The hall was deathly silent, with only the heavy breathing of a few people remaining.

Lu Chenyuan slowly stood up. He simply stood there, doing nothing, but that pressure belonging to a False Nascent Soul Cultivator already descended like a mountain.

"The True Monarch is not here, but the Sect cannot fall into Chaos."

Lu Chenyuan's voice remained calm, but every word was like a nail, driven into the heart of everyone present.

"As for you..."

His gaze swept over the three of them.

"I will not force you; if you are unwilling, then so be it."

Once these words were spoken, the hearts of the three—Zhao, Zhou, and Lin—relaxed.

It seemed that this Grand Elder was still somewhat wary and did not dare to blow the matter out of proportion.

Thinking of this, they even felt a bit smug.

However, before they could be happy for long, Lu Chenyuan continued to speak.

"Since that is the case, let someone else do it instead. Who is willing?"

He looked around, seemingly waiting for others to express their stance.

As the catalyst for this incident, Fang Qing was about to open his mouth to volunteer, but was stopped by a look from the Grand Elder.

He wanted to see just how many people had developed ulterior motives while the Dao Sect was in such a precarious state.

At this moment, an Elder said with a troubled expression.

"Grand Elder, although Elder Fang speaks with certainty, currently there is only an indication that the Zhao, Zhou, and Lin families have unusual movements, but there is no actual evidence, nor have they taken action. To strike at them now, I fear it is somewhat..."

He did not finish his sentence, but everyone present understood.

Those families had operated within the Qingwei Grotto-Heaven for many years, with deep-rooted connections, and were a force that could not be ignored.

Wanting to move against them without substantial evidence was indeed somewhat unjustifiable.

Not to mention anything else, among this group of people, there were several who had extremely good relationships with those families.

What everyone dared not say out loud was that they were also unsure of the Old Ancestor's current state.

If the Old Ancestor had truly met with misfortune, and they had rashly offended those families, I fear the Qingwei Heaven would be completely overturned in an instant.

And they would eventually be liquidated!

Therefore, no one was willing to be the one to stick their neck out.

But Lu Chenyuan was not influenced by these words, nor did he have any intention of letting it go.

In fact, with his current strength, he was capable of suppressing everything.

But the Qingwei Heaven was, after all, True Lord Qingxu's!

Although he had done a favor for the True Monarch, the True Monarch had forged his foundation for the False Nascent Soul, which had already repaid that debt of gratitude.

Furthermore, even if it hadn't been repaid, one could not leverage favors for gain or overstep their bounds.

This was his way of conducting himself, but Lu Chenyuan could not sit idly by and watch these vermin affect the Qingwei Dao Sect.

So he said in a deep voice: "They owe their current status and cultivation entirely to the Qingwei Grotto-Heaven, and even more so to the gift of the True Monarch. Now that the Grotto-Heaven is in trouble, they want to set up their own shop; this is a betrayal of the Old Ancestor. If I do not kill them, it will not be enough to quell my anger!"

"However..." He paused and nodded.

"What you say is not without reason. Let's do this: apprehend them first. Spare none, not the men, women, young, or old. Imprison them all in the Prison Peak and wait for the Old Ancestor to return for judgment."

Seeing that the Grand Elder's mind was made up, no one dared to speak again.

After all, within this Dao Sect, apart from the Old Ancestor, the Grand Elder had the highest cultivation, and his words carried some weight.

However, those with ulterior motives had eyes flashing with sharp light, wondering whether to take this opportunity to leak the news to those families in advance, allowing them to prepare early.

If they really had problems, then if they died, they died.

But if it turned out to be a misunderstanding later, this act would be like providing help in a snowstorm, which could be considered earning a massive favor.

Lu Chenyuan swept his gaze over the crowd, knowing what these people were thinking.

He was very angry about this and was just about to lose his temper.

Just at this moment, the Qingwei Grotto-Heaven suddenly shook.

Immediately, the Void Realm above the firmament suddenly split open.

A vast, abyssal pressure came sweeping down from that rift, like a celestial river pouring down, like a mountain collapsing, pressing down so hard that everyone present could barely breathe.

No one could see what was in the rift, but the pressure itself was declaring something.

A True Monarch was about to descend!

Only to see that within the rift, Chaos surged, and a figure walked out slowly from the Chaos.

The person had hair as white as snow, an ancient face, wore moon-white Daoist robes, and held a whisk.

The person who arrived was none other than the master of the Qingwei Grotto-Heaven, True Lord Qingxu!

The scene fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Everyone froze in place; that pressure of a Nascent Soul True Monarch made an instinctive trembling rise from the depths of their Souls.

It was not until that figure completely stepped out of the Void Realm rift that the pressure subsided slightly, and the crowd came back to their senses.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!" Lu Chenyuan was the first to salute, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!" The others also came to their senses and knelt down in unison, their voices like a tide.

And among them, the people from the Zhao, Zhou, and Lin families instantly turned pale, their bodies trembling all over.

If they could still remain calm when facing Lu Chenyuan, a False Nascent Soul Cultivator, they could no longer remain composed when facing a true True Monarch.

They buried their heads low, wishing they could crawl into a crack in the ground to lower their sense of presence.

As for those who had various thoughts just a moment ago, they had all turned into quails, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Heh, the True Monarch has returned, everything is settled; if one were still thinking about that bit of favor, they would truly be stupid beyond measure.

In short, one phrase: irrelevant!

... And high above in the sky, Lu Ming stood tall.

His gaze swept over the kneeling crowd below, finally lingering a bit longer on Lu Chenyuan.

"False Nascent Soul?" Lu Ming raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, but soon stopped paying attention.

Do not think that just because it has the word "Soul" in it, it can contend with a True Monarch; if Lu Ming wanted to kill him, it would only take an instant.

However, being a newcomer, Lu Ming did not want to make things so bloody; it was better to first figure out the situation before making plans.

So Lu Ming left the group of people below aside and began to look around the entire Grotto-Heaven on his own, unable to help but click his tongue in wonder.

"So this is a Grotto-Heaven; it is truly mysterious."

With his current vision, he could naturally see its extraordinary aspects at a glance.

Unlike a true vast realm of the world, a Grotto-Heaven is more like a Dao Law Domain evolved by a True Monarch.

Hmm, which is to say, a so-called Dao Field!

Being inside it is like being in an ocean of Dao.

In it, whether Cultivating or comprehending the Dao, one will achieve twice the result with half the effort.

However, there are also drawbacks and hidden dangers within.

It is said that for how much you gain, you must inevitably pay how much.

The living beings within, having enjoyed the benefits of accelerated Cultivation, will naturally and gradually be assimilated.

Although they will not become Puppets without intelligence, they will be branded by the master of the Grotto-Heaven.

On the level of Karma, they become the private property of the True Monarch.

When a crisis truly arrives, these people might be used as scapegoats to be thrown away.

Commonly known as: Cannon Fodder!

"True Lord Qingxu must have had this thought back then!"

Unfortunately, the karma golden book directly locked onto the scapegoat, and even if True Lord Qingxu wanted to transfer it, he could not do so at all.

Otherwise, by using the living beings of a world as a sacrifice, he would not have ended up in such a state.

"It is truly the cycle of Karma, retribution is never late."

Through a twist of fate, True Lord Qingxu instead became the victim.

Lu Ming sighed once again at the mystery of fate and Karma.

Fortunately, he had the karma golden book!

Although it cannot be said that he is untouched by all Karma, in ordinary situations, no one can forcibly interfere with his fate, and he is innately in an invincible position!

Lu Ming thought happily.

Subsequently, he pondered how to deal with this Grotto-Heaven.

Obviously, the Grotto-Heaven is no longer as glorious as it once was, but as a place to stay, it is a pretty good choice.

As for whether he would be assimilated by the Law if he stayed too long?

Heh, what a joke; not to mention that True Lord Qingxu has already been suppressed by himself.

Just the fact that he has inherited the complete Yin-Yang Law means he is like a fish in water here.

Haven't you seen that the Grotto-Heaven didn't even react when he came in?

Eh, this absolutely does not mean his scale is not large enough.

Rather, the Grotto-Heaven felt a familiarity and mistook him for True Lord Qingxu, which is why it had no reaction and let him come in.

Otherwise, if it were any other True Monarch, it would absolutely not be that easy.

Unless they forced their way in, but that would inevitably be met with fierce resistance from the Grotto-Heaven.

"Since that is the case, I will gladly accept it."

After a preliminary understanding, Lu Ming was quite satisfied.

From the time he began Cultivating Qi and entering the Dao, he had been wandering, making his home wherever he went.

Now he finally had a place where he could settle down for a long time.

Thinking about it, Lu Ming was still a little excited.

"Should I bring some old acquaintances from the Southern Wilderness Region over?"

This thought suddenly popped into Lu Ming's mind.

Although Lu Ming admitted that he was a sophisticated egoist, he was a human after all, and humans have seven emotions and six desires.

The Southern Wilderness Region carried many of his memories, and some old acquaintances there had once helped him more or less.

Although he had taken care of everything before leaving, within his capabilities, Lu Ming did not mind giving back a little.

However, after much consideration, Lu Ming gave up on the idea.

Although he was now a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he was not without worries.

Whether it was dealing with the schemes of other True Monarchs or the Heavenly Dao that was eyeing him covetously, they were all unstable factors.

Oh, and there was also the time bomb that was the Dao Venerable of Spirit Transformation of the Asura Clan.

Being alone, he had no worries; he could advance to attack or retreat to defend, and he could leave whenever he wanted.

But if he had ties, he would inevitably be timid when doing things.

If one day a crisis truly arrived, and Lu Ming needed to sacrifice everyone in the entire Grotto-Heaven, would he do it or not?

Uh, Lu Ming knew his own character.

If that day really came, he could abandon anyone.

But afterwards, he would inevitably be sad for a while.

So rather than bringing those old acquaintances from the Southern Wilderness Region here, it would be better to send them some resources back.

Anyway, even if they came, they would have no chance of breaking through to Nascent Soul True Monarch; it would be better to be a local emperor there and live a carefree life.

Thinking of this, his thoughts became clear, and Lu Ming no longer struggled with these things.

"Then I will first handle the matters here properly, and then send someone to make a trip to the Southern Wilderness Region."

So Lu Ming returned his gaze to the people below.

As a Nascent Soul True Monarch, his five senses and six consciousnesses were long past those of ordinary people, and he could even peer into their inner thoughts through the fluctuations of their Divine Soul.

And upon this inspection, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

It seems... there are people inside who are not very welcoming to me!

Audacious!

Those who do not bow upon seeing me shall lose their true destiny!

Lu Ming snorted coldly, then flicked his whisk, and drifted down.