523: Chapter 524 Disposal!

Seeing the Old Ancestor walking toward them, the crowd below hurriedly straightened their clothes and prepared to step forward to pay their respects.

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan stepped forward, bowed with cupped hands, and was just about to speak.

However, the Old Ancestor's figure suddenly blurred, like smoke and mist, and vanished without a trace. Only a single sentence was left drifting in the area.

"Come to the main hall to see Me."

The crowd immediately exchanged glances, their thoughts varied.

"The True Lord seems… to be in a bad mood."

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan had already straightened his body, gazing in the direction where the True Lord had vanished. He remained silent for a moment before saying in a deep voice.

"You all heard that? Then let's go. Do not keep the True Lord waiting."

After speaking, he gave Zhao Wenyin, Lin Yuanshan, and the others a meaningful look, then flicked his sleeve and left first.

Seeing that the Grand Elder had already departed, the crowd dared not delay and filed out, heading towards the main hall.

In the area, only the people from the Zhao, Zhou, and Lin Families remained. They exchanged glances, all seeing the unease on each other's faces.

But since the True Lord had spoken, even if they were unwilling, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.

"Forget it. If it is a blessing, it is not a disaster; if it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided. Besides, given the True Lord's personality, he surely would not make things too difficult for us juniors without evidence."

Zhao Wenyin sighed, not knowing if he was trying to comfort others or himself.

"Brother Zhao, do not worry. The True Lord has never liked to meddle in worldly affairs. I suspect this trivial matter won't even disturb him."

"Brother Lin is right. Moreover, the True Lord is known for his broad-mindedness and benevolence. Even if he really knew, I suspect he wouldn't hold it against us."

The Zhou and Lin duo were not very worried because what they said was the truth.

True Lord Qingxu was devoted to the Dao, and usually, when he went into seclusion, he would disappear for decades.

Therefore, gradually, their minds became more active, which led them to do some slightly out-of-line things.

"Alright, let's go quickly. We cannot keep the True Lord waiting."

They quickly reached a consensus, then transformed into several streaks of light and headed straight for the main hall.

...

The main hall of the Qingwei Dao Sect, named the "Qingxu Hall," was located on the highest peak in the center of the blessed land.

The hall was magnificent, with flying eaves and brackets. In front of the hall were nine hundred and ninety-nine white jade steps, each engraved with ancient runes.

The hall doors were wide open, and the space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

The high dome hung overhead, with stars circulating. The ground was paved with warm spirit jade, emitting a faint fluorescent glow.

On both sides of the hall, thirty-six meditation cushions were set for the Sect Elders and deacons to take their seats in order.

In the center was a nine-foot-high platform, on which sat a glazed seat. Behind it was a huge Yin and Yang taiji diagram, with black and white Qi slowly circulating, emitting a faint dao rhyme.

At this moment, Lu Ming sat upright upon it, a horsetail whisk resting across his knees. His gaze was calm, yet it inexplicably made people feel a sense of oppression.

The meditation cushions on both sides of the hall were already filled with people.

Golden Core Elders sat in the front, and Foundation Establishment deacons sat in the back, each according to their rank, in an orderly manner.

Outside the hall doors, even more low-level Cultivators stood solemnly, waiting, not daring to enter without permission.

This was the rare scene of the Qingwei Dao Sect holding a council, truly a gathering of immortals, majestic and awe-inspiring.

However, although Lu Ming was sitting in the main seat with a calm expression, maintaining the dignity of a True Lord, he was actually cursing wildly in his heart.

"Damn it, he had almost forgotten just now that he didn't even know these people's names. He couldn't just keep calling them 'what's-his-name,' could he?"

So he decisively chose to retreat first.

He just forgot that he could deduce this information just by moving his fingers.

But he hadn't reacted in time back then and had almost made a fool of himself.

Fortunately, these guys were too in awe of the True Lord and didn't notice anything wrong at all.

At this moment, Lu Ming remained composed, his fingers lightly pinching in his sleeves.

Fang Qing, Zhao Wenyuan, Lin Yuanshan, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan...

The Heavenly Secret Art operated, and one name after another, one segment of Karma after another, emerged from that vast sea of destiny.

"Hmm, he's even a clansman?"

Regarding this sole Pseudo-Nascent Soul Cultivator, Lu Ming paid a little more attention.

Especially as the sea of Heavenly Secret revealed his relationship with True Lord Qingxu.

On the surface, he was a subordinate close minister, but in reality, there was no difference between master and servant.

"Since that is the case, I am afraid this disguise of mine will be difficult to hide from this person's eyes."

After all, the two had known each other for a long time. It could be said that this person was True Lord Qingxu's spokesman when he was in seclusion or away, and he was extremely familiar with True Lord Qingxu.

Even if he disguised himself perfectly in terms of Law or Karma, some habits would eventually reveal flaws.

However, Lu Ming was not panicked about this.

Not to mention whether the other party could discover it, so what if he did?

Lu Ming had never thought about disguising himself at all!

Would Great Elder Lu Chenyuan dare to reveal his identity, or would he dare to flip the table and take revenge for True Lord Qingxu?

"Those who know the times are wise; Lu Ming believed that this clansman of his still had a brain."

As for the others...

"Heh!"

Lu Ming sneered in his heart; they were just a mob.

He didn't even take Great Elder Lu Chenyuan seriously, let alone the others.

That's right. During a bout of Heavenly Secret divination, Lu Ming had incidentally calculated the ins and outs of what had happened earlier.

That group was still guessing among themselves, without evidence, but Lu Ming was already very certain that those families were truly not wronged.

Someone really had turned traitor, colluding in secret and conspiring with external forces.

However, he had no intention of pointing it out in advance.

Watching this group perform was not without its fun. It could be considered a form of amusement in life.

After all, he had just achieved a Nascent Soul Breakthrough. Damn it, he couldn't even hold a Nascent Soul ceremony just to hide his identity. What was wrong with watching some entertainment now?

However, while Lu Ming was thinking about things here, it was a different scene in the eyes of everyone else.

They thought the Old Ancestor was angry, which caused the atmosphere in the hall to become increasingly heavy, and everyone dared not even breathe loudly.

Finally, someone could not hold back anymore.

After receiving a signal from the Grand Elder, Fang Qing felt a bit uneasy, but ultimately had no choice but to bite the bullet and stand up.

He walked to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully to the person in the upper seat.

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor, this Disciple has a matter to report."

Hearing the voice, Lu Ming finally came back to his senses and cast his gaze downward.

Instantly, Fang Qing felt a vast pressure descend from the sky, pressing down on his shoulders, causing his already bowed waist to bend even further.

Just when he felt he was about to suffocate, he finally heard the True Lord's ethereal voice.

"What is it?"

Fang Qing felt relieved, and at the same time, not daring to be slow, he quickly reported.

"In reply to the Old Ancestor, recently this Disciple discovered that the South City Zhao Family, the West River Zhou Clan, and the East Pole Lin Clan are secretly colluding with external forces, harboring malicious intent."

"This Disciple has already obtained preliminary evidence. I ask the Old Ancestor to discern the truth."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall immediately exploded, and there was an uproar.

Some people who were not present and had not experienced what happened just now were very shocked to hear this news.

Some who were in the know were a bit surprised that Fang Qing was actually so bold as to expose this matter the very first moment the Old Ancestor returned.

Was he not afraid that the Old Ancestor wouldn't care at all and would just let the matter slide?

In this way, he would inevitably offend these blessed land immortal aristocratic families to death.

However, this belonged to the sordid affairs between the upper echelons of the Sect; some Elders and deacons mostly remained silent, waiting for the situation to develop.

And as one of the parties involved, Zhao Wenyuan was the first to stand up.

At this moment, he suppressed the anger in his heart and gave Fang Qing a gloomy look.

Immediately, as if changing his face, he looked full of grievance and bowed to Lu Ming.

"I ask the Old Ancestor to discern the truth. Elder Fang's words are biased! My Zhao Family has been loyal to the Dao Sect for generations, devoted and faithful; the sun and moon can bear witness."

"To talk about colluding with external enemies is simply slandering us!"

He spoke with such passion, his eyes slightly red, as if he had truly suffered a great injustice.

Zhou Demao also followed closely behind, pointing at Fang Qing with an indignant expression.

"Elder Fang, my Zhou Clan has been rooted in Qingwei Heaven for hundreds of years and has rendered great service to the Dao Sect."

"Now, without any proof, you want to pin such a crime on us? I fear this will be hard to convince the masses!"

Lin Yuanshan was not as agitated as the previous two, but he also had an indignant posture.

"Elder Fang, we are now before the True Lord. Can you produce evidence proving that our three families are colluding with external enemies? If you cannot produce solid evidence, that is slander."

"Although this Disciple is untalented, I am not a soft persimmon that anyone can knead."

His tone was calm, but the threatening intent in his words was clear to everyone.

Fang Qing was momentarily overwhelmed by the Aura of these three and stammered, unable to say anything clear.

Seeing this scene, others in the hall either lowered their heads and said nothing, calculated secretly, or gloated.

For a moment, their thoughts were varied.

Watching this farce, Lu Ming almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The acting skills of these three were better than the next.

If someone were unaware, they might really be deceived by them.

Unfortunately, he already knew the ending.

Just at this moment, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan, who had been silent ever since he came in, suddenly stepped forward.

He did not argue with this group, but simply took out a Jade Slip from his sleeve, then faced Lu Ming and respectfully presented it with both hands.

"True Lord, please discern the truth. What Fang Qing said is not slander; the evidence is here."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Zhao Wenyuan and the others changed.

It was not that they were afraid of what evidence Great Elder Lu Chenyuan might produce.

Actually, the reason these three were so confident was, in the final analysis, because this matter had not truly reached a conclusion before it was exposed by Fang Qing.

Plus, now that the True Lord had returned safely, they had abandoned other thoughts and destroyed all the evidence in their hands.

Therefore, really speaking, they actually did not amount to colluding with external enemies; they only had tendencies in that regard.

But what kind of evidence was that?

That is why they were so righteous and confident!

However, as the saying goes, a thief has a guilty conscience. Since they had ghosts in their hearts, they naturally worried that Great Elder Lu Chenyuan might have something detrimental to them in his hands.

But overall, they were still relatively steady.

First, they were confident in their handling of loose ends, and second, the True Lord really did not care about affairs, and they estimated this time would be the same.

On Lu Ming's side, he took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense, but his expression became a bit strange.

It was not to say that it was full of evidence of the Zhao, Zhou, and Lin Families colluding with external forces.

On the contrary, the content of this Jade Slip hardly wrote anything about that aspect.

Even if there was, it was all specious speculation, and there was simply no substantive evidence.

Heh, how interesting.

Lu Ming glanced at Great Elder Lu Chenyuan. This old thing was looking down, not daring to meet Lu Ming's eyes, obviously realizing what he was doing.

"Interesting..."

Lu Ming chuckled.

This behavior of Great Elder Lu Chenyuan was tantamount to deceiving the True Lord; being slapped to death would be a light punishment.

Obviously, this guy was relying on his relationship with the True Lord to act so boldly.

However, Lu Ming didn't care either. After reading the Jade Slip, he casually put it aside and swept his gaze over the people in the hall.

The hall was silent, as if everyone was waiting for the True Lord to speak.

"Then… kill them all."

Four words, light and breezy.

There was no superfluous emotion.

Zhao Wenyuan's face turned pale instantly, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

"Old Ancestor, spare my life! Old Ancestor, spare my life! This Disciple was just confused for a moment; I beg the Old Ancestor to show mercy!"

Zhou Demao also knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly, his forehead hitting the spirit jade floor, making thumping sounds.

Lin Yuanshan did not kneel. His face turned green and then white. Gritting his teeth, he said word by word.

"Old Ancestor, this Disciple is not convinced. Those pieces of evidence are clearly someone framing us—"

His words were not finished because Great Elder Lu Chenyuan had already spoken.

"Presumptuous!"

Great Elder Lu Chenyuan shouted sharply, his voice like thunder, making the hall buzz.

Then, he saw him raise his finger, and a beam of spirit light sank into the center of Lin Yuanshan's eyebrows.

Lin Yuanshan's mouth was still opening and closing, but he could no longer make any sound.

This was—the Silence Spell!

Zhao Wenyuan and Zhou Demao were also silenced. The three knelt on the ground, their faces full of despair.

After doing all this, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan turned and bowed.

"True Lord, please calm your anger. We will take them down to be dealt with."

Lu Ming nodded slightly and did not say anything else.

The reason he was so cooperative was just that he found it a bit boring.

He did not want to waste time on such matters anymore. Solving it early would allow him to deal with other things.

Seeing that the True Lord had no objection, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Just now, he had also acted in a moment of desperation, making such a risky move.

He really did not want to see these vermin jumping around in the Sect anymore.

Fortunately, the True Lord was not angry about this matter.

However, ordering their execution so decisively was still somewhat beyond his expectations.

After all, in the end, without evidence, there was simply no way to convict them.

He was just relying on his relationship with the True Lord, taking a loan on credit, and forcibly setting the tone for this matter.

And the best result he thought of was to kick this group out of the core positions, and that was it.

The True Lord had really changed his gentle style of the past; being so decisive in killing truly shocked him.

However, Great Elder Lu Chenyuan did not think too much about it. He just waved his hand, and several Enforcement Disciples came in from outside the hall and took the three away together.

Immediately, the hall returned to silence, but the oppressive atmosphere was even thicker than before.

Watching the back of Great Elder Lu Chenyuan as he left, Lu Ming retracted his gaze and calculated secretly in his heart.

There was no need to move against this person. He had just taken over Qingwei Heaven and still needed someone with enough weight to handle things for him.

As for what to do if his identity was discovered while interacting?

Heh, a smart person should learn to shut their mouth. Otherwise, a Pseudo-Nascent Soul, did he really think he could flip the sky?

He picked up the spirit tea beside him and took a light sip.

The people in the hall looked at the indifferent figure on the high platform, each with their own thoughts.

The Old Ancestor's style of doing things seemed to have changed a lot since he returned this time.

Although the Old Ancestor in the past was not given to smiling, he would never have decided the Life and Death of three Families so casually, but this time he was completely contrary to his usual behavior.

Could it be that he experienced something on this trip out?

Someone thought of the major events that had occurred in the outside world.

But as for the specifics, no one dared to ask.