Recruit black physique to start practice in wasteland

Chapter 2555 Establishing Rules

Elder Youjian arrived at Zhanmengyi, his eyes filled with barely concealed resentment. "True Venerable Qu forced me to make a statement. What a cunning tactic!"

“If you don’t want to, please leave,” Qu Jianlei said calmly. “I never force anyone.”

"I don't believe you for a second!" Elder Youjian gave a bitter laugh. "I dare not reply, but you are so forceful...aren't you afraid of the consequences?"

"Elder, please return," Qu Jianlei waved his hand and spoke calmly, "I already know your attitude; you said you wouldn't take action today."

"Did I say I didn't support you?" Elder Youjian asked anxiously. "I'm a little dissatisfied with your domineering attitude, can't I even vent my frustrations?"

Forcing someone to express their opinion on the spot is a very excessive thing to do, even in the secular world—voting is supposed to be anonymous.

This is even more true in the world of cultivation. The promises made by the True Venerable on the spot are subject to cause and effect!
"No!" Qu Jianlei's answer was unusually decisive. "I never force anyone!"

You're shameless! Elder Youjian was truly speechless.

He pondered for a moment before replying, "Dissatisfaction is one thing, but of course I won't side with outsiders... I will definitely support the True Venerable of this realm!"

"Really not forcing me?" Qu Jianlei looked at him with great interest. "Am I considered a True Venerable of this realm?"

“Not at all,” Youjian replied calmly.

As he said this, he sighed inwardly: it wasn't that he was afraid of death, but the key was that many of his disciples still needed to survive.

At his age, once he can convince himself, his expression will be quite natural: "Fellow Daoist, you are supported by Ling Yun, so of course you are a True Venerable of this Realm!"

—Supporting you was Baiqiao's decision, so this isn't me admitting defeat!
"Thank you for speaking up for justice, Elder," Qu Jianlei said solemnly, raising his hand in a gesture of respect. "Your keen insight is truly remarkable, worthy of being called a pillar of strength!"

"Hehe," Elder Youjian chuckled dryly, "I wonder if Venerable Qu Zhen has any further guidance?"

Being forced to take sides is a really unpleasant experience, but since things have come to this point, he has accepted it.

But it's impossible to expect him to keep pretending forever; he's already this old, there's no need for him to wrong himself.

"And..." Qu Jianlei actually had something else to say, "I heard that the elder is quite familiar with this humble True Venerable?"

“Our relationship is alright,” Youjian’s heart jumped again.

He answered calmly, "But we haven't been in touch much in recent years. Not long ago, he was attacked, and I didn't go to visit him."

The incident of the attack on the unworthy True Venerable has recently been brought up again. He and True Venerable Qu were ambushed one after the other, both by spatial traps.

Some analysts say this was a setup to lure the latter—otherwise, given the True Venerable's ability to come and go freely, how could he set up an ambush without divination?
This wasn't just speculation; it had considerable logic behind it. Even Elder Youjian had similar doubts in his mind.

So now, he can only cautiously distance himself from the situation. Anyway... he really didn't go to visit the unworthy True Venerable!
The two had a really good relationship before.

But now that he's old, he's too lazy to get involved in other people's grudges—he was attacked, not just tripped and fell.

"His attack was a bit suspicious," Qu Jianlei said to himself, "What do you think, Elder?"

"Don't push your luck!" Elder Youjian was starting to lose his temper. Was he trying to force me to slander a friend I'd made my whole life?
In Baiqiao's eyes, the two belonged to the conservative camp because they each had their own small groups and their relationship was not exactly close.

However, when facing other factions, the two can still stick together for warmth, not to mention that they have been together in Lingyun for thousands of years!

Elder Youjian knew very well that although there was no one around, countless people were watching their conversation from afar.

There were some things he truly couldn't do, so he replied in a deep voice, "I don't know what's going on. What does Qu Zhenzun mean?"

"You know it in your heart," Qu Jianlei said calmly, his indifference palpable to anyone.

Elder Youjian felt a pang in his heart upon hearing this, and although he wanted to speak up in rebuttal, he ultimately held back: Let's see what else he has to say.

However, the next moment, Qu Jianlei changed the subject, "But he's lucky, Han Li vouched for him!"

"So I would like to ask Elder Youjian to ask him on my behalf: In my dispute with the Hundred Friends Alliance, whose side does he support?"

"Han Li..." Youjian's lips twitched slightly. Sigh, there's still this one who hasn't shown up yet.

The next moment, he said without hesitation, "I will definitely support you. We've been friends for thousands of years. I know him too well."

“Oh,” Qu Jianlei nodded, then asked, “He won’t… betray the elder’s trust, will he?”

He certainly has the guts! Youjian knows perfectly well that even if he wanted to die, he wouldn't dare offend both you and Hanli at the same time!
Han Li had already intervened on his behalf, allowing him to escape the suspect's situation in the short term. He really shouldn't have been so reckless.

“He won’t,” Elder Youjian said slowly. “Should I call him over now?”

With Han Li's involvement, he didn't mind bringing Bu Cai along, and he believed that Bu Cai wouldn't refuse.

"Let's forget about it and let him rest in peace," Qu Jianlei said calmly. "I trust the elders."

I still have to memorize the text... Youjian felt a little uncomfortable.

Unexpectedly, another phantom appeared the next moment, and it was none other than the Unworthy True Venerable.

He said solemnly, "Thank you for your trust, True Venerable Hanli. On behalf of the Venerable, I would like to say that I was also very surprised that you were attacked."

“I’ve thought about this too. They probably intend to lure you out by hurting me.”

Others may not care about the cause and effect of this matter, but he alone cannot!

No one knows how much fear and anxiety I have been living recently. Qu Zhenzun was ambushed shortly after he was attacked!

When he first heard that Qu Jianlei had been attacked, he was a little gloating—"No matter how arrogant you are, you'll eventually get your comeuppance!"
However, as Qu Zhenzun launched a violent counterattack, the relevant details gradually surfaced.

I was initially just a little impressed by the other party's ruthlessness, but I didn't think much of it. I was just glad that I stopped in time.

But when he learned that Qu Zhenzun was attacked on Efeng No. 5, just a few days after his own attack, he went numb!

Holy crap... who the hell is so insidious as to pull this stunt?
Unfortunately, this process also attracted the attention of others, and various rumors and gossip spread like wildfire.

No one can fathom just how many ghouls are simmering in the heart of this humble True Venerable One...

The most tragic thing is that he can't just grab anyone and say: I really didn't plot against Qu Zhenzun!

With the news of the Three True Venerables' deaths confirmed, the Unworthy True Venerable... has already begun making arrangements for his family, preparing a way out for his future cultivators.

A person who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present. What if Qu Zhenzun comes knocking on our door and doesn't give us a chance to explain?
Other True Venerables might still observe some rules, but this one from the lower realm... we can't expect him to necessarily have that kind of quality.

In extreme cases, it's not impossible for them to launch a surprise attack and kill you directly—just like dealing with the Faceless One's true form.

These days have been unbearable for me, and if I hadn't been hoping for the best, my true form would have already made my escape.

Upon hearing from his subordinates that Qu Zhenzun had reappeared in Zhanmengsan, he immediately dispatched someone with a wisp of his soul to secretly arrive.

Upon hearing that Qu Zhenzun was so understanding, he could no longer bear it and split his soul to create a phantom image.

There's no rush to mention my gratitude to Han Li now that he's not around.

To be honest, he still had a lot of grievances to say. "Qu Zhenzun, if you want to talk about my attack, maybe it was because of you!"

"Is that so?" Qu Jianlei looked at him with a half-smile. This possibility was actually quite high.

But expecting him to admit it is absolutely impossible—I've never attracted any negative attention, okay?
"Then I'm a little curious, why didn't it implicate anyone else?"

Of course, it's because we have an old grudge that we can make an issue of it... I smirked, "We can't let these villains get away with it!"

"No matter how you look at it, I definitely support Houde Xiuzhe, and I will certainly support you too!"

Then he looked at Elder Youjian and said, “Thank you for speaking up for me, Elder!”

"Don't thank me," Youjian waved his hand and said seriously, "We must not let the cultivators from beyond the realm sow discord in this world!"

“Then thank you both for your support,” Qu Jianlei glanced at Zhan Mengsan again, “and thank you, Venerable Xuan Yi.”

"Now that my business here is finished, I have other places to visit. Goodbye."

"Wait a moment, Venerable Qu Zhen..." Before the unworthy Venerable could speak, the other party had already torn open space and disappeared.

“That’s right,” he shook his head regretfully. “I also wanted to ask him to thank Han Li.”

“There’s no need,” Elder Youjian shook his head and quietly sent a message through his divine sense, “Go and inform your friends.”

"A notification..." The unworthy True Venerable was somewhat taken aback, "A notification about what?"

There was a reason why he had previously acted as the first to try and suppress Qu Zhenzun's arrogance, and why he was the second to experience the power of time.

Intelligence is a good thing. I am not lacking in intelligence, but I am not used to using it.

“He’s going to integrate his understanding,” Elder Youjian replied calmly. “Once the integration is complete, he will be able to represent the entire Houde.”

"Forcing everyone to take sides?" The Unworthy True Venerable was astonished upon hearing this. "Isn't that a bit too crazy?"

As I said before, no true master is someone to be trifled with.

Once the true deity personally clarifies their allegiance, the cause and effect are established naturally, which is far more effective than any signature or seal in the mortal world.

If someone forces you to sign or put your fingerprint on something, how would you feel?
The True Venerable is an extraordinary being in the cultivation world, already close to achieving great freedom and ease. Who could bear such humiliation?
“You can choose not to take sides,” Elder Youjian replied calmly, “but what will the consequences be?”

"You only saw his arrogance, but didn't you think about the consequences of not taking sides?"

Qu Zhenzun is more than just arrogant; the events of the past few days have shown that he is also quite insane.

"Understood," the Unworthy True Venerable nodded, pondered for a moment, and then actually laughed.

"Heh, those guys who like to stand by and watch are going to be in trouble."

"However, this world is inherently a web, and always trying to transcend it... is really wishful thinking!"