Recruit black physique to start practice in wasteland

Chapter 2556 Washing the Floor
The unworthy True Venerable was somewhat gloating, after all, he had finally cleared his name.

However, he was right. After Qu Zhenzun was attacked, there were indeed undercurrents in Houde, but not many people made a clear statement.

Although most people were somewhat angry when they talked about it, saying that the Hundred Friends Alliance acted too domineeringly and disrespected the cultivators of this realm, etc.

However, very few people actually stepped forward to respond positively—not even Wenxian did.

Wenxian believed in Qu Zhenzun's abilities and estimated that he wouldn't need to do anything. In any case, if there was a need, the other party would contact him on their own initiative.

The other True Venerables... well, how should I put it? They've long since passed the age of youthful passion.

Every true master is solitary, accustomed to bearing their own karma, never asking for help unless necessary, and never taking the initiative to help others.

Even many True Venerables, deep down, may not necessarily recognize Qu Zhenzun as a truly virtuous cultivator—he came from the lower realm.

Moreover, the True Venerable One was too prominent and aggressive in his actions, and he also amassed a great deal of wealth in the other world...

Qu Jianlei also has some True Venerables with whom he has good relationships, but most of them are still farming gold in other worlds.

All of this has led many people to simply stand by and watch, and while they may have a slight advantage in public opinion, that's about it.

There might be many people who hope that Qu Zhenzun will stumble a few times, and it's even possible that some people are eyeing his wealth.

It's not surprising that someone might have increased their strength but not their network and influence, and continue to act as they please.

Elder Youjian did see through Qu Zhenzun's plan—he wanted to force Zhenzun to take sides.

Qu Jianlei didn't think his behavior was excessive. He thought: Since no one has publicly expressed their opinion, I'll force you to take sides!
With the greater good in his hands, who is he afraid of?

After Zhanmeng San, he went on to Zhanmeng Er, then Zhanmeng Yi, Zhanmeng Si...

However, the Venerable One's gloating was not without reason; many Venerable Ones are truly not used to this kind of coercion.

They've all lived for thousands of years; their values ​​are already set, and their ways of doing things have developed their own set of logic.

Being suddenly approached and forced to take sides is really a bit baffling: Did I eat your sacred rice?
They are all True Venerables, so how much difference can one make? Moreover, at this level, most of them are used to being free and unrestrained.

Min Ning could seek refuge with Ling Yun and become a retainer, but Wen Xian would rather be a free and unrestrained cultivator than be bound by any constraints.

It's your business if you get into fights with others. I'm just going to stand by and watch without taking sides. What are you going to do about it?
Of course, feeling disgusted is one thing, but how to express it is another.

The person surnamed Qu may act recklessly and without any rules, but there's no need to take it personally with the other True Venerables.

In the fourth section of Zhanmeng, a true master finally subtly indicated that he did not want to take sides!
This person neither stepped forward nor explicitly refused, but instead had the Nascent Soul cultivators below respond.

The Nascent Soul said: I'm really sorry, Master Qu, my ancestor has been in seclusion for a long time and hasn't even been to another world.

We can't make decisions for the Great Venerable in this matter. How about we wait until the Ancestor comes out of seclusion before discussing it?

This reason is somewhat of a pretext. If it weren't for special circumstances, when a True Venerable goes into seclusion, who wouldn't have a clone left outside?

However, it seems a bit inappropriate to make a fuss about this—there's no such hard requirement in common cultivation knowledge.

In any case, it was a soft rebuff, and the Nascent Soul cultivator was very respectful, trying not to give the other party any reason to be disrespectful.

However, Qu Jianlei was not angry. Instead, he asked again: "After your ancestor comes out of seclusion, is it possible that he will support the Baiyou Business Alliance?"
This True Venerable One simply refuses to take sides, preferring to observe the situation from the sidelines, or perhaps... he also harbors the idea of ​​profiting from the situation?

He wouldn't side with Qu Zhenzun, but he was even less likely to openly stand on the side of the cultivators from beyond the realm.

The Nascent Soul cultivator stated quite frankly that this was unlikely; surely the Ancestor wouldn't help outsiders instead of his own people?

The Venerable One is in seclusion, and we don't want him to be tainted by karma. Otherwise, wouldn't we be being unfilial?

Qu Jianlei simply refused to take sides... He didn't get angry or embarrassed. Who doesn't have a personality?
As long as he doesn't explicitly side with Baiyou Business Alliance, he won't turn against them, much less bully the kids.

So he nodded, only to say, "That's a pity. Don't say I didn't take care of your master in the future."

The Nascent Soul cultivator dared not respond, not even daring to grumble inwardly. Only after the other party left did he smile and ask, "Is this considered a favor?"

Forcing my esteemed master to take sides and then having to bear the consequences... I really refuse such "consideration"!
However, the next moment, a divine sense came, "Don't be emotional. You are not qualified to comment on the actions of the Great Venerable."

“Ancestor’s teachings are correct,” the Nascent Soul replied respectfully. “I just… don’t quite understand. I won’t do it again.”

"I'm a little confused too," the divine sense said, somewhat disgruntled. "It shouldn't be a lie, but it's not appropriate to use divination..."

As fellow True Venerables, it's relatively easy to discern whether True Venerable Qu is telling the truth or not, even if it's just passive perception, unless the other party intentionally conceals it.

Upon hearing this, the Nascent Soul cultivator had a sudden inspiration. "Then... I'll tell the other families about the general process of our contact?"

Qu Zhenzun did not issue a gag order, so he was entitled to speak out about the relevant information as long as he didn't let his personal emotions interfere.

But doing that would be a bit reckless, and... this is our own information, why should we let outsiders know it?

However, whether this information should be released, given the potential for "favoritism," is debatable.

If what Venerable Duo Zhenzun said is true, and we may have indeed missed some opportunities, then it is at least irreparable.

However, other True Venerables will have their own considerations when they learn of this news.

Whether those great masters follow suit or "try not to go into seclusion" is their own choice.

But if you choose the latter and then benefit from it, wouldn't that be a favor in itself?

However, from the perspective of harming others without benefiting oneself, it's fine not to say anything. If there really is an opportunity, it won't just be one of us who will be disappointed!

This decision, of course, requires the approval of the patriarch himself.

Unfortunately, there was no response from the divine sense, as if it had not heard anything.

But the Nascent Soul cultivator understood. "Then I'll pass it on secretly and solidify the relationship?"

The divine sense finally responded, "Just inform those two..."

Qu Jianlei was not discouraged by this rebuff, but he did not expect that there would be such a scheme after he left.

He ultimately didn't have a clear understanding of the True Venerable's situation, and he never expected that someone would care about such a small favor.

He was well aware that many True Venerables would be resistant, so he felt that this trend should not be allowed to continue.

If others follow suit and go into seclusion, or if they give him other subtle rebuffs, he can't force them to, can he?

If this becomes a widespread practice, his attempt to force the True Venerables to take sides will most likely become a laughing stock.

So he paused his visits to other sections and instead went to the entrance of the Void Passage.

Not long after, news reached Houde that after his trip to Zhanmeng Si, Qu Zhenzun went into the void and killed several members of the Hundred Friends Merchant Alliance.

This time, he killed only Nascent Soul cultivators because Bei Liu, the only remaining True Venerable of the Merchant Alliance, was hiding in the camp and resolutely refused to come out.

The Nascent Soul cultivators who were killed all had various business matters to attend to—the Merchant Alliance's retreat into the void did not mean they had nothing to do.

Two of the Nascent Soul cultivators were responsible for communicating with Houde and urging them to handle the Qu Zhenzun murder case as soon as possible.

It is worth mentioning that all of these Nascent Soul cultivators died under the power of time, their bodies aged and withered, and one of them was completely decayed.

The murderer erased the relevant traces, but no one but Qu Zhenzun could use such a method!
Even if someone knows that there is a True Venerable Xiao You in the Realm of All Things who is also skilled in the passage of time, there is no doubt that it cannot be her.

Qu Zhenzun's blatant bullying of the weak has once again crossed the red line in the cultivation world, and even several extraterrestrial True Venerables can no longer stand by and watch.

They were not members of the Hundred Friends Merchant Alliance and knew that the alliance had a grudge against Qu Zhenzun, but they still couldn't help but protest to Ling Yun.

There may be grudges, but the wronged should be held accountable. The right thing to do is to find the decision-makers. What kind of behavior is this, killing innocent people indiscriminately?

As a true venerable one, shouldn't one at least maintain some decorum?
The protests weren't particularly strong, suggesting that these true masters... were also considering the possible consequences.

However, this kind of thing cannot be left unsaid. If even the True Venerables dare not speak out, then what about the various rules of the cultivation world?
Interestingly, not long after, questions arose from the Efeng San section: Who said this was the work of Qu Zhenzun?
The one who initiated the questioning was a Nascent Soul cultivator named Yu Lin, who was said... well, needless to say, came from the lower realm of Cangwu.

The Cangwu cultivators who have come to the Upper Realm are currently gathered in the spiritual land that Qu Zhenzun borrowed, and they occasionally appear on the plate.

Even more extreme, they might wander around to other sections.

To be honest, they don't have official status in the upper realm, and some cultivators don't even belong to the One Palace and Four Sacred Mountains.

In other words, some people don't even have the nominal status of "Lingyun Branch".

However, with Qu Zhenzun's protection, these people were able to operate openly, albeit in a semi-concealed manner.

As long as Lingyun Sect doesn't interfere and they don't leave Lingyun's territory, no one wants to cause trouble.

Even when Ling Yun was searching for Qu Zhenzun, no one bothered them.

It is said that there are other causes and effects involved, not under the name of "Lingyun Branch", but because the Great Protector had expressed his opinion a long time ago.

Qingkong Zhenzun believed that the Cangwu Realm was very important to Lingyun, and that people's hearts should be united, not scattered.

Leaving aside these digressions, Master Yulin took the lead in stating that Qu Zhenzun would never do something like bullying the weak!
She believes that someone is deliberately trying to tarnish the Immortal Venerable's reputation and has ulterior motives.

Although the deceased appears to have died from time acceleration, the great virtue of Qu Zhenzun suggests that he might not be the only one with the supernatural power of time.

Some people find this ridiculous—do you know how difficult it is to control the passage of time?

Throughout the history of the Houde Realm, the number of True Venerables who have mastered this supernatural power can be counted on one hand!
However, Master Yulin stated that his words were not just empty talk, but based on evidence!

However, this evidence is a bit... well, the one used as an example is still Qu Zhenzun, no, I mean Qu Zhenxian!
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