Chapter 756
Yun Zhenxian's face flushed red as he spoke:
"Is this truly the decision of our Haori Mountain sect? The Ancestor merely made a suggestion."
"You must understand, it was the Taishang Dao that issued the decree in conjunction with the four sects."
The Jiu You Mo Zu then asked, "What decree?"
Xuan Ding Zhenxian's expression immediately darkened.
The four members of Zhitong found themselves unable to navigate this prisoner's dilemma; after just a few exchanges, the contradictions among the four sects were already glaring.
Nishang Yu Jun subtly pointed a finger at Lu Yao.
Now, Yun Zhenxian was preparing to drag the Taishang Dao into the fray.
Zhitong then interjected, "The prohibition of the Tianhe Method."
"All cultivators are forbidden from practicing the fundamental techniques of the Tianhe Sect."
The voice of Jiu You Mo Zu turned cold.
"Forbidden from practicing the Tianhe Method? Tianhe is not a narrow-minded person. Many of his followers were taught the Tianhe Method, and as far as I know, there are over a thousand."
Xuan Ding Zhenxian lowered his gaze, remaining silent.
Jiu You Mo Zu seemed to realize something:
"Outside the Tianhe Sect, there are still many practicing the Tianhe Method!"
"Don't the four sects have any?"
"How can you possibly enforce such a ban?"
Zheng Fa's spirit jolted, finally understanding what the four sects had been desperately trying to conceal:
The Tianhe Zunzhang was far more magnanimous than he had imagined.
The issue of prohibiting the Tianhe Method was far too serious.
If what Jiu You Mo Zu said was true, then the Tianhe Zunzhang had been collaborating with the four sects all along, and had not hesitated to share the Tianhe Method.
Given the Tianhe Zunzhang's influence, his followers back then were likely numerous.
Many cultivators from the four sects had practiced it.
Perhaps at first, the four sects were blinded by their own ambitions.
But the moment they learned the truth, their choice was not to turn back, but rather... to cleanse.
An unprecedented purge swept through the Xuanwei cultivators, even within the four sects themselves.
This dark history, whether the four sects cared about their reputation externally or not, must never be mentioned internally.
The Yang Shen Method, the Fa Shen Method, and the Tianhe Method seemed not to be irreconcilable.
Yet, it was only the Tianhe Method that had been buried in history.
This concealment was partly due to the bloodshed of that history, and partly because the Tianhe Method was a taboo among taboos.
Xuan Ding Zhenxian raised his eyes to the San Sheng Stone: "Who isn't afraid of the Tianhe Zunzhang's resurrection?"
The San Sheng Stone gleamed blindingly.
It was clear that this statement could not be more true.
...
Zheng Fa fell into deep thought.
Even the arguments and blame among Zhitong and the others seemed to fade into the background.
Now, it sounded as if the Tianhe turmoil was, from beginning to end, almost an irreversible tragedy:
The Tianhe Zunzhang practiced the Tianhe Method, and the fear and suspicion brought about by his destruction of mountains and temples were the fundamental causes of this incident.
To put it plainly, everything that happened afterward could only be considered secondary, not the root contradiction.
As for the rumors of the Tianhe Zunzhang colluding with the demonic sect or even going mad, without this premise, they likely wouldn't have had much impact.
Without these events, a conflict between the Tianhe Zunzhang and the four sects was inevitable.
When the Tianhe Zunzhang fell, the contradictions he had long suppressed finally erupted.
Zheng Fa was even eighty percent sure that Lu Yao was the mastermind behind it all:
Though he didn't know what was going on with the Lingxi Shenjun from Yaochi.
But Lu Yao's identity as the original Mo Zu was too suspicious.
Yet, he couldn't figure out the initial cause:
What had driven the Tianhe Zunzhang to destroy mountains and temples, and ultimately vanish?
...
"If it really was Lu Yao, then the most terrifying aspect of this matter isn't the false information he spread, but rather... he truly calculated the four sects."
In the Jiu Shan realm, Sister Zhang commented with a cold expression.
The Heavenly Emperor nodded with a serious face: "Letting the four sects discover that the demonic sect is hunting the Jiu You Mo Zu..."
"This matter was likely a deliberately exposed truth."
Xie Qingxue suddenly looked up, her face reflecting a significant shock: "Deliberately?"
"Lu Yao anticipated the four sects' reaction, and indeed, they did not disappoint him."
In the Heavenly Palace, Sister Zhang and the others fell silent.
After a while, Uncle Pang sighed:
"Putting myself in their shoes, if I were a member of the four sects and realized I had misunderstood the Tianhe Zunzhang, killing his disciples and successors, what would I choose?"
"If the Tianhe Zunzhang were to resurrect, my sect, my friends, would all face his wrath."
"I might make the same choice."
Sister Zhang suddenly looked at Zheng Fa, concern hidden in her eyes.
If this matter truly was orchestrated by Lu Yao, it was certainly bad news for Zheng Fa—
This person's scheme seemed anything but intricate.
Yet, looking back, everyone involved was making the choices they believed were right.
...
In the live broadcast, the Jiu You Mo Zu remained silent for a long time, seemingly sorting through the entire chain of events.
Suddenly, Li Sanxian spoke up: "Lu Yao is the original Mo Zu!"
The Jiu You Mo Zu was taken aback.
"What?" His voice was even more astonished than before, "Lu Yao is merely a Zhenxian, how could he be the original Mo Zu?"
In the live broadcast, Zhitong and Yun Zhenxian's expressions darkened.
"Who dares to slander our Haori Ancestor!" Yun Zhenxian shouted angrily.
They couldn't hear Li Sanxian's words, but they caught the Jiu You Mo Zu's confusion.
The Jiu You Mo Zu seemed to have realized something, saying, "If you say it's not true, come to the San Sheng Stone."
Yun Zhenxian remained motionless.
The answer was, of course, self-evident.
Li Sanxian seemed to understand that the people from Haori Mountain were refuting him, and hurriedly added:
"This matter can be verified by Zheng, the head of the Jiu Shan Sect. When he transformed into the God of Transformation, Lu Yao once used the Fa Shen Method to block the path."
"Lu Yao practiced the Fa Shen Method?"
The Jiu You Mo Zu glanced at Tong Jian and directly asked Xuan Ding Zhenxian: "Can you confirm this?"
Xuan Ding Zhenxian nodded:
"After the Tianhe turmoil, we realized we had been deceived, but we didn't know by whom; we had been investigating all along."
This was only natural.
The Taishang Dao was selfish, but not foolish.
They would certainly trace the cause.
"The Dao Zun's decree stated that Lu Yao was highly suspicious, but at that time, Lu Yao had already gone to Lei Yin Temple."
"Later, when Zheng Fa attained enlightenment and Lu Yao appeared, we began to piece together the chain of events."
The Jiu You Mo Zu coldly asked:
"Is Lu Yao the original Mo Zu?"
Zhitong and the others remained silent.
Silence equated to acknowledgment.
The Zao Hua Yu Zhi stirred, and the Jiu You Mo Zu even asked him a question.
At this moment, Zheng Fa felt like a non-stick pan: "If Li Sanxian says so, then it is."
After all, he had no concrete evidence.
"Haori Mountain, Lei Yin Temple..."
The Jiu You Mo Zu murmured softly.
It was clear that Li Sanxian had successfully shifted the blame.
The Jiu You Mo Zu had likely already zeroed in on the two factions of Haori Mountain.
Zheng Fa looked at Zhitong's grim expression and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Initially, the blame for the Tianhe turmoil seemed to rest primarily on the Taishang Dao and Yaochi...
After all, one piece of information came from the Taishang Dao.
Another came from Yaochi.
It was obvious that there were some deliberate arrangements involved.
But Zheng Fa's tribulation inadvertently revealed a hint of Lu Yao's true identity.
This became the Achilles' heel for Haori Mountain and Lei Yin Temple.
The two factions of the Taishang Dao certainly hadn't done anything good.
But whether or not Lu Yao was the instigator of the Tianhe turmoil was another matter.
Just his identity as the original Mo Zu was already tainted.
...
In the Jiu Shan realm, the Heavenly Emperor looked towards the Three Yuans and Four Symbols, observing the disciples of Jiu Shan discussing animatedly.
In the live broadcast, the disciples of the four sects appeared even more astonished than they were.
Especially the disciples of Haori Mountain, who were now in a state of panic.
Was our Haori Mountain, one of the four great sects, a top-tier celestial gate, suddenly transformed into a demonic sect?
Especially the disciples beside Yun Zhenxian.
They looked at him, seeking a denial.
But Yun Zhenxian's silence only deepened their despair.
At this point, whether it was Yun Zhenxian or Zhitong from Lei Yin Temple, they seemed to be gritting their teeth, unwilling to speak.
Yet, the Jiu You Mo Zu suddenly laughed: "You all haven't lied; I'm quite satisfied. Move forward, and you will be able to exit the sword formation."
"..."
Zhitong, the old monk, suddenly looked up, his expression one of surprise.
Clearly, he hadn't expected that the Jiu You Mo Zu would keep his promise.
Even Zheng Fa was puzzled.
He was the Jiu You Mo Zu; at this moment, he should be filled with hatred for the four sects.
If he truly intended to spare these cultivators from the four sects, Zheng Fa thought the Jiu You Mo Zu might as well abandon the extermination of celestial gates and go to Lei Yin Temple to become a Buddha.
It was clear that this person still had plans.
The four true immortals in the live broadcast hesitated.
But the Jiu You Mo Zu continued:
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