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Chapter 268: Justice And The Overall Situation

Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio

Li Zhu’s words seemed to be meteorites falling from the sky, setting off huge tsunami waves in the hearts of the audience, but the scene fell into a strange silence.

Without any prior agreement, all the people turned their eyes to the Taoist Reverend, who was wearing a lotus headdress and a black robe with golden embroideries.

Just as how the monks usually wouldn’t speak of their real names, one would not question the Taoist priests their age out of respect for their dedication. The old man had been sitting in the position of the Taoist Reverend for a really long time. And at this moment, he was looking down on Li Zhu.

The shock was excessive to the bystanders, and a deafening silence echoed throughout the arena and the audience stands.

“Taoist Reverend... is Wang Qing?!” Li Xianyu muttered quietly, as though all his strength had left his body.

Suddenly breaking the silence, the Taoists could not help but shout, “Li Zhu, do you know what you are talking about?”

“Shut up, shameless old bastard. If you dare to insult the Taoist Reverend any further, we will never let you off.”

The Taoist Reverend was the leader of the entire Taoist Faction and was their spiritual leader, and his position to Taoism was as important as what Buddha Head is to Buddhism. The Taoist and Buddhist Associations were the law enforcers of the demon descendant community, always fighting for justice and maintaining order. Thus, Taoist Reverend and Buddha Head were symbolic figures of the two religions, and are considered the holiest people to the demon descendant community.

But now someone announced that the Taoist Reverend was a betrayer who had joined the Japanese army, betrayed his companions, and secretly harmed his fellow disciples and forced Sister Taisu to death. This was unacceptable to all the Taoists.

For example, if someone said that Buddha Head was an evil person who had committed all kinds of evils such as plundering innocents or raping countless women, the Buddhist followers would immediately hound that person to the ends of the world, without an ounce of hesitation.

“The Taoist Reverend’s Taoist name was not Wang Qing!” someone shouted in retaliation.

It was like someone just opened the floodgates, and the silent crowd boiled. No one wanted to believe Li Zhu’s words, and the masses refuted the old man one after another, some even swearing and cursing the old priest. As long as there was someone taking lead, people will band together even if they were not from the Taoist faction to defend the reputation of Taoism.

The reputation of Taoist Reverend and Buddha Head cannot be desecrated. They are respected not only by disciples of the two religions but also by all people of the demon descendant community.

“Yes, Taoist Reverend is not Wang Qing.”

Li Xianyu had asked Mo Fei to check people named Wang Qing, but Baoze could only find one instance of such a person. The only time he appeared in the records was that he went down the mountain to defend Changsha during the Anti-Japanese War. There was no more information about him. If the Taoist Reverend’s name was Wang Qing, Mo Fei would definitely tell him.

In the face of the crowd, the old man Li Zhu remained calm. He raised his hand and signaled gently. “If there was no evidence, will I come here and tell you this?”

The crowd that was boiling with curses stopped immediately.

The old man turned around and bowed slightly to the group of Taoists behind him. This group of Taoists had followed him into the arena. It was interesting to see whose side they were on.

An old Taoist, who was about as old as Li Zhu, slowly walked out. His voice was hoarse, and he was short of breath.

“Uncle Qingyun? Why are you here?”

“Didn’t you head for your resting grounds for your final round of meditation?”

Several middle-aged Taoists who stood behind the Taoist Reverend were surprised.

The old Taoist chanted, “Amitabha,” and looked at the Taoist Reverend, “Elder martial brother Wang Qing, I haven’t seen you for 40 years, yet you didn’t appear to have aged at all.”

Everyone was in an uproar.

“What are you talking about, martial uncle?” Quanzhen’s disciples were shocked and angry.

“Fellow Taoist Disciples, do you remember where was the location that the demon descendant Alliance besieged and exterminated Demonic Priest?” The old Taoist asked a rhetorical question. “Yes, it was in the Quanzhen Sect.”

“I grew up in Quanzhen Sect when I was a child. When elder martial brother Wang Chen was famous and influential, I was still a little Taoist who served directly under the Sect Leader. As I have often accompanied the Sect Leader, I knew of some unspeakable secrets.”

“That year, in the name of elder martial sister Wang Zhen, Sect Leader invited elder martial brother Wang Chen back to the sect for a talk. But he set a trap in the dark, waiting for elder martial brother Wang Chen. However, Sect Leader underestimated the strength of elder martial brother Wang Chen. Elder martial brother Wang Chen did not hurt them as they were all his martial peers. His only wish was that he wanted to see elder martial sister Wang Zhen again. The Sect Leader had no other way but to agree but cheated elder martial brother Wang Chen’s trust again. Using the holy weapon of Quanzhen Sect, Spirit Sealing Needle, he managed to grievously wound brother Wang Chen, and thus captured him.”

“Elder martial brother Wang Chen was arrested. That news spread to the outside world. All factions in the whole demon descendant community gathered together in Quanzhen Sect, which led to the Quanzhen Incident that year.” The old Taoist slowly said, “All the evils that were published about elder martial brother Wang Chen were entirely done one-handedly by the Quanzhen Sect.”

The old Taoist continued, “After brother Wang Chen died, brother Wang Qing changed his name and took on a new name, Wang You.”

Elder Wang You, the current Taoist Reverend!

The audience looked at each other in horror.

Taoist Reverend’s majestic voice rolled out like thunder, “Qingyun, can you tell me what is the punishment for slandering the Taoist Reverend?”

“Capital crime!” The old Priest Qingyun was not afraid of the Taoist Reverend, and much less the gazes of all the people of Quanzhen Sect. “Now that my death is near, what’s there to fear? When I was young, I didn’t dare to stand up and talk, so I suppressed everything in my heart. Until a few months ago, when Priest Li visited me personally, I agreed with his plan without hesitation.”

“Elder martial brother, you and Sect Leader can stop people from talking about the truth for only a while, but you can’t stop them all the time. Silence does not mean submission. It only represents a kind of tolerance.”

The Taoist Reverend said coldly, “Taoist disciples, all listen up, Elder Qingyun colluded with the remaining evils of the Ancient God Clan and tried to subvert the population. His sins should be punished!”

The sound of the blades leaving their sheath could be heard in unison, and all the people of the Taoist Faction pulled out their weapons.

Li Peiyun stepped forward slowly, the sword of qi in his hand was shining brightly, and his fearsome aura was overwhelming. With the strength of one person, he blocked the aura that was emitting from all the Taoist priests present.

“Wang Qing. If you have a clear conscience, why don’t you dare to confront me? That is because, the more we debate, the clearer your crimes will become.” Li Zhu loudly questioned, “Do you dare to silence me in front of all these eyes in the world?”

It was reasonable for Li Zhu to take a stand at the Forum Conference. If it wasn’t for such an occasion, he really didn’t dare to confront the Taoist Reverend directly. However, this was Lianghua Temple, which had Buddha Head, along with various big families, and countless independent demon descendants. Even the Taoist Faction alone couldn’t do whatever they wanted without incurring the wrath of the masses.

“I have further proof!” Li Zhu’s words continued to attract people’s attention.

In the Japanese group, a middle-aged man came out and took over a locked suitcase from his entourage.

He bowed to the crowd and introduced himself in poor Chinese, “I’m Aoki Takuya, the representative of the Aoki family stationed in China.”

Li Zhu didn’t look back. He didn’t seem to like the Aoki family. He listened without expression. Originally, in his plan, he didn’t want to involve the Aoki family. He wanted Buddha Head to preside over justice. Only someone of the same level of existence like Buddha Head could bring down the Taoist Reverend.

But Buddha Head refused.

Li Zhu was very dissatisfied with this matter. Buddha Head owed him a favor, but he didn’t pay it back. This time, Li Zhu came here with intentions to die. That was to say, if Buddha Head didn’t pay back his favor this time, he would have no chance in the future.

But Buddha Head refused him. In the eyes of the old man, this Buddhist leader was also a self-serving person who wanted to deceive the world and only protect his own reputation. Thus, he had no choice but to accept help from the Aoki family.

“This matter starts with that time when the Eight Countries invaded China. As we all know, the Qing Dynasty once looked for the Great Deities Palace. Because it was not found, it created the Unparalleled War Spirit.” With the words of Aoki Takuya, the whole audience’s eyes are shifted to Great-Grandma.

Great-Grandma frowned. It’s none of my business.

“In fact, the Qing Dynasty was already about to find the Great Deities Palace, but the Great Deities Palace had not been opened. Even if the Qing Dynasty found it, they could not enter it. At the time of the Boxer Protocol, the Qing Dynasty had compensated us a lot of money. In addition to that, they gave us information about the Great Deities Palace for free. In the Second World War, the Aoki family inherited the unfinished work of the Qing Dynasty, and we tried to find the Great Deities Palace as well.”

“To be completely honest, the Aoki family had already found the Great Deities Palace, but it was not us who finally entered the Great Deities Palace. It’s the Demonic Priest who was captured by us and became a member of the slave camp. The slave camp is a mobile blood bank we have collected in order to open the Great Deities Palace.”

There was a sound of uproar in all directions. The words Aoki Takuya revealed too much information and shocked everyone. Did the Aoki family find the Great Deities Palace? Does the Great Deities Palace need a mobile blood bank in order to be opened?

“These things were recorded by the family. We’ve captured a lot of Chinese demon descendants, and the Demonic Priest was just one of them.” Aoki Takuya opened the password box to reveal a yellowed Scroll. “Apart from that fact, in the records, there were also two Chinese demon descendants who once worked for us.”

People hold their breath and thousands of eyes stared at Aoki Takuya.

“Cao Jun, a member of the Cao Family, and Wang Qing, a member of the Quanzhen Sect.” Aoki Takuya continued, “These are all records left by the family. They can’t be fake. I guarantee this with the reputation and honor of the family in the spirit of martial arts. What I said is definitely the truth.”

“What the hell!”

“My God, what kind of uproar will this cause? If this is true, the Taoist faction will enter an upheaval never seen before, and so will the demon descendant community.”

“What am I hearing? Demonic Priest is a good man? Wang Qing is Taoist Reverend and was once a dog of the Japanese... Mommy, I want to go home. I don’t want to listen to these anymore.”

“This is too exciting. The ticket price of eight thousand is definitely worth it. It’s definitely the most wonderful Forum Conference in history.”

“Elder Hua Yu just committed suicide, and Taoist Reverend had his dark history exposed. These people must have colluded with each other to force the Taoist Faction to fall.”

“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe that the Taoist Reverend would do such things. Li Peiyun is the leader of the Ancient Gods Clan, and Li Zhu is his great-grandfather. Can we really believe their words? In addition, can we believe what the Japanese say?”

The audience was in a mess. Some people are roaring with rage, some people are excitedly taking videos to upload onto social media. One could indeed see all kinds of reactions.

“If you don’t believe us, you can ask the Buddhist Association and Baoze about the truth,” said Li Zhu.

As soon as this word came out, the two parties became the center of attention.

The eminent monks of Buddhism looked at each other. They felt that this was a very difficult situation. No matter if what Li Zhu said was true or false, and what kind of person the Taoist Reverend really was back in those days, all of those issues had nothing to do with the Buddhist Faction.

Buddha Head didn’t want to deal with this mess. All would be well if the Taoist Reverend was innocent. But if... then the Buddhist Faction had essentially stabbed the Taoists for Li Zhu. The alliance between the Buddhists and Taoists would surely fall apart.

If that were to happen, the order of the demon descendant community would fall into chaos.

Whether the Demonic Priest was wronged was an internal matter of the Taoist Faction. These were all internal matters, and as an outsider, one could at most complain verbally, there was no need to really talk about what was right or wrong.

Jie Se fiercely got up. Dan Chenzi, who was sitting beside him, immediately held him back.

“What are you doing?” Dan Chenzi frowned and questioned.

“Identify the truth,” Jie Se honestly replied.

“What f*ck are you going to identify? Do you know what to do in order to tell the truth?” Dan Chenzi questioned in a deep voice. “Buddha Head would not let you interfere. He seems to have known about this for a long time. Then do you know why Buddha Head did not let you in on this important information?”

Jie Se looked at him and waited for him to elaborate.

“If the Taoist Reverend really did something wrong, the Taoist Sect would not protect him. No one would obey him even if he is the Taoist Reverend because he was not righteous. This matter will be dealt with by the Taoist Faction itself. This won’t need Buddhist intervention.”

“Under the guise of morality and justice, Li Zhu is forcing Taoism and Buddhism to break up. There are many things that are taboos between Sects. When the Taoist Reverend falls down, do you think that the Taoist followers will thank you? Deep down, we will instead question, ‘What are you trying to do by jumping out and meddling in this matter while claiming that you are on the side of justice?’ We would think that you hit us in the face. Think about it, what has this matter to do with the Aoki Family? Nothing. But why did they come all the way to testify for Li Zhu? They would be happy now that the Taoist Reverend had lost his reputation and that the relationship between Buddhism and Taoism had been strained.”

Jie Se frowned. “If this matter can’t be resolved here, why do you say that Taoist Faction will definitely force the Taoist Reverend to step down? Taoist Reverend has been in power for many years, and most of the Taoist Faction are his supporters. Remember just now? Why did Li Xianyu have to kill Elder Hua Yu immediately? It was precisely because he was worried that as things dragged on, the criminal’s punishment could be avoided.”

“What’s the relationship between Elder Huayang and Li Xianyu? Of course, he wants to kill Hua Yu. He’s here for revenge so he would be satisfied with a result no less than what happened. But what do you have to do with the Demonic Priest? Why are you avenging him? It’s Li Zhu who wants to kill Taoist Reverend, and he just wants to use the Buddhist faction as a sword to achieve his means.”

“I am not fighting for Demonic Priest, I am fighting for justice.”

Dan Chenzi was angry and retorted, “Of course, you are fighting for justice, so are you telling me that you are the only one in Buddhist Faction who fights for justice? How can a person with great wisdom like Buddha Head teach you to become such an upright yet brain dead disciple? The others can think deeper than you, see farther than you. Right now, you are tunnel-visioned on the black and white in front of you, but you can’t see the overall situation. You have to understand that now our demon descendant community is surging with deadly undercurrents, and foreign forces are constantly infiltrating into our community. In such a crucial moment, if the Taoist Faction loses their leader, and a cold war begins between the Taoist and Buddhist factions in addition to that, what do you think will happen to the Chinese demon descendant community?”

Seeing that Jie Se frowned and hesitated, Dan Chenzi sighed. “Let Baoze’s people deal with it. Taoism and Buddhism are all on the same side, so it is inconvenient for Buddhism to be the one who preside over justice this time, so let us leave the matter to Baoze.”

Yes, at this time, Bao Ze’s role can finally become useful.

Doesn’t it want to be the leader of the demon descendant community and interfere in the order of the demon descendant community? At this time, if it doesn’t stand out, when will it?

At this thought, Jie Se suddenly understood everything. He looked around and said loudly, “Orders from Master. This is a Taoist family affair. It is thus inconvenient for us Buddhists to intervene. There are many chivalrous people in Taoism, and they will surely be able to tell what is right or wrong. In addition, the Baoze group is around. They are the moral standard of the demon descendant community and have maintained order in the world over the past years. It is very reassuring for us Buddhists to know that the matter will be handled by these two righteous parties.”

All the Buddhists were relieved and felt that Jie Se’s decision was great.

On the other hand, Baoze’s employees were all thinking, “F*ck.”