Chapter 574: The Simultaneous "Trial"
"Thinking about all this nonsense in your head every day is a waste. You’d be better off putting more thought into your cultivation."
At Su Hongzhen's remark, Zhou Jinyun just shook her head.
Su Hongzhen, who heard this, didn’t react much either, only smiling and shaking his head, then changed the subject:
"Immortal Master Zhou said that as a Daomen Xingzou of Mirage Palace, you normally have sect duties to attend to. How do you have time to come to Liaolong to find me?"
This question made Zhou Jinyun look a little embarrassed. The girl's gaze shifted for a moment, then she quickly recovered:
"Heh, right now in Mirage Palace, what matters more than Champion Su's affairs?"
"Is that so?"
Faced with Zhou Jinyun's sarcasm, Su Hongzhen still only smiled.
"Senior Chen has already left?"
Zhou Jinyun asked again.
"Yes, he should be with Master right now."
Su Hongzhen answered.
Senior Chen and Mr. You—these two were the only figures Zhou Jinyun knew who cultivated above Ascending to Immortality and were powerful people hidden behind the scenes of Chenping Continent.
Now that these two had joined forces, it very likely meant something major was about to happen.
Zhou Jinyun thought so, then continued asking:
"When will Senior Chen roughly return?"
Su Hongzhen shook his head.
"You don't know either?"
Zhou Jinyun said.
"He might not come back, or he might come back."
Su Hongzhen replied.
Hearing this, Zhou Jinyun was slightly stunned:
"Not come back? What do you mean?"
"I don't know either, but my brother said so."
Su Hongzhen answered.
This news surprised Zhou Jinyun. She had originally only thought Chen Yan would leave for a short while.
But if that were the case, then he had no real reason to make such a show of force to "assert power" against the Four Great Sects.
Perhaps he had already planned to leave during the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.
This caught Zhou Jinyun off guard.
She had intended, the next time she saw Senior Chen, to hope he would intervene a little in Mirage Palace’s internal problems.
If things continued this way, sooner or later Mirage Palace would collapse over the issue of its taboo.
If that happened, then...
While this thought rose in Zhou Jinyun's mind, suddenly her qi sea froze.
Every strand of true qi in her Martial Spring, qi sea, and meridians stopped moving, as if stunned by an unbearably terrifying pressure.
At the same time, Su Hongzhen, who was also in the small courtyard, experienced the same thing—his whole body's true qi suddenly froze.
What was happening?
The two, extremely astonished, both lifted their heads and cast their gazes to the clear night sky.
They saw the moon in the sky split in two.
Or rather, the entire starry sky was bisected by a terrifying, jet-black rift.
The black rift stretched across the horizon, as if crossing the whole of Chenping Continent, extending without end.
"This is..."
Staring at the sight in the night sky, Zhou Jinyun couldn't help but exclaim.
Su Hongzhen beside her also wore a grave expression.
...
Mirage Palace, Weaving Dreams Tower.
Dharma Pavilion, the ninth tier.
Sixteen qi sea realm cultivators stood along both sides, and on the eastern high platform two elders sat.
These two elders were the Palace Master of present-day Mirage Palace, Mu Kong, and the tower lord of Weaving Dreams Tower, Zhang Yue.
Today, these two high-ranking great powers of Mirage Palace had both gathered in the Dharma Pavilion to discuss how to deal with a Martial Spring realm cultivator.
This Martial Spring cultivator’s identity was not simple—he was the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquirer of Mirage Palace and also the current chief disciple of Weaving Dreams Tower.
Shao Yuchen.
"The Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry has been held for over five thousand sessions. In all those sessions, this is the first time a disciple from one of the Five Great Sects has forfeited and avoided battle," the current Palace Master Mu Kong slowly said, then fixed his gaze on Zhang Yue, the Weaving Dreams Tower lord beside him:
"What does Tower Lord Zhang think?"
"Shame!"
Zhang Yue glared, barking aloud.
"Hey, there’s no need to use such harsh language to define a young disciple," Palace Master Mu waved his hand with a smile:
"Yuchen is still young, not yet twenty. He still has infinite possibilities in the future."
"Palace Master, no matter what you say, Shao Yuchen can no longer serve as my Weaving Dreams Tower's chief disciple!"
Zhang Yue said resolutely.
"Then, Tower Lord Zhang, how do you plan to arrange it?"
Palace Master Mu asked.
"Demote him to an ordinary Inner Court disciple, restrict him to only the most basic cultivation resources, and forbid him for life from holding any position within Weaving Dreams Tower!"
Zhang Yue decided.
"That would effectively ruin Yuchen’s immortal path in Mirage Palace completely. Isn't such a punishment too severe?"
Mu Kong said.
"Palace Master means?"
Zhang Yue asked Mu Kong.
"This matter is neither trivial nor enormous. The position of Weaving Dreams Tower chief disciple represents the prestige of the tower's younger generation. Now that Yuchen has a stain, he cannot continue as chief disciple," Mu Kong said.
"But as I just said, overly harsh punishment isn't good either. Since Tower Lord Zhang and I both don't know how to handle this, why not hand it over to the Grand Elder Council to decide?"
"The Grand Elder Council?"
Zhang Yue suddenly froze.
His severe anger just now had been acting; in this trial, as tower lord of Weaving Dreams Tower, Zhang Yue needed to play the villain.
Shao Yuchen, merely a Martial Spring disciple—even with the title of chief disciple—did not truly deserve Zhang Yue's wrath.
But when Palace Master Mu said the five words "Grand Elder Council," Zhang Yue was genuinely surprised.
How could such a small matter disturb the Grand Elders?
If the Grand Elders decided to blame him, he might find himself in deep trouble.
At this thought, Zhang Yue felt a sinking weight in his heart.
"This is an order issued by the Grand Elder Council. From today onward, Shao Yuchen will be assigned to the Grand Elder Council's use, and the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry's punishment will be decided by the Grand Elder Council," Mu Kong said, handing an assignment order to a nearby qi sea realm cultivator:
"Shao Yuchen, take this assignment order and go to the Supreme Surveillance Court, understood?"
"Disciple understands."
Shao Yuchen replied.
This was the first thing he spoke after entering the Dharma Pavilion of Weaving Dreams Tower.
"Tower Lord Zhang, do you have anything more to say?"
Mu Kong asked Zhang Yue beside him.
"No."
Zhang Yue shook his head.
"Then let us leave for now."
Saying so, Mu Kong stood, and Zhang Yue hurriedly rose, following the Palace Master—an Ascending to Immortality realm great power—out of the Dharma Pavilion.
Shao Yuchen remained kneeling on the ground, then reached out and took the assignment order handed to him by a manager disciple of the Dharma Pavilion.
"Why bother?"
The manager disciple sighed, then turned to follow the other dozen qi sea realm cultivators out of the Dharma Pavilion.
At that moment.
All cultivators in Mirage Palace, whether their true qi or spiritual energy, froze for an instant.
The Dharma Pavilion erupted in chaos:
"Look, the sky is torn!"
"What is happening?"
"I heard that when an Ascending to Immortality cultivator uses Immortal Qi and dao rhyme, it can cause some collapse of heaven and earth..."
"I know that, but I never heard the entire sky could be ripped apart!"
Shao Yuchen still knelt, as if all the commotion had nothing to do with him.
He only stared emptily at the assignment order in his hand.
The signature on the assignment order had seven characters:
Supreme Imperial Law Court, Shang Ao.
...
Meanwhile, above Heavenly Summit Mountain.
Chen Yan stood on the steps before Heavenly Summit Palace, looking up at the figure standing proudly in the sky in plain-colored daoist robes, who was facing off against the gigantic rift that almost swallowed the entire sky.
The sound of a bronze bell resounded across the horizon.
Then, a towering, seven-colored flowing gold goddess statue, thousands of zhang high, slowly emerged from that huge rift.
With her eyes gently closed, the giant goddess statue slowly opened Her eyes and stared directly at the figure of Mr. You standing before Her.
Then, She smiled.