Chapter 614: Have We Harmed the Dalu?

"The party involved?"

The crowd was completely confused.

Following this, they saw Tang Xiao step aside half a pace and make a gesture of invitation.

Everyone's gaze looked over, and subsequently, the gazes of Qin Jian, Ning Rongrong, and a few others all changed.

Because, the one slowly walking onto the high platform was, shockingly, the long-missing legitimate princess of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Xue Ke!

"This person, surely Her Majesty the Empress is no stranger to her, right?"

Tang Xiao said in a loud, clear voice: "Let me introduce her to everyone; she is the Heaven Dou Imperial Family princess, Her Highness Xue Ke!"

"What? The imperial princess? Wasn't it said she went missing?"

"It looks like there is a hidden story here; when Xue Qinghe, Xue Beng, and Xue Ke met with incidents one after another, I already felt something was wrong."

"Could it be that all of this was directed by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"..."

There was a buzz of discussion off the stage.

"Quiet."

Tang Xiao pressed his hands down with the air of a big shot; it was hard to tell if he had just learned it from Qin Jian.

The crowd off the stage gradually quieted down.

"I know everyone has many puzzles, so next, please let Princess Xue Ke tell us the truth about all of this."

He stepped aside, letting Xue Ke stand in the center.

This princess, who possessed little strength, felt truly flustered standing in front of a large group of faction leaders, but the aristocratic etiquette cultivated by the imperial family over a long time helped her maintain her composure.

"I was driven to the Tang Sect after being hunted down; those who hunted me were the Spirit Hall..."

"Fourth Brother Xue Beng was exiled by the Spirit Judgment Hall..."

"Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had his identity exposed by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, resulting in failure..."

"And the newly ascended Empress Ning Rongrong is the fiancée of the Spirit Hall Chief Judge, and the Chief Judge is the personal disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Jian Douluo..."

She did not have any twists or turns, and the words she spoke went straight to the point: "Doesn't everyone think that this series of events indicates that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had long ago colluded with the Spirit Hall, and all these things were just self-directed and self-acted by them, simply to let the Heaven Dou Empire fall into the hands of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in a justifiable way."

The words were not long, but they contained too much information, enough for everyone to imagine many conspiracies.

But Qin Jian couldn't help but laugh: "Setting aside whether your accusation of being hunted by the Spirit Hall is true or false, just speaking of this 'self-directed and self-acted' matter, don't you know that more than a month ago the Elder Palace and the Pope Palace split completely? And Xue Qinghe, or rather, Qian Renxue, has been the Young Master of the Elder Palace from beginning to end."

Xue Ke opened her mouth, but didn't know how to refute, and could only cast a look of help toward Tang Xiao.

"The Spirit Master who hunted Xue Ke had clear Spirit Hall markings on them; on this point, we can produce the clothing left behind after the cleanup at the time. As for the Elder Palace and the Spirit Hall..."

Tang Xiao paused, then suddenly said: "Who knows if it was the Spirit Hall self-directing and self-acting again? After all, the incident that happened above Wuhun City didn't result in any casualties, and as far as I know, the separated Elder Palace is preparing to establish a nation..."

Not many factions had noticed this news yet, and for a moment, it sparked another round of discussion.

Tang Xiao continued: "The Spirit Hall is unifying the Spirit Master world with the Pope Palace, and by establishing a nation, it is forming an impact on the two great empires; soon, the entire Dalu will fall into your hands."

Qin Jian laughed in spite of himself: "I haven't even been that whimsical; your imagination is actually so rich. Are we that idle? Putting on a large-scale performance over Wuhun City?"

"In fact, it's very effective, isn't it? Over these past few years, the Heaven Dou Empire has fallen into your hands, a nail has been inserted into the Star Luo Empire, all the major duchies have submitted and are about to establish a nation, and the majority of the sects have already surrendered..."

Tang Xiao shook his arms and said loudly: "Soon, the entire Dalu will be trampled under the feet of the Spirit Hall!"

Many factions that had not attached themselves to the Spirit Hall felt a chill in their hearts.

"That was said quite convincingly..."

Although many people's gazes looking over were full of vigilance, Qin Jian remained unhurried: "But I will only ask one thing: even if all of this is true, may I ask, whose interests have we harmed?"

"Hmm?"

Quite a few people were stunned.

"Have we launched a war that led to the suffering of the masses?" Qin Jian said again.

Many people shook their heads subconsciously.

Qin Jian slowly stood up, his gaze looking directly at Tang Xiao: "Have we forced anyone to submit? Have we done things that harm the Dalu? With the existence of my Spirit Hall, is the Dalu ultimately becoming better or worse?"

Once these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent, and many people fell into deep thought.

Whether it was the Spirit Judgment Hall, the Guard Army teams hunting Evil Soul Masters, or the Spirit Academy, it seemed they were all making the Dalu more orderly, standardizing the behavior of Spirit Masters, and reducing the conflicts between Spirit Masters and commoners.

Then, even if the Spirit Hall unified the Dalu, is it really harmful?

If it is harmless, and even makes the Dalu better, then what is the point of Tang Xiao's accusations?

"The Clear Sky Sect provoking my Spirit Hall is for selfish interests, for past grudges, and for the attribution of power in the Dalu, not for any great righteousness..."

Qin Jian stood with his hands behind his back, his voice spreading in all directions: "Therefore, please do not appear in front of everyone in the guise of a savior; that will make the Clear Sky Sect look ridiculous."

Tang Xiao was speechless.

This is the benefit of an upright and open conspiracy; the Spirit Hall can clearly tell everyone that we want to grasp more power, we want to be the masters of the Dalu, but we are also making the Dalu better and ensuring the interests of the majority.

In this way, those who oppose the Spirit Hall will definitely be far fewer than those who support it, and they won't even be able to find a reason to oppose it, because all kinds of malicious smearing cannot stand up to scrutiny.

"Setting aside the purpose of your Spirit Hall, just speaking of the matter of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family Inheritance, now that there is a legitimate imperial princess here, shouldn't the Empress give up the throne?"

Tang Xiao decisively cast aside the issue of the Spirit Hall and aimed his spearhead at Ning Rongrong.

"Rongrong is herself of the status of a legitimate princess, equal in rank to Xue Ke; what is legitimate or illegitimate about it..."

Before the side of Ning Rongrong could speak, Qin Jian stood up for her: "If we are talking about who should succeed to the throne, that is decided by the internal imperial clansmen and the dignitaries and officials of the Heaven Dou Empire; what does it have to do with your Clear Sky Sect?"

Tang Xiao opened his mouth, then silently closed it.

He didn't know why, but he always felt his logic had been messed up; he originally thought that holding Xue Ke meant grasping the moral high ground, but why did he feel so passive?

Isn't this Chief Judge someone who sat in this position because of his outstanding strength? How is he more formidable than anyone else when it comes to refuting?

"If your Clear Sky Sect wants to claim support for Xue Ke's ascension, then my Spirit Hall can also clearly and distinctly stand on Rongrong's side."

Qin Jian said: "There is also the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Elephant Armored Sect, and the other lower four sects; they can also express their stance and stand on Rongrong's side."

"Therefore, if your Clear Sky Sect doesn't intend to hold Xue Ke hostage to launch a rebellion, then stop talking nonsense here. Rongrong's position as Empress is a foregone conclusion and has received the recognition of the Heaven Dou Empire from top to bottom. If you insist on going against it, that is acting against the interests of the majority!"

Tang Xiao: "..."

Seeing that he did not speak, and seeing that the entire Clear Sky Sect over there all had dark expressions, Qin Jian clapped his hands happily: "Since you have nothing left to say, then should it be my turn next?"

(End of chapter)