Chapter 847: Singing a Duet

Gu Lin's single word, "Mother," caused Lu Zhi's brain to completely short-circuit.

Wait, brother?

Is this the true weight of the Joyous Union Sect?

One can only say that Gu Lin has achieved a breakthrough in research regarding world-class enigmas.

"What's wrong, Mother? Do you dislike the puppy anymore? If I've done something to upset you, please tell me, and I will certainly change."

There was a trace of sadness on Gu Lin's face.

He felt that the Joyous Union Hall Master was acting strange today, but he couldn't put his finger on where the problem lay.

He could only interpret it as her no longer liking him.

"No... it's just that Mother isn't in the mood today. You should withdraw first; when I want to see you, I will call for you."

Lu Zhi endured the goosebumps and spoke soothingly.

Becoming a "male mother" for the first time, he really wasn't used to it.

"Alright, then I shall wait for you."

Hearing Lu Zhi's words, Gu Lin finally revealed a smile and happily left the Joyous Union Hall.

After tricking Gu Lin into leaving, a smile that looked worse than crying appeared on Lu Zhi's face.

"What kind of mess is this..."

A genius youth who could pierce through peers with his sword had now become the Joyous Union Hall Master who bewitched thousands of men; the span of this transition was comparable to Granny Liu from *Dream of the Red Chamber* capturing a Trisolarian.

With the maneuvering of Xue Bingxiao and the four Hall Masters, the news that the Joyous Union Sect was to be merged into the Profound Heaven Sect soon spread throughout the entire Joyous Union Sect.

The entire sect was in an uproar.

The disciples' faces were filled with confusion.

One had to know that righteous sects like the Profound Heaven Sect had always looked down upon their Joyous Union Sect, considering them a heretical path and refusing to associate with them.

How could they suddenly be told that the Joyous Union Sect was merging into the Profound Heaven Sect?

The disciples of the four halls soon gathered together, with the Seven Emotions Elders and the Punishment Elder Pei Jiuye also among them.

Since the news came from the mouth of the Sect Master, Xue Bingxiao, and the four Hall Masters were there to corroborate it, they had no choice but to believe it.

The entire Joyous Union Sect was struggling to digest this news that they found hard to accept.

"The Joyous Union Sect is merging into the Profound Heaven Sect? I'm clearly literate, so why don't I recognize these characters when put together? Wait, am I becoming a disciple of a righteous sect?"

"I also find it very strange. I previously swindled the bodies of several sword-cultivator disciples, leaving them so infatuated they had no heart to practice their swordsmanship. The righteous sects still have a bounty on me; how is this account supposed to be settled?"

"Maybe the bounty is being replaced by recruitment? What's that word again? Oh, amnesty!"

The most bewildered among them were Pei Jiuye and the Seven Emotions Elders.

After all, as high-level figures of the Joyous Union Sect, how could they have received absolutely no news about the sect merging into the Profound Heaven Sect?

Seeing that the emotions of the Joyous Union Sect disciples were not right, Ye Lin, hiding in the shadows, manipulated the slave seal and spoke through Xue Bingxiao's mouth.

"Silence."

As soon as Xue Bingxiao spoke, the previously whispering disciples of the four halls fell silent.

Her cold gaze swept across the faces of the disciples, and the aura of a Dao Origin Realm powerhouse made it difficult for everyone present to breathe.

"This Sect Master wants to ask everyone present a question: if you had a choice, would you be willing to be heretics?"

This question was like a blow to the head, leaving all the Joyous Union Sect disciples stunned.

They had never pondered this question, for once a heretic, always a heretic.

Even if you truly turned over a new leaf, the righteous disciples would treat you as a KPI to be cleared; who would care if you were truly repentant?

Ye Lin didn't wait for the disciples to answer and continued through Xue Bingxiao's mouth.

"We are all people of ambition, but we lacked the path to cultivation. If we had a choice, who would be born willing to be a heretic, carrying a string of bounties on their back, chased and ridiculed by others for a lifetime!"

These words were resonant and powerful, shaking the hearts of the Joyous Union Sect disciples.

Most of them became heretics because they were driven to a dead end.

Only a small minority were born evil, stopping at nothing for cultivation.

Therefore, these words truly spoke to their hearts.

If they could join a righteous sect or a great clan, backed by endless resources, and be respected wherever they went, who would be willing to be a heretic hiding in the shadows?

Not to mention anything else, just the treatment of an outer disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect—if they went to a mortal dynasty like the Nuhai Dynasty, the Emperor himself would have to greet them personally.

And that was just the treatment for an outer disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect.

But if they were disciples of the Joyous Union Sect? They would probably appear in the Nuhai Dynasty for ten seconds before eight people reported them to the Profound Heaven Sect to come and eliminate the demons.

In the Longevity Continent, ever since the Boundless Demon Emperor slaughtered a massive number of demonic cultivators, leading to an imbalance between righteous and demonic paths, demonic cultivators had become targets for everyone to beat, and even if they were powerful, they received no respect.

If there was an opportunity to wash their reputation clean, how could they not be willing?

Xue Bingxiao's words undoubtedly made all the Joyous Union Sect disciples restless.

"Sect Master, what about those of us who have bounties on our heads? After the Joyous Union Sect merges into the Profound Heaven Sect, what will happen to us? Will we be liquidated?" Ye Lin's clone asked, pinching his nose in the crowd.

"Rest assured!"

Xue Bingxiao spoke calmly.

"This Sect Master promises you that after the Joyous Union Sect merges into the Profound Heaven Sect, the bounties you currently carry will all be wiped clean! But the premise is that you must not commit crimes again; otherwise, there will be no mercy!"

Once this news came out, the already restless Joyous Union Sect disciples became even more excited.

After all, they basically all carried bounties; no longer being wanted meant they could walk openly in the sunlight.

"Sect Master, after we merge into the Profound Heaven Sect, we definitely won't be able to go out and capture cauldrons for cultivation anymore. How will our cultivation improve then?" another of Ye Lin's clones asked in the crowd using a bubble voice.

This question instantly poured a bucket of cold water on the excited crowd.

That's right; the Joyous Union Hall captures cauldrons, the Bone-Erosion Hall uses living people to refine love-gu, the Sin-Mirror Hall uses living people to refine human puppets, and the Mindless Hall is even worse—they are all ruthless people who kill their own kin.

With such a group of people, how could they cultivate properly after merging into the Profound Heaven Sect?

"Rest assured, this Sect Master has long anticipated this."

Xue Bingxiao began to explain.

"In fact, if our cultivation methods don't change, the Joyous Union Sect will sooner or later be uprooted. Therefore, this Sect Master has long thought about how the Joyous Union Sect will complete its industrial transformation. I can guarantee that after merging into the Profound Heaven Sect, your cultivation speed will absolutely not be slower than before. The four Hall Masters can also testify to this."

Lu Zhi, the three Hall Masters, and Lin Muxi all nodded in agreement.

Seeing the four Hall Masters and the Sect Master come out together to explain, the hearts of the many Joyous Union Sect disciples finally found some footing.

Perhaps, the Joyous Union Sect merging into the Profound Heaven Sect was not a bad thing?

But just then, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.

"Today they want amnesty, tomorrow they want amnesty—this is chilling the hearts of the brothers!"