Chapter 174: Stop-Justice Weekly

"... The Taiyi Kingdom has suffered under the Cultivation World for too long.

Those who practice Cultivation occupy the beautiful rivers and mountains, cultivating only themselves, yet they do not think to serve the country, instead wantonly demanding resources to supply themselves;

Are they immortals? Or are they rats?

Magic cultivators occasionally go mad, viewing human life as mere grass, requiring the state to invest massive manpower and material resources to deal with them;

Are they demons? Or are they thieves?

Now, Lin Bai of the Justice Sect has stepped forward, uniting with the Heavenly Descended to purge the Demon Sect cultivators, to return peace to the world and stability to the country. I, Guo, find this deeply agreeable..."

"You brat, you brat, you've ruined my grand plan!" Slamming *Justice Weekly* hard onto the table, Guo Yuan's lips trembled with anger. He had governed Qian City for many years and his temperament had always been calm, but since Lin Bai and the Heavenly Descended arrived, he had lost count of how many times his composure had been broken; these fellows always managed to stab him from places he never expected.

"City Lord, please calm your anger."

The scholar sighed, not knowing how to offer comfort.

A single interview with the City Lord had molded the City Lord into a high-spirited figure who did not fear the practitioners of Cultivation, which simultaneously meant pushing Qian City to the opposite side of the Evil Five Sects.

If things went poorly, it was possible to trigger a conflict between the Taiyi Kingdom and the Demonic Five Sects.

What was most infuriating was that the Heavenly Descended from the Beggar Sect had never once interviewed the City Lord, yet a basin of dirty water had been splashed onto him just like that...

This group of fellows was truly enough!

They really didn't fear that things wouldn't be chaotic enough...

The scholar glanced sideways at the *Justice Weekly* on the table; the horizontal stroke of the character 'Zheng' (Justice) was so short that the more he looked at it, the more it resembled the character 'Zhi' (Stop). Under the name *Stop-Justice Weekly*, the words "Write out justice, spread the truth" looked so ironic!

"City Lord, let your subordinate send men to confiscate *Justice Weekly*!" the scholar said. "These Heavenly Descended are too outrageous. If we let them continue to make trouble, it will surely lead to an irreparable disaster. We must use strict laws to punish them to ensure the stability of Qian City; they are afraid of being thrown into prison..."

"It's too late." Guo Yuan waved his hand. "Zhao, the Heavenly Descended are Undying and Indestructible. Can you punish them for a moment, or can you punish them for a lifetime? Forcing them into the Demon Sect is the real disaster. Lin Bai is right; blocking is not as good as diverting. Giving them something to do is the correct way to deal with these Heavenly Descended."

"Was Lin Bai deliberately stirring up trouble?" the scholar asked.

"He has great wisdom; I am not his equal." Guo Yuan sighed despondently and smiled bitterly. "He didn't portray this old man as a degenerate colluding with the Demon Sect, which has already given me some face. Let them be!"

"What about the Evil Five Sects?" the scholar asked.

"No need to pay attention to them," Guo Yuan said. "As long as they aren't stupid, they will naturally understand this is Lin Bai's scheme to sow discord. They won't anger the Taiyi Kingdom over such trivial matters. Having Lin Bai out front acting as a target is quite good!"

"What if Lin Bai loses?" the scholar hesitated for a moment and asked.

"Seal the city gates and let him fend for himself." Guo Yuan glanced sideways at the *Justice Weekly* on the table and snorted coldly. "The disaster he provoked is not one the Taiyi Kingdom will shoulder."

"Shen Kuang, over six hundred and eighty years old (age is meaningless to a practitioner), entered the Xuanming Sect over six hundred years ago, starting as an Outer Sect Disciple and step by step reaching the position of Sect Leader. He has accumulated rich experience in Cultivation and sect management. His character is patient and ruthless; this is the fundamental reason for his achievements.

Question 1: Why did you choose Magic Cultivation at that time?

Huaxi Furen: The main reason was that when I was young, my body was too weak, and I was a daughter of a concubine in the family, so I was often bullied in the family, and even the servants looked down on me. At that time, I swore that one day when I could turn things around, I would definitely trample those who bullied me under my feet. Proper Cultivation sects have too many rules, and Magic Cultivation was more conducive to my revenge.

Reporter: Did you get your revenge later?

Huaxi Furen: Not a blade of grass remained. I remember I was fifty-five years old when I achieved the Golden Core; if I hadn't gone back for revenge then, the enemies who bullied me would have all died of old age (due to the topic being too bloody, the reporter deleted some content; please readers, imagine it for yourselves)...

Question 2: I heard that many Magic cultivators kill innocent ordinary people to practice their arts; have you done so?

Huaxi Furen: Can a Magic cultivator who doesn't kill be called a Magic cultivator? The lives of ordinary people are like ants, struggling painfully in the world; killing them is a relief for them. Aren't we getting off topic? Weren't we supposed to be talking about the Sect Leader? (Laughs)...

Question 3: What kind of person is Shen Kuang in your heart?

Huaxi Furen: We usually didn't dare to discuss the Sect Leader in the sect. Now that I have withdrawn from the Xuanming Sect, I have no more scruples. Let's put it this way: the Sect Leader is someone who is aloof on the surface and ignores human feelings, but deep in his heart, he is actually very cowardly and inferior!

Reporter: Why do you say that? How could a cowardly person become the Sect Leader of the Xuanming Sect?

Huaxi Furen: He wasn't called Shen Kuang before. I heard from my master that he seemed to be called Shen Shishui, a very feminine name. At that time, when he was in the Outer Sect, the Sect Leader suffered no shortage of ridicule because of this name. Later, in a fit of anger, he changed his name to Shen Kuang. This could be considered 'compensating for what one lacks'!

Reporter: Was there anyone who dared to ridicule the Sect Leader of the Xuanming Sect?

Huaxi Furen: The Sect Leader hadn't grown up yet at that time! Who isn't bullied when they are weak? Later, those who ridiculed him met with all sorts of accidents. Even later, the Xuanming Sect only knew of Shen Kuang and not Shen Shishui, so no one dared to laugh at him anymore...

..."

"Ask the world, what is love, that it teaches people to pledge their lives to one another?

Who says those in the Evil Sects have iron-blooded hearts? Even the most ruthless hearts have tenderness within.

At that time.

Ge Feiyun of the Demon Spirit Sect was just an Outer Sect Disciple who had just reached Foundation Establishment. And Pei Yanzong was already a prodigy of the Canyang Sect, having forged a Golden Core by his thirties and enjoying a resounding reputation in the Canyang Sect.

If not for an accident, it would have been impossible for the two, with such vastly different statuses, to have any intersection.

Yet, fate played a trick on them. Pei Yanzong, who had infiltrated the Demon Spirit Sect under his master's orders to steal secrets, unfortunately leaked his identity one day and was struck in the heart pulse by an Elder of the Demon Spirit Sect. He desperately used a secret sect technique to escape, but having fled the Blood Shadow Gate, his heart pulse was severed, making him weaker than an ordinary person, and he was on the verge of dying from his injuries.

Unexpectedly.

While fleeing in a daze, he actually fell off a cliff and plunged into the spring water behind the Demon Spirit Sect, crashing into Ge Feiyun, who was bathing in the mountain spring.

As luck would have it, he buried his head right into the mountain peak of Feiyun Mountain, causing Ge Feiyun so much pain she nearly fainted; she had been prepared to kill this thief who had insulted her purity with one palm.

But it just so happened that Pei Yanzong had a handsome face.

Facts have proven that all love at first sight is nothing more than being attracted to looks..."

"How a man of blood and iron was forced by the Evil Sects to the point of madness.

Seven hundred years ago.

Zhao Tulong was still called Zhao Hongwen, a scholar who had read many sage books and swore to save the world and help the people.

Seven hundred years later, the catchphrase of Zhao Tulong, who had become the Sect Leader of the Xueli Sect, was: 'Before slaughtering the dragon, first slaughter the people. Killing one is a crime, slaughtering ten thousand makes one a hero. Slaughter nine million, only then are you a hero among heroes...'"

*Justice Weekly* caused a huge sensation in Qian City the moment it appeared.

In this world, ordinary people did not have many ways to be entertained, mostly finding amusement in their lives through storytellers, operas, or various storybooks.

Official information through regular channels was the Government's gazette, but the gazette was not something ordinary people could see.

The way ordinary people learned about official policies was through bulletin boards and the verbal communication of local officials.

And the distribution of *Justice Weekly* filled the void of entertainment and real-time news almost in an instant, balancing timeliness, entertainment, and even storytelling.

……

"So this is what the Cultivation World is like! Only today have I learned the truth about immortal cultivation!"

"What 'only by slaughtering nine million can one be a hero among heroes.' Such people who treat human lives like grass—if we don't kill them, it won't be enough to appease the public anger. Are our lives as ordinary people not lives?"

"By what right should these selfish people live forever? City Lord Guo is doing the right thing; I support the Justice Sect."

"It's not just the evil cultivators; those high and mighty righteous immortals aren't good things either. They've let the evil sects endanger the world for so many years. If it weren't for the appearance of the Justice Sect, I'm afraid we would still be kept in the dark, not knowing how many people have been harmed..."

"I just don't know if the Justice Sect can win this time? We might as well go to the City Lord's Mansion to petition. Eliminating evil cultivators shouldn't just rely on the Beggar Sect and the Heavenly Descended; they are outsiders after all. The City Guard should also make some contributions."

"I really want to go watch the battle! I'm going to place a bet on the Justice Sect taking first place."

"Let's go together, let's go together. Placing a bet can also be considered praying for the Justice Sect."

"I heard that at the recruitment fair last time, Sect Leader Lin struck out in a fit of rage and killed an evil cultivator. The Justice Sect is truly worthy of the name of justice!"

(End of this chapter)