Chapter 695: Political Earthquake, The Lone Army's Resolve

A message bird had an urgent dispatch tied to its body, stamped with the seal of the Guardian Peak Alliance.

Lin Xuan opened the letter, and his expression turned extremely ugly in an instant.

Nezha saw his expression and hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

Lin Xuan handed the letter to the others to read, his voice terrifyingly calm: "Jian Wentian and the others have discovered we left."

The contents of the letter made everyone feel furious.

Jian Wentian had united with the Five Elements Sect, the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple, and several other major sects to issue a formal statement.

The statement severely accused Lin Xuan of acting without authorization and violating the collective resolution of the Alliance.

It deemed this a serious provocation to the Alliance's authority and demanded he return to Guardian Peak immediately to face questioning.

If he refused to return, he would be considered a defector from the Righteous Alliance.

Even more outrageous was that the statement implied Lin Xuan's deep knowledge of the evil forces suggested he might have some connection to them.

It even cast suspicion that the tragedy in the Southern Region might be a conspiracy he directed and performed himself.

After reading the letter, Nezha tore it into shreds: "Those bastards!"

"It is clearly Lin Xuan who is saving innocent people, yet they are shooting cold arrows from behind!"

"I want to go back immediately to clear your name!"

Zhang Wuji also said angrily, "This is too much! We are here uncovering the truth, while they are spreading rumors!"

The other accompanying cultivators were also filled with righteous indignation.

They had seen the tragic state of the Green Lotus Sword Sect with their own eyes and knew Lin Xuan's judgment was correct.

That someone would now turn around and bite back was truly intolerable.

But Lin Xuan was unexpectedly calm.

He looked at the scraps of the letter in his hand; there was no anger in his eyes, only deep disappointment.

"No need to go back to clear my name," Lin Xuan waved his hand.

"The most important thing now is to stop the evil conspiracy."

"Everything else can be discussed later."

"If we go back now, more innocent people in the Southern Region will die."

"What would be the point of clearing my name then?"

Nezha said anxiously, "But they are slandering you like this; we cannot endure it!"

Lin Xuan gave a bitter smile: "What if I endure it? What if I don't?"

"The pure remain pure, the muddy remain muddy."

"Time will prove everything."

"What we must do now is find those Black-robed Men and stop them from continuing their evil deeds."

Qingsong heard this conversation, and a look of admiration appeared in his eyes.

He had not expected that the young man before him was the legendary Lin Xuan.

And he never expected that Lin Xuan was being misunderstood precisely because he had saved them.

"Senior Lin, I know where those Black-robed Men are headed," Qingsong volunteered.

"When they left, they mentioned the Purple Mist Temple and the Heavenly Sound Gate."

"They said something about collecting enough life essence within seven days."

"And they also mentioned the Nine Nether Demon Scripture, the Ten Thousand Demon Island..."

A flash of light appeared in Lin Xuan's eyes: "Ten Thousand Demon Island?"

That was the gathering place of the demon race in the East Sea, which had always had tense relations with human cultivators.

If the evil forces were to search for the Nine Nether Demon Scripture there, it would inevitably lead to an even greater conflict.

"It seems this matter is more complex than imagined," Lin Xuan said in a deep voice.

"The enemy not only wants to collect the Nine Nether Demon Scripture, but also wants to incite a war between the human race and the demon race."

"We must stop all of this before they do."

Just then, a rumbling flight sound came from afar.

A team of dozens of cultivators was flying toward the Green Lotus Sword Sect.

At the lead was Jian Wentian, followed by elite disciples from the major sects.

They were clearly here to hunt down Lin Xuan.

"It seems they chased us after all," Zhang Wuji sneered.

"They came at the right time; let them see the truth here."

But Lin Xuan shook his head: "Let's go, we cannot waste time here."

"Every second, new victims could appear."

Having said that, he led the group to quickly leave the Green Lotus Sword Sect and fly toward the direction of the Purple Mist Temple.

From behind came Jian Wentian's angry shout: "Lin Xuan! You stop right there!"

Guardian Peak, Council Hall.

Jian Wentian stood on the podium, looking around at all the Sect Leaders and Elders present with a solemn expression.

This was an emergency meeting called on short notice, and the number of attendees was double the usual.

In addition to the Sect Leaders of the major sects, many highly respected Elders were also invited to attend.

"Everyone, I have gathered you today to discuss a serious issue."

Jian Wentian's voice echoed in the hall, every word permeated with severity.

"As the leader of the Righteous Alliance, Lin Xuan has openly violated the collective resolution and acted without authorization."

"This kind of behavior has already seriously violated the basic principles of the Alliance."

"What is more serious is that his understanding of the evil demons and his proficiency in such methods cannot help but make one suspicious of his motives."

Many people present began to whisper to each other.

Wucaizi immediately stood up to echo: "Sect Leader Jian is right."

"No matter how powerful an individual's strength is, they cannot be placed above the collective."

"If we allow this kind of arbitrary and dictatorial behavior, what meaning does the Alliance still have?"

A Sect Leader of a small or medium-sized sect also said: "We chose Lin Xuan as Alliance Leader in the hope that he could lead everyone."

"And not to let him make all the decisions by himself."

"Now he doesn't even have basic respect; how can such a person continue to serve as Alliance Leader?"

But there were also people who raised different opinions.

An Elder who had once participated in the Battle of the Dead Volcano stood up to refute: "Everyone, we cannot forget the contributions of Benefactor Lin."

"If it weren't for him, we would have long since become food for the Demon God."

"Based on this alone, we should give him more trust."

Another cultivator also said: "And according to my understanding, serious evil demon activity has indeed occurred in the Southern Region."

"Benefactor Lin's actions were correct, it is just that his methods may have been a bit impatient."

But the voices supporting Lin Xuan were quickly suppressed by the voices of opposition.

Fear and suspicion spread more easily than gratitude; most people would rather believe rumors than face unknown threats.

"Merit is merit, but this cannot become a reason for acting arbitrarily," Jian Wentian said.

"If we support him unconditionally just because of his past contributions, then what is the difference between that and blind loyalty?"

"Power requires checks and balances; this is an eternal truth."

The ensuing debate lasted for two full hours.

The side supporting Lin Xuan tried their best to defend him, listing various pieces of evidence to prove his innocence.

The opposing side, however, continuously played up the threat of Lin Xuan's excessive power, implying that he might have already been corrupted by power.

In the end, Jian Wentian proposed a key motion: "I propose a vote of no confidence against Lin Xuan."

"If it passes, his position as Alliance Leader will be suspended, and a comprehensive investigation will be conducted."

"This is not a rejection of him as an individual, but a defense of the Alliance's system."

The voting process was exceptionally intense.

The thirty-seven Sect Leaders and Elders with voting rights each faced a difficult choice.

Those supporting Lin Xuan were mainly the cultivators who had witnessed him saving the cultivation world with their own eyes, as well as a small number of wise Elders.