Chapter 453: The Members of the Heavenly Court Sect are All Righteous, How Could It Be a Demonic Sect?

"You are the leader of the Heavenly Court Sect?!" Qiu Jin'an sprang up, his eyes widening in utter disbelief, his voice suddenly leaping an octave.

The others reacted much the same way; even the abbot of the Hanging Temple lost his composure, terrified that a knowing, cryptic sneer might curl the corners of Yun Zhi’s lips, and that she would strike them all down on the spot while declaring, "This concerns the Heavenly Court Sect's million-year grand plan, and no mistakes can be tolerated."

A ripple of doubt stirred within Yun Zhi's otherwise placid gaze.

Was it not they who had asked for her thoughts on the Heavenly Court Sect? She had merely spoken the honest truth—why such a grand reaction?

Yet one could hardly blame them for their shock. This was the Great Xia Imperial Palace, the very citadel of the righteous path, and those seated here were the ultimate leaders of that path. They had spent half the day citing classics and analyzing evidence, finally pronouncing an absolute verdict: the Heavenly Court Sect harbored ambitions to overthrow the world, was a new demonic cult, and, alongside the three existing orthodox demonic cults, formed a new quartet of extreme peril.

And now, out of nowhere, you suddenly announce that you are the leader of this Heavenly Court Sect. Anyone would react this way.

Crucially, you also happen to be the one with the highest cultivation among the six present.

Seeing the overwhelming intensity of their reaction, Yun Zhi felt it necessary to offer an explanation: "There is no need for concern, everyone. The Heavenly Court Sect is an internal organization of the Dao Seeking Sect. It is safe and reliable, conceived by my youngest junior brother, Lu Yang, with the purpose of infiltrating the Nine Nether Cult."

"Lu Yang?" Qiu Jin'an and Luo Hongxia were relatively composed, being aware of his existence, but Emperor Xia, the abbot of the Hanging Temple, and the Sect Master of the Prison Guarding Sect found the name entirely foreign.

Granted, Lu Yang possessed remarkable talent, capable of casually defeating an ancient cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation to retrain, making him the undisputed foremost youth of the younger generation; however, his realm was still too low to enter the field of vision of these towering figures.

Of course, had he appeared under his guise as a scholar of ancient history, it would have been quite easy for him to be famous.

Lu Yang did have the monumental achievement of destroying the Immortal Cult to his credit, but since Yun Zhi had intervened in that battle, no one truly believed that a mere Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment youth had played any meaningful part.

"Lu Yang is the latest disciple Master accepted, my youngest junior brother. He is exceptionally gifted in both spells and cultivation; in the destruction of the Immortal Cult, he played a vital role."

The assembly was astonished. To earn Yun Zhi's praise for talent in spells, and to have the modifier "exceptionally" attached—just how terrifyingly monstrous was this Lu Yang's aptitude?

And what else had Fellow Daoist Yun said? She claimed Lu Yang's role in destroying the Immortal Cult was vital. Could it be that he was actually the key factor behind its downfall?

What was his cultivation level back then, and how could he have possibly achieved such a feat?

"I have met Lu Yang, and he is indeed a rare genius with a mind that thinks far outside the box," Qiu Jin'an offered, validating his talent. "He once defeated an ancient Great Yu Integration stage cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation to retrain, whilst fighting at the same realm."

"Defeated a retraining Great Yu Integration stage cultivator?!" Luo Hongxia covered her small mouth. In their youth, everyone here had been a peerless genius, but achieving a feat like that would likely still have proven exceedingly difficult.

"Not only that," Qiu Jin'an continued, his words delivering shock after shock, "during the exchange between the Five Elements Sect and the Dao Seeking Sect, they claimed Lu Yang's combat power is so extraordinary that, while only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he fought across major realms and defeated cultivators of the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation stages!" This piece of news was even more staggering than the defeat of the retraining cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, is this true?"

Yun Zhi hesitated, a rare occurrence for her, before giving a nod, which triggered an even greater collective gasp from the room.

Sensing that the conversation had unconsciously drifted too far off course, Yun Zhi sought to pull it back: "The leader of the Heavenly Court Sect is myself, and the sect features Nine Great Heavenly Kings as protectors, who are the First through Eighth Elders, plus Master—though Master is currently unaware that he has joined the Heavenly Court Sect."

"Aside from them, there are the five newly recruited disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect: Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, Tao Yaoye, Mangu, and Li Haoran."

She did not disclose the existence of the Immortal Fairy.

"You all seem to harbor some misunderstandings regarding the Heavenly Court Sect. As our Dao Seeking Sect belongs to the righteous path, and the members of the Heavenly Court Sect consist of our high-ranking elders and choice seeds, how could it possibly be a demonic cult?"

Yun Zhi spoke as though it were a matter of course. Since the members of the Heavenly Court Sect were all righteous cultivators, it naturally followed that the sect itself was a righteous power.

The corners of the five leaders' eyes twitched. Given their status and seniority, it was hardly appropriate for them to lodge petty complaints against her.

"Then, this Heavenly Venerable Bean..."

Qiu Jin'an stopped mid-sentence as a memory flashed like lightning: the leader of the Nine Nether Cult had once spoken of Heavenly Venerable Bean manipulating the stars like mere beans.

The stars in the sky were none other than Yun Zhi's Golden Core; thus, it stood to reason she could manipulate them at her whim!

Furthermore, the feats of being invincible within the same realm and fighting three opponents at once were things Yun Zhi could easily accomplish by drawing upon the power of the State Destiny!

Moreover, Lu Yang was her junior brother, and whenever he went abroad, she would secretly protect him.

It aligned perfectly; every single piece fell into place!

Every person seated was highly intelligent, and they all quickly realized that Heavenly Venerable Bean was Yun Zhi herself.

Though Yun Zhi offered no direct confirmation, it was something everyone understood tacitly, and an explicit answer was unnecessary.

"The Heavenly Court Sect has already secured the trust of the Nine Nether Cult. I must ask that you refrain from moving against them for the time being, so as not to startle the snake."

"Of course, of course," the others agreed with smiles, relieved to know that the Heavenly Court Sect comprised their own people, which made matters far simpler.

"The Heavenly Court Sect and the Nine Nether Cult have reached a preliminary cooperation. Our sect provides the technology, while the Nine Nether Cult provides the labor and manpower. Together, we have opened a barbecue shop. The business has just started, and the more cultists we have working there, the less chance there is of the Nine Nether Cult committing evil. Therefore, I hope the imperial court can formulate some favorable policies to stimulate the catering industry, secretly aiding the development of the barbecue shop."

Emperor Xia pondered the request. Stimulating the catering industry would benefit tax revenue, enriching both the state and the people; it was a sound endeavor.

"This is not a difficult matter."

"Excellent. There is one more thing: Wu Youdao and his two companions are currently at the Dao Seeking Sect, and I have obtained some intelligence from them."

The assembly bore expressions of clear understanding. Of course—Yun Zhi had been right there in Hanshui City, so how could she possibly allow the three of them to escape?

Yun Zhi recounted the details Wu Youdao had confessed, and the expressions around the room grew solemn.

"Just as I suspected. For the Great Yu faction to dare plot against the power of the State Destiny, they must possess the combat power of an Immortal." Emperor Xia merely snorted coldly upon hearing the realms of the two former Imperial Preceptors, showing little surprise.

The goal of Great Yu was to supplant Great Xia. Knowing full well that the power of the State Destiny was the creation of an Immortal, they still dared to harbor such designs, which could only mean that the Great Yu side possessed an Immortal of their own!

"Great Yu's next target is Jizhou. Situated in the Central Plains, Jizhou is dense with people and cities; scouring it completely by the strength of the imperial court alone would be difficult, so I must ask the immortal sects to lend a helping hand."

To uncover traces of Great Yu, a cultivator of at least the Integration stage would be required. The court possessed no shortage of Integration stage experts, but they could not deploy them all to Jizhou, as other regions required them for defense.

Furthermore, the overall quality of the immortal sects' Integration stage cultivators surpassed that of the court, granting them a greater margin to maneuver and send word should they encounter Great Yu cultivators.

"This concerns the stability of Great Xia; the Five Elements Sect will not sit idly by."

"The Prison Guarding Sect says the same."

Aside from the abbot of the Hanging Temple, the four leaders of the immortal sects voiced their support one after another.

The abbot could only nod continuously to signify that his stance aligned with theirs.

He felt rather distressed; the Vow of Silence was indeed a difficult discipline to cultivate. He had felt the urge to speak several times, only to suppress it by force.

It was far preferable to deal with the Speechless Daoist; with him, one only needed to use fists, not words.