Chapter 31
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Chapter 31: Clear Thoughts
Encountering such a reckless fool, Great Immortal Zhou found himself thoroughly humiliated. Rage, fury, and frustration boiled within him.
Before so many disciples, his act of silencing witnesses through murder had been laid bare. The shame stretched all the way to the moon itself – after living a thousand years, he’d never suffered such disgrace! Great Immortal Zhou nearly wept from sheer anger.
Though consumed by wrath, the churning thunderclouds above Fang Lie’s head never unleashed their strike.
"Fang Lie, mark my words – I won’t forget this!" Great Immortal Zhou spat before turning sharply away.
Fang Lie shouted after the retreating figure, "And I’ll remember you too!"
The surrounding disciples stood dumbfounded. They’d heard tales of Fang Lie’s fearless nature but dismissed them as exaggerations. Witnessing him openly defy a Thunder Tribulation Immortal, humiliate a senior leader, and survive unscathed? The Qi Sea realm cultivator exceeded all legends!
Great Immortal Zhou nearly choked on his fury. Multiple times he’d nearly struck Fang Lie dead, yet cold reason prevailed. Unlike the fool Zhou the Skinflint, as Ancestral Hall Leader he knew the sect’s hidden rules intimately.
Fang Lie’s status as Benevolence Token Lord candidate granted him the protective array’s full guardianship, especially here at the Formation core eye outside Gentle Breeze Tower. Even Thunder Tribulation Immortals couldn’t touch him under the Formation’s watchful surveillance. Acting rashly would only trap Great Immortal Zhou in Fang Lie’s legal net.
Bitter defeat forced his retreat, but resentment festered – not just toward Fang Lie, but his own descendants. Zhou Zhengqing himself needed no petty gains from Gentle Breeze Tower after millennia accumulating wealth. Yet his sprawling Zhou Family clan’s insatiable cultivation demands drove them to illicit schemes when honest means fell short.
By capturing Zhou the Skinflint, Fang Lie held a blade to the Zhou Family’s throat. The coward would surely betray every clan member involved. With Fang Lie’s bullheaded persistence, the entire Zhou house risked collapse. Their panic had summoned Great Immortal Zhou to clean the mess, only for Fang Lie to rip away the veil on their corruption, leaving eternal shame.
Great Immortal Zhou already tasted the mockery from fellow Thunder Tribulation Immortals. The thought made his seven orifices burn with smoke, hatred for Fang Lie carving deep into his bones.
"This ends not here!" he growled. "Though my hands are tied, finding another blade proves simple enough."
Changing course, he flew toward the Yuan family’s ancestral sacred mountain.
Fang Lie could only watch his enemy depart. Without the Benevolence Token Lord title, he remained merely an outer disciple – powerless over seniors, no right to intervene in corruption cases. His candidate status guaranteed personal safety and Ancestral Hall trial rights only when personally threatened.
The Gentle Breeze Tower corruption case exemplified this: attacked, he’d commanded Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers to make arrests. But Zhou the Skinflint’s death dissolved both witnesses and heavenly enforcers, leaving Fang Lie stranded – a spectator to unresolved injustice.
Even though he clearly knew countless evils lurked here, he felt powerless to act.
Yet Fang Lie didn’t abandon hope. He silently vowed that upon Advancing in the Golden Pool and officially wielding the Benevolence Token, he’d reopen the case immediately. No matter how many were involved, he’d expose every parasite and make them pay!
Shaking his head, Fang Lie returned to Gentle Breeze Tower to claim his monthly Sect Benefits.
The Mo Sect’s Mechanical Puppet Arts proved astonishing. The entire tower functioned as a massive mechanical puppet, operating automatically even without the Five Great Stewards. These puppets held no personal biases. After the stewards’ deaths, all corrupted systems reset, restoring Gentle Breeze Tower’s original fairness.
Every disciple now received full Sect Benefits. Mission rewards were paid completely, and even outer disciples doing menial work got full wages without deductions.
The oppressed disciples rejoiced upon discovering this change. Though none dared praise the stewards’ deaths or approach Fang Lie, their silent gratitude flowed freely. News spread rapidly through the sect.
All outer disciples under Gentle Breeze Tower’s jurisdiction rushed to complete missions, fearing new stewards might reinstate exploitation. The frenzy created scenes of vitality unseen in the Mo Sect for millennia – the ancient sect suddenly breathed with new life.
Watching the excitement, Fang Lie felt fulfilled despite receiving no thanks. Even being treated as an ill omen couldn’t dampen his satisfaction.
Soon, a puppet handed Fang Lie five low-grade spirit stones – his first sect allowance in ten years. His grin stretched ear to ear.
The old bird chuckled. "Only five stones? Why so happy?"
"These mean weeks of savings to me," Fang Lie replied. "After a decade without allowances, wouldn’t you rejoice?"
"Yet you refused thousands earlier," the old bird countered. "By angering a Thunder Tribulation Immortal and letting Zhou the Skinflint’s death erase evidence, you lost stolen spirit stones. Foolish, no?"
"Never!" Fang Lie snapped. "I’ll die before taking dirty wealth!"
"Good." The old bird nodded approvingly. "Accepting tainted stones would’ve stained your Dao heart, halting your cultivation permanently."
"What? How?"
"Remember your great vow in the Cycle of Fire? The Heavenly Dao’s Great Will empowered your Divine Phoenix Nirvana Scripture because you pledged to uphold justice. Betray that vow, and your mind clouds, blocking Dao comprehension. Even your undying nature couldn’t save your cultivation."
Fang Lie shuddered. "Thank heavens I resisted!"
"Your clarity now mirrors Heavenly Dao laws," the old bird observed. "Can’t you feel deepened understanding?"
"Everything seems clearer," Fang Lie admitted. "I’d cultivate here if possible."
"Unnecessary." The old bird explained, "The Divine Phoenix Nirvana Scripture updates your true spirit seed with new insights. Each Nirvana reincarnation rebuilds your body matching the seed’s progress – no closed-door training needed."
"Convenient! Saves months!" Fang Lie exclaimed. "But sounds unbelievable – you’re not tricking me?"
