Chapter 244: 157, Song Knife’s three great sins, the confrontation between the Dao Lords of Flying Immortal Hall.
Accusing one lineage would please another. Accusing both lineages would undoubtedly offend both at the same time. This was something that Ren Yuanrui, the Gong Family Daoist Lord, and the Ruan Family Daoist Lord had not anticipated. The three of them awaited the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch’s next words. They did not believe the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch would be so unwise.
"Song Knife’s crimes are: first, requesting Wangui Daoist to issue an Immortal Decree, forcing Xu Xing not to sever the Song Family’s Dragon Pulse for three years. Second, compelling Xu Xing to yield his prominence to him for fifty years. Third, secretly colluding with members of the Shadow Assassination Hall to assassinate Xu Xing."
The Giant Sword Daoist Monarch spoke word by word, without any evasion.
"The first crime, the Sect issuing an Immortal Decree, violated the Sect’s principle of non-interference between immortal and mortal beings. Although this crime alone would not cause Song Knife and Wangui Daoist to pay a huge price, with multiple offenses combined, Song Knife would not escape lightly."
"The second crime was a True Monarch abusing his status to oppress a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. This, too, was a significant offense."
"After stating the first two crimes, bringing up the third one seemed much more logical and reasonable."
Xu Xing and Song Knife were archenemies. Previously, Xu Xing had refused Song Knife’s demand for him to lay low and avoid Song Knife’s prominence for fifty years; now, Song Knife was colluding with the Shadow Assassination Hall to assassinate Xu Xing. No one could find fault with this narrative.
"Is there evidence?"
Ren Yuanrui nodded slightly. Although he was dissatisfied with the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch for stirring up trouble, now that he occupied the Sect Leader Position, he couldn’t be overly partial. It wouldn’t do to crack down hard on the Family Line only to vigorously protect the Master and Disciple Lineage, or vice-versa.
"Regarding the first two crimes..." The Giant Sword Daoist Monarch continued, "For the first crime, since the Sect Immortal Order was issued, there must be a copy. For the second crime, Song Knife’s maid, Yu Xue, personally conveyed the message to my disciple at the time. We only need to perform Soul Searching on her. As for the third crime, we can wait for Xu Xing to return from the Hangu Mountain Secret Realm. The evidence for this crime is in his hands."
The Giant Sword Daoist Monarch was being cunning.
Evidence varied in quality. The first two crimes were backed by solid proof, but the evidence for the last one was not necessarily conclusive. Xu Xing only had the corpses of Bi Qing and the others; there were no living witnesses, nor any written proof of collusion between Song Knife, Bi Qing, and the others...
Capturing a living Disciple of Shadow Assassination Hall was no easy task. This was a well-known fact among all Sects. However, with the first two pieces of evidence laying the groundwork, who would have suspected his shrewdness here?
"The accusations are well-founded. Song Knife should indeed be brought to justice," Ren Yuanrui said, nodding after a slight hesitation.
Although the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch had caused him trouble, the value of a Dao Lord was incomparable to that of a True Monarch. Even though the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch only had one hundred years of lifespan remaining, Ren Yuanrui inevitably leaned towards him. The Sect’s upper echelons had always consisted of Dao Lords and Sage Monarchs. While Song Knife was the Sixth Chief Seat, he was still merely a disciple, not one of the high-level members. Upholding the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch’s power and dignity meant upholding the power and dignity of all high-level members of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. Besides, the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch wasn’t making baseless accusations; he had presented evidence.
"Let Song Knife enter the Flying Immortal Hall to receive his punishment," Ren Yuanrui declared. He then took a handful of Gold Beans from his sleeve. With a puff of his breath, these Gold Beans transformed into a line of Gold Armored warriors and a line of celestial maidens. The warriors carried hammers, drums, knives, and swords. The celestial maidens held fans, presented jade discs, and carried red trays laden with zithers, reed pipes, and various other musical instruments.
The Gold Armored warriors and the colorfully-robed celestial maidens rode the clouds away, playing somber and imposing music.
「Shortly afterwards」
Song Knife entered the hall, "genuinely apprehensive and fearful," looking restless and uneasy.
"The Giant Sword Daoist Monarch has accused you of three major crimes."
"Song Knife, do you confess?"
In front of the three great Dao Lords, Ren Yuanrui maintained an amiable appearance. But facing Song Knife, he resumed the stern majesty befitting the Sect Master. His words were direct and unsparing, a blunt interrogation.
"This..."
Song Knife prostrated himself within the Flying Immortal Hall, his mind in turmoil.
When the warriors and celestial maidens had delivered the summons, he already knew what the three major crimes were. For the first two, he was indeed guilty; there was no room for denial. But as for the final crime, Song Knife wasn’t sure. He had indeed been involved in this assassination attempt on Xu Xing. Among the House Elders overseeing the expedition to the Hangu Mountain Secret Realm, besides those from the Family Line, there was an Elder Tian from the Master and Disciple Lineage. Elder Tian was on good terms with him. Song Knife had used an intermediary to concoct a suitable reason to temporarily divert Elder Tian, thereby relaxing the surveillance on the True disciple Xu Xing’s safety... Although Elder Tian had been unaware that the ultimate aim was Xu Xing’s assassination. A crucial link in the evidence was missing. However, the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch, Xu Xing, and the Sect’s high-level members weren’t fools; they could surely guess he’d had a hand in the assassination. If Xu Xing had died, the Sect would certainly have investigated, but due to the lack of evidence, the matter would have eventually been dropped. This was precisely Song Knife’s calculation. Afterwards, even if the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch was furious, it wasn’t as if Song Knife didn’t have a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord backing him. He would just need to enter seclusion on Imperial City Peak for one hundred years and wait for the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch to pass away. Who would have thought that, of all times, the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch would choose this moment to make his move against him?
Something must have leaked out. My Human King physique grants me Great Fortune, and with my meticulous planning, I’ve always been invincible. So why do I keep suffering setbacks when it comes to Xu Xing? Even if my luck isn’t as good as his, this is just...
Song Knife gritted his teeth; his three great hatreds for Xu Xing now had a fourth.
"Song Knife," Ren Yuanrui pressed, frowning as he continued the interrogation. "Do you have any explanation?"
However, Song Knife merely remained prostrated with his head lowered, feigning shivers and staying completely silent, showing no intention whatsoever of cooperating with Sect Master Ren Yuanrui’s interrogation.
"Quite the cunning fellow," Ren Yuanrui sneered inwardly. "He must be waiting for Wangui Daoist to get the news and come to his rescue." His impression of Song Knife instantly plummeted. He himself, the Gong Family Daoist Lord, the Ruan Family Daoist Lord, and the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch were all Nascent Soul Daoist Lords, high-level members of the Sect with decision-making authority. Before these powerful figures, Song Knife, whether in the right or wrong, would inevitably be at a disadvantage if he tried to argue. Therefore, his silence at this moment was a hundred times smarter than speaking. When Wangui Daoist eventually arrived to plead for Song Knife, regardless of what Wangui Daoist said, Song Knife, by responding through him, would gain more room to maneuver. However, by acting this way, Song Knife was disregarding him—the Sect Master, the adjudicator! How could Ren Yuanrui possibly be pleased by this?
Just as Ren Yuanrui had anticipated, less than half a cup of tea’s time later, Wangui Daoist appeared at the entrance of the hall, paying his respects and requesting entry to speak on Song Knife’s behalf.
"This is playing out almost exactly as Xu Xing predicted," the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch, seated to one side, thought, clicking his tongue repeatedly in admiration for Xu Xing’s foresight.
Regarding the three crimes used to indict Song Knife, for the third one, it was very difficult for him and his disciple to secure concrete evidence. Even if they could use Soul Searching to investigate every House Elder and Deacon who had handled matters concerning the Hangu Mountain Secret Realm, doing so would stir up a hornet’s nest. While Deacons and House Elders might seem to have lower status than the Giant Sword Daoist Monarch, who among them didn’t have influential relatives and friends? United, these individuals wielded considerable power. Especially with the Gong Family and Ruan Family likely to meddle. Therefore, the third line of evidence could only be a feint. To truly pursue it would offend too many people. Any benefits gained would not be long-lasting. And now, by targeting Song Knife, Song Knife, to protect himself, would inevitably ask Wangui Daoist to intercede. If Wangui Daoist did intercede, it would effectively be an admission of guilt, turning a claim of "innocence" into one of "guilt."