The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 282: The Lone Wolf at the Apex of Life and Death's Precipice

In the Heart Pillar Hall, Xue Zhengyong and the disciples and elders wore grim expressions as they stared at the uninvited guests.

Sure enough, representatives from all the major sects were present, even Jiang Xi, who usually had a clear head. Although he didn't wish to target any specific sect, this matter was too significant, and with so many clues pointing to the Apex of Life and Death in recent days, he, as the leader of the immortal sect, had no choice but to lead his people here.

The disciples of the Apex of Life and Death, who had been continually provoked these past few days, were already unhappy. Today, they were suddenly accused of "hiding criminals" and having "malevolent intentions," which only fueled their anger. Moreover, the Upper Realm cultivators arrived with an aggressive attitude and expressed their doubts and disdain. As the conversation progressed, the air grew thick with tension.

"I'll say it again," Xue Zhengyong declared. "The Apex of Life and Death never intentionally leaked the forbidden scroll to Mo Ran, nor did we condone his cultivation of that path. We didn't steal the precious JInglong Chess pieces, nor did we plan on using the forbidden technique to unify the cultivation world. Furthermore, both Yu Heng and Mo Ran are currently not in the sect. Please, let's discuss this rationally."

Of all the Upper Realm sects, Biotang Villa, the Jiangdong Sect, and the Apex of Life and Death held the deepest grudges against each other.

The Jiangdong Sect, now reduced to a mere hundred members, had publicly distanced themselves from Huang Xiaoyue, but their true loyalties remained uncertain. They exchanged glances before someone sneered, "Patriarch Xue, your words are empty without evidence. You claim that the Apex of Life and Death is innocent, but all the current suspicions point to your sect. People's intentions are hidden, so how can we know what you're truly up to?"

"Indeed."

"The Jinglong Chess pieces that have been causing chaos in the cultivation world, those captured have all been connected to your Apex of Life and Death. To call it a coincidence would be stretching it too far."

Someone from Biotang Villa spoke up, "I wonder if you all are aware that for over twenty years, the Apex of Life and Death has frequently eradicated demons and monsters in the Lower Realm without asking for anything in return. They eagerly took on the toughest and most exhausting tasks and never sought compensation. It could be kindness for one or two times, but after twenty years, don't you find it absurd?"

Xue Zhengyong raged, "My brother and I built this sect from scratch, with the initial purpose of sheltering the common folk of the Lower Realm from adversity. My intentions have always been pure."

"Pure intentions?" The man sneered. "Pure-hearted Xue Zhengyong taught his nephew forbidden arts and nurtured a master assassin. Now, both of these most notorious villains come from your Peak of Life and Death. What right do you have to mention the words 'pure intentions' again?"

Someone chimed in, "Indeed. Sect Leader Xue's words sound so noble, ha ha. Sheltering the common folk from the storms? No one in this world is foolish. No one would do good deeds for twenty years without expecting anything in return. There must be some hidden scheme behind this!"

"And all those mysterious pawns that appeared before, they couldn't have been created overnight. Perhaps the Peak of Life and Death has been secretly nurturing a group of precious chess pieces under the guise of eliminating demons and defending righteousness these past few years..."

Xue Meng was also in the grand hall. He had been suppressing his fury for days and could endure no longer. Upon hearing this, he abruptly stood up, drew his sword, and slashed at the table, causing cups and saucers to spill everywhere, instantly turning the room into chaos.

"Are you done fabricating lies?"

"..."

Xue Meng lifted his gaze, his eyes fierce. "Spreading rumors in secret is one thing, but to come to the Peak of Life and Death and act recklessly, who gave you the audacity?!"

The Jiangdong Sect was on its last legs. After losing so many elders, their election of a new sect leader had become somewhat chaotic. The new leader was a young maiden who appeared no more than sixteen or seventeen, beautiful but utterly useless. Yet, she had managed to ascend to her position through the support and doting of a few senior brothers in the sect.

The girl knew neither decorum nor hardship. Perhaps she believed that everyone would be as captivated by her beauty as her unfortunate senior brothers, so she coquettishly smiled and said, "Brother Ziming, don't be angry."

Xue Meng: "..."

"You lose your charm when you're angry."

"Ha!" Someone immediately burst into laughter.

Despite the tense atmosphere in the hall, many cultivators couldn't help but crack a smile upon hearing her words. The disciples of prominent sects like Phoenix Fire Pavilion and Treading Snow Palace stared at this "sect leader" as if she were mentally challenged.

The girl felt even more convinced that all men in the world were smitten with her. She lifted her delicate, fair neck and indulged in self-admiration. "Why can't you express your grievances calmly? As long as your argument is reasonable, I, along with the leaders of the top ten cultivation sects, will ensure justice for you."

Upon hearing this, the sect leaders, who had been pretending to be solemn, began to struggle to maintain their composure.

Ma Yun from Peach Bud Manor was a merchant, so he was quickest to react to numbers. He was taken aback. "What? The top cultivation sects in the Upper Realm? Ten?"

Bright Moon Building, the leader of Treading Snow Palace, replied expressionlessly, "She miscalculated. Just pretend you didn't hear it."

Ma Yun was an amiable person and immediately responded with two "ohs," smiling as he refrained from further comment.

However, Elder Xuanjing from No-Sorrow Temple and the Daoist masters of Phoenix Fire Pavilion's Upper Clear Pavilion wore grim expressions. Nonetheless, the combined gloominess of all the sect leaders was still no match for half of Jiang Xi's darkened face.

Although Jiang Xi didn't say anything, it was evident that he was offended by the girl's words "thinking of me as the leader." He rubbed his sect leader's ring while staring at her gloomily.

The girl continued to bask in the spotlight. "We're all just discussing matters and expressing our opinions and speculations. That can't be wrong, can it?"

Xue Meng's voice crackled with irritation. "Save your storytelling for home. You have no place to speak here in Shu!'

"?"

Startled, the girl's eyes welled up with tears. Turning to the senior disciples of the Jiangdong Sect behind her, she sobbed, "He... He's being unreasonable—he's insulting me... Waaa, wuhuuu, I only spoke up, why is he so fierce...?"

Jiang Xi: "..."

Bright Moon Building: "..."

Elder Xuanjing: "..."

Someone in the crowd whispered, "The Jiangdong Sect is done for."

"Who's this little girl? She's not even half as good as Huang Xiaoyue..."

Mei Hanxue was among the crowd, and upon hearing this, he touched his nose and chuckled. "That's not entirely true. You're better than Huang Xiaoyue, at least. The little girl has decent looks."

The moment the young girl started crying, one of her senior brothers from the Jiangdong Sect immediately grew anxious. A scholarly-looking man first offered her a handkerchief to wipe her face, then turned to Xue Meng with a cold expression. "Truly worthy of being Grandmaster Chu's disciple and Grandmaster Mo's cousin."

Now, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were like the vulnerable spots on a dragon's scales to Xue Meng—how could they be mentioned?

Xue Meng narrowed his eyes dangerously.

But that guy remained oblivious, and with a mocking tone, he continued, "What right do you have to act all high and mighty, being the offspring of a criminal and the brother of a demonic cultivator?"

As the words faded, Longcheng's gaze turned cold, and he suddenly pointed his blade at the man's neck! The entire scene fell silent.

The man hadn't expected Xue Meng to actually make a move. Through the glinting, icy blade, he saw that Xue Meng's eyes were frigid, his rationality seemingly lost. The man's face paled even further, and though he opened his mouth, he didn't dare to speak again.

"Yes, I am formidable. Am I not allowed to be?"

With the tip of his sword prodding the man's neck, Xue Meng's hands trembled from anger, his strength difficult to control. The blade pierced the man's skin, drawing blood.

"On the other hand, who are you? What right do you have to speak disrespectfully to me on this precipice of life and death?"

Xue Zhengyong calmed down slightly upon seeing Xue Meng's outburst. He said in a grave voice, "Meng'er, sit down."

Xue Meng spun around abruptly. "Am I supposed to just let them talk like that?!"

Xue Zhengyong: "…."

Xue Meng shifted his gaze away from his father, his feral stare sweeping across every person who dared to whisper or exchange secretive glances at him. His chest heaved as he spoke, his voice quivering with suppressed anger despite his attempt to remain composed.

"It's truly laughable. All these years, the Peak of Life and Death has never acted unjustly. Our disciples have traveled far and wide – for what purpose? Fame? Wealth? Forbidden arts?"

Longcheng stood tall, its snowy radiance shimmering.

"Gentlemen, immortals, righteous heroes, and sect leaders," Xue Meng enunciated each word deliberately, his words piercing through the air and shattering the faces of those present. With his eyes blazing red, he asked, "Let me ask you all something..."

"Twenty years ago, when Impermanence Town was on the verge of becoming a ghost town, where were you all?"

"Fifteen years ago, during the great rupture in Shu, when nine out of ten households were empty, where were you all?"

"Three years ago, when the barrier in Butterfly Town was damaged, and ghosts ran rampant, causing famine and displacement, where were you all then?"

A faint sheen of moisture glistened in his eyes, but his voice remained stubbornly firm and cold.

"For all these years, how many times has the Lower cultivation world begged for your help, pleaded for your mercy? How much did the Confucian Wind Sect demand to vanquish demons back then? The refugees in the Lower Realm can barely afford food, let alone pay for your services."

The crowd felt somewhat ashamed, some genuinely reflecting on their actions, while others chewed on their words, attempting to shift all blame onto the Confucian Wind Sect alone. "Indeed, the Confucian Wind Sect was rather greedy back then, but that has nothing to do with us. Our sect only asks for a few hundred silver coins when we hunt demons. Young Master Xue, you can't generalize and condemn everyone."

"Oh, a few hundred silver coins," Xue Meng suddenly scoffed. "Venerable Daoist, have you ever visited the villages in Sichuan?"

"..."

"Go see the southern border of Sichuan, go to Fengdu Ghost City, or the foot of Mount Emei. See how people there live, and then come tell me that you 'only' ask for a few hundred silver coins."

Master Xuanjing sighed. "Young Master Xue, this old monk understands your pain."

Pausing, he shifted the topic.

"However, regardless, it's true that a disciple from the Peak of Life and Death practiced forbidden arts. Furthermore, an elder deliberately covered it up, obstructing the Heavenly Sound Pavilion's execution ground, even killing eleven cultivators from the pavilion to escape punishment. For these two crimes, the Peak of Life and Death cannot be absolved."

Xue Meng's anger intensified, dark clouds gathering above his brows. "Master, you saw how ruthless the Heavenly Sound Pavilion was at that time. They wanted to take both my master's and Mo Ran's lives! My master wouldn't just sit there and wait to die, would he?!"

With his fiery temperament, his words offered an opening for others to seize upon.

"Hmm? Does Young Master Xue believe that Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were actually in the right?"

"To kill and still have so many justifications – truly, corruption starts from the top and spreads downwards."

"Such twisted notions of right and wrong are chilling. In my opinion, it's high time the Summit of Life and Death purged itself of such elements."

Upon hearing the final remark, Xue Zhengyong's anger surged, exacerbating the pain in his wounds. Clenching his fists secretly, he endured the agony before fixing his gaze on the speaker, his expression turning deeply somber. "I fear this esteemed Immortal must be jesting."

"They aren't joking."

Xue Zhengyong narrowed his eyes, searching for the source of the voice before slowly turning his head. He muttered, "Jiang Xi..."

Since the beginning, Jiang Xi hadn't uttered a single defamatory word nor offered any help. Dressed in a light green robe embroidered with silver threads depicting the elegant flower Du Ruo, he stood in the hall, his emotions unreadable.

In truth, Jiang Xi had no desire to get entangled in this messy situation. However, if he remained silent, the tension might escalate further. Thus, he fluttered his eyelashes and lifted his gaze, saying, "According to the rules of the cultivation world, if a disciple practices forbidden arts, whether or not the sect directly instructed them, it reflects poorly on the teaching supervisor and the lack of proper oversight."

Xue Zhengyong's face turned deathly pale.

Jiang Xi continued, "To prevent future troubles, such sects should immediately disband their disciples and forcefully seal their premises. Sect Leader Xue surely understands this."

Indeed, he did understand.

However, despite being established a hundred years ago, this rule had never truly been enforced in the cultivation world.

How many disciples did a sect have? It was impossible to keep track of every single one's actions. Looking back, whether it was the Confucian Wind Sect, Solitary Moon Night, or even the Indifferent Monastery or Upper Clear Pavilion, didn't each of these sects have a few who practiced the three forbidden arts? For instance, Huai Zui was known for his resurrection technique—would anyone have dared to besiege the Indifferent Monastery and force the abbot to close its doors?

In essence, this rule was merely meant as a constraint that was never actually enforced. Only in situations like today, when they were all pushing against a crumbling wall out of fear that Death and Life Peak harbored a sinister plot, would they invoke this empty decree to force Death and Life Peak into submission.

Xue Zhengyong didn't respond, only looking defeated as he stared at Jiang Xi, like a lone wolf trapped in a corner.

After a moment, he asked Jiang Xi, "Don't you find this ridiculous?"

Jiang Xi replied, "I do. But your order stands, and I cannot offer your sect any defense."

"Your order…" Xue Zhengyong suddenly laughed, running his knuckles over the beast-head carvings on the armrest of his chair before closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "Twenty years. The orders from the Upper Cultivation Realm can still be strict or lenient at a whim, just as they always have been."

Jiang Xi seemed inherently resistant to this matter, pressing his lips together and saying no more. Instead, the leaders of the other sects nearby began to speak up. "We request that Sect Leader Xue adhere to the order and dissolve Death and Life Peak."

"Punishment befits the guilty, Sect Leader Xue is well aware."

"Everything must follow the rules. After all the chaos you've caused, do you still dare claim innocence?"

Amidst the murmur, someone turned to address Jiang Xi, "Sect Leader Jiang, before we arrived, we had already received complaints from various cities. This time, Peak of Life and Death cannot escape responsibility. As the leader of numerous immortal sects, you should at least make your stance clear."

Jiang Xi: "..."

All eyes were on him. Jiang Xi's brows knitted together, and after a moment, he spoke softly, "Your sect indeed carries many suspicions. Given the current unstable situation, leniency cannot be shown. Sect Leader Xue, Peak of Life and Death shall be treated as a dissolved sect according to the law. If in the future, you obtain evidence to vindicate yourself, then there may be room for... "

Before he could finish his sentence, a furious cry echoed: "Jiang Xi, don't push your luck too far!"

"{Nan Gongsi}, Young Master Xue." Jiang Xi was innately carefree and accustomed to doing as he pleased. Being forced into action by Ling Wen's request had already put him in a foul mood. Now, being directly called out by a young upstart for "going too far" only made his temper worse. A vein throbbed on his forehead before he narrowed his eyes. "I've told you many times, juniors should learn to hold their tongues when elders are speaking. You're in your twenties, yet your manners and social skills fall woefully short compared to Nan Gongsi, who also comes from a family of young masters."

Xue Meng, infuriated by the man's biting words, lashed out with a kick that sent the cultivator standing before him stumbling back. With unbridled rage, he lunged towards Jiang Xi, seizing the front of Jiang Xi's robes in a vice-like grip and slamming him forcefully against a beam.

Eyes sharp as bayonets, emotions surging like an impassioned tide.

With resentment lacing his words, he exclaimed, "Jiang Xi! How can you still compare me to Nan Gongsi? Why don't you try competing with Nan Gongliu instead?"

Jiang Xi's dignity was deeply offended, causing his expression to turn even colder. "Considering your young age, I'll give you a piece of advice. Let go."

Xue Meng completely ignored him, his mind bordering on madness as he gritted his teeth and continued, "In my eyes, you're even less qualified than Nan Gongliu to hold the position of leader among all sects! You twist black into white and good into bad!! You... you..."

Everyone was startled, and Solitary Moon Night's disciples didn't have time to react. They had never believed anyone would dare to be so disrespectful to their sect master.

He glared at Jiang Xi's icy gaze, clenching his silver teeth in anger.

"Jiang Xi, you beast!"

This was unacceptable. The Heartcore Pavilion instantly erupted in chaos.

"Xue Meng! How dare you! How do you speak to elders as a junior?!"

"What a prideful genius, your manners must have been swallowed by a dog!"

Jiang Xi lifted his chin slightly, a faint glow shimmering in his eyes. He gazed at Xue Meng for a moment before slowly raising his hand to grab the one that Xue Meng was using to hold onto him. With a slight exertion of strength—

Snap.

The crisp sound of bones being dislocated.

"Ugh!"

"Mon! "

Jiang Xi treated Xue Meng like trash, coldly throwing him aside. He meticulously smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes before speaking.

Not to Xue Meng, but to Xue Zhengyong.

"Xue Zhengyong, you've truly raised an excellent son."

Despite having one arm dislocated, Xue Meng still roared in anger and attempted to charge forward. But this time, the Solitary Moon Night's members wouldn't let him have his way, drawing their swords to block his path.

Jiang Xi finally lost his patience. A flame seemed to ignite between his brows as he said with disdain, "Scatter!"

"Scatter!"

"The Peak of Life and Death must be disbanded!"

A sea of people pressed forward, united in their fear as they all echoed the same sentiment:

"The Peak of Life and Death must be disbanded today. Such a den of evil must not be allowed to stand."