Chapter 153: An Open and Honest Talk

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: An Open and Honest Talk

Shi Yindi was a veteran Sect Leader. Her cultivation was at Divine Separation Realm Tier Six, and her combat power was not much different from that of Cheng Shimo and Lü Hongshao.

Yet, Shi Yindi was injured by a single sword strike. While it couldn’t be called a defeat, all three of them knew that she was simply no match for Chu Fan.

No wonder Chu Fan dared to fight the three of them at once.

"Do you wish to continue, Sect Leader Shi? Or perhaps Sect Leader Cheng and Sect Leader Lü should just attack together! How about you use that partial Martial Technique you just learned?"

After gaining the upper hand with one strike, Chu Fan retreated a few steps. He held his sword, but instead of pressing the attack, he swept his gaze over the three of them and spoke calmly.

"It seems I underestimated you," Shi Yindi said, her voice still laced with disdain. "I heard that when you crashed the wedding at the Celestial Derivation Sect, you only went on a rampage because you took an Elixir. Is that what you’ve done today as well?"

"It seems you’ve rarely left your mountain in recent years, Sect Leader Shi. Your perspective has become rather limited," Chu Fan said without a shred of modesty. "Many things in this world cannot be judged by common sense. My cultivation, for example."

"You just got lucky, nothing more. It’s like putting a crown on a monkey," Shi Yindi snorted coldly.

Chu Fan didn’t get angry. Instead, he asked, "Then shall we continue? Give you a chance to vent, Sect Leader Shi?"

Lü Hongshao chuckled to defuse the tension and quickly said, "Chu Fan, for what reason have you summoned us here today? If I recall correctly, it was on this very spot three years ago that you killed many disciples from our Six Sects and Eight Gates, wasn’t it?"

Chu Fan smiled and shook his head, walking over to a small stool. "Sect Leader Lü, you don’t think I came here just to humiliate you, do you? I’m not that bored."

As he spoke, he gestured to the other three stools. "Let’s sit and talk. To savor a pot of fine tea atop this mountain peak in the dead of winter... it has a certain charm."

As he spoke, he began to pour, filling the four teacups on the table until they were about seventy percent full.

Lü Hongshao and Cheng Shimo sat right down. Shi Yindi, though displeased, also sat down slowly.

Chu Fan then took out three pieces of Ming Jue Jade and placed them on the tea table.

"What are these?" Cheng Shimo asked.

"This is called Ming Jue Jade. It can be used to record information—Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques, even entire books. I obtained these from an Ancient Secret Realm. These three pieces record the complete forms of the Martial Techniques your three Sects acquired, and they even include the insights of past masters."

"Really? How do you use it?" Cheng Shimo asked in astonishment.

Despite being a widely experienced Sect Leader whose Profound Celestial Sect had a history of over five thousand years, he had never heard of Ming Jue Jade.

"You only need to send your consciousness into it, and the information stored in the Ming Jue Jade will become part of your memory, as if you had read it a thousand times over."

"Such a miraculous object actually exists in this world?" Lü Hongshao said in amazement.

"You’ll know if it’s true once you try it for yourselves." Chu Fan pushed the three pieces of Ming Jue Jade across the table, one in front of each of them, corresponding to the partial Martial Technique each of their Sects had acquired.

Cheng Shimo, harboring no suspicion, picked up the Ming Jue Jade in front of him and sent a wisp of his consciousness inside. A moment later, a look of utter shock spread across his face.

Shi Yindi, on the other hand, was extremely wary. Seeing the look on Cheng Shimo’s face, she assumed it was a trap. She shot to her feet, glared furiously at Chu Fan, and roared, "Chu Fan, I didn’t realize you were so despicable!"

Cheng Shimo quickly stopped her, explaining, "This object is truly magical! The Sword Manual... it feels as if it has been carved directly into my mind. Incredible, simply incredible. Sect Leader Shi, you should try it."

Chu Fan sneered. "Sect Leader Shi, I’ve long heard that you are the equal of any man, but it seems your temper is even greater than your ability."

Shi Yindi shot Chu Fan a glare, but she sat back down nonetheless.

Right after Cheng Shimo, Lü Hongshao also accessed the information in his Ming Jue Jade, and the very same expression of astonishment appeared on his face.

No longer hesitating, Shi Yindi also accessed the jade.

Soon, the same look appeared on her face, and she even gave Chu Fan an embarrassed smile.

"Well? Sect Leaders, I didn’t lie, did I? I’ve sincerely delivered the Martial Techniques you desired," Chu Fan said, lifting his teacup for a sip.

"Now can you tell us your conditions?" Cheng Shimo said.

Chu Fan stood, clasping his hands behind his back. He gazed out at the vast mountain range and spoke softly, "Before I state my conditions, let’s talk about the Eastern Domain. I grew up in the Lingyun Sect, so I’m fairly familiar with the Six Sects and Eight Gates. Among the fourteen top Sects in this domain, only your three can still be said to possess a shred of integrity. With that shit-stirrer, the Red Blood Mansion, running amok, coupled with the Spiritual Qi Revival that began two and a half years ago... I trust that you three, with your vast experience, have seen no less than I have of what the Eastern Domain is turning into. If this continues, what do you think will happen to it?"

The more she listened, the more confused Shi Yindi became. She couldn’t help but ask, "What exactly are you getting at?"

"If you’re incapable of listening, Sect Leader Shi, you may leave," Chu Fan’s expression turned cold. "Consider the partial Martial Technique a gift from me to your Dark Moon Sect. It is only a Martial Technique; I wouldn’t use it to force you to do something against your will."

Cheng Shimo quickly tried to smooth things over, while Lü Hongshao remarked after a moment of deep thought, "I never imagined that you, Chu Fan, would possess such a noble and traditional heart. It is truly a rare thing."

"You flatter me, Sect Leader Lü. After all, I was born in the Eastern Domain. I eat the millet grown by its people and wear the clothes they weave. I wouldn’t dare claim it’s my mission to right all the wrongs in the world. But when I see the people of the Eastern Domain displaced and homeless, starving and cold, and even suffering terrible calamities because of the greed of a few... my heart burns with indignation. That is why I want to do something for them."

The three listened intently to Chu Fan’s words. In that moment, it seemed Shi Yindi’s opinion of him was beginning to change.

Chu Fan continued, "The revival of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi has ushered in an era of great conflict. It is an opportunity, yes, but also a calamity. For the common people, however, it is only a calamity. There was once an agreement, upheld by the Six Sects and Eight Gates, that Cultivators would not involve themselves in the affairs of the mortal world. But with the rise of the Red Blood Mansion, that agreement is now just empty words on a page. Especially in the last two years, even disciples from the Six Sects and Eight Gates have started to roam the mortal world, lording their power over others."

"On the eighth day of the first month, the Tengxing Grand Assembly will convene once more. The purpose for the Six Sects and Eight Gates is to unite against the Red Blood Mansion. But has a single person mentioned our responsibility to the suffering masses?"

"Have any of you considered that as the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth revives and all the Sects scramble for resources, some of those very ’resources’ are what entire families rely on to survive?"

Lü Hongshao then asked, "And you? Don’t you want to use this as an opportunity to avenge your master and senior brother?"

Chu Fan gave a cold laugh. "I dream of nothing else. Why else would I have caused such a stir in the Great Xia Kingdom?"

"Don’t you think you’re contradicting yourself?" Shi Yindi interjected.

"And that," Chu Fan said, "is why I invited the three of you here today. The Eastern Domain needs to be unified. It needs a single, unified code of law to restrain Cultivators. This cannot be just another agreement between the Six Sects and Eight Gates; it must be a legal system that can deter *all* Cultivators, enforced with the might of thunder. Only with true unification can we put an end to the ceaseless wars among the many small kingdoms."