Chapter 1072 - 1172: A Brief Discussion on the Demonic Path

In fact, everyone knew that the quality of righteous people varied greatly.

Although most people were good, there were still many with poor character, as joining a righteous sect did not guarantee one would always be a good person.

It's known that many in the demonic path were those who defected from the righteous path, and without exception, they were evil.

Just like the Taichu Sect today, Taichu himself couldn't guarantee that everyone in the sect was good; while not skilled in murder, he knew several with poor character.

The reason Taichu didn't expose them was to give them another chance, considering they had reached their current level of cultivation not easily. In such cases, Taichu generally gave them one more chance.

If they committed fatal errors again during the observation period, Taichu would assign them very dangerous tasks as punishment.

If they survived and returned, it showed they were exceptionally lucky, and Taichu would continue to give them chances. But should they not return from these dangerous tasks, it proved they lacked fortune, indirectly removing a malignant tumor from the righteous path. Though such actions might seem improper, this was not a peaceful garden but a ruthless world of cultivation. As the top sect, Taichu Sect had to set the example. If someone aimed to destroy its centuries-old foundation, Taichu would not tolerate it.

As for Ye Tianfan, though gifted and powerful, secretly appointed by Taichu as the next Sect Leader, if he turned evil now, Taichu would rather let a fool lead than let Ye Tianfan become Sect Leader. Taichu would even assign dangerous tasks to Ye Tianfan, and if Ye Tianfan survived, Taichu himself would kill him. Otherwise, not only would Taichu Sect suffer, but the entire realm would too.

With Ye Tianfan's talent, he could quickly become a formidable demon, so Taichu would not hesitate to act personally. However, Ye Tianfan currently satisfied Taichu greatly; not only was his talent impressive, but his disposition was notably kind, though not excessively so.

"Is there a way to allow demonic individuals to join while limiting their influence?" Yuan Chu asked after hearing Taichu and the others converse.

After Yuan Chu spoke, other leaders nodded in agreement. If such a win-win solution existed, none would wish for the demonic path to slowly rise.

Though the demonic path seemed to be dominated by the Demon Sect, if the entire sect were to join, one or two might eventually rise among many sects.

When the righteous path should eradicate the demons, casualties would greatly increase.

Taichu, hearing Yuan Chu's words, shook his head slightly and said, "Completely halting the Demon Sect's development is impossible, but slowing its growth is feasible."

"What's the method?" the group asked.

"This method is a double-edged sword. Used well, it can slow demon growth; used poorly, it might expedite it," Taichu hesitated, reluctant to employ this technique to hinder the demonic path's progress, fearing careless execution might let the demons thrive.

Though they hesitated briefly, they asked Taichu about the method, planning to involve all righteous sects later to discuss slowing the demonic path's pace if necessary.

While they intended the demonic individuals to join, they did not plan to include them in disciplinary meetings promptly. Delaying for months was trivial, as long as they joined and were assigned unattainable tasks, they wouldn't cause trouble.

"I'm considering assigning them three logistics supply tasks, particularly those very troublesome ones. This would hinder their extrinsic resource acquisition significantly. If we can slow down their procurement, after the outlying missions conclude, we can cripple major sects or seriously damage the Demon Sect, imprisoning them while we draw resources back to our sects, ensuring no further disruption. As such, external growth would stabilize. However, I fear they might perceive our intentions early or survive the end, claiming substantial credit. After all, completion depends on the cumbersome supply tasks handled by them," Taichu said in one breath.

Taichu omitted one point, the division of credit wouldn't appear upon completion but intermittently. Every so often, they'd ration the territory outside the wall. This motivated sects to persevere in extrinsic battles. Hence, his plan involved damaging the Demon Sect early before initial territory allocations, prioritizing sect resources.

Even before dividing credit, they calculated based on how much materials they supported; it meant investing resources upfront, gaining marginally higher dividends later. Taichu's strategy involved initial investments followed by severe attacks, depleting their capabilities and resources, likening it to cunningly exploiting the situation.

Upon hearing Taichu's plan, everyone instinctively shook their heads. Despite ambitions, the demonic path wouldn't collapse rapidly due to its historic foundation. The Demon Sect's heritage rivaled Taichu Sect's and the Supreme Sect's.

Plus, almost every minor demonic sect adhered to the Demon Sect. Negative propagation amongst the righteous path was possible yet time-consuming, upwards of three to five thousand years.