Chapter 324: The Anti-Holy Might Alliance, North Emperor Black Law_2
"Tianjie and Lingfu, for sitting idly by as demons wreak havoc, are sentenced to ten years of confinement and fined one hundred thousand taels."
Tianjie's face turned ashen, while Lingfu breathed a sigh of relief.
This loss, the Heavenly Master ultimately decided to grit his teeth and accept.
"Heavenly Master is wise!"
"Heavenly Master is wise!"
The crowd cheered, while Yunhai stared in disbelief.
Is the Taoist Alliance really going to war with the Demon Clan?
The Heavenly Master felt helpless.
For Ziyun's grand plan, he would personally deal with Zhi Xin in the future and ensure his death was agonizingly miserable.
Of course, Zhi Xin still had to face the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master next.
Shengwei decided to speak directly with the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master.
"Let's go!"
The Heavenly Master departed boldly.
Zhi Xin watched the Heavenly Master's retreating figure, suppressing the urge to expose his identity.
Doing so would only hasten his own death and tarnish the Heavenly Master's reputation slightly.
The Taoist Alliance, in turn, wouldn't do much to Shengwei.
Would they really kill Shengwei, one of the five top masters of the Taoist Alliance?
Clearly impossible.
If Zhi Xin were still the solitary figure he used to be years ago, he would have already brought accusations before the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master, fighting to ruin Shengwei's honor and plunge the Taoist School into turmoil.
Now, with Donghua Jungle supporting him, he had to tread carefully.
This current tolerance was merely preparation for more intense revenge in the future.
After the Heavenly Master left, the crowd dispersed one by one.
The few brave souls who had stood up earlier approached Zhi Xin, exchanged words of admiration, and then departed as well.
Soon, only Donghua Jungle and Zhi Xin's group were left.
Song Lin exchanged a glance with Zhi Xin, thinking to himself, "We've finally broken through."
At the cost of the rift between the Taoist Alliance and the Demon Clan, they had taken this dangerous lone step to accomplish their goal.
They successfully capitalized on the dissatisfaction of a minority to stir up this significant incident.
From the perspective of the Taoist Alliance and the Human Clan's future, it was utterly selfish.
But from Song Lin's standpoint, he was merely avenging the deceased.
The Human Clan, after all, still had some unyielding individuals.
"What a pity,"
Zhi Xin lamented.
This opportunistic endeavor did win the favor of some individuals yearning for change, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to earn unwavering allegiance.
He could borrow their momentum but not their strength.
"It just shows we're not strong enough,"
Song Lin remarked with a smile.
Compared to Zhi Xin's despondency, Song Lin appeared rather energized.
It seemed this world wasn't entirely devoid of good people; there were still some silent ones he remembered by face.
In the future, these people would be allies worth striving for.
If they had a few more formidable experts—perhaps not even Primordial Spirits, but simply Thunder Tribulation Masters—their support might be even greater.
"Let's rest for now."
Song Lin and the others descended.
He turned to the Three Capitals and Five Masters, grinning as he asked, "Do I have a method?"
The group felt somewhat ashamed.
"What's next for the Taoist Alliance…?"
Song Lin inquired.
"There won't be any issues. I've already laid everything bare, and even if they confront me, it will only be later,"
Zhi Xin answered confidently.
He stood firmly on the founding principles of the Taoist Alliance—protecting boundaries, safeguarding the people, and exterminating demons.
He also loudly promoted such actions; the Taoist Alliance wouldn't risk losing face.
Everything would be handled behind the scenes.
"Forget about this. Since we've chosen this path, let's ignore what others think."
What neither realized was that Zhi Xin's actions had sparked internal debate within the Taoist Alliance.
Even the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master hadn't anticipated such widespread dissent.
Zhi Xin was merely the fuse; others were long dissatisfied.
Shoucheng Heavenly Master of the Weiling Sect, and Taihua Heavenly Master of the Yuzhen Sect, each voiced their strong opinions.
Both were fiery-tempered individuals.
Compared to Zhi Xin's solo initiatives, internal chaos within the Taoist Alliance and the Demon Clan's audacious demands were the truly troublesome matters.
The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master summoned Shengwei and berated him harshly.
Zhi Xin's issue would have to wait for a later resolution.
...
A few days later, Song Lin made time to visit Dragon Tiger Mountain in the story world.
Yet, before even reaching the mountain, he was turned away.
"Heavenly Master Zhang refuses to meet loose cultivators."
Song Lin also came to understand the Taoist School of this world.
The Taoist practitioners of this realm excelled in the Summoning Ghosts and Gods Skill.
As the unified ruler of the Central Plains, Dragon Tiger Mountain regarded anything outside of such techniques as heresy and madness.
"No wonder Huaxia's supreme arts flowed out to the Western Regions,"
Song Lin thought to himself.
It was the era of Zhu Yuanzhang. To avoid conflict, Song Lin figured it best to wait until the Xuantian God reincarnated during Yongle's reign before emerging.
...
Reality.
Xiangling arrived to pay a visit.
Song Lin entered the main hall.
He saw two slender, shadowy figures standing beside Xiangling.
One of the shadows lifted its hood, revealing a pair of fiery golden eyes.
This person appeared elderly, with a complexion like red jade, golden hair, golden eyes, and an imposing aura like a mountain.
The elderly figure on the right was shorter in stature, with white hair and beard, a hooked nose, and jade-green eyes, radiating extraordinary mystique.
"You two are…?"
Song Lin's heart sank slightly.
He faintly guessed their identities.
Xiangling introduced them to the group, pointing to the golden-eyed Taoist and saying:
"Supreme Great Elder Zhonghuang Zi, cultivator of the Nine Yang Faceless Thunder Sound Tribulation Fire Demon, a Thunder Tribulation Master of Great Perfection."
"Supreme Second Elder Yuanbo, cultivator of the Nine Sons Ghost Mother Demons, an unmatched Thunder Tribulation Master who has yet to cross the Tribulation."
"Elders, this is Song Lin, Taoist of Donghua Jungle, known as Donghua Master—a first-rate hero and stalwart figure."
"Well met, well met! This humble elder brings thirty-six disciples seeking refuge and hopes the Taoist will take us in."
Zhonghuang Zi slightly bowed.
The actions of recent days had allowed them to evaluate Song Lin's character, leading them to bring their disciples for an alliance.
"Great Elders, there's no need for formalities!"
Song Lin stepped forward to help them up.
"With your assistance, Donghua Jungle becomes a force unstoppable. People like Shengwei will be reduced to mere trivialities."
Song Lin felt a surge of relief.
Having two Thunder Tribulation Masters join them now completed the final puzzle piece for Donghua Jungle's expansion.