Floating Immortal Order

Chapter 142: Proof?

Chapter 142: Proof?

There were Dao Foundation stage Deacons in each of the other halls. Although they didn’t come out from their halls, they were secretly watching the scene taking place in the air, trying to see which disciple had the guts to attack another disciple within sect territory.

“I am intermediary disciple Xu Disheng from the main branch of Affairs Hall, acting on orders to investigate an incident that happened 280 years prior. Lord Deacon, do you really intend to interfere with my mission?” Xu Disheng asked lightly, not cowed in the slightest despite there being a Dao Foundation stage Deacon right in front of him.

When the Deacon heard the words ‘main branch of Affairs Hall’, his expression started to change. In the end, he let out a cold snort and said, “You have a mission token?”

The imposing force in his tone had subsided considerably compared to before.

Although he was also part of Affairs Hall, he only had a position as a Deacon in the Human Affairs Hall of Mountain Affairs Peak in the Eighth Mountain. He couldn’t restrict an intermediary disciple of the Third Mountain from carrying out his tasks.

With a flip of Xu Disheng’s hand, the mission token appeared between his fingers.

The Deacon glanced at Fu Chao, then flew away on his sword light back to the Human Affairs Hall.

“280 years ago?” Fu Chao repeated in a puzzled tone. After a moment, his expression began to take a turn for the worse as if he remembered something.

“You’ll be coming with me,” Xu Disheng said.

The White Lotus Array Flag suppressed Fu Chao once more, and he felt an irresistible force sucking him into it.

After wasting away 300 years, he was still only at the peak Sea of Qi stage. He never managed to chance upon any opportunity that could help him break through to the Dao Foundation stage.

He had managed to save up some wealth throughout the years. Although he still didn’t have a single Magic Treasure, he did have two high-grade Spirit Tools.

Fu Chao gritted his teeth, took out a stone cauldron, and poured his strength into it to try and block the attractive force of the White Lotus Array Flag.

But it was to no avail. He could still feel the force pulling on his body unabated, causing his expression to warp. In a low growl, he said, “Lord Intermediary Disciple, did you perhaps get the wrong person? I have never broken any sect rules!”

Xu Disheng stopped pouring energy into the White Lotus Array Flag. With a ruminating expression, he replied, “If I say you violated the sect rules, then you violated the sect rules. Do you really think there’s anyone who can save you now?”

Fu Chao looked around him. Song Borong had already moved far, far away, and even Zhu Rou, who had been a close partner of his for many years, had withdrawn to the side with an ugly expression on his face.

There were many others who had seen the ruckus taking place, and some of them were pointing at him, reveling in his misfortune. A good number of them were martial brothers and sisters who he was familiar with.

An idea flashed through Fu Chao’s mind and he formulated a plan of action. He yelled out, “Where is the proof?! You don’t have any proof! You don’t have any reason to take me away in front of so many people!”

As Fu Chao saw more and more people gathering around to watch the scene taking place, he gathered his courage and took out a jade slip. He clenched his teeth and spoke. “I will report to Disciplinary Hall that you are bending the law to your favor and exploiting a public post to avenge private wrongs!”

Although he didn’t know what grudge Xu Disheng had against him, as long as occupied the moral high ground, it would be easier to speak if a disciplinary hall disciple came.

Xu Disheng stood there in the air, fiddling with the White Lotus Array Flag with the same ruminating expression as before.

After a short while, two black-clothed disciplinary disciples flew over on streaks of light and surveyed the situation. Seeing the disciples surrounding the peak of Mountain Affairs Peak, one of them said coldly, “Who is causing trouble here?”

Fu Chao looked like he had finally found his saving grace. He yelled out, “Senior Martial Brothers, this person was trying to drag me away to Affairs Hall to be tortured or executed, without any evidence whatsoever!”

“Affairs disciple?” one of the disciplinary disciples said, looking at Xu Disheng.

“What is it? The Zhuri Mountain branch of Disciplinary Hall also wishes to impede me from carrying out my task?” Xu Disheng said indifferently, showing the mission token.

“You may carry out your task. However,” the black-clothed disciple said, glancing at the token, “Where is the evidence? Only if you have conclusive evidence will you be permitted to take this person away.”

He was clearly implying that if Xu Disheng didn’t have evidence, he would be going nowhere.

Xu Disheng sneered coldly. Before the disciplinary disciple had time to speak, he activated the White Lotus Array Flag and sucked Fu Chao into it. The Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals appeared and erased Fu Chao’s soul in an instant.

Xu Disheng casually moved a portion of his Soul Force into Fu Chao’s empty body, then brought him back out of the White Lotus Array Flag.

Fu Chao appeared once again, but his eyes were lifeless and dull. He was like a jiangshi as he stood behind Xu Disheng on the black and white light of the Yin Yang Diagram.

(TL: : a Chinese zombie/vampire)

“You’re courting death!”

The two disciplinary disciples’ expressions turned nasty. They weren’t from the branch of Affairs Hall on Mountain Affairs Peak, so they didn’t have to give the main branch of the Wenyuan Mountain Affairs Hall any face.

Xu Disheng actually dared to kill a disciple right in front of their faces! If they let this slide, where would the honor of the Disciplinary Hall go?

Both of them took out their respective Magic Treasures and cast spells, causing beams of destructive power to shoot towards Xu Disheng.

Disciplinary disciples had the authority to act first and report later. As long as they had reasonable grounds to do so, they were even permitted to kill within sect territory!

Xu Disheng could see that they were peak Sea of Qi stage disciples from Zhuri Mountain. He activated the White Lotus Array Flag once again with a sneer. “Small fries.”

The might of a top-grade Magic Treasure was displayed once more, annihilating their beams of destructive power. The momentum of its power continued on unabated, pressing down on the two disciplinary disciples.

The two black-clothed disciplinary disciples had the protection of Magic Treasures, but they were only able to resist for a few moments before being sucked into the White Lotus Array Flag.

The Soul-Devouring White Lotus Petals appeared, but Xu Disheng didn’t order them to directly attack. They merely flitted past the two of them, sapping some of their Soul Force away. Both of them became frightened out of their wits, and Xu Disheng tossed them out of the White Lotus Array Flag.

“280 years ago, Fu Chao violated sect rules by framing a fellow disciple. I have conclusive evidence of this. He is guilty as charged, and will be coming back with me to Affairs Hall to face his punishment.” Xu Disheng’s indifferent voice could be heard on the wind as he rode away into the mist and clouds on the Yin Yang Diagram.

“That Wenyuan Mountain affairs disciple was so overbearing!”

“That person’s array flag Magic Treasure was so strong!”

“Those two Senior Martial Brothers from Disciplinary Hall were elite disciples, but they were both beaten in one move! Are the peak Sea of Qi disciples of Wenyuan Mountain all this strong?”

“That person was most likely only at the early Sea of Qi stage. What a terrifying genius.”

The two disciplinary hall disciples tumbled through the air after being ejected from the White Lotus Array Flag. As they used their Magic Treasures to stabilize themselves, their faces flashed between shades of pale white and sickly green. Then, they exchanged a glance with one another and left on their Magic Treasures without another word.

What could they even do?

If Xu Disheng was an ordinary disciple, the two of them could report this matter to the Dao Foundation stage Deacon of Disciplinary Hall and have him arrested.

However, Xu Disheng had the mission token of the main branch of Affairs Hall. He was simply carrying out affairs in a fair and square manner, so even though he had harmed a fellow disciple, he hadn’t violated a single sect rule.

But that wasn’t the most important point. Disciplinary disciples would each be granted a Magic Treasure from Disciplinary Hall to guarantee each disciplinary disciple had the strength to enforce the sect rules, regardless of their Sea of Qi stage cultivations.

However, the two of them were beaten by Xu Disheng in a single move. After being sucked into the array flag, they were ejected from it moments later in a sorry state. This was no different from losing all face for the Zhuri Mountain branch of the Disciplinary Hall.

Xu Disheng’s black hair fluttered in the wind as they shot through the clouds and mist. A strand of profound qi appeared from the tip of his finger, forming into a drop of Pure Oblivion Water. It completely destroyed Fu Chao’s body, turning him into a smoke that drifted off and melded into the mist.

Although Daoist Lord Qingxin had explained his entire story to Xu Disheng, Xu Disheng simply found the situation a bother. Daoist Lord Qingxin only remembered the name of the person who caused him to fall to the position he had been trapped in for hundreds of years. But by using the authority given by the mission token, Xu Disheng was able to find Fu Chao in the records of Affairs Hall.

Affairs Hall recorded the detailed information of every disciple. The identity tablets had the disciples’ personal auras in them, so it was all too easy for an affairs disciple to locate the person they wanted to find.

Xu Disheng had convicted him without any investigation or concrete evidence, but he didn’t care even if he ended up drawing criticism for his actions.

Although Celestial Tide Spirit Master had only said a few lines to him when they exchanged words on the chariot atop the giant turtle, there was a lot of information hidden in his words.

At the time, he had said ‘act at your own discretion’, and ‘bring Qingxin back’. It was undoubtedly true that Qingxin being unwittingly framed and banished to the Secret Realms was a matter that ended up losing face for Celestial Tide Spirit Master.

If Xu Disheng had really gone through the effort of investigating and wasting a whole bunch of time to acquire the conclusive evidence that might not even exist in the first place before convicting him, Celestial Tide Spirit Master might actually end up feeling disappointed with him.

Celestial Tide Spirit Master directly bestowing him a position in Affairs Hall and giving him the intermediary disciple token was the same as giving him a blank check, making it much more convenient for Xu Disheng to do whatever it was he needed to do.

Eliminating that scum and forging a jade slip to send to Affairs Hall—that was most likely the conclusion that Celestial Tide Spirit Master desired for this matter.

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