Chapter 485 - 244: Leader of the Righteous Path, Initial Saint Sect

Chapter 485: Chapter 244: Leader of the Righteous Path, Initial Saint Sect

Chen Sheng turned away from him, his gaze falling back upon Lu Qingsong, Bai Qing, and Wangqingshan. The oppressive pressure shifted with it.

"Sect Leader Lu, Sect Leader Bai, Clan Leader Wang... And you? Do you approve, or do you object?"

The three of them were under immense pressure, their minds racing.

’Even the Patriarch of a branch of the Nie Family was suppressed so ruthlessly. If we dare to openly object, the consequences will be unimaginable.’

’Chen Sheng is clearly leveraging the power of his great victory to act as a despot today!’

Bai Qing was the first to buckle under the pressure of his gaze. She lowered her eyes and said softly,

"I... have no objections."

The Danxia Sect was the weakest of them, so she had no room to negotiate.

Wangqingshan took a deep breath and also said in a grim tone,

"I... have no objections."

Finally, all eyes fell on Lu Qingsong.

His expression shifted several times. Feeling Chen Sheng’s icy, unyielding stare, he finally sighed in defeat, cupped his fist, and said,

"I... agree with Your Lordship’s arrangements."

"Excellent."

A hint of a smile finally touched Chen Sheng’s lips, and the suffocating pressure dissipated for the most part.

"Now *this* is the sort of magnanimity and vision befitting our Ning’an Martial World."

Rising to his feet, Chen Sheng paced to the center of the hall. His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone softening slightly, yet still carrying an air of unquestionable authority.

"Everyone, take a long-term view. Ning’an is vast, certainly large enough for our five factions to coexist and prosper together.

Fighting amongst ourselves over petty gains will only give outsiders an opening. It is Ning’an’s own Primordial Qi that we will be wasting."

He paused here, his voice suddenly rising, each word ringing with power.

"From this day forward, I will make myself clear: Ning’an belongs to the people of Ning’an! Any outside force that dares to reach its hand in here without permission... if they reach out a hand, I will sever it.

From now on, I wish to guard this land and share in its prosperity with all of you!"

"Your Lordship is wise!"

"We shall obey Your Lordship’s command!"

"We will follow Your Lordship and defend Ning’an together!"

A chorus of assent, ragged yet loud enough, echoed through the hall.

Though Lu Qingsong, Wangqingshan, and the others voiced their agreement, their hearts were ice-cold.

’Share in its prosperity? After today, they would never believe such words again.’

’This was clearly Chen Sheng drawing a line in the sand, forcing them to toe it.’

’From now on, the affairs of the Ning’an Martial World would clearly be dictated by this Inspector.’

...

After Lu Qingsong, Bai Qing, Wangqingshan, and Nie Changming departed, each lost in their own thoughts, only Chen Sheng and Chu Kuangfeng remained in the vast, empty hall.

Chu Kuangfeng sidled up to him, a wide grin on his face as he gave a thumbs-up.

"My lord, brilliant! Truly brilliant! You shut them all down with just a few words!"

Chen Sheng glanced at him, his tone flat.

"I have paved the way and given you the opportunity. A thirty-percent share of the profits is a higher position than the Golden Spring Temple ever held.

Chu, whether the Initial Saint Sect can truly establish a foothold in Ning’an and become the de facto leader of the Jianghu... well, that’s up to you now.

If you fail..."

Chen Sheng didn’t finish, but Chu Kuangfeng could feel the weight of the unspoken threat clearly.

Chu Kuangfeng scratched his head, his excitement tempered by a troubled expression.

"My lord, I understand, but... right now, the Initial Saint Sect is just me, a Sect Leader without a sect. At most, we also have you as our backer behind the scenes.

Where... where are we going to recruit people and build up our ranks? It can’t just be the two of us, can it?"

Chen Sheng strolled to the window and gazed out at the dilapidated halls of the Golden Spring Temple, saying calmly,

"Broaden your horizons. Aren’t there plenty of people locked up in the Demon Suppression Tower? And when we wiped out the Cyan Flood Dragon Alliance, I intentionally spared a group of the more clever water bandits, those who hadn’t committed any truly heinous crimes.

With a little reorganization and discipline, won’t they make for ready-made disciples?"

Hearing this, Chu Kuangfeng’s brow immediately furrowed into a knot.

"My lord, that... The people locked in the Demon Suppression Tower... while some may have been wrongly accused, most of them are not good people. They have terrible reputations.

And those water bandits from the Cyan Flood Dragon Alliance are vicious criminals who pillaged and plundered without restraint.

If we take all of them in... I’m afraid our Initial Saint Sect will be reviled as a den of demons, a nest of bandits."

"A den of demons? A nest of bandits?"

Chen Sheng turned, fixing Chu Kuangfeng with a sharp gaze, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smirk.

"Old Chu, you must remember this: here in Ning’an, what is righteous and what is evil, what is demonic and what is orthodox..."

Chen Sheng said, each word as sharp and final as hammered steel,

"If I say it is a righteous sect, then it *is* the one and only Leader of the Righteous Path!"

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