Chapter 133 - 126: Just Take the Punch!

Chapter 133: Chapter 126: Just Take the Punch!

In front of the Capital City gates.

The Zhao Country Royal Family had swept the streets clean to welcome the current dynasty’s National Preceptor, Zhang Shouren, as well as Celestial Masters Lin and Hong, who accompanied him.

As the current backbone of the Zhao Country Royal Family, Zhao Danyang possessed a dual identity—he was both a Celestial Master and an Imperial Uncle. Looking at his senior martial brother, the Sect Leader, his tone could not help but carry a hint of sorrow.

"Senior Martial Brother, if it weren’t absolutely necessary, I truly wouldn’t have dared to ask you to come down the mountain."

Although Jade Emperor Mountain was the National Religion of Zhao Country, it was fundamentally still a martial arts sect. As a sect leader, Zhang Shouren’s most important duties were naturally guarding the sect and educating the disciples. Only by doing so could he ensure that new talents emerged in every generation.

A top-tier major sect was considered as such because, even if it lacked names on the current generation’s Jianghu expert rankings, it remained a place where many of the Ten Great Powerhouses dared not cause trouble.

The reason was simple. Take Jade Emperor Mountain, for example. Although Sect Leader Zhang Shouren only ranked ninth in the world—not exceedingly high—the sect still boasted three other Celestial Masters at the Great Innate Level.

Zhang Shouren looked at his junior martial brother’s low spirits and sighed.

"There is no need for such formalities between us. Even if it weren’t to rescue the current Emperor, this newly appointed Dao Yi Sect Leader has come down the mountain to make his debut. As the Jade Emperor Sect Leader, and sharing the status of a major sect leader with him, I would have had to determine the hierarchy between us sooner or later."

The Four Great Daoist Sects belonged to four different families, but ultimately, they were all cultivators within the Daoist Sect. When Chen Canxuan was alive, he was number one in the world. The other three Daoist Sects had almost no choice but to passively acknowledge the Dao Yi Sect as the head of the Daoist community, with Chen Canxuan as its undisputed leader.

But Chen Canxuan had passed away. Now, his son had come down the mountain to make a debut with such an overbearing stance. Could it be that Dao Yi was to continue leading the entire Daoist Sect for several more decades?

"Senior Martial Brother, quite a few experts have already arrived in the Capital City. Bai Zancang, who ranks just below you, has also been invited by me. Do you think we should sit back and watch the other factions make a move first, or..." Zhao Danyang asked.

Zhang Shouren replied, "We are the tigers coming down the mountain; how could we sit back and watch other tigers fight? Those who have come to the Capital City would never make the first move before seeing this old Daoist take action."

However, he didn’t harbor much fear either. Even if the people from the other factions only intended to strike after seeing them gain the upper hand—joining forces against the Dao Yi Sect to beat a drowning dog—he wouldn’t object.

"We go directly to the Jade Capital Temple." Zhang Shouren’s expression was calm. "As the saying goes, ’How can one allow others to snore beside one’s bed?’ Our own place has been occupied by someone else for so long. Now that I have arrived, am I to let him continue living there?"

After the news of the Jade Emperor Celestial Master’s grand entry into the Capital City had spread to every corner of the city.

Inside the Jade Capital Temple.

Currently, only Chen Sha and his fellow Dao Yi Sect members remained in the temple. The Jade Emperor Mountain Daoists who originally resided there had all fled in fear, relocating to parts unknown.

Upon hearing the news, Yuu Miaolian immediately rushed to the room where Chen Sha was in secluded cultivation. But before she could knock, Chen Sha had already opened the door from the inside and asked, "What is it?"

Yuu Miaolian said seriously, "Zhang Shouren has arrived."

Chen Sha’s expression shifted slightly. "I’ve been waiting for him for over twenty days. To think he’s only arriving now."

Shortly after, Zhang Liting, Lin Qingqing, and Qii Zhengyi also entered the room, speaking in turns.

"Zhang Shouren also brought the two great Celestial Masters from the mountain. Including Zhao Danyang, that makes a total of four Celestial Masters."

Zhang Liting looked at Chen Sha hopefully and asked, "Junior Martial Brother, do you have three of those miraculous gemstones?"

Yuu Miaolian also looked at Chen Sha with concern.

After all, they were facing four Great Innates, and Zhang Shouren was one of the world-renowned Ten Great Powerhouses. However, they actually felt somewhat reassured in their hearts. This was especially true for Yuu Miaolian, who had witnessed Chen Sha using the Cosmic Light Stone to manifest three avatars. She knew her Sect Leader could also summon a corresponding number of fighters.

Unexpectedly, Chen Sha said, "I left two Cosmic Light Stones on the mountain. Right now, I only have one with me, and Second Senior Sister, you have it..."

Upon hearing that there was only one treasure capable of manifesting a combatant of equal level, Yuu Miaolian’s expression instantly tensed up. "Then..."

Chen Sha would have to fight four with only two. The odds of winning weren’t very high.

Chen Sha merely said, "Don’t worry. Keep the Cosmic Light Stone with you; I won’t use it. It’s nothing more than the number nine in the world and three mediocre fools. What is there to fear? I alone am enough."

As he spoke, he took the initiative to walk toward the temple entrance. As if remembering something, he instructed without looking back, "From now on, none of you are allowed to come within ten zhang of me. You must remember this."

The group didn’t understand the reason and were quite worried. But faced with Chen Sha’s increasingly profound and authoritative aura, they didn’t dare to ask too many questions. They simply followed from afar, maintaining a distance of ten zhang.

The Jade Capital Temple was situated in a bustling area of the Zhao Country Capital City. Had it not been for this major Capital City case, the daily stream of citizens coming to offer incense would have trampled the threshold, creating a literal sea of people.

But now, the street outside the temple entrance was wide and empty, with only the wind swirling fallen leaves into the air. The entrance of the Daoist temple was quiet in the extreme. It was like the calm before a raging storm.

At some unknown point, people from various worldly factions had invisibly appeared on the rooftops of commoners’ houses in all directions, as well as in distant pavilions, all staring intently at the tightly shut temple doors.

CLOP CLOP CLOP!

Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves cleared the path on the main street. The armored cavalry of the Imperial Palace Guard Army could be seen parting the way. Among them were several Celestial Masters draped in noble yellow Magic Robes, who had now arrived at the gates of the Jade Capital Temple.

Zhao Danyang looked at the closed doors, gazing at his familiar Daoist temple. His emotions surged, instantly transforming into a long, resonant roar.

"Dao Yi Chen Sha, my senior martial brother, the Sect Leader, has arrived! As a junior, why haven’t you come out to pay your respects!"

As the gazes of numerous Capital City factions converged, almost immediately after Zhao Danyang’s long, roaring shout, the tightly closed temple doors were slowly pushed open from the inside by a single hand. Out walked a young, handsome Daoist, one hand resting behind his back while his right hand was tucked in front of him.

As soon as he stepped out, he instantly became the focal point of everyone’s attention. Whether voluntarily or involuntarily, every eye fell upon him.

Someone thought, "Hmm? This aura... it actually carries a faint trace of the Celestial Demon Sect’s presence..."

An expert hidden in the dark felt doubtful, having detected the profound and mysterious aura radiating from Chen Sha. But then he reconsidered, "I forgot that his mother is Celestial Demon Yun Shouxuan of the Demon Sect. It seems he practices the Dual Cultivation of Daoism and Demonism..."

After everyone watched Chen Sha step outside, they couldn’t help but withdraw their gazes and turn them toward that generation’s Grand Celestial Master Sect Leader. His figure was as imposing as a majestic mountain, standing alone in the center of the three Celestial Masters like a pillar supporting the sky. At the age of roughly sixty, this Celestial Master Sect Leader’s eyebrows had grown extremely long. These types of eyebrows were always hailed as "Longevity Eyebrows," drooping down from the corners of his eyes.

The Sect Leader Celestial Master’s hands hung naturally by his sides in his loose Daoist robes. Looking at Chen Sha’s face and appearance as he walked out, he couldn’t help but sigh softly.

"Little friend, your facial features are indeed extremely similar to your father’s."

Chen Sha also looked at Zhang Shouren and said, "So you are the Jade Emperor Mountain Sect Leader, Senior. Truly, you possess white hair and a youthful face, along with an extraordinary and imposing presence."

Zhang Shouren smiled at Chen Sha. "Since you call me ’Senior,’ you must still be mindful that both our factions are members of the Daoist Sect. How about doing this old Daoist a favor? Release the Emperor of Zhao here and now, and spare our two factions from crossing swords."

Chen Sha sighed with his hands behind his back. "I called you ’Senior’ out of respect for your old age within the Daoist Sect. But face is earned, not freely given away... How do you not even understand this?"

The underlying meaning was naturally that releasing the Emperor was impossible.

Zhang Shouren seemed to have anticipated this long ago and merely said, "Sect Leader Chen, this old Daoist truly does not wish to engage in a major conflict with you. I already know the ins and outs of this Capital City case. It was indeed the Court that acted wrongfully, but you have beaten those who needed beating and caused all the ruckus you needed to cause. You have also locked up the Emperor for over twenty days. Now, you are still unwilling to quit while you are ahead. By pushing for absolute dominance like this, don’t you feel you’re being a bit unforgiving, even if you’re in the right?"

As soon as he said this, the Imperial City Department cavalry, the Six Gates constables, and the various Court factions all cast cold glares at Chen Sha. Even the gazes of the numerous other factions were ready to see how Chen Sha would respond to Zhang Shouren’s questioning.

Chen Sha gave a faint smile and replied, "I am indeed pushing for absolute dominance. Even commoners know the saying: ’If unreasonable, still argue for three points. When in the right, why should one be forgiving?’

"My senior martial brother was falsely imprisoned by this Zhao Country Court and locked in the Celestial Prison for forty-eight days. Now, I am simply having their Emperor locked up for forty-eight days as well, and you think I am being unforgiving? I suppose it’s only because the person who was wronged wasn’t a disciple of your Jade Emperor Mountain that you can stand here and speak so high-mindedly.

"If the people of my Dao Yi Mountain are bullied, and I don’t stand up for them and retaliate, others will think that my future disciples and grand-disciples are also easy targets. If I take even a half-step back in this matter, I would be doing a disservice to the past generations of Dao Yi Mountain’s ancestors."

If this were three years ago, who would have dared to harm a single hair on the head of a disciple from the number one major sect in the world? Now, simply because his father had passed away, a mere dynasty dared to falsely accuse Chen Canxuan’s direct disciple, throwing him into the Celestial Prison to lock him away for life.

They wanted Chen Sha to be magnanimous about this? That was just empty talk from people who had nothing to lose. The ones being bullied weren’t their own family members.

Zhang Shouren’s eyelids drooped. "Little friend, your temperament truly does not resemble that of a pure cultivator of our Daoist Sect. You seek revenge for the slightest grievance and push your luck. You must know that one shouldn’t push things to the absolute limit; if you do, disaster is sure to follow."

Chen Sha’s eyes flashed as he said indifferently:

"You and I are both mortals. Lacking the virtue of sages, do not speak the theories of sages. If I am not a pure cultivator, could it be that you are? We are all ordinary mortals still muddling through the mundane world of martial arts. It seems you have placed yourself on far too high a pedestal, truly acting as if you are some pure, desireless Daoist Ancestor or Buddha. I admit that I have a bad temper and am fiercely protective of my own. But you, clearly an ordained monk tainted by worldly matters, keep opening your mouth to lecture others on pure cultivation and magnanimity...

"In the end, it is people like you who are more detestable."

These words pierced straight to the heart. Even the gazes of some other factions watching from afar had no choice but to fall silent.

They were all mortals. No one was a sage. When faced with trouble, they themselves couldn’t be magnanimous, so how could they demand it of others? The Dao was not meant to discipline others, but to discipline oneself.

In short, Chen Sha could manage to not argue for three points when unreasonable, and to not make trouble out of nothing. But there was no way he could be forgiving when he was in the right. To this day, he was simply a man with powerful martial arts. He was not an immortal. How could he have so much compassion and magnanimity? ℯℯ𝑙.

"What a sharp tongue."

Zhang Shouren had essentially been pointed at and cursed as a "hypocrite" by Chen Sha. No matter how good his state of mind or how deep his shrewdness, he couldn’t help but say in a deep voice:

"You really don’t resemble your father in this regard!"

Chen Sha took a step with his hands behind his back and spoke slowly, "Indeed, my father usually let his fists do the talking. I should learn more from him in that regard.

"Speaking even one more sentence to a person like you feels like a waste of my time."

He stepped forward, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. Raising a fist high into the air, he said:

"Stand there, and take my punch!"