Chapter 399: This Is Great Righteousness

The Old Ancestor patiently tried to persuade the Abbot to join his side.

The Abbot was so stunned by his words that he was rendered speechless. It felt as if his entire understanding of the world had been shattered.

He didn’t even have the presence of mind to ask the Old Ancestor how he knew all this. He just wanted to ask him if his conscience could rest easy, sacrificing so many innocent lives for the sake of Ascension.

The Abbot was a man of true, great compassion and would never stoop to their level. After a heated argument, the Abbot, who should have still had the strength to fight, suddenly found his limbs growing weak and numb. He collapsed to the ground with a THUD.

The recording ended with the Abbot’s anguished voice. "You... When did you poison me?"

They thought it was over, but then a new recording began to play.

The Abbot’s face appeared on screen. Judging by the background, he seemed to be in that same prison cell.

His compassionate eyes seemed to pierce through the void, looking directly at Xie Ningyuan, who stood watching.

"Jichen... I do not know if you will ever see this recording."

"But if you do, I want to ask a favor of you."

"I know I said I would set you free, and I have already removed you from the rolls of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. I should not be disturbing you again."

"But... you are the only person I can think to entrust this to now."

"Jichen, after this calamity, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect is sure to decline. But I cannot bear to see the sect’s foundations destroyed under my watch."

"So, if it is possible, could you help rebuild the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect?"

"I don’t ask that you restore it to its current prosperity, only that its legacy endures!"

"I’m begging you."

Everyone watched in silence, their eyes quietly turning red.

Most of them had no strong connection to the Abbot, yet in that moment, they deeply felt his grief and helplessness, his despair and his hope.

With tears in his eyes, Xie Ningyuan gazed intently at the ethereal image projected by the Memory Stone, then knelt and bowed deeply.

His voice was powerful and resolute. "I promise you," he vowed, "Jichen will not fail the Abbot’s trust!"

As his voice faded, the recording from the Memory Stone finished playing completely. The Abbot’s image dissipated, just as the man himself had already vanished from the world forever.

Lu Sangjiu walked over to Xie Ningyuan, offered him a hand, and pulled him to his feet.

"I know nothing I say right now will make you feel any better, but... you have to pull yourself together. We still have a lot to do."

Xie Ningyuan nodded. "...I know."

He turned to Hua Jianzhi. "This Memory Stone... can it be used as evidence?"

Hua Jianzhi and Master Wuliang exchanged a look, but their expressions did not ease in the slightest.

Then, Hua Jianzhi spoke. "It is evidence, yes, but... should we really make it public?"

Gu Jue frowned, confused. "Why not? Are you saying we need to worry about the reputation of the righteous sects at a time like this?"

Master Wuliang quickly shook his head. "Young friend, please don’t misunderstand. That’s not what we mean at all."

"It’s just... there are other cultivators at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage in this world. And many more at the Body Integration Realm will eventually reach that stage as well."

"I don’t know how the Old Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect found out that the World Origin is lost, but he spoke with such certainty that it didn’t seem like a lie."

"If this information becomes public, even if we deal with the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s Old Ancestor this time, there’s no guarantee that others won’t appear in the future, trying to achieve Ascension through the same means."

"Knowing this, do you still want to release this recording?"

Gu Jue was speechless. He hadn’t considered any of this before.

’In my mind, I had assumed that only one person could be so mad.’

But now that it was put to him like that, he had to admit... perhaps others really would think the same way.

After all, if the World Origin was truly lost, then remaining in the Spirit Void Realm was just a slow march toward despair. One day, the Spiritual Energy would be depleted, this world would have no more Cultivators, and the possibility of Ascension would be gone forever.

Under those circumstances, even he would feel hopeless and numb. What about everyone else?

Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan also fell silent. They both knew that Hua Jianzhi’s concerns were not unfounded.

After a long moment, Lu Sangjiu sighed and looked at Hua Jianzhi. "Senior, you’re right. This recording... really shouldn’t be released to the public."

"But I think if we cut out the second half, it might be enough."

"We could end it where the Old Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect admits that Ting Chan killed Master Ming Jue."

Hua Jianzhi shook her head. "If we only leave the first part, it would be enough to prove that the warrant for Xie Ningyuan’s arrest was a misunderstanding, but it wouldn’t prove that the Old Ancestor was behind this incident."

"After all, for him to slaughter his own sect, there needs to be a plausible reason. Otherwise, no one will believe it."

"Besides, our ultimate goal is a truce. Without the second half, we can’t clearly explain the reason for a ceasefire, and I’m afraid we won’t achieve the outcome we desire."

In the current situation, finding a perfect solution was incredibly difficult.

Xie Ningyuan thought for a moment before speaking. "Let’s do what Little Jiu just suggested."

He said, "Even though it won’t prove we weren’t responsible for this incident, having the first half for clarification will at least convince some people to believe us."

"As for the truce, that’s not for any single sect to decide anyway. When the time comes, let’s propose a vote."

"Before the vote, we’ll do our best to get the various sects on our side. I don’t think it will be too difficult to get a vote for a truce."

"And as long as we get the outcome we want, we don’t necessarily have to fight to completely clear our names. As long as those who believe us continue to do so, that’s enough."

Hua Jianzhi and Master Wuliang considered this. It seemed there was no better solution.

So, after a moment of silence, they both came to a decision.

Hua Jianzhi nodded. "Alright, we’ll do it your way."

"Regardless of the outcome, on behalf of the countless lives in the Spirit Void Realm, I thank you."

’They could have focused on proving their innocence without thinking of the long-term consequences. But instead, they were willing to set aside their own safety and conceal this matter for the sake of all living beings. This was a righteous act of the highest order, one that truly deserved her thanks.’

Afterward, Xie Ningyuan made a copy of the first half of the Memory Stone’s recording and gave it to Hua Jianzhi.

"Seniors, we’ll leave matters in the Cultivation World to you."

Lu Sangjiu added, "As for the Western Demon Realm, I’ll figure out a way to handle it."

Hua Jianzhi didn’t ask what Lu Sangjiu had in mind. She could see the limitless potential in these young people.

’Even if their cultivation wasn’t as high as that of old-timers like herself, they always seemed to find a way to create miracles.’

So she gave a firm nod. "Then... the future of the Spirit Void Realm is in your hands."

Soon after Hua Jianzhi and the others left, Lu Sangjiu could finally no longer hold on and collapsed, sitting right on the ground.

"...I can’t go on. I need to heal my injuries as soon as possible."

Even so, she still asked worriedly, "My master, senior brother, and senior sisters...?"

"Don’t worry, they’re all fine. You just focus on healing. I’ll have them come meet up with us."