Chapter 15: Only the Living Have Value

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Wei Wuya was not frightened in the least. He merely sneered coldly. “I’m only stating the facts. What is it—feeling guilty?”

Zhou Shuo was provoked into swearing outright. “Guilty, my ass! You bastard Wei, if you dare slander me again, I’ll wipe you out!”

Wei Wuya’s eyes widened. He thrust out his chin and roared, “Then come and try! Don’t make me look down on you!”

Zhou Shuo instantly lost his temper. He raised a hand, formed a spell, and was about to hurl it at his opponent.

The Master of the Hall of Transmission beside him saw that matters were taking a turn for the worse and hurriedly stepped forward to restrain him. “Old Zhou, don’t be rash. This is no time for the two of you to fool around!”

Zhou Shuo trembled with rage and turned toward her. “San Niang, don’t stop me! Today, this old bastard and I are fighting to the death!”

Feng San Niang’s beautiful eyes twitched, and a helpless expression crossed her delicate face.

The other hall masters and peak masters were equally speechless.

Zhou Shuo and Wei Wuya had been at odds for many years. It had all begun because of Zhou Tong’s mother. Wei Wuya had once been one of her suitors, but in the end Zhou Shuo had won the heart of that aloof beauty. Wei Wuya had never been able to let go of his resentment.

The two men had been at one another’s throats since they were young. Whenever either found an opportunity, he would take a shot at the other.

Lin Qiaosheng, seated at the head of the hall, felt his temples throb violently. He knew the grudge between them all too well. Yet even at a gathering such as this, they still had to make a scene, driving his blood pressure through the roof.

The pressure of the Emperor Realm erupted from him, forcing Zhou Shuo and Wei Wuya to stagger several steps backward. He slammed his palm heavily onto the desk before him and shouted angrily, “Have the two of you had enough?!”

He then turned his gaze toward Wei Wuya. “Zhou Shuo cannot possibly be the murderer. He was with me when Lin Junxiu met with disaster.”

Wei Wuya gave the two of them a meaningful glance before returning to his seat.

Still, he muttered under his breath with evident displeasure, “That doesn’t rule out the possibility that he’s a traitor.”

Zhou Shuo’s face filled with disdain. He taunted, “I’m your father!”

Everyone around them immediately burst into laughter. Lin Qiaosheng turned toward him. “You shut up as well!”

Zhao Tongzhou, Master of the Hall of Law Enforcement, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Sect Master, please calm yourself. There are many suspicious aspects to Peak Master Lin Junxiu’s murder.

“He had already entered the Emperor Realm. Though he was only in its early stage, throughout the entire sect, only you and the venerable supreme elders of the Elders’ Hall possess the strength to kill him.

“But would any of you do such a thing?”

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Lin Qiaosheng’s gaze swept across an elderly man in the hall. He was Wu Chuanxiong, a representative of the Elders’ Hall and one of the supreme elders of the Vast Ocean Sect. His cultivation was at the middle stage of the Emperor Realm.

Sensing Lin Qiaosheng’s gaze, Wu Chuanxiong slowly opened his eyes and gave him a slight shake of the head.

Lin Qiaosheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhao Tongzhou, “Naturally, we would not.”

Zhao Tongzhou smiled faintly. “That is naturally what we believe as well. Therefore, Peak Master Lin’s murder must have been committed by an outsider.

“However, Peak Master Lin had many enemies beyond the sect. Moreover, numerous sects feared him because of the Grand Tournament of the Hundred Sects. All of them had motives for murder.

“That is precisely why this matter will be difficult to investigate. Without conclusive evidence, we cannot recklessly make accusations against them. Otherwise, we will only lift a stone and drop it on our own feet.”

Zhao Tongzhou’s words immediately won the agreement of everyone present.

When Lin Qiaosheng first learned of Lin Junxiu’s death, he had thought of these very things. Now that Zhao Tongzhou had expressed his own thoughts aloud, Lin Qiaosheng followed the opening and asked, “What, then, do you suggest we do?”

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Tongzhou replied, “In my humble opinion, this matter must not be made public, lest someone exploit Peak Master Lin’s death and make an issue of it during the Grand Tournament of the Hundred Sects.

“For now, we can tell the outside world that Peak Master Lin has entered seclusion and suppress news of his death. Even his disciples must not be informed. Only those present here may know the truth.

“As for pursuing the murderer, we can take our time. After all, the world is vast, and if we wish to find the culprit, we must first uncover some clues.

“Those three disciples of Lin Junxiu are currently our only lead. Since the precise location of his murder is unknown, we can question them about his whereabouts and then conduct a deeper investigation.”

After Zhao Tongzhou finished speaking, he once again received the unanimous approval of everyone present.

In truth, none of them particularly cared about Lin Junxiu’s death. Some even felt secretly pleased.

After all, while Lin Junxiu had been alive, he had been arrogant and overbearing, treating no one with respect. Aside from the few supreme elders of the Elders’ Hall, who in the Vast Ocean Sect had never been bullied by him?

In the cultivation world, a person had value only while alive. Once dead, he was merely a worthless corpse. Who would expend enormous manpower and resources combing through the endless sea of humanity to hunt down a murderer for the sake of a dead man?

Even Lin Qiaosheng felt the same way. He had tolerated Lin Junxiu in the past because he valued the man’s cultivation and hoped he would win benefits for the sect during the Grand Tournament of the Hundred Sects.

But Lin Junxiu’s character was atrocious, and all four members of his master-and-disciple group were universally despised. Now that such a man was dead, it would be a miracle if anyone sought revenge on his behalf.

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Lin Qiaosheng was, after all, the Sect Master of the Vast Ocean Sect. For the sake of the sect’s reputation and his own authority, he could hardly say outright that the matter should simply be allowed to fade away.

Fortunately, Zhao Tongzhou was perceptive enough to discern Lin Qiaosheng’s intentions and had taken the initiative to say what he himself could not.

With that thought in mind, Lin Qiaosheng gave Zhao Tongzhou a meaningful look before saying, “Very well. I leave this matter to you. But do not act in haste. Even if you discover who may be responsible, you must not make a public announcement until you have obtained irrefutable evidence.”

There was a great deal hidden in Lin Qiaosheng’s words.

He was telling Zhao Tongzhou to investigate, and if he could uncover the truth, so much the better.

Once solid evidence was in hand, if the culprit belonged to a major sect, they could use the matter as leverage to extort some benefit from it. There was no need to fight to the death over a universally despised corpse, suffering a thousand casualties merely to inflict eight hundred upon the enemy.

If the opposing force was weaker than the Vast Ocean Sect, they could destroy it under the banner of avenging Lin Junxiu. By then, all the assets of that sect would belong to the Vast Ocean Sect.

And if no clues could be found, there was no need to hurry. Zhao Tongzhou could simply drag the investigation out until the matter quietly disappeared, leaving everyone satisfied.

Such was the cultivation world: profit came first. It was not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and worldly dealings.

Zhao Tongzhou understood perfectly. He cupped his hands toward Lin Qiaosheng and said, “This subordinate will obey the Sect Master’s decree!”

Lin Qiaosheng nodded. “Good. Since matters have come to this, you may all leave.”

He then turned to Zhao Tongzhou. “Tongzhou, go directly to Junxiu Peak and question Lin Junxiu’s three disciples about what happened.

“Until there is progress in this matter, have the three of them continue living on Junxiu Peak. That way, we can avoid arousing suspicion and causing further trouble.”

Unexpectedly, before Zhao Tongzhou could reply, a tremendous explosion sounded from outside the hall.

In the next instant, flames shot into the sky, and the earth and mountains shook!

Everyone was startled and teleported outside the hall.

Staring toward the direction of the explosion, Zhao Tongzhou cried out, “This is bad! Something has happened at Junxiu Peak!”

To be continued...