On the sixth day of the seventh month, at the Heavenly Severance Holy Land, in the public hall, various heroes gathered, intending to publicly try Shen Zhao.
The one in charge of the public trial was Dugu Xin, the Great Elder of the inner sect of the Heavenly Severance Holy Land, a particularly fair man, though his bottom line was rather flexible.
At this moment, Dugu Xin, accompanied by two disciples, was standing at the entrance of the public hall, looking outside.
Disciple A said, "Master, I don't think that Shen Zhao will come. Let's just issue a bounty for his capture."
Disciple B said, "How ethereal and transcendent is our Heavenly Severance Holy Land? How could a mere Shen Zhao not obediently come to be tried after receiving the summons?"
Disciple A retorted, "Don't be so sure. Wouldn't we be embarrassed if he doesn't come?"
Disciple B said, "He wouldn't dare not come. No one dares to oppose the Heavenly Severance Holy Land, unless he thinks his life is too long."
"Alright, stop bickering!"
Dugu Xin ended their argument with a single sentence.
"Mind your image. We represent the Heavenly Severance Holy Land, and I, Dugu Xin, am a symbol of justice and fairness. We cannot afford any carelessness."
He then instructed, "All of you, be on your toes. When Shen Zhao arrives, give him a show of force to let them know the rules of the Heavenly Severance Holy Land."
Disciple A: "How do you plan to give him a show of force?"
Dugu Xin was immediately full of confidence: "When he comes forward, I will step forward as the public prosecutor to question him first, leaving him speechless and suppressing his arrogance."
Disciple B: "Why bother with so much trouble? I'll just go up and give him a sword, and won't he be obedient?"
Dugu Xin: "No, that will make our Holy Land seem unfair. If word gets out, our peers will think we can't handle it.
"First, we must reason with him. It's not too late to act after we've established his crimes.
Then, we can use the situation to stir up the emotions of those present and take the opportunity to give him a few kicks."
The two disciples said in unison, "Excellent plan, Elder."
Not long after, the disciple Jia Kun came to report, "Great Elder, Shen Zhao and his party have arrived."
"Quick, let them in."
In the next moment, three people walked over from a distance.
Dugu Xin stared intently and immediately pointed at the person on the left, saying, "Could that be Shen Zhao? I didn't expect him to have such presence at such a young age.
Judging by his strong and steady steps, and his arrogant expression, his cultivation is at least in the Nirvana Realm. Alas, he truly is an outstanding talent."
Jia Kun hurriedly said, "Ah, no, he's Liang Hao, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Sect. Shen Zhao is the one beside him."
Dugu Xin suddenly understood, then looked to the right and said with a look of disdain, "Sure enough, he has a treacherous face. Look at him, still smiling even when death is upon him. Truly shameless."
Jia Kun was speechless: "Can you please respect the fruits of my labor in gathering intelligence? The sneaky-looking guy is Ding Bu'er, Shen Zhao is the one in the middle."
Dugu Xin rubbed his eyes and looked closely.
After a long sigh, he said, "I didn't expect this Shen Zhao to be so handsome and valiant, it's quite different from the image I imagined, with a green face, fangs, and a wretched appearance."
Jia Kun: "Hey, wait a minute, you didn't look at the information I sent yesterday at all? You really don't consider us intelligence gatherers as people, huh?"
Dugu Xin raised his hand to stop him, "Shut up. I'm in charge here. No more sarcastic remarks.
Since they're here, let's give him a little show of force first. All of you, don't say a word, just watch my performance."
As Dugu Xin was about to step forward and question him, Shen Zhao smiled and spoke first, "This must be the Elder Dugu, whose reputation is known far and wide?
I am Shen Zhao, and I pay my respects. To have Elder Dugu come out to greet me personally truly makes me feel both flattered and apprehensive."
Dugu Xin was momentarily speechless, thinking, Damn it, he stole the initiative! But looking at his sincere expression and his polite words, aren't all my preparations useless?
Shen Zhao continued, "Are everyone here? Please, Elder Dugu, introduce them for me."
After saying that, he grabbed Dugu Xin's hand and walked into the public hall as if no one else was present.
Jia Kun and the disciples of the Jia and Yi ranks on the side were all dumbfounded.
Weren't they supposed to give him a show of force? How did it turn into this?
Shen Zhao was still greeting Dugu Xin, "Elder Dugu, why haven't you spoken the whole way? Shouldn't we chat a bit?"
Dugu Xin thought to himself, What the hell am I supposed to say? Fine, I'll deal with you later during the public trial.
Soon, Shen Zhao entered the public trial hall.
As for Ding Bu'er and Liang Hao, they could only wait outside for the results.
The originally noisy public hall instantly fell silent after Shen Zhao entered.
Shen Zhao could clearly feel that everyone present was looking at him with hostility.
Dugu Xin sat at the head of the table, then cleared his throat and asked Shen Zhao, who was standing in the center, "Are you Shen Zhao?"
Shen Zhao replied, "Elder Dugu, you have such a short memory. Didn't I already announce my name before?"
Lu Guan immediately stood up and angrily said, "Shen Zhao, this is the public hall. Don't be so flippant, be serious! Answer Elder Dugu's questions directly, don't try to change the subject!"
Shen Zhao glanced at him and asked, "Who are you?"
Lu Guan immediately straightened his clothes and said proudly, "I am Lu Guan, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Sect!"
Shen Zhao almost burst out laughing.
Your parents really gave you a great name. I've broadened my horizons.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Did I laugh?"
"Nonsense, I clearly saw you laugh just now!"
"Maybe I was just thinking of something happy?"
"What's the good news?"
"I one-shotted Duanmu Long."
Lu Guan almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
The others present were also shocked, never expecting Shen Zhao to say such a thing so brazenly.
Chu Sheng, fueled by unknown anger, stood up and pointed at Shen Zhao, berating him, "You little brat, you're young, but you've got guts. You openly admit to killing someone. What's there to say? Just drag him out and execute him."
Jia Kun immediately pulled out a knife and handed it to Chu Sheng, "If you can one-shot Duanmu Long, why don't you try to execute him? Here, the knife is yours. Start your performance, we'll be watching."
Chu Sheng ignored Jia Kun, clenching his fists and continuing to roar at Shen Zhao, "Brat, you want to get my attention? I'll tell you, you've succeeded. When you leave this public hall, you'll face my fury!"
Shen Zhao rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with this idiot.
"Silence!"
Dugu Xin's stern shout halted the increasingly noisy scene, and then he looked at Shen Zhao: "Since you admit to killing the Clear Sky Sect's Sect Master, how will you give the Clear Sky Sect a reasonable explanation?"
"What explanation do you want?" Shen Zhao looked bewildered. "I had a fair duel with him. He was inferior and died at my hands. That's the explanation I'm giving."
Lu Guan was furious: "Shen Zhao, you killed a man and are so self-righteous? I wonder who gave you the courage."
"Master Lu, haven't you killed anyone?"
"Of course I have, but..."
"Since you admit you've killed people, why do you question me about killing someone?"
"That's different, the people I killed deserved it!"
"And how do you know Duanmu Long wasn't asking for it?"
Lu Guan was immediately silenced, stammering for a long time before finally uttering, "That's our Sect Master!"
Shen Zhao: "Oh, your Sect Master? So, in Master Lu's impression, as long as someone is a Sect Master, they wouldn't do anything that was asking for it?
So, Gu Tianhe's death wasn't asking for it either, it was the Empress of Yaochi's fault, right?"
"This... no... you... I... that..."
For a moment, Lu Guan didn't know what to say and could only turn to Dugu Xin for help.
Dugu Xin coughed lightly and continued to ask, "Shen Zhao, why did you kill Sect Master Duanmu?"
Shen Zhao: "Duanmu Long condoned his disciples' rape of women and children. When I sought justice from him, he wanted to kill me to silence me. Do you think I shouldn't have killed him?"
"Don't you dare spout nonsense!"
Lu Guan shouted excitedly.
"We, the Clear Sky Sect, are a prestigious, righteous sect. How could we possibly do something like that?"
"Go ask around, and you'll find out what kind of reputation your Clear Sky Sect has. Why bother trying to whitewash it?" Shen Zhao looked at Lu Guan with disdain. "Or are you saying you dare to swear an oath that your Clear Sky Sect has never done anything harmful?
If you swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao right here, I'll admit defeat. Come on, start your performance. Don't disappoint everyone."
Lu Guan immediately fell silent.
Because he knew clearly that, with Duanmu Long's indulgence, the Clear Sky Sect's reputation had only gotten worse over the years. Cases of their disciples committing crimes like rape, looting, and using their power for evil in the mortal world were recorded in the various government offices. Moreover, many storytellers in the taverns were talking about it.
No matter how much the Clear Sky Sect tried to cover things up, they couldn't possibly silence everyone in the world. As long as someone investigated a little, they would know exactly what kind of garbage the Clear Sky Sect was.
Instantly, Lu Guan's momentum faltered, unsure of what to ask next.
Dugu Xin urged, "Even if it's as you say, you shouldn't have been so heavy-handed. Although that Duanmu Long deserved to die, if I wasn't lacking in strength, I would have wanted to blow him up.
But do you know how much trouble the fall of a sect master will bring to the entire Immortal Martial Continent? Couldn't you have done it secretly?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the public hall gave Dugu Xin a strange look.
Shen Zhao pointed around, "The so-called trouble refers to this. I don't see that they have any troubles. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the leisure to put on this show here, would they?"
Dugu Xin was speechless, thinking to himself, Damn it, why is this kid even more difficult to deal with than I thought? Why is he so calm? Isn't this making me very awkward and passive?
Before he could react, Shen Zhao continued, "Elder Dugu, Duanmu Long, as a sect master, condoned his disciples' bullying of a woman without any cultivation outside the Four Extremes Secret Realm.
If I hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid another irreversible tragedy would have occurred. And after I stopped the tragedy, Duanmu Long, for the sake of the sect's reputation, was willing to use lethal force against me."
"In this situation, am I supposed to just stand there and let him kill me? I'm a sect master, after all. How could I not go all out? Besides, the duel between us was fair and square.
If you don't believe me, take a look at this."
Shen Zhao said, taking out a Recording Stone.
"Do you want me to play the whole thing for everyone?"
Lu Guan panicked, hurrying to stop him. "No need for that. Since it was a normal duel, casualties are inevitable.
I've thought it over, and in the end, Shen Daoist friend isn't to blame. Our Sect Master kept shouting about being brothers and then wanting to fight.
His actions were too… abstract. Now that he's been killed, he brought it on himself. So, let's just let the matter go."
He was truly afraid the Recording Stone would show something unfavorable to the sect, which would affect his chances of inheriting the new Sect Master position, so he had to compromise and admit defeat.
Shen Zhao immediately felt bored. What was this? He was already backing down? This so-called Recording Stone hadn't captured anything at all.
Chu Sheng suddenly roared, "Shen Zhao, I don't care about your grievances with the Clear Sky Sect, but you must give an explanation for the humiliation you've inflicted on my Great Xia Dynasty today!"
"Why do you need an explanation? What explanation?"
"My ninth brother, Chu Yang, was bewitched by you to cut open his own belly, and he lost all face for the Great Xia royal family in front of the world. How should we settle this account?"
"Oh, you mean that Chu Yang guy? I didn't make him cut open his belly. He did it himself. If you don't believe me, ask him."
"Even if that's the case, setting aside the facts, aren't you even a little bit wrong?"
Shen Zhao couldn't help but cover his face.
Damn, did something go wrong with the Great Xia Dynasty royal family's genes? It was really troublesome to communicate with these people.
So, he took out the book How to Get Along with Idiots again, and casually opened it, saying, "Wait a moment. I'll answer you after I finish reading."
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