C1501 It Was Hard to Avoid
C1501 It Was Hard to Avoid
After examining the situation through the jade talisman, the Martial Puppet gave a slight nod of approval, signaling that all was in order. This explanation would suffice. At the very least, it was necessary to intimidate those below from misbehaving under the protection of the Patriarch and the Grand Elder. They needed to realize that the skies over the Dongyuan Continent had changed and that they must adjust their attitudes and mindsets accordingly.
Next, he inspected the contents of the storage ring. Inside, he found the Phoenix-Riding Bird Spear, the Hundred Refined Yama Gold, and two hundred Top Grade spirit stones. The Hundred Refined Yama Gold and the Phoenix-Riding Bird Spear, along with the original resources, amounted to half of the Hundred Refined Sect's wealth. However, since the East Essence Hall was at fault, it was only right for them to offer both items.
The Martial Puppet was also aware of the purpose of the two hundred Top Grade spirit stones; they were intended to buy his silence, to prevent him from escalating the matter. The man's temperament was unpredictable, and he wielded immense power. One misstep could spell danger.
Yet, the Martial Puppet remained unfazed. He placed the jade talisman and the storage ring next to the Hundred Refined Sect's ceremonial gift ring and moved on without giving it another thought. He proceeded to tally the remaining gifts. This action left Wei Zhengzhen, Li Jian, and the others in disbelief. They had not anticipated that the Martial Puppet would be impervious to bribery. Two hundred Top Grade spirit stones were a significant sum, even for someone at the peak of the Emperor Level.
Truly, the loyalty of Lin Xuan's peak Emperor Level subordinates was unmatched. And such matters could not be openly discussed. They had no choice but to let it be and hoped that Lin Xuan would not hold a grudge against them for this. Little did Wei Zhengzhen and Li Jian know that the Martial Puppet was, in fact, an Indestructible Puppet, incapable of utilizing most human resources for cultivation.
The Top Grade spirit stones had become less significant to him.
Moreover, by loyally serving at Lin Xuan's side without any ulterior motives, the Martial Puppet could reap far greater benefits and advancements.
Such loyalty couldn't be matched by a mere bribe of a few hundred Top Grade spirit stones.
Should Lin Xuan harbor any resentment over these spirit stones and decide to stop using him, the loss would be substantial.
In contrast to Wei Zhengzhen and others, the Martial Puppet was acutely aware of his own role.
The gifts from the East Essence faction had been tallied.
The Martial Puppet casually selected one from Thunder Yang Hall.
This immediately drew the attention of the members of Thunder Yang Hall.
Predictably, there were individuals within Thunder Yang Hall who were embezzling, even more so than in the East Essence faction.
Lei Potian and Shi Le'an of Thunder Yang Hall had their expressions shift slightly at this revelation.
Such audacious individuals existed among their ranks.
However, unlike those in the East Essence Hall, these two were not direct relatives of Lei Potian and his peers.
Their cultivation was merely at the Early Period of the Martial Monarch Stage, and their embezzlement involved treasures from the Middle Stage of the Emperor Level, which could potentially aid in their advancement. The temptation was too great to resist.
They oversaw a relatively secluded area, dominated by forces at the Early Emperor Level, and believed their actions would go undetected.
To their surprise, the Martial Puppet had planted informants within these smaller factions who had uncovered this information.
Lei Potian and Shi Le'an were tasked by the Martial Puppet to address the issue.
Since the Martial Puppet was responsible for overseeing the distribution of the congratulatory gifts, he was determined to fulfill his duties diligently.
Had he not uncovered the embezzlement, it might have been overlooked.
But with the breach of trust exposed, punishment was necessary to maintain authority and prevent future misconduct.
Among the gifts collected by the remaining three halls—Purple Tripod Hall and Elemental Spirit Hall—there were others who had succumbed to greed.
Similar to the East Essence faction, the culprits were Grand Elders, Ancestors, or direct relatives of the newly appointed Hall Masters.
This situation is understandable.
After all, the Martial Monarch Stage represents the pinnacle of cultivation across the Dongyuan Continent, with each practitioner being a formidable martial artist.
Yet, not every Emperor Level Martial Cultivator has ascended through their own efforts.
Some were born into privilege and identified early on as having exceptional talents, leading to specialized training.
Their cultivation journey was smooth sailing, allowing them to rapidly ascend to the Martial Monarch Stage.
While their cultivation and power increased, their mental fortitude remained untested by adversity, leaving them somewhat lacking.
Moreover, they had grown accustomed to leveraging such methods for personal gain.
This time, despite the considerable risk, the potential rewards were too tempting for them to resist their own greed.
It was a predictable outcome.
However, they hadn't anticipated that even their trusted Grand Elders would be unable to shield them on this occasion.
The stakes were much higher than ever before.
Particularly within the Elemental Spirit Hall, those who coveted more acted with impunity upon discovering Lin Xuan's true identity through their connections.
They assumed Lin Xuan would overlook their transgressions out of a sense of fellowship.
Little did they know, Lin Xuan saw no distinction between the five great halls.
Yet, he was more familiar with the Elemental Spirit Hall, which is why his return prompted the senior leaders from all five halls to convene.
In the case of the Purple Tripod Hall, the Indestructible Puppet was handed over to the Elemental Spirit Sons, Yang Mao, and others to address the wrongdoings within the Eastern Righteous Hall.
With the Eastern Righteous Hall serving as a precedent, the Elemental Spirit Sons and Yang Mao clearly understood their responsibilities.
The Elemental Spirit Sons were not naive enough to believe that Lin Xuan, with his ties to the Elemental Spirit Sect, would go easy on the disciples of the Elemental Spirit Hall.
Indeed, Lin Xuan was once a disciple of the Elemental Spirit Sect.
However, the majority of the grace he received came from the Zhenwu Branch.
And after the upheaval in Devil Essence City, Wu Juechen, the former Master of Zhenwu Branch, betrayed them, leading to the assassination of the previous Sect Master of the Elemental Spirit Sect.
After the incident, Lin Xuan was branded a traitor and severely punished.
Despite having demonstrated extraordinary talent at the time, Lin Xuan had not yet reached the Martial King Stage.
To the high-ranking officials of the Elemental Spirit Sect, he didn't even measure up to an Emperor Level Elder.
With the Sect Master's death, it was all too logical for their anger to fall upon Lin Xuan, marking him a traitor.
Had the Devil Cloud Sect not been the primary foe, the sect's leadership might have personally sought to eliminate him.
Yet, no one could have predicted what happened next.
In under a year, the once lesser junior, not even at the Martial King Stage, soared to new heights.
He transcended several major realms, ascending to a Half-level Emperor, surpassing the Martial Monarch Stage.
At his peak, Emperor Level opponents were mere insects to him, easily crushed with a mere gesture.
He single-handedly obliterated the Devil Cloud Sect, which had once set the entire continent ablaze with war.
The sect's hundreds of thousands of martial cultivators were wiped out.
Moreover, he boldly unified five major powers to form Tianyuan Palace, becoming the de facto ruler of the Dongyuan Continent.
— Chapter 12 – The Destruction of the Devil Cloud Sect