The atmosphere in the hall was not as noisy as one might have imagined. Four Third Realm Cultivators rose from their seats. They offered no defense for themselves, nor did anyone else stand up to speak in righteous indignation. Even the cultivators from the Northwest Region remained silent.

Each of the four had fifteen minutes for their defense. Yang Shu did not expedite this step despite their silence, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive. The projected Third Realm Cultivators all meditated with their eyes closed, while the Second Realm Cultivators spoke to one another through voice transmission. The newly initiated cultivators could only exchange glances. As for the most junior members of the Sixth Seat, they all sat ramrod straight.

After finally enduring the Half an Hour, Yang Shu slowly rose and again casually cupped his hands toward the assembly. "Very well," he said. "The defense of our four Fellow Daoists is concluded. I will first announce something. A moment ago, while we were listening to the defense of our four Fellow Daoists, the Daoist Scripture Hall headquarters made a decision. They propose to first strip these four Fellow Daoists of their qualifications for the Third Seat."

The statement was rife with issues. In the Fourth Seat section, people immediately began whispering to one another, but not a sound escaped. Then, the projected Third Realm Cultivators at the very front opened their eyes one by one.

As for the newly initiated and uninitiated members of the Fifth and Sixth Seats, most wore looks of confusion, not understanding what this implied.

The four individuals in question also paled slightly, but after exchanging glances with a few acquaintances nearby, they still chose to remain silent.

A Fifth Seat member from the Earth Cave Sect to Liu Shuang’s left whispered, "They just said they were adding two Third Seat positions because there weren’t enough, and now they’re suddenly dismissing four. They can say whatever they please."

This was a pure, aimless complaint.

He only said it because the atmosphere in the hall had been so oppressive, leaving him no room to breathe. He was likely just saying it to adjust his own state of mind.

Afterward, the sounds of discussion began to rise and fall throughout the hall.

"I have a question." A Third Seat member stood up. He was a bald monk, his most striking feature a beard that covered half his face. His eyes were deep-set and his nose was high-bridged; one look was enough to tell he wasn’t one of the Zhongzhou People, but his command of their language was perfect.

"Ah, it’s Master Minghui. Please, speak freely."

"According to the regulations established by the Daoist Scripture Hall, stripping a member of the Third Seat requires a vote by all Third Seat members."

"Of course. That is why I said ’propose.’ We can vote now," Yang Shu responded to Monk Minghui’s question with a smile.

Monk Minghui continued, "Although I do not usually concern myself with worldly affairs, I do recall that when the Daoist Scripture Hall was first founded, to prevent the Lord from having excessive power, all elections and dismissals of Third Seat members require passage by at least half of the seats present."

Hearing this, the smile on Yang Shu’s face suddenly became a bit smug. He said, "If we were to hold separate votes for each of our four Fellow Daoists right now, Master, do you think the votes for their dismissal would pass the halfway mark? Or perhaps some would pass, and others would not..."

Monk Minghui was momentarily at a loss for words. If they truly held a vote on the spot, the fate of the other three would be hard to say, but the Great Monk from Vajra Temple would certainly be voted out. This was because the Vajra Temple’s influence in the Daoist Scripture Hall was already weak, and their Third Seat positions were mostly concessions made by other sects to mitigate conflict.

"My Buddha is merciful!"

After reciting the Buddha’s name, Monk Minghui sat down again.

Wang Ping was confused, so he connected to Zi Luan in the real world and said, "Won’t this arrangement just intensify the instability in the Northwest? Is someone trying to split the Daoist Scripture Hall?"

"I have no information on that front either. The most important power of the Third Seat in the Daoist Scripture Hall is the ability to connect to this communication network and take part in decisions on major events. To put it more bluntly, obtaining a Third Seat position means one can influence the situation in Zhongzhou, and even the whole world." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

After hearing Zi Luan’s explanation, the still half-confused Wang Ping began to understand a little. ’So this is a power struggle between heavyweights,’ he realized. ’They want to use this opportunity to weaken the Northwest’s influence and make the situation there even more chaotic.’

"What’s the matter?"

Yu Lian’s voice rang out. She was currently sizing up Wang Ping with a curious gaze. Sensing her, Wang Ping extended his left hand. Yu Lian immediately coiled around his arm. After their minds connected, she was startled by the abrupt change in scenery and quickly ducked into his sleeve.

"That’s an interesting Spirit Snake you have there."

A somewhat aged voice came from nearby, its tone friendly and gentle.

Wang Ping turned his head. As their eyes met, he took a moment to properly size up the person beside him. Then, he felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this man before at some important occasion.

"Don’t you remember me, my young friend?"

As he spoke, others nearby glanced over. Since voice transmission was impossible here, he paid their gazes no mind and said with a smile:

"Back at Yongming Port, you really impressed me, my young friend. Seeing you now, it’s clear you’re truly remarkable. Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible to reach the Heaven-Reaching Realm in a little over two hundred years. Why, this old Daoist nearly died just trying to reach the True Flame Realm back in the day."

Wang Ping instantly remembered who this was—the True Yang Sect cultivator who had suddenly appeared when he used the light-screen panel to locate the Purgatory Banner.

"Ah, it is you, Senior!"

Wang Ping cupped his fist.

"This humble Daoist is Ruan Chunzi. I’m not fond of the name, but it’s the only memento my parents left me." The old man cupped his fist as well to introduce himself. Just then, Yang Shu, who was presiding over the meeting, glanced in their direction.

The two respectfully stopped talking. Yang Shu seized the opportunity to propose, "Time is limited. Regarding whether to strip the four Fellow Daoists of their Third Seat titles, I propose we vote on them all at once. What say you?"

"That’s too rash!"

A Fourth Seat member from the True Yang Sect objected, while in response, a Fourth Seat from the Vajra Temple clamored in agreement.

As for the Third Seat, its members remained aloof, as if watching a show.

An argument inevitably erupted, and it showed no signs of stopping. Yang Shu did not intervene, simply sitting there quietly and listening to them bicker.

Thirty minutes later, many of the Third Seat members chose to sever their conscious connection.

"I’m going to make a cup of tea," Ruan Chunzi, who was beside him, said to Wang Ping before he, too, severed his conscious connection.

Wang Ping took advantage of the chaos to scan the hall. He quickly located Wen Yang, Wu Quan, Ganxing, Tianshan Daoist, and Xiu Yu, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Let’s withdraw and have some tea as well," Zi Luan’s voice sounded in Wang Ping’s ear.

"Alright!"

Wang Ping cut off the flow of Spiritual Qi to the Token in his hand, and the illusory scene instantly vanished.

After they left, the argument at the assembly didn’t die down. In fact, it threatened to intensify, with some Second Realm Cultivators sitting near each other looking ready to come to blows.

"They’re deliberately provoking infighting among the Northwest sects!"

Feng Miao’s words were part conclusion, part question directed at no one in particular.

This was a fact anyone could see, yet the cultivators of the Northwest couldn’t escape it. They were already in too deep. The only way out was to win this struggle.

"Continuing to argue won’t help anything; it will only deepen their mutual hatred," Liu Shuang said softly.

"Exactly!" Liu Chang agreed.

They were right. As time wore on, the general din at the assembly faded, leaving only the Second Realm Cultivators from the Northwest bickering amongst themselves. And it looked as if they wouldn’t be stopping any time soon.

Yet Yang Shu remained unmoved.

Not until four hours later, when the projections of the Third Seat members gradually reappeared in the hall, did Yang Shu slowly stand up and say, "Let us begin the vote now..."

He finished speaking and raised one finger. "You only get one chance!"

The vote was a secret ballot. Everyone present would receive a bamboo slip with two options: one black, one white. To vote, one only needed to infuse Spiritual Qi into one of the options. Outwardly, the bamboo slip would show no change; the results would have to be identified using the Daoist Scripture Hall’s special methods.

"Voting black indicates agreement to strip the four Fellow Daoists of their Third Seat titles. Voting white indicates opposition. You have Half an Hour to consider your answer. You may also consult with one another."

’He was openly encouraging them to lobby for votes!’

And so, the members of the Third Seat began to leave the hall one after another. Even Yang Shu departed, accompanied by his guards.

"What do you think the outcome of this vote will be?" Zi Luan walked to the window, gazing down at the beautiful garden in the Daoist Scripture Hall’s central courtyard.

Wang Ping thought for a moment and said, "This round of voting probably won’t be conclusive."

Zi Luan nodded. "You should only consider the Third Seat’s votes. Don’t worry about the others."

"In that case, it’s certain to pass."

"Mm."

The Half an Hour for consideration was as pointless as taking off your pants to fart. When it was time to vote, the Third Seat members still had to speak. It was voluntary, of course, but many people spoke up.

This process lasted for three hours. Zi Luan did not speak, and Wang Ping, being only a candidate, was not qualified to speak.

However, Ruan Chunzi, who was beside Wang Ping, did speak. He was resolute in his agreement to strip the four of their Third Seat titles. Wen Yang also spoke, but he must have received instructions, as he voiced his opposition.

In the end, all four were stripped of their Third Seat titles.

When it came time for sentencing, Monk Minghui, who had spoken at the very beginning, stood up again. "My Buddha is merciful," he said. "Since our four Fellow Daoists have already received their due punishment, as for their sentence... why not have them face a wall for thirty years and repent for their evil deeds? How does that sound?"

As he said this, Wang Ping saw Mingxin, who was sitting beside him, furrow his brow.

The words were indeed somewhat sickening, but those present were either stakeholders or neutral parties. So, after he finished speaking, a long silence descended upon the hall.

’If no one else says anything, they might really just get away with facing a wall for thirty years!’

"Bah! And you have the nerve to talk about mercy!"

Suddenly, an incredibly agitated person shot to his feet, pointed at Monk Minghui’s nose, and cursed, "Go to the Northwest and take a look! Look at the hundreds of thousands of common folk who vanished because of their squabbles, and the land that’s been turned to scorched earth! Go look at the millions of displaced people! Fuck your mother’s mercy!"

"I fucking can’t take it anymore! You seniors who have attained the Dao, are your stomachs all full of dog shit? In your eyes, are those common people just animals? Then what are you doing sitting here, putting on a show? Why even hold this meeting?"

"This is bullshit!"

This man sat in the Fourth Seat section. He looked utterly ancient, but his voice was full of vigor. From the stiff fabric of his Daoist robe, it was clear he must be a cultivator from the Northwest Region.

Just as he stood up to start cursing, the guards maintaining order moved to stop him, but they were held back by Yang Shu.