Chapter 4063: Civil War Stopped!
Chapter 4063: Civil War Stopped!
Daoist Bone Ruler and the others might have accepted everything, but the Sword Peak Head was considerably less accepting.
"Grand Elder!" His voice cut through the cheering.
The surrounding cultivators gradually quieted.
The Sword Peak Head stepped forward, his expression stern. "Are we truly going to accept this arrangement?"
The Grand Elder looked toward him. "Is there a problem?"
"Senior, with all due respect, Mengli Zhenyu has only just returned. We have yet to complete the proper verification procedures, and the Wild Peak has already invoked the Closed Fist Doctrine." He glanced toward Zhenyu. "Allowing him to become Interim Peak Head under these circumstances could create serious problems."
Zhenyu raised an eyebrow. "Still barking, sword child?"
The Sword Peak Head’s expression darkened. "Senior, I am speaking to the Grand Elder."
"And I’m listening. Unfortunately." Zhenyu retorted.
High Elder Shatter Peak nearly burst into laughter again while the Sword Peak Head clenched his jaw.
But before the argument could escalate, the Clarity Peak Head stepped forward. "Sword Peak Head."
The man turned toward her. "What?"
"Senior Zhenyu has convinced us." The woman stated.
The Sword Peak Head frowned. "Convinced you of what?"
"His identity, his seniority, and the necessity of his current position." The woman’s voice remained perfectly calm. "The Grand Elder and I have discussed the matter thoroughly. We are satisfied with the conclusions."
The Sword Peak Head looked unconvinced. "But..."
The Clarity Peak Head’s gaze sharpened. "Sword Peak Head."
Something in her tone made him pause and she looked directly into his eyes. "I believe you should accept our judgment."
The man opened his mouth, then stopped. For a brief moment, an unusual expression crossed his face. He glanced toward the Grand Elder, then back at the Clarity Peak Head. The woman continued watching him calmly.
Finally, the Sword Peak Head let out a reluctant breath. "Very well."
Daoist Bone Ruler blinked.
The Sword Peak Head cupped his fists toward the Grand Elder. "If both of you are satisfied, I shall defer to your judgment."
The Clarity Peak Head gave a faint nod. "Good."
And just like that, the matter was settled.
Daoist Bone Ruler stared at the Sword Peak Head.
He had known the man for many years. The Sword Peak Head was famously stubborn, especially when he believed that the sect’s principles were being compromised. Ordinarily, convincing him to change his mind required considerable effort.
Yet the Clarity Peak Head had managed it with only a few words.
’What in the world?’ Daoist Bone Ruler looked between the two Peak Heads. ’What kind of hold does she have over him?’
The thought was deeply unsettling. He had seen the Sword Peak Head argue with elders far older than himself. He had even witnessed the man refuse to yield during disputes involving the Grand Hall.
Yet now he had backed down almost immediately.
Daoist Bone Ruler could only conclude that there was something between the two Peak Heads that he knew nothing about. And considering how complicated his day had already become, he had absolutely no desire to investigate it.
Zhenyu, meanwhile, looked toward the Clarity Peak Head with an approving smile. "Well done, little girl."
The woman closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Thank you, Senior."
The Sword Peak Head looked confused. "Little girl?"
Zhenyu turned toward him. "What? Do you want me to call you little boy instead?"
High Elder Shatter Peak finally lost control. "HAHAHAHA!"
His laughter rang across the entire gathering. Several Wild Peak elders joined him, while the Sword Peak Head’s face grew increasingly dark. The Clarity Peak Head looked away, apparently deciding that ignoring Mengli Zhenyu was the safest course of action.
The Grand Elder simply sighed. He had successfully resolved the immediate conflict, secured Zhenyu’s cooperation, and established the beginnings of an investigation into a potentially dangerous conspiracy.
Yet somehow, he still felt as though the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect had just entered an entirely new period of trouble. And at the center of it stood a gigantic white-haired body cultivator who seemed thoroughly pleased with himself.
Lin Mu watched the gathering with quiet satisfaction. ’Good. Now the real investigation can begin.’
With the Grand Elder and Clarity Peak Head supporting him, Daoist Bone Ruler already involved, and the Sword Peak Head apparently willing to cooperate, he had gained far more influence than he originally expected.
The Vault Division would now face pressure from several directions. And somewhere within its hidden records and restricted repositories, Lin Mu hoped to find the answers he had been searching for.
Especially those concerning the Virtuous Calamity Daoist.
For now, however, Zhenyu simply raised his enormous hand toward the cheering Wild Peak cultivators. "Alright, you lot! Enough shouting!"
The cheers gradually subsided.
Zhenyu grinned. "We still have a traitor to catch."
The expressions of the Wild Peak elders immediately sharpened. High Elder Shatter Peak cracked his knuckles while High Elder Palm Saber nodded solemnly. And Daoist Bone Ruler, who had only just begun to feel relieved, suddenly developed a terrible feeling.
’Why do I suspect that this is only the beginning?’
Daoist Bone Ruler watched the Wild Peak cultivators celebrating their victory and felt a complicated mixture of relief and apprehension. The situation had finally settled down, and the Grand Elder had formally acknowledged Mengli Zhenyu’s identity and authority as the Interim Peak Head of the Wild Peak.
At the very least, the immediate danger of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect descending into a civil war had been averted. That alone was enough to make Daoist Bone Ruler feel as though an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He had genuinely feared that the confrontation between the Wild Peak and the Grand Hall would escalate beyond anyone’s control. The Wild Peak cultivators had already invoked the Closed Fist Doctrine, and their willingness to fight had been apparent from the moment their crimson vitality erupted.
If the Grand Elder and the other Peak Heads had insisted on suppressing them, the consequences could have been disastrous.
’At least we managed to avoid that,’ Daoist Bone Ruler thought and let out a long sigh.