Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Chapter 256 Failing to stop evil is tantamount to committing evil.

Seeing this, Shen Ming understood and quickly walked out.

The black and gold battle sword was drawn with a clang, slicing through the night.

"Pfft-"

Luo Xinrou's staggering forward steps suddenly came to a halt.

She lowered her head with difficulty, looking at the blood-stained knife tip on her chest. The ecstatic joy of surviving the ordeal on her face had not yet faded, but had solidified into a deathly ashen look of shock and bewilderment.

"Why... why..."

Her lips moved, blood gushed from the corner of her mouth, she wanted to turn back for one last look, but ultimately collapsed, too weak to move.

The blood seeped into the scorched earth, like a withered flower, fleeting and ephemeral.

The next moment, under the bewildered gazes of everyone.

Shen Ming turned back, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said solemnly, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Li. I acted impulsively and couldn't help myself, which has ruined your reputation. Please punish me."

Li Wudao was taken aback, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Good lad, you really know how to get things done!

On the surface, he remained calm and feigned anger, saying, "Xiao Ming, you... you've put me in an unjust position! How will the world view me? You've ruined my pure and loyal image."

Hearing the address change to "Xiao Ming," Shen Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing that things were going well.

He suppressed his excitement and became even more sincere in admitting his mistake, saying, "Shen Ming knows he was wrong, please punish me, Senior Brother Li."

Li Wudao pondered with his hands behind his back, then sighed and said, "Fine, considering this is your first offense, I will fine you one month's salary as a punishment. Don't do it again next time."

"Thank you, Brother Li."

Shen Ming chuckled and straightened up.

Li Wudao was in a good mood, and he found Shen Ming increasingly pleasing to the eye. He couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"As expected of Jinfu, he is professionally competent, efficient, and honest."

"Huh? Senior Brother Li, what's this 'Strongman'?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I was just complimenting you."

“I see…”

"......"

Everyone looked tense and had strange expressions, as if they were constipated.

No, are you two putting on a charade?

Do you think everyone is blind and can't see that this is all staged?

However, even if they were resentful, they only dared to complain in their hearts and would never dare to actually shout it out.

The example set by the Li Huo Sect members is a bloody lesson.

If Shen Ming were to jump out again and stab them, they would truly regret it.

This little incident passed quickly, and no one really cared.

"Whoosh-"

The night wind in the wasteland grew colder, howling incessantly, carrying a heavy scent of blood.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Li Huo Sect disciples; from Peak Master Chai Yan to ordinary disciples, not a single one survived.

This ruthless approach of eliminating all traces sent chills down the spines of many onlookers.

"That's too ruthless... This is going to wipe out the entire Li Huo Sect lineage!"

"Such ruthless decisiveness in killing, this boy's temperament is truly terrifying..."

"This boy is absolutely not to be trifled with!"

Hearing the whispers of fear emanating from the crowd, Yang Qiong, who had been silently observing, frowned and stepped forward.

“Brother Li—” His voice was still gentle, but there was a hint of resistance in his words:

"The ringleader has been executed and the mastermind has been beheaded; that's enough. These ordinary disciples may have merely followed orders and could have been given a slight punishment. To slaughter them all like this... isn't that too cruel?"

At this point, he fixed his complex gaze on Li Wudao, revealing a hint of pity: "We cultivators should maintain a heart of benevolence and forgiveness. Brother Li, I do not want you to be blinded by killing."

Li Wudao turned to look at him.

Their eyes met; one held a clear, compassionate gaze, while the other held a cold indifference born of worldly wisdom.

"Brother Yang, do you think they are innocent?"

Li Wudao suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with a complex and unfathomable meaning: "Then let me ask you—when an avalanche occurs, does any snowflake feel guilty?"

Yang Qiong's eyes flickered slightly, his expression stunned.

"They may simply be following orders today and dare not disobey the peak master's command."

Li Wudao's voice was calm, yet every word was like a knife:

"But if I were the one to lose today, the one who is critically injured and dying, and they had the chance... do you think they would rush to cut off my head in order to claim credit?"

He gazed at the corpses strewn across the ground, his eyes indifferent: "When Chai Yan was about to kill me, did anyone speak up to stop him? When Fei Han and Luo Xinrou were twisting the truth, did anyone stand up and tell the truth?"

"No."

Li Wudao asked himself and answered, "They just watched silently and waited. If the power is in my hands, they are forced to submit; if the power is in the hands of the Li Huo Sect, they are... accomplices!"

He stared at Yang Qiong and asked the last question:

“Brother Yang, you cultivate righteousness and integrity, so you should know the principle that ‘to see evil and not stop it is to do evil as well.’ The silence of these people is itself a choice they have made.”

Yang Qiong's eyes trembled violently as he murmured those words, as if his understanding had been shattered once again.

He re-examined Li Wudao's calm face and suddenly realized—

The young man who chatted and laughed with him had a cold, clear-headed nature hidden deep inside.

That wasn't cruelty, but rather the most rational choice made after seeing through the true jungle law of the cultivation world.

With Brother Li here, how can the Xuantian Sect not prosper?

After a long silence, Yang Qiong sighed softly and said with emotion, "It seems that the landscape of the Eastern Wilderness is really going to change this time with the Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament."

Li Wudao smiled faintly and remained silent.

Yang Qiong stared at him for a moment, then his gaze suddenly deepened: "Brother Li, after that battle just now... you should still have some strength left, right?"

Li Wudao felt a slight chill in his heart, but remained outwardly calm, gently shaking his head: "Brother Yang is joking. I fought with all my might, otherwise I would have been defeated long ago, and I wouldn't have had any strength left."

Yang Qiong gave him a deep look, then stopped asking and simply smiled nonchalantly: "Never mind."

He looked up at the sky and said, "I have a mission from my sect to complete, and I've already spent quite a few days in the capital. It's time to take my leave."

"Brother Li, may we meet again someday."

Having said that, he clasped his hands in a salute, leaped into the sky, and a silver-glowing treasure ship flew out from his sleeve.

The ship's hull is carved with dragons and phoenixes and covered with runes, clearly making it a flying treasure.

Shi Mao and Qiao Yuan, their hearts heavy with emotion, followed closely behind.

Just as the treasure ship was about to break through the clouds, Yang Qiong suddenly turned around and said loudly:

"Oh, right, Brother Li, I forgot to tell you that this year's Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament will be held in six months."

"At that time, I, Yang, will be at the Tianxuan Holy Land, and I look forward to discussing the Dao with you again! Farewell!"

As the sound faded, the treasure ship shone brightly with silver light, then "whooshed" into the thick clouds and disappeared into the vast night sky.

The people on the wasteland looked at each other, their expressions varied.

"Strange, wasn't the Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament supposed to be two and a half years away? How come it's suddenly been moved up by two years?"

"Perhaps something unexpected has happened..."

"Who cares? These are things that top-level big shots worry about."

Amidst the discussions, the gazes of the crowd toward the figure in the blue robe grew increasingly reverent.

Tonight's battle saw two holy bodies emerge from the sky, ultimately ending with Yang Qiong admitting defeat and Li Wudao slaying the members of the Li Huo Sect with his sword.

It is foreseeable that before long, the name Li Wudao will sweep across the Eastern Wilderness like a storm.

.......

a long distance away.

The Great Liang Dynasty, the Imperial Palace.

It was late at night, but the Hall of Supreme Harmony was brightly lit, and the officials stood solemnly.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Lu Siyuan of the Great Liang Dynasty was about fifty years old. He had a refined and scholarly appearance, but his eyes were deep and profound, as if he could see through people's hearts.

He was dressed in a dark dragon robe, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the armrest, making a dull sound.

Below the main hall.

Lu Cong, the Prince of Zhaoxian, who had just fled back from the capital of Dayu in a sorry state, was kneeling on the ground, trembling as he reported what he had seen and heard.