None of those present had expected Domain Master Sha Xiang to bring up that old matter in front of Lord Saint Yang today. They had thought Lord Saint Yang would be furious, but to everyone's surprise, although Lord Saint Yang's expression looked somewhat gloomy, he did not fly into a rage. Instead, he stared at Domain Master Sha Xiang and said, "Is the Domain Lord implying that this old man is abusing his public position for private revenge?"
"Public revenge? Oh, Grand Elder, you mustn't say such a thing! Others might not know, but how could I not know your character?" Domain Master Sha Xiang offered an apologetic explanation. "Who in our Lingluo Heavenly Domain doesn't know that you, venerable elder, have always been impartial and selfless, upright and honest, filled with noble righteousness? Everyone respects you. How could I possibly say you're abusing your position for private revenge? No! Absolutely not! Grand Elder, you must not misunderstand."
"Whether the Domain Lord believes it or not, this old man has a clear conscience," Lord Saint Yang continued. "Regarding the matter of besieging You Di back then, although I suffered immense humiliation and lost my beloved disciple, I do not regret it! Even if I had to do it over, I would still besiege that criminal disciple You Di. Even if I had to do it a thousand times, ten thousand times, I would still do it."
After a pause, he added, "This old man's stance remains the same: regardless of whether You Di is the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate, it is an indisputable fact that in the Ancient Era, he slaughtered innocent immortals, destroyed immortal dynasties, burned the Nine Heavens, and trampled upon the dignity of our Immortal Dao. As such, all of us who follow the Immortal Dao should stand up and tear him to pieces! This is both to seek justice for the innocent immortals who died by his hand and to uphold the glorious dignity of our Immortal Dao!"
As Lord Saint Yang's words fell, the various Immortal Dynasty lords and Immortal Realm masters in the hall echoed in agreement, all shouting to slay You Di, seek justice, and uphold the dignity of the Immortal Dao.
Watching these people in the grand hall, a flicker of disdain passed through Domain Master Sha Xiang's narrow eyes, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He sighed and asked, "Grand Elder, then according to your esteemed opinion, what should we do?"
"First, announce it throughout Lingluo Heavenly Domain. This old man wants all living beings within the domain to know the determination and resolve of our Immortal Court Residence to eradicate You Di and rid the people of this scourge!"
"Second, place all major worlds, all major immortal realms, including the entire Lingluo Heavenly Domain, under strict martial law. From today onward, entry is permitted, but exit is forbidden."
"Third, immediately summon all Heavenly Domain patrols to search for traces of that criminal disciple You Di!"
"Fourth, summon all Heavenly Domain law enforcers to maintain order within the domain."
"Fifth, issue orders: all Immortal Dynasty lords and Immortal Realm masters must mobilize all immortals to prepare for the slaying of You Di."
"Excellent, excellent," Domain Master Sha Xiang applauded in praise, then asked, "And then?"
"What 'and then'?"
"I mean, what do we do if we find You Di?"
"If we discover the whereabouts of that criminal disciple You Di, we naturally spare no effort to completely eradicate him!"
"Eradicate You Di! Heh!" Domain Master Sha Xiang picked up a towel beside him, first wiping the grease from the corner of his mouth, then wiping his hands. "Grand Elder, I know you are utterly loyal to the Nine Heavens Immortal Path, and you are impartial, selfless, and righteous. That's what I admire most about you. However, eradicating You Di isn't something that can be done with loyalty to the Nine Heavens alone. Relying on your own determination, on justice—that's nonsense. This thing requires strength. Strength, you understand?"
"This old man firmly believes that evil can never triumph over righteousness!" Lord Saint Yang declared resolutely, hands clasped behind his back. "As long as everyone unites, shares a common hatred, and embraces the determination to fight to the death, we will surely eradicate that criminal disciple You Di!"
"What if... I'm just saying what if... what if we don't manage to eradicate You Di, but instead, everyone gets slaughtered by him? What then?"
"How could people of our standing fear death?" Lord Saint Yang sternly retorted. "Upholding the order of the Heavenly Domain is our duty. Protecting the safety of all immortals in the domain is our responsibility. As celestial officials of the Heavenly Domain, we must be worthy of the grace bestowed by the Nine Heavens above, worthy of the trust of all living beings below, and worthy of our own consciences!"
Hearing Lord Saint Yang put on a show of loyalty and righteousness, pontificating about so-called duties and responsibilities, gave Domain Master Sha Xiang a headache. It wasn't a fake headache, but a real one. He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples, and said with forced patience, "Just going through the motions is enough. Do you have to keep going on and on? Do you think you're the only capable one here?"
Perhaps not expecting Domain Master Sha Xiang to speak this way, Lord Saint Yang was momentarily stunned, then roared in anger, "Sha Xiang! What did you say?!"
"What, didn't hear clearly? Need me to repeat it?" Domain Master Sha Xiang frowned as he looked at Lord Saint Yang. "Originally, given your advanced age, I didn't want to stoop to your level. But you keep making a racket without end. This guy just keeps pushing his luck. Do you even have any respect for me, the Domain Lord, in your eyes?"
Before Lord Saint Yang could reply, Domain Master Sha Xiang continued, "I just don't get it. How can someone your age have such a poor memory? Weren't you the one leading the charge, clamoring to besiege You Di back then? You Di was living in seclusion peacefully in Lingluo Heavenly Domain, minding his own business, right? Why did you have to go besiege him? Besides, did you even have the strength to besiege him? And yet you still have the face to say the previous Domain Lord was killed by You Di? If you hadn't been clamoring to besiege You Di back then, would the previous Domain Lord have been killed by him?"
"Do you have any idea how many people died because you organized that siege against You Di? Those people may have died by You Di's hand, but they all died because of you!" Domain Master Sha Xiang mercilessly berated him. "And you still dare to talk about having a clear conscience in front of me? The one who truly has a clear conscience is You Di! You people wanted to kill him, so he killed you. That's called having a clear conscience, understand? You caused the deaths of so many people. How do you still have the face to say you have a clear conscience?!"
"You! You! You!" At this moment, Lord Saint Yang's aged face was both livid and pale. He glared, pointing a trembling finger at Domain Master Sha Xiang, his entire body shaking with rage as he gnashed his teeth and shouted, "You! This is... this is... slandering... this old man!"
Domain Master Sha Xiang didn't even bother to look at him and went on, "Last time, during the siege, You Di didn't kill you. He spared your life. Yet you show no remorse. You actually want to go besiege him again? Making announcements, mobilizing forces... what, didn't kill enough people last time? This time you plan to get everyone in Lingluo Heavenly Domain killed?"
"I've realized something, you old bastard. Is there something you just don't get? Do you know why You Di spared your life last time? Do you think he didn't dare to kill you? Or couldn't kill you? No! Neither! The reason You Di spared your life is because he finds your existence pitiful, you know that? Do you know how pitiful your life is? So pitiful it's disgusting. So pitiful that even You Di couldn't be bothered to kill you. Because in You Di's eyes, someone like you is already dead, like a walking corpse. Killing you or not makes no difference anymore."
"Outrageous!" Lord Saint Yang was so enraged he nearly jumped out of his skin, thundering in fury, "You shut your mouth for this old man!"