Chapter 190 The Ancestor!

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

They knew clearly that for all these years, they had been immersed in unrealistic fantasies.

What "borrowing"? It was nothing more than a more civilized form of robbery.

If they didn't give it, they would simply have to resort to force.

They remembered that back then, the Maoshan Sect had indeed been unwilling to give it at first, so Mount Longhu proposed a debate on the Dao with the Maoshan Sect.

And their Master, who was the Sect Head of the Maoshan Sect at the time, naturally would not retreat without a fight, so he readily accepted.

In that battle, the Maoshan Sect Leader lost, and with it, the celestial master seal.

Not long after, the Maoshan Sect Leader passed away due to his injuries.

At this moment, the previous pretense was torn away, and the bloody scar was laid bare before everyone, forcing them to face it directly.

"The celestial master seal was never something the Maoshan Sect sought. It was originally created because the various Schools spontaneously supported and honored Maoshan together, which is how this seal came to be."

At this moment, Jiang Chen suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

He continued calmly, "To the Maoshan Sect, this celestial master seal has always been an optional item."

Hearing this, some people became increasingly dissatisfied. The celestial master seal was a symbol of the Maoshan Sect's status and position; how could it be called an optional item?

But before he could retort, Jiang Chen seemed to see through his thoughts at a glance, and cast a calm gaze in his direction.

"Do you think you know why the Maoshan Sect possesses this celestial master seal?"

The man was slightly stunned, then said without hesitation, "That is naturally because our Maoshan is trusted and respected by the Daoist Schools of the world, and is the leader of all Daoist Schools under heaven!"

"Well said, but it is not entirely correct."

Jiang Chen swept his gaze lightly across the surroundings. Everyone who met his eyes could not help but feel a tremor, as if Jiang Chen's gaze was fixed on them, just like being stared at by an indescribable, great existence.

"The only reason Maoshan has this celestial master seal is that the Maoshan Sect was strong enough. They were afraid of Maoshan, afraid that Maoshan would unify the Daoist traditions, and afraid that Maoshan would use its power to suppress others."

These light words, when spoken, made everyone feel, in an intangible way, the glory of the past when Maoshan dominated the world.

His tone was as if the person in front of them had walked out of that era.

That feeling of history rushing towards them made them puff out their chests involuntarily.

This is the Maoshan Sect!

Once upon a time, it was also the prominent School of the world that dominated all under heaven! It was truly awe-inspiring!

But not long after, after a brief moment of daze, everyone came back to their senses, and the looks they directed at Jiang Chen carried a hint of uncertainty.

They thought back to the Sect Head's strange behavior and address earlier.

After a period of silence, someone asked cautiously, "Sect Head, you just addressed him as... Ancestral Master?"

"That is correct." Speaking of this, Ye Yunyang, who had been in a somewhat low mood, immediately became excited.

Then, he repeated the words he had just used to introduce him to Ye Shouzhen and Wu Guangrong.

Upon hearing this news, everyone's expressions were identical to Wu Guangrong's earlier.

But some also showed joy, because if the Maoshan Sect really had an Ancestral Master who had survived from ancient times to the present, then what need was there to care about Mount Longhu?

As for whether it was true or false? Baijun Mountain could have a White Tiger Mountain Lord that had survived for a thousand years; as the former number one prominent School of the world, why couldn't the Maoshan Sect have a few living Ancestral Masters?

But more people showed obvious skepticism.

They were different from Ye Shouzhen and Wu Guangrong; they knew even less about Jiang Chen.

Especially now, Jiang Chen looked no different from an ordinary tourist, with absolutely no airs of an Ancestral Master.

Not to mention, in their memories, there was no such Ancestral Master as Jiang Chen!

They knew the Disciples of the Middle Ancestor like the back of their hand, and among them, there was no one named Jiang Chen with the Daoist name Great True Lord Xuanyi!

"Sect Head, it is not that we do not believe you, but to conclude that he is a person of our Maoshan Sect... without any proof, I am afraid it is hard to convince us."

"Exactly. According to what we learned before, this Jiang Chen is at most a Disciple left behind by a generation of Junior Martial Uncle Ancestors of Maoshan. In any case, he cannot be our Maoshan Ancestral Master!"

"That's right! If our Maoshan truly had an Ancestral Master alive, how could we not know his name!"

"So, Sect Head, you delayed your cultivation several times to go out, just to find him?!"

Everyone spoke one after another, causing Ye Yunyang to frown deeply.

He wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start.

The strange memories in his mind, the mysteriously vanished Ancestral Master memorial tablet—all of these indicated the extraordinary nature of this Ancestral Master-level figure who had survived from the prosperous Tang Dynasty to the present.

Moreover, even if he said it out loud, would they believe it?

If it weren't for all these signs, even he himself would probably think this was a fantasy, right?

Jiang Chen was not in a hurry to refute. As the current Sect Head of the Maoshan Sect, Ye Yunyang's cultivation was sufficient.

Among those present, there were only a few cultivators at the Dao Entry Peak, and not a single one in the Xuanguang Realm.

But these cultivators at the Dao Entry Peak did not seem to revere this Sect Head very much. Of course, they did not have any overly transgressive behavior either.

However, from this point, it could be seen that Ye Yunyang was likely quite lenient and gentle in his daily conduct.

Jiang Chen wanted to see if he could suppress and convince everyone in the face of such a situation.

Seeing Ye Yunyang's expression becoming increasingly ugly, the crowd's chatter finally stopped.

"When Master was on his deathbed, he entrusted the position of Sect Head to me. Besides the fact that my cultivation speed was fast, it was also because I am not competitive and do not overcorrect."

Speaking of this, some of the Elders' eyes flickered, while others seemed to realize what Ye Yunyang was about to say, and their expressions changed.

"I spend most of my time focusing on cultivation, but that does not mean I ignore the entire Maoshan Sect! I rarely manage miscellaneous affairs, but that does not mean I know nothing about you, Senior Brothers!"

Ye Yunyang's voice became stern, and the expressions of the Elders changed even more.

"Senior Brother Yang."

One long-bearded Daoist's eyes changed, and he replied, "Present."

"Your grandson got into a fight with someone, causing them to be disabled. You relied on the identity of the Maoshan Sect to force a private settlement. Is this true?"

The long-bearded Daoist's face instantly turned as red as a pig's liver, but he did not dare to deny it and could only grunt, "Yes."

"It was I who went down the mountain to clear the person's meridians and pay a huge sum of money to settle the matter."

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Yang's face turned pale and then flushed, and finally, he let out a long sigh and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Sect Head!"

"Senior Brother Hua, you privately misappropriated three million in public funds from the Maoshan Sect. Is this true?"

"Senior Brother Gu, you took three Breakthrough Pills without permission in order to reach the Xuanguang Realm. Is this true?"

"Senior Brother Niu, you started a livestream to tell fortunes and amassed countless wealth. Is this true?"

...

Every time Ye Yunyang called out a name, it was like the King of Hell calling roll, causing that person's face to change drastically.

Yet every word he said was completely accurate. Gradually, the looks everyone directed at Ye Yunyang began to change.

Originally, they only thought of Ye Yunyang as the pillar of the Maoshan Sect, a mascot who did not care about worldly affairs and focused on cultivation.

But until today, they didn't know that Ye Yunyang was not ignoring things, nor was he ignorant of anything. In his heart, he was clear about everything!

By the end, all the Elders lowered their heads in shame.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen was satisfied with the methods and style of Ye Yunyang, the current Sect Head of the Maoshan Sect.

Even if there were still dissatisfied people on the field, they were dissatisfied with him, Jiang Chen, not with Ye Yunyang. Being able to achieve this much was already quite good.

"Even so, Sect Head, shouldn't we go to the Ancestral Master Hall and respectfully invite the Ancestral Master to verify... this person's true identity?"

At this moment, someone still proposed verifying Jiang Chen's identity, and the method was exactly the same as what Wu Guangrong had mentioned earlier.

Just as Ye Yunyang wanted to continue speaking, a faint voice once again drew everyone's attention.

Jiang Chen's expression was calm, his clothes fluttering. At this moment, it seemed as if he were not wearing casual clothes, but that dark Daoist robe.

He stepped forward lightly. This step seemed to land on their hearts, causing everyone to tremble inwardly.

At this moment, a touch of gold-rimmed red appeared in his eyes, and an indescribable Aura permeated the entire square.

Ancient Dao rhymes flowed around his body, and the most primordial laws of the Dao manifested upon him.

At this moment, Jiang Chen seemed to have turned into the Dao itself. Everyone could see the embodiment of their own Dao from Jiang Chen.

The ancient divine charm of the Great Dao poured down from the top of Jiang Chen's head.

But as they looked again, the scene before them changed. It was as if they saw a man with unruly black hair, red light in his eyes, and wearing imperial Dynasty robes, walking out from the ages of antiquity.

This person had nothing in his eyes; it seemed that all living beings of heaven and earth, and all things in the Universe, were no different from dust in his eyes.

"Why go to such trouble? Since you want to see, then I will show you."