127: I've never fought such a rich war before.

Why did this Junior Brother suddenly bring this up?

Although Qingxu Grotto-Heaven advocates non-action and takes a semi-laissez-faire approach to the Northern Territory, its authority there remains supreme.

Because its Disciples are exceptionally capable and talented, they are found in the middle and upper echelons of various forces, and all forces in the Northern Territory grant special courtesy to those from Qingxu Grotto-Heaven.

However, most Grotto-Heaven Disciples, influenced by the Sect, are sensible and rarely abuse this transcendent status.

But if anyone endangers its Disciples, Qingxu Grotto-Heaven will certainly strike hard.

For this reason, both Great Yu and Great Gan's laws contain specific legislation protecting the safety of its Disciples.

"Although you are a prospective Saint, Junior Brother, strictly speaking, your current identity is still a True Disciple, or even merely a nominal True Disciple," Li Wenbo explained. "Fortunately, Great Yu's laws do not subdivide True Disciples, and can treat them as official True Disciples; otherwise, the effectiveness of this charge would be discounted."

"But under the national destiny review mechanism, merely the crime of intending to harm a True Disciple is still not enough to condemn everyone on the list."

"I can't think of a better solution for now, Senior Brother," Li Wenbo said, making a helpless little bear shrug, looking a bit dejected.

However, Zhou Yan smiled at this.

"No, Senior Brother, you misunderstood me. I mean, I wasn't the only one targeted this time."

"Come, Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, make an appearance," he said, pulling Wang Yao and Shi Suiyan, who were sitting aside, closer. The two were momentarily bewildered.

"This is Junior Brother Wang Yao, a Disciple of the Sixth Elder."

"This is Junior Sister Shi Suiyan, a Disciple of the Third Elder."

"They were also implicated and almost met with harm. I wonder if adding two more people will affect the final judgment?"

"Uh... Hello, Senior Brother." The two, suddenly called out, waved nervously in greeting.

Boom! Li Wenbo felt a thunderclap in his mind.

Such a good thing actually happened!

Just as he was worrying about how to solve it, two more True Disciples appeared in a blink of an eye!

Harming one True Disciple is a serious crime, but simultaneously harming three? This is tantamount to declaring war on Qingxu Grotto-Heaven!

"Good, good, good! This is truly excellent! Now everyone can be included!" Li Wenbo was ecstatic.

None of the people on the list belonged to his faction. Originally, he could at most eliminate half, which would both offend people and disappoint his Junior Brother.

Now, being able to deal with all of them not only indirectly strengthens his own influence but also earns him a favor from his Junior Brother. It's truly a huge loss turned into a huge gain.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to speak again, Xiao Sheng also walked over.

"Old Zhou, you're being unfair," Xiao Sheng said. "I've been listening for a while and have a general idea. Your life being threatened is like my life being threatened. We are brothers, and I will definitely help you with this."

"Who is this?" Li Wenbo asked, seeing another person enter the scene. Could he also be a True Disciple? But there were already three, so one more wouldn't make much difference.

"I am Xiao Yuansheng, a True Disciple of Kurong Temple. Although I know my identity may not be effective in the Northern Territory, I am still willing to do my humble best."

"If I act, the other party, considering my background, probably wouldn't dare do anything to me, and I don't care about the slight national destiny backlash. A mere backlash cannot stop my unhindered thoughts."

Zhou Yan was a bit surprised, not expecting Xiao Sheng to also be a True Disciple, but then he thought, if not a True Disciple, it would probably be difficult to cross such a vast region to get here.

Although he was an outsider True Disciple and might have limited influence locally, this gesture deeply moved him, and he mused that he should treat Old Xiao to an extra meal tonight.

However, Li Wenbo's reaction after hearing this was completely different. As soon as Xiao Sheng finished speaking, this seasoned official couldn't help but smile, his lips almost unable to contain it.

"So it's Daoist Priest Xiao! Daoist Priest, please don't belittle yourself, you are incredibly useful!"

"Ah?" Everyone failed to understand his meaning.

Wang Yao had heard of Kurong Temple and knew it was a top power located in the Southern Desert, on par with Great Yu and Great Gan, all being the highest tier of powers below the Three Sects.

But after all, it was far away in the Southern Desert, so how much influence could it have here? Even Xiao Sheng himself thought so.

But Li Wenbo was no ordinary person; years of official experience allowed him to instantly grasp the crucial point.

"Daoist Priest Xiao, as a True Disciple of Kurong Temple, is here for training, which falls under diplomatic affairs."

"The Daoist Priest maintains close and friendly relations with our Supervising Censor, which is a testament to the friendship between Great Yu and the Southern Desert."

"Now, someone is actually trying to destroy this bridge of friendship! We can add another charge of 'destroying diplomacy'! This way, not only can everyone be dealt with, but it can also be done faster and more efficiently!"

"I... am I that useful?" Xiao Sheng scratched his head.

"Good! Junior Brother, first find a pretext to control them."

"I will send some things over shortly. Once you have them, you can list the charges one by one."

"Remember, you must prevent them from escaping! Once this matter is leaked, they will flee at all costs. Before the things I send arrive, they still have national destiny protecting them, and catching them will be much more troublesome then."

After Li Wenbo bid farewell to Zhou Yan and the others, the group re-gathered around the table, but the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

"Whatever Senior Brother says, I will do. As a Junior Sister, I keep it in my heart." Shi Suiyan gently thumped her flat chest with a clenched fist, her eyes firm.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Chenling immediately felt his position as the most loyal threatened and quickly expressed his stance.

"Boss, what are you waiting for? You hold the bow, Old Wang charges, and I provide Divine Ability support. Who in Jiangzhou can stop us?"

He was actually quite tempted by this opportunity to legally confiscate property. He had been thinking about this, which made him a step slower than Shi Suiyan.

However, thinking of the many corrupt officials listed in the ledger earlier, he wished he could immediately go and 'rectify' the officialdom.

"That's right, Old Zhou! Thousands of people have their way of fighting, and a few people have their way. I still have trump cards, let's just go for it!"

Xiao Sheng was equally indignant and immediately agreed with Yuan Chenling.

He loathed those wicked officials; he had seen the crimes on the list, and not a single one was good.

This was both acting on behalf of Heaven to earn Karma and getting a celebratory feast afterward.

The man and the lion exchanged glances, both revealing smiles of "kindred spirits."

In contrast, Wang Yao was much calmer.

Although he didn't mind helping Zhou Yan get revenge and agreed to Zhou Yan using his name, such a large-scale disposal would inevitably cause turmoil.

He worried that if there were good officials who were coerced into participating in evil deeds and were beyond their control, they would be implicated.

Zhou Yan saw his concerns and took out the ledger compiled by Yi Sanyi.

Zhou Yan had originally intended to use this item when his strength was greater. Although the crimes recorded in the ledger showed that those people could no longer be called humans, many of them held high positions and were difficult to deal with.

But now, some of the people on this ledger had actively provoked him, so it was a good opportunity to deal with a batch of them first.

He had also planned to use this as a trump card to convict those officials, but he didn't expect his Senior Brother to be so effective, having already arranged the charges without needing the ledger.

It also saved the trouble of bringing this ledger out prematurely.

Sure enough, Wang Yao saw the ledger recording how many quotas a certain lord had set, how many people were to be caught to make fish beds, and which Family had offered a batch of excellent Mortals as fish beds... Each and every one of these things proved only one thing.

"Kill! These damned Truth Cultists! Not a single one can be spared!" Wang Yao's eyes were wide with rage, his skin reddening several shades from anger.

The oppressive Aura made the surrounding people involuntarily step back a little.

Zhou Yan put away the ledger, wiping away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

Although he had heard from Mu Qianqiu that Wang Yao had an extreme hatred for the Demonic Path, he hadn't expected the effect to be so significant.

Just seeing the ledger turned Wang Yao from a conservative into a conservative who thought they were too conservative, his reaction several times stronger than Zhou Yan's when he first saw the ledger.

"Cough, cough, so let's plan first and find a way to control the main officials." The impact brought by Wang Yao was too great, making Zhou Yan, who originally wanted to catch them all in one go, seem exceptionally benevolent.