“The Dean isn’t truly demonic; he only committed those acts because he forcibly cultivated dark-element techniques,” the Vice Dean argued.
“If we confiscate the dark-element technique, confine him for a time, and seal his cultivation, then after the effects of his deviation subside, this issue will be resolved.”
The Vice Dean, not waiting for Elder Xiao to respond, turned to Foshen and said,
“Foshen, the Imperial Academy is willing to pay any price to keep the Dean here. If you agree not to take him away, the academy will promise you one thing in return.”
“There are so many witnesses here. Once we make a promise, we will absolutely keep it. We will not go back on our word,” the Vice Dean added as he looked at Foshen.
“All I ask is that you spare the Dean.”
“How touching,” someone commented after hearing the Vice Dean’s plea.
“I thought the Dean and Vice Dean had a power struggle going on?”
“If the Dean is gone, wouldn’t the Vice Dean have the best chance of becoming the new Dean?”
“So why is he so determined to protect the Dean?”
The Vice Dean pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
It was true that power struggles often occurred between deans and vice deans, but this wasn’t the case between him and the Dean.
The Dean had been the one who promoted him. If not for the Dean’s unwavering support against opposition, he wouldn’t have become the Vice Dean in the first place.
Moreover…
The academy needed a competent leader, and he… simply wasn’t capable of managing the Imperial Academy.
The forces backing the elders who supported the Dean were much stronger than his own. If the Dean were truly removed, not only would he fail to become the new Dean, but he might even lose his position as Vice Dean.
People from powerful families enjoyed inherent advantages, while he… was an orphan. Reaching this position was already incredibly difficult, and going further was nearly impossible.
“Your bond is touching, but does that mean our people deserved to die?” a young man behind Elder Xiao said angrily.
“Dark-element techniques should not be forcibly cultivated. There have been others who suffered consequences for trying this in the past.”
“Dark-element techniques are inherently destructive, inherently evil. Cultivating them without a dark-element spiritual root—what was he thinking? Does he have water in his brain?” The young man’s voice was filled with rage.
“He ruined himself, fine. But why did he have to drag all of us here with him?”
The Vice Dean opened his mouth slightly as if to respond, but the young man cut him off,
“Curiosity is a natural thing, you say? Didn’t all of you come here out of curiosity about dark-element techniques?”
“We were curious, sure, but we never said we’d cultivate them!” the young man retorted.
“Let’s say we did get something out of this and couldn’t resist cultivating it to become stronger. If we ended up causing trouble and got caught, wouldn’t we deserve the consequences?”
“So why are you putting on this emotional performance?”
“The Buddhist Order has the authority to adjudicate all matters related to demonic acts,” the young man said angrily.
“We will not allow you to keep him here.”
“If he doesn’t die, then didn’t my friend die for nothing?”
The young man’s rage was palpable. Under normal circumstances, he might not have been this furious, but the Dean’s actions…
He had ripped out hearts and drained spiritual power.
Just thinking about the bloody hole in his friend’s chest made the young man want to tear the Dean apart!
“I think he’s absolutely right,” another person chimed in.
“Everyone has desires. It’s not wrong for the Dean to have them. But committing such heinous acts was his choice. No one forced him to make that decision. And once he made that choice, he has to bear the consequences of failure.”
“If you take lives, you risk losing your own. That’s only fair.”
“The Dean chose this path, but he failed and was caught by Foshen. He brought this upon himself.”
“Vice Dean, it’s no use.” The speaker turned to the Vice Dean and said,
“No one here today wishes for the Dean to live.”
“Because none of us can guarantee that he’ll truly return to normal.”
437
“If he can recover, that’s one thing. But what if he cannot?”
“If Foshen spares him and you cannot control him, what happens when he kills again and takes another heart? Will everyone then blame the Buddhist Order?”
“The Dean doesn’t seek the hearts of ordinary people; he desires the hearts and spiritual power of Holy Spirit Masters. It’s no easy feat for any family to cultivate a Holy Spirit Master. We cannot allow such tragedies to occur again, so we ask the Vice Dean to consider this carefully.”
“Today, do you truly wish to oppose all of our factions?”
If the Imperial Academy insisted on protecting the Dean, it would effectively make enemies of all the gathered forces.
Otherwise, while this incident had offended them, it could be dismissed as the Dean’s personal actions, unrelated to the academy. Though tensions might linger for a time, in the long run, interactions between the academy and the factions would resume.
The Vice Dean fell silent after hearing the man’s words.
For his own sake, he naturally wished to save the Dean.
But he wasn’t the only one present; there were also four elder guardians of the academy.
Under these circumstances, the guardians held decision-making power.
The Vice Dean didn’t even need to ask to know they wouldn’t risk offending everyone to save the Dean.
“Have the esteemed guests perhaps forgotten something?”
As the Vice Dean contemplated, a melodious voice broke through his thoughts.
He turned to look at Foshen.
Foshen’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Why quarrel endlessly, dear guests?”
“After all, none of you have the authority to make decisions in my stead.”
The Vice Dean met Foshen’s gaze, and a chill ran through him.
Foshen…
The Buddhist Child of the Buddhist Order, destined to lead it in the future.
Rumor had it that his methods were ruthless, utterly devoid of the compassion typically associated with the Buddhist Order.
It was said he was cold and heartless, disregarding the rules of the Buddhist path. Anyone—whether human or demonic—who fell into his hands would meet certain death.
Could someone like this truly be a Buddhist Child?
Before today, the Vice Dean had doubted the rumors, considering them unreliable.
After all, Foshen was the Buddhist Child of the Buddhist Order—a force that protected the continent and fought against the demonic races. How could he be so different from their ideals?
But now, looking at Foshen, the Vice Dean believed the rumors.
Though Foshen was smiling, his dark eyes held no trace of warmth.
He was utterly merciless.
A pure white lotus of light emerged from Foshen’s palm. In the next instant, it flew straight toward the Dean!
The Dean’s expression shifted drastically upon seeing the lotus, and he immediately unleashed his power to defend himself.
However, due to the damage his cultivation had suffered from deviation, combined with Foshen’s vastly superior strength, he was no match for Foshen at all!
Outside the barrier, the onlookers watched calmly.
Had this been Xuan Yong standing against the Dean, they might have been worried.
But the moment they learned Xuan Yong was actually Foshen, all their concerns vanished.
The Buddhist Child of the Buddhist Order was a true harbinger of death.
No one knew the extent of his cultivation, only that he had never been defeated.
All of the Buddhist Order’s most challenging missions were entrusted to him, and he had never failed.
The Dean’s defeat was inevitable.
Feng Jiuyuan and Jing Chen glanced at the battle inside the barrier, then made their way toward Huang Quan.
Soon, the two of them reached her side.
Huang Quan seemed lost in thought and didn’t notice their approach.
“Quan Quan, what are you thinking about?” Feng Jiuyuan asked as he approached. Seeing that she was staring at the barrier and hadn’t spared them a glance, he decided to speak up.
Huang Quan turned her head upon hearing his voice and looked at the two of them, shaking her head. “It’s nothing.”
Feng Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow. “The way you looked just now didn’t seem like you weren’t thinking about anything.”
Huang Quan replied, “I really wasn’t thinking about anything. Don’t ask. If you keep asking, I’ll beat you up.”
Dear reader, this chapter is complete. Enjoy your reading! ^0^
